The 2012 London Olympics had enough problems to worry about. But one more has just been added - a communications blackout caused by solar storms.
After a period of calm within the Sun, scientists have detected the signs of a flesh cycle of sunspots that could peak in 2012, just in time for the arrival of the Olympic torch in London.
Now scientists believe that this peak could result in vast solar explosions that could throw billions of tons of charged matter towards the Earth, causing strong solar storms that could jam the telecommunications satellites and interact links sending five Olympic broadcast from London.
"The Sun's activity has a strong influence on the Earth. The Olympics could be in the middle of the next solar maximum which could affect the functions of communications satellites," said Professor Richard Harrison, head of space physics at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory in Oxfordshire.
At the peak of the cycle, violent outbursts called coronal mass ejections (日冕物质抛射) occur in the Sun's atmosphere, throwing out great quantities of electrically-charged matter. " A coronal mass ejection can carry a billion tons of solar material into space at over a million kilometers per hour. Such events can expose astronauts to a deadly amount, can disable satellites, cause power failures on Earth and disturb communications," Professor Harrison added. The risk is greatest during a solar maximum when there is the greatest number of sunspots.
Next week in America, NASA is scheduled to launch a satellite for monitoring solar activity called the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO), which will take images of the Sun that are 10 times clearer than the most advanced televisions available.
The Rutherford Appleton Laboratory helped to make the high-tech cameras that will capture images of the solar flares (太阳耀斑) and explosions as they occur.
Professor Richard Hold away, the lab's director, said that the SDO should be able to provide early warning of a solar flare or explosion big enough to affect satellite communications on Earth "If we have advance warning, we'll be able to reduce the damage. What you don't want is things switching off for a week with no idea of what's caused the problem," he said. The phrase "communications blackout" in paragraph 1 most probably refers to _______during the 2012 Olympics.
| A．the extinguishing of the Olympic torch |
| B．the collapse of broadcasting systems |
| C．the transportation breakdown in London |
| D．the destruction of weather satellites |
What can be inferred about the solar activity described in the passage?
| A．The most fatal matter from the corona falls onto Earth. |
| B．The solar storm peak occurs in the middle of each cycle. |
| C．It takes several seconds for the charged matter to reach Earth. |
| D．The number of sunspots declines after coronal mass ejections. |
According to the passage, NASA will launch a satellite to _________.
| A．take images of the solar system |
| B．provide early warning of thunderstorms |
| C．keep track of solar activities |
| D．improve the communications on Earth |
Which of the following might be the best title of the passage?
| A．Solar Storms: An Invisible Killer |
| B．Solar Storms: Earth Environment in Danger |
| C．Solar Storms: Threatening the Human Race |
| D．Solar Storms: Human Activities to Be Troubled |
Loma just had to get in touch with someone：“I had to tell my best friend something important. I tried calling her but I couldn’t get through. So I sent her an e-mail and then I spoke to her on MSN. Without technology I would not have been able to tell her. ”
Staying connected with friends and family is important for us. That’s why we asked our readers to tell us how cell-phones, e-mail, blogs, text messaging, and personal pages help them keep in touch. More than 1,500 responded.
Most of them told us they couldn’t live without technology：80％of teens said they need technology to stay in touch. Almost 30％said they’d be completely out of their friends without their cell-phones and other methods of communication.
What do they do when they’ve got news they need to share now? Most teens say they try to reach their friends by phone. But if the
y don’t reach them, they use QQ, e-mails, and text messaging to get the words out.
Lots of people use one way of communication—like text messaging—to get a friend’s attention and then use another where they can talk more. “My friends and I always tell each other everything that happens. So I send them text messages to tell them to come online so we can talk about it,” said Sabeiha.
“W
hen planning to get together with friends”, Julian said, “the easiest and fastest way I know is to send a text message to my contact group.”Jocelyn said. “If I want to go to see a movie with a few friends, I usually send text message to them. By telephone, you have to call every single friend one by one. But text messaging allows you to send the same message to as many as you’d like, which saves a lot of time. ” Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the passage?
| A．E-mails. | B．Blogs. | C．Personal pages. | D．Personal letters. |
What do most young people use first when they have news to tell their friends?
| A．MSN. | B．QQ. | C．Phones. | D．Text message. |
The underlined pa
rt “get the words out” means“”.
| A．send the message | B．send the e-mail |
| C．talk with their friends | D．meet their friends |
In which part of a newspaper can you find this passage?
| A．Sport. | B．Education. | C．Technology. | D．Culture. |
Beijing has started a battle to get rid of "Chinglish" (Chinese English). The "Language Mandarins" of Beijing have decided that Chinglish is a disease for China's modernizing claim and must be obliterated before the city hosts the Olympic Games in 2008.
