--- Can I call for some friends and spend the day outside with them, Mom?

--- ____ I’ve told you to have a weekend on your own．

A．Why so?                                       B．Why not?

C．How come?                                           D．So what?

I’m moving to the countryside because the air there is much fresher than ____ in the city．

A．ones          B．one         C．that         D．those

After five days’ climbing in the mountain, they reached ____ they thought was the place they’d been dreaming of．

A．that         B．where        C．which        D．what

—Mr. Smith, I wonder if I could take Friday off?

—       ? It’s a bit difficult with so many people away on holiday, you know．

A．How come                                                B．Is it necessary

C．Where are you going                                   D．Do you really have to

It was so cold that I couldn’t feel my legs．There was going to be a racing contest that night so I was 1  my horse, Skippy, up．I was simply running laps（跑道的圈） around the ring．The  2  cold air had been blowing past me, freezing my limbs, but every second I  3  it．You could hear the faint  4  of the people up at the clubhouse eating their dinner．My parents were also there, not knowing that my little sister had slowly wandered her way down to the ring．It was  5  because there was no moon or stars．Nobody else was in the ring at the time．I was really enjoying the  6  and I was able to  7  what Skippy was doing．As I took my last lap it  8  ．Everything rapidly slowed down as I saw my little sister step  9   the ring．I saw true fear on her face because she knew she wouldn’t be  10  to move out of the way fast enough．She knew that she was going to get hit．

       She tried to  11  but nothing came out of her fear-dried throat．When my horse got to her, he was still in a full out run． 12  , miraculously（奇跡般地）, he slid so hard on his back feet that he  13 ．It really made the  14  seem absolutely unreal．I thought that maybe I was  15 ．I had  16  in my mind that I wasn’t seeing what was happening．I knew I had hit my sister．There was no way I could have  17  her．My horse was rising straight up and while he was in the air I couldn’t breathe．It’s like I forgot  18 ．As all of this happened I watched my sister’s face transform （變形） through many different  19 : terror, confusion, curiosity, and then a sort of relief．Then she was laughing．

       As I held my sister into my arms, Skippy stood right behind me knowing that I actually owed him my life  20  he saved my sister’s．

1．A．picking              B．warming              C．catching              D．setting

2．A．bitterly                  B．hardly                 C．gently                 D．perfectly

3．A．challenged             B．witnessed            C．enjoyed               D．hated

4．A．ceremony              B．tradition               C．victory                D．laughter

5．A．windy                   B．bright                  C．dark                    D．cloudy

6．A．quiet                     B．quality                 C．impression           D．significance

7．A．rely on                  B．focus on              C．insist on              D．put on

8．A．let out                   B．held on                C．participated in     D．took place

9．A．close to                 B．out of                  C．into                     D．towards

10．A．a(chǎn)ble             B．frightened        C．content               D．proud

11．A．evaluate               B．worry                 C．scream                D．escape

12．A．Accidentally         B．Normally             C．Generally             D．Somehow

13．A．sped up               B．rose up                C．broke down         D．wore out

14．A．moment              B．contest                C．comment             D．technique

15．A．a(chǎn)dvancing            B．breathing             C．concluding          D．dreaming

16．A．that                     B．none                   C．neither                D．it

17．A．hit                      B．recognized           C．missed                D．a(chǎn)cknowledged

18．A．how                    B．what                   C．when                  D．why

19．A．a(chǎn)ctions                B．emotions             C．a(chǎn)ttitudes              D．thoughts

20．A．if                      B．because          C．a(chǎn)s if            D．so that

When we think about giving help to developing countries, we often think about giving money so that these countries can build schools and hospitals, buy food and medicine, or find clean water supplies．These seem to be the most important basic needs of the people we are trying to help．However, it's far from enough．Ladies and gentlemen, we've got to come up with some better ideas to help them．

       I was very surprised, then, when I read about a plan to make cheap laptop computers for children in developing countries．A man called Nicholas Negroponte invented a cheap laptop computer, which can run without electricity．He decided to invent this computer after he visited a school in Cambodia．

       The laptop which Mr. Negroponte has designed is a little different from the normal laptop computers you can buy in the shops．One difference is that it is covered in rubber so that it is very strong and won't be damaged easily．As an electricity supply can be a problem in developing countries, the computer also has a special handle so that children can wind the computer up to give it extra power when needed．

