SYDNEY (AFP) — Thousands of people sat down to breakfast on the Sydney Harbor Bridge on Sunday after the bridge was closed to traffic and carpeted with grass for the first time for a giant picnic.
About 6,000 early riser were on the steel bridge from 6:30 am to take part in the two-hour event designed to show Sydney’s best food and outdoor lifestyle.
As music performers provided the background music, those who had won tickets to the picnic in a random lottery (随机抽奖) began to feast on fruit, pastries, muesli, yoghurt ...
“It’s amazing to see the bridge in this perspective (角度),” said Don Fuchs who lives near the bridge, which is used by about 100,000 cars daily.
“Usually you sit in the car, you cross it, and that’s it.”
“It was beautiful,” said Linda Curnow who attended the picnic with her family. “The grass was so thick that it was like being in your backyard.”
New South Wales state Premier Nathan said the event was set to become a mark of an annual Sydney’s month-long October food festival.
About 45,000 people applied for tickets to the breakfast for which people brought their own food but were able to taste samples from some of the state’s best producers.
Organizers used about 40 percent of the grass on Sydney parks. The bridge reopened at about 1:00 pm.What made Linda Curnow feel as if she were in her own backyard?
| A．There being no cars passing by. |
| B．So much food offered by Australian producers. |
| C．So many people dining at the same time. |
| D．The thick grass covering the bridge. |
Why was the event planned?
| A．To mark the Sydney food festival. | B．To attract more tourists to Sydney. |
| C．To promote the Australian life. | D．To display the world’s best food. |
We learn from the passage that _____.
| A．the giant picnic is organized in a park in Sydney |
| B．the grass from Sydney parks was moved to the bridge |
| C．the Sydney Harbour Bridge was open to traffic all day |
| D．those who had won tickets to the picnic didn’t eat breakfast |
What would be the best title for the passage?
| A．Welcome to Sydney |
| B．October — Sydney’s art festival |
| C．Thousands eat breakfast on Sydney Harbour bridge |
| D．What is the feature of Sydney? |
American magician David Blaine left the glass box in which he had lived for 44 days without food on October 19．2003．Hundreds of people came to watch the end of his starvation experiment, which has become one of London’s main tourist attractions.
Looking thinner and darker, 30-year-old Blaine was taken out of his box over the River Thames and immediately went to hospital．He was then slowly reintroduced to food, a process doctors say could be life threatening．He had been drinking only water since September 5.
A native of Brooklyn, New York, Blaine first became known as a street magician in the early 1990s．He soon found himself doing magic tricks in bars for the likes of American actor Leonardo DiCaprio and his super model friends.
Over the last decade Blaine has become famous with a combination of breathtaking magic and clever tricks aimed at getting a lot of attention.
In 1999, he was buried in a coffin(棺材) for one week and, in 2000, he spent 62 hours in a giant block of ice．Last year he stood on top of a 25-meter pillar(柱子) in the center of New York for 35 hours before jumping into a pile of boxes.
“I think a lot of people are unable to accept that they’re able to do what they can do,” he said．“They don’t realize we can survive．The human being is an amazing creation.” But he seems to have suffered from spending so long in the glass box．He said that at times he was unable to see, had serious back pains and lost his sense of taste.It is __________ for David Blaine to eat food after such a long starvation.
| A．pleasant | B．delicious | C．dangerous | D．important |
Having spent such a long time in the glass box, he suffered the following EXCEPT that __________.
| A．he had become blind | B．he had serious back pains |
| C．he lost his sense of taste | D．he was in weak health |
Which of the following can best describe David Blaine?
| A．Serious | B．Adventurous | C．Mad | D．Crazy |
Which of the following is NOT true of David Blaine?
| A．Blaine immediately went to hospital after he was taken out of his box. |
| B．Blaine was born and brought up in England. |
| C．In Blaine’s opinion, people can create a wonder． |
| D．Blaine didn’t have any food for 44 days. |
In 2004，the World Health Organization，WHO，warned of a possible outbreak of another serious disease which may be even more deadly than SARS．The WHO believes that it is likely that bird flu will spread to human beings in the next few years．If it does，up to seven millions people could die from the disease．
Diseases like bird flu are caused by viruses，that is，tiny things which change and become more dangerous over time．When a new type of a common virus changes，it may be able to get past the bod
y’s immune(免疫的)system．If that happens，humans are in great danger until a cure or treatment becomes available．
There have always been viruses and people always get sick，of course，but as we saw with SARS，the situation is more difficult today．People travel more than ever before，which means that disease can spread quickly and across large areas——in fact the whole world．
Scientists are already working on drugs that will prevent or limit the effect of a new virus，but the process takes time．It is just as important to make sure that countries，especially poor countries，are prepared to deal with the disease. New disease usually affect poor areas the most，so we must help develop health care in all countries．The situation is more serious today because ．
| A．people travel more | B．people don’t eat healthy food |
| C．there aren’t enough hospitals | D．scientists can’t find a cure |
From this pass
age we know ．
| A．bird flu will surely spread to human beings in the next few years． |
| B．a virus changes and become less dangerous over time． |
| C．SARS is 1ikely to come again in some years． |
| D．poor areas usually suffers more from new diseases than rich areas． |
The possible title of this passage is
| A．The Work of WHO |
| B．Scientists Are Working Hard on Drugs for Diseases |
| C．What Is a Virus |
| D．Virus Changes and Causes New Diseases Over Time |
