Throughout this long, tense election, everyone has focused on the presidential candidates and how they’ll change America. Rightly so, but selfishly, I’m more fascinated by Michelle Obama and what she might be able to do, not just for this country, but for me as an African-American woman. As the potential First Lady, she would have the world’s attention. And that means that for the first time people will have a chance to get up close and personal with the type of African-American woman they so rarely see.
Usually, the lives of black women go largely unexamined. The prevailing theory seems to be that we’re all hot-tempered single mothers who can’t keep a man. Even in the world of make-believe, black women still can’t escape the stereotype of being eye-rolling, oversexed females raised by our never-married, alcoholic (酗酒的) mothers.
These images have helped define the way all women are viewed, including Michelle Obama. Before she ever gets the chance to commit to a cause, charity or foundation as First Lady, her most urgent and perhaps most complicated duty may be simple to be herself.
It won’t be easy. Because few mainstream publications have done in-depth features on regular African-American women, little is known about who we are, what we think and what we face on a regular basis. For better or worse, Michelle will represent us all.
Just as she will have her critics, she will also have millions of fans who usually have little interest in the First Lady. Many African-American blogs have written about what they’d like to see Michelle bring to the White House—mainly showing the world that a black woman can support her man and raise a strong black family. Michelle will have to work to please everyone—an impossible task. But for many African-American women like me, just a little of her poise (沉着), confidence and intelligence will go a long way in changing an image that’s been around for far too long.Why does Michelle Obama hold a strong fascination for the author?
| A．She serves as a role model for African women. |
| B．She possesses many admirable qualities becoming a First Lady. |
| C．She will present to the world a new image of African-American women. |
| D．She will pay closer attention to the interests of African-American women. |
What is the common stereotype of African-American women according to the author?
| A．They are victims of violence. |
| B．They are of an inferior violence. |
| C．They use quite a lot of body language. |
| D．They live on charity and social welfare. |
What do many African-Americans write about in their blogs?
| A．Whether Michelle can live up to the high expectations of her fans. |
| B．How Michelle should behave as a public figure. |
| C．How proud they are to have a black woman in the White House. |
| D．What Michelle should do as wife and mother in the White House. |
What does the author say about Michelle Obama as a First Lady?
| A．However many fans she has, she should remain modest, |
| B．She shouldn’t disappoint the African-American community. |
| C．However hard she tries, she can’t expect to please everybody. |
| D．She will give priority to African-American women’s concerns. |
What do many African-American women hope Michelle Obama will do?
| A．Help change the prevailing view about black women. |
| B．Help her husband in the task of changing America. |
| C．Outshine previous First Lady. |
| D．Fully display her fine qualities. |
Ms Lo could hardly bear her sorrow when she received the call that her husband had died in a car accident. Her pain quickly turn to shock---- the car involved in the accident was driven by a friend. That friend, Henry Lee, had chosen to remain silent on the accident details in court. Her shock soon turned to extreme anger when Lee decided not to let out what had happened.
Her husband, Mr. Tan, was 21 when he died after an accident outside Las Vegas KTV at Havelock Road. That night, he was discussing supper plans with a group of friends, which included Lee. Later, Mr. Tan was found unconscious on the ground, next to the car driven by Lee. Mr. Tan died in the hospital a few hours later. Due to drinking driving, Lee was fined $3,000 and banned from driving for two years last month.
Lee, Ms Lo and her husband were colleagues at Asia Pacific-Breweries(APB).
She only heard of the accident and her husband’s death the next morning after the accident as she had switched off her band-phone that night. She told The New Paper, “Receiving the call, I thought it was a joke. I thought he had got his friend to call me to ask me out.” Ms Lo had moved out to live alone for three weeks because of a disagreement with her husband. “The next time I saw him was at the mortuary.(太平间)” She said that Lee went to visit her some days ago but didn’t apologize to her. “He looked sorry but he didn’t speak to me. I wanted to forgive him, but now I have no chance to tell him.” she said.
Ms Lo, who was a human resource manager in APB, left the company after the accident. She is now working in a photo studio.
