The campaign is over. The celebrations have ended. And the work for US president-elect Barack Obama has begun.
The 47-year-old politician rose to the highest post because of his stand against the war in Iraq and his plans to fix a weak economy. But what will the first 47-year-old African-American president do for race relations?
Obama’s victory appears to have given blacks and other minorities a true national role model. For years, many looked to athletes and musicians for inspiration. As Darius Turner, an African-American high school student in Los Angeles, told the Los Angeles Times, “Kobe doesn’t have to be everybody’s role model anymore.”
Recent polls（民意测验）also suggest that Obama’s victory has given Americans new optimism about race relations. For example, a USA Today poll found that two-thirds of Americans believe relations between blacks and whites “will finally be worked out”. This is the most hopeful response since the question was first asked during the civil rights revolution in 1963.
However, it’s still too early to tell whether Obama’s presidency will begin to solve many of the social problems facing low-income black communities.
Although blacks make up only 13 percent of the US population, 55 percent of all prisoners are African-American. Such numbers can be blamed on any number of factors on America’s racist past, a failure of government policy and the collapse(瓦解)of the family unit in black communities.
It is unlikely that Obama will be able to reverse (扭转) such trends overnight. However, Bill Bank, an expert of African-American Studies, says that eventually young blacks need to find role models in their own communities. “That’s not Martin Luther King, and not Barack Obama,” he told the Los Angeles Times. “It’s actually the people closest to them. Barack only has so much influence.”
In the opinion of black British politician Trevor Phillips, Obama’s rise will contribute more to multiculturalism than to race relations in the US.
“When the G8 meets, the four most important people in the room will be the president of China, the prime minister of India, the prime minister of Japan and Barak Obama,” he told London’s The Times newspaper. “It will be the first time we’ve seen that on our television screens. That will be a huge psychological shift (心理转变) for both the white people and the colored ones in the world.”For years, before Obama was elected president of the US, __________.
| A．Kobe was the only role model for all the blacks |
| B．blacks could only find role models on the basketball court |
| C．minorities in America couldn’t find role models in their real life |
| D．American blacks had no role model who was successful in political area |
According to Bill Bank, ____________.
| A．it’s better for young blacks to find role models in those who are close to them |
| B．young blacks should not be so much influenced by Obama |
| C．blacks should find other role models because Obama is far from their reality |
| D．Obama is not the proper role model for African-Americans |
What would be the best title for this passage?
| A．The First African-American President | B．America’s New Role Model |
| C．Obama-- A Successful Black . | D．Choosing a Right Role Model |
What will be the huge psychological shift Trevor mentioned at the end of the passage?
| A．The other three leaders all support Obama. |
| B．Obama is an African-American president. |
| C．None of the four leaders is white. |
| D．The other three leaders except Obama are from Asian countries. |
Several years ago, I read a book Your Money or Your Life, written by Joe Domingguez and Vicki Robin. The major theme of the book is the idea that if you want to cut your spending, you’ll have to begin by stopping trying to impress other people.
The authors divide people into two groups : people whose opinions you care about, and people whose opinions you don’t care about one way or another. It’s easy to stop caring about people whose opinions you don’t care about. Who cares what they think ? As long as you’re not doing something truly immoral —— something that might potentially create a negative reputation for you —— it doesn’t matter what they think.
But shouldn’t you impress other people whose opinions you do care about ? Anyway, they are people you want to meet : customers, friends and family.
The answer is that you don’t need to impress those people with expensive, shiny things. The relationship you’ve built with them —— or you’re going to build with them —— is based on you, not on the material items. They’ll either like you for you or they won’t.
To put it simply, take care of the basics. Keep yourself clean. Keep your weight under control. Wear reasonable clothing. Work on your communication skills. If you have them covered, you don’t need to invest time and money in impressing other people.
Coming to this realization is incredibly valuable. It drops your clothing budget. It drops your automobile budget. It drops your electronics budget. It drops your housing budget. You don’t need a shiny car, an iPhone, or a＄50 haircut.
Yes , you may actually still want one or two of these things, but the impetus(动力) comes from what your personal values 
are, not what other people around you seem to value or what marketing messages you receive.
For some people, it seems impossible. Their social cues come from advertising-laden media and from friends who also get their cues from advertising-laden media.They believe they need a slick cellphone and ＄100 casual clothes. Their self-worth revolves around that little burst they get from impressing others.
