Winston Churchill once described Russia as “a riddle wrapped in a mystery（谜） inside a puzzle”. Observers of Russia in the 21st century could surely say the same of the country’s president, Vladimir Putin.
Born in Leningrad, six months before the death of Stalin, the young Putin experienced a poverty-stricken childhood but received a good education. He developed lifelong interests in judo and spy novels, and first applied to the KGB(苏联国家安全委员会) at the age of 17. When they told him to go away and come back with a degree, he completed with an efficiency(效率) that would later serve him well.
Putin used his KGB training, plus his own discipline and common sense, in a series of jobs. He became acting President on 31 December 1999, when president Boris Yeltsin resigned in a surprising move. Putin won the 2000 presidential election and in 2004 he was re-elected for a second term lasting until 7 May 2008.
Due to term limits, Putin was unable to run for a third presidential term. After the victory of Dmitry Medvedev, in the 2008 presidential elections, he was appointed to be Russia’s Prime Minister.
Putin is regarded as one bringing political stability and re-establishing the rule of law. During his presidency, Russia’s economy(经济) bounced back, seeing GDP increase by 72%, poverty cut more than half, and average monthly salaries increase from $80 to $640. Analysts have described Putin's economic reforms as impressive. At the same time, his conduct in office has been questioned by political opposition at home, foreign governments, and human rights organizations for leading the Second Chechen War, and for his record on human rights and freedoms.
Whether he wants to drive
Russia into a new stage, or believes in the values of its Soviet past, he is determined to put his nation back on its feet. To do this, Vladimir Putin may have to show his true colors sooner rather than later. What would be the best title for the text?
| A．The Mysterious President of Russia |
| B．Russia’s High-growth Economy |
| C．Russia’s Far Past and Near Future |
| D．The Political Situation in Russia |
Which of the following helps Putin’s success in presidential election?
| A．His family background. | B．His belief in Soviet. |
| C．His efficiency in jobs. | D．His love for freedom. |
What happened in Russia during Putin’s presidency?
| A．The number of the poor reduced to 50%. |
| B．Every Russian enjoyed equal rights. |
| C．Russia’s economy picked up rapidly. |
| D．Russian people lived a peaceful life. |
What c
an we learn about Putin from the text?
| A．He gains respect of foreign governments. |
| B．He always fought for human rights. |
| C．He ran for president a third time. |
| D．He is a politician of great achievements. |
Love, success, happiness, family and freedom----how important are these values to you? Here is one interview which explores the fundamental questions in life．
Question: Could you introduce yourself first?
Answer: My name is
Misbah, 27 years old．I was born in a war-torn area．Right now I’m a web designer．
Q: What are your great memories?
A: My parents used to take us to hunt birds, climb trees, and play in the fields．For me it was like a holiday because we were going to have fun all day long．Those are my great memories．
Q: Does your childhood mean a lot to you?
A: Yes．As life was very hard, I used to work to help bring money in for the family．I spent my childhood working, with responsibilities beyond my age．However, it taught me to deal with problems all alone．I learnt to be independent．
Q: What changes would you like to make in your life?
A: If I could change something in my life, I’d change it so that my childhood could have taken place in another area．I would have loved to live with my family in freedom．Who cares whether we have much money, or whether we have a beautiful house? It doesn’t matter as long as I can live with my family and we are safe．
Q: How do your get along with your parents?
A: My parents supported me until I came of age．I want to give back what I’ve got．That’s our way．But I am working in another city．My only contact with my parents now is through the phone, but I hate using it．It filters（过滤） out your emotion and leaves your voice only．My deepest feelings should be passed through sight, hearing and touch．In Misbah’s childhood,．
| A．he was free from worry |
| B．he liked living in the countryside |
| C．he was fond of getting close to nature |
| D．he often spent holidays with his family |
What did Misbah desire most in his childhood?
| A．Peace and freedom | B．A beautiful house． |
| C．A colorful life． | D．Money for his family． |
How would Misbah prefer to communicate with his parents?
| A．By chatting on the Internet． | B．By calling them sometimes． |
| C．By paying weekly visits． | D．By writing them letters． |
If there were only one question left, what would it most probably be?
