MUMBAI – Indian commandos battled into the early hours of Friday to end a multiple hostage crisis in Mumbai after suspected Islamic militants killed 125 people across the city.
Officials said they had almost totally cleared the luxury Taj Mahal hotel where gunmen had been held up for more than 24 hours.
Indian security forces personnel released hostages from Nariman House in Mumbai. Thirty-nine people were rescued from the five-star Oberoi hotel, where "mopping up（清理火场）" operations were still underway, police said.
Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said the militants had come from "outside the country."
The Press Trust of India said one Pakistani militant had been arrested, although Pakistan's government fiercely denied any involvement.
Indian media reports said between six and nine foreign nationals were among the dead in Mumbai -- including a Japanese businessman, an Australian, a Briton , a German and an Italian.
At least five gunmen had been shot dead and one captured, police said. Fourteen security personnel were also killed, including the head of Mumbai's anti-terror squad.
To draw maximum international attention, the militants used small groups to attack a total of about a dozen targets in India's financial hub , including the main railway station, a hospital and a restaurant popular with tourists.
An unknown group calling itself the Deccan Mujahedeen claimed responsibility, with one gunman telling an Indian TV channel by phone that the outfit（装备）was of Indian origin and motivated by the treatment of Indian Muslims.
Up to 327 people were reported wounded.
The main Bombay Stock Exchange was closed until further notice, as were shops, schools and businesses.
Prime Minister Singh said the aim had clearly been to spread panic by choosing high profile(知名度高的) targets and "indiscriminately（随心所欲地）killing foreigners."
Witnesses said the gunmen had been very particular in their choice of hotel hostages. "They said they wanted anyone with British and American passports," said one British guest at the Taj Mahal hotel. The following statements are NOT true except ________.
| A．thirty-nine hostages were rescued from the Taj Mahal Hotel |
| B．fourteen gunmen were killed in Nariman House |
| C．the target of the attack was obviously on Britons and Americans |
| D．an American was among the killed foreigners |
By quoting what the Press of Trust of India said the author meant to say _______.
| A．Prime Minister Singh’s judgment was right |
| B．the Pakistanis were not involved in the attack |
| C．the Pakistani government had nothing to do with the attack |
| D．some six to nine foreigners were killed in the attack |
The underlined word in the sixth paragraph most probably means _______.
| A．citizens | B．people living abroad |
| C．countries | D．the whole people of a country |
The best title of this passage can be _______.
| A．Hostages Released by Indian Commandos |
| B．Mumbai Under Terrorist Attack |
| C．Islamic Militants Attacking Westerners in Mumbai |
| D．Unfortunate Britons and Americans in Mumbai |
Over three million people will do their Christmas shopping entirely online this year without once visiting an actual shop, a poll (民意调查) has found. Overcrowding and long queues in shops are forcing people away from the high street as the hassle (烦扰) of Christmas shopping becomes too much.
The number of people turning their backs on the high street is almost one million higher than it was last year, according to the poll by YouGov. Last Christmas 2.4 million shoppers did not do any of their shopping in actual shops. The figure this year is predicted to be around 3.4 million, equal to around 7 percent of the adult population.
Over a third of people said that the main turn-off about shopping on the high street is 0ver-crow-ding. Meanwhile almost a quarter said that long queues at the cheek-out are the worst thing about it.
Of the 2.065 people pored, even those who are stir taking to the shops plan to spend less time in them this Christmas. Around 31 percent of shoppers who plan to spend at least some time on the high street will spend less than half of their shopping time in actual shops, using the rest of the time to shop remotely via the internet. This compares to 28 percent of people last year. Meanwhile the proportion of people spending over half of their shopping time in high street shops has dropped from 41 percent last year to 39 percent this year. Just 2 percent of people said that they are looking forward to dealing wi.th store staff this festival season.
Guy Boxall, senior product marketing manager at Casio Business Solutions Division, which commissioned the research from YouGov, said that despite the fall in people visiting the high street,humans are "social creatures" who actually like spending time together.
"Although the high street is facing a big challenge Christmas, retailers (零售商) should see this research as a challenge to improve the in-store shopping experience, rather than the nail in the coffin. We are social creatures, and the desire to spend time with each other, particularly at Christmas, is never going to go away," said Mr. Boxall.According to the poll, in this year's Christmas
| A．about 7 % of the population will do both online and actual shopping |
| B．about 31% of shoppers will do half of their shopping in actual shops |
| C．about 39% of shoppers will do more than half of their shopping in actual shops |
| D．over three million shoppers will quit actual shopping just because of the long queues |
What's the meaning of "turn-off" in Para.5?
| A．Something that makes people lose heart |
| B．Something that makes people lose face |
| C．Something that makes people lose interest |
| D．Something that makes people lose courage |
It can be inferred from Mr. Boxall's words that
| A．retailers should reduce their in-store goods. |
| B．retailers wiR be pessimistic about the result of this research. |
| C．retailers should focus on the advantage of in-store shopping. |
| D．retailers will make more profits this Christmas than last Christmas |
Wheat's the writer's attitude towards Christmas online shopping?
| A．Concerned. | B．Doubtful. | C．Approving. | D．Objective. |
If you want to know how crazy people can be about their pets, you might remember that Helmsley left $12 million to her little Maltese dog when she died last year.