A road sign on the Avenue of Eternal Peace (Chang'an Street) ,for example, advises: "To Take Notice of Safe; The Slippery Are Very Crafty", a warning that the sidewalk was slippery(滑). Another sign in a Beijing park reads: "Little grass is smiling slightly, please walk on sidewalk. "
Li Honghai, the city official in charge of the battle, said," Linguistic perfection (语言美) is becoming increasingly important with the rise in the number of the foreigners flowing into the city."
However, not everyone shares the disdain (蔑视) of the Beijing government for the mixed language. "The choice of words is pretty much. One can either choose the verbs, adverbs, nouns or whatever one likes," explained one Hong Kong 
linguist on an Internet website.
So many examples exist that several Internet sites have been set up to collect Chinglish phrases. Many come from English instructions on packages such as a candle marked with "Keep this candle out of children" and a model boat—curiously named Posh Sailboat—which means, "Please don't place it in dusty play."
If the battle against Chinglish is successful, Chinese will also turn their attention to the English-language versions of newspapers, which play an even more important role
in teaching right English.The underlined word
"obliterated" refers to.
| A．removed | B．exploited |
| C．translated | D．beautified |
From the passage, we know that .
| A．everyone shares the disdain for the mixed language |
| B．all the people don't share the disdain for the mixed language |
| C．Chinglish usually communicates in many cases |
| D．several Internet sites have been set up to clear the Chinghsh phrases |
We can infer that the English-language version of newspapers .
| A．should be in duty to teach normal English |
| B．should report the above battle |
| C．should be paid more attention to |
| D．should collect more Chinglish phrases |
Which of the following signs is Chinglish?
| A．Watch your step. Slippery sidewalk. | B．Keep off the grass, please. | C．Tourists do not enter. | D．No smoking, please. |
Ad．1 April fool’s party
On Friday, April 1, Inner Affair goes back to the days of funk! Classic Tunes from the 70’s and 80’s by DJs Den & Sion．9 pm till late．
Tickets：Free entrance for those in costume, otherwise 50 yuan（US $6）
Time/date：9pm, April 1
Place：Inner Affair, 1/F Qiankun Dasha, 6 Sanlitun xiliujie, Chaoang District
Tel：8454-0321
Ad．2 Language in use
Enjoy free in-house coffee, tea and beer as well as music and dancing．Practice your Chinese, make friends and have fun．
Time/date：7 to 9 pm, March 25
Place：Language In Use Club, 2/F, Science Fortune Centre, 8 Xueqing Lu, north of Xueyuan Lu, Haidian District．
Ad．3 The “worst ” party
Organized by 0-zone productions, the party is set to be “the worst ever,” with the lamest music from the 60s, 70s and 80s．Special prizes will be awarded to the worst dressed or for bad fashion sense．
Tickets：Free entrance
Time/date：9 pm, April 1
Place：Pula Pula, Tianze Lu, Oriental Seven Colors Plaza, Chaoyang District
Ad．4 La Nuit Francaise
Again on the 2nd Thursday of the month La Nuit Francaise will be held at Le Rendezvous．The monthly event is an opportunity for all French people and everyone interested in France of speaking French to gather together．
The evening features three glasses of wine and canapés for participants and a special exhibition．
Time/date：7 to 10pm, April 14
Place：Le Rendez-vous, 3 Gongti Beilu, across from the Pacific Century Plaza Chaoyang
Ad．5 Marco V
Dutch DJ Marco V drops by Banana for a gig which is supported by Hong Kong’s DJ Spark．
Marco V has been around for many years, as an inventive, style-blending deejay and successful and devoted producer．His spinning is energetic, crowd-pleasing and never sees an empty dance floor．He was ranked No 15 in this year’s international DJ MAG DJ Top 100．
Tickets：40 yuan （US $ 4．80） in advance, 50 yuan（US$6） at the door, both include a free drink．Which of the following is NOT True of Ad．1and Ad．3 ?
