—Excuse me, could you tell me where the theatre is?

—OK．Look, between the two white buildings _____ the theatre.

A．a(chǎn)re lying         B．lie            C．lies          D．lay

The recent earthquakes have caused concern because they happen _____ population centers and have caused huge damage.

A．to be hit           B．hitting          C．having hit          D．to have hit

Mary made a few changes to the design and made her own needle, _____ saving people a lot of time.

A．one          B．she            C．that            D．it

Honesty is priceless．Stars, _____, need to take honesty seriously.

A．in short           B．in return            C．in particular          D．in reward

When I was a kid, my mother told me if I could not be a good loser, _____ there’s no way I could be a good winner.

A．a(chǎn)nd          B．so             C．or           D．then

We’d rather our president _____ make the decision or scores of employees will be cast down.

A．won’t            B．doesn’t          C．shan’t         D．didn’t

Here are some of the most common reasons why kids hate school—and strategies（對策） to put them back on the road to success.

One fear that keeps children from enjoying school is separation    1   ．It most frequently occurs during times of family stress or    2    a child is about to enter a new school．  3  , parents can feed a child’s anxieties by the way they    4  ．With younger kids, watch how you say    5    those first few days of school．A firm “Have a great day, and I’ll    6    you up at 2:30!” is more confidence-inspiring than “Don’t worry, I can be there in ten    7    if you need me.”

You can help your child    8    fearful situations—from speaking up in class to taking tests—by rehearsing（預演）at home．Teach your child to    9    thoughts such as “I’m going to give up” with “I can handle this.”

Without any    10   , some kids dislike school .This may be the    11    if your child is always alone, pretends    12    to avoid class outings or give away treasured possessions in an attempt to be   13   .

Often loneliness problems can be solved．A child may need to learn how to    14   others in the eye when he speaks, or how to talk   15    a whisper—or below a yell．You might teach a young child a few “friendship    16   ”, such as “My name’s Tom．What’s yours? Do you want to play games?” 

“A lot of kids who are very lonely have never been told anything    17    about themselves,” says Miami    18   Matty Rodriguez-Walling．“If a lonely kid is   19    some area—computers, for example—I’ll often have other students work with him．That does   20   for self-respect and helps the lonely child make friends.”

1．A．a(chǎn)nxiety                  B．excitement           C．a(chǎn)nger                  D．relief

2．A．while                    B．since                  C．when                  D．a(chǎn)s

3．A．Unfortunately        B．Happily                C．Luckily               D．Simply

4．A．teach                    B．smile                   C．learn                  D．respond

5．A．hello                     B．sorry                   C．good-bye             D．thanks

6．A．call                       B．pick                    C．bring                   D．put

7．A．hours                    B．days                    C．minutes               D．seconds

8．A．watch                   B．control                C．express              D．handle

9．A．connect                B．fill                      C．supply                D．replace

10．A．friends                B．classmates           C．teachers             D．parents

11．A．condition             B．case                    C．example              D．matter

12．A．violence              B．sadness               C．illness                 D．independence

13．A．taught                 B．refused                C．hated                  D．liked

14．A．watch                 B．look                C．examine              D．observe

15．A．a(chǎn)t                       B．a(chǎn)bove                  C．to                      D．over

16．A．openers               B．conclusions         C．thoughts              D．opinions

17．A．good                   B．interesting            C．strange                D．magic

18．A．doctor                 B．scientist               C．researcher          D．teacher

19．A．poor at                B．a(chǎn)nxious about       C．skilled in              D．proud of

20．A．less             B．a(chǎn) lot              C．more          D．a(chǎn) little

“Can I see my baby?” asked the happy new mother．The bundle（嬰兒包） was placed in her arms and when she moved the fold of cloth to look upon his tiny face, she gasped—the baby had been born without ears．Time, however, proved that the baby’s hearing was perfect except his appearance.

One day when he rushed home from school and threw himself into his mother’s arms, he cried out bitterly, “A boy, a big boy called me—a f-freak.” She sighed, knowing that his life was to be endless of heartbreaks.

He grew up, handsome for his misfortune．A favorite with his fellow students, he might have been class president, but for that．He developed a gift for literature and music.

The boy’s father had a talk with the family doctor．Could nothing be done? “I believe we could graft（移植） on a pair of outer ears, if they could be donated,” the doctor decided．So the search began for a person who would make such a sacrifice for a young man．Two years went by．“You’re going to the hospital, son．Mother and I have someone who will donate the ears you need．But it’s a secret,” said the father.

The operation was a brilliant success．His talents blossomed into genius．School and college became a series of successes．Later he married and entered the diplomatic（外交） service．“But I must know!” he urged his father．“Who gave so much for me? I could never do enough for him.” 

“I do not believe you could,” said the father, “but the agreement was that you are not to know…, not yet.” The years kept the secret, but the day did come… one of the darkest days that ever pass through a son．He stood with his father over his mother’s casket（棺材）．Slowly and tenderly, the father stretched forth a hand and raised the thick, reddish-brown hair to let out the secret.

1．The story is mainly about_______.

  A．how a boy had new ears through an operation

  B．what a devoted parent privately did for the child

  C．how a disabled boy turned into a useful person

  D．why a donator made a sacrifice to a bright boy

2．The underlined word “freak” in Paragraph 2 probably means “_______”.

  A．slow-acting person                              B．ugly-looking child

  C．badly-behaved student                          D．strangely-shaped creature

3．What can be inferred from the passage?

  A．The agreement was between the donator and the family.

