When Peng Liyuan stepped off the plane in Moscow，the whole world wanted to know who dressed the elegant first lady.The reporter released the secret—Ma Ke.
Peng Liyuan has been wearing Ma Ke’s designs for more than a decade，a fact that was only highlighted recently when she was on her first state visit，accompanying her husband President Xi Jinping.The elegant and attractive Peng，formerly a popular singer，has been compared with the US’ first lady Michelle Obama and France’s Carla BruniSarkozy，since stepping off the airplane in Moscow on March 22.Suddenly，everyone was curious to know more about the first lady’s wardrobe.
Even so，Ma prefers a lowkey approach.“If you eat a tasty egg why would you want to see the hen？” she says of all the media attention.
Ma’s relationship with Peng began 10 years ago after a concert in Guangzhou when a reporter told Peng she knew the designer behind the label Exception de Mixmind.Peng asked for an introduction because she was a fan of Ma’s designs and had been wearing them for years.
The two naturally became friends.Ma says：“The painting reflects the painter，and clothes reflect both the designer and the wearer.Someone desires fame and wealth，or love and sympathy；what you have in your heart is reflected in the design.Those who don’t share my philosophy won’t buy my clothes.Peng is a caring person，devoted to charity and environmental protection，which is exactly what I’m doing now.”
However，regardless of the brand，Peng’s support of Chinese labels has surprised millions of Chinese who favor foreign fashion brands.
“Instead she presented a vision of Chinese fashion，desiring to bring Chinese designers to the world stage，” says a western designer.
The first lady’s doublebreasted coat and her black leather handbag aren’t available at any of Exception’s shops，though Exception’s physical stores do have seen a rising number of visitors.The passage mainly discusses________.
| A．the designer of the first lady Peng Liyuan’s dress，Ma Ke |
| B．the friendship between Peng Liyuan and her designer |
| C．Peng Liyuan’s clothes on her first state visit |
| D．the reactions to Peng Liyuan’s first visit to Moscow |
In the underlined sentence in Paragraph 3 Ma Ke mentioned “an egg and the hen” to show________.
| A．it is hard to explain “Which came first，the egg or the hen？” |
| B．paying such great attention to her was unnecessary |
| C．the outcome was more important than the process |
| D．her dissatisfaction with the media attention on her dress |
What can be inferred from the passage?
| A．First ladies compete with each other whenever they are together. |
| B．Peng’s suits can be bought in Ma Ke’s clothes stores. |
| C．Ma Ke offered to design the first lady’s clothes through her friends. |
| D．Peng had liked Ma’s designs long before she got to know her in the flesh. |
In the passage，Peng Liyuan________.
| A．often reflects on what she has in her heart before choosing clothes |
| B．is sympathetic and has a strong environmental consciousness |
| C．always desires the exceptional charm of the brand |
| D．is knowledgeable in philosophy |
Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?
| A．Peng wears the dress designed by a Chinese designer probably to support Chinese brands |
| B．Many citizens found Peng Liyuan’s choice quite unexpected. |
| C．Black leather handbags like Peng’s are widely sold in bag stores in big cities. |
| D．After Peng Liyuan’s visit to Moscow Ma Ke’s clothes became more popular. |
The English are often described as unfriendly people who don’t talk to strangers（陌生人）。 But not London taxi drivers. I once asked one cabby to describe his life to me and he didn’t stop talking until I arrived home half an hour later. He told me many interesting stories and this is one of them.“Some strange things happen late at night. The other day I was taking a woman home from a party. She had her little dog with her. When we got to her house， she found that she’d lost her key. So， I waited in the cab with her dog while she climbed in through the window.”
“I waited and waited. After half an hour of ringing the bell I decided to find out what was going on. I tied the dog to a tree and started to climb in through the window. The next thing I knew was that the police came. They thought I was to rob the house！ Luckily， the woman came downstairs. She’d gone to sleep and forgotten about me and the dog. I was in such a hurry to get away that I forgot to ask her for the fare.” What does the writer think of the London taxi driver？
| A．They are unfriendly. | B．They like to talk to strangers. | C．They talk too much. | D．They are not English. |
From the passage， we know_________.
