An Italian couple are to become the world's oldest divorcees, after the 99 - year – old husband found that his 96 - year - old wife had an affair（婚外情）in the 1940s．
The Italian man, called by lawyers in the case as Antonio C, was looking through an old drawer when he made the discovery a few days before Christmas．    
In spite of the time that had passed since the affair, he was so upset that he immediately asked his wife of 77years, named as Rosa C, whether it was true, and demanded a divorce．
Stricken by the guilt, she reportedly admitted everything but was unable to persuade her husband to reconsider his decision, though her children also did much more work．
She wrote the letters to her lover during a secret affair in the 1940s, according to court papers released in Rome this week, which made people know the truth．
The couple are now preparing to split; though the marriage they built has lasted over nearly eight decades－ they have five children,  a dozen grandchildren and one great – grand child．
The discovery of the letters was the final problem for their marriage which had already run into difficulty－10 years ago the husband briefly left their house in Rome and moved in with one of his sons, only to return a few weeks later．
The Italian thought the fierce split resulted from the couple's southern blood 一 he is originally from Olbia in Sardinia: while his wife was born in Naples． The couple met during the 1930s when Antonio served as a young officer．
The case appears to set a new record, at least for the age of the oldest figures – the previous oldest couple to divorce were Bertie and Jessie Wood, both aged 98, from the UK．
That pair ended their 36 - year marriage in 2009 when they were both two years away from their l00th birthdays．They got married in Elstree, Hertfordshire, in 1972, having both ended previous marriages, before moving to Falmouth, Cornwall four years later．
小題1:Which is true according to the text?   

A．To find his wife' affair, Antonio C looked through an old drawer．

B．Rosa C' lover may be Bertie．

C．Rosa C admitted what she did because she was sorry for her guilt．

D．The Italian thought the fierce split resulted from the discovery of the letters．

小題2:Which word can replace the underlined one in passage5?

A．a(chǎn)dvertised

B．a(chǎn)nnounced

C．concluded

D．expressed

小題3:Which of the following best describe Antonio C?．

A．a(chǎn) childish man	B．a(chǎn) rude man
C．a(chǎn) romantic man	D．a(chǎn) stubborn man

小題4:The marriage of Antonio C and Rosa C            ．

A．may come to an end because the husband sticks to his decision

B．a(chǎn)ppears to set a new record

C．may have lasted over 36 years

D．began in the 1930s before both ending previous marriages

小題5:This passage may come from        ．

A．a(chǎn) text book	B．a(chǎn) newspaper
C．a(chǎn) history book	D．a(chǎn)n advertisement

A growing number of college students are applying to take entry tests for medical and dental （牙科的） schools among increasing graduate unemployment in Korea.
“I’ve decided to apply for the test to enter a medical college to become a doctor, changing from my original plan to prepare for a lawyer qualification exam in order to get a more stable job in the future,” said a 24-year-old college graduate, Lee, who majored in business administration during his undergraduate schooling.
The new medical and dental school system is getting popularity, attracting an increasing number of students every year since its appearance in 2004, as it is open to all college graduates regardless of their previous majors.
The Education Development introduced the new medical and dental education system, in which college students with bachelor’s degrees are allowed to study medicine or dentistry by taking the Medical Education Test (MET) and Dental Education Test (DET).
Ten medical schools and six dental colleges that have used the new system have received 4,377 applications (申請(qǐng)) for the entrance exams.
Applicants are getting younger compared with those in their 20s representing 76.9 percent of the total. The tests might be easier for students with biology and chemistry majors, but graduates from other majors are also applying for the tests.
Under the existing medical and dental education system, students should take a two-year premedical course followed by a four-year medical course.
Students graduating under the new medical or dental education system are given master’s degrees, while those graduates who studied under the previous system have bachelor’s degrees.
小題1:Why do more and more Korean students apply for medical schools?

A．Because doctors are highly respected in Korea.

B．Because they want to get a more stable job.

C．Because medicine is easier to learn than other subjects.

D．Because the medical education system is reasonable.

小題2:Students in the old system may spend _______ years at college to get bachelor’s degrees.

A．two

B．four

C．six

D．seven

小題3:We can learn from the passage that _______.

