Father Maurice Chase used a special way to celebrate his 90th birthday. The Catholic priest（神父） took $ 15,000 in cash to Los Angeles’ Skid Row (贫民区) and gave it away. Twenty wheelchair – bound peop
le received $100 bills, while the rest received $1to $ 3 each．
“I come out here to tell them that God loves them and I love them and that some one is concerned about them,” Chase said．
Chase has given away cash and blessings every Sunday at the same corner for 24 years．Several hundred people wait for him every week．
He makes a point of coming on Thanksgiving and Christmas, too, but this is the first year he spent his birthday in the downtown neighborhood where people live mainly in shelters and on dirty sidewalks．
“ It’s the place that makes me the happiest．I just love it,” said Chase. “I look forward to coming here.”
The money comes from donations he receives from rich and famous people he met during his work as assistant to the president of Loyola Marymount University．
The crowd broke into choruses of “Happy Birthday” several times. Some people presented him birthday cards, to his delight．
Travis Kemp, a 51 – year – old disabled man with long black hair, was one of the lucky 20 to receive $ 100. He said he had no special plans for spending the money. “He has a lot of respect from me,” Kemp said. “I know I couldn’t do it.”On his 90 th birthday, Chase ．
| A．handed out cash to the needy |
| B．collected money for poor people |
| C．visited poor people’s homes with gifts |
| D．held a party at Los Angeles’ Skid Row |
Which of the following makes Chase feel the happiest?
| A．Celebrating his birthday with his neighbours． |
| B．Working in Loyola Marymount University． |
| C．Celebrating Christmas with the people he has helped． |
| D．Going to Los Angeles’ Skid Row to help people there． |
What’s the source of the money Chase used to help people?
| A．All his savings． |
| B．His earnings as a Catholic priest． |
| C．Donations from the wealthy and celebrities(名人)． |
D．Donations from Loyol a Marymount University． |
Travis Kemp is mentioned in the text to show ．
| A．he was the luckiest person on that day |
| B．the disabled need to be taken care of |
| C．Chase is greatly appreciated by the needy |
| D．even old people came to celebrate Chase’s birthday |
Which statement is CORRECT according to the passage?
| A．Every recipient could get $100 in cash from Father Maurice Chase． |
| B．Father Maurice Chase gave the cash away not only on his birthday but also on other occasions． |
| C．Although Father Maurice Chase gave the cash away on his birthday, he didn’t receive anything in return． |
| D．Father Maurice Chase earned a lot of money as assistant to the president of Loyola Marymount University． |
THEATRE
City Varieties
The Headrow, Leeds．Tel．430808．
Oct 10—11 only．A Night at the Varieties．All the fun of an old music hall with Barry Cryer, Duggle Brown, 6 dancers, Mystina, Jon Barker, Anne Dural and the Tony Harrison Trio; Laugh again at the old jokes and listen to your favorite songs．
Performances: 8 pm nightly．
Admission: ₤5; under 16 or over 60: ₤4．
York Theatre Royal
St Leonard’s Place, York．Tel．223568．
Sept 23—Oct 17 Groping for Words—a comedy by Sue Townsend．Best known for her Adrian Mole Diaries, Townsend now writes about an evening class, which two men and a woman attend．A gentle comedy．
Admission: First night, Mon: ₤2; Tues—Fri: ₤3．25—5．50; Sat: ₤3．50—5．75．
Halifax Playhouse
King’s Cross Street, Halifax．Tel．365998．
Oct 10—17 On Golden Pond by Ernest Thompson．This is a magical comedy about real people．A beautifully produced, well-acted play for everyone．Don’t miss it．
Performances: 7:30 pm．
Admission: ₤2．Mon: 2 seats for the price of one．
Grand Theatre
Oxford Street, Leeds．Tel．502116．
Restaurant and Café．
Oct—17 The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, Aged 13．Sue Townsend’s musical play, based on her best-selling book．
Performances: Evenings 7:45．October 10—17, at 2:30 pm．No Monday performances．
Admission: Tues—Thurs: ₤2—5; Fri & Sat: ₤2—6．Which theatre offers the cheapest seat?
| A．City Varieties． | B．Halifax Playhouse． |
| C．Grand Theatre． | D．York Theatre Royal． |
If you want to see a play with old jokes and songs, which phone number will you ring to book a seat?
