With his game-winning three-pointer at the buzzer, Jeremy Lin (林書豪) finished the New York Knicks' dramatic reversed victory to defeat the Toronto Rapters.
The Knicks have won six games in a row, and Jeremy Lin has put up impressive numbers during the continuous period of competitions. Although the season is still young, the Knicks have reversed course in just one week from the NBA's most disappointing team to a playoff (季后賽) contestant. Lin, not team's high-paid stars, has saved the Knicks season and likely coach D'Antoni's job.
After nearly 15 years of disappointing, sometimes unsuccessful seasons, Madison Square Garden is alive again, and New York City can't stop talking about the Knicks. To put things into perspective, consider this: Just several years back, Knicks fans protested nightly outside of the Garden calling for the team's ownership to fire their resented coach Isiah Thomas.
Now, Madison Square Garden Co. shares are at a record high, the Knicks' average household television rating is up 70 percent since Lin joined the starting lineup (首發(fā)陣容), and jersey sales are increasing very quickly. I watched the Knicks-Lakers game at a bar in Harlem, and have not felt that kind of energy from fans since the great playoff between the Knicks and Miami Heat in the late 1990s.
Beyond the Knicks, Lin may be saving the NBA as well. Just a few months back, the NBA took a massive credibility hit during a multi-month lockout, where the owners did not allow the players to go back to play until they accept the new salary levels. As a consequence, the season did not even begin until Christmas Day. Over the past few years, LeBron James' (勒布朗﹒詹姆斯) relatively long and unpleasant free-agent (自由職業(yè)球員) events, combined with poor play around the league, have angered fans and damaged the league's brand.
Lin is leading a one-week NBA basketball revival. His legendary story has inspired Asian-Americans, increased NBA sales in China, and turned the basketball world upside down.
(words:348)
小題1:According to the passage, Jeremy Lin's excellent performance saved the following except___

A．The NBA	B．Coach Isiah Thomas
C．The Knicks	D．Madison Square Garden Co.’s shares

小題2:The underlined word “young” in Paragraph 2 probably means "______"

A．not old yet.

B．not completely grown.

C．in the development

D．in the early stage

小題3:The NBA suffered the credibility crisis months ago because____

A．The NBA delayed the season because of players’ wage disagreements

B．the NBA was disappointed at James’ free-agent event.

C．The NBA canceled the basketball match for the coming Christmas

D．James had a bad performance in the basketball court

小題4:Which one of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?

A．These Knicks’ stars who were paid well saved the Knicks season

B．The Knicks didn’t satisfy its fans for nearly 15 years until this season

C．The fans objected to dismissing Coach Isiah Thomas outside the Garden

D．The owners and the players didn’t agree on raising the TV ratings

小題5:The passage is mainly about______

A．why the New Yorkers thought well of Jeremy Lin

B．why Jeremy Lin became a member of the Knicks

C．how the Knicks defeated its opponents in a great playoff

D．how Jeremy Lin saved the Knicks, probably including the NBA

Recently, some concerns have been raised about the health of the world's banana plants. Many media reports have said that bananas may completely disappear in the coming ten years.
Bananas are one of the world's most important food crops. They are also the fourth most valuable export. Bananas do not grow from seeds. Instead, they grow from existing plants. Bananas are threatened by disease because all the plants on a farm are copies of each other. They all share the same genetic weaknesses.
For example, the Cavendish banana is most popular in American markets. It is an important export crop. However, some kinds of fungus (真菌) organisms easily infect the Cavendish. Black Sigatoka disease affects the leaves of Cavendish banana plants. The disease is controlled on large farms by putting chemicals on the plant's leaves. Farmers put anti-fungal chemicals on their crops up to once a week.
Another fungal disease is more serious. Panama disease attacks the roots of the banana plant. There is no chemical treatment for this disease. Infected plants must be destroyed. Panama disease has affected crops in Southeast Asia, Australia and South Africa. There is concern that it may spread to bananas grown in the Americas. This could threaten an important export product for Central and South America.
The International Network for the Improvement of Banana and Plantain, whose headquarter lies in France, supports research on bananas. The group says that more research must be done to develop improved kinds of bananas.
The group says that fungal diseases mainly affect only one kind of banana. In fact, there are five-hundred different kinds of bananas. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization says the Cavendish banana represents only ten percent of world production.
The UN agency says farmers should grow different kinds of bananas. This protects against diseases that affect only one kind. Experts warn that disease may cause the Cavendish banana to disappear. This has already happened to one popular banana because of its genetic weakness against disease. (words: 335)
小題1:What does the passage mainly tell us?

