Thousands of people living in the Chinese eapital will celebrate the start of the Chinese New Year by heading for the ski resorts(滑雪场).Never mind that Beijing’s dry weather seldom produces now. It is cold enough in winter for snow-making machines to make a covering for the hills north to the capital. And the rapid growth of a pleasure-seeking middle class has formed the basis for this New craze(热潮).
Since Beijing’s first ski resort was opened ten years ago, the sport has enjoyed an astonishing increase.There are now more than a dozen resorts. Clothes markets in the city have added bright colored ski suits to their winter collections. Mr.Wei, a manager of a newly-opened ski resort in Beijing, sees the growth of an industry that could soon lead Chinese to head for the ski resorts of Europe. In recent years ski resorts offering natural snow have opened in China. But many are in faraway areas of the country and can’t really match the equipment and services of some ski resorts in Europe.
Beijing’s sking craze is partly a result of the recent increase in private(私有的)cars. This has led to the growth of a leisure industry in the capital’s suburbs(郊区).which until the late-1990s were unreachable to ordinary people. According to Mr. Wei,About 40％ of the visitors to his resort some in their own cars. The rest are bused in by schools, businesses or government offices.
The problem is making money.Starting ski resorturequires quite a lot of money:hiring land from the local government,preparing the hills,buying snow machines,making sure there are enough water and electricity to run them,and buying ski equipment for hiring out to customers.The ski resort where Mr.Wei works cost nearly $4m to set up.And,as so often in China when someone comes up with a good idea,many others rush in and price wars break out.Beijing now offers some of the cheapest ski training classes in the world,though with most people rather new to the sport, expecting a few more doing the same job.What does this text mainly talk about?
| A．Convenience for skiers brought about by private cars |
| B．Skiing as a new way of enjoying one’s spare time |
| C．Things to be considered when starting a ski resort |
| D．A sudden increase of ski training classes in Beijing |
Why are some Chinese likely to go skiing in Burope?
| A．To visit more ski areas |
| B．To ski on natrual snow |
| C．For a large collection of ski suits |
| D．For better services and equipment |
The underlined words”leisure industry”in Paragraph 3 refer to
| A．transport to ski resorts |
| B．production of familycars |
| C．business of providing spare time enjoyments |
| D．part-time work for people living in the suburbs |
What is the main problem in running a ski resort?
| A．Difficulty in hiring land |
| B．Lack of business experience |
| C．ski resorts. |
| D．Shortage of water and electricity |
For 40 years, the people of London have been happy to discover in their parks a bird that seems to have made its way from the Himalayas to the capital of England. With its shocking green body, red mouth, long tail and noisy screech(尖叫), the rose-ringed parakeet (长尾小鹦鹉) brought a vivid colour to parks in and around London.
However, the parakeets are no longer welcome. The government has suddenly woken up to the fact that there are many more parakeets in and around London making life harder for the local bird population. Government experts put the number of parakeets at around 30,000. They fear that if the number of parakeets keeps rising, these birds will push out local birds like wood-peckers, starlings and nuthatches from trees to build their own nests.
Not only that. According to an online report by The Independent, the parakeets will then also get control of most of the food available in the parks — seeds, berries, fruit and nuts. The local bird population will then have a hard time staying alive. An organization called the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) has asked the government to investigate (调查) what kind of a threat the parakeet brings to local birds. If the government decides that these birds are indeed a threat to local birds, steps will be taken to control the number of parakeets.
The most surprising thing about the case of the rose-ringed parakeet is that no one quite knows how the parakeets came from India and started breeding (繁殖) in areas around London.Parakeets are no longer welcome mainly because ______.
| A．the local birds are being driven out |
| B．the government doesn’t like the birds |
| C．they are a threat to people’s health |
| D．people have a great fear of this kind of birds |
According to an online report by The Independent, ______.
| A．the parakeets’ future threat is impossible |
| B．the number of the parakeets is around 3,000 |
| C．the parakeets should fly back to the Himalayas |
| D．the local birds won’t have enough food |
People are not certain ______.
| A．where the parakeets live |
| B．how the parakeets breed |
| C．how they flew to London |
| D．when they started living in London |
The best title for this passage would be _____.
| A．Help the parakeets | B．Pretty birds have trouble |
| C．Birds invade London | D．Pretty birds |
Skateboarding has become one of several non - traditional activities that PE teachers around America are introducing to inspire kids to exercise regularly. Some PE classes feature in-line (滚轮) skating, yoga, and even rock climbing. Experts have called those types of activities “the new PE”.
Such activities are part of a larger effort to help kids develop lifelong fitness habits and to keep them from becoming overweight. Now, 9 million U.S. children and teens are overweight. Obesity (肥胖) can lead to health problems such as diabetes and heart disease later in life.
“Our children and youth are becoming unhealthy and obese,” says Lindsey Johnson. “Skateboarding is a great activity that keeps kids doing physical movement and gives them new skills and interest.”
