Somali pirates(海盗) robbed three Thai fishing ships with 77 sailors on board nearly l，200 Miles off the Somali coast，the farthest-off-shore attack to date，an officer said Tuesday.
Pirates have gone farther south and east in answer to increased patrols(巡逻)by warships off the Somali shore. The robbing of the three ships Sunday was about 600 miles outside the normal operation area for the international force，said a spokesman．
The spokesman said the attack so far out at sea was a clear sign that the international patrols against pirates were having a “marked effect on pirate activity in the area”.
“Once they start attacking that far out，you’re not even really talking about the Somali basin or areas of water that have any connection with Somalia,” said an officer，Roger Middleton. “Once you’re that far out，it's just the Indian Ocean，and it means you’re looking at trade going from the Gulf to Asia，from Asia to South Africa.”
"This is the farthest robbing to date. They are now operating near the Maldives and India,” said another officer.
The three ships--the MV Prantalay 11，12，and l 4—had 77 members on board in total．All of them are Thai, the spokesman said. Before the Sunday robbing，pirates held l l ships and 228 sailors.
Pirates have increased attacks over the past year in hopes。f catching more dollar payments. Because of increased patrols and defenses on board ships，the success rate(率)has gone down，though the number of successful attacks has stayed the same year over year. The pirate attack reported in the text happened .
| A．far out in the Indian Ocean |
| B．in the normal patrol area |
| C．near the Somali, coast |
| D．in the south of Africa |
According to the text, which can best describe the situation of the pirate problems?
| A．More goods on board are lost. |
| B．Pirate attacks happen in a larger area now. |
| C．The number of attacks has stayed the same these years. |
| D．Pirate attacks are as serious as before along the Somali coast. |
Which is true about the warship patrols according to the text?
| A．The patrols are of little effect. |
| B．The patrols are more difficult. |
| C．More patrols are quite necessary even in Asia. |
| D．The patrols only drive the pirates to other areas. |
. How many sailors were held by the pirates up to the time of the report?
| A．228. | B．77. | C．383. | D．305. |
The earthquake that shook Japan with historic strength on March 11th, 2011 created a tsunami wave ten meters high. The water washed away boats, cars and houses in coastal areas north of Tokyo. It also led to tsunami warnings across the Pacific.
Scientists recorded the magnitude(震级) of the earthquake at 8.9.The United States Geological Survey says it was the fifth largest earthquake since nineteen hundred. The largest, with a 9.5 magnitude, shook Chile in nineteen sixty.
The quake struck near the east coast of Honshu, Japan's main island. It was centered under the sea about one hundred thirty kilometers east of Sendai.The tsunami washed away whole neighborhoods in Sendai.
So far (April 4th), the tsunami has taken 12, 0009 people's life away.
Now Japanese are all trying to rebuild their hometown, but there are too many difficulties.
The first, Japan is the world's third largest importer(进口商)of oil. The shortage of oil makes it almost impossible to carry the food, medicine and water to the quake area by cars.
The second, the Fukushima nuclear(核) power station was damaged by the March eleventh earthquake and tsunami. The extent of the problems is still not clear. Japan’s nuclear crisis(危机) may mean greater need of imported food.The underlined word in Paragraph 1 means______ in Chinese.
| A．地震 | B．核辐射 | C．海浪 | D．海啸 |
The largest earthquake happened in ______.
| A．Tokyo | B．the United States | C．Chile | D．Japan |
Japanese are facing ______ kinds of problems when trying to rebuild their hometown.
| A．one | B．two | C．three | D．four |
Why did the food, medicine and water can hardly carry to the earthquake area soon?
