When I first saw the book Alice in Lace, I thought I was going to like it. And as it turned out, I love it! I love books about life and being a kid. And Alice in Lace is just that kind. It’s a humorous book about being thirteen and the problems kids might face. Alice and her friends get a strange assignment from their totally cool teacher, Mr. Everett. It was like playing the game of “Life,” but you had to act it out.
So Pamela is pregnant, Elizabeth buys a car and Alice gets married. Well, of course, Pamela wasn’t really pregnant, but she walked around with a pillow under her shirt to get people’s reactions. Elizabeth didn’t really buy a car, but she went to the car lot and made the sales guy think she was. The whole class got assignments like these! I would love to do something like that for school.
In the book Alice has a lot to think about. “Getting married is hard!” Alice says. She has to plan the ceremony, the honeymoon, find a place to live, pay for furniture and two months’ rent and food. Maybe she and her “husband” could work it out — if they were getting on fine!
Although this book was funny, it really made me think about how problems like these could really mess up your life. Take teenage pregnancy for example. How could you have a baby and stay in school? You couldn’t find a babysitter every day to stay with your kid. A child really consumes your life. I understand what the teacher was trying to do. He was trying to discourage the class from getting into these problems by giving them a glimpse of life. As someone about to become a teenager myself, I can say sometimes a story makes you think about what’s up ahead.
Overall, I would say this book is wonderful. My favorite part of the book is discovering that if I like it, there are seven other Alice books I can check out at my local library. I love this book, and I hope you will too.
小題1:We can infer from the passage that Pamela, Elizabeth and Alice _______.

A．turn out to be the author’s classmates

B．are characters in Alice in Lace

C．get along quite well

D．become dismissed from school

小題2:By saying “getting married is hard” in the paragraph 3, Alice means ______.

A．life isn’t easy as expected

B．it is hard to deal with her husband

C．she regrets getting married

D．it’s fun to get married

小題3:Why did Mr. Everett give his students such assignments?

A．To encourage them to enjoy a meaningful life.

B．To prevent them getting into those troubles at an early age.

C．To make them realize the hardship of life.

D．To teach them how to make a living.

小題4:The author writes the passage mainly to _____.

A．advise us to buy Alice in Lace

B．tell us how wonderful Mr. Everett’s idea is

C．share her inspiration from Alice in Lace

D．show off her reading ability

“Slow City” — a recently launched project focused on preserving the traditional quality of life enjoyed in some of Italy’s smaller cities and towns. The project was born from the idea of the “Slow Food” movement — started in Italy in the 1980s — which promotes leisurely eating and the growing of local, healthy products to fight against the American fast-food style.
“The American urban model has invaded our cities, making Italian towns look the same. We want to stop this kind of globalization,” says Paolo Saturnini, an Italian mayor.
The “Slow City” project plans to emphasize the rich, cultural, culinary(廚房的) and artistic local traditions of each community.
Walking areas will be enlarged and squares and parks will be made greener with more plants. Car alarms and other noise that disturbs the peace will be banned, and ugly TV aerials(天線), advertising posters, and signs will be taken down.
City councils will also insist on the use of recycling and renewable energy sources, and will also introduce ecological transport systems. Parking will be made stress-free by creating more public parking areas, and easily accessible walkways and bike lanes will cross the city. But in the “Slow City” way, all improvements will probably come about slowly.
Thirty-two Italian city councils, which joined the “Slow City” program, have decided to take further steps in this direction by increasing the numbers of traditional family-style eating establishments, reducing noise pollution, and concentrating on making their towns friendlier for people to live in.
Organic local produce will be promoted in all restaurants and genetically modified foods(轉基因食品) will be banned. “We can’t stop large, fast-food chains from coming here, but we hope that people who come to our towns will not want to eat exactly the same hamburger they can eat in Melbourne, London or Paris, but want something genuine and different,” said Saturnini.
小題1:According to the passage, the “Slow City” project aims at _____.

A．preventing Italy from being affected by America

B．beautifying the environment of small Italian cities and towns

C．calling on Italians to enjoy stress-free life

D．protecting the traditional Italian lifestyle

小題2:From Paragraphs 4-5, we can infer that ______.

A．cars in “Slow City” will have to go slowly

B．people can park their cars free of charge in “Slow City”

C．“Slow City” will take on an environmentally friendly look

D．advertising in “Slow City” will be banned

小題3:Further measures will be included in the “Slow City” program EXCEPT _____.

