BEIJING,Oct.14(Xinhua)——A total of 120 middle school students from 35 countries will attend the final of an international China language contest,to be held in southwest China’s Chongqing Municipality from Oct.16 to 30.
The candidates,aged from 15 to 20,must be from foreign countries and not native Chinese speakers,said a statement issued by the Chinese language Council (CLC),the contest’s organizer,here Thursday.
All of the candidates have passed the preliminary contests(初赛)held in their own countries.
According to the organizer,the competition will have a top prize,five second prizes,10 third prizes and a dozen prizes for special talents.The organizer will also launch an online vote for“the most liked candidate.”
It was the third year China has held the contest.
“The competition not only tests the proficiency of Chinese language but also the candidates capability to communicate across different cultures.”the statement said.
All the candidates in the final will receive scholarships from the Chinese goverment.said Hu Hangyu,an official with the Education Bureau o
f the Chonqing Municipality,jointly organizing the contest.
They will also meet local Chinese students and live with Chinese families,Hu said.
“The competition is to meet the increasing demand for Chicese learning by foreign youngsters.”said Xu Lin.the CLC director.
The CLC has also hosted similar contest for foreign college students since 2002.
China has been working to promote Chinese language learning abroad over the past few years.According to the CLC,the.country had 282 Confucius Institutes and 272“Confucius Classrooms”in 88 countries and regions 
as of 2009 since the first one was established in 2004.The text is intended to .
| A．show the popularity of Chinese language learning in the world |
| B．introduce an international Chinese language learning test system |
| C．make readers aware of the importance of Chinese language learning |
| D．report an international Chinese language contest to be held |
The candidates must be .
| A．foreign college students | B．non—native middle school students |
| C．native Chinese students | D．students from Confucius Institutes |
According to the text,the competition is .
| A．organized by the Chongqing Municipality government |
| B．mainly to test the candidates’Chinese language competence |
| C．held every three years in Chongqing Municipality |
| D．to provide foreign students with a chance to know China |
What has China been doing to promote Chinese language learning abroad according to the text?
| A．Thousands of Chinese teacher are sent abroad to teach the language. |
| B．282 Confucius Institutes are established in China to teach Chinese. |
| C．The Chinese language contests for foreign students are regularly held. |
| D．Many Chinese students are sent abroad for culture exchanges every year. |
In which part of the newspaper is the text most likely to be found?
| A．Education | B．Advertisement | C．Business | D．Entertainment |
If you feel at present that you don’t have enough friends in your life, one reason may be that you have let yourself become too busy to make time for the relationships you already have. Starting and keeping friendship require effort and commitment(责任，义务，承诺).
Many of us let our lives become so busy with work and other commitments that we don’t get around to scheduling time for pleasure and renewal (叙旧) with the friends, relatives and acquaintances we already have.
Making the effort to call your friends more regularly and to accept more of the invitations you receive from others can improve your social life in a hurry!
Are there any people you could call right now and be assured of a pleasant welcome? Are there people that you could depend on to help you in time of difficulty? Can you have close talks with them? Do you have fun when you are together? Are you happy to have them in your life?
If you haven’t seen much of them lately, is it because you have become too busy? Have you grown apart? Was there an argument?
If the main reason you haven’t been getting together with the people you already know is that you have gotten too busy, take a good look at how you spend your time. Compare it with your real values and priorities(优先考虑的事) in life. Is your busy lifestyle really bringing you the quality of life that you want?
If you have become too busy for friends, why has this happened? Are you seeking material joys in your life at the expense of relationships with other human beings? Have you allowed your time to be over-committed because you never say ‘‘No” to anyone? Do you insist on doing things yourself that could be delegated to others? If so, why? Do you believe that everything depends on you?
Examine whether the way you are now spending your time exactly reflects your deepest values and priorities. Make sure that you schedule enough time for the things that are truly most important to you.
If you really want to keep friends in your life, make a space in your schedule, and a space in your heart for them.In this passage the author mainly discusses ______.
| A．how to balance friendship and work |
| B．how to spend our spare time |
| C．whether we should keep friendship |
| D．whether we should invite friends to dinner |
What does the underlined word “delegated” probably mean?
| A．appointed (分派) | B．replaced | C．reduced | D．handled |
The reason why you have become too busy for friends may be the following except that ______.
| A．you spend too much time seeking material joys in your life |
| B．you feel it difficult to keep friendship |
| C．you stick to doing everything all by yourself |
| D．you never refuse whatever other people ask you to do |
Which would be the best title for the text?
| A．Too busy for Friendship? | B．Too busy with work? |
| C．How to Spend Your Time | D．How to Make New Friends |
It was the first day of school. I stood up to look around when a gentle hand touched my shoulder. I turned around to find a little old lady smiling at me. She said, “Hi handsome. My name is Rose. I’m eighty-seven years old. Can I give you a hug?”
