One suicide and three attempted ones that left two seriously injured, all by middle school students in Shanghai last week, cast a gloom (忧郁) over an otherwise happy beginning of a new term there. The terrible things took place even as the Ministry of Education and China Central Television organized the first lesson on TV about personal safety for students last Monday, the first day of the new semester. Such things suggest that this first lesson is more than necessary. Not only should kids be taught how to protect themselves in times of emergency, they should also be made aware of the value of tile2 One student was prevented from killing himself from his school building. He said he just could not accept the fact of not being able to go tip to a higher grade with his classmates, and thus considered life meaningless. Another 12-year-old boy who jumped off a building to his death was said to have been a good student, and no one could say why he chose to end his life. Obviously, their inner worlds were seriously affected. But when they chose to take their own lives, their irresponsible choice was clearly the result of a lack of adequate understanding of the value of life.
The ancient sage Confucius (孔子) stressed that one must protect even one's hair and skin from being hurt. He meant that the sense of responsibility for one's parents was important as far as the value of life was concerned. When we talk about the enthusiasm of making contributions to our motherland, we are referring to values that constitute the nobler part of the meaning of life. The value of life should be far beyond the concern for personal interest.
Undoubtedly, those kids who chose to take their own lives were faced only with their own sadness that they could not overcome. If they had a little concern for their parents, for their parents' expectations of them or for their own potential contributions to this world in the future, they would not have gone that far. Difficulties or sufferings are supposed to help kids develop their sense of responsibility and thus help them better understand the value of life.
Too much attention and care from their parents and grandparents have made most of the only children self-centered. Many think it is natural that they deserve to be taken care of by others in whatever way they want. They expect to have their problems solved by their parents or someone else. With such a false sense, they fail to grasp the tough reality of life. They suffer from the illusion (幻觉) that their life should be nothing but plain sailing, Whenever the illusion is broken, they can hardly gather enough courage to face life as it is. So a hotline is indeed necessary to help those kids who find it hard to accept the tough reality of life. But parents and teachers also need to take lessons from the things. They need to know that life should not always be sugar-coated for kids; they should be made to taste the bitter side too as early as possible.From the passage we know that _________.
| A．four students took their lives in Shanghai last week |
| B．being unable to catch up with other classmates led to the 12-year-old boy killing himself |
| C．the importance of life lies in the sense of responsibility for parents |
| D．parents are supposed to tell the kids the bitter side of life as well as the sweet side |
What mainly causes those kids to take their own lives is that _________.
| A．they are worried that they may fall behind others in studies |
| B．they lack the respect for their parents |
| C．they may be physically healthy, but mentally unhealthy |
| D．their parents expect too much from them |
Which of the following would be the best title of the passage?
| A．An irresponsible choice. | B．The value of life. |
| C．Weak-minded generation. | D．The reality of life. |
Brand is often regarded as the creation of western advertisement industry. However, the earliest “brand” could be traced back to the early civilization in China and Egypt. Earthenware(陶器)made in China thousands of years ago had signs or symbols of pottery makers, and domestic animals branded with marks could also be seen on wall paintings of ancient Egypt. These might be the first “brand” in history.
Time passes and the situation has changed. Nowadays Americans have “Cadillac”, Japanese have “Toyota”, Cermans have “Mercedes-Benz”, and they are all proud of the big brands they own. Chinese national brands are pale in comparison to their global counterparts. It is a reality which we cannot deny and have to face. With the globalization of brands and the internationalization of global competition, foreign brands are making constant efforts in attacking the Chinese market. Under the circumstances, the question that we must ask is：How can Chinese brands be ready for the challenge posed by foreign brands?
Many Chinese enterprises are single-minded in getting the attention of the international market and going into metropolises(大城市). Successful though they seem, they act ill-advisedly. We should be aware that it is the home market, especially the rural market with a population of 900 million people that provides the real development opportunity for Chinese national brands. That is why many powerful foreign brands are trying, with every possible means, to develop the Chinese rural market.
Quality is the life of a brand and consumers always choose products with first-class quality. The quality of Chinese products is very unstable so that it seriously affects the establishment of Chinese brands. Therefore, for those national brands determined to challenge foreign brands, the top task is to improve product quality. It must be clearly understood that, for a consumer who has bought a product, defects in 1% of your products mean 100% loss. Only if we create products with quality better than that of foreign brands can national brands be successful in competition. What is the question that we have to ask in face of foreign brands?
| A．How to run a company in foreign countries. |
| B．How to stay in harmony with the foreign brands. |
| C．How to catch up with the foreign company in service and price. |
| D．How to compete against the foreign brands. |
Which of the following would the author agree with?
| A．Quality is the most important element for a brand. |
| B．China’s international market is fully feveloped. |
| C．China’s products are matchless in the international market. |
| D．China’s goods are always of bad quality. |
Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?
