LastweekIwasridingmyspecialmot-优题课

MOSCOW — The Olympic flame in Vancouver had only been put out before President Dmitri A. Medvedev of Russia, angered over his country’s disappointing performance at the Winter Games, began calling for athletic officials’ heads.
“Those who are responsible for training for the Olympics must take responsibility,” Mr. Medvedev, who canceled his scheduled trip to the closing ceremony, said in Moscow on Monday. “They must have the courage to hand in their resignation(辞职报告). And if they do not have this determination, we will help them.”
Such language from the typically measured Mr. Medvedev strengthens the disappointment here with the nation’s athletics just four years before Russia hosts the next Winter Olympics in Sochi.
Russia is pumping billions of dollars into preparations for the 2014 Winter Games, which officials have considered as a symbol of Russia’s return to the top of the world stage.
Prime Minister Vladimir V. Putin said last week that Russia’s performance at the Olympics should be given “serious critical analysis.” “This critical analysis should be directed at improving the situation and creating the necessary conditions for the preparation and successful performance of our team in the Sochi Olympics in 2014,” he said. Russian athletes took home just three gold medals from Vancouver, compared with eight in the last Winter Games, in Turin, Italy.
Russia came in sixth place in the overall medal count with 15, just ahead of South Korea and trailing far behind its former cold war athletic rival, the United States, which led with 37.
For Russians used to seeing their athletes top international competitions, the last two weeks have been awful. Russian figure skaters fell, bobsledders turned over and, in a final embarrassment, the country’s much proud hockey team was smacked by Canada 7-3 and did not even make the medal round.
53. The underlined word smack in the last paragraph means:
A. guided B. trained C. beaten D. controlled
54. Which sentence is true according to the passage?
Russian athletes got 8 medals in the last Winter Games.
South Korea ranked 5 in the overall medal count in this Winter Games.
The next Winter Games will be held in Russia four years later.
The Russian hockey team got the third place in this Winter Games.
55. What do we know about President Dmitri A. Medvedev ?
A. He attended the closing ceremony of the Winter Games in Vancouver.
B. He ordered a serious analysis about the Russia’s performance at the Olympics.
C. He will resign due to Russia’s performance at the Winter Olympics in Vancouver.
D. He had planned to go to Vancouver but didn’t make it.
56. What is the main idea of this passage ?
A. Russian figure skaters fell in this Winter Olympics
B. Russian will host the next Winter Olympics
C. Russians are angry about their athletes’ performance.
D. Russians are making preparations for the next Winter Olympics.

Brazil has become one of the developing world' s great successes in reducing population
growth but more by accident than design. While countries such as India have made joint efforts
to reduce birth rates, Brazil has had better result without really trying, says George Martine at
Harvard.
Brazil' s population growth rate has dropped from 2. 99% a year between 1951 and 1960 to
1.93% a year between 1981 and 1990, and Brazilian women now have only 2. 7 children on
average. Martine says this figure may have fallen still further since 1990, an achievement that
makes it the envy of many other Third World countries.
According to Martine, both soap operas and instalment(分期付款) plans played an important role in lowering the birth rate. Brazil is one of the world' s biggest producers of soap operas. Global, Brazil' s most popular television network, shows three hours of soaps six nights a week, while three others show at least one hour a night. Most soaps are based on wealthy
characters living the high life in big cities.
"They described that middle and upper class values not many children and women
working. They influenced all parts of Brazil. " says Martine
Meanwhile，the instalment plans tired to encourage he poor to become consume（消费者）.
“This led to a great change in consumption patterns and consumption went against unlimited reproduction (生育)." says Martine.
53. Brazil has cut its population ，growth____.
A. by education B. by family plan C. by TV program D. by chance
54. Some Third World countries
A. have paid little attention to birth control
B. would soon join Brazilin controlling their birth rate.
C. haven't succeeded in controlling the population
D. didn't realize the role of TV plays in family planning
55. Soap operas have helped to lower Brazil's birth rate because____.
A. they keep people sitting long hour watching TV
B. they have gradually changed people's way of life
C. people are interested in the stories
D. they make birth control popular
56. What is Martine's conclusion about Brazil's population growth?
A. The rising in birth rate will increase consumption.
B. The desire for consumption helps to reduce birth rate.
C. consumption has nothing to do with reproduction.
D. Soap operas can always lead to low birth rate.

