When 19yearold Sophia Giorgi said she was thinking of volunteering to help the MakeAWish Foundation (基金会)，nobody understood what she was talking about.But Sophia knew just how important MakeAWish could be because this special organization had helped to make a dream come true for one of her best friends.We were interested in finding out more，so we went along to meet Sophia and listen to what she had to say.
Sophia told us that MakeAWish is a worldwide organization that started in the United States in 1980.“It’s a charity(慈善机构)that helps children who have got very serious illnesses.MakeAWish helps children feel happy even though they are sick，by making their wishes and dreams come true，”Sophia explained.
We asked Sophia how MakeAWish had first started.She said it had all begun with a very sick young boy called Chris，who had been dreaming for a long time of becoming a policeman.Sophia said lots of people had wanted to find a way to make Chris’s dream come true－so，with everybody’s help，Chris，only seven years old at the time，had been a“policeman”for a day.“When people saw how delighted Chris was when his dream came true，they decided to try and help other sick children too，and that was the beginning of MakeAWish，”explained Sophia.
Sophia also told us the Foundation tries to give children and their families a special，happy time.A MakeAWish volunteer visits the families and asks the children what they would wish for if they could have anything in the world.Sophia said the volunteers were important because they were the ones who helped to make the wishes come true.They do this either by providing things that are necessary，or by raising money or helping out in whatever way they can.Sophia found out about MakeAWish because her best friend had________.
| A．benefited from it |
| B．volunteered to help it |
| C．dreamed about it |
| D．told the author about it |
According to Sophia，MakeAWish________.
| A．is an international charity |
| B．was understood by nobody at first |
| C．raises money for very poor families |
| D．started by drawing the interest of the public |
What is said about Chris in Paragraph 3?
| A．He has been a policeman since he was seven. |
| B．He gave people the idea of starting MakeAWish. |
| C．He wanted people to help make his dream come true. |
| D．He was the first child MakeAWish helped after it had been set up. |
Which of the following is true about MakeAWish volunteers?
| A．They are important for making wishes come true. |
| B．They try to help children get over their illnesses. |
| C．They visit sick children to make them feel special. |
| D．They provide what is necessary to make MakeAWish popular. |
There are one billion homeless people living in our world today . The Homeless World Cup exists to end this , so we all have a home , a basic human need .
The Homeless World Cup is an annual , international football tournament(锦标赛) , uniting teams of people who are homeless to take a once in a lifetime opportunity to represent their country and change their lives forever . It has inspired and supported over 50 grass roots(基层的) football projects around the world working with homeless people throughout the year .
The first tournament took place in Graz 2003 uniting 17 national teams. At the 5th Homeless World Cup in Copenhagen in 2004, 48 nations, 500 players were united for a once in a lifetime opportunity to represent their country. 25,000 players were involved in pre-tournament training and trials around the world. Melbourne is the host city for the next tournament from 1-7 December 2008.
The Homeless World Cup is full of players with courage , spirit and determination . Research shows that 73% of the players change their lives for the better after the international tournament by coming off drugs and alcohol , moving into jobs , education , homes , training , reuniting with families and even going on to become players and coaches for professional or semi-professional football teams . David Duke (Scotland) played in 2004 , came off alcohol , passed his coaching qualifications(资格) . He became assistant coach for Scotland 2005, coach in 2006 and now owns his own home . The best goal scorer in 2004 Yevgen Adamenko(Ukraine) went on to play in a professional club in Ukraine .
The Homeless World Cup supporters include Nike , UN , Manchester United , Real Madrid and international footballers Didier Drogba and Rio Ferdinand .Which of the following statements is true about the Copenhagen Homeless World Cup ?
| A．It took place in early December . |
| B．25,000 players entered the tournament . |
| C．Nearly 50 teams competed in the tournament . |
| D．David Duke won the best goal scorer in 2004 . |
Why does the writer give the examples of Yevgen Adamenko and David Duke in Paragraph
4 ?
| A．To attract people to join the Homeless World Cup . |
| B．To show the influence of the Homeless World Cup . |
| C．To show the popularity of the Homeless World Cup . |
| D．To inspire people to support the Homeless World Cup . |
The underlined words “ coming off ” in Paragraph 4 can be replaced by “”.
| A．giving up | B．falling in | C．cutting off | D．looking down |
The purpose of the Homeless World Cup is to.
| A．find a home for homeless people |
| B．collect money for homeless people |
| C．help the homeless kick bad habits |
| D．help the homeless start a new life |
Nelson Mandela is respected and admired across the world. And to South Africans he is a superstar. He is a hero who shocked the world by fighting for peace between races, despite the 27 years he spent in the prison of the South Africa’s white, racist regime(政权)
Mandela, who won the nation’s first all-race elections after the fall of apartheid(种族隔离) in 1944,retired in 1999. But he remains as popular as ever.
