Ladies and Gentlemen, some strange, wild and wonderful stories colored the news in 2010, you may like them.
● A Copenhagen bus company has put "love seats" on 103 of its buses for people looking for a partner. "Even love at first sight is possible on the bus," said a spokesman for the company to explain the two seats on each bus that are covered in red cloth and a "love seat" sign.
● Shoppers at an international luxury fair in Italy, found a cell-phone-equipped golden coffin（棺材）among the items on display. The phones will help "the dead" contact relatives if they have been buried alive by mistake.
● A man in New York came up with a disarming（手无寸铁的）way to perform his latest bank robbery, approaching the clerk’s window with a large bunch of flowers and handing over a note saying “give me the money!”
● An Englishman who lost all his legs and arms in an electrical accident successfully swam across the Channel, a challenge he had been preparing for two years. The whole cost is 400 dollars.
● A set of artificial teeth made for Britain's war-time prime minister Winston Churchill known as "the teeth that saved the world" sold for nearly 18,000 pounds (21,500 euros, 24,000 dollars) at auction（拍卖）.
● A British woman caused an Internet hate campaign after she was caught on camera dumping（抛弃）a cat in a rubbish bin. She was fined 250 pounds (400 dollars, 280 euros) after pleading guilty.
● The BBC apologized completely and without any doubts after a radio presenter jokingly announced that Queen Elizabeth II had died.
● Two Australian men needed surgery after shooting each other in the bottoms during a drinking session to see if it would hurt and they were charged 400 dollars separately.
● A Kuwaiti MP(议员) suggested state-aid for male citizens to take second wives, in an effort to reduce the large number of unmarried women in the oil-rich state.What is special about the coffin in the second news?
| A．It is golden. | B．It has a cell phone. |
| C．It is new. | D．It has many items. |
Who has to spend 400 dollars to do the surgery?
| A．An Australian man who was shot in bottom to test the hurt. |
| B．One who bought Winston Churchill’s artificial teeth. |
| C．A British woman who dumped a cat in a rubbish bin. |
| D．An Englishman crossing the Channel without legs and arms. |
Which of the following is true according the news above?
| A．The love seats on the buses are only for married couples. |
| B．The man in New York robbed the bank with a gun. |
| C．Winston Churchill’s set of artificial teeth is worth a lot. |
| D．A British woman dumped the cat because she hated it. |
From the last news we can infer that _________.
| A．in Kuwait many men are eager to get married |
| B．a lot of rich single men lived in Kuwait |
| C．there are quantities of oil in Kuwait |
| D．there are many single women in Kuwait |
New York: When the first plane struck 1 World Trade Center at 8:48 am on Tuesday, the people in 2 World Trade Center who saw the instant (瞬间的) damage to the other tower realized clearly what they, too, must do: get out fast.
Katherine Ilachinsiki, who had been knocked off her chair by the blast (一阵)of heat exploding from the neighboring tower, was one of those. Despite her 70 years of age, Mrs Ilachinsiki, an architect working on the 91st floor of 2 World Trade Center, the south tower, went for the stairs. Twelve floors above her, Judy Wein, an executive (经理), cried sharply and set off too.
But others up and down the 110 floors, many without seeing the damage across the way and thus unclear about what was happening, were not so sure. And the 18 minutes before the next plane would hit were ticking off.
Most people had no idea about what was the best thing to do, formal announcements inside the south tower asked people to stay put, assuring them that the building was sound and the threat was limited to the other tower.
Some left, others stayed. Some began to climb down and, when met with more announcements and other cautions (警告) to stop or return, went back up. The decisions made in those instants proved to be of great importance, because many who chose to stay were killed completely when the second plane crashed into the south tower.
One of those caught in indecision (犹豫不决) was the executive at Fuji Bank USA.
Richard Jacobs of Fuji Bank left the 79th floor with the other office workers, but on the 48th floor they heard the announcement that the situation was under control. Several got in the lifts and went back up, two minutes or so before the plane crashed into their floor.
“I just don’t know what happened to them,” Mr Jacobs said. From the passage, we know that the south tower was hit by the plane ________.
| A．at 8:30 | B．18 minutes earlier than the north tower |
| C．at around 9:06 | D．at 8:48 |
The underlined words “stay put” means ________.
| A．stay in the building | B．leave at once |
| C．put everything back and then leave | D．keep silent |
Which floor was hit by the second plane?
| A．The 91st floor | B．The 103rd floor | C．The 60th floor | D．The 79th floor |
Fewer people would have died if .
| A．more announcements had been made | B．people hadn’t used the lifts |
| C．the attack had happened on a weekend | D．the people had obeyed the office rules |
| Writer/ Time |
Topic: Who’s a better singer, Andy Lau (刘德华) or Jacky Cheung (张学友)? |
| Jim 8-15-2006 5:25 pm. |
Some people say Jacky is the best Chinese singer. I don’t think so! Andy is the best. I went to his concert last year. It was so wonderful, I almost cried! OK, I did cry, but that’s because Andy is so handsome! |
| Tom 9-3-2006 4:38 pm. |
I disagree with Jim. Andy sounds like every other singer. His voice is nothing special. On the other hand, Jacky’s voice is unique, and his songs are so romantic! |
| Linda 9-10-2006 8:54 pm. |
I think they’re about the same. But Andy is a better actor. I’ve seen almost all of his movies. Remember the one where he was an airplane pilot, and his plane crashed near a farm? I love that movie! |
| John 9-16-2006 10:25 pm. |
I also think Jacky is a better singer. I prefer his Cantonese (粤语) songs. Maybe they sound better because Cantonese is his first language. |
| Tom 10-2-2006 10:12 am. |
I agree. Jacky’s Cantonese songs are better than his Mandarin (华语) songs. (Though, I still like all his songs!) |
Who likes Andy Lau the best?.
