When I was six, Dad brought home a dog one day, who was called “Brownie”. My brothers and I all loved Brownie and did different things with her. One of us would walk her, another would feed her, then there were baths, playing catch and many other games. Brownie, in return, loved each and every one of us. One thing that most touched my heart was that she would go to whoever was sick and just be with them. We always felt better when she was around.
One day, as I was getting her food, she chewed up(咬破) one of Dad’s shoes, which had to be thrown away in the end. I knew Dad would be mad and I had to let her know what she did was wrong. When I looked at her and said, “Bad girl.” She looked down at the ground and then went and hid. I saw a tear in her eyes.
Brownie turned out to be more than just our family pet. She went everywhere with us. People would stop and ask if they could pet her. Of course she'd let anyone pet her. She was just the most lovable dog. There were many dines when we'd be out walking and a small child would come over and pull on her hair. She never barked (吠) or tried to get away. Funny thing is she would smile. This frightened people because they thought she was showing her teeth. Far from the truth, she loved everyone.
Now many years have passed since Brownie died of old age. I still miss the days when she was with us.What would Brownie do when someone was ill in the family?
| A．Look at them sadly. | B．Keep them company. |
| C．Play games with them. | D．Touch them gently. |
We can infer from Paragraph 2 that Brownie ______.
| A．would eat anything when hungry | B．felt scary for her mistake |
| C．loved playing hide-and-seek | D．disliked the author's dad |
Why does the author say that Brownie was more than just a family pet?
| A．She was treated as a member of the family. |
| B．She played games with anyone she liked. |
| C．She was loved by everybody she met. |
| D．She went everywhere with the family. |
Some people got frightened by Brownie when she______.
| A．smiled | B．barked | C．rushed to them | D．tried to be funny |
Why People Get Tattoos(文身）
Jack lay, quiet and unmoving, for thirty minutes while a stranger repeatedly stabbed (刺)him with sharp needles, causing blood to pour steadily out of his leg. Jack was getting a tattoo. His friend Tony had recently gotten a tattoo, and Jack was so impressed by it that he decided to get one too. Peer pressure, media influence, and personal expression are some of the common reasons for wearing tat-toos today.
The desire to be accepted by one's friends or peers can have a great influence on what a person does. Sometimes, wearing a tattoo can be a sign that you belong to a certain group. Gangs often use special clothes and tattoos to identify their particular group. Some of these groups wear only brand-name clothes. Others wear tattoos. When a person's friends are all doing something, that person is more likely to do the same thing.
The media is another big influence behind the popularity of tattoos in North America. A wide variety of media images (人物，图像)show tattoos—people appearing in commercials selling expensive cars, famous sports heroes with tattoos in magazines , fashion models wearing designer clothes that show their bodies tattooed with detailed and colourful patterns. These media images link tattoos to ideas of wealth, success, and status. As a result, many people decide to get a tattoo for its fashion and status value.
Many people decide to wear tattoos in order to express their artistic nature, their beliefs, or their feelings—in other words, to show their individuality (个性). A musician in a rock band may get a tat-too of a guitar on the arm. Some environmentalists may tattoo pictures of endangered animals on their shoulders. A tattoo can be a public sign to show what is important in a person's life.
As you can see, there are many reasons why young North Americans get tattoos. A tattoo can be part of a group's uniform, a sign of fashion or an expression of individuality. The decision to get a tattoo is most often a result of the influence of friends or media or the desire to express oneself. For Jack, it was a mixture of all the three. Jack has got tattoos in order to __________.
| A．show his great bravery |
| B．gain a special experience |
| C．make himself more healthy |
| D．be different from others |
According to the passage, media images are linked to __________.
| A．traditional lifestyle | B．social position |
| C．cultural background | D．public interest |
We can infer from the passage that __________.
| A．some people get tattoos out of pressure |
| B．a tattoo is related to religious belief |
| C．getting tattoos costs a lot of money |
| D．most people with tattoos are artists |
Which of the following shows the structure of the passage?
CP： Central Point P： Point SP： Sub-point(次要点）C: Conclusion
Brazilian football star Robinho，24，started his career in the English Premier League in a way no one, including himself, ever expected.
