BEIJING, (Xinhua) —China’s capital city launched its first underground library, “M Subway Library” on Jan. 12，2015. The theme of its first activity is “Our Characters”. Citizens riding the special train on subway Line 4 now can read e-books provided by the National Library by scanning the QR code in the carriage.
“M Subway Library” is a public welfare program initiated by the Beijing MTR and the National Library to provide qualified book resources to the public through the platform of public transportation. The library will organize different themed activities regularly and recommend a dozen free books to the public each year in the long term.
XINING, (Xinhua) —A bullet train made its maiden trip from Xining city to Lanzhou city in Northwest China on Dec. 26, 2014, marking the start of the full operations of the Lanxin high-speed railway. The Lanxin high-speed railway links Urumqi in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region with Xining, capital of Qinghai Province, and Lanzhou, capital of Gansu Province, slashing the total travel time from more than 23 hours to 11 hours and 50 minutes. The 1,776-kilometer high-speed rail line, with a designed speed of 250 kilometers per hour, is China’s first high-speed railway built in a high-altitude region.
NINGBO, (Xinhua) —Ningbo Subway Line 1 started running special trains with 3D paintings featuring the city’s culture starting on Dec. 20, 2014．Through the paintings, the city in East China’s Zhejiang province seeks to share its culture and attract more outside visitors. The paintings focus on four themes: rice cake, fishing festival, books and Buddhism.The purpose of launching “M Subway Library” is to .
| A．earn more money by making advertisements in the carriage |
| B．attract more tourists to come to Beijing to take the subway |
| C．make the idea of “Green Travel” go deep into people’s mind |
| D．offer the passengers an additional reading platform |
Which of the following statements is correct according to the news?
| A．The Lanxin high-speed railway covers Gansu, Xinjiang and Tibet. |
| B．It is China’s first high-speed railway. |
| C．It has a length of 1,776 kilometers. |
| D．It will take you 11 hours and 50 minutes to travel from Xining to Urumqi. |
What can you enjoy when you ride the special train on subway Line 1 in Ningbo?
| A．Chinese classical music. |
| B．3D paintings about Ningbo’s culture. |
| C．Traditional Chinese paintings. |
| D．3D films which were shot in Ningbo. |
HANGZHOU, April 4 (Xinhua) —Another H7N9 bird flu case has been confirmed in east China's Zhejiang Province, the provincial health department said Thursday, bringing the country's total number of cases to 10.
The patient is a 64-year-old man from Huzhou City. He became ill on March 29 and was admitted to a hospital in Huzhou on March 31.
On Thursday, medical experts confirmed that he was infected with the H7N9 bird flu strain after the provincial center for disease control and prevention said late Wednesday that he tested positive for the virus.
An investigation has found that all 55 people who had close contact with the man have not showed any abnormal clinical symptoms, the department said.
So far, China has confirmed 10 H7N9 cases — four in Jiangsu Province, two in Shanghai Municipality, one in Anhui Province and three in Zhejiang. The two patients in Shanghai and one in Zhejiang have died.
Health authorities and hospitals in many Chinese provinces have been on high alert for H7N9 cases.
In Nanchang, capital of Jiangxi Province, which neighbors Zhejiang, five hospitals have been selected and ordered to be ready to treat H7N9 patients, though no cases have been reported there.
China's health authorities have promised transparency(透明) and cooperation to the World Health Organization (WHO) in regards to human infections of the new strain of bird flu.
On Wednesday afternoon, the National Health and Family Planning Commission distributed prevention and control plans and technique directives（指示）to health institutions nationwide. "So far, the sources of infection have not been clear, but based on past experiences and recent epidemiological (病理学的) studies, the sources could be poultry or the secretion and excrement from poultry," according to the plan.
The Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention said Wednesday that no human-to-human transmission of H7N9 has been discovered and no epidemiological connection between these cases has been found. What’s the main idea of the passage?
| A．China is on high alert for H7N9 cases. |
| B．The 10th H7N9 infection case has been confirmed in China. |
| C．China has promised transparency and cooperation to the WHO. |
| D．China distributed prevention and control plans. |
Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?
| A．Four H7N9 cases have been confirmed in Zhejiang including the old man. |
| B．People who had close contact with the man are infected with bird flu too. |
| C．So far three people have died of H7N9 bird flu. |
| D．China kept back the truth of human infections from the WHO. |
In which province have no H7N9 bird flu cases been reported so far?
| A．Jiangxi. | B．Anhui. |
| C．Zhejiang. | D．Jiangsu. |
We can learn from the passage that ______.
| A．H7N9 bird flu can spread from human to human. |
| B．Poultry are the sources of H7N9 bird flu. |
| C．All the cases confirmed are not connected. |
| D．Experts don’t definitely know the sources of H7N9 bird flu. |
So the evening turned to night, and the night turned to morning. And before I knew it , the SAT was before me. I wasn’t sure if I was ready, but I knew one thing: I wanted to get it over with.