       These special laptop computers will cost less than 100 US dollars and Mr. Negroponte wants to build as many as 15 million machines in the first year of production．The idea is that these computers will help the children's education as they will be able to access the Internet．These computers might not help the people in developing countries immediately, but by improving children's education they should help people to find their own solutions to their problems in the long term．

Another idea to help children in developing countries is to recycle old mobile phones so that they can be used again．In the UK, and, probably in many other countries too, millions of mobile phones are thrown away every year．The waste created by throwing away these old phones is very bad for the environment, so it seems to be an excellent idea to recycle them．In this way we will be able to achieve two important goals at the same time．We will reduce the waste we produce and help others．In other words, we will be able to 'kill two birds with one stone', and that is always a good thing．

1．It's an excellent idea to recycle old mobile phones because _______．

       A．it reduces waste and can help others

       B．it prevents waste and can earn lots of money

       C．it can send the waste produced by developed countries to other countries

       D．it is good for the environment and very educative for phone users

2．The author gives the example of Mr. Negroponte's cheap computers _______．

       A．to show what high tech can bring us．

       B．to illustrate the kindness of people in the developed countries

       C．to show how to find business opportunities in developing countries

       D．to give an example of how to help developing countries

3．Which of the following statements is TRUE about Mr. Negroponte's cheap computers?

       A．His computers don’t need any power to function well．

       B．His computers are covered with rubber so that they are very cheap．

       C．His computers will help children in developing countries to have better education．

       D．His computers will help people in developing countries to find all the solutions．

4．Where does this passage probably come from?

       A．A magazine      B．A newspaper    C．A lecture   D．An advertisement

Babies are born yogis．Once we were all able to pull our toes up by our ears and laugh about it．Then we aged, got injured, and began carrying stress in our shoulders and back．In short, we lost our balance．

       Yoga（瑜伽） is an ancient practice that helps create a sense of union in body, mind, and spirit．It brings us balance．I was seriously out of balance when I started practicing yoga in 1999．I had plantar fascitis in both feet, and my doctor had warned me against all the things I loved to do: walking, hiking, and playing tennis．I was desperate for exercise．Yoga became my salvation and even enhanced my other fitness activities．I practice yoga at least twice a week, but I consider yoga to be part of my daily life because after a while you no longer just practice yoga—you love it．

       Yoga becomes part of your physical life．Your body grows stronger, more toned, and more flexible as you move from one pose to the other．I spent a week in Mexico at a yoga retreat, and it was the first vacation on which I lost weight．“Rather than building muscle, yoga builds muscle tone,” says Shakta Kaur Khalsa, author of the K．I．S．S．Guide to Yoga．“Because yoga helps maintain a balanced metabolism （新陳代謝）, it also helps to regulate weight．Additionally, yoga stretches muscles lengthwise, causing fat to be removed around the cells．” I do yoga poses throughout the day．After hours at my computer, I stretch my stiff shoulders and arms．When I need a boost of energy, I do energizing poses．When I am feeling exhausted at the end of the day, I do restorative poses．

       Yoga becomes part of your mental life．Yoga teaches you to focus on breathing while you hold the poses．This attention to breath is calming; it dissolves stress and anxiety．I use yogic breathing on the tennis courts, in the dentist’s chair, and in traffic jams．You should always leave a yoga practice feeling energized, not tired．If you feel tired after yoga, it means you spent the time “fighting” yourself, trying to force yourself into poses．In yoga, you “surrender” to the pose by letting go of the tension．

       Yoga becomes part of your spiritual life．Yoga is practiced by people from all religions; it is not restricted to any religious group．Yoga teaches “right” living in how we deal with ourselves and others．As I work on a difficult pose, I learn patience, forgiveness, and the value of gentleness．Yoga advocates proper eating, but you don’t have to be a vegetarian to practice yoga．

1．What would be the best title for this passage?

       A．What’s Yoga?                               B．How I Do Yoga Poses

       C．The Benefits of Yoga                         D．The Varieties of Yoga

2．According to the third paragraph, yoga can help people __________．

       A．grow taller                                          B．lose weight         

       C．become flexible in thinking                    D．make more friends

3．People feel tired after yoga because __________．

       A．they consume energy in practicing yoga

       B．they respond well to yoga poses

       C．they spend too much time on yoga

       D．they force themselves into yoga poses

4．If this passage continues, what will the writer most probably write about in the next paragraph?