A．it takes a longer time to get the master’s degree in the old system

B．students may find it a lot easier to get a bachelor’s degree in medicine

C．graduates from other majors like history are not allowed to apply for those schools

D．the new system are not so popular as expected because of its high unemployment

小題4:What would be the best title for the passage?

A．New Medical and Dental School System Is Carried Out in Korea

B．Korean College Students Have a New Job Choice

C．Korean College Students Rush to Medical and Dental Schools

D．Doctors Are Becoming Popular in Korea

TOKYO, Japan (AP) – Japan is very serious about robotics (機(jī)器人技術(shù)). If the droids are going to fit in, they probably need to learn the Japanese custom of serving tea. Fortunately, researchers at the University of Tokyo are exploring just that. In a show this week, a humanoid（有人特點(diǎn)的）with camera eyes made by Kawada Industries Inc. poured tea from a bottle into a cup. Then another robot on wheels delivered the cup of tea in an experimental room that has sensors embedded in the floor and sofa as well as cameras on the ceiling, to simulate（模仿）life with robot technology.
“A human being may be faster, but you’d have to say ‘Thank you,’” said University of Tokyo professor Tomomasa Sato. “That’s the best part about a robot. You don’t have to feel bad about asking it to do things.”
Sato believes Japan, a rapidly aging society where more than a fifth of the population is 65 or older, will lead the world in designing robots to care for the elderly, sick and bedridden（臥床不起的）.
Already, monitoring technologies, such as sensors that automatically turn on lights when people enter a room, are becoming widespread in Japan.
The walking, child–size Asimo from Honda Motor Co. greets people at showrooms. NEC Corp. has developed a smaller companion robot–on –wheels called Papero. A seal robot available since 2004 can entertain the elderly and others in need of fuzzy companionship.
Sato says his experimental room is raising awareness about privacy questions that may arise when electronic devices（設(shè)備）monitor a person’s movements down to the smallest detail.
On the bright side, the tea – pouring humanoid has been programmed to do the dishes.
小題1:What is the best title of this passage?

A．“Thank You” Will Never Be Needed in Japan

B．Monitoring Technologies Are Widespread in Japan

C．Robot Is Designed to Care for the Elderly.

D．Robot technologies are widespread in Japanese daily life.

小題2:The underlined word “embedded” in the first paragraph probably means       .

A．fixed

B．established

C．settled

D．rooted

小題3:According to Professor Sato,       .

A．the robot serves tea much faster than a human being

B．the robot does anything like human beings

C．tea – serving robot helps to form laziness of the aging society

D．tea – serving robot doesn’t need any reward for the service

小題4:Which of the following statements is NOT true?

A．A robot can imitate people to complete complicated tasks.

B．A robot has been programmed to clean the dishes.

C．All the problems in the aging society can be solved by robots.

D．The number of aging people is increasing rapidly in Japan.

小題5:We can infer from the passage that        .

A．people are afraid of being monitored by robots.

B．the technology of robots has been highlighted in Japan.

C．robots can completely take the place of human beings.

D．people’s privacy should be strictly protected

As Apple tries to maintain its growth and success in China, the world's largest smart-phone market is becoming even more critical. Apple's shares(股份) fell sharply as the company's earnings for the holiday quarter through December disappointed investors.
The sales of the iPhone, which include both the iPhone 5 and older models, came in at the low end of analysts' expectations, while the company's income plan for the second quarter was below analysts' forecasts, though Apple is known to give conservative (保守的) forecasts.
Som'6 analysts have said that for Apple to regain its growth, the company.needs a more aggressive strategy for markets, or more specifically for China, where the market for smart phones has been expanding more rapidly than anywhere else. In China, demand is particularly great for inexpensive phones that run on Android(安卓) operating system, sold by many Chinese phone makers as well as South Korea's Samsung Electronics Co.
But Apple says it's already enjoying strong growth in China. "We saw big growth in iPhones,"Chief Executive Tim Cook said. He said that the company has been quickly expanding its sales channels in China, including the number of Apple stores. "This isn't nearly what we need, we're not even close to that, but we're making great progress. " he said.
In China, a big missing piece for Apple is China Mobile Ltd. , the biggest local telecom carrier that doesn't yet sell the iPhone. Earlier this month, Mr. Cook met China Mobile Chairman Xi Guohua in Beijing and discussed cooperation, stirring hopes that the world's largest mobile carrier may soon start offering the iPhone.
Earlier this month, the Wall Street Journal reported that Apple is working on a lower-end iPhone that could launch as early as this year. But one possible challenge for Apple in China is that low-pricod Android-based phones are getting better in terms of quality. A report from CLSA in late November showed that many smart-phones sold at about 1,000 yuan ( $160) came with higher-reso-lution screens, better cameras and more powerful processors than phones at that price did a year earlier.
小題1:Apple's shares dropped sharply because in December__

