Few laws are so effective that you can see results just days after they take effect.But in the nine days since the federal cigarette tax more than doubled－to $1.01 per pack－smokers have jammed telephone “quit lines” across the country seeking to kick the habit.
This is not a surprise to public health advocates.They've studied the effect of state tax increases for years，finding that smokers，especially teens，are price sensitive.Nor is it a shock to the industry，which fiercely fights every tax increase.
The only wonder is that so many states insist on closing their ears to the message.Tobacco taxes improve public health，they raise money and most particularly，they deter people from taking up the habit as teens，which is when nearly all smokers are addicted.Yet the rate of taxation varies widely.
In Manhattan，for instance，which has the highest tax in the nation，a pack of Marlboro Light Kings，cost $10.06 at one drugstore Wednesday.In Charleston，S.C.，where the 7 cent a pack tax is the lowest in the nation，the price was $4.78.
The influence is obvious.
In New York，high school smoking hit a new low in the latest surveys－13.8%，far below the national average.By comparison,26% of high school students smoke in Kentucky.Other low tax states have similarly depressing teen smoking records.
Hal Rogers，Representative from Kentucky，like those who are against high tobacco taxes，argues that the burden of the tax falls on lowincome Americans “who choose to smoke.”
That's true.But there is more reason in keeping future generations of lowincome workers from getting hooked in the first place.As for today's adults，if the new tax drives them to quit，they will have more to spend on their families，cut their risk of cancer and heart disease and feel better.The text is mainly about ________.
| A．the price of cigarettes |
| B．the rate of teen smoking |
| C．the effect of tobacco tax increase |
| D．the differences in tobacco tax rate |
What can we learn from the last paragraph?
| A．The new tax will be beneficial in the long run. |
| B．Lowincome Americans are more likely to fall ill. |
| C．Future generations will be hooked on smoking. |
| D．Adults will depend more on their families. |
Rogers' attitude towards the lowincome smokers might be that of ________.
| A．tolerance | B．unconcern |
| C．doubt | D．sympathy |
What does the author think is a surprise?
| A．Teen smokers are price sensitive. |
| B．Some states still keep the tobacco tax low. |
| C．Tobacco taxes improve public health. |
| D．Tobacco industry fiercely fights the tax rise. |
Baseball (棒球) Match
Mr. Jenkins works in a middle school. There he teaches his students English. He works hard and is very busy. After supper, when his family watch TV, he always reads some newspapers in his room. At times Robert comes in and asks him to tell him a story. He likes his little son and does all what the boy wants.
One Sunday Mrs. Jenkins was doing some housework and Mr. Jenkins was reading a newspaper.
Robert came in but he didn’t say anything. About ten minutes later the boy showed a newspaper to him and called out, “There will be a baseball match tonight, Dad!”
Mr. Jenkins was surprised. He said to himself, “The boy is only three years old. How can he read the newspaper?”
He held up the newspaper and began to look for the news. But he couldn’t find it. At last the boy showed him an exclamation mark on the newspaper.Mr. Jenkins is a ______.
| A．doctor | B．teacher | C．driver | D．farmer |
Mr. Jenkins always reads newspapers after supper because ______.
| A．he’s very busy at school |
| B．he works hard at school |
| C．he wants to teach his son |
| D．he wishes his family to listen to him |
“An exclamation mark” in the story means ____.
| A．逗号 | B．冒号 | C．句号 | D．感叹号 |
Robert found ______ and called out.
| A．a baseball match | B．a piece of good news |
| C．a today's newspaper | D．an exclamation mark |
Mr. Jenkins thought ______, so he was surprised.
| A．there was a baseball match |
| B．his son bought a newspaper for him |
| C．his little son learned to read |
| D．his little son learned to write |
On New Year’s Eve, people in Italy throw out all the old things. So there are chairs, beds, clothes and plates in the trees. In Spain, the New Year comes in more quietly. In the evening people come together to the streets. Each holds a bag of grapes. When twelve o’clock comes, people start eating the grapes. In Japan, people eat noodles on New Year’s Eve. This food is said to bring long life. Early the next morning, some families climb Mount Fuji(富士山). There they watch the first sunrise(日出) of the New Year.This story is about New Year’s Eve in_______
| A．Italy | B．Spain | C．Japan | D．All of the above |
People in Spain welcome New Year by _______after twelve .
| A．eating grapes |
| B．eating noodles |
| C．throwing the old things |
| D．watching the sunrise. |
People in both Spain and Japan _______ to bring in the New Year.
| A．throw things away | B．get together |
| C．eat some food | D．climb a mountain |
Japanese climb Mount Fuji to _______
| A．look at the stars |
| B．look for New Year’s wishes |
| C．see the sun coming up |
| D．have a rest |
The people in _______ hope to get long life from their New Year’s food
| A．Japan | B．China | C．Spain | D．Italy |
In the rush to get to school, you drop a piece of toast on the floor. Do you throw it away or dec ide it’ s still OK to eat? If you’re like most people, you eat it. Maybe you follow the “5-second rule”, which claims foods are safe to eat if you pick them up within 5 seconds after dropping them. But you might want to think again. Scientists now say that 5 seconds is all it takes for foods to become polluted with enough bacteria（细菌） to make you sick.
Bacteria can cause many kinds of illnesses. Some kinds of bacteria can grow on food. If you eat foods on which these bacteria are growing, you can become sick.
One of these food-borne bacteria is Salmonella. It makes 1.4 million people sick every year. Salmonella is often found in raw eggs and chicken. Cooking kills these bacteria, which is why it is so important to cook eggs, chicken, and other foods thoroughly.
