Being the head of a high school for many years, I grew tired of budget meetings, fundingcuts, and many other administrative chores and started to dream of retirement．Sitting in trafficon a weekday morning, I would find my mind wandering．I would imagine spending time withmy grandchildren, quiet evenings with my wife, traveling, or rediscovering some great books．Itold myself that I wouldn't sign myself up for any committees, any classes, or anythingrequiring a schedule．
My first day of retirement came at last! I cooked a great breakfast for my wife and me,leisurely read the paper, cleaned a bit of the house, and wrote a few letters to friends．On thesecond day, I cooked breakfast, read the paper …On the third day, ...This is retirement? Itried to tell myself that it was just the transition, that those golden moments were right roundthe corner, and that I would enjoy them soon enough．But something was missing．
A former colleague asked a favor．A group of students was going to Jamaica to work withchildren in the poorest neighbourhood．Would I interrupt my newfound "happiness" and returnto the students, just this once? One trip．That's all．My bags were packed and by the door．
The trip was very inspiring．I was moved not only by the poverty I saw but also by thesense of responsibility of the young people on the trip．When I returned home, I offered to workone day a week with a local youth organization．The experience was so positive that I was soonvolunteering nearly full-time, working with students across North America to assist them intheir voluntary work．
Now，it seems, the tables have turned ．Some days I am the teacher, other days I am thestudent．These young people have reawakened my commitment to social justice issues bychallenging me to learn more about the situation in the world today, where people are still poorand suffer because of greed, corruption and war．Most importantly, they have given me theopportunity to continue to participate in helping to find solutions．In return, I help them do theircharitable projects overseas．I've gone from running one school to helping oversee theconstruction of schools in twenty-one countries!What did the writer expect to do after he retired?
| A．To stay away from busy schedules． | B．To write some great books． |
| C．To do some voluntary work． | D．To plan for his future． |
Why did the writer decide to go to Jamaica?
| A．He missed his students in that country． |
| B．He couldn't reflise his colleague's favor． |
| C．He was concerned about the people there． |
| D．He was not satisfied with his retired life． |
The underlined part "the tables have turned" （Paragraph 5 ） means that thewriter ．
| A．improved the situation in his school | B．felt happy to work with students again |
| C．became a learner rather than a teacher | D．changed his attitude toward his retired life |
What does the writer think of his retired life now?
| A．Disappointing． | B．Troublesome． |
| C．Promising． | D．Meaningful． |
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The Internet has become part of teenager life.
A new report on 3,375 students aged from 10 to 18 in seven Chinese cities found that 38 percent of them believe they use the Internet often.
While most of them get useful information and use the Internet to help in their studies, some are not using it in a good way.
In order to help young people use the Internet in a good way, a textbook on good Internet behavior(行为) has started to be used in some Shanghai middle schools this term. The book uses real examples to teach students all about good ways of using the Internet. The book gives useful advice such as it is good to read news or find helpful information to study.
Some students also make online friends. But if you are meeting a friend offline, make sure your parents know. Teachers and parents all think the book is of great help. A teacher said the book would be a guide for teens using the Internet. She believes it will keep students away from bad sites. “Many students are using the Internet without guidance from their parents,” she said. “The book will teach students how to be a good person in the online world.”
60. The textbook mainly tells us ____.
A. why we should use the Internet B. how to study using the Internet
C. how to use Internet correctly D. how to get help from others
61. What’s the attitude(态度) of teachers and parents towards the textbook?
A. They are against it. B. They are for（支持） it.
C. The passage doesn’t mention. D. They don’t care about it.
62. According to the passage, teenagers are NOT encouraged to ____.
A. read online news
B. go online
C. find helpful information online
D. meet a friend offline without letting their parents know
63. From this passage we know that ____.
A. more and more students have given up visiting bad Web sites
B. schools and teachers begin to pay attention to students’ use of the Internet.
C. no more homework will be given in Shanghai middle schools
D. less and less information can be found on line
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第三部分：阅读理解（共20小题，每小题2分；满分40分）
Sweetest Day is celebrated on the third Saturday in October as a day to make someone happy. It is an occasion which offers all of us an opportunity to remember not only the sick, the aged, and children who have lost their parents, but also friends, workmates, relatives and neighbors whose helpfulness and kindness we have enjoyed.