A．the iPhone wasn't popular in China

B．its product quality was widely criticized

C．the earnings for the holiday quarter was disappointing

D．the investors were not satisfied with Apple's management

小題2:What can we learn from the passage?

A．Apple tends to offer a lower sales forecast.

B．China Mobile Ltd began to team up with Apple.

C．Cook is pessimistic about what Apple did in China.

D．Apple didn't take measures to develop Chinese market.

小題3:The author uses the report from CLSA to prove           

A．their prices are actually lower than a year earlier

B．Apple in China has ability to deal with any problem

C．low-ended Android-based phones are progressing fast

D．the promotion of lower-end iPhone will face a challenge

小題4:The main purpose of the passage is to show the readers __

A．Apple.'s high popularity in China

B．the challenge Apple faces in China

C．the approaching failure Apple will suffer in China

D．Apple's aggressive strategy in its market expansion

What happens to a teenage kid when the world he thought he knew suddenly changes? Find out in Little Brother by American author Cory Doctorow. It is a fascinating book for a new generation of sci-fi readers.
Marcus Yallow, 17, from San Francisco is much more comfortable in front of a computer than obeying the rules of society. Smart, fast and wise to the ways of the networked world, he has no trouble outwitting (騙過(guò)) his high school's monitoring system. This way he and his friends get to head off to play a popular online game in real life.
While they are playing, a bomb explodes on the Bay Bridge. Marcus stops a military (軍隊(duì)的) vehicle to get help for his injured friend, but this simple act throws him into a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) secret prison. There he is treated as a possible terrorist(恐怖分子). He is eventually let go after four days, but his injured friend disappears.
When he returns, Marcus discovers that there are many "security measures" in place and that now all citizens are treated like potential terrorists. While some consider this government action necessary for public safety, Marcus sees this as a complete destruction of the rights he is supposed to have as a citizen.
He knows that no one will believe his story, which leaves him with only one thing to do: to take down the DHS himself. He helps organize a large network called Xnet to spread the truth, anonymously (匿名地).
The book presents a young man who is irresponsible, but learns about himself, and grows, in the course of the story. As part of this learning and growing he becomes aware of very serious issues about his society.
小題1: What kind of article does this passage belong to?     

A．A fascinating story.	B．A book review.
C．News report	D．A TV programme

小題2: Marcus Yallow was sent to prison because ________.        

A．he killed his friend

B．he bombed a military vehicle

C．he did something that a possible terrorist could do

D．his injured friend disappeared

小題3: From the second paragraph we can infer that _________.     

A．Marcus Yallow is much more comfortable obeying the rules of society

B．Marcus Yallow is smart, fast and wise in real life

C．Marcus Yallow always plays online games in real life

D．Marcus Yallow is expert at the network world

All it took was a slice of Xinjiang cake to spark heated debates online over China's policy on ethnic（民族的）minorities .
Since Monday, qiegao (cut cake) has been a trending topic on Sina Weibo, China’s main Twitter-like microblogging service.
The cake was a reference to Xinjiang’s famed nut cake, sometimes known by its old Turkic name baklava, a popular pastry across Central Asia and the Middle East. In Xinjiang, they are sold by Uygur vendors（小販）on tricycles who are known to charge dubious prices depending on the time and season.
The ethnic flare-up started after the Yueyang police from Hunan province posted a message on their official Weibo account. It reported a dispute in Pingjiang county over an overpriced piece of nut cake between a Xinjiang Uygur vendor and a villager named "Ling".
Villager Ling got into a fight with a Uygur due to a misunderstanding. The verbal dispute eventually escalated into a fight and then a mass fight. As a result, two people were injured and Xinjiang nut cakes worth about 160,000 yuan (US$25,000) were destroyed. The total damage was worth 200,000 yuan which included a broken motorcycle and injuries to people. Local police have detained（扣留） Ling. The 16 Uygur sellers were dully compensated and sent back to Xinjiang.
"Yueyang police incident" quickly became one of the most popular topics on Weibo. Yueyang police removed the post shortly after. As of Tuesday night, the topic was still amassing more than 66,000 hits.
The incident is just one of many similar cases of ethnic tensions across China, notably in Xinjiang province, where deeply entrenched social and racial frictions between the dominant ethnic Han Chinese and minority Uygur Muslims occasionally spark violence. Many Uygurs living in major Chinese cities are viewed by locals as thieves, crooks and even terrorists.
小題1:Which of the following is true?