But how long does it take these bacteria to pollute food? A team of scientists in South Carolina did an experiment. First, they placed an amount of Salmonella on three surfaces; wood, tile (瓦片), and carpet. They placed a piece of bread and a piece of bologna（大腊肠） on each surface for 5,30, or 60 seconds. After just 5 seconds, both the bread and the bologna picked up enough bacteria to make you sick.
So forget the 5-second rule. If your toast drops on the floor, throw it away and get another piece of clean toast. This time, be careful not to drop it! In which part of a newspaper can you most probably find this passage?
| A．Culture | B．Health | C．Advertisement | D．Technology |
After dropping a piece of toast , a person who follows the “5-second rule”will
| A．throw away dirty toast immediately and go away |
| B．pick up the toast as quickly as possible and eat it |
| C．eat the toast within 5 seconds and feel pleased |
| D．get another piece of clean toast quickly and eat it |
The scientists in South Carolina did the experiment to
| A．see how quickly bacteria can pollute food |
| B．show that the 5-second rule a correct |
| C．see how harmful bacteria are to people’ health |
| D．show that bacteria grow at different speeds on different foods |
What’s the writer’s attitude to the “5-second rule”?
| A．Positive | B．Negative | C．Neutral (中立) | D．Cautious (谨慎) |
March, April and May are months full of festivals and events all over the world. Here are some wonderful festivals around the world that happen in spring.
SongKran--Thailand
Dates: 13th-15th, April
In Thailand, it’s time to celebrate the coming monsoon season, which will bring the rain many people have been looking forward to. They celebrate it with a festival called Songkran，when people head out to the streets with water guns to spray(喷，洒）everyone who walks past. If you walk on the streets where the festival is celebrated, prepare to get soaked!
Naghol--Vanuatu
Dates: Every Saturday from April to May
Every year, villagers come together to celebrate the harvest of yams, an important part in the people’s diet in Vanuatu. The festival is most famous for its “land di ving ceremony”. During the ceremony men and boys dive to the ground from high wooden towers with only two thin vines(藤条) attached(附于)to their ankles(脚踝）. The divers’ heads have to lightly touch the ground when they jump---something very dangerous if the vines are not measured（测量）properly.
Cherry Blossom Viewing ---Japan
Dates: The cherry blossom season is different from year to year depending on the weather forecast.
The cherry blossom season has huge importance to the people of Japan, who celebrate the days when the flowers finally blossom. Only a few days later, the petals(花瓣） fall to the ground, like pink snowflakes. This is one of the most beautiful things to see. In Japan, almost everyone has picnics in the parks to view the flowers.
Sinhalese New Year--Sri Lanka
Dates: 13th or 14th, April
Just like in many other countries in South an South East Asia, this is the time when the Sinhalese celebrate the traditional New Year, an ancient celebration which marks the end of the harvest season and is one of two times of the year when the sun is straight above Sri Lanka. There are a lot of delicious foods during the celebration.What does the underlined word “soaked” in Paragraph 2 probably mean?
| A．tired | B．wet | C．crazy | D．interested |
The writer thinks that the “land diving ceremony” can be dangerous for the divers because ___________.
| A．the divers may fall onto the ground if the thin vines break |
| B．the divers may bump into （撞在…上）the wooden tower on the way down |
| C．the divers’ ankles may get injured if the vines are tied too tightly |
| D．the divers may injure their heads if the vines aren’t measured properly |
. We can learn from the passage that__________________.
| A．the Cherry Blossom Celebration usually lasts a long time in Japan |
| B．the Cherry Blossom Celebration is the most important festival in Japan |
| C．the time for the Cherry Blossom Celebration in Japan can be different yearly |
| D．people usually stay at home for celebration during the cherry blossom season |
Harry is eighteen now. He studies in a middle school. His parents like him very much and hope he can become a famous man. So they often tell him to study hard and they do all for him. They call him at six in the morning. After breakfast his father takes him to school in a car and in the afternoon, as soon as the young man comes back, the supper is ready. Of course, he never washes his clothes or goes to buy something in the shops.
Once Harry’s father was sent to London on business. He would stay there for half a year. Before leaving, he told his wife to take good care of their son. The woman had to get up earlier and did all that her husband did before. And two months later she was so tired that she was ill in bed. Now the young man got into trouble. He couldn’t do any housework. He had to do as his mother told him. Even he didn’t know where to get on the bus!
Yesterday Harry’s mother found his shoes were worn out and told him to buy a new pair in the shop. But he didn’t know how to choose. The woman had a sigh(叹息) and gave him a shoe pattern(鞋样) and told him to buy a pair of shoes himself. It’s Saturday today and Harry doesn’t go to school. With a policeman’s help, he found a shop. The shopkeeper was friendly to him. The man brought a lot of shoes and asked him to choose. When he was trying on a pair, suddenly he remembered something and took them off. The man was surprised and asked, “What’s the matter, young man?”
“I’m sorry. I’ve left the shoe pattern at home!” _______ always does some housework in the morning.
| A．Harry’s father | B．Harry’s mother | C．Harry | D．Nobody |
Harry’s parents do all instead of him because _______.
| A．he’s too young | B．he has poor health |
| C．he’s busy with his studies | D．they hope he spends all time on studies |
When the man was in London, _______.
| A．Harry had to stay at home | B．Harry couldn’t find the bus stop |
| C．Harry fell behind in his class | D．Harry wouldn’t go to school |
We can infer from the passage that _______.
| A．Harry wanted his mother to buy shoes for him |
| B．Harry didn’t believe himself |
| C．Harry wouldn’t listen to his mother |
| D． Harry was strong enough to buy shoes for himself |