From China Daily: On Oct 29, the Chinese government said all couples can now have two children. The new policy is expected to help solve China’s low birth rate problem. Up to now, China has faced an aging population and the problem of no enough labor. The Two-Children Law may also be good for Chinese people. Researches show that growing up with a brother or a sister can have a good influence on one’s mind and health.

From CCTV: China has long dreamed about making its own large passenger planes. Now the dream is becoming true. On Nov 2, China’s first homemade large passenger plane, the C919, was shown to the public in Shanghai. This makes China the third nation to make large passenger planes, following the Boeing Company, US and the European Union’s Airbus line.

From CNN, Dec 4, 2015: Itˈs reported that Apple is planning to bring its mobile payment system（系统）“Apple Pay” to China by early Februarynext year.Apple has reportedly reached a deal with Chinaˈs big four banks to lay out the payment system. When itˈs used in China, Apple Pay will mainly compete with Union Pay.

From VOA WASHINGTON, November 25, 2015: The holiday shopping season is once again upon us. In the United States, thatˈs usually the Friday after Thanksgiving, which is called "Black Friday". The shopping malls are busy and open for hands-chopping people whowould like to chop their hands off after buying too many things on Black Friday.

Singapore, July 12－many people enjoy chewing(咀嚼) gum, but in 1992 Singapore decided to make it against the law. The government said that people were not careful about throwing away used gum. Instead, they dropped it on sidewalks and on the streets where it made a big mess. Chewing gum also got stuck in the doors of the underground trains so that the doors didn’t close properly. This meant the trains didn’t run on time. Singapore said that people had to give up chewing gum or pay a lot of money to the government. During the time without chewing gum, the streets and underground trains of Singapore were clean.

Now the government of Singapore is changing the rules a little. Some dentists say that chewing sugarless gum can help take care of people’s teeth. Now the government says that people will be able to buy special kinds of gum at drugstores for health reasons. Other kinds of gum are still not allowed.

根据短文内容,判断正(A)误(B)。

Since the 1970s, scientists have been searching for ways to connect the brain with computers. Braincomputer interface(BCI) technology could help people with disabilities send commands to machines.

 Recently, two scientists, Jose Millan and Michele Tavella from the Federal Polytehnic School in Lausanne, Switzerland, show a small robotic wheelchair directed by a person’s thoughts.

 In the laboratory, Tavella operated the wheelchair just by thinking about moving his left or right hand. He could even talk as he watched the vehicle and guided it with his thoughts.

 “Our brain has billions of body cells(细胞). These send signals through the spinal cord(脊髓) to the body part to give us the ability to move. But spinal cord injuries(脊柱受伤) or other conditions can prevent these weak electrical signals from reaching the body part.” Tavella says. “Our system allows disabled people to communicate with outer world and also to control machines.”

 The scientists designed a special cap for the user. This head cover picks up the signals from the scalp(头皮) and sends them to a computer. The computer finds meanings of the signals and commands the wheelchair with an engine. The wheelchair also has two cameras that tell objects in its path. They help the computer react to commands from the brain.

 Prof. Millan , the team leader, says scientists keep improving the computer software that finds meanings of brain signals and turns them into simple commands.” The practical possibilities that BCI technology offers to disabled people can be grouped in two kinds: communication, and controlling objects. One example is this wheelchair.”

 He says his team has set two goals. One is testing with real patients, so as to prove that this is a technology they can get advantages from. And the other is sure that they can use the technology for long.

A Bite of China(舌尖上的中国) has become a hot topic on the Internet in China. It is a seven-episode(集) program. It is about traditional Chinese food.

The documentary has attracted over 100,000,000 Chinese audiences(观众). Most of them don’t see this program as a common food show, because it shows them the value of Chinese food and the changes in China today. The audiences can see how hard the cooks and farmers work to make such wonderful Chinese food.

Chen Xiaoqing, the lead director of the program, says that the program is not only about eating, but also about Chinese culture. His friend Liu Wen said, “We also wanted to show international audiences what China is like today.”

“A Bite of China will be out of English version(版本), ” said Chen Xiaoqing. “We should be thankful to the people who make so much delicious food.” added a reporter Wang Lu.

 We are collecting more news for our school English newspaper. Would you like to be reporters for it? Welcome! Here are two pieces from the news page.

Here , a reporter is interviewing the 12-year-old singer,Mara Justine,who’s one of the youngest contestants(参赛者)of America’s Got Talent.

Reporter:Why did you choose to compete on America’s Got Talent instead of(代替) one of the other singing competitions?

Mara:Well, America’s Got Talent actually called me because I had auditioned（试音） before,when I was 9 or 10. I guess they looked over those videos. They asked me to audition again.

Reporter:How does it feel to be one of the youngest people on the show?

Mara:There are a lot of other people with more experience(经验) ,but I just try to do my best. I always go onto the stage（舞台） thinking good thoughts,never bad thoughts.

Reporter:Who is your role model or idol?What inspires（鼓舞） you?

Mara:For singing, my idols are Aretha Franklin and Christina Aguilera, but a role model to me would be my mom. I love her with all my heart—she encourages(鼓励) me to believe in my dreams.

Reporter:What are your other interests?

Mara:I love playing video games, and I usually go to the park with my family. We usually play basketball. We also like to play tennis！

A city without cars would be very strange, right? But Venice is such a city.

Venice is in the northeast of Italy. It wasn’t built on land, like Beijing or Shanghai, but on more than 110 islands. Seawater is everywhere around the city.

Even so, travel isn’t difficult. The waterways have always been the best ways to get around. There are117waterways and more than 400 bridges that can guide you where you want to go.People in Venice move from place to place by boat. They like to enjoy the scenery and cool summer nights while taking boat trips. They can talk to other people as they go along.

Venice grew out of small islands in saltwater lakes when some Italians escaped from a war more than 1,500 years ago, and built homes there.

Water makes the city special, but it is also a big problem.

Once, people used too much underground water. This made the city get lower little by little. Now the city has gone down by 23 centimeters. Another problem is the rising seawater. Thetemperature has risen over the years. This has made the ice of the Arctic Ocean（北冰洋） melt（融化）.

Every year, high waters hit the city in autumn and winter. When a lot of water comes, more than half of the city is underwater.

Scientists are trying different ways to stop the city from getting even lower.

根据短文内容，选择正确答案。

Reporter:       What was the best part of your visit, Julia and Roddy?

Julia and Roddy: The tour of the Film Park.

Reporter:       What did you like most about the Film Park tour?

Julia:          The Dinosaur Jungle was my favourite. It was hot and smelt like a real jungle. We saw some baby dinosaurs. Then a really big one appeared. Although it was only a model, it looked very real ! I almost jumped out of my skin！

Roddy:        I really liked the Great Wave. It was wonderful. Everything was quiet. Then suddenly we saw a huge wave coming towards us. There was a terrible noise, and the wave seemed to come over the top of us, but we didn't get wet at all! I don't know how they did it.

Reporter:      Did you see any famous stars at the film park?

Roddy:        No, we didn't, but we did visit a film set after the tour. The crew were shooting a scene showing some students in a school. They needed some more actors for the scene. To cut a long story short, the director chose me to appear in the film.    

Reporter:       Oh, really? Did you enjoy working as an actor, Roddy?

Roddy:        Yes, I did. It was really interesting.

Reporter:      Did you have any difficulty in acting?

Roddy:        To be honest, it was a piece of cake!