New 
York Time—A gunman killed eight people at a mall in Omaha this afternoon and then killed himself, setting off panic among holiday shoppers, the police said．
“The person who we believe to be the shooter has died from self-inflicted gunshot wounds,” Sgt． Teresa Negron of the Omaha Police Department said at televised news． “We have been able to clear the mall,” she said． “We don’t believe we have any other
shooters．” The police said that at least five other people had been injured in the shootings．
She did not give the shooter’s identity． “We are still conducting the investigation,” Sergeant Negron said, adding that the city’s mayor, who was out of town, was on his way back to Omaha． She said the police received a 911 call from someone inside the Westroads Mall on the west side of Omaha, and shots could be heard in the background． The first police officers arrived at the mall six minutes after the first call, she said, but by then the shootings were over． It is reported that the gunman left a suicide note that was found at his home by relatives． A law enforcement official who spoke on condition of anonymity （匿名） said the note indicated that the gunman wanted to “go out in style．”
The shootings broke the usually banal rou
tine of holiday shopping． The gunman was said by some witnesses to have fired about 20 shots into a crowd． Some customers and workers ran screaming from the mall, while others dived into dressing rooms to hide from the shooter．
Shoppers and store workers were trapped inside the mall, which has roughly 135 stores． Others streamed out of mall exits with their hands raised． President Bush was in Omaha this morning to deliver a speech, but he had left the city by the time the shootings took place． Where did the shooting first come out?
| A．In a newspaper | B．On the Internet |
| C．In TV news | D．In a police poster |
What do the underlined words “go out in style” probably mean?
| A．go out of the mall in particular clothes |
| B．walk in the mall with everybody focused on |
| C．go to a socially event by fashionable means |
| D．stop his life in a impressive way |
Which of the following is true according to the passage?
| A．Nobody knows why the shooter did so and nothing was found at his home． |
| B．The city’s mayor happened not to be in the city when the shooting took place． |
| C．Police arrived at the mall before the shootings were over and rescued customers． |
| D．The official who showed what the note mean have no request of his own identity． |
We can infer from the passage that ______．
| A．There is only one shooter in this event． |
| B．The shooting created fears among the customers． |
| C．An important holiday is coming soon． |
| D．President Bush came here for the shooting． |
Visitors to Britain may find the best place to sample local culture is in a traditional pub. But these friendly pubs can be dangerous places of potential gaffes (失礼) for the newcomers. A team of researchers have discovered some of the unknown customs of British pubs-starting with the difficulty of getting a drink. Most pubs have no waiters-you have to go to the bar to buy drinks. A group of Italian youths waiting 45 minutes before they realized they would have to fetch their own. This may sound inconvenient, but there is a hidden purpose.
Pub culture is designed to promote sociability (社交) in a society known for its reserve. Standing at the bar for service allows you to chat with others waiting to be served. The bar counter is possibly the only site in the British Isles in which friendly conversation with strangers is considered entirely suitable and really quite normal behavior. “If you haven't been to a pub, you haven't been to Britain.” This tip can be found in a booklet, Passport to the Pub: The Tourists' Guide to Pub Etiquette, a customers' rule of conduct for those wanting to sample “a central part of British life and culture”．
The trouble is that if you do not follow the local rules, the experience may fall flat. For example, if you are in a big group, it is best if only one or two people go to buy the drinks. Nothing annoys the regular customers and bar staff more than a group of strangers blocking all access to the bar while they chat and hesitate about what to order. The underlined word “sample” in the first paragraph probably means “________”．
| A．taste | B．experience | C．test | D．record ． |
The culture of pub in Britain is so developed to ______.
| A．encourage people to communicate with each other |
| B．encourage more people to consume drinks |
| C．attract more tourists to the pubs |
| D．form its own character of culture |
If you don't follow the local rules in a pub, ________.
| A．you won't buy good local drinks |
| B．you may annoy the regular customers and bar staff |
| C．you may fail to feel the local culture |
| D．you might get into a dangerous place |
What may be the best title for the passage?
| A．Self-service Pubs in Britain | B．British Local Pubs: Special Chat Places |
| C．Local Pub Culture in Britain | D．Manners in British Local Pubs |
It was getting dark and snow was coming down. Joe was driving home. He'd been unemployed since the factory closed. Most of his friends had left, but he stayed on. After all, he was born here. Suddenly he saw a lady standing on the side of the road and then he pulled up. She was worried. No one had stopped to help her. Was he going to hurt her? He looked poor and hungry. Joe knew how she felt and said, “My name is Joe and I'm here to help you.” All she had was a flat tire, but for an old lady, that was bad enough. Joe changed the tire, but he got dirty and his hands were hurt.
