Every people uses its own special word to show its ideas and feelings. Some of these expressions are commonly used for many years. Others are popular for just a short time. One such American expression is “Where’s the beef? ”It is used when something is not as good as it is said to be. In the early 1980s“Where’s the beef? ”was one of the most popular expressions in the United States. It seemed as if everyone using it at the time. 
Beef, of course, is the meat from a cow, and this kind of food is more popular in America than a hamburger made from beef. In the 1960s a businessman named Ray began building small restaurants that sold hamburgers at a low price. Ray called this “McDonald’s”. Ray became one of the richest businessmen at last in America.
Other business people watched his success. Some of them opened their own hamburger restaurants. One company called “Wendy’s” said its hamburgers were bigger than those sold by McDonald’s or anyone else. The Wendy’s Company began to use the expression “Where’s the beef ? ”to make people know that Wendy’s hamburgers were the biggest. The Wendy’s television advertisement showed three old women eating hamburgers. The bread that covered the meat was very big, but inside there was only a bit of meat. One of the women said she would not eat a hamburger with such a little piece of beef. “Where’s the beef? ”she shouted in a funny way. The advertisement for Wendy’s hamburger restaurants was success. As we said, it seemed everyone began using the expression “Where’s the beef? ”. started McDonald’s restaurant.
| A．Ray | B．McDonald |
| C．Wendy | D．Three old women |
Other people wanted to open hamburger restaurants because they thought
.
| A．they could sell hamburgers at a low price |
| B．hamburgers were easy to make |
| C．beef was very popular in America |
| D．they could make a lot of money |
Wendy’s made the expression known to everybody .
| A．with many old women eating hamburgers |
| B．by a television advertisement |
| C．while selling bread with a bit of meat in it |
| D．at McDonald’s restaurant |
We can learn from the passage that the expression “Where’s the beef ? ” means .
| A．The beef in hamburgers is not as much as it is said to be |
| B．The hamburgers are not as good as they are said to be |
| C．It is used when something is not as good as it is said to be |
| D．Wendy’s is the biggest |
Scientists have created a “ human-like robot” that can dance and do the housework.
“ Mahru” has been developed to imitate humans and can move its lips, eyebrows and pupils(瞳孔). The machine can also move its upper and lower body freely and automatically stop itself when walking.
In addition, it has been programmed to give out two kinds of pleasant smells to match its emotions.
The 1.5 tall robot was produced by researchers at the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST) and is the first South Korean- developed machine of its kind.
“‘Mahru’ will open the way for the commercial use of humanoid robots doing housework,” You Bum-Jae, leader of the development research team ,said. “‘Mahru’ can dance while walking on its legs and is able to work in place of a human.”
Through an advanced motion capture (捕获) system, “Mahru” can follow a variety of human movements and move its hands freely enough to deal with any obstacles that may get in its way when walking.
State-funded KIST showed the robot during a presentation at its head office in Seoul.
People here were treated to an entertaining demonstration which saw the robot show off the full range of its skills, most notably s series of dance moves.
The research team added that they had designed another “ Mahru”, this time with sensors(传感器) allowing it to distinguish(分辨) between faces and objects.
The showing of “ Mahru” came a week after researcher in Japan said they had created the “most human-like” robot in the world. A team at robotics department of Osaka University in Japan claimed that “ robogirl”, Repliee R-1, “ looks, moves and interacts (相互作用) like a human, and has silicone(硅胶) skin that feels almost human to the touch.” “Mahru” made by KIST can do the following things EXCEPT____________
| A．dance with other human –like robots | B．move its body freely |
| C．stop automatically when walking | D．express certain feelings through smells |
According to what You Bum- Jae said in Paragraph 5, his research team wants to ________.
| A．help robots with doing housework | B．show its scientific power |
| C．make Mahru offer more fun | D．explore Mahru’s commercial use |
When Mahru” meets something in its way, it will be likely to________.
| A．go around it | B．turn back quickly |
| C．deal with it using its hands | D．ask humans for help |
According to the last paragraph, Repliee R-1 __________.
| A．is another Mahru | B．was made by KIST |
| C．has skin feeling similar to humans’ | D．looks like a boy |
The passage is probably a __________.
| A．news report | B．research report | C．healthy report | D．entertainment report |
"S. H.E. is going to sing at the CCTV annual Spring Festival Evening Party, is that true?" cried out Peng Weiye, a Senior 2 girl in Shanghai and die-hard S. H.E. fan.
After checking it on the Internet, Peng quickly phoned friends to spread the news. For fans like her, S. H. E. ’s performance is perhaps the only part of the old fashioned evening to get excited about.
The Taiwanese band is made up of Selina, Hebe and Ella. Their name comes from the first letter of each of the singers' English names.
Last week S. H. E. announced they would perform in Las Vegas, US, over Christmas and then in Guangzhou on January 15.
At their Shanghai show on October 30, hundreds of parents waited outside the Hongkou Stadium. Inside, thousands of teenagers sang, cried and shouted as the band performed.
"I love their music, healthy image and everything related to them. Thank God that, although my parents don't understand why I love them so much, they still bought me a ticket for that show," said Peng about the Shanghai performance.