| A．Because of the shortage of oil. |
| B．Because of the damage of the roads. |
| C．Because of the nuclear crisis. |
| D．Because of the tsunami. |
Most families love home cooking! The food tastes good and warm, and a family meal brings everyone together．In some families, meals are often the only times everyone sees one another the same time．
Another reason people enjoy home cooking is that it is often a way of showing love．A parent who makes some cookies is not just satisfying（满足）a child’s sweet tooth． She or he is sending a message．The message says, “I care about you enough to spend an hour making cooking that you will eat up in 15 minutes if I let you．”
There is also something about the smell of home cooking．The smell of home cooking pleases people of all ages．It makes most of us feel good and loved----- even if we are the ones doing the cooking! Next time you smell a cake making, stop for a moment and pay attention to your mood（心情）．Why do fewer people cook now?
| A．They have no time． |
| B．Many people are too busy． |
| C．Many people don’t like cooking |
| D．They don’t like family meals． |
The writer thinks the smell of home cooking________．
| A．makes us happy |
| B．makes us be interested in cooking |
| C．makes us pay attention to our mood |
| D．makes us love others |
The writer writes this passage to tell us____________.
| A．family meals are important． | B．how to make cookies． |
| C．people are too busy to cook． | D．homemade cookies taste better． |
Dear Cary,
I’m writing because I’ve understood you’ve struggled with alcoholism(酗酒)．I’ve been fighting mine ever since I went through 9-11．After that，I’ve been more or less useless professionally –I’m a lawyer–and have had to resign from my job because I was discovered passed-out drunk in front of my computer. I’ve taken some medicine and it has helped somewhat. I can manage about a month without drinking，but after that I end up having a crazy stage where nothing matters except drinking．After a week or so of heavy drinking，I start having nightmares of people jumping. After that，it’s a week of not being able to get out of bed.
I was supposed to travel to a conference but didn’t make it because I got so drunk at the airport that I fell down on my face and spent the rest of the day in the emergency room. I have been hiding from my family since then．Fortunately they won’t be expecting me to come back for a week or so. Otherwise, they would notice the bump on my forehead and two black eyes．
I don’t really know what I’m asking you．Cary, I need a way out that doesn’t involve causing pain to my family．I’m taking medicine，but I still have these attacks every few months．If there’s alcohol in the house，I can’t stay away from it．It seems that this will never end. I’m afraid of what will happen if something bad happens，like a family member dying, or getting fired again．
Thanks for reading．
Yours TThe underlined sentence shows us all the following EXCEPT____________．
| A．that the author is a lawyer by profession |
| B．that the author is a lawyer and he seldom gets drunk |
| C．the reason why the author had to resign |
| D．that the author was once discovered drunk as a fish |
The author writes to Cary in order to____________．
| A．offer advice | B．tell a story |
| C．avoid nightmares | D．ask for help |
What is the author worried about?
| A．Losing his job | B．Missing the conference |
| C．Bring pain to his family | D．Giving up drinking |
What do we learn from the passage?
| A．T’s family members don’t want to see him because of his alcoholism． |
| B．Getting drunk once prevented T from attending a conference． |
| C．T will have nightmares when he stops drinking． |
| D．T never attempted to give up his alcoholism． |
We know from the passage that Cary____________．
| A．likes to talk about the details of his life． |
| B．is an expert on treating alcoholism |
| C．is probably a recovered alcoholic |
| D．never suffered from alcoholism |
Many television programmes are very realistic. One who watches TV often feels that whatever happened in the film could well happen to him. With only a little imagination, every man in the street becomes a thief, a spy or a murderer. Jane had been watching a spy film at her friend’s house. In it, a young girl had been followed and murdered. She felt a little frightened, walking to the station. She took a train back to the centre of the city. There were a lot of people traveling with her, so she felt much safer.
