Americans get some of their news and entertainment from public television and radio. These public media receive money to operate from private citizens, organizations and government. Many of their programs are educational. But most of the American media are run by businesses for profit. These privately owned media have changed greatly in recent years. Newspapers, magazines and traditional broadcast television organizations have lost some of their popularity. At the same time, online, cable and satellite media have increased in numbers and strength. So have media that serve racial groups and those communicating in foreign languages.
In general, more media than ever now provide Americans with news and entertainment. At the same time, fewer owners control them. Huge companies have many holdings(股份). In some areas, one company controls much of the media. One dramatic change in American media is the increased success of cable television. It comes into most homes over wires. It does not use the public airwaves to present programs, as broadcast television does. Like broadcast television, most cable television programs perform advertisements. This is true although people must pay to see cable television in their homes. Thirty years ago, few people had cable. Today, about sixty-eight percent of American homes have cable television. Television by satellite also is gaining popularity.
Over the years, traditional broadcast organizations have tried to appeal to as many watchers as possible. Many cable companies, however, present programs for one special group of viewers. For example, there are cable stations for people who like books, cooking, travel, golf or comedy.
Which of the following is true about American public media?
| A．They depend on the government. |
| B．They are controlled by the government |
| C．They are free |
| D．They can earn money. |
Which of the following properly shows the change in these privately owned media?
| A．Newspapers are getting more popular. |
| B．Satellite media is getting more popular. |
| C．Traditional media also serve racial groups. |
| D．Some media make their programs in foreign languages |
From the second paragraph, we learn that .
| A．broadcast TV and cable TV programs include sales messages |
| B．more media are out of control |
| C．American media is dramatic |
| D．cable TV is free |
What would be the best title for the text?
| A．American news and entertainment |
| B．Public television and radio media |
| C．media in the United States |
| D．Cable programs in the United States |
Two words rhyme with each other when they have the same ending word, like “think,” ”pink”. The last word in each of the lines of a poem does not have to have a rhyming sound, many of them do. Two lines of poetry that rhyme with each other at the end are call rhyming couplet.
Writing rhyming poetry can be difficult because you need to choose words that not only rhyme but have meaning, too. Even though some poems are short, you have to think extra long at which words to choose. Here is an example of a short poem:
He was only a bug, but he was the king.
She smiled at him when he gave her a ring.
He forgot to be careful of one little thing.
His queen was a bee, and she could sting.What does it mean when two words rhyme?
| A．They have the same ending sound. |
| B．They have different ending sounds. |
| C．They must have the same meaning. |
| D．They must have different meanings. |
Which of the following rhyme with each other in the short poem?
| A．Ring and thing | B．Bug and king |
| C．Queen and king | D．Bee and sting |
Rhyming poetry is sometimes hard to write because you need to choose___________.
| A．rhyming words without meaning |
| B．rhyming words with meaning |
| C．short lines with extra long words |
| D．meaningful words without rhyming |
As a teenager, Simon Weston wasn’t particularly good at his studies, but he was a good football player. He could also be naughty sometimes so his mother decided Simon should join the army when he was sixteen to teach him some discipline(纪律).
She was right; Simon really enjoyed army life and became a well-respected member. However, Simon’s life was changed forever in 1982. Argentina invaded the Falkland Islands, which belong to Britain, and Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher declared war(宣战). Simon was on board a ship taking troops to the Falklands when it was attacked and set on fire. In an act of great heroism, Simon tried to save one of his friends from being burnt alive. Sadly, he failed and was seriously burnt himself. At the age of 21, Simon’s life seemed over.
Simon had 70 operations to rebuild his face and body. He was so badly burnt that his mother walked past him in the hospital without recognizing her son. Simon struggled to call out, “Mum, it’s me, Simon.” Hearing his voice, his mother broke down in tears. Many thought Simon would die, but to everyone’s astonishment, he survived. Although he experienced terrible pain, Simon never gave up hope. After months of treatment, Simon slowly started to recover and, although he would be terribly scarred for the rest of his life, he was able to leave hospital.
