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London congestion charging
The charge was introduced on Monday 17 February 2003 to encourage people to leave their cars behind and use public transport when travelling in central London. It was introduced due to the high pollution levels and traffic congestion（拥挤）.
The Inner Ring Road forms the congestion zone boundary and includes roads such as Marylebone Road, Euston Road, Park Lane and Edgware Road. Drivers can travel along these roads without paying the charge. Maps of this zone are published in the national press and are available from a range of outlets as well as online.
People who travel regularly between work and home have to pay £5 for each day they wish to travel through or within the charge zone between the hours of 7.00 am and 6.30 pm, Monday to Friday. They have a choice about how they pay the £5. They can pay online, via the Internet, phoning, texting on their mobile phones and over the counter at petrol stations and convenience stores. They also have a choice about how often they pay. They can pay daily, weekly, monthly or annually.
Not everyone has to pay the £5. Among these are residents, emergency services, registered-disabled drivers, taxis and those using alternative energy vehicles. These people/organizations have to apply for exemption (免交), which can be done online.
The London Congestion Charge works by using around 900 cameras at the boundary and within the zone. The cameras read the registration plates and send the information to a computer, which checks whether the owner has paid the charge and, if not, whether the owner has claimed exemption. If drivers have not paid the charge by 10 pm that day (and are not exempt) a penalty notice is sent to his/her home address. The longer that the penalty is not paid, the larger the fine. Persistent offenders have their vehicles removed.
For more information, call 0845 900 1234 or visit Transport for London’s congestion charge website at http://www.cclondon.com/.
1. This text is aimed at _______.
A. businesses B. students C. London residents D. everyone
2. This text offers readers information about _______.
A. the weather forecasts of London
B. the days and times for people to pay the charge
C. the number of drivers who fail to pay the charge each day
D. the names of shops where you can get Congestion Charge maps
3. What can we learn from the text?
A. All people in London have to pay the charge.
B. London residents can pay the charge in different ways.
C. Registered-disabled drivers have to go to an agency to apply for exemption.
D. 900 cameras are used to judge whether the driver has gone through the red light.

Anthony Horowitz suffered a lot as a child. He was, as he puts it, “not very bright” and couldn’t win the attention of his very wealthy parents, who preferred his “clever” older brother. At age 8, Horowitz was sent away to an abusive (虐待的) boarding school in his native England, even though he screamed and begged his parents year after year not to send him. “The thought was, ‘It’ll be good for him’,” Horowitz recalls.
It was not. Horowitz did badly in his studies, had few friends and was bullied (欺负) for five years. “My teachers couldn’t have had a lower opinion of me,” he said. “I wasn’t even smart enough to rebel (反抗). The one thing I remember from the very earliest age was this desire to write. When I was 10 years old, I remember asking my parents to get me a typewriter for my birthday because I wanted to be a writer.”
Now, at 55, Horowitz is one of the world’s most successful children’s book authors. His Alex Rider series has sold more than 5 million copies, and the eighth book featuring the young spy, Crocodile Tears, came out this month.
The Alex Rider books tell the adventures of 14-year-old Alex Rider, an agent for the British intelligence agency MI6.
Horowitz said he doesn’t try to write for kids; it just comes out that way. “I have a feeling it’s to do with purity and simplicity. I give as little information as is necessary to describe the room, the character in the room, and get on with the action,” he said.
That style has also made Horowitz a successful writer of television shows for adults in Britain because, he says, writing books for kids is a lot like writing television for grown-ups: In both cases, it’s all about entertaining people with a good story.
Now, Horowitz couldn’t be happier with his life. He sums up his success, “…you can be anything you want to be if you just believe in yourself. I do believe it completely.”