| A．What was your childhood dream? | B．What is your biggest achievement? |
| C．What is your parents’ view of you? | D．What was your hardest experience in the war? |
Every day we experience one of the wonders of the world around us without even realizing it．It is not the amazing complexity of television, nor the impressive technology of transport．The universal wonder we share and experience is our ability to make noise without mouths, and so transmit ideas and thoughts to each other’s minds．This ability comes so naturally that we tend to forget what a miracle （奇迹） it is．
Obviously, the ability to talk is something that marks humans off from animal．Of course, some animals have powers just as amazing, Birds can fly thousands miles by observing positions of the stars in the sky in relation to the time of day and year．In Nature’s talent show, humans are a species of animal that have developed their own special act．If we reduce it to basic terms, it’s an ability for communicating information to others, by varying sounds we make as we breathe out．
Not that we don’t have other powers of communication．Our facial expressions convey our emotions, such as anger, or joy, or disappointment．The way we hold our heads can indicate to others whether we are happy or sad．This is so-called “body language”．Bristling （直立的） fur is an unmistakable warning of attack among many animals．Similarly, the bowed head or drooping tail shows a readiness to take second place in any animal gathering．
Such a means of communication is a basic mechanism that animals, including human beings, instinctively acquire and display．Is the ability to speak just another sort of instinct? If so, how did human beings acquire this amazing skills ? Biologist can readily indicate that particular area of our brain where speech mechanisms function, but this doesn’t tell us how that part of our bodies originated in our biological history．According to the passage, the wonder we take for granted is．
| A．our ability to use language |
| B．the miracle of technology |
| C．the amazing power of nature |
| D．our ability to make noises with mouth |
What feature of “body language” mentioned in the passage is common to both human an animals?
| A．Lifting heads when sad． |
| B．Keeping long faces when angry． |
| C．Bristling hair when ready to attack． |
| D．Bowing heads when willing to obey． |
What can be inferred from Paragraph 3?
| A．Body language is unique to humans． |
| B．Humans are no different from animals to some degree． |
| C．Humans have other powers of communication． |
| D．Animals express emotions just as humans do． |
This passage is mainly about．
| A．the development of body language． |
| B．the special role humans play in nature |
| C．the power to convey information to others |
| D．the difference between humans and animals in language use |
Many people take it for granted that black is a color 
of bad things while white should always mean something good．This may be because, in their opinion, black is related to darkness and white to purity（纯洁）．
However, that is not always the case．Did you know that the same colour may mean differently in different places of the world?
In the English-speaking world, black is the colour of mourning（哀悼）．People wear black clothes at the funeral．Red is concerned with danger or bloodshed (流血)．Yellow is the word for fear．If you are afraid, you are yellow．Yet none of these sayings is true outside the English-speaking world．In China and Korea white is the colour of mourning．In Russia, China and some other countries, red stands for beauty, life and excellence．In Italy and Germany, you are yellow with anger, not with fear．
Even within the English-speaking area it is not difficult to find colour contradictions (矛盾)．A redcap in the United States is a porter in a railway station．In Britain, however, a redcap is a military policeman．Both names are logical because both men wear red caps．Similarly, the British term for an American white collar worker is sometimes called a black-coated worker．
One does not have to cross an area to find color differences．Would you rather be red-blooded? If we go back to the origin, we find that both terms are logical as both names suggest．The expression “blueblood” comes from Spain, where some noble（贵族）families proudly said that they had “blue blood”．But then why “blue” blood? Because they were fair-skinned, and it is only natural that their blood vessels (血管) stood out appearing blue．Yellow is concerned with anger in ______.
| A．Russia | B．Britain | C．Germany | D．China |
Both Britain and America would probably agree that ______.
| A．black is the color of mourning | B．a black-coated worker is employed in an office |
| C．red stands for beauty and excellence | D．a redcap is a porter in a station |
The best title for this passage is ______.
| A．The Origin of Blue Blood | B．The Development of the Use of Colors |
| C．Colors that Carry Bad Meanings | D．The Meaning Concerned With Certain Colors |
When some Spanish called themselves “blueblood”, they actually meant ______.
| A．they had heart trouble and their faces looked blue | B．they came from a noble family |
| C．they had blue blood in their vessels | D．they were fair-skinned |
Here is a poster on a middle school website. Read the website poster.
Going, Going, Gone!