| A．Metropolitan areas are what many Chinese enterprises focus on. |
| B．Pottery made in ancient China had signs or symbols of the makers. |
| C．The top target of foreign enterprises in China has been the rural market. |
| D．Chinese enterprises should try to get into the home market. |
What can be concluded from the passage?
| A．There’s no need for foreign brands to make constant efforts to compete with Chinese brands. |
| B．Ancient Chinese and Egyptians knew how to mark or symbolize their works. |
| C．Chinese enterprises can hardly build big brands people trust due to quality problems. |
| D．Chinese brands can only be successful in domestic market. |
Are you single and dreaming of an exciting voyage vacation, but unsure of the next step? You’re not alone! Many single travelers wonder which voyage will have the most singles on board, how they’ll meet other singles, what the voyage will cost and whether they’ll enjoy themselves.
Our hosted singles voyage is ideal for singles of all ages. No other form of travel affords as many opportunities to meet people and make friends. In fact, our Singles Division can help you find a singles voyage on a ship that’s just right for you and make sure you meet many other singles on board.
We’ve scheduled singles voyage on sailings throughout 2005, to all of the world’s greatest destinations. And we’ve selected popular itineraries(旅行路线)on large, newer ships for different audiences, so you can find one that suits your tastes.
If you’re looking for a roommate to cut costs, our Match Program can pair you with a samesex single in one stateroom(on hosted sailings only),enabling us to offer you the same perperson pricing that couples receive. We guarantee to find you a roommate, whenever you signup before the cutoff date. If we don’t, you only need pay the perperson, doubleoccupancy rate. If you prefer the privacy of your own stateroom, the single supplement rates will apply.
Either way, we’ll provide our own onboard host to organize singles cocktail parties, mixers, games, singlemingle dining and more. Once you’ve booked your voyage, we’ll also give you private access to our singles chat site where you can get to know other singles before you depart.
We expect our staterooms on these sailings will fill quickly, so please book early to avoid disappointment. To get started, click on any singles voyage in the calendar to the left. Hope to see you onboard!
Note: If you can’t take advantage of one of our hosted singles cruises but still wish to travel as a single, click here for more information.The voyage which is strongly recommended in the text is for________
| A．young singles |
| B．singles of all ages who want to meet people and make friend |
| C．single travelers |
| D．singles who intend to go to the world’s greatest destinations |
What can Match Program do for travelers according to the text?
| A．To match a single man with a proper woman. |
| B．To match a single woman with a proper man. |
| C．To have a match between samesex singles in one room. |
| D．To pair a willing person with a samesex single in one room. |
Which activity is NOT included in the voyage?
| A．Having singles cocktail parties. |
| B．Having private access to our singles chat site. |
| C．Mixers, games, singlemingle dining etc. |
| D．Finding a roommate. |
The text probably comes from_____________.
| A．a guide book |
| B．an ad on newspaper |
| C．a website |
| D．a magazine |
Vitamin E supplements(补充品)，which millions take in the hope of longer, healthier lives, may do more harm than good, researchers reported on Wednesday.
In fact, people taking high doses(剂量)of vitamin E may in some cases be more likely to die earlier, although the reasons are not clear, said Dr. Edgar Miller of Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, who led the study.“I think people take vitamin E because they think it is going to make you live longer, but this(study)doesn’t support that.”Miller told reporters.
Miller and colleagues reanalyzed 19 studies of vitamin E and health between 1993 and 2004. The tests involved more than 136,000 mostly elderly patients in North America, Europe and China. People who took 200 international units of vitamin E a day or more died at a higher rate during the study, which lasted three years, than people who did not take supplements, they told a meeting of the American Heart Association.“It’s about a 5 percent increased risk at 45 years in the tests combined together，”Miller said.“That doesn’t sound like a lot but if you apply it to 25 percent of the (U.S.)adult population taking vitamin E, that is significant.”
Miller, whose findings are also being published online by the Annals of Internal Medicine, said twothirds of people who take vitamin E supplements take 400 IU or more.“We don’t think that people need to take vitamin E supplements, which they can get enough from the diet,”he said. Nuts, oils, whole grains and green leafy vegetables are all rich in vitamin E. People take vitamin E supplements, hoping that________.
| A．they can lose weight easily |
| B．they may live a longer and healthier life |
| C．they can get more and more beautiful |
| D．they no longer need any medicine |
The following statements can give us information about Miller EXCEPT_________.
| A．Miller and his team based their research on 19 cases of vitamin E and health between 1993 and 2004 |
| B．Miller thinks it unnecessary for people to take vitamin E supplements |
| C．Miller supposes it impossible for people to get enough vitamin E from their diets |
| D．Miller played an important role in the tests conducted by the researchers |
Which of the following contains rich vitamin E?
| A．Nuts. |
| B．Whole grains. |
| C．Green leafy vegetables. |
| D．All of the above. |
What is this text mainly about?
| A．It is reported in a study that vitamin E may do more harm than good to people to live longer and get healthier. |
| B．Dr.Edgar Miller and his colleagues studied many cases of vitamin E and health. |
| C．Dr.Edgar Miller advises that people should not depend on vitamin E supplements for longer and healthier lives. |
| D．People who took 200 international units of vitamin E a day or more died at a higher rate than people who did not take supplements. |
Leaders and officials from foreign countries have extended congratulations on China’s successful launch(发射)of its first manned spacecraft.