People should learn to break through that situation. In short, don’t play socially by the tiring old rules that revolve around needing to impress people. Instead, spend your time on things that bring real value to you and give real value to others.
66. Which of the following behaviours is “immoral”according to the second paragraph ?
A. Caring about other people’s opinion. B. Dropping your clothing budget.
C. Copying existing works. D. Obeying the tra
ffic rule. 67. To build relationship with others, you should pay attention to the following EXEPT _______.
A. dressing casually B. learning about weight control
C. improving communication skills D. being a tidy person
68. As for people we care about, what does the author advise us to do ?
A. To impress them in a proper way. B. To buy them special gifts.
C. To spare more time to be with them. D. To impress them with shiny things.
69. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage ?
A. An iPhone is totally unnecessary in our life.
B. Your family members’opinions are always worth caring about.
C. Learning how to impress others helps people save money.
D. You should always be aware of what other people around you seem to value.
70. What is the best title for the passage ?
A. Whose opinions do you care about ? B. Two different groups of people.
C. My favorite book : Your Money or Your Life D. Stop trying to impress other people.
Last week, 169 junior 1 students at No. 35 Middle School of Shenyang took their first no- teacher exam. after the teacher handed out the exam paper, he left the room and never came back. A student collected in the papers when the exam ended.
“that test was not only a test of knowledge, but also a test of moral (道德). We wanted to show students how important honesty (诚实) is, “said Cai Wenguo, the school’s headmaster. The school says no cheating(作弊) happened in the test. Next year, it wants 80% of its exams to be without teachers. But students have different ideas.
“I was happy and excited during the exam because my teachers trusted (信任) me. ”said Lang Yudan, a 13-year-old girl in Class 11.
“Schools must trust students a lot not to use invigilators (监考人). But I think it is too early. Some students will cheat if there are no invigilators. And the students will not be able to ask for help when needed.” said Hua Sha.
“I don’t like having invigilators in exams . When they walk around the classroom, they make me nervous. I would get higher marks without them in the room because I would feel more relaxed.” Liu Qingxi said.
“I think it’s very important to have invigilators in exams. Many students want to check their answers with each other after they have finished papers. And they can also keep the classroom in order when something unusual happens. They may make me nervous, but I still think we need them. ” Shangguan Yuan said.
Not using invigilators may be a good idea. But before using it, schools must tell students the importance of honesty and try to find ways to solve something unusual in exams.
61. The passage mainly (主要地) talks about .
A. how to pass an exam
B. how to make students honest
C. whether there is cheating in exams
D. whether invigilators are needed in exams
62. No. 35 Middle School of Shenyang held a no- teacher exam to .
A. let the students have a good rest
B. teach the students in a better way
C. help all the students pass the exam.
D. find whether the students were honest
63. From what the students have said , we know .
A. invigilators really help them a lot
B. all of them think it is a good idea
C. something unusual never happens in exams
D. not all of them agree with the head
64. What does Hua Sha think about no- teacher exams?
A. It’s a good idea to have no- teacher exams but something must be done first.
B. If there are no invigilators, the students will certainly get lower marks.
C. Exams without invigilators will never be held since students are not honest.
D. She thinks it’s the best way to show that schools trust their students a lot.
65. In the sentence “And they can also keep the classroom in order when something unusual happens ” “they” refers to (指) .
A. students B. headmasters C. invigilators D. schools
PART THREE READING COMPREHENSION ( 30 points)
Directions: Read the following three passages. Each passage is followed by several questions or unfinished statements. For each of them there are four choices marked A, B, C and D. Choose the one that fits best according to the information given in the passage.
Computers can injure(伤害) you. Most other injuries happen suddenly. For example, if you fall off a bike and break your arms, it happens very quickly. But computer injuries happen slowly.
You probably know how to ride a bike safely. Now learn to use a computer safely.
Your eyes—— Too much light can injure your eyes, so never sit too close to a comprter screen. Your eyes should be at least 50 centimeters (厘米) from the screen. Remember to look away from it sometimes. This gives your eyes a rest.
When you use a computer, the window should be on your left or your right. If it is behind you, the light will reflect (反射) on the screen. If the window is in front of you , the sun and the screen will both shine(照耀) into your eyes.
Your hands —— Hand injuries can happen because the hands are moved in the same way hundreds of times. If you use a keyboard (键盘) for a long time, follow this rule: Stop sometimes and exercise your hands and fingers in different ways.