This was when the real battle started. The physical pain slowly disappeared; however, the emotional pain became worse. Simon started to gout but was wounded by the stares of people who looked at him like he was some kind of freak(畸形的人). He felt like saying, “I wasn’t born like this you know. I was injured defending my country.” It took great courage for Simon to continue to go out.
Eventually, Simon became involved in charity work and met his wife Lucy with whom he has three children. Life has never been the same for Simon but his Bravery is an example to us all.Simon’s mother wanted him to join the army because ________.
| A．he liked the life in the army |
| B．she wanted him to be fit |
| C．he was very good at playing sports |
| D．she felt it would change his behavior. |
What can we infer from the text about Simon?
| A．He succeeded in saving his friend in danger. |
| B．he became an excellent professional soldier. |
| C．he didn’t get along with other soldiers. |
| D．he found life in the army very terrible |
What does the underlined part “the real battle started ” in Paragraph 4 refer to ?
| A．Fighting against the physical pain. |
| B．The struggle to come out of hospital. |
| C．The misunderstanding by Simon’s mother. |
| D．Dealing with people’s unfriendly attitudes. |
Which of the following can best describe Simon?
| A．Aggressive and strong. | B．Calm and kind |
| C．Brave and generous | D．Strange and selfish. |
| Young Music Scene Concert Young musicians from all over Germany perform at Young Scene Concert at Berlin’s famous Quasimodo music hall. The concert is part of the Berlin Festival. Time: 15——20 Nov. Place: 45, 18756Berlin, Germany Cost: Various Email: info@quasimodo.de Phone: +34(0)45 839 5986 |
| Documentary Film Month Cinemas, schools and libraries across France and the French-speaking world take part in November’s Documentary Film Month. About 120, 000 visitors take part each year. Time: 1——20 Mar. Place: 25 Road Pyramids, 75001 Paris Cost: Various Phone: +12(0)1 43 38 1973 Email: info@paris-touristoffice.com |
| Craft Show You can come to the show twice a year, in spring and at Christmas. There are hundreds of artisans(手艺人) from across Canada selling jewellery, pottery, glass, ironwork and clothing. Time: 26 Nov. ——7 Dec. Mon.——Fri. 11 am——10 pm Sat. 10 am——8 pm Sun. 9 am——6 pm Place: Direct Energy Centre Cost: $ 10 Phone: +7 658 198 3245 Email: askus@oneofakindshow.com |
| Canada Blooms Toronto Garden and Flower Show The Canada Blooms Show every year at the Metro Toronto Convention Center is the country’s largest indoor garden show. Time: Mar. 9 am——6pm Sun. 11 am——5 pm Place: Metro Toronto Convention Center Cost: $ 18; under 12 free Phone: +1 235 4478768 Email: info@mtccc.com |
People can enjoy music at Young Scene Concert from________.
| A．1——20 Mar | B．15——20 Nov. |
| C．26 Nov.——7 Dec | D．1 Mar. ——20 Nov. |
You can e-mail ___________if you want to see Documentary Film.
| A．info@mtccc.com | B．askus@oneofakindshow.com |
| C．info@paris-touristoffice.com | D．info@quasimodo.de |
You can buy ________at the Craft Show.
| A．glass, ironwork and clothing |
| B．different kinds of flowers |
| C．classic music CDs |
| D．some books about film |
If two adults and two boys of 9 want to see Flower Show and Craft Show, it will cost them ________.
| A．$40 | B．$56 | C．$76 | D．$112 |
Which of the following is not true according to the passage?
| A．Young musicians from all over Germany perform at Quasimodo music hall. |
| B．Cinemas, schools and libraries across France take part in Documentary Film Month. |
| C．People can enjoy the Craft Show from 9 am to 6 pm on Sunday. |
| D．Toronto Garden and Flower Show is the world’s largest garden show. |
“Human beings are ruder today because they are rushed and more ‘time poor’ than ever before,” says Patsy Rowe, “ Manners have fallen off the radar(雷达).” Due to our strong attraction to electronic equipment it is a wonder more people don’t wake up each morning and greet the singing birds with a complaint（抱怨）about the noise. Here are some examples of rudeness.