| A．Jim | B．Tom | C．Linda | D．John |
Why did Jim cry? Because.
| A．she was sad at a concert. | B．she had a broken heart. |
| C．she was angry at Jacky Cheung | D．she thought Andy Lau was very good looking |
What’s Linda’s opinion?.
| A．Andy is a better singer. | B．Jacky is a better singer. |
| C．They both sing equally well. | D．Jacky is a better actor. |
Why does John think Jacky’s Cantonese songs sound the best? Because .
| A．Jacky has no experience singing in Mandarin. |
| B．it’s his native language |
| C．his mandarin pronunciation is bad |
| D．Jacky’s Mandarin songs are boring. |
Yesterday the police were joined by more than 20 volunteers in the continuing search for the two missing teenagers, Vicky Gray and Tom Hunter, and their guide, Gavin Jones. The police said that they had disappeared during an adventure tour of Cape York Peninsula.
This was the second day of the search and the police were now very worried about the safety of the three missing people.
The police said that the search had covered a wide area, but the rainforest was thick and their work was made harder by the recent rain. Later on Chief Inspector Roger Fleet said, “The travelers had a radio with them. If they had been in trouble, they would have called us.”
The three travelers left Cooktown very early on Saturday morning in a Toyota car. They took a small dirt road that runs down to the Daintree River, a dangerous river full of crocodiles (鳄鱼). Chief Inspector Roger Fleet said the tourists wouldn’t have got into trouble if they had stayed on the main road.
A photo of Vicky and Tom was found by a policeman under the “Be Careful about crocodiles” sign near the river. Why was the photo left behind? This is just one of the unanswered questions. Other questions are: Why was the photo left behind? Why was the Toyota parked and locked at the edge of the rainforest? The police said that the travelers had left a map of the area behind. Why? Why had someone drawn a cross on the point (地点) where the car is? Is this a sign? What does it mean? If anyone can give information or has seen these three young people, contact the local police in Cooktown.This article is probably taken from ___________
| A．a newspaper | B．a magazine | C．a storybook | D．a guidebook |
Which of the following things wasn’t found by the police?
| A．A touring map. | B．A photo of the travelers. |
| C．The travelers’ radio. | D．The travelers’ car |
All the following are unanswered questions except_____________.
| A．why they left a photo behind | B．why they came to this area |
| C．why their Toyota was parked in the place | D．why a cross was drawn on the map |
The article asks people to _____________.
| A．join the police in searching for the missing people |
| B．tell the police about the travelers’ ages and their appearance |
| C．learn the lesson and stop taking adventure tours |
| D．provide information about the missing people |
We are often asked to make a speech in life. Most of us are afraid of it and don’t do a good job. Here are some simple steps to make your speech a successful one. First of all, find out everything you can about your subject and at the same time find out as much as you can about your audience. Who are they? What do they know about your subject? Put yourself in their shoes as you prepare your speech. Then try to arrange your material so that your speech is clear and easy to follow. Use as many examples as possible. Never forget your audience. Don’t talk over their heads or talk down to them. When you are giving your speech, speak slowly and clearly, look at your audience and pause for a few seconds from time to time to give your audience chances to think over what you’ve said. Just remember: be prepared, know your subject and your audience, say what you have to say and be yourself so that your ideas will bring you and your audience together.When he is giving his speech, the speaker should ________________.
| A．let his eyes rest on the subject | B．follow the audience step by step |
| C．face the audience in a natural way | D．look up and sown from time to time |
During the course of a speech, it is not right for a speaker to ____________.
| A．think nothing of the audience | B．speak in a clear voice |
| C．take a short stop at times | D．give a lot of examples |
What does the underlined word “pause” mean in the passage?
| A．listen | B．stop | C．choose | D．search |
Which title best gives the main idea of the passage?
| A．How to Remember the Audience |
| B．How to Pick out the Topic for a Speech |
| C．How to Prepare the Material for a Speech |
| D．How to Improve Your Speech |
Do you want to have a friend whom you could tell everything to, like your deepest feelings and thoughts? Or are you afraid that your friend would laugh at you, or just can’t understand what you are going through?
Anne Frank chose the first kind. She lived in Amsterdam during World War II. Her family was Jewish (犹太人) so they had to hide, or they would be caught by the German soldiers. She and her family hid away for two years before they were discovered. During this time the only true friend was her diary, which she called Kitty.
In a diary dated on Thursday 15 June, 1944, she wrote, “Dear Kitty, I wonder if it’s because I haven’t been able to be outdoors for so long that I’ve grown so mad about everything to do with nature. I can well remember that there was a time when a blue sky, the song of the birds, moonlight and flowers could never have kept me puzzled. That’s changed since I was here for a year and a half.”In Anne’s opinion, the best friend is one who_______.
| A．knows everything | B．likes to talk with you |
| C．can read your diary | D．can understand you |
Who do you think Kitty is ?
| A．Anne’s sister. | B．Anne’s mother | C．Anne’s teacher | D．Anne’s diary |
Anne had grown so mad about nature. Maybe it was because ______.
| A．she had been indoors too long | B．she had no interest in nature |
| C．she had always been such a girl | D．she had got used to living alone |
In her diary on Thursday 15, June, 1944, Anne expressed her strong wish for ______.
| A．friendship | B．schooling | C．free life | D．free weather |