| A．the writer is the taxi driver’s friend | B．the writer often travels by taxi |
| C．the writer is a foreigner visiting London | D．the writer lives in London |
What does “cabby” mean？
| A．Taxi. | B．Stranger. | C．Taxi driver. | D．Londoner. |
Why did the taxi driver wait for the woman？
A. Because she had left her dog with him.
B. Because she had not paid him.
C. Because she wanted to go out again.
D. Both A and B. Why do you think the woman didn’t go out of the house again.
| A．Because she didn’t want to pay the taxi driver. |
| B．Because she was so tired that she had forgotten about the taxi driver. |
| C．Because she wanted to keep the taxi driver waiting. |
| D．Because she wanted to go to sleep first. |
When you walk along a street in a big city in the United States， you may see clocks in most stores. Radio announcers give the correct time during the day. People there think that it is important to know the time. Most Americans have watches. They want to do certain things at certain times. They do not want to be late. Not all people all over the world value time. Suppose you visit a certain country in South America. You would find that people living there do not like to rush. If you had an appointment（约会）with someone， he would probably be late. He would not care for arriving on time. In some countries in South America， even the radio programs may not begin right on time， nor do the radio announcers think it important to announce the right time. Many people regard a clock as a machine. It seems to them that a person who does everything on time is controlled（控制）by a machine. They do not want a clock or any machine to have that much power over their lives.There are clocks in most stores in the US cities because ______.
| A．people in the stores want to sell these clocks |
| B．bosses want to make their stores beautiful |
| C．people think it important to know the time |
| D．they needn't wear watches when they are away from home |
The underlined word “rush” in the passage most probably means ______.
| A．“run” | B．“race” |
| C．“hurry” | D．“move” |
If you had an appointment with someone in some place in South America， he might not arrive on time， and this is because ______.
| A．he didn't have a watch with him |
| B．he forgot to have a look at a watch or a clock |
| C．he didn't think it important to arrive on time |
| D．he didn't like an appointment with someone |
In some countries in South America ______.
| A．the radio announcers do think it important to announce the exact time |
| B．the radio programs many start a bit early or late |
| C．many people think a clock has much power |
| D．most people do not want to be controlled by others |
From the passage we can see ______.
A. most Americans like to have an appointment with others
B. radio announcers all over the world give the correct time
C. people in some countries in the South America are very poor
“Mum, what does it mean when someone tells you that they have a skeleton（骨骼）in the closet（衣橱）?” Jessica asked. “A skeleton in the closet?” her mother paused thoughtfully. “Well, it’s something that you would rather not have anyone else know about. For example, if in the past, someone in Dad’s family had been arrested for stealing a horse, it would be ‘a skeleton in his family’s closet’. He really wouldn’t want any neighbor to know about it.”
“Why pick on my family?” Jessica’s father said with anger. “Your family history isn’t so good, you know. Wasn’t your great-great-grandfather a prisoner who was transported to Australia for his crimes?” “Yes, but people these days say that you are not a real Australian unless your ancestors arrived as prisoners.” “Gosh, sorry I asked. I think I understand now,” Jessica cut in before things grew worse.
After dinner, the house was very quiet. Jessica’s parents were still quite angry with each other. Her mother was ironing clothes and every now and then she glared at her husband, who hid behind his newspaper pretending to read. When she finished, she gathered the freshly pressed clothes in her arms and walked to Jessica’s closet. Just as she opened the door and reached in to hang a skirt, a bony arm stuck out from the dark depths and a bundle of white bones fell to the floor. Jessica’s mother sank in a faint（晕倒）, waking only when Jessica put a cold, wet cloth on her forehead. She looked up to see the worried faces of her husband and daughter.
“What happened? Where am I?” she asked. “You just destroyed the school’s skeleton, Mum,” explained Jessica. “I brought it home to help me with my health project. I meant to tell you, but it seemed that as soon as I mentioned skeletons and closets, it caused a problem between you and Dad.” Jessica looked in amazement as her parents began to laugh madly. “They’re both crazy,” she thought.According to Jessica’s mother, “a skeleton in the close” means ______.
| A．a family honor | B．a family story | C．a family secret | D．a family treasure |
What can we learn about some Australians’ ancestors form Paragraph 2?
| A．They were brought to Australia as prisoners. |
| B．They were the earliest people living in Australia. |
| C．They were involved in some crimes in Australia. |
| D．They were not regarded as criminals in their days. |
Jessica’s mother fell down into a faint because she was ______.
| A．frightened | B．knocked | C．injured | D．surprised |
Why did Jessica bring a skeleton home?
