BEIJING — The rescue operations at a coal mine accident have ended with 105 miners dead．The State Council has organized an investigation team to probe (调查) into what caused the disaster in the city of Linfen, North China’s Shanxi Province．Preliminary investigations show the illegal mining of an unauthorized seam, and the number of miners who had been sent down the shaft far exceeded its capacity．
This mine was found to have long disregarded the rules to steal state coal, and did not have a list of miners employed to check the number of miners missing after the accident．
How did such a coal mine get all the necessary licenses for production? How did it pass the three safety inspections the local government organized last month?
In response to this disaster, the Shanxi governor promised to set up hotlines for people to report illegal coal mines and rewards as high as 100,000 yuan for tip-offs．
We appreciate the action this governor has taken to solving the coal mining problems, and we believe that the reporting scheme will help to stop the existence of illegal coal mines．
But at the same time we have reason to question how governments at various levels supervise these mines．
The sad fact that such a mine with serious safety problems could pass three consecutive local government safety inspections in a month is enough to tell us how ineffective the safety inspections were．
What if these inspections were just a formality? What if the inspectors were bribed by the mine owners to turn a blind eye to the safety dangers? We can well imagine what would happen if reports about mine problems were handled by such officials．
So a thorough probe must find out who are responsible for the death of so many miners．A real safety inspection and management system must be established to guarantee that safety dangers will be removed．What is NOT one of the causes of this coal mine accident?
| A．The workers didn’t operate properly． |
| B．The mine didn’t obey the rules to mine for coal． |
| C．A lot more miners than allowed were working under the mine． |
| D．The safety inspections were ineffective． |
According to the writer, who should be further investigated?
| A．Mine owners and miners． |
| B．Miners’ families and mine staff． |
| C．Government officials and safety inspectors． |
| D．The Shanxi governor and miners． |
What can we infer from the passage?
| A．More than 105 miners died in the disaster． |
| B．Some other coal mines like this one exist in Shanxi province． |
| C．Safety inspectors just turned a blind eye to hidden dangers． |
| D．The three inspections were only a formality． |
What does the underlined word “tip-offs” probably mean in Paragraph 4?
| A．Some warnings． |
| B．Some money for one’s service． |
| C．Some secret information． |
| D．Some pieces of advice． |
四、阅读理解
There’s a box of chocolates in the fridge. It’s been there for more than a week since I was given it as a present. I do love chocolates, but they make me fat if I eat too many! Can I control myself? If I eat one, will I have to eat all of them?
My son Harry is obsessed with playing Wii(/wi:/, 任天堂的一款游戏机) games. Sometimes, it’s difficult to get him to concentrate on his homework because he wants to play some more.
Last week I had to wake up a student in my class. I asked him why he was so tried and he said he had stayed up late to play his favourite Internet game, Farmville. He said he just couldn’t stop playing it! Now his academic work is suffering because he can’t control his urge to play games.
What my son, my student, and I myself need is simply self-control.
In the late 1960’s, American psychologist Walter Mischel launched an experiment about self-control. He left a group of four-year-olds in a room and told them that if they could wait 20 minutes, they could have two marshmallows, a kind of sweet. If they couldn’t wait, he would only give them one.
In videos of the experiment, you can see children squirming, kicking, hiding their eyes—desperately trying to control themselves. Some did wait patiently, while others couldn’t wait a single minute.
Years later, the self-controlled children turned out to get higher SAT scores and got into better colleges. The children who couldn’t wait were more likely to become bullies.
So, the chocolates are still in the fridge. My son Harry is doing his homework with a promise that he can play on the Wii later, and my student says he will try harder to control himself. We all have our own temptations. But if we can control them, we will achieve more.
