Henry Loomis served as director of the Voice of America for seven years starting in 1958.Mr Loomis played an important role in creating the Special English service .
Henry Loomis was born in 1919 Tuxedo Park , New York. His father was Alfred Lee Loomis , a rich New York City businessman .In 1940, Henry Loomis dropped out of Harvard University to join the United States Navy .He was able to put to good use his knowledge of radar technology that he had learned about because of his father’s work .After graduating at the top in his naval(海军的) training class, Henry Loomis became a teacher at the Navy's radar training school in Hawaii. By the end of World War Two, Henry Loomis had received many honors for his service, including a Bronze Star and an Air Medal. He left the Navy in 1946 to begin graduate（研究生）studies.
Henry Loomis later moved to Washington, D.C. to begin another part of his career in public service. He held positions in the Department of Defense and other agencies: In 1958, he became director of the Voice of America.
During his travels around the world, Mr. Loomis saw that English was becoming an
important international language. He believed that it was important to make English easier to
understand by listeners of VOA broadcasts whose native language was not English. So Mr. Loomis asked VOA program manager Barry Zorthian to develop a way to broadcast to listeners
with a limited knowledge of English:
The result of this effort was Special English: The first Voice of America broadcast in Special English took place on October 19th, 1959. Those against his ideas at the time said the Special English method of broadcasting at a slower rate with a limited vocabulary would never work, it was not practical. American embassies（大使馆） demanded that the program be called off. But Mr. Loomis supported the program.
Soon, VOA began to receive hundreds of letters from listeners praising the program. Special English programs became some of the most popular on VOA. We are pleased to say that our programs still are.We can know from the passage that Henry Loomis______．
| A．was born in a poor family |
| B．did well in his naval training class |
| C．stayed in the Navy for nearly 8 years |
| D．joined the army immediately after graduating from university |
What is the second paragraph mainly about?
| A．Henry Loomis's childhood. |
| B．Henry Loomis's whole business. |
| C．Henry Loomis's background. |
| D．Henry Loomis's army life. |
What led to Henry Loomis's idea of Special English programs?
A. His experience in the Navy.
B. His experience in the Department of Defense.(国防部)
C. His early dream of promoting the influence of VOA.
D. His finding VOA programs are too difficult for non-native listeners.Those who were against his ideas of Special English programs said______
| A．Special English programs were not practical |
| B．it would cost too much to make Special English programs |
| C．it was unnecessary to broadcast Special English programs |
| D．Special English programs wouldn't help listeners in improving their English |
Around the world more and more people are taking part in dangerous sports and activities. Of course, there have always been people who have looked for adventure -- those who have climbed the highest mountains, explored unknown parts of the world or sailed in small boats across the greatest oceans. Now, however, there are people who seek an immediate excitement from a risky activity which may only last a few minutes or even seconds.
I would consider bungee jumping to be a good example of such an activity. You jump from a high place （perhaps a bridge or a hot-air balloon）200 meters above the ground with an elastic(有弹性的) rope tied to your ankles. You fall at up to l50 kilometers an hour until the rope stops you from hitting the ground. It is estimated that two million people around the world have now tried bungee jumping. Other activities which most people would say are as risky as bungee jumping include jumping from tall buildings and diving into the sea from the top of high cliffs.
Why do people take part in such activities as these？Some psychologists suggest that it is because life in modern societies has become safe and boring. Not very long ago, people's lives were constantly under threat. They had to go out and hunt for food, diseases could not easily be cured，and life was a continuous battle for survival.
Nowadays, according to many people, life offers little excitement. They live and work in comparatively safe environment; they buy food in shops; and there are doctors and hospitals to look after them if they become ill. The answer for some of these people is to seek danger in activities such as bungee jumping.
1. More and more people today_________.
A. are close to death in sports
B. are climbing the highest mountains
C. are trying activities such as bungee jumping
D. are looking for adventures such as exploring unknown places.
2. In bungee jumping, you _________.
A. jump as high as you can .
B. slide down a rope to the ground
C. fall towards the ground without a rope
D. attach yourself to a rope and fall to the ground
3.People probably take part in dangerous sports nowadays because _________.
