The Donkey Mobile Library
It is a bright morning in the Ethiopian countryside. Yohannes walks beside a pair of donkeys that are pulling a two-wheeled cart. They arrive at the agricultural town of Awassa where Yohannes opens the sides of the cart to display, not the usual vegetables or tools, but children’s books. This is the Donkey Mobile Library, the first of its kind in Ethiopia and one of only a few in the world.
Yohannes was born in Ethiopia, North Africa, but trained to be a librarian in the USA and returned to Ethiopia years ago. The cart is full of picture books donated by American libraries, teachers and school children.
Yohannes arranges small painted benches in the shade of the trees, and suddenly Ethiopian children come shouting and racing down every road and path. It’s mobile library day! They circle the bookshelves with great excitement. Until the Donkey Mobile Library began its regular two-monthly visits, many of these children had never seen a book.
“Without books, education is very dull, like food without salt. You can survive but you can’t really come alive,” says Yohannes. “The ability to read is the basis for greater productivity, better health and longer life. Even though the children lack material goods, with books they can imagine a world of possibilities.”
Yohannes first worked in the children’s section of the main library in America. Surrounded by books he had never seen before, he realized how joyful and imaginative children’s literature is. He says, “I always thought of Ethiopia. But how could I bring children’s books to my home country when it had almost no libraries to keep the books in?”
He contacted Jane Kurtz, a writer born in America but brought up in Ethiopia, and together they created the Donkey Mobile Library. The children say that the Library has given them ideas about what they might do in the future. A child called Dareje wants to be a scientist and find a cure for life-threatening diseases. An eleven year-old girl, Fikerte, wants to do research about the moon and discover new facts about outer space. Tamrat, aged 10, comes every time.
“What brings you back here time and time again?” the librarian asks him.
“The stories,” Tamrat replies instantly. How do the children feel when they see the Donkey Mobile Library?
| A．Curious. | B．Surprised. | C．Interested. | D．Excited. |
We can conclude from the passage that .
| A．Ethiopian children have no idea about their future |
| B．Yohannes and Kurtz share similar life experiences |
| C．donkey carts in Awassa usually carry vegetables and tools |
| D．most books in the Donkey Mobile Library were bought in America |
According to the passage, the Donkey Mobile Library .
| A．visits the countryside every day | B．benefits Ethiopian children a lot |
| C．was created by Yohannes himself | D．was the first of its kind in the world |
Where is the passage most likely to have been taken from?
| A．A news report. | B．A book review. | C．A historical story. | D．An advertisement. |
A great French writer said that we should help everyone as much as possible because we often need help ourselves. The small even can help the great. To this effect, he tells a simple story.
An ant was drinking at a small river and fell in. She tried hard to reach the side, but made no progre
ss at all. The poor ant, almost tired out, was still bravely doing her best when a bird saw her. Moved with pity, the bird threw her a blade (叶片) of grass, which supported her like a boat, and thus she
reached the bank again. While she was resting and drying herself in the grass she heard a man coming near. He was walking along barefooted and carrying a gun in his hand. As he saw the bird he wished to kill her, and he would certainly have done so, but the ant bit him in the foot just before he raised his gun to 
fire. He stopped to see what had bit him, and the bird immediately flew away. It w
as an animal much weaker and smaller than herself that had saved her life. According to the French writer, we often need help from others, therefore we should________.
| A．not help others | B．help those who may be helpful to us |
| C．get as much help as possible | D．help others as much as we can |
The ant finally got on the bank _______.
A．when t he water pushed her |
B．with the help of a piece of wood |
| C．with the help of a blade of grass | D．when the bird reached out a leg for her |
The French writer tells the story in order to show _______.
| A．how an ant saved a bird | B．how brave the ant is |
| C．how clever the bird is | D．even the small can help the great |
People who are outdoors in cold weather should avoid actions like suddenly lifting a heavy basket full of snow. Even walking through heavy, wet snow can strain a person’s heart.
Many people aren’t conditioned to the physical stress of outdoor activities and don’t know the dangers of being outdoors in cold weather. Those who like winter sports can suffer accidental hypothermia if they don’t make certain preparations.
Hypothermia means the body temperature has fallen below normal. It occurs when your body can’t produce enough energy to keep the internal (内部的) body temperature warm enough. It can kill you. Heart failure causes most deaths in hypothermia.
Children, the elderly and those with heart disease are at special risk. As people age, their ability to keep a normal internal body temperature often decreases. Elderly people can suffer hypothermia without knowing they’re in danger because they can’t notice the cold conditions as quickly as the young.