Having rebelled (反叛）against his former club, Spanish powerhouse Real Madrid, he could no longer stay. But then, he didn't have the slightest intention of going to Manchester City. Just the day before the transfer window was closed, Robinho called a press conference to tell the media that his mind was made up: He was going to Chelsea.
However, Madrid had sold him to City at the last minute, because the club made an offer far higher than Chelsea.
One of the summer, s longest-running soap operas ended dramatically, with a twist that wasn't in the script. “I wasn't even thinking about City，” Robinho admitted.
The forward is now wearing the sky blue of a club that had won nothing in 30 years, instead of the darker blue of a club that won two of the last four Premier League titles. Yet it seems the change hasn't affected the striker so far. His amazing form has shown the club that he deserves the British record transfer fee of £ 32，5 million they had paid. On October 26，he scored a hat-trick as Manchester City crushed (击败）Stoke 3-0. He took his City goals tally (积分）to six in eight games.
"My main objective is that the team does well, but my personal objective is that I achieve 30 goals，“ he said. "I still have a lot to give and to learn. “
Robinho is fluent in Spanish as well as his native Portuguese, but has still not started learning English. He promises that in six months, he will be able to speak the language without problem. “ My English so far is two out of 10. I haven't started ray language classes yet as I'm still living in a hotel. But as soon as I move to my own place, I will have more time for that. In six months' time, my English will be 10 out of 10. ” Robinho once serviced __________ before he transferred.
| A．Chelsea | B．Real Madrid |
| C．Manchester City | D．AC Milan |
Robinho transferred to Manchester City because __________.
| A．it was his dream that was to play in Manchester City |
| B．Manchester City is better than Chelsea |
| C．Manchester City made a higher offer than Chelsea |
| D．ha had to go to Manchester City with no choice |
The underlined sentence really means that __________.
| A．a long soap operas ended at last |
| B．a long term match ended finally |
| C．Robinho's career ended at last |
| D．Robinho's transfer ended with an unexpected result |
How do you think Robinho speaks English now?
| A．Not well | B．Quite fluently |
| C．Just so-so | D．Not mentioned |
Just 25 years ago, the top three career hopes for young people in Britain were teacher, banker and doctor. Now, they want to be sports star, pop star and actor, according to a survey by the Guardian newspaper.
Rachel, a character in the popular TV show Glee, may be said to speak for British teenagers. “ Nowadays being nobody is worse than being poor，"he said.
Emma Brockes, a reporter in the Guardian, believes it is “ the bad influence of celebrity (名人）culture” that is to blame. “ When children wanted to be doctor, it wasn't because they were really more interested in the functions of human organs than they are now ；you go where the respect is. "she wrote.
It could explain why there has been such an increase in levels of anxiety and depression. Dr Carlo Strenger, of Tel Aviv University, studied the sense of self for his new book The Fear of Insignificance \ Searching for Meaning in the list Century. He told the Daily Mail that young people now are" affected by the close connection to the global entertainment network, which has turned ranking and rating people according to wealth and celebrity inta an obsession (痴迷). “
"As humans, we naturally measure ourselves to those around us, but now we live in a global village. We are comparing ourselves with the most ‘ important' people in the world and finding ourselves wanting，“ he said. Today, even high achievers constantly fear that they are insignificant when they compare themselves to success stories in the media.
The way out? Simply stop measuring your achievement through a fantasy of wealth and celebrity. Dr Strenger said that it is a process called “ active self-acceptance through a constant search for self-knowledge through life”.
“The fear of insignificance can only be overcome through strong individual and cultural identity over and above measurable achievement，” he said. Nowadays, young people in Britain want to __________.
| A．choose jobs based on interests |
| B．become famous |
| C．be teacher, banker and doctor |
| D．earn more money |
According to Emma Brockes, what causes the increasing level of anxiety?
| A．Choices of future careers. |
| B．Access to the global network. |
| C．Bad influences of celebrities. |
| D．Endless comparison with others. |
Which of the following is TRUE of Dr Carlo Strenger?
| A．He is a newspaper reporter. |
| B．He is the spokesman of teenagers. |
| C．He tells success stories on TV. |
| D．He is against ranking people with wealth. |
Dr Carlo Strenger suggests that young people should __________.
| A．seek active self-acceptance |
| B．stick to their own dreams |
| C．make great achievements |
| D．search for the secret of wealth |
World Carnival has wrapped up its 52-day stay in the Chinese capital, and with it goes all the thrills, laughter, and fun of the fair. For nearly two months, sounds like this could be heard miles away from Beijing.