A. they lack excitement B. they have a lot of free time
C. they no longer need to hunt for food D. they can go to hospital if they are injured.
4. Which of the following is the best title for this text?
A. The Need for Excitement B. The Boredom of Modern Life
C. Dangerous Sports: What and Why D. Is Bungee Jumping Really Dangerous
It’s summer movie time again. And heroes are ready to try their strength and magic on the silver screen. Check out our list of four films that look most promising to young audience.
Harry potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Release Date: June 4
Story: It’s the summer before Harry Potter’s third year at Ho
gwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. A shadow is hanging over Hogwarts. A dangerous murderer, Sirius Black, has escaped the Wizards’ Prison. And he broke out to fulfill one task to kill Harry Potter.
Around the World in 80 Days
Release Date: June 16
Story: This version of the classic 
novel set in 1872 focuses on Passepartout ( Hong Kong actor Jackie Chan), a Chinese thief who seeks refuge with a strange London adventurer, Phileas Fogg. Passepartout uses his martial arts skills to defend Fogg from danger as he travels around the world in 80 days to win a bet.
Spider- Man 2
Release Date: June 30
Story :Peter Parker is still coming to terms with his dual (双重的) identity as the crime superhero Spider-Man. He wants to reveal his secret identity to Mary Jane: meanwhile, his aunt May has fallen on hard times. A new villain(坏人) , Dr Otto Octavius, has appeared to cause more troubles.
King Arther
Release Date: July 7
Story: King Arthur is presented as a clever ruler who manages to unite all the knights(骑士) in Britain after the fall of the Roman Empire. Under the guidance of Merlin and the beautiful, brave Guinevere, Arthur will struggle to realize his dreams
1. According to the passage, if you want to see a film whose leading actor is Jackie Chan, you will see the film on _____.
A. June 4 B. June 16 C. June 30 D. July 7
2.In Spider Man 2, Aunt May’s trouble is caused by_____.
A. Peter Parker B. Mary Jane C. Dr. Otto Octavius D. Spider-Man
3. Which of the following films is set in ancient Britain?
A. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.
B. Around the world in 80 Days.
C. Spider-Man 2
D.King Arthur
第三部分阅读理解（共20小题，每小题2分，满分40分）
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项。
Many people have discovered that hobbies can be profitable as well as fun. Some people have such fine collections of bottles, flags, buttons or shells that others are willing to pay to see them or they offer to buy their collections for large sums of money.
Some of the best collections are owned by people who started their hobbies as young boys or girls. Some of the things that American children like to collect are stamps and dolls. Older people also save stamps, but they collect coins and things made of glass more often than dolls.
Painting, writing and taking photographs are the best examples of hobbies that may become occupations. Every writer, artist and photographer probably started as a hobbyist before becoming a professional.Other hobbies that could be profitable include cooking, sewing and making things out of wood.
Many doctors believe that hobbies help to make our lives more enjoyable. They believe that people who raise fish or collect recorders are too busy to spend their time worrying. Doctors also think that an active person, such as a baseball player, should have a restful hobby such as reading, while a person who sits at a desk all day should have lively hobbies such as tennis, golf or swimming. Most people in the United States agree with the doctor. It is difficult to find an Am
erican who does not have a favorite hobby.
1 The underlined word “occupations”(paragraph3) can be replaced by _______.
A. lives B. jobs C. collections D. things
2 Doctors believe that people who have hobbies _______.
A. worry too much about themselves B. are very busy in their lives
C. don’t have time to worry D. work busily in their business
3. Almost everyone in the United States_______.
A. starts his hobby during his childhood
B. has a favorite hobby
C. spends a lot of money on the lively hobby
D. follows the doctors’ advice to have a hobby
4. What can we learn from the text ?
A. Hobbies can cause us a lot of trouble .
B. Football players should have lively hobbies
C. All of the people started their hobbies from childhood.
D. A writer should have tennis , golf or swimming as his hobbies.
“Life is speeding up. Everyone is getting unwell.”
This may sound like something someone would say today. But in fact, an unknown citizen who lived in Rome in AD 52 wrote it.
We all love new inventions. They are exciting, amazing and can even change our lives.
But have all these developments really improve the quality of our lives?
Picture this: You’re rushing to finish your homework on the computer. Your mobile phone rings, a QQ message from your friend appears on the screen, the noise from the television is getting louder and louder. Suddenly the computer goes blank and you lose all your work. Now you have to stay up all night to get it done. How calm and happy do you feel?