  B．The boy was so popular that he was made class president.

  C．Finally the boy came to know who the donator was.

  D．The mother donated her ears to her son after she died.

4．We can learn from the passage that _______.

  A．real love sometimes lies in what is done unknown 

  B．it is up to parents to help their children heart and soul

  C．true beauty lies only in the heart not in appearance

  D．it’s a virtue for young generations to learn to be grateful

At least 115 Chinese miners have been pulled alive from a flooded coal mine after more than seven days trapped underground.

   Rescuers cheered and some shed tears as the latest survivors emerged alive Monday after more than a week trapped in a flooded mine in north China's Shanxi Province．Officials were also relieved as their round-the-clock rescue mission prevented one of the country's worst mining disasters.

   The head of the province's Work Safety ministry, Luo Lin, was among thousands of relatives waiting desperately for news at the pit entrance after rescuers said they had heard voices deep within the mine shaft over the weekend.

   It is a miracle in China's mining rescue history, Luo says．He thanked the rescuers for their effort as he counted the miners leaving the entrance.

By late evening Monday, 115 miners had been pulled out alive, China's state media said．They were led to waiting ambulances with their eyes covered to prevent the glare from lights．All are said to be in a stable condition after being trapped in water for nearly nine days．They were able to breathe during their ordeal thanks to air pockets．

Three-thousand rescuers dug and pumped water for seven days to reach the miners at the Wangjialing Coal Mine, which is considered a modern facility.

   The first survivors were brought to the surface shortly after midnight on Monday．Attempts to reach the 38 who remain trapped are continuing.

   153 people were believed to be trapped underground．But families say this is an underestimate, claiming many more were working in the mine at the time of the flooding.

   A preliminary investigation last week found that officials had ignored reports of water leaks prior to the accident.

   China relies heavily on coal to fuel its booming economy．But it has some of the most dangerous mines in the world, with many mine bosses ignoring safety concerns to meet demand and chase profits.

   The government has sought to improve safety in recent years by clamping down on illegal mines and this seems to have prevented many deaths.

   According to official figures, 2,631 coal miners died in 1,616 mine accidents in China in 2009 – down 18 percent from the previous year．

1．Which is the best title of the passage?

  A．The Flooded Coal Mine                        B．Miners Trapped were Saved

  C．The Worst Coal Mine Accident             D．115 Miners Rescued, 38 Still Missing 

2．The underlined word “round-the-clock” in Para 2 most probably means “_______”.

  A．finishing before a particular time            B．changing the time shown by clock

  C．a(chǎn)ll day and all night without stopping     D．from the beginning to the end

3．Which of the following is True according to the passage?

  A．Coal plays a decisive role in China’s economy.

  B．Mine accidents have been increasing in recent years.

  C．115 miners were working underground when the flooding happened.

  D．About 3200 coal miners died in mine accidents in China in 2008.

4．At least 115 coal miners were rescued _______.

  A．on the day the accident happened

  B．a(chǎn)fter more than 7 days trapped underground

  C．a(chǎn)fter working underground for 9 days

  D．10 days after the accident happened

Scientists are working to develop crop plants that can reduce the amount of water used for agriculture．Almost sixty percent of the world’s freshwater withdrawals from rivers, lakes and other water resources go toward irrigating fields.

Scientists are using biotechnology as well as traditional breeding methods to develop water-saving crops to feed a growing world.

Thomas “Tommy” Carter is a plant scientist in North Carolina．He works for the Agricultural Research Service in the United States Department of Agriculture．He leads Team Drought, a group of researchers at five universities．They have been using conventional breeding methods to develop and test soybeans that can grow well under dry conditions.

Tommy Carter started working on drought-resistant soybeans in 1981．His research has taken him as far as China, where soybeans have been grown for thousands of years．

Farmers in the United States, however, have grown soybeans for only about a century．Tommy Carter says the soybeans they grow are for the most part genetically similar．More differences could better protect crops against climate changes that can reduce production．Those changes include water shortages which could increase from global warming.

The Agriculture Department has a soybean germplasm（胚質(zhì)） collection, a collection of genetic material passed from one generation to the next．Members of Team Drought studied more than 2,500 examples from the collection.

They looked at ones from the home of soybeans, Asia．They searched for germplasms that could keep plants from weakening and wilting （凋謝）during hot, dry summers in the United States.

Tommy Carter says they found only five．But these slow-wilting lines, he says, produce four to eight bushels（英斗）more than normal soybeans under drought conditions．The yield depends on location and environment.

Scientists are also working on other plants that either use less water or use it better, or both．For example, companies like Monsanto, DuPont and Syngenta have been developing corn with reduced water needs．Monsanto expects to be ready in a few years to market its first corn seeds genetically engineered to resist drought．

1．According to the passage, scientists try to find out how to _______.

  A．grow crops with less water                  B．increase crop production

  C．feed a growing world                           D．save the world’s water resource

2．Why did Tommy Carter come to China?

     A．He likes traveling.

     B．China has a long history.

     C．He’s doing research into soybeans.

     D．He works for the Agricultural Research Service.

3．What’s inferred from the passage?

     A．Climate changes lead to global warming.

     B．Water shortages contribute to global warming.

     C．Genetically different soybeans need much water to grow.

     D．Genetically different soybeans help to fight against damaging climate changes.

4．What do we know about slow-wilting plants talked about in the passage?

     A．They yield big profits.

     B．They can grow in almost any climate.

     C．They seem to be drought-resistant.

     D．They need much water for their growth.