1. In his childhood, Anthony Horowitz _______.
A. was more intelligent than his brother
B. was paid more attention to by his parents
C. hated to be sent to the boarding school
D. led a miserable life because of poverty
2. In the boarding school, Horowitz’s teachers _______.
A. showed great concern for him B. often abused and bullied him
C. taught him how to write stories D. thought little of his ability
3. Which of the following is true of Anthony Horowitz?
A. He was the beloved child of his family.
B. Although he is successful, he isn’t very happy.
C. He emphasizes the plot rather than character in stories.
D. He developed his writing ability in the boarding school.
4. What advice does Horowitz give to readers?
A. Confidence is the key to success. B. Hardship teaches valuable lessons.
C. Interest is the best teacher. D. Diligence is the parent of success.

第三部分阅读理解（共15小题；每小题2分，满分30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。
It seems like every little girl dreams of becoming a model. They want to be thin and pretty like the models they see on television and in magazines. Often the desire becomes an obsession (无法摆脱的思想) and young girls see “thinness” as being a needed characteristic. The obsession of many young girls over their appearance or weight has led to a growing number of people developing an eating disorder.
Eating disorders are a serious health problem. Three of the most commoneating disorders are anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge eating or compulsive eating disorder. According to Anorexia Nervosa and Related Eating Disorders, a person with anorexia “refuses to maintain normal body weight for age and height” and “weighs 85 percent or less than what is expected for age and height.” A person diagnosed with bulimia has several ways of getting rid of the calories such as binge eating, vomiting, laxative misuse, exercising, or fasting. The person might have a normal weight for their age and height unless anorexia is present. The signs of a compulsive eater include eating meals frequently, rapidly, and secretly. This person might also snack and nibble all day long.
There are many reasons that can contribute to the cause of eating disorders. One of the main reasons seems to be the obsession over every little pound a person is wearing.
There are other possible causes to this widely known health problem. Everyone has the desire to look like the actors and actresses they watch on TV or in magazines but, in reality, it just will not happen for most of us.
An unfavorable relationship a person has with others is also a contributing factor to disordered eating habits. The world is so competitive that any mention from parents, peers, significant others, or co-workers about a person’s weight or appearance can lead to the start of an eating disorder.
There really is no single reason why a person acquires an eating disorder. Many factors are considered when making a diagnosis for a person with this problem. Causes like the ones mentioned above play such an important role in eating disorders. Is it really so important that in order to look like the super models people are willing to give up food and starve themselves to death for a little satisfaction on the outside? The look of a person on the inside is what really matters.
1. This text is mainly about _______.
A. how girls lose weight quickly B. why girls dream to be models
C. how teenagers control their weight D. why a person acquires eating disorder
2. If a person doesn’t have a normal weight, she might have developed _______.
A. binge eating B. bulimia nervosa
C. anorexia nervosa D. compulsive eating disorder
3. The underlined word “unfavorable” most probably means _______.
A. harmonious B. poor C. healthy D. special
4. What is author’s attitude towards the phenomenon?
A. Inner beauty is really important.
B. All girls should dream to be models.
C. People needn’t take eating disorder seriously.
D. It is worth to starve for satisfaction on the outside.

Among the more colorful characters of Leadville’s golden age were H.A.W. Tabor and his
second wife, Elizabeth McCourt, better known as "Baby Doe". Their history is fast becoming one of the legends of the Old West. Horace Austin Warner Tabor was a school teacher in Vermont. With his first wife and two children he left Vermont by covered wagon in 1855 to homestead in Kansas. Perhaps he did not find farming to his liking, or perhaps he was attracted by rumors of fortunes to be made in Colorado mines. At any rate, a few years later he moved west to the small Colorado mining camp known as California Gulch, which he later renamed Leadville when he became its leading citizen. "A large amount of lead is sure to be found here." he said.
　　As it turned out, it was silver, not lead, that was to make Leadville’s fortune and wealth. Tabor knew little about mining himself, so he opened a general store, which sold everything from boots to salt, flour, and tobacco. It was his custom to "grubstake" prospective（预期的） miners, in other words, to supply them with food and supplies, or"grub", while they looked for ore（矿石）, in return for which he would get a share in the mine if one was discovered. He did this for a number of years, but no one that he aided ever found anything of value.
