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Wang Jiaming from Beijing Chenjinglun High School says he is a lucky boy．He’s happy that he’s sitting the senior high school entrance exam in 2014 instead of 2016．
On October 22，Beijing Municipal Commission of Education announced that，from 2016，the English scores in the senior high school entrance exam will be reduced from 120 to 100．Of the 100 points，the listening scores will increase to 50．Meanwhile，the points for Chinese will increase from 120 to 150．
“The change won’t affect me．I feel so lucky becauseEnglish is my strongest subject，”said Wang．Why such a change?“It places the importance on Chinese in our study and reduces students’pressure，”said Li Yi，a spokesman of the commission．
“The change will also push us to pay attention to the practical usage of English，”said Li．“Students will be encouraged to learn to understand English menus and read English news on mobile phones．”
There isn’t news that other cities will have the same change．But several places are making changes to English tests in the college entrance exams．
For example，Shandong is considering taking out the listening part of the English exam in its Gaokao．But，“being tested for less points doesn t mean the subject can be taken lightly，”Bai Ping wrote in China Daily．
English has long been the world’s most commonly used language．Wang Jiaming said he understood the change．
“Chinese，not English，is our mother tongue，”he said．“but still，I think English is both interesting and useful．”In the Beijing senior high school entrance exam of 2016，the English scores will be cut down to________．
| A．50 |
| B．100 |
| C．120 |
| D．150 |
Wang Jiaming feels lucky because________．
| A．the exam change from 2016 doesn’t affect him |
| B．he doesn’t need to take the important exam |
| C．Chinese is his strongest subject |
| D．he is not good at chemistry |
The sentence“being tested for less points doesn’t mean the subject can be taken lightly”in the passage means________．
| A．the students can spend less time on English |
| B．it’s harder for the students to get a high score |
| C．English is not as important and useful as before |
| D．studying English is still important for the students |
What is the main purpose of the change?
| A．To encourage students to learn how to order meals in English． |
| B．To make students learn to read English news on mobile phones． |
| C．To ask students to prepare for the college entrance exam． |
| D．To make students pay more attention to learning Chinese． |
Good books are like wise friends. They support you to walk forward, and help you understand the world. TIME listed three best books of 2014 for teens. Have you read all of them?
| Names of Books |
Writers |
Stories |
| This One Summer |
Jillian Tamaki & Mariko Tamki, Canada |
Every summer, Rose goes with her parents to a lake house. It’s their relaxing time. But this summer is different. Rose’s parents keep fighting. Rose meets a local teen. But later he is caught up in something bad. It’s really a summer of sorrow（悲伤）and growing up. |
| The Fourteenth Goldfish |
Jennifer L. Holm, US |
Ellie has never liked change. She misses everything in the past, especially her dearly dead goldfish. Then one day a strange boy who looks like Ellie’s grandfather shows up. He’s always obsessed（着迷的）with immortality（永生）. Has he finally found the secret to immortality with Ellie? |
| Absolutely Almost （完全几乎） |
Lisa Graff, US |
Albie has always been an “almost”. He’s almost good at everything. In fact, Albie has a long list of the things he’s not very good at. But when Albie meets Calista, she helps him work out all of the things he is not good at. What will happen to this “almost” boy? |
What are good books like?
A. Parents.
B. Brothers and sisters.
C. Wise friends.What’s the difference for Rose this summer?
A. She lost something important.
B. She can’t meet her friend.
C. Her parents keep fighting.If you’re interested in the secret to immortality（永生）, you can read______.
A. This One Summer
B. The Fourteenth Goldfish
C. Absolutely Almost The book Absolutely Almost is written by_____.
A. Jillian Tamaki
B. Jennifer L. Holm
C. Lisa GraffWhich of the following is TRUE?
A. Ellie misses her dearly dead goldfish a lot.
B. Rose has the same summer as before.
C. Albie never does well in everything before.
Yao Beina was not only a popular singer but also an energetic and warm-hearted angel. She donated her corneas (眼角膜) to two men after her death.
Yao was born in a music family in September 1981 in Wuhan. She started to learn music at the age of 4, and she sang her first song on the stage when she was 9. Yao did quite well in singing, so she took part in the 13th Youth Singing Competition and won the first prize.
She became well-known to the public after making some songs for the hit TV drama “The Legend of Zhenhuan”（甄嬛传）, and the mandarinversion (中文版本) of “Let It Go” from Disney’s “Frozen”（冰雪奇缘）.
In July 2013, she competed in The Voice of China II and finally got the second place in Na Ying’s team. She had won many music prizes.
Yao Beina was unlucky to be diagnosed（诊断）with breast cancer (乳腺癌). She had a successful operation（手术） in 2011. She has fought against the illness for about four years while keeping singing, but sadly she failed. Although she’s gone, her fans will remember her beautiful voice and kindness for ever.
How old was Yao Beina when she started to learn music?