Some people prefer to do almost everything over the internet. To them, dealing with an actual human is like an evolutionary step backward. It feels very slow because humans don’t work at 4G speeds. When you have dinner with friends, you will often notice someone paying more attention to his mobile phone. We have programmed ourselves to think that every new message brings life-changing news, so taking calls and checking our texts are more important than talking to the people we are with. What is worse, some people even tend to send anonymous（匿名的） rude messages by email.
However, rudeness is never acceptable, Don’t assume it is OK to be rude if the person you’re in touch with won’t recognize you. If you have something awful to say, have the courage to face the person and say it, write a letter or email and sign it, or forget it. Upsetting people with unsigned messages is cruel and disgusting.
We shouldn’t blame technology for our shortcomings.Technology is here to help us, but we should not allow it to take over our lives. An important step ia acknowledging our shortcomings.People spend a lot of time pointing out bad manners but it would be even more help if we′d publicly acknowledge good manners when we see them.What can be inferred from the underlined sentence in Paragraph I?
| A．People can tell good from bad behavior. |
| B．Radar is able to observe human behavior. |
| C．People care little about their behavior. |
| D．Radar can be used to predict human behavior. |
Some people are less willing to deal with humans because
| A．they are becoming less patient |
| B．they are growing too independent |
| C．they have to handle many important messages |
| D．they have to follow an evolutionary step backward. |
What can we learn from the last paragraph?
| A．We should applaud good behavior. |
| B．Technology can never be blamed |
| C．We should keep pointing out mistakes. |
| D．Technology will take over lives one day. |
When 19-year-old Sophia Giorgi said she was thinking of volunteering to help the Make-A-Wish Foundation (基金会)，nobody understood what she was talking about .But Sophia knew just how important Make – A –Wish could be because this special organization had helped to make a dream come true for one her best friends .We were interested in finding out more ,so we went along to meet Sophia listen to what she had to say .
Sophia told us that Make – A –Wish is a worldwide organization that started in the United States in 1980.”It’s a charity(慈善机构)that helps children who have got very serious illnesses. Make – A –Wish help children feel happy even though they are sick, by making their wishes and dreams come true ,” Sophia explained .
We asked Sophia how Make – A –Wish had first started .She said it had all begun with a very sick young boy called Chris ,who had been dreaming for a long time of becoming a policeman .Sophia said lots of people had wanted to find a way to make Chris’s dream come true ----so, with everybody’s help , Chris, only seven years old at the time ,had been a “policeman” for a day .” when people saw how delighted Chris was when his dream came true, they decided to try and help other sick children too ,and that was the beginning of Make – A –Wish,” explained Sophia
Sophia also told us the Foundation tries to give children and their families a special, happy time. A Make-A-Wish volunteer visits the families and asks the children what they would wish for if they could have anything in the world. Sophia said the volunteers were important because they were the ones who helped to make the wishes come true. They do this either by providing things that are necessary, or by raising money or helping out in whatever way they can.SophiafoundoutaboutMake-A-Wishbecauseherbestfriendhad.
| A．volunteeredtohelpit | B．benefitedfromit |
| C．dreamedaboutit | D．toldtheauthoraboutit |
AccordingtoSophia, Make-A-Wish.
| A．isaninternationalcharity |
| B．wasunderstoodbynobodyatfirst |
| C．raisesmoneyforverypoorfamilies |
| D．startedbydrawingtheinterestofthepublic |
What is said about Chris in Paragraph3?
| A．He has been a policeman since he was seven. |
| B．He gave people the idea of starting Make-A-Wish |
| C．He wanted people to help make his dream come true. |
| D．He was the first child Make-A-Wish helped after it had been set up. |
Which of the following is true about Make-A-Wish volunteers?
| A．They are important for making wishes come true. |
| B．They try to help children get over their illnesses. |
| C．They visit sick children to make them feel special. |
| D．They provide what is necessary to make Make-A-Wish popular. |