Over 60 years ago, when a Cleveland man noticed that some people, such as children who lost their parents and patients who lay in bed, too often felt forgotten and neglected, he developed in his mind the idea of showing them that they were remembered. He did this by giving them small gifts. With the help of his friends and neighbors, he gave those people small gifts on a Saturday in October. During the years that followed, other Clevelanders began to take part in the celebration, which came to be called “Sweetest Day”. Over time, the Sweetest Day idea of spreading cheer to the poor, the sick and children who had lost their parents was broadened to include everyone, and became an occasion for remembering others with a kind act or a small gift. Soon the idea spread to other cities all over the USA.
Sweetest Day is not based on any single group’s religious beliefs or on a family relationship. It is a reminder that a thoughtful word or deed enriches life and gives it meaning. Because for many people remembering takes the form of gift giving, Sweetest Day offers us the opportunity to show others that we care, in a positive （积极的） way.
56. What can we learn from the first paragraph?
A. Sweetest Day is a day to make others happy.
B. Sweetest Day is just an occasion to care about disabled people.
C. Sweetest Day is an occasion for lovers to express love.
D. Sweetest Day is celebrated on the third Sunday in October.
57. Which of the following has little relationship to Sweetest Day?
A. Visiting sick people of the hospital.
B. Visiting children who have lost the
ir parents.
C. Giving friends small gifts.
D. Giving flowers to sweethearts.
58. What do most people usually do to show their care to others according to the passage?
A. They give money. B. They give gifts.
C. They send regards. D. They offer help.
59. The underlined word “neglected” in the second paragraph means “______”.
A. remembered B. hated
C. paid little or no attention toD. disappointed
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A new study suggests that the more teenagers watch television, the more likely they are to develop depression.
The researchers used a national long-term survey of teenagers’ health to investigate the relationship between media use and depression. They based their findings on more than four thousand teenagers who were not depressed when the survey began in nineteen ninety-five.
As part of the survey, the young people were asked how many hours of television or videos they watched daily. They were also asked how often they played computer games and listened to the radio.
Media use totaled an average of five and one-half hours a day. More than two hours of that was spent watching TV.
Seven years later, in two thousand two, more than seven percent of the young people had signs of depression. The average age at that time was twenty-one.
Brian Primack at the University of Pittsburgh medical school was the lead author of the new study. He says every extra hour of television meant an eight percent increase in the chances of developing signs of depression.
The researchers say they did not find any such relationship with the use of other media such as movies, video games or radio. But the study did find that young men were more likely than young women to develop depression.
The study was just published in the Archives of General Psychiatry this Monday. In December, the magazine Social Indicators Research published a study of activities that help lead to happy lives. They found that people who describe themselves as happy spend less time watching television than unhappy people. The study found that happy people are more likely to be socially active.
72. How many years has the mentioned survey lasted till 2009?
A. 7 B. 21 C. 14D. 19
73. Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?
A. Young women were less likely than young men to develop depression.
B. Happy people spend more time in watching TV.
C. Playing computers has nothing to do with the depression.
D. Teenagers spend about five and a half hours a day on media use.
74. The topic the author wanted to express through the passage is____.
A. Teens, television and depression B. Teens, media and depression
C. adults, television and happiness D. women , media and happiness
75. It can be inferred from the passage that________.
A. teenagers should be prevented from using media
B. depression is increasing at a speed of 8% a year
C. watching TV is part of teenagers’daily life
D. TV has ill effect on social life
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Larry Walters’boyhood dream was to fly. After finishing school, Larry joined the U.S. Air Force, but was refused from pilot-training school because of poor eyesight. However, his dream remained.