It is not just on the mainland that the three girls have made audiences much excited. In the past year the band has passed through Taiwan, Hong Kong and even Singapore and Malaysia.
When the three high school girls entered a singing contest in Taiwan in 2000, none of them ever dreamed of being a superstar. "We had never met before, and we didn't talk at all at the beginning," recalled Ella.
When asked about the secret of their success, she said, "Our average looks and not-so-expensive clothes keep us close to our fans. We are happy to be the girls next door, your singing sisters."
"It's really a magical journey, from day-dreaming high school girls to singers performing on the same stage as our idols(偶像). Nothing but magical," she said. Why was Peng Weiye, a Senior 2 girl, so excited?
| A．S.H.E. band will get the old fashioned evening exciting. |
| B．S. H.E. will perform in Las Vegas over Christmas. |
| C．Her parents bought her a ticket for S. H. E. Is Shanghai show. |
| D．S. H.E. will perform on the CCTV Spring Festival Evening Party. |
How did the Taiwanese band get the name?
| A．Their fans gave the name to them. | B．Their idols had a deep influence on them. |
| C．A singing contest gave their idea of the band name. | |
| D．The first letters of Selina, Hebe and Ella form the band name. |
What do you know about Peng Weiye?
| A．She stayed outside the Hongkou Stadium to listen to S. H. E. 's performance. |
| B．She will watch the performance in Guangzhou on January 15. |
| C．She pays close attention to everything about S. H. E. |
| D．She was grateful that her parents understood and supported her. |
Which is true about S. H. E. ?
| A．The secret to their success is their pretty faces and lovely clothes. |
| B．They were close friends when they entered a singing contest. |
| C．They caused a storm of excitement in Southeast Asia. |
| D．They have well prepared to perform with their idols. |
Which do you think is NOT the reason for S. H. E’s popularity among their fans?
| A．Their music and their healthy image. |
| B．Their success meets their fans’ day dream of becoming others’ idols. |
| C．They can make audience much excited |
| D．Their average looks and not-so-expensive clothes keep them close to their fans. |
Let’s say you have a piece of wood, a nail, and hammer. Pretend the wood is a person, the nail is a mean rumor (谣言) about that person. If you hammer in the nail, you’re obviously hurting him or her. If you then pull out the nail, there’s still a hole in the wood, and the damage has been done.
There are many reasons why that nail of a rumor can be so harmful. Rumors are, quite simply, a form of bullying (欺悔). When a person or a group makes up a rumor about someone or decides to spread gossip, it’s usually to hurt someone, break up a friendship, or make someone less popular. It’s the same thing as teasing, only it’s done behind someone’s back instead of to his or her face.
When you spread a rumor about someone, you’re sending a signal that the person is outside of the group, and somehow less worthy of friendship than others. You’re making fun of that person or pointing out negative things about him or her. This can let others think that it’s okay to make the person feel bad, and make him or her an outsider.
We need to be able to trust our friends, and gossip and rumors can break this trust. If you tell a personal secret to a friend, and he turns around and tells it to someone else, you might feel like you will get burned if you ever get close to him again.
Letting a rumor influence your behavior is like letting someone else make a big decision for you. Let’s say you hear that the teacher plans to call a Snow Day tomorrow because a blizzard (暴风雪) is coming. Expecting a day off, you don’t do your homework. The next morning, the blizzard turns out to be nothing more than a drizzle（毛毛雨）, and school isn’t off after all. You get zeroes on your work.The purpose of the first paragraph is to .
| A．help readers know what a rumor is | B．attract readers to read the following paragraphs |
| C．emphasize the damaging effects of rumors | D．explain how a rumor spreads |
To tell a rumor and a tease apart, you depend on .
| A．whether it is done behind someone | B．whether it is painful or not |
| C．whether it is a kind if bullying | D．whether it is spread fast |
If a rumor is spread about someone, others may .
| A．point out his or her advantages | B．keep away from him or her |
| C．not feel he or she is an outsider | D．be hurt if getting close to him or her again |
From the last paragraph, we can infer that .
| A．it is hard to keep rumors a secret | B．rumors can destroy your interest in learning |
| C．believing rumors can lead to bad choices | D．rumors can control your whole life |
The purpose of this passage is to .
| A．advise on how to deal with rumors | B．teach us how to judge a rumor |
| C．find out why rumors spread fast | D．explain why rumors hurt |
Experts do not really know when people began keeping fish as pets. But they say that people have been interested in fish for thousands of years. Some say the ancient Sumerians were the first civilization to keep fish in ponds more than four thousand years ago. The Chinese kept and studied carp and goldfish more than one thousand years ago. The ancient Romans kept eels as pets. And the Greek philosopher Aristotle made what is believed to be the first known study of sea life, including sharks and dolphins.
Keeping fish at home in small water tanks called aquariums is extremely popular today. And everyone seems to enjoy visiting huge public aquariums that have opened around the world.
By the middle of the eighteen hundreds, science had shown that plants, fish and other sea creatures could survive together under water. So it was no longer necessary to change the water in a tank for the fish to live there. This led to the building of the first public aquariums.