Inventions have speeded up our lives so much that they often leave us feeling stressed and tired. Why do you think people who live far away from noisy cities, who have not telephones, no cars, not even any electricity often seem to be happier? Perhaps because they lead simpler lives.
One family in the UK went “back in time” to see what life was like without all the inventions we have today. The grandparents, with their daughter, and grandsons Benjamin, 10, and Tomas, 7, spent nine weeks in a 1940s house. They had no washing machine, microwave, computer or mobile phones.
The grandmother, Lyn, said, “It was hard physically, but not mentally.” She believed life was less materialistic. “The more things you have, the more difficult life becomes,” She said. The boys said they fought less to fight over, such as their computer. Benjamin also noticed that his grandmother had changed from being a “trendy（时髦的）, beer-drinking granny, to one who cooked things.”
Here are some simple ways to beat the stress often caused by our inventions!
Don’t be available all the time. Turn off your mobile phone at certain times of the day. Don’t check your e-mail every day.
Don’t reply to somebody as soon as they leave a text message just because you can. It may be fun at first, but it soon gets annoying.
1．The passage is mainly about________.
A．problem with technology
B．improvements of our life with technology
C．the important roles technology plays in our everyday life
D．major changes which will be likely to happen to technology
2．The writer quoted（引用） what a citizen in ancient Rome said at the beginning of the story in order to___________.
A．share a truth about life
B．tell us what life was like long time ago
C．make us wonder what causes such a thing to happen
D．point out that you experience some big problems and they may be the same
3．Why did the family choose to spend some time in a 1940’s house? Because________.
A．they liked to live simple lives
B．they were curious about how people lived without modern inventions
C．they were troubled by modern inventions
D．living in a different time would be a lot of fun for them
4．What do you think the underlined word “available” in the first suggestion offered by the writer mean?
A．Busy on line. B．Free C．Be able to. D．Be found by others.
After the September 11 terrorist attacks, some high schools in America wanted the students to pledge allegiance（宣誓效忠） to the flag. Is it necessary or not? Let’s see how the kids think of this requirement.
Lea Mouallem, Marymount High School
I believe that saying the Pledge of Allegiance is a way of reminding our country that no matter what happens, we are united. I don’t think our president wants us to go and join the army now, but he wants to tell us that we will be able to overcome the disaster as a whole nation that is working together.
Harry Chin, 15, Culver City High School
I am not for the Pledge of Allegiance and I am not against the Pledge of Allegiance because I just say it so many times that it loses meaning. I say it every day at school in the second period. It doesn’t mean anything any more.
David Tran, 15, Warren High School.
The Pledge of Allegiance is another sign of country. We should have some respect to it. In many schools, we don’t say the Pledge every morning-we just stand up and let the National anthem ring through the silence. We said the Pledge of Allegiance on Sept. 12.
Danny Maryanor, 16, Santa Monica High School
I wonder why we were suddenly asked to recite the Pledge when many of us stopped after elementary school; and the Pledge was recited before the play of “Ode to Joy” （欢乐颂）with recorders. This was not to express patriotism（爱国主义）, or even to remember those who lost their lives on Sept. 11.
I feel I cannot support a nation that in this time of crisis looks outward for revenge（报复）instead of inward for peace. Perhaps we should think more about our problems.
1．Saying the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag first appeared in American schools_______.
A．after Sept. 11, 2000 B．before Sept. 11, 2001
C．on Sept. 11, 2001 D．after Sept. 11, 2001
2．Who were for the Pledge of Allegiance?
A．Lea Mouallem; David Tran B．Harry Chin; Danny Maryanor
C．Lea Mouallem; Danny Maryanor D．Harry Chin; David Tran
3．Which of the following is TRUE?
A．Harry Chin thought the government required them to join the army.
B．Lea Mouallem thought the Pledge of Allegiance of no meaning.
C．Danny Maryanor felt the terrorist attacks happened partly because of America’s own problem.
D．The Pledge of Allegiance is of another country.
4．According to the passage, it can be imagined that___________.
A．all high school students say yes to the Pledge of Allegiance.
B．all high school students say no to the Pledge of Allegiance.
C．all kids don’t agree to the requirement of saying the Pledge of Allegiance.
D．all high schools will require their students to pledge allegiance to the flag.