If Barack Obama's wife and kids thought they'd be getting his undivided attention during their long-awaited summer holiday, perhaps they should think again.
The US President kicked off his vacation by revealing that, in addition to endless games of tennis and golf, he plans to spend the week ploughing through five books, weighing in at an astonishing 2,300 pages. His summer reading list, unveiled(透露) by the White House, contains two heavyweight works of non–fiction and three novels.
On top of the president’s table is Hot, Flat and Crowded, by New York Times columnist, Thomas Friedman. Subtitled "why we need a green revolution", it makes a leftish（左倾的） call to arms regarding the future of the planet.
Mr Obama's second choice is historian David McCullough's biography of John Adams, the often under-rated second US president, who was the subject of an award-winning HBO docu-drama（纪实剧）last year.
The novels include two crime thrillers: Richard Price's Lush Life, and The Way Home, a novel by George Pelecanos set in Washington, DC – which, much like Obama's best-selling autobiography（自传）, explores the relationship between a father and his son.
Completing the set is the novel Plainsong, by a little-known writer called Kent Haruf. Set in a small town on the Colorado plains, its existence on the reading list may reassure voters that Middle America has not been ignored by their commander-in-chief.
Publishers are keeping an eye on whether the famous "Obama bounce" – which has helped sales at the first family's favourite clothes stores, such as J Crew – will continue to apply to their troubled industry. The President's endorsement（认可） is said to have lifted sales of Joseph O'Neill's novel Netherland about cricket in Holland and New York last year.
Given that President Obama has already spent a portion of his week so far playing golf, beating Michelle at tennis, and visiting friends, questions will inevitably(不可避免地) be asked about his ability to put any dent（挫伤） at all in the ambitious reading list.
To finish all five books, he would have to manage more than 300 pages every day – quite an "ask" when a small portion of his time must also be spent running the country.
1. What’s the function of the first paragraph?
| A. To give an example. |
B. To introduce a topic. |
| C. To describe a hope. |
D. To offer an argument. |
2. Which of the following statements is NOT true?
| A. Some people doubted if the president could finish his books. |
| B. The Way Home is a book which explores the relationship between a father and his son. |
| C. Lush life, set in Washington, is a novel written by Richard Price. |
| D. Thanks to Obama, sales of Netherland have been lifted. |
3. Which of the following was NOT a book the President planned to read?
| A. John Adams. |
B. Netherland. |
| C. Hot, Flat and Crowded. |
D. Lush Life. |
4. Which of the following can be the best title of the passage?
| A. Obama’s Hobbies |
B. Obama’s Holiday Plan |
| C. Obama’s Holiday Life |
D. Obama’s Holiday Book List |
We use both words and body language to express our thoughts and opinions and to communicate with other people. We can learn about what a person is thinking by watching his or her body language. Words are important, but the way a person stands, folds his or her arms, or moves his or her hands can also give us information about his or her feelings.
Just like spoken language, body language varies from culture to culture. Making eye contact —looking directly into someone’s eyes — is in some countries a way to show interest. In other countries, however, eye contact is rude or disrespectful. The gesture for Ok, making a circle with one’s thumb and index finger, has different meanings in different cultures. In Japan, someone who sees another person making the gesture will think it means money. In France, a person seeing the same gesture will think it means zero. In Brazil and Germany, however, the gesture is rude. The thumbs-up gesture, meaning “great” or “good job” in the US is rude in Nigeria, but in Germany and Japan it means the number one. The “crazy” gesture, moving the index finger in a circle in front of the ear, means “you have a phone call” in Brazil.
Even the gesture we use for “yes” and “no” are different around the world. In many countries, shaking one’s head means “no”, and nodding means “yes”. In Bulgaria, parts of Greece, and Iran, however, the gestures have the opposite meaning. There are also differences as to how often we touch each other, how close we stand to someone we are talking to, and how we act when we meet or part. In some countries, for example, France and Russia, a visiting friend is greeted with a kiss on the check, in other countries people greet each other with a firm handshake, a loving hug, a bow or a simply a nod of the head.
While there are many different interpretations of our body language, some gestures seem to be universal. Pressing one’s palms together and resting one’s head on the back of one’s hand while closing the eyes as if sleeping means “I am tired.” A good way of saying “I am full” is moving the hand in circles over the stomach after a meal. If a person pats his or her stomach before a meal, it usually means “ I’m hungry.”
