On a sunny day last August, Tim heard some shouting. Looking out to the sea carefully, he saw a couple of kids in a rowboat were being pulled out to sea.
Two 12-year-old boys, Christian and Jack, rowed out a boat to search for a football. Once they'd rowed beyond the calm waters, a beach umbrella tied to the boat caught the wind and pulled the boat into open water. The pair panicked and tried to row back to shore. But they were no match for it and the boat was out of control. Tim knew it would soon be swallowed by the waves. " Everything went quiet in my head，" Tim recalls （回忆）. " I was trying to figure out how to swim to the boys in a straight line. "Tim took off his clothes and jumped into the water. Every 500yards or so, he raised his head to judge his progress. "At one point, I considered turning back，" he says，" I wondered if I was putting my life at risk. " After 30 minutes of struggling, he was close enough to yell to the boys，" Take down the umbrella ！ "
Christian made much effort to take down the umbrella. Then Tim was able to catch up and climb aboard the boat. He took over rowing, but the waves were almost too strong for him.
"Let's aim for the pier（码头），" Jack said. Tim turned the boat toward it. Soon afterward, waves crashed over the boat, and it began to sink. "Can you guys swim?" he cried. "A little bit，" the boys said.
Once they were in the water, Tim decided it would be safer and faster for him to pull the boys toward the pier. Christian and Jack were wearing life jackets and floated on their backs. Tim swan to-ward land as water washed over the boys' faces.
"Are we almost there?" they asked again and again. "Yes，"Tim told them each time.
After 30minutes, they reached the pier.Why did the two boys go to the sea?
| A．To go boat rowing. |
| B．To get back their football. |
| C．To swim in the open water. |
| D．To test the umbrella as a sail. |
What does "it" in Paragraph 2 refer to?
| A．The beach. | B．The water. |
| C．The boat. | D．The wind. |
Why did Tim raise his head regularly?
| A．To take in enough fresh air. |
| B．To consider turning back or not. |
| C．To check his distance from the boys. |
| D．To ask the boys to take down the umbrella. |
How did the two boys finally reach the pier?
| A．They were dragged to the pier by Tim. |
| B．They swam to the pier all by themselves. |
| C．They were washed to the pier by the waves. |
| D．They were carried to the pier by Tim on his back. |
| Art of sushi making Bei Restaurant at the Opposite House offers the last sushi preparation class by Max Levy, a New Orleans-born New Yorker, who learned the art of sushi making from masters in Japan. Classes are scheduled at 11:30 am on Dec.2 or 5. Cost is 388 yuan per person, including materials and use of materials. 010-6410-5230 |
Festive buffet CBD restaurant at Grand Millennium Beijing offers a festive buffet（自助餐）, featuring roast turkey, until Dec.30. Turkey will be matched with stuffing, cranberry sauce, bread and butter pudding, honey-glazed ham, brandy fruit cakes, and existing gourmet buffet selections. 010-6530-9383 |
| Christmas dinner party Beijing Minzu Hotel prepares a dinner party on Christmas Eve. There will be song-and-dance performances, with famous French wines and exciting prizes to win. Cost is 1,680—2,580 yuan per person. 6—10 pm, Dec.24, 1/F, Coffee Mill, Four Seasons Restaurant, 2/F Jin Xiu Palace, and 11/F East Hall and West Hall. 010-6601-4466 ext 162 |
Christmas shopping Get a gift idea at The Peninsula Beijing, where there is a wide range of offerings, or shop in style at The Peninsula Arcade, for fashion, jewelry, leather and other gifts. Or try online shopping at peninsula.com. The Peninsula Boutique is open daily from 11:00am—9:30 pm. 010-8516-2888 ext 6691 |
Many customers are attracted to Bei Restaurant for its ________.
| A．brandy fruit cakes | B．song-and-dance performances |
| C．jewelry and leather | D．art of sushi making |
If you want to buy some Christmas gifts for your friends, you’d better go to _________.
| A．Beijing Minzu Hotel | B．Grand Millennium Beijing |
| C．The Peninsula Beijing | D．Bei Restaurant |
If you are sure to order delicious Turkey by Dec. 30, you can phone _________.
| A．010-8516-2888 | B．010-6601-4466 | C．010-6530-9383 | D．010-6410-5230 |
As far back as he could remember, Larry had longed to go to Hollywood and become a film star. The young man’s hopes for success were broken again and again, however. Hollywood just did not seem interesting. When he first came to California, Larry had 
decided never to give up and return home without success. Therefore, he kept on trying. Someday, he told himself, his big opportunity would come.
Larry found a job parking cars for one of Hollywood’s big restaurants. His pay w
as basic, but since the guests were kind enough to give him more money, he man
aged to make a living. One day he recognized an important film director driving into the parking lot and getting out of his car. Larry had recently heard that the man was ready to make a new picture.
Larry got into the car and prepared to drive it on into the lot and park it. Then he stopped, jumped out, and ran over to the director. “Excuse me, sir, but I think it is only fair to tell you that it is now or never if you want me in your next picture. A lot of big companies are after me.”
Instead of pushing away the boy, the director laughed, then wrote something on a card and handed it to the young man. “Come and see me tomorrow.”