A．cutting down noise pollution

B．stop genetically modified foods

C．getting more towns involved in the project

D．building more family-style restaurants

小題4:In Saturnini’s opinion, when traveling in “Slow Cities”, visitors_____.

A．aren’t provided with fast food

B．will see few fast-food chains

C．can enjoy themselves like in London

D．can enjoy real Italian-style healthy food

It may seem to be a hard task to trace back the history of rap music, though you often see the informal music associated with highly informal dance style. As far as the origin of rap music is concerned, most people agree that it is from Afro-American and Latino Street culture of New York City. Not only in this city but in the surrounding areas there is the influence of African people and their culture.
Rap is a vocal (口頭的) style in which the performer speaks rhythmically and in rhyme, generally to a beat. The term of rap music is the same with hip-hop music typically-consisting of a rhythmic vocal style called rap. If we see it carefully, then we will definitely notice that the music usually is sung at higher pitches (調). Most of the time rap music is associated with chorus. Though rap music was primarily an American music style with African influence over its music and lyrics, recently it has been spread to almost the entire world.
There is hardly any country or nation where rap music cannot be seen in some form or another, and it is one of the most popular music styles among the youngsters. However, when it comes to its history, it is believed that hip-hop or rap music started in the early 1970s，and gained much popularity throughout the world during the late 1970s and early 1980s.
The history of rap music and hip-hop music is full of controversies (爭議) and bans, as the lyrics sometimes relate to drugs and crime; even most famous pop stars and hip-hop musicians and singers were found to be associated with the controversies in their life. For that reason, no matter how popular this music style was or still is, it has always had a bad reputation in the eyes of mainstream society.
小題1:The passage is mainly about _____.

A．when rap music started	B．how rap music develops
C．what rap music is like	D．why rap music is popular

小題2:The characteristics of rap music are _____.

A．solo, rhymes，beats and pops

B．speaking, rhythms，beats and solo

C．repeating, speaking, pops and chorus

D．speaking, rhymes, beats and chorus

小題3:Rap music is now one of the music styles mostly run after by _____.

A．the teenagers in Africa

B．all kinds of people in the world

C．the youngsters all over the world

D．the young people in the US

小題4:Rap music is often not well thought of by the mainstream because _____.

A．it comes from the lower class

B．it has a short history

C．it is associated with crimes and drugs

D．its music is full of controversies

Every culture has it own ways to show friendship. On the island of Hawaii, friendship is part of the “aloha spirit”. In the language of the Hawaiians who first settled the islands long ago, aloha had a very special meaning. That is “to be with happiness”.
Hawaiians believe that once somebody loves the land, they are ready to love their people or community. This is the second most important thing of friendship. It is called lokahi in the Hawaiian language, which means “oneness with all people”. To enjoy the land you should not be selfish. The land is for everyone who lives on. Today many different people call Hawaii their home. Indeed, Hawaii is a place where people make one big community from many smaller communities. Each person gives kokua(help) to other people so that all feel stronger. It is believed that the islands can be a paradise(天堂) when people live in peace. People are told that their actions should be as gentle as the wind that blows from the sea. When problems happen, people are asked to solve them with understanding. So when people of Hawaii talk about ohana(family), they are really talking about all those who live on the island.
Living in peace, Hawaiians have developed a third sign of friendship. This personal friendship is shown by giving leis to one another. The lei, a string of flowers, is put over a friend’s neck. Then the friend is given a kiss on the cheek. Visitors to the islands are also given leis. When they hear aloha, visitors began to feel at home. Aloha also means “goodbye”, so visitors will hear it again when they leave. It can mean “our hearts singing together”. Perhaps this is how most visitors will remember their new friendship.  
小題1:Which of the following can be the proper title for this text?

A．People in Hawaii	B．Visitors to Hawaii
C．Traveling in Hawaii	D．Friendship in Hawaii

小題2:How do you understand the underlined sentence in the first paragraph ?

A．Happiness matters most for Hawaiians.

B．Friendship is always together with happiness.

C．Friendship is every thing in Hawaiian culture.

D．Friendship has special meanings for Hawaiians.

小題3:Which of the following proverb can best express the idea of friendship by Hawaiians?

A．Practice makes perfect.

B．Love me, love my dog.

C．A penny saved is a penny gained.

D．An apple a day keeps a doctor away.

小題4:Which of the following is a sign to show friendship by Hawaiians?

A．A warm handshake.

B．A kiss on the cheek.