In International Sculpture Park, where the Carnival has been taking place, attractions included 50 rides, ranging from the world's largest mobile ferries wheel to some of Europe's most exciting roller-coasters.
Although organizers estimated it rained half the time when the Carnival was in Beijing, that didn't stop over 40，000 daily visitors. So what's the secret charm of the Carnival for Beijingers? 23-year-old Zhang Wei says all the attractions are exciting, which relaxes her from her daily routine and helps her forget unhappiness.
It was also a surprise for Zhang's boyfriend. He says he didn't know she could be so daring and brave.
Of course, what is the better way for young lovers to snuggle up tight than on a hair-raisingly, stomach churning roller-coaster? Over one third of the patrons were couples under 25.
However，15-year-old Qi Jianping has different reasons for en-joying the fair： She says it's very difficult to win a toy from the games, but it teaches her not to give up.
Of course, huge cuddly toys were big stars at the carnival—and brought big profits for organizers. It costs 25 Yuan, or 3 dollars, to play once, and only one in four gets to win. In other words, a stuffed animal, which costs around 10 Yuan in local markets, had a price tag at the Carnival of some 150 Yuan or about 17 dollars.
In Shanghai, sales of these toys brought in 37 million Yuan in profit. In Beijing, the supply of toys was doubled. The profit? Well, do the math! That World Carnival took place in China was __________.
| A．attracted many people from all over the world |
| B．accepted by Chinese people |
| C．of great benefit to visitors most |
| D．the only biggest event in China |
World Carnival took place in __________.
| A．International Sculpture Park |
| B．Chang'an Street in Beijing |
| C．Chinese Pavilion in Shanghai |
| D．more than 50 places in Beijing |
The newly-married couple like most __________ in the carnival.
| A．mobile ferries wheel |
| B．game machine |
| C．stomach churning roller coaster |
| D．a stuffed animal |
Amid Italy's rapid recovery, Christmas was celebrated on Friday with greater enthusiasm and optimism compared to last year.
The mood in the country is brighter. This year's festivities were less gloomy (忧郁的）than those in 2008，with consumer confidence and expenditures on the rise.
" I have spent much more money on gifts，" said the 27-year-old Martina Dello Russo, a communication expert.
"When I went shopping last week many boutiques (专卖店）had sold out several items and for the first time in months people were actually buying，" she added, explaining that it was a good sign demonstrating the recovery of consumer confidence and purchasing power.
The center-right government under Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has recently issued positive data on the state of Italy's economy, despite long-lasting effects of the downturn such as high unemployment.
Christmas in Italy is a traditional religious festivity when families stay at home and gather, rather than go out eating or go on holiday.
This year, Italians spent about 2. 8 billion euros in “intelligent gifts" such as food, wine and other typical Made-in-Italy goods, ac-cording to a survey by farmers' association Coldiretti.
For Italians the cook traditions are very important and we prefer spending on food rather than on clothes or other things, said the61-year-old businessman, Mario Corradi.
The traditional Christmas lunch is a three-course menu ： home-made meat ravioli(馄饨），lamb, artichokes(洋蓟）and fried fish. The celebration on Friday for Christmas is full of __________.
| A．flowers and smiles |
| B．men and women |
| C．exciting activities |
| D．enthusiasm and optimism |
The atmosphere of festivities tell us that __________.
| A．Italians welcome another new Christmas |
| B．Italians hope for a good coming luck |
| C．Consumer confidence and purchasing power is beginning to recover |
| D．Italy has made great progress in all the fields |
What will Italians do on Christmas Day?
| A．They will gather all friends to have a big deal. |
| B．All the family members gather to celebrate the festival at home. |
| C．All the members of family will go out eating. |
| D．They will do something they like at home or other places. |
One thing Italians must do on Christmas Day is __________.
| A．showing their culinary skills |
| B．showing their latest fashion |
| C．telling their contributions |
| D．making out their future plans |