56. Which of the following is different from the other three?
A. The writer. B. Harry.
C. The writer’s student. D. Walter Mischel.
57. We can know from paragraph 5 to paragraph 7 that____________.
A. all the children got two marshmallows
B. all the children waited patiently
C. self-control can help children succeed later
D. the children who lack self-control get higher SAT scores
58. Which of the following statement is true?
A. The writer is addicted to Wii.
B. The writer’s son is addicted to Farmville.
C. The writer’s student is addicted to chocolates.
D. The writer’s student is addicted to Farmville.
59. What does the underlined word mean in paragraph 5?
A. Something we can eat. B. A kind of toy.
C. A kind of mushroom. D. A kind of prize.
It is natural that young people are often uncomfortable when they are with their parents. They say that their parents don’t understand them. They often think that their parents are out of touch with modern ways, that they are too serious and too strict with their children, and they seldom give their children a free hand. It is true that parents often find it difficult to win their children’s trust and they tend to forget how they themselves felt when young. For example, young people like to act on the spot without much thinking. It is one of their ways to show that they have grown up and they can face any difficult situation. Older people worry more easily. Most of them plan things ahead, at least in t
he back of their minds, and do not like their plans to be upset by something unexpected. When you want your parents to let you do something, you will have better success if you ask before you really start doing it. Young people often make their parents angry with their choice in clothes, in entertainment and in music．But they do not mean to cause any trouble: it is just that they feel cut off from the older people’s world, into which they have not yet been accepted．That’s why young people want to make a new culture of their own, and if their parents do not like their music or entertainment or clothes or their way of speech, this will make the young people extremely happy. Sometimes you are s
o proud of yourself that you do not want your parents to say, “ Yes” to what you do. All you want is to be felt alone and do what you like. It is natural enough, after being a child for so many years, when you were completely under your parents’ control. If you plan to control your life, you’d better win your parents over and try to get them to understand you. If your parents see that you have a high sense of responsibility, they will certainly give you the right to do what you want to do. 72．According to the passage, young people prefer to _______. A．ask for advice before they really start to do anything. B．do things without thinking carefully ahead. C．think in the same way as their parents do. D．be very strict with themselves 
73．Young people like to have clothes, entertainment and music in their way, because ____.A．they want 
to make their parents happy. B．they try to get their parents to believe them. C．they want to try on something new and look different from the older. D．they want to test whether they are cleverer than old people. 74．According to the passage, young people want to make a new culture of their own, because _______. A．they don’t feel they belong to the world of the older people. B．they do not want to get into trouble. C．they feel they are as clever as old people. D．they want to show they have grown up. 75．If a young man intends to control his own life, it’s better for him to _______. A．do everything according to his own wish. B．do everything the way his parents do. C．do everything beyond his parents’ control. D．hold himself responsible for everything he does.
The United Nations says forty million people or so around the world went hungry in 2008, mainly because of higher food prices. Early estimates from the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) show that 963 million people did not get enough to eat.
World food prices have dropped since early 2008. Prices of major crops have decreased by more than half from their height earlier last year. But they remain high compared to earlier years.
But FAO official Hafez Ghanem says lower prices have failed to end the food crisis (危机) in many poor countries. “For millions in developing countries,” he says, “getting enough food every day to live an active and healthy life is a distant dream.”
The FAO says food shortage is a threat to people's health. Today, two-thirds of the world's undernourished people live in just a few countries. These are India, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Pakistan, Ethiopia and so on.
A report on food insecurity warns that the current economic crisis could send even more people into hunger and poverty.
In sub-Saharan Africa, the percentage of the people who continually go hungry fell from 34% in 1997 to 30% in 2008. But the FAO says Ghana is the only country that has reached two sets of hunger reduction targets. These were set by the 1996 World Food Summit and the Millennium Development Goals. The main reason is the growth in agricultural production in Ghana.
The FAO says some countries in Southeast Asia like Thailand and Vietnam have made progress in hunger reduction goals. But South Asia and Central Asia haven't, and North Korea is still in hot water.
68. What FAO official Hafez Ghanem says implies（暗示）__________
A. it's easy but takes long to provide people with enough food
B. enough food can make people more active and healthier
C. there is difficulty solving the food shortage in a short time
D. people in developing countries will never get enough food
69. Ghana has reached the targets
of hunger reduction mainly because of ________.
A. the still high food prices
B. the donation of developed countries
C. the two targets of hunger reduction
D. the growth in agricultural production
70. The underlined word "undernourished" in Para. 4 probably means ________.
A. hungry and unhappy B. unhealthy for lack of food
C. not fat because of povertyD. undeveloped and poor
71. What is the best title of this passage?
A. The food production of the world
B. The hunger reduction target of the FAO
C. The food shortage around the world
D. The solution to the global food shortage
Think of London and you will probably remember t
he bright red double 
decker buses. Think of Thailand’s capital city, Bangkok, and the noisy tuk-tuks may come to mind. Think of San Francisco and you might see the city’s cable cars .
Imagining what these cities would look like without those is difficult. They are symbols of these cities that make them different. However, these city sy
mbols are not always so well loved by their city leaders. C
ity leaders want wh
at is best for their city, which often means the most modern transport.