The dog's name is Trouble. And apparendy Trouble is still alive. Of course, I would hang on,too, if someone left me $12 million. Look! Top-shelf dog food, soft pillows everywhere, drivers walking me in nice leafy parks. I would live to be 110 in dog years.
The dog's story is still fresh in my mind the other night when I leave a steak house after a superb meal. Then I notice a woman carrying a small bag out of the door behind me.
Once outside, she walks over to where a man is holding a tiny dog hke it's a baby. The dog looks like a Maltese, too, barking and annoying, with a cute haircut,
And now I am treated to an absolute astonishing sight. Because now the woman reaches into the bag and begins pulling out little pieces of meat, which she puts on a plastic spoon and feeds to the dog.
This is no cheap steak house. It's actually, way out of my league --I'm there only because it's a special occasion. I can tell you this: if I walked out of the place with any leftover steak, it sure wouldn't go to a dog. Not at those prices.
So now the woman is Spoon-feeding the dog and the man is just standing there, holding this dog and looking as if this is the most normal thing in the world. And the dog is calmly chewing these pieces of steak as if he's a little king. And this dog is in no hurry. He's having a great time.
A few minutes go by, and now the dog finishes all of his steak. At this point, I hear the woman say to the man "Think he's still hungry?" And she glances behind her at the restaurant, as if she might go back in there to get more steak for the dog.
Watching all this, I'm afraid I'm going to shout, "Are you out of your mind? Feeding all that pricey steak to that little dog? Did you see what our American life is like today? We're all going to be eating dog food if this keeps up!"Why would the author live to be 110 in dog years?
| A．Because he is always in poor health and falls ill. |
| B．Because a Maltese dog lives longer than a human being. |
| C．Because his grandparents left him a large sum of money. |
| D．Because he thinks the dog is treated extremely well. |
What is the story mainly about?
| A．An American family's happy life. |
| B．A Maltese dog getting $12 million from its owner. |
| C．A New Yorker spending $ 8 billion for a few banks. |
| D．A pet dog being fed with expensive food. |
The underlined sentence "It's actually way out of my league. " (in Para. 6) means __
| A．the restaurant is too expensive for the author |
| B．the author hates the dog being taken there |
| C．the superb restaurant is about to be out of service |
| D．the dog doesn't belong to the author's group |
Seeing the dog.is being treated to expensive steak, the author becomes extremely ____
| A．indifferent | B．annoyed | C．concerned | D．envious |
The new studies show that fewer than half of the 9th graders in many of the nation’s largest cities, can ever graduate. The studies clearly show that the dropout rate isn’t dropping. And, in particular, the dropout rate isn’t dropping for poor and minority students.
Amazingly, though so many regret the rising dropout rate, our schools continue to lack formal plans—or any plans—to teach students motivation. Most schools have no game plan to ensure that students understand that schooling will be completely necessary. Schools expect youth and children to act as though schooling is important, but they never teach them to believe that.
Years ago, families ensured that the children recognized the value of schooling. But in many modern families, the children may fail to recognize the importance of school life just because these families may actually tell their children that school is not important. Since many families are not motivating their children to be interested students, youth professionals, like teachers may need to provide this training.
Here are some strategies to convince even the most apathetic (无动于衷的) students that they must stay in school.
Ask students if they will ever need to work: The world has changed. 100 years ago, factory work was the booming job, and it required no education. Today, factories are increasingly automated. Most computer-related jobs require education and at least a high school diploma.
Ask students which century they will be prepared for: In 1900, the most common jobs were farm laborer and domestic servant—education not needed. Now, the most common jobs are office and sales staff—education and diploma usually needed. An amazing 6 out of 10 people today work in a store or office.
Ask students to devise a way that the employee could be replaced. For example, the coming trend in fast food is to use computers rather than people to run the restaurant. A prototype is apparently already being tested. The students should discover that most jobs that lack education and diploma requirements may be ripe for automation.What does the underlined part mean in Paragraph1?
| A．Few students can afford to go to school in large cities. |
| B．A large number of the 9th graders can graduate now. |
| C．There are still quite a few 9th graders leaving school early. |
| D．Most schools in large cities have fewer and fewer students. |
It can be inferred that.
| A．both schools and families should answer for the high dropout rate |
| B．many new jobs don’t need children’s high school diploma |
| C．working in a store doesn’t require a high school diploma |
| D．most schools are ready to help students recognize the importance of study |
The author takes factory work for example mainly to .