I laughed and said, “Of course!” And she gave me a big hug. “Why are you in college at such an age?” I asked.
She jokingly replied, “I’m here to meet a rich husband, get married, and have kids and then retire and travel.”
“No seriously.”
“I always dreamed of having a college education and now I’m getting one!”
We became friends at once. Over the course of the year, Rose easily made friends wherever she went. She loved to dress up and she was happy with the attention given to her from the other students. At the end of the term we invited Rose to speak at our football banquet（宴会）. I’ll never forget what she taught us in her speech.
“We do not stop playing because we are old; we grow old because we stop playing. There are only four secrets to staying young, being happy and achieving success. You have to laugh and find humor every day. You’ve got to have a dream. When you lose your dreams, you die. We have so many people walking around who are dead and don’t even know it! There is a huge difference between growing older and growing up. If you are nineteen years old and lie in bed for one full year and don’t do one useful thing, you will turn twenty years old. If I am eighty-seven years old and stay in bed for a year and never do anything, I will turn eighty-eight. Anybody can grow older. That doesn’t take any ability. The idea is to grow up by always finding opportunity to do productive things. Have no regrets（遗憾；后悔）. The elderly usually don’t have regrets for what we did, but we regret for things we did not do.”
At the year’s end Rose finished the college degree. One week after graduation Rose died peacefully in her sleep. Over two thousand college students attended her funeral to honor the wonderful woman!While meeting Rose at the college for the first time, the author was curious about _______.
| A．her age | B．her life | C．her purpose | D．her dream |
By saying “I’m here to meet a rich husband, get married, and have kids and then retire and travel”, Rose was trying to be ___________.
| A．humorous | B．amazing | C．confident | D．smart |
What else did Rose most probably say at the football banquet?
| A．“It seems that my young days are over.” |
| B．“Don’t do much in order to stay young.” |
| C．“The people who fear death are those with regrets.” |
| D．“When we are old, we can do nothing.” |
The story of Rose in the text shows that ___________.
| A．it is good to make friends with old people |
| B．it is necessary to have a college education for old people |
| C．it is important to have a healthy body when people are getting old |
| D．it is never too late to be what you can possibly be |
The National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., is one of the world’s greatest art museums. Millions of people have entered its doors to see paintings by the world’s fine artists. But if these priceless masterpieces are to be preserved, the Gallery must protect them carefully. The Gallery’s 135-man guard force has successfully prevented them from being stolen, but protecting the paintings from nature is a greater problem.
In past times, the owners of paintings did not protect them from damaging changes in humidity（湿度）and temperature. As a result, the life of these paintings were shortened. In the National Gallery, however, humidity and temperature are carefully controlled. The building is air-conditioned in summer and heated in winter. The air-conditioning and heating system are so important to the life of the painting that the Gallery has two of each system. If one should fail, the extra one can take over.
Light is another enemy of paintings. Ultraviolet rays（紫外线）in light cause paintings to fade（褪色）. Long ago, paintings often hung in dark churches and palaces. A coat of varnish（清漆）was a protection from the weak light. But when museums took over the care of many paintings, they were often hung in brighter light than before. Soon they were in danger of fading. The damaging effects of light were increased when the museums removed the varnish coating, yellowed with age.
To protect its paintings, the National Gallery put a special kind of glass in its skylights. This glass allows visible lights to enter the building but it keeps out harmful ultraviolet rays. The Gallery has also developed new and better varnishes which help to keep paintings from fading. Thanks to these new precautions, many of the world’s greatest paintings are being well protected for future generations to enjoy.The text mainly tells us about_________________________.
| A．the guard force in the National Gallery |
| B．protecting great paintings from nature |
| C．priceless paintings of past times |
| D．the air-conditioning and heating systems in the National Gallery |
Which of the following is NOT an enemy of paintings?
| A．Varnish. | B．Temperature. | C．Light. | D．Humidity. |
The underlined word “precautions” in Paragraph 4 is closest in meaning to ____________.
| A．decorations | B．problems | C．suggestions | D．applications |
From the text we can infer that________________________.
| A．great artists painted in dark churches and palaces |
| B．you can touch these paintings while you are in the National Gallery |
| C．the care of the world’s greatest paintings is both a big responsibility and a great challenge |
| D．the guard force in the Gallery has not done a good job |
A Letter from Steve Jobs
August 24, 2011
To the Apple Board of Directors and the Apple Community,
I have always said if there ever came a day when I could no longer meet my duties and expectations as Apple’s CEO, I would be the first to let you know. Unfortunately, that day has come.