A．Bananas are the world’s most important food crops.

B．There are five hundred different kinds of bananas.

C．The risk to a popular banana shows need to grow other kinds.

D．How to grow bananas in different countries.

小題2:Bananas are threatened by diseases because ___­­­­­­_______.

A．they have genetic weaknesses against disease.

B．they are one of the most valuable exports.

C．the only way to prevent it is to put chemicals on their leaves.

D．they grow from the seed

小題3:Panama disease__________.

A．doesn’t belong to fungal disease.

B．has spread to bananas in the world.

C．a(chǎn)ffects the leaves of banana plants.

D．destroys the bananas more seriously than Black Sigatoka disease.

小題4:We can infer from Paragraph 6 that ____________.

A．the center of the group is in the US.

B．the key to solving the disease is to research all kinds of bananas.

C．the Cavendish banana covers only a small part of the output of bananas.

D．each fungal disease affects five hundred different kinds of bananas.

小題5:According to the passage, which information is right?

A．The Cavendish banana can be mainly imported from North America and Europe.

B．Fungal diseases mainly affect the Cavendish banana.

C．The Cavendish banana won’t die out in the future.

D．Panama disease affects the leaves of banana plants.

A． “Better road design and training hold the key to cycle safety”, the new Transport Secretary said today as he pledged to restore Britain’s safety record. Patrick McLoughlin told Conservative Party Conference that while cycling was enjoying a post-Olympics boom, the number of casualties among cyclists was also rising. “But the number of accidents has gone up too. That means it needs better design and better education too.” Mr McLoughlin said in his first speech as Transport Secretary. 
B.  Cycling in the UK will become safer through “sheer weight of numbers,” the founder of one of the world’s leading cycle brands has said as he backed The Times’s Cyclesafe campaign. Simon Mottram, founder and chief executive of Rapha, has added his support to 40 cross-party MPs who have signed a letter urging David Cameron to use his speech at the Conservative Party Conference to promote measures to make the streets safer for cyclists.
C.  Commuters who cycle to work face an increased danger as the casualty toll during peak hours rose by 10 percent last year. The rate at which cyclists were killed or seriously injured rose sharply last year, official figures showed yesterday.
D.  In future decades, Londoners will look back on the way cyclists jostled with buses and lorries on major roads as an absurd anachronism. Some risks are unavoidable. But other risks survive only because we are too slow to embrace bold solutions. That is the message from designers who are proposing an ambitious plan to create cycle lanes suspended above London’s busiest streets. London is one of the most dangerous places in the world for cycling. “SkyCycle” would remedy that problem by attaching dedicated cycle paths to existing railway viaducts.
E.  Money should be apportioned from the funding for major transport projects, such as the new Forth Crossing, to create a pot of cash for cycling, campaigners have told MSPs. Cycle groups have given warning that not enough money is being put into routes and promotion. They want the Scottish government to take a percentage of the funding allocated to key national projects and create an “active transport” fund to be distributed gradually.
F.  We’d like you to tell us why you love cycling by sending a photo of yourself, a family member or friend with their bike and a note about why it is so brilliant. To take part, instagram your photo with the hashtag #ilovemybike or email it to us at ilovemybike@thetimes.co.uk. We’ll post the best pictures here ilovemybike.tumblr.com.
請閱讀以下信息，并為他們匹配合適的新聞內(nèi)容。
小題1:“Cycle lanes in the sky” answer to traffic danger
小題2:More cyclists are seriously injured on Britain’s roads
小題3:Share a picture of you and your bike and help us promote the fun and freedom of cycling
小題4:“Weight of numbers” will bring safe cycling
小題5:Transport Secretary calls for better road design and training to help cyclists

