A disheveled (头发凌乱的) man appeared in court Thursday on charges of murdering a Chinese woman whose fight with her attacker was seen on webcam(摄像头) by her boyfriend in China. Police refused to release any details about the crime or its possible motive.
The body of York University student Liu Qian, 23, of Beijing, was found Friday in her apartment in Toronto a few hours after her boyfriend witnessed the attack, police said.
She was found undressed from the waist down but there were no obvious signs of sexual attack or trauma (创伤) severe enough to kill her. Police say it may be weeks before the results of an autopsy (尸体解剖) are known.
Brian Dickson, 29, stood before the court in a wrinkled white shirt and blue jeans as a charge of first- degree murder was read out. He did not enter a plea. His case was held over until April 26.
Dickson was arrested Wednesday. Police only announced his name and his age and asked the media not to publish any photos of Dickson, saying it could compromise the investigation. Toronto police spokesman Tony Vella declined to respond to the request further.
Liu’s father, Liu Jianhui, who arrived from China after being informed of his daughter’s death, thanked authorities for their quick action.
“I sincerely thank the people concerned with my daughter’s case,” he told reporters after the arrest. “Our daughter was studying very hard.”
Police released no motive or details about Dickson, but one friend described the Toronto man as an aspiring actor.
Patricia Tomasi, a friend of Dickson’s, told The Associated Press that she acted in a play at a local theater in Toronto with Dickson in 2007.
“He doesn’t seem like the type but that’s what they always say,” Tomasi said. “He’s tall with boyish good looks. I don’t know much about him except that he wanted to be an actor.”
Dickson attended York University where he studied global politics, but did not earn a degree from there.
He later worked for the Atlantic Council of Canada (ACC), where he served as an assistant to the president Juilie Lindhout. According to his biography on a newsletter from the Atlantic Council of Canada, Dickson has also been a running instructor and has been involved with Developments in Literacy, a Pakistani aid organization that raises money for children in Pakistan.
A statement from the Atlantic Council of Canada on Thursday said it was not council policy to comment on staff, but it confirmed that Dickson had been an intern(实习生) with the council from September 29, 2008, until March 27, 2009.
Liu was chatting with her boyfriend, Meng Xianchao, by webcam at about 1 am. Friday when a man knocked on the door, police said.
Meng reported seeing a struggle break out between the two before Liu’s webcam was shut off. Meng contacted other friends in Toronto who in turn called police.
The victim’s father, Liu Jianhui, said his daughter studied at Beijing City University before moving to Canada, where she met Meng.
Liu Qian’s laptop computer, webcam and mobile phone were taken from the apartment the night of the attack, police said. Police said the online chat was on a live streaming camera and was not recorded, though investigators were trying to figure out if there was any way they could recover it.
York University, whose campus is located near one of Toronto’s rougher neighborhoods, is one of Canada’s largest universities with more than 53,000 undergraduate and graduate students. About 3,200 of York’s students come from more than 150 foreign countries, the university’s website says.Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?
| A．York University students come from over 150 foreign countries. |
| B．Dickson was a graduate of York University where he studied global politics. |
| C．The passage does not mention the reason why Dickson murdered Liu Qian. |
| D．ACC wouldn’t make any comments on staff even if they committed a crime. |
The underlined word in paragraph 8 probably means ______.
| A．a successful actor | B．a gifted actor |
| C．a common actor | D．an ambitious actor |
Why did police ask the media not to publish any photos of Dickson?
| A．Worrying about bad influences on the investigation. |
| B．Not intending to give out any information about Dickson. |
| C．Not confirming whether Dickson had killed Liu Qian. |
| D．Wanting to protect their citizen for fear of losing face. |
What can be inferred from the text?
| A．Developments in Literacy raises money for all children |
| B．Seeing the struggle, Meng contacted Toronto police. |
| C．Dickson had no bad records before the murder. |
| D．Investigators could recover the chat record online. |
The audience starts to scream and young people all over Britain turn on their TVs. Yes, it’s Top of the Pops!
Top of the Pops is an amazing 34 years old. Pop stars from all over the world appear on this successful TV programme. After 1,800 shows, it’s still the most popular pop music show in Britain. So wha
t’s the secret?
“We get lots of bands to perform live in the studio,” says producer Chris Cowey. “That just doesn’t happen on other shows.”
Chris starts planning the programme over a week before it goes out. His first job is to decide which bands to have on the show. Wh
en the chart of the top twenty songs is produced on Sunday, Chris can start to book the bands.
Monday starts with Chris meeting his sound, lighting and camera workers. They listen to each song and plan the show.
Tuesday is paperwork day. There are bookings to make sure of letters to answer and lots of phone calls to make. The show is on Thursday. 
Bands arrive at the studio from 10 o’clock in the morning and start practising. Tonight’s presenter, Jo Whiley, practices too.
First the bands go to make up. Judy and Issy are the make-up artists. “We see the stars with no make-up on, looking terrible,” says Issy. Then the bands go to the costume department where Marianne dresses the stars.
Back in the studio things are happening. The audience are practicing their dance moves! It takes over two hours to record the whole programme, then Chris edits it all night long. The final version is exactly 29 minutes long.