“He’s loved by all people, whether you’re white or black, whether you’re young or old,” said Ali Bacher, South Africa’s former cricket(板球) chief.
His popularity has inspired an entire national industry. His portrait has appeared at many places, including on some goods. His face has appeared on a South African coin, a metropolitan(首都)area was named in his honor and some business leaders hope to build a massive, rotating statue in his likeness---- the Statue of Freedom. It would stand taller than New York’s Statue of Liberty.
His popular appeal is similar to that of John F. Kennedy wth US or Winston Churchill in Britain, but few politicians in his times have achieved his level of admiration, said Tom Lodge, head of the political science department of the University of the Witwatersrand.“ Sometimes it isn’t completely appreciated what a skilled performer Mandela has been throughout his political career. He is a very ,very clever man,”However , he is far from perfect.
Most articles for his birthday, which appeared in every major South African newspaper on the day, briefly mentioned that Mandela did have his shortcomings. Then they returned to their flowing praises. “Through the ages, the human race has had its icons（偶像）---- men and women who rose above ordinary people to inspire their generation,” The Mail and Guardian Weekly said. “In our generation, the gods presented us Nelson Mandela.”Nelson Mandela is loved by all the people of South Africa because_____________.
| A．he’s as popular as Kennedy and Churchill |
| B．he spent 27 years in prison |
| C．he’s a great fighter against the racialism |
| D．he’s the first all-race elections president |
Which of the following statements about Mandela’s portrait is true ?
| A．It helps develop business |
| B．It appears on the Statue of Freedom |
| C．It is used to raise money for the Statue of Freedom |
| D．It is similar to that of John F. Kennedy or Winston Churchill |
The underlined sentence in the last paragraph means “_____________”
| A．Mandela is as great as a god |
| B．We are proud to live in Mandela’s time |
| C．Mandela lives together with us all |
| D．We are proud to know Mandela |
What can we infer from the text?
| A．Mandela is a very skilled politician |
| B．Most articles specially stressed Mandela’s shortcomings. |
| C．The Statue of Freedom is a present for Mandela’s birthday. |
| D．The article may have appeared in a newspaper on Mandela’s birthday. |
Three men were travelling across the desert when their car broke down. There were no other traffics, so their only hope was to walk.
Before they set off, they looked around in the car for useful things to take with them. One of the men took a bottle of whisky. Another took an umbrella. The third unscrewed a door from the car and carried that.
After they had been walking for almost a day, they came across a camel caravan travelling towards them.
“Let’s try to join the caravan,” one of the men said. “It’s going the wrong way but we’ll be safer than if we keep on alone across the desert.”
The other s agreed, so they asked the leader of the caravan for permission to join it.
“You can join the caravan only if you answer three questions,” he said. He pointed to the first man’s bottle. “What is that and why are you carrying it?” he asked.
“It’s a bottle of whisky. I decided to carry it with me so that if I feel miserable and want to give up, I can get drunk, cheer myself up and then keep on walking.”
“Very sensible,” the leader of the caravan said. Then he pointed to the next man and his umbrella.
“It hasn’t rained in the desert for many years,” he said. “Why are you carrying an umbrella?”
“I don’t want to get heat exhaustion,” he replied. “The umbrella will give me shade from the sun.”
“Very sensible,” the leader of the caravan said. He pointed to the third man and his car door. “And why are you carrying a car door?” he asked him.
“I thought that if I got too hot I could open the window and let some air in,” he explained.What happened to the three men’s car?
| A．It fell over a cliff. |
| B．It had an accident. |
| C．It stopped and wouldn’t start again. |
| D．They exchanged it for another one. |
Each of the men took ________.
| A．something to eat |
| B．something to drink |
| C．something to keep the rain off |
| D．something to use on their walk |
They decided to ________.
| A．travel with the caravan |
| B．buy a caravan |
| C．rent the caravan |
| D．put the caravan together |
They asked the leader of the caravan ______ __.
| A．if they could join the caravan |
| B．how to get out of the desert |
| C．how to avoid heat exhaustion |
| D．where he kept his umbrella |
The third man’s reason for carrying a car door was ________.
| A．long-winded | B．clever | C．silly | D．sensible |
After commuting, cooking dinner and doing household chores, the average parent has just 30 minutes to devote to their children in the evenings, according to a new study. One in four working parents worry that half an hour simply isn’t enough, while almost half fret that they aren’t a good enough parent during the week.