It's 10:30 pm, and 11-year-old Brandon Blanco is sound asleep at home. Suddenly, a loud noise wakes him up. Naturally, Brandon reaches for his cell phone. The message becomes clear: "R U awake?"
Brandon' s use of technology doesn' t stop there. He also has a computer, a TV and three video-game consoles (控制臺 ) in his room. With so many choices, it' s no surprise that when he isn' t at school, he spends nearly every waking minute using one or more of these devices
Brandon is hardly alone. According to a recent study by the Kaiser Family Foundation, kids aged 8 to18 are spending more time than ever before using electronic devices. How much time? More than seven and a half hours a day on average, the study found.
The jump is the result of a huge explosion in mobile devices, says Victoria Rideout, the lead author of the study. Today, nearly seven out of ten kids have cell phones. Just five years ago, it was four out of ten.
Often, kids multitask, or use more than one device at a time. " If you’ve got a chance to do something on your computer and take a phone call and have the TV on in the background, why not?" media expert Cheryl Olson says.
Most experts agree technology has much to offer kids. But some worry the kids could be missing out on other activities like playing outside or hanging out with friends. " It' s a matter of balance," says Olson." You’ve got to work on it. "
Multitasking while doing homework is another concern. Some kids listen to music, watch TV or use the phone while doing their homework. "It' s important to make sure that you can stop and concentrate on one thing deeply, " says Rideout.
With new and exciting devices hitting stores every year, keeping technology use in check is more important than ever. " Kids should try," adds Rideout. " But parents might have to step in sometimes. "
小題1:Why do children spend more time in using electronic devices?

A．Because more electronic devices are available to them.

B．Because electronic devices are more exciting than before.

C．Because they have less other activities.

D．Because they have less homework to do.

小題2:It is known from the passage that  ____.

A．Brandon Blanco feels very annoyed about his late-night text

B．the teenagers using mobile devices have increased by 30% in the past five years

C．Cheryl Olson is not surprised about kids' increasing use of mobile devices

D．most experts think teenagers should not use electronic devices for their studies

小題3:Which of the following is an example of multitasking according to the passage?

A．Watching TV while using the computer.

B．Talking on the phone while staying with others.

C．Playing video games on the Internet.

D．Listening to music while relaxing.

小題4:According to the passage, Victoria Rideout would probably agree that ____.

A．kids should do homework while surfing the Internet

B．kids should do homework in a place without disturbance

C．kids should spend more time on homework

D．kids should have more homework than before

Spending as little as $5 a day on someone else could significantly boost happiness, the team at the University of British Columbia found.
Their experiments on more than 630 Americans showed they were measurably happier when they spent money on others even if they thought spending the money on themselves would make them happier.
“We wanted to test our theory that how people spend their money is at least as important as how much money they earn,” said Elizabeth Dunn, a psychologist at the University of British Columbia. They asked their 600 volunteers first to rate their general happiness, report their annual income and detail their monthly spending including bills, gifts for themselves, gifts for others and donations to charity.
“No matter how much income each person made, those who spent money on others reported greater happiness, while those who spent more on themselves did not,” Dunn said in a statement.
Dunn’s team also surveyed 16 employees at a company in Boston before and after they received an annual profit-sharing bonus of between $3,000 and $8,000. “Employees who devoted more of their bonus to prosocial spending experienced greater happiness after receiving the bonus, and the manner in which they spent that bonus was a more important predictor of their happiness than the size of the bonus itself,” they wrote in their report, published in the journal Science.
They gave their volunteers $5 or $20 and half got clear instructions on how to spend it. Those who spent the money on someone or something else reported feeling happier about it.
“These findings suggest that very minor changes in spending allocations-as little as $5 may be enough to produce real gains in happiness on a given day,” Dunn said.
小題1:What is the general idea of the passage?

