Norm Pethrick, a 36-year-old man in Australia’s northern city Darwin, was praised on Thursday for jumping onto a crocodile’s back to save his wife Wendy at Litchfield National Park, a popular tourist spot southwest of Darwin, a local newspaper reported.
Ms Pethrick was standing on a river bank Wednesday afternoon when the saltwater crocodile lunged (扑), locking its jaws on both her legs as it tried to drag her underwater.
Norm Pethrick, who with his wife had been collecting water, immediately went to help her. He jumped onto the back, poked (戳) the eyes of the crocodile and finally got his wife free.
Ms Pethrick was later taken to Royal Darwin Hospital for a medical treatment. The doctors said she was suffering eight puncture wounds (伤口) in her right leg, a puncture wound in her left leg and a serious cut to one of her fingers.
“This could have been a fatal and tragic situation,” said the general manager of Royal Darwin Hospital (RDH), Dr Len Notaras, according to a local report.
He said Ms Pethrick was saved by her husband’s “quick and diligent actions”.
Dr Notaras also said she would remain in hospital for three to four days and have an operation to clean the wounds, which are easy to get infected because of bacteria (细菌) on the teeth of the crocodile.This passage is most likely to be found in _____.
| A．a travel guide | B．a newspaper |
| C．a textbook | D．a novel |
The crocodile attacked Ms Pethrick when she was ______.
| A．swimming in the river |
| B．standing on the river bank |
| C．watching the crocodile |
| D．fishing in the water |
Which of the following statements is TRUE about Ms Pethrick?
| A．Her eyes were badly poked. |
| B．She had eight wounds altogether. |
| C．One of her fingers also got hurt. |
| D．One of the crocodile’s teeth was found in her leg. |
According to the passage, Norm Pethrick can be described as following EXCEPT ______.
| A．brave | B．diligent |
| C．quick | D．humorous |
Which of the following would be the best title for this passage?
| A．The husband should save the wife |
| B．A man saves wife’s life from crocodile’s jaws |
| C．A crocodile is not so dangerous as people imagine |
| D．Human beings can beat crocodiles sometimes |
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 |
When my father was getting ready for work, our house was ruled by knocks and words. He used to come downstairs to have breakfast. The morning paper lay beside his plate. He always read the " Deaths" first, and then he knocked once on the table. One of my sisters brought his bread, already buttered for him. Usually he said nothing, but once I heard him say，" I love you very much, Edith. I would love more if you buttered my bread on both sides. "He read the paper all through the breakfast. Two knocks on the table meant " I am ready for my tea. " If a single knock followed, that meant " More bread, please. "
After breakfast he said，" Boots. " The paper was spread (展开）for him over the back of an arm-chair. Yesterday's paper was put on the chair for his feet, and his boots were brought to him, freshly cleaned. He read standing at the same time putting on his boots. With one boot finished he said，" Bus. " At that point one of the girls went outside to the garden gate and waited there. Her job was to stop a bus when it came. It came early sometimes and it had to wait for my father. " Overcoat, hat. " One of my sisters had already brushed his overcoat. Now she held it open for him. Another girl came with his hat, nicely brushed. " Handkerchief, pipe (烟斗）" They were brought and put, with his tobacco (烟草），into his pocket. He looked out of the window and said either " Walking stick" or " Umbrella". It was handed to him. Ready now, he was still reading the paper. He didn't put it down until he heard the shout " Bus coming ！ " Then he kissed my mother and went out. The girls breathed freely.
How lucky a man was to have a wife and five daughters at home! When the father made the first knock, he meant __________.
| A．he had begun to read the morning newspaper |
| B．he was made to feel sad by the " Deaths" news |
| C．he would start to read the other parts of the paper |
| D．his breakfast should begin |
What does "Edith" mean?
| A．A kind of bread. | B．One of the writer's sisters. |
| C．The writer. | D．The writer's mother. |
All the daughters were quite busy in the morning because __________.
| A．their father never helped them |
| B．their father always gave different instructions at the same time |
| C．each of them had to start and finish her job just on time |
| D．they were not clever or quick enough to do their jobs |
What was the father's favorite?
| A．Reading newspaper. |
| B．Having bread buttered on both sides. |
| C．Giving instructions. |
| D．Being clean and tidy. |
Does a drink a day keep heart attacks away? Over the past 20years, numerous studies have found that moderate alcohol consumption, say, one or two beers, glasses of wine or cocktails daily helps to prevent coronary heart disease. Last week a report in the New England Journal of Medicine added strong new evidence in support of that theory. More importantly, the work provided the first solid indication of how alcohol works to protect the heart.