A man sitting opposite her, reading a newspaper, glanced at her. She thought nothing of it until she saw him staring at her. Remember the film and feeling very uncomfortable, she got off the train and went to the bus stop. When he got on the same bus as she did, she found that he was following her. As long as she had been with other people she wasn’t frightened. But when she got off the bus, the streets were almost empty. She walked as quickly as she could. She could hear footsteps following her but she didn’t dare to look around. After what seemed to have been hours, she was unable to find them, because she was so frightened. The footsteps stopped behind her. She felt a hand on her shoulder. Instead of feeling hands round her neck, however, she heard a pleasant voice. “I apologize if I frightened you. I’m your new neighbour. I thought I recognized you in the train, but I wasn’t sure.”Jane felt frightened, walking to the station, because ________.
| A．she had seen a murder on television |
| B．she was being followed |
| C．she had been at her friend’s house |
| D．she was a girl of rich imagination |
Jane’s friend lived ______ her.
| A．very near | B．a short distance away from |
| C．a long way from | D．next to |
Jane was really frightened because _______.
| A．the man who followed her was her new neighbour |
| B．the man apologized |
| C．the street was empty |
| D．she thought she met a murderer |
The man put his hand on her shoulder. He meant to _______ Jane.
| A．kill | B．be friendly to | C．frighten | D．play a joke on |
A girl will be frightened if ______.
| A．she often watches TV |
| B．she is followed by a stranger for a long time. |
| C．she meets her neighbour suddenly |
| D．she feels a hand on her shoulder |
Christopher Thomas, 27, was a writer by night and a teacher by day when he noticed he was always tired and was losing weight fast. Diagnosed with diabetes(糖尿病), Thomas would need to inject himself with insulin(胰岛素) three times a day for the rest of his life or risk nerve damage, blindness, and even death. And if that weren't bad enough, he had no health insurance.
After a month of feeling upset, Thomas decided he'd better find a way to fight back. He left Canton, Michigan for New York, got a job waiting tables, nicknamed himself the Diabetic Rockstar, and created diabeticrockstar.com, a free online community for diabetics and their loved ones—a place where over 1,100 people share personal stories, information, and resources.
Jason Swencki’s son, Kody, was diagnosed with type diabetes at six. Father and son visit the online children's forums(论坛) together most evenings. "Kody gets so excited, writing to kids from all over," says Swencki, one of the site's volunteers. "They know what he's going through, so he doesn't feel alone." Kody is anything but alone: Diabetes is now the seventh leading cause of death in the United States, with 24 million diagnosed cases. And more people are being diagnosed at younger ages.
These days, Thomas's main focus is his charity（慈善机构）, Fight It, which provides medicines and supplies to people—225 to date—who can't afford a diabetic's huge expenses. Fight-it.org has raised about $23,000—in products and in cash. In May, Thomas will hold the first annual Diabetic Rockstar Festival in the Caribbean.
Even with a staff of 22 volunteers, Thomas often devotes up to 50 hours a week to his cause, while still doing his full-time job waiting tables. "Of the diabetes charities out there, most are putting money into finding a cure," says Bentley Gubar, one of Rockstar's original members. "But Christopher is the only person I know saying people need help now."Which of the following is true of Christopher Thomas?
| A．He needs to go to the doctor every day. |
| B．He studies the leading cause of diabetes |
| C．He has a positive attitude to this disease. |
| D．He encourages diabetics by writing articles. |
Diabeitcrockstar.com was created for _________.
| A．diabetics to communicate | B．volunteers to find jobs |
| C．children to amuse themselves | D．rock stars to share resources. |
According to the text, Kody ______.
| A．feel lonely because of his illness |
| B．benefits from diabeticrockstar.com |
| C．helps create the online kid’s forums |
| D．writes children’s stories online |
What can we learn about Fight It?
| A．It helps the diabetics in financial difficulties. |
| B．It organizes parties for volunteer once a year. |
| C．It offers less expensive medicine to diabetics. |
| D．It owns a well-known medical website. |
The last paragraph suggests that Thomas ______.
| A．works full-time in a diabetes charity |
| B．employs 22 people for his website |
| C．helps diabetics in his own way |
| D．tries to find a cure for diabetes |