C．A string of flowers.

D．A big hug.

小題5:According to the text, which of the following Hawaiian word expresses more good wishes?

A．aloha

B． lokahi

C．kokua

D．ohana

Ma Weidu is the founder and curator(館長)of Guanfu Museum, which is the first private  museum in China. With mainly Chinese artifacts on exhibition, the museum was founded on Jan. 18,l 997.It was not well-known by the public until 2008.
On Jan. l,2008,Ma Weidu was invited to be the guest in the flagship CCTV program “Lecture Room”. He talked about his museum and more importantly, he introduced Chinese artifacts and their underlying historical, cultural significance.
In 2009,Ma Weidu initiated Beijing Guanfu Cultural Foundation. Creating a culture foundation had been Ma’s dream for many years. Beijing Guanfu Cultural Foundation is committed to spreading Chinese traditional culture, funding the development of Guanfu Museum, heritage research and conservation projects, building a platform for public culture, promoting and guiding the public in the spirit of “charity&culture sponsorship(贊助)”.
Guanfu Museum is currently located at No.18 Jinnan Road, Zhangwanfen, Dashanzi, Chaoyang district, Beijing. But due to the city planning, it has to move. Guanfu Museum, which has experienced relocation for three times, is now looking for a new place. According to Mr. Ma, it should be around 20,000-30,000 square meters.
小題1:According to this passage, which of the followings is true?

A．Guanfu Museum was built in 2008.

B．Ma Weidu was invited to lecture by Guanfu Museum.

C．The public were attracted by Chinese artifacts on exhibition.

D．Guanfu Museum, the first private museum in China was founded fifteen years ago.

小題2:Guanfu Museum, according to the city government,_______ .

A．will be painted	B．has to hold a new exhibition
C．has to move to a new place	D．has to be enlarged

小題3:The proper title of this passage should be_____.

A．Ma and His Museum

B．Museums

C．Culture Relics

D．Chinese Culture

To me, life without music would not be exciting. I realize that this is not true for everybody. Many people get along quite well without going to the concert, and listening to the record. But music plays an important part in everyone's life, whether he realizes it or not. Try to imagine, for example, what films or TV plays would be like without music. Would the feelings, the moving plot, and the greatest interests, be so exciting or dramatic? I'm not sure about it.
Now, we have been speaking of music in its more common meaning----the kind of music we hear in the concert hall. But if we look at some parts of music more closely, we discover them in our everyday life too----in the rhythm of the sea, the melody of a bird in the woods and so on. So music surely has meaning for everyone, in some way or other. And, of course, it has special meaning for those who have spent all their lives working on playing or writing music.
It is well said, “Through music a child enters into a world of beauty, expresses himself from his heart, feels the joy of doing things alone, learns to take care of others, develops his mind and makes his body strong.”
小題1:What dose the writer say more about in the text?

A．Life full of music.

B．Life without music.

C．The importance of music.

D．The development of music.

小題2:From the text, we learn that many people________.

A．don't realize the importance of music

B．get along quite well without music

C．go to the concert instead of enjoying music

D．think music would be less exciting than films

小題3:What does the underlined word “melody” mean in the text?

A．flying

B．looking

C．singing

D．living

小題4:From the last paragraph, we learn that music________.

A．is very important, especially for children

B．is very necessary for our everyday life

C．can make our life exciting and dramatic

D．can enter into another beautiful world

For many years, artists have flocked to Paris, France, to paint or to learn to paint. Perhaps artists first went there because of the city′s beauty. They went to paint pictures of the broad, tree-lined streets, the great churches, and the graceful river bridges.
The artists felt comfortable in Paris because the people of the city had always enjoyed art. Paris had great art museums, filled with famous paintings and statues(雕像)from many countries. And the people of Paris had always welcomed new ideas. In this city, artists felt free to experiment with new ways of painting.
As soon as famous artists painted in Paris, students came to learn from them. People came to buy paintings. People called  art dealers set up galleries where paintings were bought and sold. Others kept shops that sold artists′ paints and supplies.
Students and artists who were not yet famous could live in Paris for very little money. They learned by studying great art in the museums, and they learned from one another. They held art fairs, hanging their paintings outdoors along the streets.
Today, New York City and Florence, Italy, are also famous art centers. But the world’s main art exhibits are still held in Paris. Important judges of art live there. Most of the new ways of painting that have started in the last hundred years began in Paris. So artists and art dealers still go to Paris because it is the world′s leading art center.
小題1:In Pairs artists can make progress in art by doing lots of things except .