SAT for the students is like tooth pulling. For those smart Asian kiddos, it’s like walking through the park: easy and carefree. For me, a Chinese American, …it’s: walking through the park and then tripping on a stone.
As I arrived outside of the dining hall, already a mob of students were sitting, talking, or standing silently waiting to get in. Jones students are lucky not only to have such a testing center at school, but also the feeling of their home school where it feels comfortable and familiar.
“ID, please,” my former math teacher asked at the door.
“Okay.” She looked over my ID, checked off my name on her list, and pointed towards the dining hall tables inside.
With hesitation, I picked up my feet and was directed to a large round table in the middle of the dinning hall. At least fourteen people could sit at this table but only four were allowed to take their test here.
“I’m glad it’s multiple choices.” I heard one student say. All the questions on the test have five choices except for one math section where they have only four. If you get an answer wrong, you don’t get any point, plus you get a penalty of a 1/4 point. If you don’t answer a question, you don’t get any point, nor penalties.
When everyone had a seat and the actual SAT I booklet in front of them, the proctor of the test called for our attentions. “In front of you, you should have a SAT I test and a scantron（答题卡）. Please do not open the test booklet until I say so.” He then went on to talk about the procedures, the amount of time, signature of honesty, etc. After thirty minutes of instruction reading, he gave us all a solemn expression before saying, “You may begin now. Good luck.”
I could hear a hundred booklets being opened and pencils scratching the surface. I looked to my right, I looked to my left, I did a quick prayer for whoever was in charge up in the heavens, and started my test. At least I wouldn’t know my score until summer time. How did the author feel before the test?
| A．Confident. | B．Carefree. |
| C．Confused. | D．Nervous. |
Jones students are lucky because __________.
| A．they can take the test in their home school |
| B．they can talk during the test |
| C．they can take the test in a dining hall |
| D．they have their math teacher supervising the test |
By the underlined sentence, the writer intends to say that_________.
| A．the test would be so difficult that she might not pass it |
| B．the test seemed easy but she still needed to be careful with it |
| C．the test would be much easier for her than for the other Asian students |
| D．she found herself not as smart as the other Asian students |
Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?
| A．Fourteen students sat around a large round table, taking the test. |
| B．There were four math problems on the test. |
| C．You will lose more points if you get the answer wrong than if you give up the question. |
| D．The proctor announced the instructions as soon as the test began. |
One of the most striking findings of a recent questionnaire in the UK is that of the people interviewed, one in two believes that it is becoming more difficult to meet someone to start a family with.
Why are many people finding it increasingly difficult to start and keep close relationships? Does modern life really make it harder to fall in love? Or are we making it harder for ourselves?
It is certainly the case today that nowadays couples benefit in different ways from relationships. Women no longer rely upon partners for economic security or status. A man doesn’t expect his wife to be in sole (唯一的) charge of running his household and raising his children.
But perhaps the knowledge that we can live perfectly well without a partnership means that it takes much more to persuade people to abandon their independence.
In theory, finding a partner should be much simpler these days. Only a few generations ago，your choice of soul mate was limited by geography, social convention and family tradition. Although it was never clear, many marriages were essentially arranged. Now those barriers have been broken down. You can approach a builder or a brain surgeon in any bar in any city on any given evening. When the world is your oyster（牡蛎）, you surely have a better chance of finding a pearl.
But it seems that the traditions have been replaced by an even tighter restriction：the limitation of choice. The expectations of partners are made greater to an unmanageable degree：good looks, impressive salary, kind to grandmother, and so on. There is no room for error in the first impression.
We think that a relationship can be perfect. If it isn’t，it is intended to be thrown away. We work to protect ourselves against future heartache and don’t put in the hard emotional labor needed to build a strong relationship. Twelve-hour work at the office makes relaxed after-hours dating(约会) difficult. The cost of housing and child-raising creates pressure to have a stable(稳定的) income and career before a life partnership. Nowadays, in a family, _________.
| A．men begin to depend on women |
| B．couples share the burdens |
| C．men are responsible for housework |
| D．couples can’t get along together |
People don’t want to give up their independence because______.
| A．they can’t bear arranged marriages |
| B．they want to have more choices |
| C．they don’t want to follow traditions |
| D．they think they can live happily alone |
People don’t bother to date because_______.
| A．it requires luck to build a strong relationship |
| B．it takes them too much energy to work |
| C．it needs faith to have a life partnership |
| D．it causes mental problems to find a life partner |
Which of the following can best describe the main idea of the passage?
| A．The expectations of partners and financial pressure may prevent a relationship. |
| B．People should spend more money on marriage today. |
| C．Independence is much more important than love. |
| D．Even a perfect marriage can be given up for the sake of independence. |
There seems never to have been a civilization without toys, but when and how they developed is unknown. They probably came about just to give children something to do.