　　Finally one day in the year 1878, so the story goes, two miners came in and asked for "grub". Tabor had decided to quit supplying it because he had lost too much money that way. These were persistent（坚持的）, however, and Tabor was too busy to argue with them. "Oh help yourself. One more time won’t make any difference," He said and went on selling shoes and hats to other customers. The two miners took $17 worth of supplies, in return for which they gave Tabor a one-third interest in their findings. They picked a barren place on the mountainside and began to dig. After nine days they struck a rich vein of silver. Tabor bought the shares of the other two men, and so the mine belonged to him alone. This mine, known as the "Pittsburgh Mine," made $1,300, 000 for Tabor in return for his $17 investment.
　　Later Tabor bought the Matchless Mine on another barren hillside just outside the town for $117,000.This turned out to be even more abundant than the Pittsburgh, producing $35 000 worth of silver per day at one time. Leadville grew. Tabor became its first mayor, and later became the governor of the state.
1. The word "grubstake" in paragraph 2 means __________ .
　　A. to supply miners with food and supplies
　　B. to open a general store
　　C. to do one’s contribution to the development of the mine
　　D. to supply miners with food and supplies and in return get a share in the mine, if one
was discovered
2. The underlying（潜在的）reason for Tabor’s successful life career is __________.
　　A. purely accidental
B. based on the analysis of miner’s being very poor and their possibility of discovering profitable mining site
C. through the help from his second wife
　　D. he planned well and accomplished targets step by step
3. If this passage is the first part of an article, who might be introduced in the following part?
A. Tabor’s life.　　 B. Tabor’s second wife, Elizabeth McCourt.
　　C. Other colorful characters.　　 D. Tabor’s other careers.

BUKHANNON, West Virginia—Two rescue teams slowly moved along a two-mile path on Monday night to the site of a coal mine explosion that trapped 13 miners, who had not been heard from since the early morning accident.
Meanwhile, at a nearby church, more than 250 family members and friends gathered, waiting for updates（最新报道）on the rescuers’ progress.
The miners were trapped at about 6:30 and many families weren’t informed of the accident until about 10 a.m-more than three hours after it happened. “It’s very upsetting, but you’ve got to be patient, I guess,” said John Helms, whose brother, Terry, was trapped in the mine.
The trapped miners were about 260 feet underground and about 10,000 feet from the Sago Mine’s entrance, said Roger Nicholson, general counsel from International Coal Group.
At a late night news conference, Nicholson said one team had advanced about 4, 800 feet in the four hours since entering the mine just before 6 p.m. Another team entered the mine about 30 minutes later.
He said the crew was very experienced, with some members having worked underground for
30 to 35 years. The miners were equipped with about one hour of breathable oxygen each. The company has not released the names of the miners.
The teams test the air about every 500 feet, and have to disconnect （remove） the power to the phones they use to communicate with the surface before doing that. “ We don’t want to be energizing anything if it’s in an atmosphere with burnable gases,” Kips said.
The cause of the explosion was not immediately known. High levels of carbon monoxide were detected shortly after the explosion, which delayed rescue efforts, but those levels have since subsided（减退）, authorities said.
1. According to the passage, we can infer that ________.
A. all the miners who were trapped underground were still alive
B. communication with the trapped miners was cut off
C. the two rescue teams entered the mine at the same time
D. the rescue started as soon as the accident happened
2. If the first team advanced at an average speed, they could dig about _______ per hour.
A. 1,000 feet B. 2,400 feet C. 1,200feet D. 4,800feet
3. Where can the passage be seen?
A. In a magazine. B. In a newspaper.
C. In a science book.. D. On an advertisement.
4. Which of the following shows the position where the miners were trapped?