A．painting the beautiful scenes of Pairs.

B．visiting museums, churches and fairs.

C．trying out their new ideas in the way of painting.

D．buying or selling paintings in the fair.

小題2:The story does not say so, but it makes you think that.

A．Paris is famous for its artists’ paints and supplies

B．there is more than one way to paint

C．art fairs are held in galleries

D．Florence is the center of world art exhibits

小題3:Which of the following statement is not a reason why so many artists prefer to stay in Pairs?

A．Pairs is a beautiful city

B．The French are willing to accept any new things.

C．All the museums are free of charge in Pairs.

D．Artists can make an easier life in Pairs.

小題4:On the whole, this story is about.

A．the world′s most famous art center

B．how to buy a painting in Paris

C．the famous art centers of New York and Florence

D．where to set up galleries

Puerto Rico may be part of the USA but its music and dance is a mixture of both Spanish and African rhythms. The country, as a result, is a mixture of very new and very old. It exhibits the open American way of yet retains the more formal Spanish influences. This is reflected in the architecture, not just the contrast between the colonial and the modern in urban areas but also in the countryside, where older buildings sit side by side with concrete schools and buildings.
However, if you do not wander beyond the tourist areas on the coast, you will not experience the real Puerto Rico. Old volcanic mountains, long inactive, occupy a large part of the interior（內陸）, with the highest peak, Cerro de Punta, at 1,338m in the Cordillera Central. North of the Cordillera is the karst （巖溶）country where the limestone（石灰石）has been acted upon by water to produce a series of small steep hills and deep holes. The mountains are surrounded by a coastal plain with the Atlantic shore beaches cooled all the year round by trade winds.
The population is 3.8 million, of which about 1.5 million live in San Juan, although about another two million Puerto Ricans live in the USA Average life expectancy is 73.8 years and GDP per capita is US $12,212, the highest in Latin America, although not up to the level of mainland USA. Most Puerto Ricans do not speak English and less than 30% speak it fluently. Second generation Puerto Ricans who were born in New York but who have returned to the island, are called Nuyoricans. The people are very friendly and hospitable but there is crime, liked to drugs and unemployment.
小題1:What are the disadvantages of Puerto Rico?

A．Too many Puerto Ricans live in the USA

B．Few people in Puerto Rico can speak English

C．Puerto Rico’s GDP is lower than that of the USA

D．Social problem connected with drugs and lack of jobs.

小題2:We can learn from the passage that Puerto Rico _________.

A．is a state of the United States	B．used to be ruled by Spain
C．is an agricultural country	D．is gently affected by Africa

小題3:Nuyorican is a person who _______.

A．has been living in New York

B．is living in New York

C．was born in New York but has returned to Puerto Rico

D．has got the citizenship of America

小題4:What does the underlined word “retains” mean?

A．loses

B．keeps

C．enjoys

D．returns

Chinese writer Mo Yan’s Nobel Prize for Literature might ignite an explosion of global interest in Chinese literature and lead to more titles translated into English, European experts say.
“Hopefully, the award means more people will read Chinese literature and more works will get translated,” says Michel Hockx, professor of the Languages and Cultures of China and Inner Asia from University of London. “Many very good Chinese writers have been accepted globally for a long time already. Mo Yan is probably the most translated Chinese writer alive, with at least five of his novels made available in English over the past 20 years.”
Jonathan Ruppin, web editor of bookseller Foyles, says Mo’s win coincides with growing interest in Chinese literature and recognizes the talents of a distinctive and visionary（富于幻想的）writer. “We are very excited by the fact that English translations of more of his books should now become available,” Ruppin says. He made the comment after Mo became the first Chinese citizen to win the Nobel Prize for Literature in its century-long history.
As East-West cultural exchange has been booming, Chinese literature has been attracting growing attention in recent years. Hockx explains, “It’s mainly because there are many more opportunities for Chinese writers to visit other countries, to publish their works outside China and to interact with readers abroad. At the same time, more and more people globally are learning Chinese and taking an interest in the Chinese language and culture.”
University of Oxford lecturer in modern Chinese literature Margaret Hillenbrand says, “The obvious reason for the growing global presence of Chinese literature is the growing global presence of China itself. People have come to realize that there is a serious knowledge deficit between China and its international counterparts — in particular, China knows incomparably more about Europe and America than the other way round — and reading Chinese literature is an effective, simple means of solving that gap.”
小題1:The underlined word “ignite” in Paragraph 1 probably means  “________”.