The Haynes Middle School Parent-Teacher Organization invites you to attend our latest fund-raiser, The Fourth Annual Haynes School Auction (拍卖)!
Saturday, May 10
☆6:00 p.m. ~ 11:00 p.m.
☆In the school hall
☆6:00 p.m.~ 6:30 p.m.: All items for auction are previewed.
☆6:30 p.m.~ 7:00 p.m.: Silent auction begins.
☆7:00 p.m.~ 7:30 p.m.: Highest bidders (出价人) from silent auction are determined.
☆7:30 p.m.~ 11:00 p.m.: Main auction begins.
Items (物品) up for bid in the silent auction vary in value from $ 5.00 to $ 30.00.
Items up for bid in the main auction include the following:
●Airline tickets to a place of your choice
●Weekend getaways at first-class hotels
●Season tickets to the Chicago Bears football game
●$ 50 gift tickets to local gift shops, restaurants, and salons
Don’t miss the boat! Book your tickets today.
Last year, tickets were sold out within four days!
Tickets are sold on a first-come, first-served basis.
$ 15.00 per person
All the money from the auction will be given to the Haynes School computer lab.Which of the following is NOT mentioned as being up for bid at the auction?
| A．A movie pass to the local cinema. | B．A weekend stay at a hotel. |
| C．A ticket to a restaurant. | D．Airline tickets. |
The more items that are given or bought for auction, ________.
| A．the less money that will be charged for the tickets to the auction |
| B．the more money that can be raised to support the computer lab |
| C．the faster the ticket will be sold to the auction |
| D．the higher the value that will be placed on the items in the silent auction |
Which of the following is most likely to happen at the year’s auction?
| A．The airline tickets will receive higher bids than any other item. |
| B．All items up for bid will be sold for at least twice their value. |
| C．More money will be raised this year than in any other year before. |
| D．Tickets for the event will be sold out in less than one week. |
The phrase “first-come, first-served” tells you that ________.
| A．people can buy the tickets on the first day only |
| B．the person who is the first to arrive will receive a ticket at no charge |
| C．food and drinks will be served at the auction |
| D．tickets are sold in the order of who arrives first to buy them |
A “blogger” is a person who writes on an Internet website called a “blog”. The word “blog” is a short way of saying “web log”, or “personal website”. Anyone can start a blog, and they can write about anything they like.
There are millions of blogs on the Internet today. They provide news, information and ideas to the people who read them. They contain links to other websites. And they provide a place for people to write their ideas and react to the ideas of others.
A research company called Perseus has studied more than 3,000 web logs. It says that blogs are most popular with teenage girls. They use them to let their friends know what is happening in their lives. The study also says that more than 100,000 bloggers stopped taking part in the activity after a year.
However, some people develop serious blogs to present political and other ideas. For example, the Republican and Democratic parties in the southern state of Kentucky recently started their own blogs. And American companies are beginning to use blogs to advertise their products.
At the same time, some long-standing blogs have ended. Last week, blogging leader Dave Winer closed his free blog service “weblogs.com”. He said the site became too costly to continue. He started the blog four years ago, and thousands of people had written on it. They are now upset because they did not know that the site was closed
One blog that is still going strong is called Rebecca’s Pocket. Rebecca Blood created the website in 1999. She wrote about the history of blogs on the site. That article led to a book called The Weblog Handbook. It has been translated into four languages so far.
Miss Blood says Rebecca’s Pocket get about thirty thousand visitors a month. She writes about anything and everything — politics, culture and movies. She recently provided medical advice. And she wrote about how to prevent being stolen from online bank accounts.The text is mainly written to _______.
| A．introduce an Internet website called “blog” | B．introduce a short way of saying “web log” |
| C．tell readers about blogs | D．tell readers how to write blogs |
From the text we can learn that blogs cover almost everything except _______.
| A．different ideas | B．medical advice | C．advertisements | D．account p ass words |
Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the text?
| A．Politicians don’t use blogs at all. | B．A lot of bloggers no longer write or read blogs. |
| C．Those who like to use blogs are mostly teenage girls. | |
| D．Dave Winer closed his “weblogs.com” because of the money shortage. |
The reason why Rebecca’s Pocket is still going strong is that _______.
| A．it was created by a woman | B．it is about the history of blogs |
| C．it provides useful information and advice | |
| D．it has editions in at least four different languages |