A．The more you earn, the greater happiness you will get.

B．Spending more money on yourself will make you happier.

C．Money can buy happiness, but only if you spend it on someone else.

D．You can spend only $5 a day on someone else to get happiness.

小題2:The underlined work “boost” in the first paragraph probably means      .

A．help to find

B．help to increase

C．help to bring

D．help to get

小題3:Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?

A．Those who spend more money on others can get much more bonus.

B．People usually think spending money on themselves will make them happier.

C．Very small changes in spending your money may be enough to gain happiness.

D．Researchers think that how people spend their money is at least as important as how much money they earn.

小題4:Dunn is       .

A．a(chǎn) reporter in a journal	B．a(chǎn) volunteer in the experiment
C．a(chǎn)n employee in a company	D．a(chǎn) psychologist at a university

小題5:It can be inferred from the 6th paragraph that      .

A．the volunteers not given $5 or $20 spent their own money on themselves

B．those who spent the money on someone or something else felt happier about it

C．the volunteers were given $5 or $20 as a reward for the experiment

D．half of the volunteers could spend the money as they liked

Can dogs and cats live in perfect harmony in the same home? People who are thinking about adopting a dog as a friend for their cats are worried that they will fight. A recent research has found a new recipe of success. According to the study, if the cat is adopted before the dog, and if they are introduced when still young (less than 6 months for cats, a year for dogs), it is highly probable that the two pets will get along swimmingly. Two-thirds of the homes interviewed reported a positive relationship between their cat and dog.
However, it wasn’t all sweetness and light. There was a reported coldness between the cat and dog in 25% of the homes, while aggression and fighting were observed in 10% of the homes. One reason for this is probably that some of their body signals were just opposite. For example, when a cat turns its head away it signals aggression, while a dog doing the same signals submission.
In homes with cats and dogs living peacefully, researchers observed a surprising behavior. They are learning how to talk each other’s language. It is a surprise that cats can learn how to talk ‘dog’, and dogs can learn how to talk ‘cat’.
What’s interesting is that both cats and dogs have appeared to develop their intelligence. They can learn how to read each other’s body signals, suggesting that the two may have more in common than we previously suspected. Once familiar with each other’s presence and body language, cats and dogs can play together, greet each other nose to nose, and enjoy sleeping together on the sofa. They can easily share the same water bowl and in some cases groom (梳理) each other.
The significance of the research on cats and dogs may go beyond pets — to people who don’t get along, including neighbors, colleagues at work, and even world superpowers. If cats and dogs can learn to get along, surely people have a good chance.
小題1:The underlined word “swimmingly” in Paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to “without _________”.

A．a(chǎn) message

B．a(chǎn) problem

C．introduction

D．delay

小題2:Some cats and dogs may fight when _________.

A．they are cold to each other

B．they look away from each other

C．they misunderstood each other’s signals

D．they are introduced at an early age

小題3:What is found surprising about cats and dogs?

A．They eat and sleep each other.

B．They observe each other’s behaviors.

C．They learn to speak each other’s language.

D．They know something from each other’s voices.

小題4:It is suggested in Paragraph 4 that cats and dogs _________.

A．have common interests

B．a(chǎn)re less different than was thought

C．have a common body language

D．a(chǎn)re less intelligent than was expected

小題5:What can we human beings learn from cats and dogs?

A．We should learn to live in harmony.

B．We should know more about animals.

C．We should live in peace with animals.

D．We should learn more body languages.

Here is the Eight O’clock News.
…
Chinese people spent about 120 billion yuan during the first three days of the May Golden Week last year. This year it has increased to 140 billion yuan.
The children of Beijing No.2 Middle School sang with students from Toronto in Canada to celebrate the 20th anniversary. They had been sister schools since 1986. They spent about two weeks together in Beijing. They visited the Great Wall and the Summer Palace. They took a lot of photos in Beihai Park.
Have you ever got tired of heavy shopping bags? A new shopping assistant robot which was invented by a Japanese company could be the answer. The helpful robot can follow you around and carry several bags. The robot was tested at a shopping center in February 2006.
About 500 people from different countries were in the 2006 “Rock Paper Scissors (剪刀)” World Match in Canada. This event was founded in 1842. It is said that playing this game is fun, and also a good way to solve problems among people.
…
And now it’s time for Morning Music.
小題1:The students from Canada and Beijing No. 2 Middle School didn’t _________.

