A Korean wave is sweeping across China, with many Chinese women worshipping South Korean actors Kim Soo Hyun and Lee Min Ho as demigods (半神半人). Chinese netizens have always been divided over South Korean TV dramas, but there is no doubt that programs from the neighboring country are now enjoying a new round of popularity in China. And a big part of the credit for that goes to You Who Came From The Star, the South Korean TV series which is on the air now.
Top South Korean actors Jun Ji-hyun and Kim Soo Hyun recently earned a popularity rating of 24.8 percent in their country, considered strong by Nielsen Korea. You Who Came From The Star and The Heirs have been subjects of hot online discussions throughout Asia. Besides, the book, The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane, read by the hero in You Who Came From The Star was a hard-to-get item on Amazon for a while.
The two TV programs have several common elements: a tall, handsome, and rich hero who loves the heroine blindly and always protects her, and an equally handsome man madly in love with the same woman. Both programs portray the purity of love, which is expressed through a kiss or a warm hug. Perhaps that’s the secret of their success; perhaps people are still fascinated by Cinderella-type stories.
The growing wealth gap is a matter of social concern both in South Korea and China, and the challenges that young people face in their search for a better life might have prompted (激起) many ordinary girls to dream of marrying rich, caring men. This is precisely what the popular South Korean TV dramas portray. In fact, South Korean TV dramas are tailored to meet the market’s demands.
In contrast, Chinese TV screens are flooded by knock-off (山寨) or poorly made soap operas. There are too many Chinese TV dramas that are either of the stereotyped (刻板的) war theme or just blindly copy foreign programs. The lack of good stories has resulted in loads of TV series on time travel or fights in the harems (后宫) of Qing Dynastyemperors. These, in short, are the pain of Chinese TV productions.
The shooting for South Korean productions generally starts when the scripts (脚本) are just one-third ready. Many popular productions have their own websites, where scriptwriters post part of the finished scripts, inviting viewers to leave messages, discuss the plot and come up with suggestions for future events. This not only keeps viewers’ interest in the TV dramas alive, but also helps scriptwriters and directors make changes to the storylines to suit the audience’s demand.
Hopefully, the innovation-induced (创新引导的) success of South Korean TV programs will prompt Chinese TV drama makers to think up new ideas and abandon their bad practice of copying foreign productions in order to attract more viewers at home, and possibly abroad.The main point the author emphasizes in this passage is ________.
| A．why Korean actors are more popular than Chinese actors |
| B．how the three Korean actors became famous around East Asia |
| C．what modern TV dramas need is not copying foreign programs but innovation |
| D．the Cinderella-type stories are an ever-lasting theme people are fascinated with |
Which of the following best explains people’s favor for The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane?
| A．The celebrity effect is powerful. |
| B．Drama stars are the best advertisements. |
| C．Rich and handsome heroes in dramas usually love reading. |
| D．A successful drama generally originates from a good novel. |
According to the passage, the secret to Korean TV dramas’ being successful is that ________.
| A．drama stars must be tall, rich and handsome or beautiful |
| B．scriptwriters should choose the appropriate themes for all viewers |
| C．drama producers have creative ideas to adapt to viewers’ interest and demand |
| D．people’s concerns such as wealth gap both in Korea and China are taken good care of |
What does the last paragraph imply?
| A．Abandoning copying foreign productions is the only way to attract viewers. |
| B．The Chinese TV drama makers should follow in the footsteps of the Koreans. |
| C．It’s hard to predict what the future TV dramas in China and Korea will be like. |
| D．A bright future of Chinese TV dramas can be expected prompted by the Koreans. |
A new survey finds that more than eighty percent of Internet users in the United States search for health information online．The survey found that searching online is one of the leading ways that people look for a second opinion though doctors are still the main source of health information．
Forty-four percent of people are actually looking for doctors or other providers when they search for health information online．Another finding of the survey: Two-thirds of Internet users look online for information about a specific disease or medical condition．
The Internet has also become an important source of e
motional support for people with health problems．Susannah Fox says one in five Internet users has gone online to find other people who have the same condition．It was more popular among people with more serious health issues—one in four people living with chronic diseases （慢性病）．And it was basically off the charts with pe
ople living with rare disease．They are so eager to find other people online who share their health concerns．
A disease is considered rare if it affects fewer than two hundred thousand people worldwide．The rise of social networking has made it easier for people with rare diseases to connect with each other and feel less alone．Social networking is also changing the way some doctors and patients communicate with each other．Dr．Jeff Livingston operates a medical center for women in Irving, Texas．His office uses password-protected software to share information with patients．
“We provide the patient full access to their medical care．Anything I can see, the patient can see．All of their notes, all of their doctor visits are right there．All 
of their lab work is right there．” Dr．Livingston says the software has increased efficiency, reduced costs and improved relations with patients．From the first paragraph, we can know _________．
| A．most online health information is reliable |
| B．more people now turn to the Internet for medical advice |
| C．people shouldn’t rely on the Internet for medical advice |
| D．doctors are no longer the patients’ first choice |
The underlined words “off the charts” in Paragraph 3 mean _________．
A．very popular |
| B．not accessible |
| C．far away from |
| D．not attractive |
By using social networking, patients with rare diseases can _________．
| A．find effective cures |
B．get emotion al comfort |
| C．ask for financial support |
| D．consult doctors anytime |
Which of the following is NOT true for Dr．Livingston’s software?