Perhaps the best example of universally understood body language is the smile. A smile can help us get through difficult situation and find friends in a world of strangers. A smile can open doors and tear down walls. It can be used to express almost any emotion. We can use a smile to apologise, to greet someone, to ask for help or to start a conversation. We can smile at ourselves in the mirror to make ourselves feel happier and stronger. And if we are feeling down or lonely, there is nothing better than to see the smiling face of a good friend.In our daily life, which of the following do we use to communicate with each other?
| A．gestures | B．words | C．smiles | D．all above |
As a Chinese , if you are lost in Germany, without knowing German, you’d better---- to ask for help?
| A．use eye-contact | B．thumb-up |
| C．smile | D．say “excuse me” |
What does this passage mainly about?
| A．all the gestures in the world |
| B．the same body language in the world |
| C．gestures in the western countries |
| D．using proper gesture to express yourself |
The underlined word “universal” in the last second paragraph probably means ______.
| A．wide | B．common | C．not similar | D．in space |
One type of fish is named salmon(大马哈鱼). There are many different kinds of salmon, but almost all of them mate(交配) in a very strange way. They are born in small, freshwater rivers. They live in the river for a year, and then swim downstream to a bigger river and eventually to the ocean very quickly. While they live in the ocean, salmon are silver coloured.
After several years at sea, the salmon grow very long and heavy. Then, as if by magic, they all begin to swim home. Each salmon somehow remembers where it was born and the very same area in the small river.
It is a long, difficult journey home. Once the salmon enter fresh, they stop eating. They also change colours. Some salmon turn red, other brown and grey, and some turn pink. Some salmon grow a large bulge on their back, called a hump. These salmon fight to swim upstream against the current of sometimes very to avoid bears, birds, and fishermen
Finally, the salmon that survive mate in the same river in which they were born. Then, after all that work, they die! These salmon still play an important role. Their dead bodies help to provide nutrition(营养) to the animals that live in and around the river When their eggs hatch, the cycle will start again.Which of the following do salmon NOT do when they reenter fresh water?
| A．They change colours. |
| B．They stop eating. |
| C．They grow bulges on their backs. |
| D．They grow teeth. |
Inferring from the passage, why do salmon eat a lot while they are in the ocean? Because_______
| A．they need to have enough energy to return home |
| B．they never stop swimming |
| C．they are afraid of bears |
| D．the different water makes them hungry |
Salmon return to fresh water in order to _______.
| A．mate |
| B．provide nutrition to other animals |
| C．mate and provide nutrition to other animals |
| D．make a difficult journey |
Last week my youngest son and I visited my father at his new home in Tucson, Arizona. He moved there a few years ago, and I was eager to see his new place and meet his friends.
My earliest memories of my father are a tall, handsome, successful man devoted to his work and his family, but uncomfortable with his children. As a child I loved him; as a school girl and young adult(成年人)I feared him and felt bitter about him. He seemed unhappy with me unless I got straight A’s and unhappy with my boyfriends if their fathers were not as “successful” as he was. Whenever I went out with him on weekends, I used to struggle to think up things to say, feeling on guard.
On the first day of my visit, we went out with one of my father’s friends for lunch at an outdoor café. We talked along that afternoon, did some shopping, ate on the street table, and laughed over my son’s funny facial expressions. Gone was my father’s critical (挑剔的) air and strict rules. Who was this person I knew as my father, who seemed so friendly and interesting to be around? What had held him back before?
The next day dad pulled out his childhood pictures and told me quite a few stories about his own childhood. Although our times together became easier over the years, I never felt closer to him at that moment. After so many years, I’m at last seeing another side of my father. And in so doing, I’m delighted with my new friend. My dad, in his new home in Arizona, is back to me from where he was. Why did the author feel bitter about her father as a young adult?
| A．He was silent most of the time. |
| B．He was too proud of himself. |
| C．He did not love his children. |
| D．He expected too much of her. |
When the author went out with her father on weekend, she would feel .
| A．nervous | B．sorry | C．tired | D．safe |
What does the author think of her father after her visit to Tucson?
| A．More critical. | B．More talkative |
| C．Gentle and friendly. | D．Strict and hard-working. |
The underlined words “my new friend” in the last paragraph refer to .
| A．the author’s son |
| B．the author’s father |
| C．the friend of the author’s father |
| D．the café owner |
Decreasing grain prices along with growing costs of production means Chinese farmers are unlikely to see a significant rise in income next year.