The first aquariums opened in London, England in 1853. in the next fifteen years, other aquariums opened in Europe and the United States. By 1928, there were about forty-five public aquariums.
The Monterey Bay Aquarium has been recognized as the first aquarium in the United States and it shows visitors the underwater life in the bay. The Georgia Aquarium opening in 2005 says it is the largest in the world. It has more than one hundred thousand sea animals in thirty million liters of water including two whale sharks---the world’s largest fish.
Another aquarium re-opened in 2005 in Camden, New Jersey. The Adventure Aquarium first opened in 1992. It spent about fifty million dollars expanding its building and improving its exhibits.
Aquariums provide the public with many chances to experience life under the sea. They can be found in most areas of the world. People might even want to start an aquarium at home and join the millions of people around the world who keep fish as pets.Which aquarium opened again after its rebuilding ?
| A．The Monterey Bay Aquarium. | B．The Adventure Aquarium. |
| C．The Georgia Aquarium. | D．The first aquarium in London. |
Which of the following is NOT mentioned to have kept fish as pets?
| A．The ancient Sumerians. | B．The ancient Romans. | C．The Chinese. | D．The ancient Indians. |
Which of the following is correct?
| A．People were not interested in fish until the middle of the eighteen hundreds. |
| B．The Moneterey Bay Aquarium is regarded as the best aquarium in America. |
| C．Plants, fish and other sea creatures could not survive together under sea. |
| D．People have to change the water in a tank frequently for the fish to live there. |
The passage is written mainly .
| A．to tell people the importance of keeping fish as pets |
| B．to explain why people want to visit aquariums |
| C．to let people know the development of the aquariums |
| D．to describe different aquariums |
What does the underlined word “aquariums” in Paragraph 2 refer to?
| A．Exhibition centres where people can watch and enjoy different species of fish. |
| B．Small boxes made of glass, where people keep fish in, usually at home. |
| C．Places which shows visitors the underwater life in the bay. |
| D．Places which provides the public with many chances to experience life under the sea. |
Crossroads International
How does Crossroads work?
Crossroads is a resource network. We take goods Hong Kong doesn’t want and give them to people who badly need them. We collect those goods and give them out in the welfare arena(福利院) in Hong Kong, Mainland China, elsewhere in Asia, Eastern Europe and Africa. So Crossroads is just that: a Crossroads between need and resource.
Who do we help?
The welfare agencies we help do not run on large budgets(预算). They are grass-root groups who have seen a need and tried to meet it. They can’t get the job done without back-up, though, so our task is to help them do their task. Our warehouse is full of goods, from computers to high chairs, clothing to books, stationery(文具) to medical provision, cupboards to dinning sets. They send us a list of their needs and we try to match it with the resource we have in stock.
How do we operate?
Crossroads itself also operates on a low budget. We do not buy the goods we send. They are donated. Similarly, rather than raising funds for freight(货运)，we ask transport companies to donate their services. Nobody in our organization receives a salary. Even our full-time staff works on a voluntary basis.
Those that donate goods and services:
·Factories·Manufacturers ·Hospitals ·Hotels·Householders
·Offices·Other Charities ·Transport Companies ·Educational Institutions
One resource that we are always in need of is people. While we receive large quantities of goods and there is never a short supply of requests for them, we are always in need of hands to help sort and prepare them for shipping.
What can I do?
We are always in need of people. We have a lot of tasks. If you are volunteering regularly, we can offer work in some of the following categories, some of the time. You are welcome to number your top three choices and we will do our best to accommodate them.
·Clothing categorization ·Sewing ·Toy categorization ·Furniture handling
·Driving ·Book categorization ·Household goods categorization ·Office work
·Electrical goods categorization ·Book keeping ·Fund- raising
·Stationery categorization ·Medical categorization
Where to find us?
All volunteer work is done at out warehouse:
Located in Basement Zone M of the Kai Tak Government Building
Our warehouse hours: Tues.-Sat. 10:00am-5:30pm
Postal address: 16 Man Tong, Silvermine Bay, Lantau Island, HK
Office details: Ph: 2984 9309, 2740 9657Crossroads International is.
| A．a welfare agency | B．a place to store goods donated |
| C．an organization to collect goods for those who need them | |
| D．an organization run by the government |
People in poor areas can’t get help from the Crossroads if they need.
| A．toys and books | B．furniture and computers |
| C．fresh water and food | D．clothes and washing machines |
Which of the following is not the choice if you decide to offer help?
| A．Driving | B．Fundraising | C．Furniture handling | D．Teaching |
The purpose of this brochure(小册子) is mainly to.
| A．look for volunteers to work for Crossroads | B．call on people to donate more goods |
| C．let people know what Crossroads International is | D．tell people what Crossroads can provide |
From the above brochure, we can conclude that .
| A．people who work at Crossroads get low pay from it |
| B．Crossroads doesn’t give goods directly to the people who need them |
| C．You can do whatever you like if you offer help at Crossroads |
| D．Crossroads has collected more goods than needed |