Japanese Prime Minister Koizumi Junichiro called the launch of the Shenzhou V “a great feat” and said it showed China’s space science and technology has reached a very high level. Russian President Vladimir Putin said in his congratulatory letter to President Hu Jintao that China as a member of space club was conducive(有助于)to maintaining world peace and developing technology. The European Union(EU)also hailed China’s first successful manned space flight.
“The successful launch and safe return of a Chinese astronaut represents an important event for space exploration. Human space flight is a dream for all of us and opens a new chapter(篇章)for scientific and technological exploration of space,”EU research commissioner Philippe Busquin said in a statement.
“For the European Union, it remains a goal to be achieved. This effort can bring nations together and opens up new opportunities for scientific and technological cooperation,”he said.French Minister for Science Research Claudie Haignere, the first woman astronaut in Europe, said with China’s successful launch of the manned spacecraft,“the space age has entered a new historic period.” Other countries have also extended congratulations to China.
“ The successful launch of Shenzhou V is an honour for China,”said the newspaper on its front page, citing(引用)Chinese President Hu Jintao.
“October 15, 2003 is not only a date to be remembered forever by the Chinese people, but also ‘a splendid moment’in the history of space flight of mankind,”said the newspaper in its editorial section. The news covers_________.
| A．opinions about different countries |
| B．different opinions about China’s first manned spacecraft |
| C．congratulations from world leaders |
| D．China’s congratulations on the successful manned space flight |
When the Japanese leader said “a great feat”(in paragraph 2), he meant________.
| A．a great failure |
| B．a defeat after success |
| C．something above sea level |
| D．something difficult well done |
Which of the following is TRUE?
| A．Shenzhou V is China’s first manmade spaceship. |
| B．Shenzhou V is a manned spacecraft. |
| C．Russian President praised Hu Jintao for his speech. |
| D．China, as well as many other countries, realized the dream of space flying. |
On which day, the Chinese people have realized their dream of space flying?
| A．On April 12th, 1961 |
| B．October 1st, 1949 |
| C．October 16th, 1964 |
| D．October 15th,2003 |
If English means endless new words, difficult grammar and sometimes strange pronunciation, you are wrong. Haven’t you noticed that you have become smarter since you started to learn a language?
According to a new study by a British university, learning a second language can lead to an increase in your brain power. Researchers found that learning other languages changes grey matter. This is the area of the brain which processes information. It is similar to the way that exercise builds muscles. The study also found the effect is greater the younger people learn a second language.
A team led by Dr Andrea Mechelli, from University College London, took a group of Britons who only spoke English. They were compared with a group of “early bilinguals” who had learnt a second language before the age of five, as well as a number of later learners.
Scans showed that grey matter density（密度）in the brain was greater in bilinguals than in people without a second language. But the longer a person waited before mastering a new language, the smaller the difference.
“Our findings suggest that the structure of the brain is changed by the experience of learning a second language,”said the scientists.
It means that the change itself increases the ability to learn.
Professor Dylan Vaughan Jones of the University of Wales, has researched the link between bilingualism and math skills. “Having two languages gives you two windows on the world and makes the brain more flexible（灵活的），” he said. “You are actually going beyond language and have a better understanding of different ideas.”
The findings were matched in a study of native Italian speakers who had learned English as a second language between the ages of two and 34. Reading, writing, and comprehension were all tested. The results showed that the younger they started to learn, the better. “Studying a language means you get an entrance to another world,” explained the scientists. Which part will change more when a person studies a second language?
| A． grey matter density | B． the brain |
| C． mental system | D． musles |
Who can study a second language easier?.
| A． The adults | B．The teenagers |
| C． The children | D．The old |
The underlined word “bilingual” probably means .
| A． a researcher on language learning |
| B． a second language learner |
| C． a person who can speak two languages |
| D． an active language learner |
How do you understand the underlined sentence ( in paragraph 4 ) in the passage?
| A． It means that we can practise our brain by studying a second language |
| B． It means that the change itself increases the ability to learn |
| C． It means that learning a second language makes you more flexable |
| D． It means that learners will better understand the difficult ideas. |