China’s economic planning chief Ma Kai expressed the concern as the government undertakes an ambitious program to improve rural people’s lives.
Grain prices have been dropping since April; and prices of wheat, corn and rice fell 5 per cent from August to October compared with the same period last year, Ma, minister of the National Development and Reform Commission, told an annual meeting on development and reform held over the weekend.
Meanwhile, prices of production materials rose 9.1 per cent year on year during the first 10 months.
The situation makes it difficult to achieve a “new socialist countryside,” which was last week highlighted（引起注意）as a new concept and “common action” of the whole Party and nation.
Vice-Minister of Agriculture Yin Chengjie also said China’s entry to the World Trade Organization also creates hurdles for income rises for the country’s 780 million farmers.
Farmers’ income is expected to increase by 5 per cent this year, hitting the target set by the central government at the beginning of this year.
Last year, per capita net income（个人平均纯收入）of Chinese farmers reached 2,936 yuan (US$362), up 6.8 per cent year on year, and the highest increase since 1997.
Ma also said China would continue to seek fast, steady economic growth in 2006 but more efforts will be made to deal with the challenges brought about by overheating in some industrial sectors (区域).
(from China Daily, December 5, 2005)The writer thinks it difficult to achieve a “new socialist countryside” because _____.
| A．grain prices decrease and production costs grow |
| B．“new socialist countryside” is a new concept |
| C．prices of production materials rose 9.1 percent |
| D．many farmers are working in industrial sectors |
The underlined word “hurdles” in Paragraph 6 means _____ .
| A．promotion | B．fear | C．difficulties | D．possibility |
From1997 to 2005, the highest increase in farmers’ income was achieved in _____.
| A．2004 | B．2002 | C．2003 | D．2005 |
Removing the sleeve (封套)，you will find a book that is entirely white，except for the names of its author and subject in elegant black type on the cover. It is the perfect design for the biography of a man who insisted that even the insides of his products be perfectly constructed，and that his factory walls flash in the whitest white.
The cover was the only part of the book Steve Jobs wanted to control，writes Isaacson in his introduction.Though Mr Jobs pushed the biographer of Albert Einstein and Benjamin Franklin to write in his own way，generously allowing the writer more than 40 interviews，this book offers quite a different view of Mr Jobs，who won much praise from his fans after his death on October 5th at the age of 56.
As a biographer of Albert Einstein and Benjamin Franklin，Mr Isaacson knows how to celebrate longdead genius，but he claimed that Steve Jobs would not be entirely praiseful words.The picture he paints，particularly in the first half of this book，is not nice. Mr Jobs emerges as a controlling and often coldblooded character.A child of the 1960s counterculture (反主流文化)，he hated materialism and lived in simply furnished houses (in part because he was too particular about furniture)．But when Apple went public in 1980，he refused to give any share to Daniel Kottke，a longtime supporter and soul mate from college.“He has to abandon the people he is close to”，observes Andy Hertzfeld，an early Apple engineer.
Mr Jobs was undoubtedly possessing an extraordinary ability to attract others and inspire a kind of faith that could not be questioned.But also he could be cold and cruel. If he disapproved of an employee’s work，he often shamed him.“This is who I am，” he once said after being challenged，“and you can’t expect me to be someone I’m not.” This disgusting personality wasn’t always helpful，but it served a purpose，writes Mr Isaacson，many would “end their chain of horror stories by saying that he got them to do things they never dreamed possible”．
Mr Isaacson treats Steve Jobs as the biography of record，which means that it is a strange book to read so soon after its subject’s death.The biography for Jobs is believed to have the perfect design because________.
| A．it follows Jobs’ style |
| B．its cover is entirely white |
| C．black and white are his favorite |
| D．it is designed by a famous biographer |
The picture of Jobs that Isaacson paints in his book is________.
①cruel ②humorous ③particular ④generousIt can be safely concluded that________.
| A．Jobs is highly spoken of in the book |
| B．Isaacson doesn’t think Jobs a good man |
| C．Jobs didn’t care about the design of the book |
| D．all descriptions of Jobs are not nice in the book |
This passage can be classified as________.
| A．a personal diary | B．a book review |
| C．a news report | D．a TV interview |