A．The dispute is between a Xinjiang Uygur vendor and a policeman.

B．Nut cake is a popular pastry across East Asia and the Middle East.

C．The prices of Baklava will change according to the time and season.

D．The demand of the 16 Uygur sellers were refused and they were sent back to Xinjiang.

小題2:How much did the broken motorcycle cost？

A．160,000 yuan	B．200,000 yuan
C．40，000yuan	D．We don’t know

小題3: What’s the best title of the passage?

A．World's most expensive baklava.

B．Ethnic tensions across China.

C．Pay attention to the Uygurs

D．Misunderstanding caused by a fight

小題4: What can we infer from the passage?

A．Yueyang police are afraid of the Xinjiang Uygur vendor

B．It’s not the only ethnic tension across China,

C．Many Uygurs living in major Chinese cities are viewed by locals as thieves, crooks and even terrorists.

D．Villager Ling got into a fight with a Uygur due to a misunderstanding.

小題5: Where is this passage probably from?

A．Microblogging.	B．Textbook.
C．Newspaper.	D．Article.

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（手無(wú)寸鐵的）way to perform his latest bank heist , 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(假牙) 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（拍賣）.
● A British woman caused an Internet hate campaign after she was caught on camera dumping（拋棄）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（手術(shù)）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(議員) 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.
小題1: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.

小題2:What is the probable meaning of the underlined word “heist” in the third news?

A．robbery

B．love

C．discussion

D．repair

小題3:Who has to spend 400 dollars to do the surgery?

A．A British woman who dumped a cat in a rubbish bin.

B．One who bought Winston Churchill’s artificial teeth.

C．An Australian man who was shot in bottom to test the hurt.

D．An Englishman crossing the Channel without legs and arms.

Chinese writer Mo Yan has won the 2012 Nobel Prize in Literature, announced the Swedish Academy in Stockholm on Thursday. The win makes Mo Yan the first Chinese citizen to win the Nobel in its 111-year history. Informed of his win today, the author, who was having dinner at home, was “overjoyed and scared”.
Born in 1955 to parents who were farmers, Mo Yan — a pen name for Guan Moye, grew up in Gaomi, Shandong province in eastern China. At the age of 12, he left school to work, first in agriculture, later in a factory. In 1976 he joined the army and during this time began to study literature and writing.
He published his first book in 1981, but found literary success in 1987 with Hong Gaoliang Jiazu, which was successfully filmed in the same year, directed by famous Chinese director Zhang Yimou. In his writing, Mo Yan draws on his youthful experiences and on settings in the province of his birth and his works show the life of Chinese people as well as the country’s unique culture and folk customs. Mo Yan is known as a productive writer. In addition to his novels, he has published many short stories and essays on various topics. Despite his social criticism, he is seen in his homeland as one of the most famous contemporary authors. Dozens of his works have been translated into English, French, Japanese and many other languages.
The awarding ceremony will be held on December 10. The winner will win a medal, a personal diploma and a cash award of about $1 million.
小題1:How did Mo Yan feel when he was told about the news?

A．Excited and proud.	B．Worried and cautious.
C．Happy and surprised.	D．Uncertain and shocked.

小題2:One of Mo Yan’s characteristics of writing is that he ________.

A．writes about topics he is familiar with

B．focuses on social problems in the country

C．describes his characters in a unique way

D．explains difficult matters in simple words

小題3:What’s the best title for this passage?