From the earliest times，man has been interested in art．People have often worked together to collect and save the world's art treasures．
Fine art treasures from many countries are kept in an art museum called the Louvre in Paris，France．The works of art have been collected by the people of France over many centuries．
The Louvre has not always been a museum．The first building was a fort（炮台）．In 1190，it was the king's castle with high walls and a round tower．It had a moat to prevent his enemies from walking in ．
Over the years，the number of buildings around the castle grew．By 1350，the castle was no longer needed as a fort．The Louvre became a palace home for French kings and queens．
During times of peace，new treasures were brought in．Du
ring days of war，many treasures were stolen，and the buildings were damaged．
When Francis I became king of France in 1515，he brought in artists from many countries．One of the artists was Leonardo da Vinci from Italy．Da Vinci's"Mona Lisa"is the best known painting in the museum today．
In 1793，the Louvre became a public museum，just as it is now．It is a place where art treasures have been saved for everyone to enjoy．On the whole，this passage is mainly about____.．
| A．an art museum called the Louvre |
B．an Italian artist named Leonardo da Vinci |
C．a king of France named Francis I |
D．the best known painting in Louvre |
Why is it good for great art to be kept in public museums？
| A．It helps people remember who the King of France is． |
B．It keeps people out of the palaces． |
C．It gives everyone a chance to enjoy good art． |
D．It helps people to know who is the greatest artist． |
From the passage we know that _____．
| A．it is not possible for treasures to be stolen |
B．old forts always make the best museums |
C．great art should be shared with all the people |
D．king Francis I of France brought in artists from an old fort |
In the third paragraph the word"moat"probably means_____．
| A．a high tower built in former times where soldiers watched out for enemies |
B．a long and deep ditch（沟） dug round a castle and was usually filled with water |
C．a cart pulled by horses on which soldiers fought |
D．a long and high wall around castle |
Jean Driscoll can go faster in her wheelchair than the world’s best marathoners(马拉松运动员) can run!
In April, Jean finished the Boston Marathon in 1 hour 34 minutes 22 seconds. That’s about 33 minutes faster than the winning male runner! She competed on the track, too. She was se
cond in the 800 meter wheelchair race at the 1992 Olympics.
Jean doesn’t like to be told she’s brave. “I’m in sports because I’m a competitive person!” Jean was born with spina befida(脊柱裂), a birth illness that damages the spine（脊椎）. She began to use a wheelchair to get around in high school. Then she tried wheelchair race and was amazed.” Players crashed into each other and fell out of their chairs,” she says, “It was fun.”
Jean tried other wheelchair sports. At the University of Illinois, her wheelchair basketball team won two national titles.
Now Jean coaches and teaches. She tries to get people to set goals. “When I sign my autograph（亲笔签名）,says Jean, “I write, dream big and work hard.”What made Jean take part in sports?
| A．She was brave. |
| B．She was competitive. |
| C．She was strong. |
| D．She was disabled. |
What kind of education did she receive?
| A．High school. |
B．Junior middle sch ool. |
| C．High education. |
| D．Primary school. |
What is Jean’s advice on how to succeed?
| A．Work hard. | B．Hope for the best. |
| C．Dream a lot. | D．Have great wishes and work h ard. |
Some disabled people use a special card when they park their cars. These are called disabled placards, which are removable signs that can be hung from the rear-view(后视) mirror of a car. These placards are only supposed to be for disabled people.
These placards are meant to help disabled people in a number of ways. They allow the person to park in special parking spaces. They can also be used when disabled people are being dropped off or picked up. Disabled people can even use them to park without having to pay.
Parking officials think that some people are cheating. Not all people who have these placards are disabled. Today, one in sixteen drivers in California carries the sign. There are a lot more people who have disabled placards today than ten years ago. An official from the DMV(加州车辆管理局) says that there are many reasons for the increase. As people get older, they may develop health problems and need to have one. There are also other reasons why more drivers have them today. Finally, there are a number of people who have them that should not.
Last year the DMV cancelled more than 25,000 permits. They found that lots of people who had the disabled placards had died. These permits are no longer valid.
Some people are worried that the system is being abused. They are worried that access to the program could be limited because of the misuse. More rules could make it harder for people with real disabilities to get these placards.What do we know about placards?
| A．They are all used by disabled people. |
| B．They are cards designed by disabled people. |
| C．They can help disabled people park their cars. |
| D．They allow disabled people to drive anywhere. |
The DMV canceled many permits because_________.
| A．the number of old people is growing |
| B．the number of disabled people is on the rise |
| C．they want to make it harder for people to get them |
| D．some people who have the placards have died |
What can people do with the placards?
| A．Drivers can use them when picking up disabled people |
| B．Disabled people can pay for parking with them. |
| C．Drivers can use them to drive their cars. |
| D．People can have access to DMV with them. |
What does the third paragraph mainly talk about?
| A．The reasons why disabled placards are also popular among drivers. |
| B．Some healthy people also use the disabled placards. |
| C．The number of disabled placard users had increased. |
| D．More reasons for drivers to use disabled placards. |
We learn from the passage that_________.
| A．disabled placards will be stopped by the government |
| B．some people will be punished for breaking the law |
| C．some disabled people will be forbidden to use disabled placards |
| D．some rules will be made related to disabled placards |