Little Brother
By Cory Doctorow, 382 pages, $19.95
In the very near future, Marcus Yallow is walking with his friends in San Francisco when a 9/11-sized terrorist attack occurs blocks away. Everyone around is secretly taken away by the Department of Homeland Security to see whether they're terrorists. However, during the investigation, one of his friends dies mysteriously. The friends try to find out the truth. If you read only one science-fiction novel this year, make it this one.
The Flying Troutmans
By Miriam Toews, 274 pages, $32
The heart of the book is a road journey in Canada made by Hattie，Thebes and Logan to find Cherkis, the kids' dad. It's rich in dialogue, sometimes funny, sometimes surprisingly sad, always character-true. Toews is an extraordinarily gifted writer, with tough-minded compassion (同情) for her characters.
Reading By Lightning
By Joan Thomas, 388 pages, $22.95
We're in 1930s Canada, where Lily's father arrived three decades earlier to be promised fertile agricultural land. But they had been cheated and thrown in the middle of Manitoba. Now William Piper and his wife farm their land and place little hope in this life.
What They Wanted
By Donna Morrissey, 325 pages, $32
A father has a heart attack; a brother and a sister leave Newfoundland and go to Alberta, Canada to work； a tragedy brings reconciliation (和解), but also terrible loss. Primarily a novel of character, it's also a novel of Canada, of two very specific and vividly drawn places. Donna Morrissey's characters are troubled, sensitive, quick to be moved to anger or pain, and just as quick to laughter and affection.If Jim only has 20 dollars, which book could he buy?
| A．The Flying Troutmans. | B．What They Wanted. |
| C．Little Brother. | D．Reading By Lightning. |
According to the text, we know that The Flying Troutmans is .
| A．full of dialogue | B．a sad story |
| C．about tourism | D．a real story |
In Reading By Lightning, why did William Piper arrive in Canada?
| A．To carry out his promise. | B．To` work in a big city. |
| C．To get work experience. | D．To seek his fortune. |
If you want to know about two different places of Canada, whose novel is the best choice?
| A．Cory Doctorow's. | B．Miriam Toews's. |
| C．Joan Thomas's. | D．Donna Morrissey's. |
Federal regulators(调整者) Wednesday approved a plan to create a nationwide emergence alert (警报) system using text messages delivered to cell phones.
Text messages have exploded in popularity in recent years, particularly among young people. The wireless industry’s trade association, CTIA, estimates（估计） more than 48 billion text messages are sent each month.
The plan comes from the Warning Alert and Response Network Act, a 2006 federal law that requires improvements to the nation’s emergency alert system. The act tasked the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) with coming up with new ways to alert the public about emergencies.
"The ability to deliver accurate and timely warnings and alerts through cell phones and other mobile services is an important next step in our efforts to help ensure that the American public has the information they need to take action to protect themselves and their families before, and during, disasters and other emergencies," FCC Chairman Kevin Martin said following approval of the plan.
Participation in the alert system by carriers –telecommunications companies is voluntary, but it has received solid support from the wireless industry.
The program would be optional for cell phone users. They also may not be charged for receiving alerts.
There would be three different types of messages, according to the rules.
The first would be a national alert from the president, likely involving a terrorist attack or natural disaster. The second would involve "approaching threats," which could include natural disasters like hurricanes or storms or even university shootings. The third would be reserved for child abduction (绑架) emergencies, or so-called Amber Alerts.
The service could be in place by 2010.What is the purpose of the approved plan?
| A．To warn people of emergencies via messages. |
| B．To popularize the use of cell phones. |
| C．To estimate the monthly number of messages. |
| D．To promote the wireless industry. |
The improvement to the present system is in the charge of ____.
| A．CTIA | B．the Warning Alert and Response Network |
| C．FCC | D．federal regulators |
The carriers’ participation in the system is determined by _____.
| A．the US federal government | B．mobile phone users |
| C．the carriers themselves | D．the law of the United States |
Which of the following would be the best title for the text?
| A．Cell Phone Alerts Protecting Students | B．Cell Phone Alerts by Wireless Industry |
| C．Cell Phone Alerts of National Disasters | D．Cell Phone Alerts Coming Soon |
Humanity uses a little less than half the water available worldwide. Yet occurrences of shortages and droughts (干旱) are causing famine and distress in some areas, and industrial and agricultural by-products are polluting water supplies. Since the world’s population is expected to double in the next 50 years, many experts think we are on the edge of a widespread water crisis.