A．How Mo Yan Gets Nobel Prize

B．An Introduction to Nobel Prize

C．Mo Yan Wins Nobel Prize in Literature

D．A World Famous Writer, Mo Yan

Holidaymakers who are bored with baking beaches and overheated hotel rooms head for a big igloo. Swedish businessman Nile Bergqvist is delighted with his new hotel, the world’s first igloo hotel. Built in a small town in Lapland, it has been attracting lots of visitors, but soon the fun will be over.
In two weeks’ time Bergqvist’s ice creation(作品) will be nothing more than a pool of water. “We don’t see it as a big problem,” he says. “We just look forward to replacing it.”
Bergqvist built his first igloo in 1991 for an art exhibition. It was so successful that he designed the present one, which measures roughly 200 square meters. Six workmen spent more than eight weeks piling 1,000 tons of snow onto a wooden base; when the snow froze, the base was removed. “The only wooden thing we have left in the igloo is the front door,” he says.
After their stay, all visitors receive a survival certificate recording their success. With no windows, nowhere to hang clothes and temperatures below 0℃, it may seem more like a survival test than a relaxing(輕松的) hotel break. “It’s great fun,” Bergqvist explains, “As well as a good start in survival training.”
The popularity of the igloo is beyond doubt: it is now attracting tourists from all over the world. At least 800 people have stayed at the igloo this season even though there are only 10 rooms. “You can get a lot of people in,” explains Bergqvist. “The beds are three meters wide by two meters long, and can fit at least four at one time.”
小題1: Bergqvist designed and built the world’s first igloo hotel because ________.

A．a(chǎn)n art exhibition was about to open

B．he wanted to make a name for the small town

C．he believed people would enjoy trying something new

D．more hotel rooms were needed

小題2: When the writer says “the fun will be over,” he refers to the fact that ________.

A．hotel guests will be frightened at the thought of the hard test

B．a(chǎn) bigger igloo will replace the present one

C．holidaymakers will soon get tired of the big igloo

D．Bergqvist’s hotel will soon become a pool of water

小題3:According to the text, the first thing to do in building an igloo is ________.

A．to gather a pool of water

B．to prepare a wooden base

C．to cover the ground with ice

D．to pile a large amount of snow

小題4: When guests leave the igloo hotel they will receive a paper stating that ________.

A．they have had a taste of adventure

B．they have had an ice-snow holiday

C．they have had great fun sleeping on ice

D．they have visited Lapland

小題5:Which of the following pictures below is closest to the igloo hotel as described in the text?

A
Chinese writer Mo Yan has won the 2012 Nobel Prize in Literature, announced the Swedish Academy in Stockholm on Thursday．The win makes Mo Yan the first Chinese citizen to win the Nobel in its Ⅲ-year history．Informed of his win today, the author, who was having dinner at home, was “overjoyed and scared"．
Born in 1955 to parents who were farmers, Mo Yan－a pen name for Guan Moye，grew up in Gaomi in Shandong province in eastern China. At the age of 12, he left school to work, first in agriculture, later in a factory. In 1976 he joined the army and during this time began to study literature and writing．
He published his first book in 1981, but found literary success in 1987 with Hong Gaoliang Jiazu, which was successfully filmed in the same year, directed by famous Chinese director Zhang Yimou. In his writing, Mo Yan draws on his youthful experiences and on settings in the province of his birth and his works show the life of Chinese people as well as the country's unique culture and folk customs. Mo Yan is known as a prolific（多產(chǎn)的）writer. In addition to his novels, he has published many short stories and essays on various topics. Despite his social criticism, he is seen in his homeland as one of the most famous contemporary authors. Dozens of his works have been translated into English, French, Japanese and many other languages．
The awarding ceremony will be held on December 10．The winner will win a medal, a personal diploma and a cash award of about $l  million．
小題1:How did Mo Yan feel when he was told about the news?

A．Excited and proud．	B． Happy and surprised．
C．Worried and cautious	D． Uncertain and shocked．

小題2:Mo Yan developed his ability for writing when he was      ．

A．on a farm

B．in a factory

C．in a school

D．in the army

小題3:One of Mo Yan's characteristics of writing is that he

A．writes about topics he is familiar with	B．focuses on social problems in the country
C．describes his characters in a unique way	D．explains difficult matters in simple words

小題4:What's the best title for this passage? 

A．How Mo Yan Gets Nobel Prize	B．An Introduction to Nobel Prize
C．Mo Yan Wins Nobel Prize in Literature	D．A World Famous Writer, Mo Yan