31. What make(s) Top of the Pops still the most popular in Britain?
A. The live performances in the studio.
B. The jobs carefully done by the workers of the TV station.
C. The great fame of the bands.
D. The large numbers of pop fans in Britain.
32. When the bands receive the invitations to the performance, _________.
A. they must de
cide on the songs
B. they don’t have to decide what songs they will perform
C. the songs that will be performed haven’t been decided on
D. they have no idea what songs they will perform
33．The underlined word “costume”（in Paragraph 7） probably means.
A. makeup B. stage C. studio D. clothesHow is a music programme made at the TV station?
Which is the proper title for the passage?
| A．More Popular, More Successful |
| B．A Stage for Pop Stars |
| C．Go Backstage of Top of the Pops. |
| D．A Popular Live Band. |
It was time for Mr. Rocco to shut up shop when I hurried into the florist’s. “Now, what is it you want?” Mr. Rocco turned to me. “I want the most beautiful flower you have.” I replied. “And just how much do you have to pay for this most beautiful flower?” I held out a wet hand showing a quarter and dime. He nodded, and then showed me a plant on the counter. “I can give you this one for 35 cents.” he said. “Aw, gee,” I protested, “it looks like a weed!” About 18 inches high, the plant was in a small pot covered with faded red paper. “Now trust me, boy—I promise that tomorrow morning when you get up, you will find your most beautiful flower.” said Mr. Rocco. I knew him to be a good honest man, so I agreed to take it.
It was almost midnight when I arrived home. Mom was seriously sick and using the front bedroom. I looked in to see if she was asleep, and then quietly tiptoed in and set the plant on the table beside her bed. I wanted her to be surprised when she woke on Mother’s Day.
The next morning, I dressed and hurried downstairs. The sun was shining through kitchen window as I looked into Mom’s room. She motioned for me to come in, then glanced over at the table where the plant was. Holy mackerel! There were three big yellow trumpet-shaped（喇叭状的）blooms. It was just like Mr. Rocco said—the most beautiful flower I ever saw! When I looked at Mom, she was smiling as tears streamed down her cheeks. She held out her hand for me to come near, then pulled me close and hugged till it hurt. Then, remembering her contagious condition and that she wasn’t supposed to touch me, she quickly let me go.
My dear mom died the next night. The moment she hugged me turned out to be the most wonderful moment of my life. Not only had that beautiful plant helped show just how much I loved her, but I’d always know how much she loved me. The author didn’t like the plant recommended by Mr. Rocco at first because ______.
| A．the packing of the plant was shabby |
| B．the plant was more a weed than a flower |
| C．the plant appeared too ordinary to be the most beautiful |
| D．he thought Mr. Rocco was reluctant to do the deal with him |
Mother’s condition was contagious (Line 6, Para.3) for ______.
| A．she was at the death’s door | B．she suffered from the illness |
| C．others were sick of her appearance | D．virus might spread from her to others |
When mother hugged the author tightly, she was showing that ______.
| A．she liked being given gifts |
| B．she valued what the author had done for her |
| C．she was aware of the approaching of death |
| D．she was touched by the beauty of the flower |
The story is mainly developed by______________.
| A．time | B．logic | C．comparison | D．cause and result |
Which may be the best title of the passage?
| A．Flowers of Love | B．A Son’s Love for Mother |
C．Low Price, High Value |
D．A Special Mother’s Day |
A new walking, talking robot from Japan which has black hair and a woman’s face that can smile will attend a fashion show. It has trimmed down（减少）to 43kg, but it still hasn’t reached the safety standards required to share the catwalk with human models.
Developers at the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, a government-backed organization, said their “cybernetic（全自动控制的）human” wasn’t ready to help with daily housework or work side by side with people—as many hope robots will be able to do in the future.
“In technology, it hasn’t reached that level,” said Hirohisa Hirukawa, one of the robot’s developers. “Even as a fashion model, people in the industry told us she was short and had a rather ordinary figure.”
For now, the 158 cm tall black-haired robot named HRP-4C—whose predecessor（前任）had weighed 58 kg — will mainly serve to draw and entertain crowds. Developers said the robot may be used in amusement parks or to perform human movement, as an exercise instructor, for instance.
HRP-4C was designed to look like an ordinary Japnese woman, although its silver-and-black body reminds people of a space suit. It will appear in a Tokyo fashion show — without any clothes — in a special part just for the robot next week.
The robotic framework（框架）for HRP-4C, without the face and other coverings, will go on sale for about 20 million yen（日元） each. Its programming technology will be made public so other people can come up with fun moves for the robot, the scientists said.
Japan is one of the leading robotics industries in the world, and the government is pushing to develop the industry as a road to growth.What do we know about HRP-4C’s predecessor?
A．It is shorter than HRP-4C . B．It is cleverer than HRP-4C .