Your back —— Some people sit for many hours in front of a computer. If you sit in the wrong way, you can injure your back and your neck. So you should sit with your back straight. The top part of the screen should be in front of your eyes. If you are sitting for a long time, get up every 30 minutes and exercise your arms, legs and neck.
Enjoy your computer, but use it safely.
56. How many kinds of computer injuries are mentioned in this passage?
A. One. B. Two C. Three. D. Four.
57. A computer screen may injure your eyes if .
A. you sit 60 centimeters away B. you remember to look away
C. your eyes are too close to it D. the window is on your left or right
58. Your eyes and hands will be safe if .
A. you work near a window B. you often take rests from working
C. you use a keyboard for a long time D. the window is behind you
59. Which sentence is NOT true according to this passage?
A. You should sit with your back straight while you work on a computer.
B. Staying in front of a computer too long may injure your eyes.
C.When you work on a computer, your hands almost move in the same way.
D. The writer thinks that computer is bad for your health.
60. What would be the best title for the text?
A. How to protect(保护) your eyes B. How to protect your hands
C. How to use a cmoputer safely D. How to protect your back
IN a 30-minute film called The Chase, a girl tries to catch a thief and finally takes him down with martial arts (武术) skills.
Anything special? Thirteen-year-old US girl Sophia Tran wrote, shot and performed in the film. She played the girl in the movie and her father, Steven, played the thief.
Now an eighth-grader at Ladera Ranch Middle School, California, Tran wrote The Chase over the summer of 2008. She shot the film in the fall of 2008 before holding the premiere (首映式) at her home in January the next year.
“It is important to have passion in filmmaking or you are not going to make it,” the quiet teenager said with a smile. “Also, you should read a lot of books about filmmaking.”
Tran thinks that many screenplays don't have any “suspense (悬念) as the film progresses.” She is now working on a movie which she says will be a suspense story.
Steven says his daughter has enjoyed drama and action movies since she was 7.
“She started to be interested in how stories are adapted (改编) to a screenplay,” Steven said. “And she wrote her own books when she was in second grade.”
But Tran also has a big heart. She sold DVD copies of her film The Chase for $10 each to family and friends. She then donated $400 from the DVD sales to her school to buy new computers.
57. Sophia Tran played _____ in her movie.
A. a thief B. a doctor C. a girl D. a police woman
58. Sophia Tran shot the film _____.
A. last year B. in January C. last summer D. less two years ago
59. Sophia Tran thinks ______ are important for successful filmmaking.
A. characters B. stories C. passion and knowledge D. passion and experience
60. According to Sophia Tran, many screenplays are poorly written because _____.
A. they don't keep readers excited B. they mostly end in an unexpected way
C. their dialogues are not interesting D. they are not inspiring
PAUL’S brother bought him a new car as a Christmas present. On Christmas Eve (前夜), Paul saw a boy walking around the new car, admiring it.
"Is this your car, Mister?" he asked.
Paul nodded. "My brother gave it to me for Christmas." The boy was amazed. "You mean your brother just gave it to you? Boy, I wish...." Paul knew what he was going to wish for — a brother who would buy him a car. But the boy surprised Paul.
"I wish that I could be a brother like that," he said.
Astonished, Paul invited the boy to go for a ride in the new car.
After a short ride, the boy said, "Would you mind driving in front of my house?" Paul thought the boy wanted to show the car to his neighbors. But Paul was wrong again.
The boy ran up the steps of his house. Soon he came back carrying his crippled (残废的) little brother. He pointed to the car. "Look!" he said to the little boy. "His brother gave him that car for Christmas. Some day I’m gonna give you one just like it!"
Paul got out and lifted the little boy into his car. The older brother climbed in beside him and the three of them went on a wonderful holiday ride.
That Christmas Eve, Paul learned how good it felt to give.
53. Paul’s brother gave him ___ as a Christmas present.
A. a suit B. a car C. a bicycle D. a card
54. When the boy saw the car, he wished that ____.
A. he could buy a car for himself B. he had a brother to buy him a car
C. he could buy a car for his brother D. he could have a ride in the car
55. When the boy asked Paul the drive the car in front his house, he wanted ___.
A. to show off to his neighbors B. his brother to see the car
C. Paul to drive him home D. to enjoy a ride in the car
56. The story mainly tells us ______.
A. practice makes perfect B. it is important to make money
C. giving makes people feel good D. a friend in need is a friend indeed