In the ancient world, as is today, most boys played with some kinds of toys and most girls with another. In societies where social roles are rigidly(严格地) determined, boys pattern their play after the activities of their fathers and girls are being prepared, even in play, to step into the roles and responsibilities of the adult world.
What is remarkable about the history of toys is not so much how they changed over the centuries but how much they have remained the same. The changes have been mostly in terms of craftsmanship, mechanics, and technology. It is the universality(普遍性) of toys with regard to their development in all parts of the world and their persistence to the present that is amazing. In Egypt, America, China, Japan and among the Arctic people, generally the same kinds of toys appeared. Differences depended on local customs and way of life because toys imitate their surrounding. Nearly every civilization had dolls, little weapons, toy soldiers, tiny animals and vehicles.
Because toys can be generally regarded as a kind of art form, they have not been subject to technological leaps that characterize(具有…的特征) inventions for adult use. The progress from the wheel to the cart to the automobile is a direct line of ways up. The progress from a rattle(拨浪鼓) used by a baby in 3,000 BC to one used by an infant today, however, is not characterized by inventiveness. Each rattle is the product of the artistic tastes of the time and subject to the limitations of available materials. The reason why the toys most boys play with are different from those that girls play with is that______.
| A．boys like to play with their fathers while girl with their mothers |
| B．they like challenging activities |
| C．most boys would like to follow their fathers' professions |
| D．their social roles are rigidly determined |
One aspect of "the universality of toys" lies in the fact that________.
| A．the basic characteristics of toys are the same all over the world |
| B．technological advances have greatly improved the durability of toys |
| C．the exploration of the universe has led to the creation of new kinds of toys |
| D．the improvement of craftsmanship in making toys depends on the efforts of universities |
Regarded as a kind of art form, toys________.
| A．reflect the pace of social progress |
| B．changes a lot as time goes by |
| C．are not characterized by technological progress |
| D．also appeal greatly to adults |
The author uses the example of a rattle to show that________.
| A．it often takes a long time to introduce new technology into toy-making |
| B．even the simplest toys can reflect the progress of technology |
| C．even a simple toy can mirror the artistic tastes of the time |
| D．in toy-making there is a continuity in the use of materials |
When I lived in Spain，some Spanish friends of mine decided to visit England by car，before they left，they asked me about how to find accommodation（住所）．I suggested that they should stay at “bed and breakfast” houses，because this kind of accommodation gives a foreign visitor a good chance to speak English with the family．My friends listened to my advice，but they came back with some funny stories．
“We didn't stay at bed and breakfast houses，”they said．“Because we found that most families were away on holiday．”
I thought this was strange．Finally I understood what had happened
My friends spoke little English，and they thought “VACANCIES” meant “holidays” because Spanish word for “holiday” is “vacaciones”．So they did not go to houses where the sign outside said “VACANCIES”，which in English meant there are free rooms．Then my friends went to houses where the sign said “NO VACANCIES”，because they thought this meant the people who owned the house were not away on holiday．But they found that these houses were all full．As a result，they stayed at hotels！
We laughed about this and about mistakes my friends made in reading other signs．In Spanish，a word very similar to “DIVERSION” means fun．In English it means that workman is repairing the road，and that you must take a different road when my friends saw the word “DIVERSION” on a road sign，they thought they were going to have fun．Instead， the road ended in a large hole．
English people have problems too when they learn foreign languages．Once in Paris，when someone offered me some more coffee，I said “Thank you” in French．I meant that I would like some more．However，to my surprise the coffee pot was taken away！ Later I found out that “Thank you” in French means “No，thank you”．My Spanish friends wanted advice about _________．
| A．learning English |
| B．finding places to stay in England |
| C．driving their car on English roads |
| D．going to England by car |
I suggested that they stay at bed and breakfast houses because ________.
| A．they would be able to practise their English |
| B．it would be much cheaper than staying in hotels |
| C．it would be convenient for them to have dinner |
| D．there would be no problem about finding accommodation |
“No vacancies” in English means ____．
| A．no free rooms | B．free rooms |
| C．not away on holiday | D．holidays |
I was surprised when the coffee pot was taken away because I _______．
| A．hadn't finished drinking my coffee |
| B．was expecting another cup of coffee |
| C．meant that I didn't want any more |
| D．was never misunderstood |