However, parenting experts believe just 12 minutes a day may be enough for mothers and fathers to fully reconnect with their child — as long as they ask the right questions. Child psychologist Dr Claire Halsey said asking a series of open-ended questions can help improve parents’ relationship with their children.
Among the questions recommended in the research are: “How many times have you smiled today — what made you laugh?”; “Can you act out what you did at breaktime?”; “Who is taller — mummy or your teacher?” and “What are the names of the toys you played with today?” Parents of older children are advised to start up a conversation with: “I’ve got a great story for you but I want one in return… you first!” or “Tell me some school gossip … I’m all ears!”
Dr Halsey, working with the makers of Ribena Plus, who commissioned the research, said: “There is no one as tough on their own parenting skills as a parent — but this study shows there is no need for parents to be so harsh. It’s hard for working parents to juggle all their responsibilities and it can feel like guilt is simply a parent’s lot — but it’s absolutely not. By using clever tactics such as a little preparation alongside use of open-ended questions — such as ‘Tell me what the best bit about your day was?’ — parents can reduce the time worrying about chores and work and spend more time learning about their children’s day.”The underlined word reconnect in Paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to ________.
| A．discuss | B． communicate | C． understand | D． combine |
According to Paragraph 1, almost half of the working parents ________.
| A．can spare only about half an hour to be with their kids every day |
| B．spend their daytime commuting, cooking dinner and doing household chores |
| C．worry that half an hour’s stay with their kids is far from enough |
| D．fear that they aren’t a good enough parent during the week |
What does the underlined sentence in Paragraph 3 mean?
| A．I will be glad to listen. |
| B．I will be very interested. |
| C．I will listen carefully. |
| D．I will call your teacher at school. |
Which of the following open-ended questions is for a three-year-old child?
| A．Where are you off to with your friends this weekend? |
| B．Who played the best in your football match today? |
| C．What science project are you doing at the moment and can I help with it? |
| D．What are the names of the toys you played with today? |
What does Dr Halsey intend to tell us in this passage?
| A．It is not necessary for parents to spend too much time with their children. |
| B．It is natural that working parents do not afford more time to reconnect with kids. |
| C．It is important that working parents learn more parenting skills. |
| D．It is clever that parents ask their kids questions instead of doing chores. |
If you see someone drowning, speed is very important. Once you get him out of the water, if he isn’t breathing, you have four minutes before his brain is completely destroyed. Support his neck, tilt（使翘起）his head back and press his chin（下巴）upwards. This stops the tongue blocking the airway in the throat and is sometimes enough to get him breathing again. If that doesn’t work, start mouth-to-mouth breathing. Press his nostrils（鼻孔）together with your fingers. Open your mouth and take a deep breath. Blow into his lungs until his chest rises, then remove your mouth and watch his chest fall. Repeat twelve times a minute. Keep doing until help arrives.
To bring a child back to life, keep your lips around his mouth and nose and gently blow into his mouth. Give the first four breaths as quickly as possible to fill the blood with oxygen. If, in spite of your efforts, he starts turning a blue grey color, you can feel no pulse（脉搏）,then pressing is the last chance of saving his life.
With arms straight, rock（摇动）forwards, pressing down on the lower half of the breastbone. Don’t be too hard or you may break a rib（肋骨）. Check how effective you are seeing if his color improves or his pulse becomes independent to your chest pressing. If this happens, stop the pressing. Otherwise continue until rescue arrives.This passage is mainly about ________.
| A．how to save people out of the water |
| B．how to give first aid to people who are drowning |
| C．how to do mouth-to-mouth breathing |
| D．how to save a child from a river |
Once you get a drowning man out of the water, if he isn’t breathing, you must first ________.
| A．get him breathing again |
| B．take him to the nearest hospital as soon as possible |
| C．find someone to help you |
| D．call the First Aid Centre |
In the last paragraph, the word “rescue” means ________.
| A．breath | B． doctor | C． help | D． pulse |
If the drowning boy has no pulse, ________.
| A．pressing his chin upwards is enough to get him breathing again |
| B．blowing air into his mouth is sure to save his life |
| C．pressing his nostrils together with your fingers can work |
| D．pressing his chest is the last chance of saving his life |
Which of the following statements is true?
| A．If a man fails to breathe for four minutes, his brain will be completely destroyed. |
| B．If you see someone drowning, you must give him mouth-to-mouth breathing. |
| C．Don’t stop pressing his chest, if the drowning man starts breathing again. |
| D．When pressing, you can do it as hard as you can. |