In the study, researchers from Boston's Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvad Medical School compared the drinking habits of 340 men and women who had suffered recent heart attacks with those of healthy people of the same age and sex. The scientists found that people who sip one to three drinks a day are about half as likely to suffer heart attacks as nondrinkers are. The apparent source of the protection ： those who drank alcohol had higher blood levels of high density lipoproteins (脂蛋白），the so called good cholesterol (胆固醇），which is known to prevent heart disease.
As evidence has mounted (增长），some doctors have begun recommending a daily drink for patients of heart diseases. But most physicians are not ready to recommend a regular happy hour for everyone. The risks of teetotal ling (绝对戒酒）are nothing compared with the dangers of too much alcohol, including high blood pressure, strokes and liver troubles—not to mention violent behavior and traffic accident. Moreover, some studies suggest that even moderate drinking may increase the incidence of breast and colon cancer. Until there is evidence that the benefits of a daily dose(吸收剂量）of alcohol outweigh the risks, most people won't be able to take a doctor's prescription to the neighborhood bar or liquor store. The report mentioned in the first paragraph indicates __________.
| A．the way in which alcohol can help the heart |
| B．that a couple of cocktails daily can help stop heart problems |
| C．why alcoholic drinks are dangerous to one's health |
| D．that reports on the advantages of alcohol were misled |
Experiments showed that nondrinkers had __________.
| A．larger amounts of good cholesterol |
| B．smaller amounts of good cholesterol |
| C．higher blood pressure |
| D．lower blood pressure |
According to the passage, moderate drinking __________.
| A．is recommended by most doctors for heart patients |
| B．should be allowed on prescription |
| C．is still not medically advisable |
| D．is not related to liver problems |
The main theme of this passage is __________.
| A．the change in recent drinking habits |
| B．the connection between cancer and alcohol |
| C．whether moderate drinkers outlive nondrinkers |
| D．whether alcohol may be good for one's health |
Several different stories are told about the origin of Saint Valentine's Day. One legend dates as far back as the days of the Roman Empire. According to the story, Claudius, the Emperor of Rome, wanted to increase the size of his army. He knew that it would be easier to get young men who were not married to join. Therefore he made a rule that no young man could marry until he had served a certain number of years in the army.
A priest(牧师)named Valentine broke the rule and secretly married a great many young people. Finally, Claudius found out Valentine and put the priest in prison, where he remained until his death on February 14.
After his death, Valentine was made a saint (圣人），and the day of his death was named Saint Valentine's Day. It became the custom for lovers to send each other message on this day. Now Saint Valentine's Day is a time for people to send one another greetings of many kinds.
February 14，Valentine's Day, is sweethearts, day, on which people in love with each other express their tender(温柔的）emotions.
People sometimes put their love message in a heart shaped box of chocolates, or a bunch of flowers tied with red ribbons(带子）. Words of letters may be written on the flower-covered card, or some-thing else. Whatever the form may be, the message is almost the same ： " Will you be my Valentine?" Valentine was put in prison because __________.
| A．he secretly got married |
| B．he didn't serve in the army |
| C．he married many young people secretly |
| D．he broke the rule |
This passage mainly tells us about __________.
| A．how Valentine died |
| B．the Emperor of Rome |
| C．how Valentine's Day is celebrated |
| D．the origin of Valentine's Day |
February 14 is chosen as Valentine's Day because __________.
| A．lovers express their tender emotions on this day |
| B．people want to remember Valentine |
| C．people send one another greetings of many kinds on this day |
| D．people want to fix a date for lovers to express their emotions |
According to the rule，__________.
| A．no young men could get married unless they were old enough |
| B．young men could marry if they served in the army for several years |
| C．no one could get married without the emperor's permission |
| D．young men could many only in the army |