| A．It cuts down medical expenses． |
| B．It decreases the time spent on medical care． |
| C．It takes doctors closer to their patients． |
| D．It gives patients a medical test online． |
I’m writing to complain about the service offered by your company.
I told your service department on November 21 that my washing machine needed repairing, Your service engineers have since been here four times—on December 1l, December 19, December 25 and January 5．The problem was found out on the first visit and the wrong parts were brought by different engineers on the two next visits. The correct part was fitted by the first engineer on the fourth visit.
In short, my complaints are:
a．I had to wait three weeks for an engineer to call and nearly two months for the machine to be repaired.
b．The engineers who called on December 19 and December 25 had been given wrong information by the company, which made me take two half days off unnecessarily.
c．The first and fourth visits lasted a total of thirty minutes. But in the invoice （发票）, I have to pay for four visits of four hours’ work. I will not be paying the invoice for their mistakes and I do hope to receive your answers to these complaints.
Yours,
Robert WhiteRobert’s main purpose in writing to the company is to tell the company ________.
| A．how its service department is operating |
| B．how its different engineers came for the repair |
| C．that all of the engineers didn’t give him any help |
| D．that he refuses to pay the company for their mistakes |
The first of Robert’s complaints is that________.
| A．it took him three weeks to have the machine repaired |
| B．it took him nearly sixty days to get his machine repaired |
| C．it had been almost two months before the first engineer came |
| D．it took the engineer 3 weeks to find out something wrong with the machine. |
The second and third engineers brought the wrong parts because________.
| A．the company didn’t tell them exactly what they should do |
| B．the company didn't tell them where the correct parts were |
| C．they were not sure about whether the machine worked or not |
| D．they hadn’t been told where the right parts should be fitted. |
It can be inferred from the letter that Robert promises to pay for________.
| A．three hours’ work | B．half an hour’s work |
| C．an hour’s work | D．four hours’ work |
A shopkeeper sent his son to learn about the secret of happiness from the wisest man in the world. The boy walked a long way, and finally came upon the beautiful castle where the wise man lived.
On entering the main room of the castle, the boy was quite surprised: tradesmen coming and going, people chatting in the corners, and a small orchestra playing soft music. The wise man talked with everyone, and the boy had to wait for two hours before it was his turn.
The wise man listened carefully to the boy’s explanation of why he had come, but told him that he didn’t have time just then to explain the secret of happiness. He suggested that the boy look around the palace and return in two hours.
“Meanwhile, I want to ask you to do something,” said the wise man, handing the boy a teaspoon that held two drops of oil. “As you wander around, carry this spoon with you without allowing the oil to spill.”
The boy began to walk up and down stairs of the palace, keeping his eyes fixed on the spoon. After two hours, he returned to the wise man.
“Well,” asked the wise man, “Did you see the Persian tapestries（挂毯）in the hall? Did you see the garden that took the master gardener ten years to create?” The boy was embarrassed, and replied that he had observed nothing. His only concern had been not to spill the oil.
“Then go back and observe the wonders
of my world,” said the wise man. The boy picked up the spoon and returned to his exploration of the palace. This time he observed all of the works of art on the ceilings and the walls. When he returned, he described in detail everything he had seen.
“But where are the drops of oil?” asked the wise man. Looking down at the spoon he held, the boy saw that the oil was gone.