So I resign（辞职）as CEO of Apple. I would like to serve, if the Board feels fit, as Chairman of the Board, director and Apple employee.
As far as my successor goes, I strongly suggest that we name Tim Cook as CEO of Apple.
I believe Apple’s brightest days are ahead of it. And I look forward to watching and contributing to its success in a new role.
I have made some of the best friends of my life at Apple, and I thank you all for the many years of being able to work alongside you.
Steve
More Information:
Steve Jobs (February 24, 1955—October 5, 2011) was an American businessman, designer and inventor. He is best known as the co-founder, chairman, and CEO of Apple Inc. Unluckily, in 2003, Jobs was diagnosed（确诊）with a pancreas neuroendocrine tumor（胰腺癌）. Although the cancer was treated in the first place, he appeared thinner as his health fell. On medical leave for most of 2011, Jobs finally made a decision to resign as Apple CEO in August that year. Shortly after that, on October 5, he died. He continues to receive honors and public attention for his influence in the technology and music industries.Why did Jobs resign as CEO of Apple according to the letter?
| A．He was found seriously ill in 2003. |
| B．He felt he could no longer meet the responsibilities as a CEO. |
| C．He would like to be Chairman of the Board rather than CEO. |
| D．He was on medical leave for most of 2011. |
Which of the following statement is NOT true?
| A．After receiving the medical treatment, Jobs was in good health again. |
| B．Tim Cook was a friend and co-worker of Jobs. |
| C．People will remember and honor Jobs for his influence in the technology and music industries. |
| D．Jobs believed that Apple would have a bright future. |
What is Jobs’ mood when writing this letter?
| A．Optimistic for the company |
| B．Sorry for himself |
| C．Grateful to his friends and co-workers |
| D．All the above |
A group of teenagers: they laugh and talk over each other, dance and make faces — you wouldn’t believe they had just played on the same stage as famous American singers Kid Cudi and Eminem.
These seven kids, all under the age of 20, are members of the band Kids These Days (KTD).
Fresh out of high school, the band already has done things that most teens couldn’t even imagine. They played at festivals including the recent SXSW in Austin and Lollapalooza in their hometown, Chicago, to crowds of loyal fans.
KTD uses a mix of hip-hop, jazz, blues and classic rock to make a sound of their own.
“KTD simply mixes most, if not all of my favourite music styles,” said Kamia Jones, as Chicago high school student.“I like that they aren’t afraid to be different and that their music is real and speaks to the soul.”
The band formed two years ago. Now, as well as local fans, they are becoming popular around the world. Their facebook page is filled with supportive posts from admirers from California to Tokyo.
“It’s really strange to me that people from London, Australia and Russia... They have heard
of us and they like our music because it’s really cool feeling,” says Marcie Stewart, who plays keyboard for the band.
Despite their recent fame, KTD is a group of normal teenagers and they remain very close to one another. While talking to the reporters, they dance and make fun of each other.
When asked what advice they would give to other teen musicians, Greg Landfair, KTD’s drummer, said, “Keep your heart in it. Never lose the music and what you are doing, because that’s what you’re here for. Let the music always be first.”KTD’s music is popular among teenagers mainly because ________.
| A．it is about the strange life of teenagers |
| B．it mixes many music styles teenagers love into their music |
| C．all the band members are young and handsome |
| D．the band members dance and make fun of each other |
What do we know about KTD?
| A．They are all of the same age. |
| B．They are as famous as Kid Cudi and Eminem. |
| C．There are five members in the band. |
| D．They have fans around the world. |
According to Greg, teen musicians should___________.
| A．make music close to their lives |
| B．always think of the needs of the fans |
| C．love the music they are playing |
| D．stay close to the group member |
The author wrote this article to___________.
| A．show the kind of music teenagers love |
| B．encourage young musicians to play music |
| C．describe a special music style |
| D．introduce a successful band of teenagers |