People think what I do is so wonderful because I interview stars.And I have to admit that when I first started working at Sassy in 1987 I was excited about that part of my job for the first couple of months，anyway.Then I noticed how stars would fool me around for months.I could never get enough time with a star to find out anything interesting，and some acted just simply rudely.I started hating the way I was treated，and I was really disappointed to see that these people I had worshipped (崇拜) before were pretty ordinary.So I decided I would just tell the truth instead of keeping up their myths (神秘)．If the star was a bad guy，I would say so.If I thought anyone was stupid，I did not hold back that information.
I thought readers would appreciate that kind of honesty.Surprisingly，many of them hated me for it.I have gotten so many attacks on my character.In their eyes，being famous is everything，even more desirable that being truly creative and talented.
Why do we need stars？In fact，the media created stars to satisfy our basic need for gossip (闲聊)．Over time，talking about people we have never met and we are never likely to meet has become what we are crazy about.Thus，some people are more interested in the personal lives of the stars than in the lives of their own family and their own friends.That is why it is so ridiculous when a star wants to discuss only his or her work in an interview—as we care.We want the dirt on their personal lives.
There is another reason we worship stars.As a whole，our society is not as religious as it once was.It seems that people need something to fulfill them the way religion once did.Star worship exists as an unfulfilling desire for true heroes.
We make them stars，but then their reputation makes us feel unimportant，and we truly feel better about ourselves when they die.I am part of this whole process.No wonder I feel soiled at the end of workday.What are the stars like according to the author?
| A．They always treat others rudely. |
| B．They always talk about something dull. |
| C．They are actually ordinary people. |
| D．They are usually honest and polite. |
We worship stars because ________.
| A．we need true mental heroes to support us |
| B．we can learn something useful from famous stars |
| C．we concern about the stars，family and friends |
| D．we like talking about the star's dressing styles |
When the author is writing this article，his tone sounds ________.
| A．excited | B．angry |
| C．worried | D．calm |
What is the main purpose of the author writing the passage?
| A．To show the disadvantages of working with stars. |
| B．To remind us not to worship famous stars blindly. |
| C．To laugh at the failures of stars he has interviewed. |
| D．To talk about the reasons why we worship stars. |
Father’s Day has a very short history. It was started because there was a Mother’s Day. And just because some Americans thought that if we had a Mother’s Day, we should also have a Father’s Day. Father’s Day has become important in North America. And shopkeepers found it was a good way to get people to buy presents for their fathers, presents from their shops.
By the way, very few countries have a Father’s Day, though some have Children’s Day, or a special day for boys and another for girls. More and more countries are having Mother’s Day, so maybe Father’s Day will also become popular before too long. Now, what do people in North America do on Father’s Day? The newspapers, radios, and TV tell children what they should do－buy a Father’s Day present for your father. They even tell a wife to buy a Father’s Day present－not for her father but for her husband, even if he is not yet a father. And they tell grandchildren to buy a Father’s Day present for their grandfathers.
The important thing to remember about Father’s Day is that American children can show their love to their fathers in a more open way.Father’s Day was started just because.
| A．there was a Mother’s Day | B．there was a Children’s Day |
| C．people liked their fathers a lot | D．fathers were more important |
Which of the following is NOT true?
| A．Many countries have a Father’s Day. |
| B．Father’s Day has a long history. |
| C．Father’s Day has become important in North America. |
| D．Maybe Father’s Day will become popular before too long. |
In America, people have a Father’s Day to.
| A．go shopping with their fathers | B．help their fathers do something |
| C．show their love to their fathers | D．get money from their fathers |
On Father’s Day, shopkeepers always want.
| A．people to buy as many presents as possible |
| B．children to buy presents only for their fathers |
| C．women to buy presents only for their husbands |
| D．grandchildren to buy a Father’s Day present only for their grandfathers |
It can be learned from the article that.
| A．the writer is against Father’s Day |
| B．many countries have a Father’s Day |
| C．shopkeepers can get more money on Father’s Day than usual |
| D．We don’t need to have a Father’s Day |
Sydney Tower
Address: 100Market St, Sydney
Phone: 02 9333 9222
Fax: 02 9333 9203
Open time: 9:00am to 10:30 pm(Saturdays to 11:30 pm)
Ticket: $60 (for an adult)
$30 (for a child)
Website: www.sydneytower.com.au
How to get there: train to Town Hall Station and a short walk along Market Street
How to book tickets: by phone/ fax or through the web
Attraction: Sydney’s best views are just the beginning! Sydney Tower takes you to the highest point above Sydney for exciting 360°views of our beautiful city.Sydney Tower is ______ in Sydney, Australia.
| A．the busiest street | B．the biggest station |
| C．the most beautiful park | D．the highest point |
If you want to book a ticket to Sydney Tower, you can’t _______.
| A．email sydneytower @ hotmail, corn | B．fax 02 9333 9203 |
| C．search www.sydneytower, com. au | D．dial 02 9333 9222 |
Frank wants to go to Sydney Tower with his two children, he will pay ________.
| A．$60 | B．$90 | C．$120 | D．$150 |
Last Saturday, Johnson went to visit Sydney Tower. He had to get down the tower _________.
| A．after 11:30 pm | B．before 11:30 pm |
| C．at 10:30 pm | D．by 10:30 pm |
The passage, above is probably________.
| A．a piece of news | B．a conversation |
| C．a story | D．an advertisement |
[1] One out of many important things for the whole family to do is to have dinner together. Researchers began reporting the benefits of family dinner about a decade ago, focusing mainly on how it affects children. Studies show that those families who eat dinner at least 3 or 4 times a week together, benefit in many ways.