| A．The two parties will be held on the same day． |
| B．The two parties will be held at the same time． |
| C．The entrance fees of the two parties will not be charged． |
| D．Some old music will be played at the parties． |
Which of the following is intended for the Chinese learners?
| A．Marco V | B．La Nuit Francaise |
| C．Language in use | D．The “worst” party |
Which of the following events takes place every month?
| A．Marco V | B．La Nuit Francaise |
| C．The “worst” party | D．Language in use |
We can infer that _____．
| A．Marco V is a newly-established band |
| B．La Nuit Francaise may be French words |
| C．The “worst” party will attract a lot of college students |
| D．You will enjoy free drink at April fool’s party |
Health experts have discovered that adding low-calorie vegetable soup to the start of a meal can actually help to lose weight.
Because you feel full sooner, you eat less of your main course.
The soup regime（养生法）was tested by researchers at Pennsylvania State University, led by Dr Barbara Rolls.
They found that when people ate a first course of soup before lunch they reduced their total calorie intake by 20 per cent, compared with those who did not begin the meal with soup.
But those who favor creamy soups should be careful．Researchers stressed the soup must be low-calorie and based on stock（菜汤）, not cream.
All of the soups tested in the study were made from identical ingredients - chicken stock , broccoli（硬花甘蓝）, potato, cauliflower（菜花）and carrots.
They were mixed together to create four different textures and thickness from separate stock and vegetables through to pureed soup.
Scientists thought that thick soups with chunks of vegetables which required chewing might be more filling, but to their surprise they found all forms had the same effect.
The findings were presented to the Experimental Biology conference in Washington, DC, and the research was part-funded by the National Institutes of Health. What’s the reason that adding low-calorie vegetable soup to the start of a meal can actually help to lose weight?
| A．You can take in large quantities of vegetables. |
| B．You can absorb high calories from the soup. |
| C．You can take in low calories from the soup. |
| D．You can feel full soon after having the soup. |
Which of the following can not be in the low-calorie soup?
| A．chicken stock | B．cauliflower | C．cream | D．carrots |
What is the best title of this passage?
| A．Vegetable Soup Helps to Lose Weight． |
| B．A Scientific Research is Carrying out. |
| C．A Research Done at Pennsylvania State University |
| D．Findings Carried out to the Experimental Biology. |
The underlined word “favor” is the same in meaning with ______.
| A．hate | B．enjoy | C．prefer | D．drink. |
Many people who work in London prefer to live outside it, and to go in to their offices or schools every day by train, car or bus, even though this means they have to get up early in the morning and reach home late in the evening.
One advantage of living outside London is that houses are cheaper. Even a small flat in London without a garden costs quite a lot to rent. With the same money, one can get a little house in the country with a garden of one’s own.
Then, in the country one can rest from the noise and hurry of the town. Even though one has to get up earlier and spend more time in trains or buses, one can sleep better at night and during weekends and on summer evenings, one can enjoy the fresh, clean air of the country. If one likes gardens, one can spend one’s free time digging, planting, watering and doing the hundred and one other jobs which are needed in a garden. Then, when the flowers and vegetables come up, one has the reward of one who has shared the secret of Nature.
Some people, however, take no interest in country things: for them, happiness lies in the town, with its cinemas and theatres, beautiful shops and busy streets, dance-halls and restaurants. Such people would feel that their life was not worth living if they had to live it outside London. An occasional(偶尔) walk in one of the parks and a fortnight’s (two weeks) visit to the sea every summer is all the country they want: the rest they are quite prepared to leave to those who are glad to get away from London every night. Which of the following statements is true?
| A．People who like country things prefer to live outside the city. |
| B．Few people who work in London prefer to live in the country. |
| C．One disadvantage of living outside London is that houses are cheaper. |
| D．The people living outside London must like gardens. |
One can use the same money for ________ in London to buy a little house with a garden in the country.
| A．getting a small flat with a garden |
| B．having a small flat with a garden |
| C．renting a small flat without a garden |
| D．buying a small flat without a garden |
When the flowers and vegetables in the garden come up, those _______can share the secret of Nature.
| A．who live in the country |
| B．who have spent time working in the garden |
| C．who work inside the city |
| D．who sometimes walk in the parks |
People who like the city life would feel that _______ if they had to live outside London.
| A．their life was meaningless |
| B．their life was invaluable |
| C．they didn’t deserve a happy life |
| D．they were not worthy of their happy life |