| A．502116． | B．223568． |
| C．430808． | D．365998． |
We may learn from the text that Sue Townsend is _____．
| A．a director | B．an actress |
| C．a musician | D．a writer |
LONDON（Reuters）—Organic fruit, delivered right to the doorstep．That is what Gabriel Gold prefers, and he is willing to pay for it．If this is not possible, the 26-year-old computer technician will spend the extra money at the supermarket to buy organic food．
“Organic produce is always better,” Gold said．“The food is free of pesticides（农药）, and you are generally supporting family farms instead of large farms．And more often than not it is locally grown and seasonal, so it is more tasty．” Gold is one of a growing number of shoppers buying into the organic trend, and supermarkets across Britain are counting on more like him as they grow their organic food business．But how many shoppers really know what they are getting, and why are they willing to pay a higher price for organic produce? Market research shows that Gold and others who buy organic food can generally give clear reasons for their preferences—but their knowledge of organic food is far from complete．For example, small amounts of pesticides can be used on organic products．And about three quarters of organic food in Britain is not local but imported to meet growing demand．“The demand for organic food is increasing by about one third every year, so it is a very fast-growing market,” said Sue Flock, a specialist in this line of business．More and more people in Britain are buying organic food because _____．
| A．they are getting richer |
| B．they can get the food anywhere |
| C．they like home-grown fruit |
| D．they consider the food free of pollution |
Which of the following statements is true to the facts about most organic produce sold in Britain?
| A．It grows indoors all year round． |
| B．It is grown on family farms |
| C．It is produced outside Britain． |
| D．It is produced on large farms． |
What is the meaning of “the organic trend” as the words are used in the text?
| A．better quality of organic food． |
| B．growing interest in organic food． |
| C．rising market for organic food． |
| D．higher prices of organic food． |
What is the best title for this news story?
| A．The making of organic food in Britain． |
| B．Organic food—to import or not? |
| C．Good qualities of organic food． |
| D．Organic food—healthy, or just for the wealthy? |
In 1901, H．G．Wells, an English writer, wrote a book describing a trip to the moon．When the explorers landed on the moon, they discovered that the moon was full of underground cities．They expressed their surprise to the “moon people” they met．In turn, the “moon people” expressed their surprise．“Why,” they asked, “are you traveling to outer space when you don’t even use your inner space?”
H．G．Wells could only imagine travel to the moon．In 1969, human beings really did land on the moon．People today know that there are no underground cities on the moon．However, the question that the “moon people” asked is still an interesting one．A growing number of scientists are seriously thinking about it．
Underground systems are already in place．Many cities have underground car parks．In some cities, such as Tokyo, Seoul and Montreal, there are large underground shopping areas．The “Chunnel”, a tunnel（隧道） connecting England and France, is now complete．
But what about underground cities? Japan’s Taisei Corporation is designing a network of underground systems, called “Alice Cities．” The designers imagine using surface space for public parks and using underground space for flats, offices, shopping, and so on．A solar dome（太阳能穹顶） would cover the whole city．
Supporters of underground development say that building down rather than building up is a good way to use the earth’s space．The surface, they say, can be used for farms, parks, gardens, and wilderness．H．G．Wells’ “moon people” would agree．Would you?The explorers in H．G．Wells’ story were surprised to find that the “moon people” _____．
| A．lived in so many underground cities |
| B．knew so much about the earth |
| C．understood their language |
| D．were ahead of them in space technology |
What does the underlined word “it” refer to?
| A．Discovering the moon’s inner space． |
| B．Traveling to outer space． |
| C．Meeting the “moon people” again． |
| D．Using the earth’s inner space． |
What sort of underground systems are already here with us?
| A．Tunnels, car parks, shopping areas． |
| B．Offices, shopping areas, power stations． |
| C．Gardens, car parks, power stations． |
| D．Tunnels, gardens, offices． |
What would be the best title for the text?
| A．Alice Cities—cities of the future． |
| B．Space travel with H．G．Wells． |
| C．Building down, not up． |
| D．Enjoy living underground． |
Autumn blues? Let the sunshine in falling leaves, flowers, and cold winds. For many people late autumn can be a season of depression.