1.Why Ms Lo was made pretty angry?
A. Her husband was knocked down by his friend
B. Henry Lee drove their car in the car accident
C. She was informed only after the accident occurred
D. The person involved did not tell the truth in court
2.Ms Lo hadn’t seen her husband for three weeks because______.
A. they did not sign a contract
B.she began working in a photo studio
C.there was a quarrel between them
D.she was busy writing a paper
3.Why did Ms Lo leave APB for another job?
A. To escape the pain caused by the accident.
B. To find out facts related to the accident.
C. To force Henry Lee to let out the truth.
D. To avoid meeting the dishonest man.
Apply to an American College
Earlier, we explained how to begin a search for schools by going to one of the American educational advising centers around the world. We also discussed the rules for entering the United States. And we talked about programs that can be completed online.
But if your goal is to come to the United States to study, then it is time to make a list of colleges or universities that interest you. Be sure to choose more than one. Directors of foreign student admissions say students should apply to at least three schools.
Some students want to attend a small college. Others want to go to a big university. If a really big university appeals to you, then there are ones like Ohio State. That university in Columbus, Ohio, in the Midwest, has almost fifty-two thousand students. There are students this year from around one hundred fifty countries.
Ohio State provides international students with an application on its Website. You can pay the application charge online with a credit card. Or you can print the forms and mail them with the payment.
Many colleges and universities have their applications and also their catalogs online. You should start on your applications at least two years before you want to begin studies.
Completing a college application can take some time. But answering all the questions is not enough. Another important step is taking admissions tests. The SAT is the college entry test that American high school students most commonly take.
Colleges and universities also require international students to take the TOEFL — the Test of English as a Foreign Language.
If you have a general question for our Foreign Student Series, write to special @ voanews. com.
1.What purpose does Paragraph One serve in the passage ?
A. To provide background information of the topic.
B. To attract readers’ attention to the topic.
C. To remind the readers of some related aspects of the topic.
D. To offer basic knowledge of the topic.
2.According to this passage, “Ohio State” is ________.
A. one of the states in America
B. the name of a Website
C. another name for “Columbus, Ohio”
D. a university in America
3.Besides a college application, you are required to take ________test(s) if you’ re not an American.
A. one B. two C. three D. four
4.The passage mainly deals with _________.
A. how to pay the application charge
B. the rules for entering for American colleges and universities
C. some information on applications for American colleges and universities
D. when to start one’s applications for American colleges and universities
第三部分：阅读理解 (共两节，满分40分)
第一节（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，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
One night about nine o’clock, Dr. Eyck, a surgeon, had a phone call from Dr. Haydon at the hospital in Clens Falls. The surgeon was asked to go there at once to operate on a very sick boy who shot himself while playing with a gun.
The doctor was soon on his way to Clens Falls. It was 60 miles away. And it was snowing heavily in the city. The surgeon thought he could get there before 12 o’clock.
A few minutes later, the doctor was stopped by a man in an old black coat. Gun in hand, the man ordered the doctor to get out. Then the man drove the car down the road, leaving the doctor in the falling snow.
It was after 2 o’clock in the morning when the doctor arrived at the hospital in Clens Falls. Dr. Haydon told him that the boy had died an hour before.
The two doctors walked by the door of the hospital waiting room. There sat the man in the old black coat with his head in his hands.
“Mr. Cuninghan,” said Dr. Haydon to the man, “This is Dr. Eyck. He is the surgeon who walked all the way from Albany to save your boy.”
1.Dr. Haydon asked Dr. Eyck to come to Clens Falls because ________.
A.Dr. Eyck knew the boy was wounded by a shot
B.The boy needed the help of a surgeon
C.Dr. Eyck was the boy’s father
D.Dr. Eyck was Haydon’s friend
2.The surgeon was late because ________.
A . he was stopped by the police
B.the weather was rather terrible
C.Clens Falls was too far from Albany
D.his car was taken away
3.Choose the right order of the following events given in the story.
a.Dr. Eyck was asked to come to the hospital in Clens Falls.
b.Dr. Eyck arrived at the hospital.
c.The boy shot himself.
d.The boy died.
e.The man in an old coat reached the hospital.
f.Dr. Eyck was robbed of his car.