But that doesn’t have to be the outcome. Water shortages do not have to trouble the world---if we start valuing water more than we did in the past. Just as we began to appreciate petroleum more after the 1970s oil crises, today we must start looking at water from a fresh economic perspective. We can no longer afford to consider water a virtually free resource of which we can use as much as we like in any way we want.
Instead, for all uses except the domestic demand of the poor, governments should price water to reflect its actual value. This means charging a fee for the water itself as well as for the supply costs.
Governments should also protect this resource by providing water in more economically and environmentally sound (健康的) ways. For example, often the cheapest way to provide irrigation water in the dry tropics is through small-scale projects, such as gathering rainfall in depressions (凹地) and pumping it to nearby cropland.
No matter what steps governments take to provide water more efficiently, they must change their institutional and legal approaches to water use. Rather than spread control among hundreds or even thousands of local, regional, and national agencies that watch various aspects of water use, countries should set up central authorities to coordinate (调整) water policy.What is the real cause of the potentials water crisis.
| A．Only half of the world’s water can be used. |
| B．The world population is increasing faster and faster. |
| C．Half of the world’s water resources have been seriously polluted. |
| D．Humanity has not placed enough value on water resources. |
As is indicated in the passage, the water problem _________ .
| A．is already serious in certain parts of the world. |
| B．has been exaggerated by some experts in the field |
| C．poses a challenge to the technology of building reservoirs(水库) |
| D．is underestimated by government organizations at different levels |
According to the author, the water price should _______ .
| A．be reduced to the minimum | B．stimulate domestic demand |
| C．go with its real value | D．take into account the occurrences of droughts |
In order to raise the efficiency of the water supply, measures should be taken to ______ .
| A．guarantee full protection of the environment |
| B．centralize the management of water resources |
| C．increase the sense of responsibility of agencies at all levels |
| D．encourage local and regional water resources |
任务型读写（共10小题；每小题1分，满分10分）
阅读下面短文，根据所读内容在表格中的空白处填入恰当的单词。
注意：每空格只填一个单词。
As more students begin to use computers for longer periods of time, more of them are suffering from eyestrain （视疲劳）．Just a few hours in front of a computer screen can make a person’s eyes feel tired and painful．A number of eye doctors have studied this growing problem and have found ways to deal with it．Following their advice will help keep computer users more comfortable．Here is some of the advice．
The light in a room shouldn’t be brighter than the computer screen itself．In many classrooms, however, the lights are far brighter than they should be．．Students can block some of this light by wearing baseball caps if they’re allowed at school．
A special computer screen should be used to cut down on bright light because it is especially tiring to the eyes．Another problem to avoid is the wrong kind of contrast．It is best to have dark letters on a light background．This causes less eyestrain than light letters on a dark background．
Students should be seated so that they are looking down at the computer screen rather than straight ahead, which is a far more tiring angle．The top of the monitor should be slightly lower than the top of the head．
The length of time students spend in front of a computer screen leads greatly to eyestrain．Students should take frequent breaks by looking away from the screen every fifteen or twenty minutes．During that time they should either close there eyes or focus on an object at a distance. Long – term computer use can dry out the eyes, so students should remember to blink frequently while in front of the screen.
Title: Computers and Eyestrain
Common Problems Doctor’s
Room
lighting Much brighter in many classrooms Get the light bright.
something to block the light.
The screen Too bright light.
Wrong kind of contrast.
Light letters. the strong light.
Use the kind of contrast.
Have dark letters on a light background. The top of the screen
than the top of the head. Sit were you won’t look
at the serene.
Time Spending too much time a computer screen.
your eyes for a moment.
Look at something at a distance.
Blink often while using a computer.