She wanted to pay Joe and said any amount would have been all right. Joe never thought twice about the money and there were plenty who had given him a hand in the past. He had lived his whole life that way. He told her that if she really wanted to pay him back, the next time she saw someone who needed help, she could give that person the assistance that they needed. Later the lady went in a small restaurant to take a bite to eat. The cash register was like the telephone of an out-of-work actor-it didn't ring much. The waitress, who was nearly eight months pregnant (怀孕) brought a clean towel to her with a sweet smile. The old lady remembered Joe. After the waitress brought the change from a 100-dollar bill, she found the lady gone and something written on a piece of paper “Someone once helped me out-the way I'm helping you. If you really want to pay me back, don't let the chain of love end with you.” That night the waitress gave her sleeping husband a soft kiss and whispered, “Everything's going to be all right. I love you, Joe.” What did Joe do that dark snowy evening?
| A．He drove to work. | B．He helped an old lady with a flat tire. |
| C．He gave an old lady a lift. | D．He helped an old lady push her car. ． |
The underlined sentence “she wanted to pay Joe and...”suggests that ________.
| A．the old lady was very grateful to Joe's timely aid |
| B．the old lady cared little about money |
| C．the old lady didn't have money on hand to pay Joe |
| D．the old lady wanted to pay Joe less |
We can learn from this passage that ________.
| A．the old lady knew the waitress was Joe's wife |
| B．the old lady had a big meal in the small restaurant |
| C．Joe would have a baby soon |
| D．Joe helped a lot of people in the past |
Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?
| A．Acts of luck | B．A warm-hearted man | C．A well-off lady | D．The chain of love |
| 237 West Palmdale Boulevard Fresno, California 93706 AmToy Corporation Suite 15 TransAm Building San Francisco, California 94115 November 20, 2008 Dear Sirs, As a concerned parent, I am writing to protest your recent advertisement for Electro—Robo seen in local media is California. Specifically, I am referring to newspaper and magazine ads （attached to this letter）published the week of November 15. Children respond to your type of advertising in an immature way; that is, they are unable to understand how expensive some toys are for middle-class parents. Further, you product is violent in nature. Youth advertisement gives children the impression that it’s fine to have “two guns and laser eyes.” You also suggest that children need your toy to protect them “when you go outside.” This is not a healthy attitude for children to have. I hope you will stop advertising your product in such a way that may harm our children. Sincerely yours, （Mrs.） Alma Hernandez President, Parents for Non-violent Toys Enc. |
| It’s here! Ready for You, Now! It’s Electro-Robo! Every boy dreams of being in control of a robot, and AmToy can make your dream come true! Electro-Roho is the world’s first fully automatic robot with radio control. Standing 80 centimeters tall, Electro-Robo is like a friend at home. He can walk, talk, and even shake your hand! He has two guns and laser eyes to help you defend yourself when you go outside with him. Every boy needs Electro-Robo! Ask your Mom and Dad to buy Electro-Robo for your birthday or for Christmas, which is coming up soon. Imagine that you are in control of your friend for life, Electro-Robo! Available at all toy stores and department stores NOW! |
What is the purpose of the letter?
| A．To complain about a broken toy. | B．To oppose the advertising. |
| C．To order a gift for Christmas. | D．To apply for a job in a toy company. |
What dose “Enc.” at the end of the letter mean?
| A．Something attached to the letter. | B．A complaint to the toy company. |
| C．A hidden message | D．An encouraging response. |
Electro-Robo can do all the following EXCEPT ______-.
| A．sitting down | B．shaking hands | C．talking | D．walking |
When women sit together to watch a movie on TV, they usually talk simultaneously（同时的）about a variety of subjects, including children, men, careers and what' s happening in their lives. When g
roups of men and women watch a movie together, the men usually end up telling the women to shut up. Men can either talk or watch the screen -- they can' t do both -- and they don' t understand that women can. Besides, women consider that the point of all getting together is to have a good time and develop relationships -- not just to sit there like couch potatoes staring at the screen.