A. c,e,f,a,b,d B. a,c,f,d,b,e C. c,a,f,e,d,b D. a,c,f,e,d,b
4.The boy could have been saved if ________.
A .he had not been sent to the hospital
B. his father hadn’t arrived in time
C.Dr.Eyck had arrived earlier than the man
D.Dr. Eyck had arrived there two hours earlier
The Internet has led to a huge increase in credit-card fraud. Your card information could even be for sale in an illegal website. Websites offering cheap goods and services should be regarded with card. On line, shoppers who enter their credit-card information may never receive the goods they thought they bought. The thieves then go shopping with your card number—or sell the information over the Internet.
Computer hackers have broken down security system and that raises questions about the safety of card-holder information.
Several months ago, 25,000 customers of CD universe, an on-line music retailer (批发商), were not lucky. Their names, addresses and credit-card numbers were posted on a website after the retailer refused to pay US $157,828 to get back the information.
Credit-card firms are now fighting against online fraud. Master-card is working on plans for web-only credit-card, with a lower credit limit. The card could be used only for shopping online. However, there are a few simple steps you can take to keep from being cheated.
Ask about your credit-card firm’s online rules: Under British law, cardholders are responsible for the first US $ 78 of any cheating spending.
And shop only at secure sites: Send your credit-card information only if the website offers advanced secure system.
If the security is in place, a letter will appear in the bottom right-hand comer of your screen. The website address may also start https://—the extra "s" stands for secure. If in doubt, give your credit-card information over the telephone.
Keep your password safe: Most on-line sites require a user name and password before placing an order. Treat your password with care.
1. The underlined word “fraud” in the first paragraph probably means_____________.
A. cheating B. sale C. payment D. use
2. According to this passage most people worry about shopping on the Internet because___________.
A. many stolen credit-cards are sold on the Internet every day
B. fraud on the Internet happens very often
C. many websites break down every day
D. there are too many illegal websites on the Internet
3. Thieves usually get the information of the credit-card, ______.
A. because many customers lost their cards
B. by paying money for people working in the information companies
C. because the customers tell them their password
D. by stealing the information from websites
4. The best title for the passage might be________.
A. How to Beat Online Credit-card Thieves
B. How to Shop on the Internet
C. Never Use Credit Cards without an Advanced Computer
D. Why Thieves Steal Credit-card Information
The wheel was one of man’s first inventions and yet it has also proved one of the most useful. So wide and varied are the uses of the wheels, in machines and vehicles of all kinds, that it is difficult to imagine what the world would be like without them. It is surprising to hear it said, therefore, that the wheel’s importance will perhaps be greatly reduced by the end of the century by an invention so new as to be still unnamed.
The invention is a machine the floats above any surface on a cushion of air. The cushion is formed when air is blown into this saucer, the machine rises to a height that may vary from a few inches to a few feet.
Industry is already using one form of the inversion to deal with heavy loads. It can lift them. with ease and since there are no wheels, and therefore no friction , they can be put into motion with the touch of a finger.
The new invention, however , is having a great effect on transport, Not only does it make expensive road systems unnecessary, but it enables vehicles to travel well over land or water. This unique to reach most destinations has given rise to the prediction that wheeled vehicles may be uncommon at the end the century as aeroplanes were at the beginning.
1. The first paragraph tells us that______.
A. the wheel was man’s earliest invention.
B. the wheel’s usefulness has yet to be proved.
C. wide wheels have a variety of important uses.
D. a new invention may make wheels less important.
2. The phrase “with the touch of a finger” in the third paragraph means______.
A. without difficulty B. by electricity .
C. without frictionD. by hand.
3. The passage tells us that the new invention __________.
A. is more important for industry than for transport.
B. will one day be used instead of aeroplanes.
C. makes it possible to travel without using roads.
D. will replace wheeled vehicles using roads.
4. According to the passage, the new invention _______.
A. will soon get a name B. can go almost anywhere
C. is lighter than air D. was uncommon a century ago