A．take photos	B．visit places of interest
C．sing songs	D．have a football match

小題2:Which of the following is NOT talked about in the news?

A．The robot can help with shopping bags.

B．A Japanese company invented the robot.

C．The robot was tested at a shopping centre.

D．There are such robots in people’s homes now.

小題3:The underlined word “anniversary” means_________.

A．birthday

B．yearly return of the date of an event

C．university

D．the new beginning of something important

小題4:Which of the following is a game?

A．Shopping assistant robot.	B．May Golden Week.
C．Rock Paper Scissors.	D．A visit to the school.

Believing overweight among school children is the result of bake sales, the Education Department of New York declared that bake sales will be banned all through the states, as a part of their new “wellness”policy.
The ban gives a harder time to schools tying to earn money，because of budget difficulties. Bake sales have proven to be highly profitable toward schools with young people because the start-up costs are very small. Allie，a Roslyn High School freshman , agrees that bake sales are needed for school supplies.“l(fā) think it’s wrong for schools to ban bake sales because a lot of schools need the money to be raised. Our school could really use the money for new uniforms.”Allie also commented on the bake sales apparent cause of child overweight. “I feel that it is the student’s choice to eat the baked goods. lf they want it, let them have it．”Jessica，another Roslyn High School freshman, had a different opinion.“I feel that children can not always stay away from items such as cupcakes. It might be better if the amount of bake sales were limited, and only allowed students to buy one item.”
New York Education advisors are having trouble coming up with substitute product for students to sell. A plan of advertising healthier foods has come into play. However the department needs to consider if students will go for items like vegetables. Allie and Jessica don’t think so.“Students might not like the healthier foods. This way, the schools are gaining less money.”Allie shares. Another plan to think about is the idea of not selling food products altogether. Alternate programs are being conducted throughout New York schools，such as walk-a-thons, as a healthy way for students to earn money for their schools．
小題1:The new “wellness”policy is declared in order to_______．

A．help schools out of budget difficulties

B．reduce child overweight caused by bake food

C．help students save money spent on food

D．reduce the price of bake food sold in schools

小題2:Which of the following statement about Allie is true? 

A．He is rich in experience about the bake sales at schoo1.

B．He agrees to carry out the bake sales ban at schools.

C．He attaches great importance to the school's income.

D．He attaches too much importance to students' health.

小題3:According to Jessica, the cupcakes____________

A．Don't belong to the bake sales	B．Should't be banned at school
C．Mustn't be sold at schools	D．can be fully replaced by vegetables

小題4:Which is both healthy and profitable way for schools to earn money?

A．The bake sales.	B．The vegetables sales
C．The walk-a-thons.	D．The food product sales．

小題5:We can infer from the passage that schools in New York always______.

A．sell baked food to students	B．free students to choose food
C．find ways to earn money	D．offer chances to earn money

When TV news programmers report wars or diseases, the editors rarely use the most horrifying pictures of dead or wounded victims because they don’t want to upset their viewers. Even so, viewers are usually warned in advance that they“may find some of these scenes disturbing”, so they can look away if they choose. But the men and women whose job is to record those scenes, the TV cameramen, have no such choice. It is their duty to witness the horrors of the world and record them, no matter how unpleasant they may be. As a result, it is one of the most dangerous, exposed and emotionally taxing jobs the world has to offer.
Today, the demand for their work is rising. The explosion of satellite broadcasting and 24hour news in recent years has created an almost insatiable（不能滿足的）demand for TV information. But major broadcaster sand the TV news agencies（部）, such as Reuters and WTN, have never had enough staff（人員）to meet thje worldwide demand for up-to-date pictures, so increasingly they turn to freelance（自由職業(yè)的）TV cameramen.
These freelance cameramen are independent operators tied to no particular organization. They will work for any company which hires them, for just a few hours or for several weeks in a war zone. But if the freelance cameraman is injured in the course of the job, the TV company is not responsible for him. The freelance must survive on his own.
“TV will always need hard, vivid and moving pictures which are fresh, but these companies feel uncomfortable with large numbers of employees on their books.”Explains Nik Cowing, once a foreign editor for Britain’s Channel 4 news and now a BBC news presenter.
“By hiring freelancers, they can buy in the skills they need only when they need them. It also enables them to reduce the risk.”He says.
小題1:In the last sentence of the first paragraph,“taxing”most probably means“       ”.