Larry got a small part in the director’s next film. He was on his way!Which of the following was Larry really interested in?
| A．Working as a waiter. | B．Becoming a film star. |
| C．Parking cars for film stars. | D．Owning a big company. |
Why did Larry find a job parking cars?
| A．Because he liked the job. |
| B．Because the parking lot was near Hollywood. |
| C．To make a living and wait for the opportunity. |
| D．To see a lot of film stars and work for them. |
After reading the story, what can we know about the film director?
| A．He wanted to laugh at Larry. |
| B．He recognized Larry at first sight. |
| C．He was kind and gave Larry a try. |
| D．He thought Larry would become a star. |
“He was on his way”refers to the fact that_______.
| A．he gave up and returned home | B．he began to work towards success |
| C．he took a journey to Hollywood | D．he had difficulty in playing the small part |
To son, Cecil,
Just a quick note before I start in earnest. When I wrote this, you were 8, still a little boy. In 2002, I was called to active duty in the Marine Corps in the war on Terrorism (恐怖主义). On the 11th of September 2001 when America was attacked, I knew that I would eventually have to go and I was filled with a deep sense of sadness. That night as you and Keiko were asleep, I looked at your little faces and couldn’t help but fight the tears. I knew it would be hard for you because I had a similar experience. When I was a little boy aged 6, my dad, your Grandpa Cawley, was sent to Vietnam during the war there. I remember how much I missed him, too. But now unfortunately I have come to realize just how rough it must have been for Grandpa to be away from his children for a year. Thinking about this, I wanted to put my thoughts and feelings down for you and your sister. I am so sorry that I had to leave for such a long time. There is no place I would rather be than with you and Keiko. You two are the lights of my life. I have known no greater joy than in the few years since you two were born. I hope to have many more years with you. If this doesn’t happen, then know that I love you more than words can express. If for some reason I don’t make it home, I will need you to take care of your little sister and your Mom. You will be the man of the Cawley family. Be good my son and God will watch over you as he has me. I will be waiting impatiently for the time when we can all be together again.The writer of the letter may be ______.
| A．an American soldier in the battle field |
| B．an American policeman |
| C．a soldier in the Vietnam War |
| D．a postman working far away from home |
Keiko is the ______ of the writer.
| A．wife | B．son | C．daughter | D．sister |
One of the experiences the writer and his son had in common is that ______.
| A．they both experienced the Vietnam War |
| B．their fathers had to leave them and fight abroad. |
| C．they used to study in the same school |
| D．they were both eight when the fathers had to leave them |
We can infer(推断) that ______.
| A．the writer was a devoted son |
| B．the writer was a brave soldier |
| C．the writer realized he might die in the battle field |
| D．the writer’s wife was suffering from a terrible illness. |
Starting from April, 2010, you won’t be hearing the word “NBA” on sports programs on CCTV. Instead, sport host will give the full Chinese name when they refer to the NBA – National Basketball Association. You also won’t hear any other English abbreviations (缩略词) on CCTV’s Chinese programs, such as GDP (gross domestic product), or WTO (World Trade Organization). You will hear their Chinese translations.
CCTV received a notice from the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television telling it to avoid using English-language abbreviations in their reports to protect the “purity” of the Chinese language. A few other TV stations also received the notice.
Fu Zhenguo, an editor of People’s Daily, is one of the people who suggested the change. “Firstly, using English in a Chinese-speaking environment is against Chinese law,” he said. “Then, using English on Chinese TV programs is unfair to people who don’t understand English. What’s worse, it will have a bad language influence on kids and teenagers.”
A lot of netizens have criticized the move, saying that it will cause problems for them.
“I understand what CD, VCD and DVD mean when I hear them. But I won’t know what the TV programs are talking about if I hear those products’ full Chinese names,” a netizen wrote in a BBS post. Following the same post, another netizen wrote jokingly: “I’m not listening to my MP3 now. I’m listening to my Moving Picture Experts Group-1 Audio Layer 3 (动态影像专家压缩标准音频第三层面).”What does the underlined word “purity” in the second paragraph mean?
| A．纯正 | B．高贵 | C．时髦 | D．潮流 |
How many reasons did Fu Zhenguo list to show his support for the change?
| A．1 | B．2 | C．3 | D．4 |
Some netizens went against the change because_______________.
| A．the application of abbreviations will make Chinese popular. |
| B．the application of abbreviations will attract the youth. |
| C．the application of abbreviations will not simplify the understanding. |
| D．the application of abbreviations will not bring Chinese to an end. |
What can be the full name of CCTV mentioned in the text?
| A．Close Closet Top Video | B．China Central Television |
| C．China Common Time Voice | D．Closed-Circuit Television |
Taylor sings with heart
The music industry is never short of teen pop stars with wonderful looks, but it doesn’t often find one like US singer Taylor Swift. “Beneath Taylor Swift’s not-a-girl, not-yet-a-woman sweetness hides a very skillful songwriting technique (技巧),” writes Leah Greenblatt with Entertainment Weekly.
Songwriting, the country singer explains, is “how I deal with problems. I am used to writing about things that really influences me most.” So in her songs, there is always something true and honest. They seem like stories from a diary. And that certainly helps Swift attract her audience.
She’s sold more than 13 million copies worldwide of her first two albums, 2006’s self-titled debut (首张专辑) and 2008’s Fearless. She’s the youngest artist ever to be named Artist of the Year at the American Music Awards. Not surprisingly, there were great expectations for her third album, Speak Now, which came out late last month, where she again returned to her own life for material. The 14 songs “are all about the last two years... when life was a little bit bigger and crazier,” says Swift. “So I’ve written about the lessons and confusion and heartbreak and all the different things that go along with being 18, 19 and 20.”What led to Taylor’s fame?
| A．Her wonderful looks. | B．Her songwriting skills together with her looks. |
| C．Her beautiful voice. | D．Her special life experience in her teenage years. |
Which of the following is true?
| A．Taylor is now in her twenties. |
| B．Taylor’s the youngest Artist of the Year at the Academy Awards |
| C．Taylor has produced three albums up till now. |
| D．Taylor has sold more than 13 million copies worldwide. |
What may be written in the album, Speak Now?
| A．Her unhappy experience with her boyfriend. |
| B．Her concern for her popularity. |
| C．Her happy childhood. |
| D．Her worries for environmental pollution. |