Jenny Bowen, an American living in Beijing, was selected as the only American to carry the 2008 Beijing Olympic torch on Chinese soil．She and seven other non-Chinese winners had been chosen from 262 applicants from 47 countries in a contest organized by Chinese computer maker Lenovo Group and the official English-language newspaper, China Daily．When Bowen ran with the Olympic torch, she was not only representing the United States, but also representing thousands of Chinese orphans (孤儿).
Bowen, a mother of two adopted (收养) Chinese daughters, is director of Half the Sky Foundation, an organization which was founded in 1998 and aims to enrich the lives of orphaned children in China．In nearly 10 years, Bowen and Half the Sky have touched the lives of over 13,000 children．Half the Sky is now present in 36 welfare institutions in 28 Chinese cities． About 4,000 children are active in the program, which provides trained staff, educational tools, medical support and care for orphans.
Bowen hoped that running with the Olympic torch would help draw attention to the children in China．She was among 19,400 runners who carried the flame along an 85,000-mile, 130-day route across five continents．Beijing organizers say it was the longest torch relay in Olympic history.
Like Bowen, the 
seven other non-Chinese winners, including a German engineer and a Venezuelan designer, live in China．Other countries represented were the Philippines, Colombia, India, Japan and Russia.
According to Olympic organizers, candidates (候选人) were selected based on an online vote, committee selection, their “love of Chinese culture and history” and devotion to “communicating information of a real China to their native countries”．Each runner carried the torch for 200 meters on Chinese soil.
1．Bowen hopes that being a torch runner would help ________.
A．collect educational tools, medical support, etc, for orphans
B．make Half the Sky Foundation well known
C．draw special attention to orphans in China
D．communicate information of America
2．According to the text, Jenny Bowen ________.
A．is interested in Chinese sports
B．fo
unded the organization of Half the Sky
C．has adopted 13,000 children during 10 years
D．loves Chinese culture and history
3．Which of the following about the 2008 torch relay is WRONG?
A．The contest for its runners is organized by Lenovo Group and China Daily.
B．It has eight foreign runners, including an American, a German and a Venezuelan.
C．It will be the longest relay with the most runners in Olympic history.
D．It will be an opportunity to communicate information of a real China to the world.
4．What’s the best title for the passage?
A．Happy Life of a Great US Woman in China
B．A US Woman Carrying 2008 Olympic Torch in China
C．The Development of Half the Sky Foundation
D．The Longest Torch Relay in Olympic History
Google, the Internet search and mapping company, has developed a car that can steer without a driver.
Sometimes the reality is stranger than science fiction: Google is road-testing cars that steer, stop and start without a human driver. The goal is to “help prevent traffic accidents, free up people’s time and reduce carbon emissions.” says Sebastian Thrun, who is the project leader for the driverless car, or Carbot.
By developing the car and the software that drives it, Google wants to change how people get from place to p1ace. Eric Schmidt, one of the company’s top officials, said, “Your car should drive itself. It just makes sense.”
So far, the driverless autos have gone about 140,000 miles on California roads without people taking over the driving. Many of the roads are very busy or full of curves that challenge human drivers. The autos’ software makes it possible to know speed limits, traffic patterns and road maps. The vehicles use radar, lasers and video cameras to find other cars and avoid people crossing streets.
There has only been one accident during the testing. And in that case, the Carbot was hit from behind by a human driver when Goog1e’s car was stopped at a red light. Engineers say the driverless cars are safer than autos with people behind the wheel because the computers react much more quickly than humans.
The Carbot is still in very early testing stages. Experts agree that it will be years before you will be able to buy one. But it is likely that one day you will be sitting in the driver’s seat of a driverless car. When the auto was first invented it was called a “horseless carriage”. Now it seems that it is time for the “driverless carriage” to be part of our 1ives.What’s the main idea of the passage?
| A．An auto revolution is on its way. |
| B．Google has developed a driverless car. |
| C．The Carbot has passed its early testing stages. |
| D．Science fiction has turned into reality. |
The driverless car is safer than an auto with people because _______.
| A．it uses radar, lasers and video cameras |
| B．it knows speed limits, traffic patterns and road maps |
| C．the computer has a better sense of direction than drivers |
| D．the software responds to emergencies faster than a human driver |
The advantage of the Carbot is that _______.
| A．it can drive all by itself |
| B．it can avoid any traffic accident |
| C．it doesn’t pollute the environment |
| D．it is the most fashionable car nowadays |
70. The author’s attitude towards the Carbot is _______.
| A．unfriendly | B．desperate | C．critical | D．optimistic |
Market analysts in the United States have recently been quoted as saying that the biggest threat to the luxury (奢侈品) industry in the US is the tech industry. This is according to an article by fellow journalist Ashley Lutz. Her suggestion is sound. The main idea of her article is that products from Tiffany & Co. find their biggest competition not from other luxury brands but from companies like Apple. Lutz points out that luxury products are often only for “show,” while the attraction behind tech products is functionality.