“Well, there is only one piece of advice I can give you,” said the wise man. “The secret of happiness is to see all the wonders of the world, and never to forget the drops of oil on the spoon.”When the boy arrived at the castle, he .
| A．received a warm welcome from the wise man |
| B．had already missed his chance to talk to the wise man |
| C．didn’t expect to see so many people around |
| D．was shown around the palace by the local people |
The wise man gave the boy two tasks in order to .
| A．teach him the secret of happiness |
| B．show him how to observe the wonders in the world |
| C．make him learn from his mistakes |
| D．let the boy enjoy his palace and garden |
We can infer from the article that “the drops of oil on the spoon” probably refer to ______
| A．the beauty of nature |
| B．the fortune a person owns |
| C．the responsibilities of a person |
| D．the great opportunities in life |
Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the article?
| A．The wise man was satisfied with the way the boy performed the second task |
| B．It took the wise man about 10 years to finish his garden. |
| C．The wise man wasn’t paying much attention to the boy at first. |
| D．The boy took no notice of the surroundings during his first task. |
The Atlantic Ocean is one of the oceans that separate the Old World from the New. For centuries it kept the America from being discovered by the people of Europe.
The Atlantic Ocean is only half as big as the pacific, but it is still very large. It is more than 4,000 miles (6,000 km) wide where Columbus crossed it. Even at its narrowest it is about 2,000 miles (3,200 km) wide.
There is so much water in the Atlantic that it is hard to imagine how much there is. But suppose no more rain fell into and no more water was brought to it by rivers. It would take the ocean about 4,000 years to dry up. On the average the water is a little more than 2 miles (3.2 km) deep, but in some places it is much deeper. The deepest spot is near Puerto Rico. This "deep" measures 30,246 feet --- almost six miles (9.6 km).
Several hundred miles eastward from Florida there is a part of the ocean called the Sargasso Sea. Here the water is quiet, for there is little wind. Today the Atlantic is a great highway. It is not, however, always a smooth and safe one. Storms sweep across it and pile up great waves. Icebergs float down from the Far North across the paths of ships. We now have such fast ways of travelling that this big ocean seems to have grown smaller. Columbus sailed for more than two months to cross it. A fast modern steamship can make the trip in less than four days. Airplanes fly from New York to London in only eight hours and from South America to Africa in four!From the third paragraph, we can learn that ______ .
| A．the Atlantic will dry up in 4,000 years' time |
| B．no river flows into the Atlantic ocean |
| C．it's hard to imagine how much water there is in the Atlantic ocean |
| D．the Ocean floor is rather flat |
Suppose it's February 27th, 2000. You take a steamship to cross the Atlantic to North America, when will you probably get there?
| A．On March 2nd | B．On March 3rd |
| C．On February 28th | D．In eight hours' time |
What can you learn from the last paragraph of the passage ?
| A．The Atlantic has grown smaller than it used to be. |
| B．The Atlantic had grown wider than it used to be. |
| C．Fast ways of travelling make the ocean grow smaller. |
| D．Fast ways of travelling make the ocean seem to grow smaller. |
Nodira, 18, lives in the Tashkent region of Uzbekistan. She was born with a rare disease and is now paralyzed(瘫痪) from the waist down. Her life is confined to a wheelchair but her dreams know no such boundaries. Her hopes for the future include attending university, riding in her father’s car and being able to walk like other children.
Nodira, which means ‘unique’ in Uzbek, is one of five children in a poor family. Every morning, after reciting her prayers, Nodira feeds the hens and goats from her wheelchair. The rest of her day is spent knitting for other people and helping her mother with the household chores.
Nodira has never been to school because it is too far from her home and inaccessible for her wheelchair. A local teacher used to come and tutor her at home and, as a result, she was able to finish third grade. After that, her parents moved to another town and the tutor could not visit as much.
Despite the many difficulties in Nodira’s life she is lucky to be living with 
her family. The stigma(羞辱) attached to the children living with disabilities, combined with the lack of wheelchair access in schools and the economic difficulties faced by many Uzbek families, have led many parents to place children with disabilities in special institutions.
These days, Nodira does homework exercises at home and reads as much as she can. Still, it is unlikely that she will be able to finish her primary education, much less attend university. While missing out on an education is a great disappointment to Nodira, her greatest wish, for a true friend, can still come true. “What I want more than anything is a friend who also has a disability,” she says. “Somebody will not feel sorry for me or make fun of me, and will understand what my life is like.”The underlined sentence in the first paragraph probably means “_____”.
| A．her dreams will help her desert her wheel chair |
| B．her dreams are never limited by her disability |
| C．she often dreams of moving freely without a wheel chair |
| D．she never dreams of recovering from her disability |
Nodira does all the following every day EXCEPT _____.
| A．give food to some animals |
| B．to make clothes from woolen or cotton thread |
C．drive cars designed  for the disabled |
| D．help with the housework |
The underlined word “tutor” in the 3rd paragraph can be replaced by “_____”.
| A．educate | B．visit | C．treat | D．comfort |
What Nodira wants most is ______.
| A．to go to university |
| B．to walk on her own feet |
| C．to finish her primary education |
| D．to find a true friend |