Besides cold temperatures, high winds, snow and rain can also steal body heat. Wind is especially dangerous because it removes the layer of heated air from around your body. At 30 degrees Fahrenheit in a 20-mile-per-hour wind, the cooling effect is equal to calm air at four degrees. Similarly dampness (湿气) causes the body to lose heat faster than it would at the same temperature in drier conditions.
To keep warm, wear more clothes. This traps air between layers. Also, wear a hat or head scarf. Much of your body’s heat can be lost through your head. Keep your hands and feet warm, too, as they tend to lose heat rapidly.
Don’t drink alcohol before going outdoors or when outside. Alcohol makes you feel warm at first because blood vessels in the skin expand. But heat is then drawn away from the body’s important organs.The underlined word “strain” in Paragraph 1 means ________.
| A．injure | B．warm | C．control | D．burn |
What is implied in the passage about hypothermia?
| A．It means the body temperature falls rapidly. | B．Most heart attacks are caused by it. |
| C．It is not as scary as people think. | D．It can threaten a person’s life. |
Based on the passage, one of the reasons why the elderly are at special risk of suffering from hypothermia is that _______.
| A．they like exercising outside in cold mornings |
| B．they can’t notice cold conditions if they are not told |
| C．their body temperature is generally lower than young people’s |
| D．their ability to keep a normal internal body temperature is not so good |
What is Paragraph 5 mainly about?
| A．What causes the body to lose heat faster. | B．The advantages of drier conditions. |
| C．What else can steal body heat. | D．Dangers of high winds. |
Which of the following is NOT a result of drinking alcohol before going outdoors?
| A．Feeling warm at first | B．The body’s heat is taken away |
| C．Blood vessels in the skin expand | D．The risk of hypothermia is reduced |
The United Nations says forty million people or so around the world went hungry in 2008, mainly because of higher food prices. Early estimates from the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) show that 963 million people did not get enough to eat.
World food prices have dropped since early 2008. Prices of major crops have decreased by more than half from their height earlier last year. But they remain high compared to earlier years.
But FAO official Hafez Ghana says lower prices have failed to end the food crisis（危机）in many poor countries. "For millions in developing countries," he says, "getting enough food every day to live an active and healthy life is a distant dream.”
The FAO says food shortage is a threat to people's health. Today, two-thirds of the world's undernourished people live in just a few countries. These are India, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Pakistan, Ethiopia and so on.
A report on food insecurity warns that the current economic crisis could send even more people into hunger and poverty.
In sub-Saharan Africa, the percentage of the people who continually go hungry fell from 34% in 1997 to 30% in 2008. But the FAO says Ghana is the only country that has reached two sets of hunger reduction targets. These were set by the 1996 World Food Summit and the Millennium Development Goals. The main reason is the growth in agricultural production in Ghana.
The FAO says some countries in Southeast Asia like Thailand and Vietnam have made progress in hunger reduction goals. But South Asia and Central Asia haven't, and North Korea is still in hot water. What FAO official Hafez Ghana says implies _________.
| A．it's easy but takes long to provide people with enough food |
| B．enough food can make people more active and healthier |
| C．there is difficulty solving the food shortage in a short time |
| D．people in developing countries will never get enough food |
Ghana has reached the targets of hunger reduction mainly because of ________.
| A．the still high food prices | B．the donation of developed countries |
| C．the two targets of hunger reduction | D．the growth in agricultural production |
The underlined word “undernourished” in Para. 4 probably means _________.
| A．hungry and unhappy | B．unhealthy for lack of food |
| C．not fat because of poverty | D．undeveloped and poor |
Which country has not made progress in hunger reduction?
| A．North Korea | B．Thailand | C．Vietnam | D．Ghana |
What is the best title of this passage?
| A．The food production of the world | B．The hunger reduction target of the FAO |
| C．The food shortage around the world | D．The solution to the global food shortage |
“The Lord of the Rings”, one of the best sellers in the new millennium(千年), was made up of three parts—“The Fellow Ship of the Ring”, “Two Towers”, and “The Return of the King”. Millions upon millions of people have read it in over 25 different languages, but fewer know about the author and the history of the composition of the creative masterwork.
John Ronald Refuel Tolkien was born in South Africa in 1892. His parents died when he was a child. Living in England with his aunt, Tolkien and his cousins made up play languages, a hobby that led to Tolkien’s becoming skilled in Welsh, Greek, Gothic, Old Norse and Anglo—Saxon.