Those who suffer from “the autumn blue” are often extremely tired, lack energy, need more sleep, feel increased appetite and gain weight. “The exact cause of this condition, often called seasonal depression or seasonal affective disorder（SAD）, is not known yet,” says Chen Jue, associate professor at Shanghai Mental Health Center. “But recent studies indicate that weather change is influential and strongly suggest that this condition is caused by changes in the availability（得到）of sunlight.”
One theory is that with decreased exposure to sunlight, the biological clock that regulates mood, sleep, and hormones is delayed, running more slowly in winter. Exposure to light may reset the biological clock. Another theory is that brain chemicals that transmit information between nerves, called neurotransmitters （for example, serotonin）, may be altered in individuals with SAD. It is believed that exposure to light can correct these imbalances. “It is a sad season, but you can try to make it happy. Remember, spring always lives in your heart ,” Chen says. “Going outdoors to get some sunlight may reduce the tension that brings you the low spirits. Relax at work. Stretch, breathe deeply. Take a tea break. Think of your next vacation. Color treatment also works in handling low mood. Music also plays a role in treating autumn blues.”Autumn blues is also called autumn _______.
| A．depression | B．sunshine |
| C．blue music | D．cold winds |
From the 3rd paragraph we know that there ________ that can help to deal with autumn blues.
| A．is no biological clock | B．is a real example |
| C．is no possibility | D．are some ways |
Which of the following is true according to the text?
| A．Autumn blues can be feelings of happiness. |
| B．The real cause for autumn blues is still unknown. |
| C．People feel tired in autumn. |
| D．Weather doesn’t change people. |
Which of the following CAN’T you do in order to deal with autumn blues?
| A．Eat more food very low in calories and sugar. |
| B．Reset the biological clock regulating mood, sleep and hormones. |
| C．Keep the balance of nerves that transmit information. |
| D．Take outdoor activities or sports. |
At first sight, you would think the collection of hundreds of colored shards（碎片）could be a work of abstract art. But the objects are the contents of the stomach of a sea turtle that lost its battle with plastic pollution.
Environmentalists examined the stomach of the turtle found off the coast of Argentina. What they found is the symptom of the increasing threat to sea turtles from a human addiction to plastic.
Sea turtles often mistake plastic items for jellyfish or other food. Ingesting（摄取）ocean pollution can cause a digestive blockage and internal cuts. The result can be dangerous, followed by death.
Humans produce 260 million tons of plastic a year. When those products are pulled into the sea’s currents, the plastics are just broken into smaller pieces which are consumed by marine life at the bottom of the food chain. An examination of a green turtle found off Florida discovered that, over the course of a month, the animal’s faeces（粪便）had contained 74 foreign objects, including “four types of balloons, different types of hard plastic, a piece of carpet--like material and two 2--4 mm tar balls.”
“The oceans have become a giant refuse bin for all manner of plastics. All sea turtle species may be seriously harmed, “according to the biologists Colette Wabnitz, from the University of British Columbia. ”The symptom of this growing crisis can be seen inside and on sea turtles as well as their oceanic and terrestrial habitats. It is urgently necessary to directly confront the source of plastic pollution, redesign packaging and rethink the very idea of ‘throwaway culture’.”
Almost all marine species, from plankton to whales, have ingested plastic. But, even in small quantities, plastic can kill sea turtles, the biologists said.
Fifty out of 92 turtles found dead, stranded on the shorelines of Rio Grande do Sul state in Brazil, had ingested a “considerable amount of man-made debris”.What’s tile passage mainly about?
| A．How to prevent the sea turtle from plastic. |
| B．Why plastic is dangerous to the sea turtle. |
| C．Protecting the sea turtle from being polluted. |
| D．Sea turtles suffering from plastic pollution. |
The author mentions the “throwaway culture” probably in a（n） _________ tone.
| A．praising | B．positive |
| C．ironic | D．comedic |
The underlined word in the last paragraph probably means _________.
| A．a kind of food | B．a kind of fish |
| C．pieces of cloth | D．pieces of rubbish |
The paragraph following the last one will probably talk about ________.
| A．the way the biologists examined the sea turtle |
| B．some tips on how to make sea turtles avoid plastic |
| C．how to prevent plastic pollution |
| D．the reason why we should protect the sea turtle |