Larry, aged 33, was a truck driver in Los Angeles. One day, while sitting outside and watching jets fly overhead, an idea came to him to use weather balloons to fly.
A few weeks later, Larry bought 42 weather balloons. He tied them to a chair and filled them with helium(氦). Then he sat down in the chair with some beer, sandwiches and a BB gun. Larry’s plan was to float about 10 meters above his backyard, enjoy a few hours in the air, and then pop some balloons with his gun to get back down. But things did not go according to Larry’s plan.
When his friends cut the lines, Larry lifted by the 42 balloons and shot skyward at an astonishing speed. He finally settled at an altitude of 4,000 meters. Afraid to pop any of the balloons, in case he should break the balance of his “craft”, Larry sat, cold and frightened, in the sky for 14 hours.
Airline pilots heading toward Los Angeles’busy international airport radioed in reports of the strange sight. Larry’s presence in the sky caused numerous planes to change their routes. Eventually, Larry worked up the nerve to shoot a few balloons and landed in power lines. Uninjured, he climbed down to safety and was arrested by waiting police.
Larry set a record for a gas-filled balloon flight. But it cost him. He was later fined $1,500 for breaking air safety regulations.
68. What’s the BB gun used for in the passage?
A. To protect Larry from unexpected danger. B. To fill the balloons with gas.
C. To shoot the balloons to get him back. D. To fight with the waiting police.
69. It turned out that Larry________.
A. floated about 10 meters high B. remained in the sky for 14 hours
C. set a world record in making balloons D. became a truck driver after the flight
70. The underlined part in Paragraph 5 most probably means ____.
A. watched carefully B. gathered his courage
C. kept his balanceD. climbed down
71. It can be learned from the passage that________.
A. Larry’s boyhood dream came true in the end
B. Larry’s disappearance in the sky caused much trouble
C. Larry won a prize of $1,500 for his bravery
D. Larry was not accepted as a pilot for his poor hearing
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China to sell yuan bonds (国库券) abroad
China has announced its first sale of government bonds yuan outside the mainland.
The government will sell 6bn yuan of bonds in Hong Kong to “improve the international status of the yuan,” the finance ministry said.
The sale is a milestone as China opens up its financial markets and promotes RMB as a world benchmark(基准点) .
Hundreds arrested in deadly Uganda riots(暴乱)
At least 640 people were arrested and 14 killed in fighting in Uganda’s capital between government forces and loyalists of a traditional kingdom. The number of people arrested for suspected roles in the three-day riots could go up because investigations are still under way, said Kale Kayihura, the nation’s police chief.
“French Spiderman” conquered the 88-story Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur
Now 47, Robert has climbed some of the tallest buildings in the world, typically without the aid of safety equipment. On Sept. 1, armed with nothing but the chalk on his hands and some good climbing shoes, the “French Spiderman” added the 88-story Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur to his impressive list—which now totals more than 70—of skyscrapers(摩天大楼) climbed up.
Motorway lights go out
The Highway Agency has decided to turn off lights at undisclosed locations between midnight and 5 a.m. from March. It has done so despite warnings from motoring groups and safety campaigners. Nine councils have already switched off some street lights or plan to do so to save money and cut carbon emissions (排放物).
64. We can learn from the passage that ____.
A. China has sold 6bn yuan of bonds in Hong Kong
B. more suspected people will probably be arrested in Uganda
C. about 654 people took part in the Uganda riots
D. the riots will last another three days
65. How many skyscrapers has Robert conquered so far?
A. exactly 47 B. over 70 C. about 88 D. less than 158
66. The disadvantage of turning off motorway lights includes ____.
A. saving money B. cutting carbon emissions
C. causing safety problems D. decreasing the number of cars
67. All of the fields are mentioned except____ .
A. politics B. health C. traffic D. people