Some schools don’t allow skateboarding because they say it is dangerous. Cendali, however, argues that regular practice eliminates a great deal of the danger. “We teach students how to do it and how to do it safely,” he says.
Some people say skateboarding teaches life lessons. “Skateboarding teaches kids to believe that if they stick with something they will finally succeed,” says education expert Richard Sagor of Lewis & Clark College in Portland, Oregon.
Skateboarding inspires kids not to give up in learning difficult skills. “It’s natural for kids to want to learn and get better at things,” adds Sagor. “When it comes to skateboarding, they’ll try a trick hundreds of times before they succeed.” That same effort could be made in schoolwork.
Eric Klassen agrees that skateboarding requires kids to stop saying a task is too hard for them. “A baby will attempt to walk 600 to 900 times before he or she is successful,” says Klassen. “We tell students that they shouldn’t say ‘I can’t do it’ unless they’ve tried 600 to 900 times.”Skateboarding is introduced into American schools to ______.
| A．encourage students to compete bravely in competition |
| B．teach students how to deal with risks |
| C．prevent students suffering from heart disease later in life |
| D．help students form the habit of doing sports |
The underlined word “eliminates” in Paragraph 4 probably means “______”.
| A．reduces | B．increases | C．adds | D．brings |
What life lesson do kids learn from skateboarding?
| A．To succeed in life you have to learn skateboarding. |
| B．You will succeed in life if you don’t give up. |
| C．Only after failing 600 to 900 times can you succeed. |
| D．There is no hard work after learning skate-boarding well. |
What would be the best title for the passage?
| A．The dangerous PE | B．Skills of skateboarding |
| C．The new PE | D．The change of PE |
The penny is getting a change．The United States Mint (制币厂) revealed four new designs for the 1-cent piece, to celebrate the coming 200th anniversary of President Abraham Lincoln's birth．United States Mint Director Ed Moy announced the new looks for the penny today in front of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C．"These coins are a tribute (赞辞) to one of our greatest Presidents, whose legacy (遗教) has had a lasting impact on our country," Moy said.
The heads side of the new pennies will continue to bear the profile (侧面) likeness of President Lincoln and the motto "In God We Trust." The back sides will pay tribute to four major parts of Lincoln's life.
The first redesigned penny will feature a log cabin that represents Lincoln's birthplace,near Hodgenville, Kentucky．The second design shows Lincoln reading a book while sitting on a log with his ax beside him．It shows how young Lincoln educated himself while working as a rail-splitter in Indiana．The third design shows Lincoln as a young man in front of the Capitol (议会会堂) in Illinois．The fourth and final design shows a half-finished United States Capitol dome, which was completed in 1863 despite the violent Civil War．The writing, on the back sides of the coins will remain "United States of America," "E Pluribus Unum" and "One Cent."
The first penny will be released into circulation on February 12, 2009, Lincoln's 200th birthday．This day is also the 100th anniversary of the release of the first penny, on February 12, 1909．One new coin will be released into circulation every three months in 2009.
"This is an important occasion in the history of our nation's coin-age because these designs represent the first change in the Lincoln cent in half a century," said Director Moy．A commemorative (纪念性的) Lincoln silver dollar will also be released in 2009．Why does the United States Mint get the Lincoln cent changed?
| A．Because the design is out of date． |
| B．Because the design doesn’t match Lincoln’s life. |
| C．Because the old coin is hard to be released into circulation． |
| D．Because the country wants to honor Lincoln on his 200th birthday. |
Which is the correct order of the new coins according to the description in the passage?
| A．a, b, c, d | B．b, a, d, c | C．c, d, a, b | D．b, c, a, d |
How many new Lincoln coins will be released in 2009?
| A．One | B．Three | C．Four | D．Five |
All the newly designed coins feature the following EXCEPT．
| A．the profile likeness of President Lincoln |
| B．the motto "In God We Trust" |
| C．the portrait of young Abraham Lincoln |
| D．the writing "United States of America" |
Which of the following does Penny Image 4 show?
A．Professional Life in Illinois． B．Presidency in Washington, DC．
C．Formative Years in Indiana． D．Birth and Early Childhood in Kentucky.
When you’re surfing the Internet on your laptop from your dorm or home, do you know your personal details are being gathered secretly? And would you be surprised to know the information may be sold cheaply to advertisers and marketers?
According to an investigation by The Wall Street Journal, all it takes is a tiny file in a computer-a single code consisting of a long series of numbers and letters- to record the computer user’s age, gender, location, favorite movies and hobbies.
The newspaper reports that Lotame Solutions Inc., a New York company, uses sophisticated(高科技) software called a "beacon" to capture what people are typing on a website.
Lotame packages that data into profiles（个人资料）about individuals, only without their names, and sells the profiles to companies seeking customers．Batches of such data may be sold for a few dollars.