| A．She planned to keep it for fun. |
| B．She needed it for her school task. |
| C．She was curious about it. |
| D．She intended to scare her parents. |
Jessica’s parents laughed madly at the end of the story probably because ______.
| A．they were crazy |
| B．they were over excited |
| C．they realized their misunderstanding |
| D．they both thought they had won the quarrel |
The world is not coming to an end on December 21st, 2012, the US space agency announced to dispel （消除）widespread rumors fueled by the Internet and a new Hollywood movie．
The latest big screen 2012 was based on stories according to the Mayan calendar．It showed that by the end of 2012, a Planet X will collide （碰撞） with the earth．
Some websites accuse NASA of hiding the truth on the planet's existence, but the US space agency considered such stories as tricks．"There is no basis in fact for these claims," NASA said in its website．"If such a collision were real, scientists would have been tracking it for at least the last decade, and we would see it with our eyes now．Obviously, it doesn't exist and there will be no threat to the earth in 2012," it insisted．"After all, our planet has been getting along just well for more than four billion years," added NASA．
There is another planet, Eris, floating in space．But the small planet will remain safely fixed in the outer solar system and it can come no closer than four billion miles to the earth, according to NASA．
And even if the planets were to line up as some have forecast, the effect on our plant would be very little．"And while comets and asteroids （小行星） have always hit the earth, big hits are very rare," NASA noted．The last major collision was believed to be 65 million years ago, resulting the end of dinosaurs （恐龙）．
"We are sure that there are no threatening asteroids as large as the one that killed the dinosaurs," the space agency said．What played a key role in the spread of the rumors?
| A．The Internet and the film 2012． | B．The Mayan calendar． |
| C．The US space agency． | D．The television screen． |
The underlined word "it" in Paragraph 3 probably refers to _________.
| A．the collision | B．the threat | C．the Planet X | D．the NASA website |
We can conclude from the passage that __________.
| A．the film 2012 is well accepted in the science field |
| B．scientists have been tracking Planet X for over ten years |
| C．the earth will exist for more than four billion years |
| D．the rumors caused a panic among some people |
What do we know about Eris according to the passage?
| A．It doesn't exist in the universe． |
| B．It won't threaten the earth． |
| C．It is too far to be seen． |
| D．It is similar to the earth. |
Rising levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere are a major cause of climate change, and now a new study has confirmed that atmospheric CO2 is also affecting the ocean chemistry and potentially harming sea life.
Montana State University scientist Robert Dore has been researching the water in the Pacific Ocean for almost two decades. We've been going to the same spot in the Pacific Ocean, and we try and characterize long-term change in the open ocean environment. And one of the key things that we measure is CO2 levels. And we've been able to record this increasing quantity of atmospheric CO2 into the ocean.
Scientists expected that as atmospheric CO2 increased, more and more of the carbon dioxide would be absorbed into the ocean, affecting the chemical balance of the sea water, with a potentially harmful impact on shellfish and coral in particular.
"As carbon dioxide dissolves（溶解） in the water, or seawater in this case, it forms a weak acid, carbonic acid," Dore explains. "And therefore, as the concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere goes up and that exchanges with the surface seawater, it drives the PH down, and makes it more acidic."
The seawater Dore and his colleagues have analyzed confirms what the theory predicts.
The effect was particular striking at about 250 meters down, and again at 500 meters. Dore and his colleagues came up with two possible explanations. It could be that surface water picked up CO2 and then moved to those depths. Or there could be a biological explanation.
"It's important to realize that the oceans are really becoming acidic. And it can have negative（消极的） impacts on a whole variety of sea life from fish to coral. It's potentially catastrophic."What can be the best title of the passage?
| A．Sea Life Facing Danger |
| B．Scientist Researching Seawater |
| C．Oceans Becoming More Acidic |
| D．Climate Change Affecting Seawater |
With the increase of atmospheric CO2，.
| A．more corals will appear in the sea |
| B．the surface water is becoming warmer |
| C．the chemical balance of the seawater is affected |
| D．the PH of the ocean out here has been increasing |
Which of the following shows the process of the impact of atmospheric CO2 on sea life?
a．Sea life is endangered．
b．CO2 goes into the surface water．
c．The ocean chemistry is affected．
d．CO2decreases the PH and makes the seawater more acidic．
e．CO2 levels in the atmosphere go up．
Scientist Robert Dore came to the conclusion based on.
| A．his research and analysis |
| B．the expectation of other scientists |
| C．some former theory |
| D．a major cause of climate change |