A. Four. B. Nine. C. Thirteen.Yao was born in a ________ family in September 1981 in Wuhan.
A. doctor B. farmer C. musicYao was diagnosed（诊断）with___________.
A. stomach cancer
B. breast cancer
C. nose cancerWhich is TRUE about Yao Beina according to the passage?
A. She donated hercorneas to help two men.
B. She had a great voice and won a few music prizes.
C. She won over the breast cancer in the end.What’s the passage mainly about?
A. Yao Beina’s family.
B. Yao Beina’s illness.
C. Yao Beina’s art achievements.
People in southern China like famous and expensive dish—shark fin soup, but no scientific studies have shown that shark fins are good for health. So why do they eat them? Do they realize that they’re killing a whole shark each time they enjoy a bowl of shark fin soup?
When people catch sharks, they cut off their fins and throw the shark back into the ocean. This is not only cruel, but also harmful to the environment. Without a fin, a shark can no longer swim and slowly dies. Sharks are at the top of the food chain in the ocean’s ecosystem. If their numbers drop too low, it will bring danger to all ocean life. In fact, around 70 million sharks are caught and traded in this industry every year. The numbers of some kinds of sharks have fallen by over 90 percent in the last 20 to 30 years. Help save the sharks! Shark fin soup is popular in northern China.
No scientific studies show that shark fins are good for health.
Without a fin, a shark can’t swim any longer and slowly dies.
In fact, around 50 million sharks are caught and traded in this industry every year.
We should help save the sharks.
A serious earthquake can be a terrible experience, and it is easy to forget safety measures(措施) in disorder(混乱). Fortunately, most earthquake safety measures are common sense, but if you forget everything else, remember the following instructions: drop, cover, and hold on. Also, most of earthquake deaths happen after the earthquake, so remember that the danger does not end when the shaking does!
If you stay indoors during an earthquake, move away from unsupported areas and windows. Try to get under a doorway or another area of the building which is held up by strong beams(梁). Stay under a table or desk only if it is very strong. Do not rush to lifts, because it is far safer to stay where you are. Cover your head with your arms around it and curl (蜷缩) into a ball, and wait for the shaking to stop.
If you stay outdoors during an earthquake, move to an area which is as open as possible. Don’t move to buildings, electric poles and other objects which may fall during an earthquake and injure you. Protect your head and stay low to the ground till the shaking ends and it is safe to move.
After an earthquake, many buildings are less strong, although they appear safe. If you stay indoors, move people from the building quickly and help disabled or injured people. Once outdoors, move well away from the building so that if it falls down, you will not be injured. Wait till public safety officials announce that it is safe to stay indoors.
By planning ahead and keeping calm during an earthquake, you can greatly increase your chances of survival(生存) without injury.The underlined word “Fortunately” in the first paragraph means ____________.
| A．especially | B．gradually |
| C．luckily | D．finally |
We can learn from the passage that earthquake safety measures ____________.
| A．are planned for children | B．help us to keep safe |
| C．are not necessary | D．are not easy to understand |
According to the passage, it isn’t a good choice ___________ during an earthquake.
| A．to take a lift |
| B．to stay under a strong table |
| C．to get under a doorway |
| D．to cover the head with arms around it |
If you stay outdoors during an earthquake, you can do all the following except ___________.
| A．trying to protect your head |
| B．moving to an open place |
| C．moving away from buildings |
| D．taking the disabled people into the room |
The purpose of the passage is mainly to tell us how to ____________.
| A．stay away from an earthquake |
| B．predict an earthquake |
| C．control an earthquake |
| D．keep safe during and after an earthquake |
Imagine one day, the water taps(水龙头) in your house stop running. You have to buy water from shops. And still there isn’t enough for everyone. Your mother has to save the family’s shower water to do other things. Would you be able to stand that kind of life?
Probably not. But that’s what kids in Yemen are experiencing. Experts said Yemen is going to be the first country in the world to run out of water. According to a report, the capital, Sana, will run out of drinking water as early as 2025.
Because of the shortage, the government often cuts the water supply(供应). Hannan, an 18-year-old from Lahej, told Times: “In a good week we’ll have a water supply all week. But then the following week there will be water only for a day or two.”
Hannan said only rich people have enough water to use. They can buy water from the shops or from the water trucks. Private companies own the trucks. They travel around the city every day to sell water—at very high prices. “A lot of people can’t afford it,” she said.
The average (平均) person in Yemen uses 100 to 200 cubic（立方）meters of water per year. That is far below the international water poverty(贫困) line of 1,000 cubic meters.
The government is thinking of making use of seawater. But it will cost a lot and it may not happen soon enough to help the people of Yemen. _____________ is the name of the capital city of Yemen.
| A．Sana | B．Lahej |
| C．Hannan | D．Times |
A report shows that Sana will have ____________ as early as 2025.
| A．enough drinking water to use |
| B．no drinking water to use |
| C．no private companies |
| D．more water pollution |
What does the underlined word “shortage” in the third paragraph mean in Chinese?
| A．充足 | B．短缺 | C．干旱 | D．需求 |
We can infer(推断) from the passage that _____________.
| A．the poor don’t have to worry about the water supply |
| B．the 18-year-old boy is from a poor family |
| C．private companies make a lot of money |
| D．Lahej is a beautiful place |
Which of the following do you think is the best title for this passage?
| A．How to Save Water |
| B．How to Make Use of Seawater |
| C．How People Use Water Fully |
| D．Yemen is Facing Serious Water Shortage |