In Bangkok, city leaders have banned (禁止) tuk-tuks because they consider them noisy and polluting. However, the ban has largely been unsuccessful as it has not changed Thai people’s love for the cheap tuk-tuks over taxis.
In London the city’s first ever mayor (市长) removed the red double decker buses, which he thought were old fashioned. His plan worked, but Londoners were unhappy to lose the nice old buses they believed represented the best of their city. They made their unhappiness felt when the mayor came up for re-election. Most Londoners voted for his competitor, who promised to bring the bus back.
As for San Francisco, several cable cars are still in use but mainly as tourist attractions. They are too slow to be used for anything other than scenic trips.
City transport symbols may have a place in their city people’s hearts, but it seems they are increasingly out of step with the modern world. As Londoners have proved, their continued life depends on people’s willingness to fight for their survival.
64．What’s the purpose of writing the first paragraph?
A. To introduce some city transport symbols.
B. To explain why some cities are popular.
C. To talk about modern transport in some cities.
D. To attract more tourists to visit some cities.
65．The London double decker bus is returning mainly because__________.
A. the new mayor loves it
B. Londoners fought for it
C. it is an improved transport
D. it is popular with tourists
66．Which proves the old city transport symbols are not loved by city leaders?
A. Only a few cable cars are still in use in San Francisco.
B. Bangkok city leaders tried to remove the cheap tuk-tuks.
C. The mayor who sold double decker buses lost the re-election.
D. The new mayor will bring back improved double decker buses.
67．What can we infer from the passage?
A. Modern cities should remove old city transport symbols.
B. The writer thinks highly of the old city transport symbols.
C. Old city transport symbols face the problem of survival.
D. Tourist cities will lose their attraction without the symbols.
The Festival of Cultures
August 11 – 14
City Park
The Festival of Cultures is a yearly event to celebrate the wide range (范围) of cultures found in our great state. People representing 40 cultural groups will share their traditions and customs. Here are just a few of the festival’s many activities.
Crafts(手艺): See the fine art of basket weaving from Vietnam and Zimbabwe. Watch the delicate art of making paper umbrellas from Thailand and the decorative craft of paper picado, or paper cutting, from Mexico. All craft demonstrations (示范) provide a first-hand view of how things are made. You will appreciate the process involved in making these products.
Music and Dance: Experience musical instruments that you have never heard before. Listening to the music of a sho from Japan, a bull-roarer from Australia, a sitar from India, and a chakay from Thailand. You will also be entertained by folk dances from around the world, such as the troika from Russia and the mayim from Israel. From 1:00 P.M. to 3:00 P.M. on August 14, special folk-dancing classes for children will be offered. Children ranging in age from 6 – 8 can learn the kinderpolka from Germany. Children ranging in age from 9 – 12 can learn the raspo from Mexico.
Storytelling: Listen for hours as professional (专业的) storytellers charm you with captivating tales. Fables, folktales, and ballads from various countries will be told. By popular demand, Gwendolyn Washington, a famous African American storyteller, is back.
Food: Enjoy delicious foods from countries, such as gyros from Greece, seafood paella from Spain, crepes from France, and tandoori chicken from India. These tasty dishes will be difficult to pass up.
Tickets August 11 - 13
Adults $3
Ages 13 – 18 $2
Ages 6 – 12 $ 1
Ages 6 and under Free
The festival of Cultures is organized by the World Marketplace. For more information about the festival, call (800) 555 – 0199.
60．Which of the following are from Mexico?
A. The paper picado and the raspo.
B. The kinderpolka and sitar.
C. The paper cutting and the troika.
D. The mayim and the gyros.
61．A couple with two children at the age of 8 and 16 are going to the festival on August 12. How much money will they pay for the festival?
A. $5. B. $6. C. $8. D. $9.
62．What do we know about the festival?
A. Children will have a chance to learn different folk-dancing.
B. Storyteller Gwendolyn is invited to the festival for the first time.
C. People will be offered opportunities to play musical instruments.
D. Visitors can make paper umbrellas from their first-hand experience.
63．What’s the purpose of writing this passage?
A. To advertise (做广告) for the World Marketplace.
B. To introduce a wide range of cultural traditions.
C. To explain the great importance of popularizing the festival.
D. To persuade (说服) readers to attend the festival held in the City Park.