The Wall Street Journal survey discovered that spying on Internet users is one of the fastest-growing businesses on the World Wide Web.
The "cookie"- a tiny text file put on your PC by websites or marketing firms which might be used to remember your preferences for one site, or to track you across many sites is already old news．There are new and more complex tools such as "beacons" which scan in real time what people are doing on a webpage．These beacons instantly assess the Internet user’s location, income, shopping interests and even medical conditions.
Millions of Internet users around the world also face unprecedented（空前的）threats．Private, sensitive, personal and business information is being gathered and sold without their knowledge.
Companies insist the information they gather is anonymous and the data is used harmlessly.But the technology has grown so powerful that even some of the biggest websites in the US don’t know that they were installing intrusive files on visitors’ computers．These include MSN.com and Yahoo.com.
Next time you visit a webpage and find an ad banner advertising something you’ve been planning to buy, don’t be amazed that your computer can read your mind.The purpose of the passage is to .
| A．introduce a tiny file in a computer-a single code |
| B．show how your individual information was let out when you surf the Internet |
| C．show how to protect your privacy |
| D．introduce a sophisticated software called a "beacon" |
All of the following statements is True except .
| A．Lotame sells the profiles about individuals to companies seeking customers with their age, gender, location, hobbies and names |
| B．spying on Internet users is the fastest-growing businesses on the World Wide Web |
| C．some of the biggest websites in the US know they were installing intrusive files on visitors’ computers |
| D．a tiny file in a computer-a single code consisting of a long series of numbers and letters can record users’ information |
It can be inferred that .
| A．because the data is used harmlessly．Internet users around the world will not face threats |
| B．when a person surf the Internet, his personal details may be let out without his knowledge |
| C．your computer can really read your mind |
| D．MSN.com and Yahoo.com．use software to capture what people are typing on a website |
According to the passage, “beacon” .
| A．is a tiny text file put on your PC by websites |
| B．is a soft ware that can package that data into profiles about individuals |
| C．can assess the Internet user’s location, income, shopping interests and even medical conditions |
| D．is not more complex than the "cookie" |
What’s the writer’s attitude to this problem?
| A．Neutral | B．Worried | C．Optimistic | D．Indifferent |
Life comes in a package.This package includes happiness and sorrow, failure and success, hope and despair. Life is a learning process.Experiences in life teach us new lessons and make us a better person.With each passing day we learn to handle various situations．
Love
Love plays a pivotal role on out life．Love makes you feel wanted．Without love a person could go Hayward(不归路) and also become cruel and ferocious．In the early stage of our life, our parents are the ones who show us with unconditional love and care, they teach us about what is right and wrong, good and bad．But we always tend to take this for granted．It is only after marriage and having kids that a person understands and becomes sensitive to others feelings．Kids make a person responsible and mature and help us to understand life better．
Happiness and Sorrow
Materialistic happiness is short-lived, but happiness achieved by bringing a smile on others face gives a certain level of fulfillment．Peace of mind is the main link to happiness.No mind is happy without peace.We realize the true worth of happiness when we are in sorrow．Sorrow is basically due to death of a loved one, failure and despair.But these things are temporary and pass away.
Failure and Success
Failure is the path to success.It helps us to touch the sky, teaches us to survive and shows us a specific way.Success brings in money, fame, pride and self-respect.Here it becomes very important to keep our head on our shoulder.The only way to show our gratitude to God for bestowing success on us is by being humble, modest, courteous and respectful to the less fortunate ones.
Hope and Despair
Hope is what keeps life going.Parents always hope their children will do well．Hope makes us dream.Hope builds in patience.Life teaches us not to despair even in the darkest hour, because after every night there is a day.Nothing remains the same we have only one choice keep moving on in life and be hopeful.
Life teaches us not to regret over yesterday, for it has passed and is beyond our control.Tomorrow is unknown, for it could either be bright or dull.So the only alternative is work hard today, so that we will enjoy a better tomorrow.In the passage, the author compares life to．
| A．package | B．joy and sorrow | C．failure and success | D．hope and despair |
In which section can readers probably read the passage?
| A．Opinions | B．Politics | C．Education | D．Lifestyles |
How is the passage organized?
| A．In order of rules． | B．In order of frequency. |
| C．By making comparison． | D．In order of importance. |
What’s the general meaning of the last sentence of the whole passage?
| A．If you work hard, you’ll have a better life in the future． |
| B．when choosing between “today” and “tomorrow”, you’d better enjoy tomorrow better. |
| C．What you only can choose is to work hard today rather than tomorrow. |
| D．Enjoying a better tomorrow is your only choice． |
What’s the purpose of the passage?
| A．To encourage people to love each other． |
| B．To tell people how to deal with happiness and sorrow． |
| C．To remind people of keeping having a beautiful dream． |
| D．To give readers some information about life. |