       A．Yoga as a means to keep fit．

       B．Different yoga poses．

       C．Popularity of yoga all over the world．                                 

       D．Encouraging people to do yoga．

Michael Jackson, the American pop legend, died of a cardiac arrest（心臟驟停） in a Los Angeles hospital last night, just weeks before he hoped to resurrect（復(fù)活） his four-decade long career with a series of sold-out shows in London．The pop superstar was taken to the University of California at Los Angeles medical centre last night, and doctors tried resuscitation（使蘇醒，使復(fù)活） in the ambulance．He did not regain consciousness and was reported dead about three hours later．

       "My brother, the legendary King of Pop, passed away on Thursday 25 June at 2．26pm," his brother Jermaine said, "We believe he suffered a cardiac arrest at his home, however the cause of his death is unknown until the results of the autopsy（驗(yàn)尸）are known．The personal physician who was with him at the time attempted to resuscitated him．"

       A spokesman for the UCLA medical centre said, "When he arrived at hospital at approximately 1．14pm, a team of doctors attempted to resuscitate him for a period of more than one hour, they were unsuccessful．" Police said they were investigating, which is standard procedure in such cases．

       Jackson's death brought a tragic end to a long decline from his peak in the 1980s when he was music's greatest all-around performer, a uniter of black and white music who shattered the race barrier on MTV．His 1982 album Thriller, which included the blockbuster hits Beat It, Billie Jean and Thriller is still the best-selling album of all time, with an estimated 50m copies sold worldwide．

       The world famous entertainer had planned a series of 50 concerts in London from 12 July．Although in the last two decades his reputation was destroyed by charges of child molestation（騷擾） and his fantastic public behavior, all tickets were sold within hours, proving the King of Pop had enduring appeal．

1．Where did Michael Jackson die?

       A．At home in Los Angeles．                    B．In a Los Angeles hospital．

       C．On the stage in London．                     D．In an ambulance to hospital．

2．What caused Michael Jackson to die according to Jermaine?

       A．Heart disease．

       B．It’s unknown before the results of the autopsy．

       C．Working too hard．

       D．His personal physician’s improper treatment．

3．Why were the police involved in investigating the death of Michael Jackson?

       A．Because they believed he was murdered．

       B．Because it was standard procedure in such cases．

       C．Because Michael Jackson died suddenly．

       D．Because his brother was suspicious of the truth of his death．

4．It can be inferred that Michael Jackson was ___________．

       A．a(chǎn) King of Pop with good reputation．

       B．a(chǎn) King of Pop still playing on the stage before death．

       C．indeed a bad man with fantastic public behavior．

       D．a(chǎn) popular King of Pop in spite of ill fame．

About six years ago I was eating lunch in a restaurant in New York City when a woman and a young boy sat down at the next table．I couldn’t help overhearing parts of their conversation．At one point the woman asked: “So, how have you been?” And the boy, who could not have been more than seven or eight years old, replied, “Frankly, I’ve been a little depressed lately．”

       This incident stuck in my mind because it confirmed my growing belief that children are changing．As far as I can remember, my friends and I didn’t find out we were “depressed” until we were in high school．

       The evidence of a change in children has increased steadily in recent years．Children don’t seem childlike anymore．Children speak more like adults, dress more like adults and behave more like adults than they used to．

       Whether this is good or bad is difficult to say, but it certainly is different．Childhood as it once was no longer exists, why?

       Human development is based not only on innate（天生） biological states, but also on patterns of access to social knowledge．Movement from one social rote（生搬硬套） to another usually involves learning the secrets of the new status．Children have always been taught adult secrets, but slowly and in stages: we tell sixth graders things we keep hidden from fifth graders．

       In the last 30 years, however, a secret-revelation（揭示） machine has been brought in 98 percent of American homes．It is called television．Television passes information to all viewers alike, indiscriminately （不加區(qū)分地）．Unable to resist the temptation, many children turn their attention from printed texts to the less challenging, more vivid moving pictures．

       Communication through print, as a matter of fact, allows for a great deal of control over the social information to which children have access．Reading and writing involve a complex code of symbol that must be memorized and practices．Children must read simple books before they can read complex materials．

1．Traditionally, a child is supposed to learn about the adult world______________．

       A．through contact with society

       B．naturally and by biological instinct （本能）

       C．gradually and under guidance

       D．through exposure to social information

2．The phenomenon that today’s children seem adult like is due to ____________．

       A．the widespread influence of television

       B．the poor arrangement of teaching content

       C．the fast pace of human intellectual development

       D．the constantly rising standard of living

3．Why is the author in favor of communication through print for children?