The tragic death of celebrity Wang Bei has made people aware of the risks of cosmetic surgery, which is becoming increasingly popular．
A survey on the reaction to Wang’s death, conducted by Tencent, which runs China’s most popular instant-messaging service, received more than 600,000 responses, as of press time Monday．Forty-one percent of respondents expressed sorrow over her death, saying, "It’s a pity she died at such a young age．" Some 31 percent said she should have been more cautious and less vain, while 10 percent were enraged at the hospital that conducted the surgery．The remaining 18 percent were indifferent．
A common thread of online discussion is why someone considered beautiful was so dissatisfied with her looks．Some netizens said Wang was a victim of society’s unrealistic ideal of beauty: double eyelids, an aquiline nose and the pointed chin typical of Western celebrities．Others said her death underscores the limits to which people will go to achieve fame and fortune．Young people, see cosmetic surgery as the key to wealth and love．
"They want to improve their appearance to find better opportunities at work and in marriage," says Ding Xiaobang, a plastic surgeon with the Peking Union Medical College Hospital．"We’re living in a highly competitive society．People regard appearance as a weapon and a means of empowerment…Most of them tell me, ’I don’t care how much I spend, just make me look beautiful’．" In the past decade, Ding says he Has seen a growing number of patients, like Wang Bei, who are young and naturally good-looking．The surgeon attributes this trend to people becoming richer, the standards of beauty changing, competition and frustration．
"Some are frustrated with life and use surgery as a way to try and recover," lie says．
The surge in demand for plastic surgery has resulted in a rise in the number of unauthorized business establishments and surgeons conducting such procedures．
Meanwhile, experts say, young and beautiful people who still seek plastic surgery need to address their self-awareness issues and be more accepting．
“They’ve built their identity around the admiration of others and fail to establish a system to assess themselves," says Zhu Wenbo, a psychologist with Blue Bay Psychological Consulting Center in Chengdu．"People’s opinions always change, so this is not a reliable way to evaluate oneself．"Most people are toward the death of Wang Bei according to the survey.
| A．sympathetic | B．indifferent | C．enraged | D．not mentioned |
Why is there such a trend of having medical cosmetic surgery according to Ding Xiaobang?
| A．People become richer. |
| B．The standard the beauty always changes. |
| C．People suffer fierce competition and frustration now and then. |
| D．All of the above. |
What kind of people is regarded as a beauty nowadays?
| A．a person with single eyelid, an aquiline nose and a pointed chin |
| B．a person with double eyelids, an aquiline nose and a pointed chin |
| C．a person with double eyelids, a snub nose and a pointed chin |
| D．a person with double eyelids, a snub nose and a chubby chin |
The purpose of the text is to .
| A．inform us that cosmetic surgery becomes popular. |
| B．emphasize that young people should re-evaluate themselves rationally. |
| C．raise concerns about the risk of medical cosmetology industry. |
| D．state that people’s standard of beauty always changes. |
There was simply too much news and too much information freely available on the net．But was it accurate? Whose opinion should we trust? A survey found that 60% of UK adults think it is worth paying for a "good newspaper", and most of those said they believed more of what they read in the paid-for newspapers．
Here was something newspapers understood—here was what they could offer: news plus comment and opinion．
And the Internet now offered opportunities．A newspaper was just that: news printed on paper．But the Internet now offered newspapers different places to print, and in different media．
This may explain why the readership of newspapers online in the UK is very different from people who read printed newspapers．
The most popular newspaper in the UK is The Sun and is also the most popular newspaper in the world．The "mid—market" audience mainly reads The Daily Mail．Of the "quality" newspapers, the most popular is the Daily Telegraph．
Online, it’s a different story．The most popular site is The Mail, which has 2．3 million "browsers" every day．And the next most popular site is The Guardian.’Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．Printed newspapers are disappearing． |
| B．The most popular newspapers has the most popular newspaper website as well． |
| C．People from other countries also enjoy reading British newspapers． |
| D．The free news on the Internet makes people unwilling to buy newspapers． |
What conclusion can we draw from the passage?
| A．People no longer believe what the Internet tells them． |
| B．Printed newspapers are out of date． |
| C．Different readers may have their various reading taste． |
| D．Printed newspapers can not deal with the challenge from the Internet． |
What is the main idea of the passage?
| A．The UK has the most popular printed newspapers in the world． |
| B．The condition of British newspapers in the information age． |
| C．Printed newspapers face a sever challenge． |
| D．The latest developments in online news sites． |
From the survey we can see that the British are generally_____ to the news on the Net．
| A．traditional | B．conservative | C．cautious | D．carefree |