C．It is taller than HRP-4C . D．It is heavier than HRP-4C .According to the passage, how many of the following could HRP-4C do?
a． drawing pictures
b. walking and talking
c. doing housework
d. working with people
e.smiling
| A．2 | B．3 | C．4 | D．5 |
Which of the following about HRP-4C is TURE?
| A．It wears a space suit. |
| B．Its price is 20 million dollars. |
| C．It can be used as an exercise instructor. |
| D．As a fashion model, it has a perfect figure. |
HRP-4C’s programming technology will be made public to .
| A．make money | B．make new frameworks |
| C．let other people improve it | D．help make new face and coverings |
What does the passage mainly talk about?
A．The purpose of making HRP-4C. B．Robotics industry in Japan.
C．A new Japanese robot. D．Japanese and robots.
A good night’s sleep in the early years of life could be very important in preventing a child becoming obese, say scientists. Babies and pre-school children who sleep for less than ten hours a night are more likely to be overweight when they are older, research has found. Experts believe that those who do not get enough sleep are more likely to feel hungry and want more calorie-rich food during the day.
Former research has linked sleeping with obesity in adults and teenagers, but this is one of the first to look at very young children. Researchers from the Universities of Washington and California looked at the sleeping habits of almost 1,000 children under the age of five. They found those who had less than ten hours’ sleep were twice as likely to be overweight five years later.
Childhood obesity has doubled over the past 10 years. A quarter of secondary school pupils are now judged to be so overweight that their health is in danger. Experts believe sleep, or lack（缺乏）of it, could be a major cause of this. On average children are sleeping for an hour less than they did 30 years ago. Last year Chinese researchers looked at more than 5,000 youngsters and found that those who were able to catch up on （补充）sleep at the weekend were far less likely to get body weight problems. Scientists have also found a link between lack of sleep and diabetes（糖尿病）. Last year Canadian researchers discovered those who did not get seven or eight hours’ sleep a night were two and a half times more likely to become sick.The underlined word “obese” in the first paragraph may mean .
| A．quite protective | B．very sad |
| C．very fat | D．quite young |
According to Chinese researchers, if a person who lacks sleep can get more sleep during weekends, .
| A．he won’t get hungry easily | B．he will feel tired all the time |
| C．there will be little chance of him becoming fat | |
| D．it will be very hard for him to fall asleep at night |
From the passage we know .
| A．too little sleep will result in illness besides obesity |
| B．in the past people didn’t connect sleep with weight |
| C．fat children must have slept less than 10 hours five years ago |
| D．most children are unhealthy because of little sleep |
What would be the best title of the passage?
| A．A good night’s sleep helps the development of kids’ brain! |
| B．Ten hours’ sleep prevents overweight in kids! |
| C．Children are sleeping much less nowadays! |
| D．More teenagers get weight problems! |
Where can you most probably read this passage?
| A．In the latest news. | B．In a children’s book. |
| C．In a health magazine. | D．In a scientist’s diary. |
Farah was sitting in the kitchen going over the party list with her mother. The exams were over and Farah wanted to invite her friends for a party.
“Farah, aren’t you going to invite Hafsa?” her mother asked. Hafsa had been her best friend since childhood.
“Mother, you know I am now a part of Purple Girls Club and we have some rules about people we can be friends with,” Farah answered.
“Really? And what are the rules?” her mother asked.
“Well, only very pretty girls can be part of our group. And Hafsa is so…you know …dark.”
“I canno
t believe it,”her mother said angrily.
As Farah left the kitchen, her father called her from the living room.
Farah went to her father and paled when she saw the exam report in his hands. “Farah, what has happened to your grades? You have failed in Mathematics,” her father said.
Farah had no answer. The truth was that the activities of Purple Girls Club left her with very little time for studies.
“Farah, it says that you can take part in supplementary exams（补考）. If your grades don’t improve then, I’ll cancel（职消）your trip to Spain.”
Farah went to her room and called Gina, the leader of Purple Girls Club. “Gina, can you help me to complete my notes before the exams?”
Gina laughed. “Exams? Who cares about exams?”
One by one, she called her friends in the club but no one seemed to care or wanted to help.
Farah knew Hafsa would help her. Farah also knew Hafsa had been hurt by her, but Hafsa said, “If you need any help, just let me know. We can study together till your exams.”
Next Monday, as two friends entered the school together, Gina called out.
“Farah, you know our rules. You cannot be friends with those who do not belong to our club.”
“Gina, I have a new rule about friendship,” Farah replied.After Farah became a member of Purple Girls Club, she chose a friend according to a person’s .
| A．looks | B．usual activities | C．grades | D．favorite colors |
Farah became pale after going to her father because.
| A．he didn’t allow her to go to Spain | B．she didn’t do well in her exams |
| C．she had to leave Purple Girls Club | D．he asked her to improve her grades |
．Which word can best describe Hafsa?
| A．Silly | B．Beautiful | C．Rude | D．Kind |
From the passage, we can know that .
| A．Hafsa is a member of Purple Girls Club |
| B．Gina will help Farah with her exams |
| C．Gina doesn’t care about exams |
| D．Farah would like to invite Hafsa to the party |
What lesson can we learn from the passage?
| A．A friend in need is a friend indeed. | B．A perfect friend will never be found. |
| C．Be slow in choosing a friend. | D．Friendship can be developed easily. |