[2] Eating together helps families achieve open communication and build stronger and healthier relationships. Children have better grades at school and are better adjusted as teens and adults, and the entire family enjoys healthier nutrition. For many families, eating dinner together proves to be a good and effective way to reduce the risk of youth rates of addiction, and helps to raise healthier children. It is also a great time to share the events of the day, discuss news and ideas and just be together and enjoy each other's company.
[3] During dinner time parents have better opportunity to show that they are the prior to their children. Sitting at the same table and sharing meals is where and when parents can find out more about their children's school performance, daily activities and attitudes toward life. When parents have all this information they can better direct their kids toward positive things in life. They also have better chance to reduce the possibility that children will get involved with alcohol, tobacco, and illegal drugs.
[4] However, family researchers say that the benefits of family dinner by no means can be considered as automatic. Parents can sit down to dinner with their kids every day and achieve nothing. ______ if there is too much arguing going on, if there is no meaningful conversation or, what is even worse, if there is just plain silence during gathering. What is the main idea of the text? (no more than 8 words)
List two benefits that parents can get by having dinner together with children.(no more than 15words).
Fill in the blank in Paragraph 4 with proper words (no more than 8 words).
What information can parents probably get about their children at family dinner? (no more than 12 words)
What does the word “it” (line 3, paragraph 1) probably refer to? (no more than 3 words)
He is a real turtle（海龟）.
Someone who always moves very slowly.
She is such a sheep.
A follower; someone who can’t think for him or herself.
He’s being an ostrich（鸵鸟）.
Someone who hides his/her head in the sand and refuses to face problems or reality.
He’s a lamb.
A gentle, patient, understanding person. Nice and considerate.
What a crab（蟹） he is!
A grouchy（发牢骚的） person; someone who is often angry and in a bad mood.In which of the following situations are the people acting like sheep?
| A．A teenager tells a small child to stop bothering an animal. |
| B．A young man is driving fast because all his friends do. |
| C．Someone runs for monitor of the senior class in the school. |
| D．People are walking and singing together along the road. |
If a person is like a turtle, which of these is most likely to be a problem to him or her?
| A．Keeping the house clean. | B．Learning a new language. |
| C．Getting to school on time. | D．Saving money for future use. |
Buddy hates to wake up on Monday morning. He doesn’t speak to his wife or children, and he often shouts at the other drivers on his way to work. Everybody stays out of his way at least until noon time. After that he’s all right. Buddy’s boss says, “ Buddy is a good guy, but on Monday morning, he’s an absolute _________.”
| A．crab | B．lamb | C．turtle | D．ostrich |
Jerry has not been well for weeks. He knows he has a problem but he is afraid to see a doctor .If he is sick, he doesn’t want to know about it. His wife says, “ Jerry, don’t be a(n) __________. Go to the doctor. She can help you get of your illness.
| A．crab | B．lamb | C．sheep | D．ostrich |
Climate change，pollution，overuse of water and development are killing some of the world’s most famous rivers including China’s Yangtze．India’s Ganges and Africa’s Nile．WWF said on Tuesday．At the global launch of its report “World’s Top 10 Rivers at Risk”，the group said many rivers could dry out, affecting hundreds of millions of people and killing unique aquatic（水生的）life．
“If these rivers die，millions will lose their livelihoods，biodiversity（生物多样性）will be destroyed on a massive scale，there will be less fresh water and agriculture，resulting in less food security，”said．Rayi Singh，secretary—general of WWF—India．The report launched ahead of “World Water Day” today，also cited the Rio Grande in the United States，the Mekong and Indus in Asia，Europe’s Danube, La Plata in South America and Australia’s Murray—Darling as in need of greater protection．
Rivers are the world’s main source of fresh water and WWF says about half of the available supply is already being used up．Dams have destroyed habitats and cut rivers off from their flood plains．while climate change could affect the seasonal water flows that feed them，the report said．Fish populations，the top source of protein and overall life support for hundreds of thousands of communities worldwide，are also being threatened, it found．．The Yangtze basin is one of the most polluted rivers in the world because of decades of heavy industrialization，damming and huge influxes（流入）of sediment（积淀）from land conversion．
Climate change，including higher temperatures，also means serious consequences for fishery productivity，water supply and political security in Africa’s arid Nile basin．Tributaries（支流）flowing into the Ganges are drying up because of irrigation，WWF said．hat is the text mainly about?
| A．Saving fresh water in our life． | B．How to protect our rivers． |
| C．An important discovery． | D．World’s top 10 rivers are at risk． |
We can infer from the text that _____．
| A．rivers’ dying out could affect food security |
| B．there are four Asian rivers mentioned in the passage |
| C．the Yangtze is polluted thanks to the lack of enough tributaries |
| D．higher temperatures couldn’t affect fishery productivity |
The top 10 rivers are fast dying as a result of the following EXCEPT _____．
| A．climate change | B．wasting water | C．pollution | D．dams |
WWF is probably a name of _____．
| A．an organization | B．a newspaper | C．a magazine | D．a report |