Spider-Man cannot escape the harsh realities of the current economic times and will lose his job in a latest issue of the Amazing Spider-Man hitting stories ( first published in 1963) this week.
Peter Parker, official photographer of the mayor by day and New York City crime fighter by night, is going to face new challenges, including unemployment.
"He's going to struggle with unemployment and trying to save the city while he can barely afford to keep a roof over his head," said Steve Wacker, Marvel Comics senior editor.
Parker has always been a grounded character with real-world problems, Wacker said. His aunt is frequently sick, he has girlfriend troubles, and he sometimes struggles to find work. In addition, Spider-Man story lines are often set against a backdrop of current events.
In the near future, Parker will have to juggle paying bills and buying "web-fluid" and other materials to fix his superhero costume in addition to keeping his dual identities under wraps.
Parker's work history includes photographer, assistant high school coach, science teacher and scientific researcher, according to his biography on the Marvel Web site. His education includes a college degree in biophysics and some postgraduate work in biochemistry.
It was at a science exhibit he attended as a teenager that he was bitten by a radioactive spider and got the creature's strength, agility and weaving ability, says Marvel Comics.
And although Parker has skills few others can claim, he probably won't list these on his resume: superhuman strength, ability to cling to most surfaces, fast traveling ability aided by web-slinging and spider-sense danger avoidance system.
49. According to the story, Parker is likely to________.
A. look for another job. B. have a girlfriend.
C. live in a large house. D. buy a new superhero costume.
50. Parker didn’t work as________.
A. a photographer. B. an assistant coach C. a science teacher. D. a spider-man
51. The underlined part in the third paragraph means:
A. he has a roof over his head
B. he has a room to live in
C. there is a roof in his head
D. he has a picture of a roof in his head.
52. This passage mainly tell us _______.
A. Parker is a spider-man.
B. how Parker became a spider-man.
C. life is hard for everyone in current economic times.
D. the amazing spider-man comic is popular until now.

If you have ever been discouraged because of failure，please read on. For often, achieving
what you set out to do is not the important thing.
Two brothers decided to dig a deep hole behind their house. As they were working, a couple of older boys stopped by to watch.
"What are you doing?" asked one of the visitors.
"We plan to dig a hole all the way through the earth!" one of the brothers volunteered excitedly.
The older boys began to laugh, telling the younger ones that digging a hole all the way through the earth was impossible. After a long silence, one of the diggers picked up a jar full of spiders, worms and insects. He removed the lid and showed the wonderful contents to the visitors. Then he said quietly and confidently，Even if we don’t dig all he way through the earth, look at what we found along he way!”
Their goal was far too great, but it did cause them to dig. And that is what a goal is for to cause us to move in he direction we have chosen; In other words, to set us to digging! But not every goal will be fully achieved. Not every job will end successfully. Not every love will last. Not every attempt will be completed. Not every dream will be realized.
But when you fall short of your aim, perhaps you can say，“Yes, but look at what I found along he way! Look at the wonderful things which have come into my life because I tired to do something!"
It is in the digging that life is lived. And I believe it is joy in he journey, in he end，that truly matters.
49. Readers may probably get____ from the passage.
A. discouragement B. encouragement C. comfort D. delight
50. The underlined phrase “fall short of" possibly means ____.
A. fail to achieve B. manage to achieve C. fall because of D. get rid of
51. What is he most important brothers in their digging?
A. To find wonderful things. B. To have people looking on.
C. To achieve their goal D. To keep on digging.
52. The brothers' attitude to life is____.
A. worried about future B. doubtful whether to achieve anything
C. hopeful about the future D. careful in doing everything

Need more evidence that London is a serious coffee town? Mr. Davies is actually England’s third consecutive world barista champion. The first was James Hoffmann, who started Square Mile Coffee Roasters squaremilecoffee.com) in 2008 .It’s a small operation, recently relocated to an arched vault under some train tracks in East London.
Today, Square Mile’s black bags of beans have become shorthand for quality. They supply beans to Moon Bar (3 Bateman Street; 44-20-7287-4796), just opened by the same team behind Flat White (17 Berwick Street; 44-20-7734-0370; flat-white.co.uk).
Though it’s recently been co-opted(增加的) by chain stores, the “flat white” is also a symbol of serious coffee: it’s basically a cappuccino-size style— flat and white — a style imported from Australia (some say New Zealand) when a wave of baristas emigrated from those countries. (Australians and New Zealanders are to espresso what Russians are to chess: they’re just better at it.)
Still, independent stores continue to appear in all corners of the city. Last year, the Espresso Room (31 Great Ormond Street; 44-20-7932-137-380; theespressoroom.com) opened in a truly tiny storefront. Yet the owner Ben Townsend manages to fit a Marzocco espresso machine, some benches and a case with pastries.
And farther north in Islington, a bar called Tina, We Salute You (47 King Henry’s Walk; 44-20-3119-0047; tinawesaluteyou.com) opened last February. (According to the owners, the name comes from a daily greeting they give to a cheesecake portrait of a curvy subject named Tina.)
45. How many bars are mentioned in the text?
A. 4 B. 5. C. 6 D. 7
46. We can read in the passage that Square Mile Coffee Roasters is well-known for its________.
A. milk B. chess C. beans D. fruit
47. According to the text, we know that________.
A.UK is home to the flat-white.
B. the flat-white is exported from Australia.
C. chess is popular in Russia.
D. you can find the flat-white only in the chain stores.
48. The writer wrote this passage in order to tell us________.
A. the meaning of “flat white”. B. London is famous for its history.
C. the number of coffee bars in London D. London is famous for its coffee bar.

A．The motorbike	B．The wheelchair
C．The blessing	D．The ride