During the ad breaks, a man often asks a woman to explain the plot and tell him where the relationship between the characters is going. He is unable, unlike women, to read the subtle body language signals that reveal how the characters are feeling emotionally. Since women originally spent their days with the other women and children in the group, they developed the ability to communicate successfully in order to maintain relationships. For a woman, speech continues to have such a clear purpose: to build relationships and make friends. For men, to talk is to relate the facts.
Men see the telephone as a communication tool for sending facts and information to other people, but a woman sees it as a means of bonding. A woman can spend two weeks on vacation with her girlfriend and, when she returns home, telephone the same girlfriend and talk for another two hours.
There is no convincing evidence that social conditioning, the fact that girls' mothers talked them more, is the reason why girls talk more than boys. Psychiatrist Dr Michael Lewis, author of Social Behaviour and Language Acquisition, conducted experiments that found mothers talked to and looked at, baby girls more often than baby boys. Scientific evidence shows parents respond to the brain bias of their children. Since a girl’s brain is better organized to send and receive speech，we therefore talk to them more. Consequently, mothers who try to talk to their sons are usually pointed to receive only short grunts in reply. While watching TV with others, women Usually talk a lot because they
| A．are afraid of awkward silence with their families and friends |
| B．can both talk and watch the screen at the Same time |
| C．think they can have a good time and develop relationships |
| D．have to explain the plot and body language to their husbands |
After a vacation with her girlfriend, a woman would talk to her again on the phone for hours in order to .
| A．experience the happy time again | B．keep a close tie with her |
| C．recommend her a new scenic spot | D．remind her of something forgotten |
What does the author want to tell us most?
| A．Women' s brains are better organized for language and communication |
| B．Women love to talk because they are more sociable than men. |
| C．Men do not like talking because they rely more on facts. |
| D．Social conditioning is not the reason why women love talking. |
Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?
| A．Women Are Socially Trained to Talk | B．Talking Maintains Relationships |
| C．Women Love to Talk | D．Men Talk Differently from Women |
My grandfather came from Hungary and was the only one in his family who settled down in the United States. The rest of his family remained in Europe. When World War I broke out, he seemed to have become another man, downhearted. Such obvious change was not born out of concern for his welfare, but out of fear: if his only son, my uncle, had to go to war, it would be cousin fighting against cousin.
One day in 1918, my Uncle Milton received his draft notice. My grandparents were very upset. But my mother, at the age of 10, felt on top of the world about her soldier brother going off to war. Realizing how he was regarded by his little sister and all of her friends, my 
uncle bought them all service pins, which meant that they had a loved one in the service. All the little girls were delighted.
The moment came when my uncle and the other soldiers, without any training but all in uniforms, boarded the train. The band played and the crowd cheered. Although no one noticed, I’m sure my grandmother had a tear in her eye for the only son. The train slowly pulled out, but not about a thousand yards when it suddenly paused. Everyone stared in wonder as the train slowly returned to the station. There was a dead silence before the doors opened and the men started to step out. Someone shouted, “The war is over!” For a moment, nobody moved, but then the people heard someone bark orders at the soldiers. The men lined up in two lines, walked down the steps, and with the band playing, marched down the street, as returning heroes, to be welcomed home. My mother said it was a great day, but she was just a little disappointed that it didn’t last a tiny bit longer.What the grandfather was most worried about was .
| A．the spread of the world war | B．the safety of his two cousins |
| C．a drop in his living standards | D．his relatives killing each other |
The underlined phrase “draft notice” means ““
| A．order for army service | B．train ticket for Europe |
| C．letter of rejection | D．note of warning |
What did the “service pins” (in Para.2) stand for in the eyes of the little girls?
| A．Strength. | B．Courage. | C．Victory. | D．Honor. |
Which of the following words can best describe the ending of th
e story?
| A．Disappointing. | B．Unexpected. | C．Uncertain. | D．Inspiring. |