A．depressing	B．satisfying
C．demanding	D．encouraging

小題2:TV news agencies turn to freelance cameramen in order to          .

A．save expense and avoid（避免）risks

B．buy pictures which are the most stimulating（剌激的）to the senses

C．look for pictures that are of fine qualities

D．get first-hand information and pictures

小題3:The freelance cameramen          .

A．have better skills than other cameramen

B．a(chǎn)re tied to many TV news agencies

C．have to take great risks in the course of work

D．need to reduce risks of work for TV companies

小題4:It is implied in the passage that        .

A．TV cameramen have to witness disasters and killings whether they like them or not

B．TV cameramen are a special group of people who enjoy horrifying pictures

C．TV cameramen should be given greater choice of work

D．the development of TV resulted in the growing demand for TV cameramen’s work

小題5:The main idea of the first paragraph is         .

A．TV programs are reducing the use of horrible pictures of death and wound

B．it is a requirement of work for TV cameramen to disregard people’s feelings

C．it is the duty of TV cameramen to record horrifying scenes

D．TV cameramen’s job is extremely dangerous and emotionally taxing

Forest guards in western India are using cell phones with ringtones（手機(jī)鈴聲）of cows mooing, goats bleating and roosters crowing to attract leopards （豹）that have wandered into human settlements, officials said on Monday.
The wild cats in the state of Gujarat often get into villages near forests in search of food, say officials, adding that this results in attacks on people. But rather than use methods such as live bait（活誘餌）like goats tied to trees to lure (引誘) the leopards, which then fall into large pits dug by guards, officials say they have found a safer method to trap the cats.
“The moos of a cow, and bleating of a goat from the phone have proved effective to trap leopards,” said D. Vasani, a senior forest official in Gujarat. “This trick works.” Vasani said forest guards have downloaded the sounds of over a dozen animals as ringtones on their mobiles which they attach to speakers and fix behind a cage. They then play the ringtone continuously for up to two hours until the curious leopard appears and moves into the cage looking for its easy meal.
At least five leopards have so far been lured from villages since the new ringtone method was introduced three months ago. The cats have all been released （釋放）back into forest areas.
Wildlife activists welcomed the new initiative (新方案) saying that previous methods of trapping the cats using pits often resulted in the animals getting injured.
小題1:What can be the best title of the passage?

A．Cell Phones to Hunt Animals	B．Practical Uses of Cell Phones
C．Wildlife And New Technology	D．Phone Ringtones to Catch Leopards

小題2:Forest guards in India try to catch leopards mainly because _______.

A．leopards attack villagers	B．they want leopard fur
C．leopards attack animals	D．they have new ringtones

小題3:According to the wildlife activists, the new method is _______.

A．a(chǎn)ppreciated because it benefits leopards	B．not good because it may injure animals
C．effective because ringtones work	D．not safer than the former one

小題4:We can learn from the passage except that _______.

A．forest guards don’t mean to hurt the leopards

B．forest guards no longer use pits to trap leopards

C．forest guards used goats to attract leopards

D．recorded animal sound are used to lure leopards

小題5:What will be needed to trap the leopards using the new method?
a. cell phones  b. animals  c. sounds of animals  d. cages  e. large pits

A．a(chǎn)bcd

B．bce

C．a(chǎn)de

D．a(chǎn)cd