A．start out

B．burn up

C．set off

D．appeal to

小題2:Which of the following is true according to the passage?

A．Chinese literature has spread with the development of China.

B．The Nobel Prize for Literature has a history of hundreds of years.

C．In the past, no Chinese writers were accepted outside China.

D．Foreigners know about China mainly by reading Mo Yan’s works.

小題3:Chinese literature has been attracting growing attention mainly because

A．Chinese writers have been writing more and more books in English

B．the Chinese language has become the most widely used language in the world

C．the Chinese government attaches great importance to literature

D．the cultural communication between China and western countries has developed

小題4:How do you understand the underlined sentence in the last paragraph?

A．China knows more about Europe and America than before.

B．China knows more about Europe and America than they know about China.

C．China, Europe and America know one another more than before.

D．Compared with America, China knows more about Europe.

The aims of the Illustrators’(插圖畫家的) Exhibition, staged as part of the Bologna Children’s Book Fair, organized by BolognaFiere and held from 23 to 26 December 2012, are to bring illustrators and publishers together and to promote illustrators and their works among publishers.
QUALIFICATIONS
? Individual illustrators or groups of illustrators of any nationality, if they were born before 31st December 1992, whose artwork is intended for use in children’s books, are qualified to enter the Exhibition, either directly or through publishing houses or schools.
? Please state in the application form whether you are entering work for the Fiction or Nonfiction Category. Illustrators may only enter one category.
? Artwork previously presented to the Exhibition may not be re-entered.
? The confirmation(確認) form must be filled in and a photograph attached, then presented together with illustrations no later than 15 October 2012.
SHIPMENT
Entries may be delivered by post, express delivery service or by hand. From abroad, please use the following forms: Form “A” for registered mail or post by air; Form “B” if using an international forwarding agent or airline.
To avoid delays, material should not be sent by normal post. Material should be sent “carriage(運費) paid”, including any customs and delivery costs.
BolognaFiere may not be held responsible for the non-arrival or late arrival of artwork. All published works must be accompanied by a declaration bearing the ISBN number, publisher’s name and address.
REQUIREMENTS
The illustrations (i.e. the size of the sheet) must not exceed(超過) the following dimensions:
Fiction:
32 × 42 cm (or 42 × 32 cm)
Non-fiction:
50 × 70 cm (or 70 × 50 cm)
Illustrations in larger formats will not be considered, nor will they be returned by BolognaFiere. The illustrations must be on paper or flexible board, maximum thickness 2 mm (for scanner separation purposes).
SELECTION PROCESS
All artwork received by the stated deadline and meeting the specified requirements will be examined and selected by an international group (whose decision is final), including five members (from publishing house and art schools) appointed each year by BolognaFiere.
EXHIBITIONS ABROAD
After the Bologna event, the Illustrators Exhibition will travel to Japan under the supervision of JBBY. The Illustrators Exhibition may afterwards be transferred to other venues(場館) in other countries. The exhibitions of illustrations held abroad follow the same rules and regulations as the Illustrators Exhibition, and the provisions(條款) of the regulations are extended to the organizers of the exhibitions held abroad.
RETURN OF ARTWORK
All the works will be returned to their owners by BolognaFiere or directly by the organizers of the exhibitions and held abroad by the end of July 2013.
小題1:Which of the following of the Illustrators’ Exhibition is TRUE?

A．It will last five days in all in July every other year.

B．It is intended for college students who are good at painting.

C．It is held by the Bologna Children’s Book Fair in BolognaFiere.

D．It can strengthen the relationship between illustrators and publishers.

小題2:The illustrators of the Illustrators’ Exhibition ______.

A．should be at least 16 and no more than 25

B．may re-enter their artwork after it is returned

C．should state the category of their artwork clearly

D．may choose to attach a photo to the application form

小題3:Which of the following is unacceptable for delivering entries?

A．Normal post.

B．Airline post.

C．Registered mail.

D．Express delivery.

小題4:What is BolognaFiere responsible for?

A．Paying for the delivery costs.

B．Late arrival of artwork.

C．Confirmation of ISBN number.

D．Returning the illustrators’ works.

小題5:The illustrators’ works will not be considered if they ______.

A．are received after the day of 15 October 2012

B．are smaller than the required size

C．have already been published abroad before

D．don’t meet the demands of the international experts