You find few people in the United States today willing to purchase luxury goods at full price. It didn’t use to be that way. Luxury goods used to be actually exclusive. That meant you needed to travel to the right store to purchase them, and you didn’t even have the option of getting a deal.
Today, no one wants to pay full price for luxury goods. People have the unfortunate belief that fakes (赝品) somehow are equal to originals, and if you can’t get a deal on eBay, Amazon, or in an outlet store, purchasing a luxury product probably isn’t worth it. Luxury brands struggle to remain high-end (高档的) images despite the reality that the American consumer is motivated much more by discounts than they are by brand names or image.
Yet people stand in line to pay full price for a new product from Apple and crowds gather to hear about a new smart phone. While electronics are updating every day, people are purchasing technology at full prices much more than they are purchasing luxury goods. What are high-tech makers doing right that luxury makers are pitifully failing at?
Carefully looking at the situation, it would appear as if the Internet didn’t hurt the luxury industry, expectation from the consumers did. What people want these days more than anything is stuff that does something. They want cars that drive, shoes that are comfortable, games that are fun to play, screens that are beautiful to look at, tools that are useful, and entertainment that is entertaining. Little of that fits into what the luxury industry has typically offered with its status, image, and fine materials. The sad reality is that luxury products aren’t that luxury any more.What does this passage mainly talk about?
| A．Nobody likes luxury goods any more. |
| B．Luxury goods are of poor quality nowadays. |
| C．Tech products become the new “luxury goods”. |
| D．Iphones have taken the place of luxury products. |
The underlined word “exclusive” in paragraph 2 means _______.
| A．unique and with no bargain | B．low in price |
| C．hard to find | D．easy to sell |
From paragraph 3 we can know that _______.
| A．people have found that some luxury goods are fakes |
| B．people can buy luxury goods at a low price on eBay |
| C．luxury brands will give up high-end images |
| D．consumers prefer brand names to discounts |
What do people pay most attention to nowadays?
| A．The Internet service. | B．The images of luxuries. |
| C．The function of products. | D．The expectation from the consumers. |
Istopped ata grocerystore the other day because I wasabout to go on a long driveand I wanted to buy my favorite beverage for the trip.It wasn’t the store I normally go to, just one I passed along the way.
As I walked up to the entrance, I noticed aman and aboy who was about 10 or 12 years oldstanding at the front of the store.Customers walked past, as the man handed them half-sheets of white paper.Iwalked up to them with curiosity, wondering what cause they were representing. As I got closer, I saw that they had two carts starting to fillwith groceries.
I said hello and the man greeted me andhanded meone ofthe piecesof paper, explaining that they were collecting donations for the local food pantry.Onthe paperwas a simplelist of food items: peanut butter, noodles, pasta sauce, cannedfruits and vegetables.It alsoincludeda shortstory about the boy and his efforts to collect food donations since the age of 8.I was really touched that someone so young would be so interested in helping others.I told him it was an awesome idea and that he should be proud of himself.He smiled.
Then, I went inside to get my drink.Unfortunately, the store didn’t have it in stock. But, I wasn’t upset, because by thenI felt I had another mission.I went through the store, picking things from the list, then brought them back out to the boy and put them in the cart.I also gave the man the white sheet of paper back to reuse for another customer.They thanked me and offered me a treat (candy, I think) but I said to pass it on to someone else.
As I walked back to my car, the boy’s well-intentioned spirit stuck with me. How inspiring to encounter a young boy with a resolve to do good deeds, and the courage to act on it. It made my day!What do we know from the passage?
| A．The author wasn’t a regular customer to the store. |
| B．The store was owned by the man and the boy. |
| C．The store didn’t deal in drinks. |
| D．The author refused their treat because he didn’t need it. |
What does the author mainly want to tell readers in paragraph 4?
| A．He didn’t get his drink |
| B．He carried out another mission. |
| C．He got thanks and was offered a treat |
| D．He wasn’t upset though not getting his drink. |
What’s the best title for the passage?
| A．A Day for a Boy. | B．A Young Boy’s Determination. |
| C．An Inspiring Boy. | D．A Young Boy’s Groceries. |
We can infer from the description of the author that the boy is _______.
| A．noble-minded | B．hard-working |
| C．well-educated | D．open-minded |
Museums in Texas
Depot Museum And Children’s Discovery Center
The museum is in the depot’s waiting room and office. The warehouse is a hands-on learning center. See the 1908 “Arnold Outhouse”, log cabin, doctor’s office, dogtrot cabin, oil derrick, cotton gin, print shop, and syrup mill.