| A．tell us that many jobs required certain education in the past |
| B．show that employment in the computer field grows at a high rate |
| C．show that there are more factory work and employment in modern society |
| D．emphasize that modern jobs require education and schools are necessary |
The orderly came back in a few minutes with a rifle（步枪）and some Burmans. He told us that the elephant was in the rice fields below, only a few hundred yards away. As I started forward practically the whole population of the quarter flocked out of the houses and followed me. They had seen the rifle and were all shouting that I was going to shoot the elephant. It was fun to them, as it would be to an English crowd; besides, they wanted the meat. It made me a little uneasy. I had no intention of shooting the elephant—I had merely sent for the rifle to defend myself—and it is always uneasy to have a crowd following you. I marched down the hill, looking and feeling a fool, with the rifle over my shoulder and an ever-growing army of people knocking and pushing at my heels. Beyond the huts there was a rice field a thousand yards across, muddy from the first rains. The elephant was standing eight yards from the road. He took not the slightest notice of the crowd. He was tearing up bunches of grass, beating them against his knees to clean them and feeding them into his mouth.
As soon as I saw the elephant I knew with perfect certainty that I ought not to shoot him. It is a serious matter to shoot a working elephant — it is comparable to destroying a huge and costly piece of machinery. There, peacefully eating, the elephant looked no more dangerous than a cow. I thought then and I think now that his attack of “must” was already passing off, in which case he would merely wander harmlessly about. Moreover, I did not in the least want to shoot him.
But at that moment I glanced round at the crowd that had followed me. It was an immense crowd, two thousand at the least and growing every minute. I looked at the sea of the faces above the colorful clothes—faces all happy and excited over this bit of fun, all certain that the elephant was going to be shot. They were watching me as they would watch a magician about to perform a trick. They did not like me. But with the magical rifle in my hands I was momentarily worth watching. And suddenly I realized that I should have to shoot the elephant after all. The people expected it of me and I had got to do it; I could feel their two thousand wills pressing me forward. And it was at this moment that I first felt the hollowness, the uselessness of the white man's control in the East. Here was I, standing in front of the unarmed crowd—seemingly the leading actor; but in reality only a puppet (傀儡). I understood in this moment that when the white man turns ruler of complete power it is his own freedom that he destroys.The people were glad to think the elephant was to be shot mainly because ______.
| A．it had damaged their homes and crops |
| B．it would provide them with meat |
| C．it would make them feel entertained |
| D．it was spoiling their rice fields |
When the writer saw the elephant he felt .
| A．foolish | B．afraid | C．pitiful | D．confident |
The writer realized that he had to shoot the elephant because .
| A．shooting elephants is a serious problem |
| B．everybody expected it of him |
| C．he did not wish to disappoint the rulers |
| D．he had to show how guns are fired |
What does the writer intend to tells us when he tells the story?
| A．Leading actors are sometimes foolish puppets. |
| B．Government for white people are useless. |
| C．Power can sometimes turn people imprisoned. |
| D．Unarmed crowds are in control of everything. |
"Regardless of social class, race and age, men say they hate to shop." says Zukin, City University of New York sociology professor. "Yet when you ask them deeper questions, it turns out that they like to shop. Men generally like to shop for books, music and hardware. But if you ask them about the shopping they do for books or music, they'll say, "Well, that's not shopping. That's research. "
In other words, what men and women call "buying things" and how they approach that task are different.
Women will wander through several 1,000-aquare-meter stores in search of the perfect party dress. Men will wander through 100 Internet sites in search of the perfect digital camcorder. Women see shopping as a social event. Men see it as a special task or a game to be won.
"Men are frequently shopping to win," says Ann, a marketing professor at Loyola University of Chicago. "They want to get the best deal. They want to get the best one, the latest one and if they do that it makes them happy. "When women shop, "They're doing it in a way that they want everybody to be very happy." says Ann. "They're kind of shopping for love."
"Teenage girls learn to shop from their moms and older sisters, but they also learn to shop by examining articles in magazines like Seventeen, "City University Zukin says." And although men's magazines such as GQ and Esquire have long had shopping articles, it's TV that has the eye of young male shoppers, "say Ann and Zukin.
"Television shows are used by young men in the same way Seventeen magazine or Lucky is used by girls," says Zukin, "to help make clothing and toiletry choices."
"Of course, there are men who love to shop and are proud of it." Loyola's Ann says. And that is important no matter whether you buy a car or a frying pan. All men love to buy but don't want to get cheated. Ann adds, "There actually are men who are interested, for example, in cooking or shopping or chinaware or things around the home-----they become kind of girl magnets. Women like it."From the first paragraph we can find that _____.
| A．men are all dishonest |
| B．men are all book-lovers |
| C．men hate to shop actually |
| D．men like to shop in fact |
Compared to women, men usually treat shopping _____.
| A．honestly | B．seriously | C．frequently | D．foolishly |
As is shown in this passage, teenage girls go shopping _____.
| A．only with their moms |
| B．only with their sisters |
| C．often following magazines |
| D．often following TV shows |
The underlined word "magnets" in the last paragraph means _____.
| A．magazines that attract young women |
| B．persons that have a powerful attraction |
| C．tools that can help housewives much |
| D．vegetables that make women beautiful |