After graduating from Oxford, Tolkien served in World War I. In 1917, while recovering from trench fever he began composing the mythology for The Rings. As a professor of Anglo-Saxon in the 1930s at Oxford, Tolkien was part of an informal discussion group called the Inklings, which included several writers. The group was soon 1istening to chapters of Tolkien’s imaginative work “The Hobbit”.
Hobbit was a name Tolkien created for people that could best be described as half-sized members of the English rural(乡村的)class. Hobbits live in hillside holes. One of them，Bilbo Baggins, looks for treasures with a group of dwarves(侏儒). On the way, he meets the twisted, pitiful creature Gollum, from whom he sees a golden ring that makes the holder invisible.
One of Tolkien’s students persuaded her employer, publisher Allen & Unwind, to look at a draft (草稿). The chairman of the firm, Stanley Unwind, thought that the best judge for a Children’s book would be his ten-year-old son. The boy earned a shilling for reporting back that the adventure was exciting, and “The Hobbit” was published in 1937.
It sold so well that Unwind asked for a continuation. Over a dozen years later, in 1954, Tolkien produced “The Lord of the Rings”, a series of books so creative that they hold readers both new and old -- after their publication.What can we learn from the text?
| A．“The Lord of the Rings” didn't sell well in the last millennium. |
| B．People know better about Tolkien himself than about his works. |
| C．Tolkien was quite familiar with Old English. |
| D．Tolkien knew very well about different kinds of local languages in Africa. |
What can we learn about "Hobbit" that Tolkien created in his works?
| A．Hobbit was a race living in English downtown areas. |
| B．Hobbit was a local people who were very tall and strong. |
| C．Hobbit was a social group of people who lived in old castles. |
| D．Hobbit was a group of people who were mostly dwarves. |
Which of the following helped most in making “The Hobbit” published?
| A．One of Tolkien's students. | B．Stanley Unwind's son. |
| C．Allen & Unwind. | D．Bilbo Baggins. |
What is mainly discussed in the text?
| A．“The Lord of the Rings” and its writer. |
| B．A completely new masterwork in the new millennium. |
| C．A famous professor at Oxford University. |
| D．The power of the magic ring. |
Which of the following shows the right order of Mr. Tolkien's life experience?
a. He had his “The Hobbit” published.
b. He became a member of the Inklings.
c. He served in World War I.
d. He became an undergraduate at Oxford.
e. His work “The Lord of the Rings” came to the world.
f. He moved to England to live with his aunt.
| A．f-d-b-c-a-e | B．f-d-c-b-a-e |
| C．f-c-d-b-e-a | D．d-f-c-a-b-e |
Soon Tommy’s parents, who had recently separated, would arrive for a conference on his failing schoolwork and bad behavior. Neither parent knew that I had called the other.
Tommy, an only child, had always been happy, cooperative and an excellent student. How could I convince his father and mother that his recent failing grades represented a broken-hearted child’s reaction to his parents’ separation and pending (即将发生的) divorce?
Tommy’s mother entered and took one of the chairs. Soon the father arrived. Good! At least they were concerned enough to be here in time. They ignored each other.
As I gave a detailed account of Tommy’s behavior and schoolwork, I prayed for the right words to bring these two together to help them see what they were doing to their son. But somehow the words wouldn’t come. Perhaps if they saw one of his dirty, carelessly done papers?
I found a sheet in the back of his desk. Writing covered both sides: not the assignment, but a single sentence scribbled (潦草地写) over and over.
Silently I gave it to Tommy’s mother. She read it and then handed it to her husband. Then his face softened.
At last he folded the paper carefully, placed it in his pocket, and reached for his wife’s hand. She wiped the tears from her eyes and smiled up at him. He helped her with her coat and they left together.
In his own way God had given me the words to reunite that family. He had guided me to the sheet of yellow copy paper covered with the pain out pouring of a small boy’s troubled heart.
The words are “Dear Mom…Dear Daddy… I love you…”The author called Tommy’s parents in order to ________.
| A．solve the couple’s problem |
| B．scold them for their divorce |
| C．help them realize their influence on Tommy |
| D．blame Tommy for his failing grades |
This passage is most probably written by _________.
| A．a teacher | B．a journalist | C．a lawyer | D．a doctor |
How did Tommy’s parents feel after seeing the words?
| A．Satisfied. | B．Troubled. | C．Depressed | D．Moved |
We can learn from the passage that _______.
| A．the author knew Tommy often wrote to his parents |
| B．the author said a lot to make Tommy’s parents reunite |
| C．Tommy hated his parents divorcing |
| D．Tommy was greatly influenced by his parents |
What would be the best title for this passage?
| A．A separate family | B．Tommy’s essay |
| C．Never divorce | D．A good teacher |