Open 9 a.m.–5 p.m. Mon.–Fri. and 9 a.m.–1 p.m. Sat.
Admission charge.
Address: 514 N. High St. in the restored 1901 Missouri Pacific Railroad depot, Henderson
Phone: 903/657-4303
Tex-Ark Antique Auto Museum
It is designed to preserve, collect, operate and interpret a collection of autos and auto transportation equipment. Library and archive collection available.
Open 9 a.m.–5 p.m. Sat. and 1–5 p.m. Sun.
Admission charge.
Address: 217 Laurel St., Texarkana
Phone: 903/938-9201
Jefferson Historical Society Museum
Find four floors of documents and antiques, including mementos of pioneer days, early steamboat commerce and antebellum society. See paintings and sculpture from the D.D. Feldman collection. It also has an outstanding doll collection.
Open 9:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m. daily.
Admission charge.
Address: Old Federal Building, Austin and Market streets, Jefferson
Phone: 903/665-2775
The Woodlands Children’s Museum
The museum provides hands-on, interactive exhibits designed to immerse children and adults in play that stimulates curiosity and provides opportunities for learning in a nurturing environment.
Open 10 a.m.–5 p.m. Tue.–Sat. and noon–5 p.m. Sun.
Admission charge.
Address: 4775 W. Panther Creek Drive, the Woodlands
Phone: 281/465-0955What do the four museums have in common?
| A．They all have a long history. | B．They all charge for admission. |
| C．They all provide hands-on programmes. | D．They are all in the same city. |
If you are free on Sunday afternoons, you may visit the following museums except _______.
| A．Tex-Ark Antique Auto Museum |
| B．The Woodlands Children’s Museum |
| C．Jefferson Historical Society Museum |
| D．Depot Museum And Children’s Discovery Center |
Which of the following is not true according to the advertisement?
| A．Interactive exhibits are offered in the Woodlands Children’s Museum. |
| B．Dolls are on display in Depot Museum And Children’s Discovery Center. |
| C．Paintings and sculpture can be seen in Jefferson Historical Society Museum. |
| D．You can read and borrow books in Tex-Ark Antique Auto Museum. |
On Jan 23, 2012, I was aboard a ship on the Yangtze River, listening to the sound of fireworks and eating plate after plate of dumplings.
On Sunday Feb 10, 2013, I was preparing to celebrate Chinese New Year again – in London’s Chinatown.
It was raining. It was cold. But ever since I left Beijing in August, I had promised myself I would celebrate Chinese New Year – if only to help with my Beijing “homesickness”.
Central London was dressed up for the occasion. There was a stage for a big fireworks display for the evening. Even so, it wasn’t like my real Beijing chunjie.
Even buying a baozi didn’t cheer me up. It cost about 10 times as much as the real thing does in Beijing and got stuck to its rain-ruined paper bag.
Cold, wet and depressed, I ran into a shop for shelter. Suddenly, there it was. Between the packets of dried meat and fish, the bags of rice and the smell of dried noodles in this little Chinese supermarket, I had found home.
An hour later, I hurried into my house with bags of frozen jiaozi, packets of sauce and a large bottle of vinegar. I boiled water, tore open the packets, grabbed my chopsticks and settled down to a feast. This, I thought, is a Happy Chinese New Year.
I even watched the fireworks on TV. After all, why face the British weather when I can bring China home in one bite? We can conclude from the first three paragraphs that the author ______.
| A．likes watching fireworks on the boat |
| B．misses Chinese food more than anything else |
| C．finds it great fun to celebrate Chinese New Year |
| D．misses her life in Beijing very much |
How did the author feel when she found some Chinese foods in a supermarket?
| A．a little curious | B．rather tired |
| C．a bit comfortable | D．very depressed |
Why did the author watch the fireworks on TV?
| A．She didn’t want to get wet and cold again. |
| B．The square is far away from where she lives. |
| C．She doesn’t like fireworks very much. |
| D．She was too hungry to go out. |
What is the best title of the passage?
| A．Unforgettable Chunjie in Beijing | B．Wonderful Experience in Britain |
| C．Finding Home in London | D．Festival in London |