       A．It enables children to gain more social information．

       B．It develops children’s interest in reading and writing．

       C．It helps children to memorize and practice more．

       D．It can control what children are to learn．

4．What does the author think of the change in today’s children?

       A．He feels amused by their premature （早熟） behavior．

       B．He thinks it is a phenomenon worthy of note．

       C．He considers it a positive development．

       D．He seems to be upset about it．

Forty years ago, Rachel Carson died and the Pittsburgh area lost perhaps its most influential citizen．A native of a Pennsylvania College for Women graduate, Carson published “Silent Spring” in 1962, a work that launched the modern environmental movement and led to the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency （EPA） as well as the passage of our major environmental laws．

       However, there has been a puzzling and troubling trend in recent years: an attack on her theory by conservatives and the agrochemical （農(nóng)用化學(xué)品） industry．For example, Rush Limbaugh gave the following quiz: “Who caused more deaths: Adolf Hitler or RachelCarson?” Limbaugh's answer was Carson, due to the approximately 100 million deaths from malaria （瘧疾） since 1972, the year in which the pesticide （殺蟲劑）DDT was banned for use in the United States in part as a result of “Silent Spring．”

       Therefore, on this 40th anniversary of Carson's death, we need to take a scientific look at the myths that remain about pesticides．

       Myth 1: Pesticide usage has declined since 1962．In fact, pesticide usage has more than doubled since 1962, and the global pesticide industry currently uses over 2．5 million tons of pesticides each year．Even DDT is still used abroad．

       Myth 2: Pesticides are safe．In fact, as Carson warned us, these poisonous chemicals are unsafe since they are designed to kill biological organisms, but are often not specific in their targets．Pesticide exposure can cause skin irritation, headache, cancer and even death．According to the WHO, over 25 million people a year in developing countries suffer severe acute pesticide poisonings with over 20,000 deaths．

       Of the 80,000 pesticides and other chemicals in use today, 10 percent are recognized as carcinogens （致癌物質(zhì)）．According to recent studies, brain cancer rates are five times higher in homes with “no-pest” strips and six times higher in homes where pets wear flea collars （殺蚤頸圈）．Our homes have pesticide concentrations 10 to 100 times higher than outdoors．

       So, if Carson were with us today, still battling the agrochemical industry that spent millions of dollars, what would she be advocating? I feel confident that she would be a strong supporter of a new principle of chemical assessment．

Simply put, this principle requires producers of pesticides to prove that they are safe and necessary before they are put on the market．Our current system puts the burden of proof on government and scientists to prove that a pesticide is dangerous and poses an “unacceptable risk” before it can be pulled from the market．

1．Limbaugh attacked Carson because he thought that _____．

       A．“Silent Spring” had caused in part the 100 million deaths from malaria

       B．she was supporting the production of poisonous pesticides

       C．“Silent Spring” was originated from Hitler’s writings

       D．she had not cared for the 100 million deaths from malaria

2．Which of the following is the content of Myth 1?

       A．The production of pesticides has doubled during the past 40 years．

       B．2．5 million tons of pesticides have been produced since 1962．

       C．The usage of pesticides has been dropping since 1962．

       D．Pesticides have become less poisonous since 1962．

3．The author mentions “flea collars” in the sixth paragraph to indicate _____．

       A．pesticides contribute to the development of cancer

       B．the close connection between them and dog cancer rates

       C．the medical effect of flea collars on dogs

       D．flea collars contribute to high pesticide concentrations indoors

4．What is the suggested new practice of chemical assessment?

       A．Government should prove a pesticide is unsafe．

       B．Scientists should be responsible for writing assessment reports．

       C．Producers of pesticides should provide proof of their safety．

       D．A special committee should be set up for chemical assessment．