Two magazines recently listed the best cities to live in. Here are two of the cities listed as “the world’s best.”

SAN JOSE, COSTA RICA  The city has comfortable weather all year round (15°C to 26°C ). Housing is not very expensive in San Jose. Also, many of the city’s older neighborhoods are very beautiful and have small hotels and cafés(咖啡馆). Beautiful mountains are around the city. You can visit them easily from San Jose. So lots of people go sightseeing there every year. But air pollution is a problem in the city center.

HONG KONG, CHINA This lively city—once a small fishing village—is today an international business center. It is an interesting mixof East and West, old and new. Modern tall buildings are next to small temples (庙宇). Popular nightclubs are close to traditional teahouses. Busy people fill the streets at all hours of the day. But outside the city, there are parks for walking or relaxing. Hong Kong is famous for its wonderful native dishes. There’s also food from Europe, North America, and other parts of Asia. However, this small city has a large population. Nearly 7 million people live in Hong Kong! That’s why housing is often very expensive. Traffic and air pollution are also a problem.

1.Which of the following is not mentioned about San Jose?

A．The weather.       B．The mountains.     C．The air.           D．The traffic.

2.What makes Hong Kong the world’s best according to this passage?

A．The lively city and the wonderful dishes.      B．The beautiful mountains and the lively city.

C．The expensive housing and the food.        D．The city and the people.

3.The writer thinks housing in Hong Kong is expensive because    .

A．it was a small fishing village                B．it is a mix of East and West

C．it is famous for its wonderful food           D．there are too many people in the city

4.What do the two cities have in common?

A．They both have beautiful mountains.         B．They both have a large population.

C．Air pollution is a problem in both.           D．They are both crowded.

5.From the passage, we can know that        .

A．San Jose and Hong Kong are the only two cities of the world’s best

B．San Jose has more natural sights than Hong Kong does

C．the weather in both cities is fine

D．Hong Kong is the more popular city of the two

New York, 10 November — 5:27 pm, yesterday. Biggest power failure in the city’s history.

* Thousands of people got stuck in lifts. Martin Saltzman spent three hours between the 21st and 22nd floors of the Empire State Building. “There were twelve of us. But no one panicked. We passed the time telling stories and playing word games. One man wanted to smoke but we didn’t let him. Firemen finally got us out.”

* “It was the best night we’ve ever had,” said Angela Carraro, who runs an Italian restaurant on 42nd Street. “We had lots of candles on the tables and the waiters were carrying candles on their trays. The place was full — and all night, in fact, for after we had closed, we let the people stay on and spend the night here.”

* The zoos had their problems like everyone else. Keepers worked through the night. They used blankets to keep flying squirrels and small monkeys warm. While zoos had problem keeping warm, supermarkets had problems keeping cool. “All of our ice cream and frozen foods melted,” said the manager of a store in downtown Manhattan. “They were worth $ 50,000.”

* The big electric clock in the lobby(大厅) of the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in downtown Manhattan started ticking again at 5:25 this morning. It was almost on time.

1.Throughout the period of darkness, Martin Saltzman and the eleven others were _________.

A. nervous       B. excited          C. calm       D. frightened

2.In what way was the night of November 9 the best night for Angela Carraro?

A. She had a taste of adventure.

B. Burning candles brightened the place.

C. Business was better than usual.

D. Many people stayed the night in her restaurant.

3.How long did the power failure last?

A. Nearly 12 hours.               B. More than 12 hours.

C. Nearly 24 hours.               D. More than 24 hours.

D

Weall know about “Brother Sharp” , “King of Calm” and “Brother Buckteeth”----names that netizens(网民) have given those with special characteristics, or who have done something special.

Recently, a new name has been added to that list----“Brother Banner(横幅)”. What did he do to get the name?

“Brother Banner” is Chen Yihua, a Senior 1 student at Guangzhou No.16 High School. On the afternoon of May 4, he made a banner, dressed in school uniform, and stood outside a Line 1 subway station in Guangzhou.

Chen was protesting(抗议)Guangzhou Metro(地铁) Company’s renovation(整修) project for the line.

The company was planning to renew 16 stations on the line over three years. It said that the station would be renovated in similar styles, and the cost of the project would be 92.27 million yuan.

The banner that Chen held said: “The special features of Line 1 stations will disappear. The program is also a waste of resources. I hope you will help my protest be signing my subway petition(请愿) against the renovation .”

His action attracted the attention of passers-by. In three days, Chen collected more than 300 signatures(签名) from the public.

The metro company also noticed Chen, and responded to him, three times, over the following week.

On May 6, the company announced that the project was to replace aging equipment that has been running for a long time, because it had “safety risks”. The public was unsatisfied with the response.

The next day, the company met with Chen and gave further details of the project. Chen remained unconvinced.

The company made a 180-degree turn in its third response to Chen’s protest on May 10.

Zhong Xuejun, spokesman for the company, said the renovation would be based on the principle of saving energy and being economical. It would focus on the old equipment and the look of the stations wouldn’t be changed much.

Finally, Chen’s voice had been heard.

1.What do “Brother sharp”, “King of Calm” and “Brother Buckteeth” have in common?

A．They’re handsome.

B．They only exist in the net.

C．They’re characters(角色,特征) of a novel.

D．They have done something special or have special character.

2.How many times has the metro company responded？

A．1                B．2                C．3                D．4

3.Which of the following is NOT true?

A．“Brother Banner” is a Senior 1 student.

B．“Brother Banner” collected more than 300 signatures in three days.

C．“Brother Banner” has made a difference through his action.

D．“Brother Banner” is not a normal student.

This year some twenty-three hundred teenagers  (young people aged from13~19)from all over the world will spend about ten months in U.S. homes. They will attend U.S. schools, meet U.S. teenagers, and form impressions of the real America. At the same time, about thirteen hundred American teenagers will go to other countries to learn new languages and gain a new understanding of the rest of the world.

Here is a two-way student exchange in action. Fred, nineteen, spent last year in Germany with George’s family. In turn, George’s son Mike spent a year in Fred’s home in America.

Fred, a lively young man, knew little German when he arrived, but after two months’ study the language began to come to him. School was completely different from what he had expected—much harder. Students rose respectfully when the teacher entered the room. They took fourteen subjects instead of the six that are usual in the United States. There were almost no outside activities.

Family life, too, was different. The father’s word was law, and all activities were around the family rather than the individual. Fred found the food too simple at first. Also, he missed having a car.

“Back home, you pick up some friends in a car and go out and have a good time. In Germany, you walk, but you soon learn to like it.”

At the same time, in America, Mike, a friendly German boy, was also forming his idea. “I suppose I should criticize(批评)American schools,” he said. “It is far too easy by our level. But I have to say that I like it very much. In Germany we do nothing but study. Here we take part in many outside activities. I think that maybe your schools are better in training for citizens. There ought to be some middle ground between the two.”

1.This year ________teenagers will take part in the exchange programme between America and other countries.

A．twenty-three hundred                   B．thirteen hundred

C．over three thousand                     D．less than two thousand

2.The whole exchange programme is mainly to__________.

A．help teenagers in other countries know the real America

B．send students in America to travel in Germany

C．let students learn something about other countries

D．have teenagers learn new languages

3.Fred and Mike agree that__________.

A．America food tasted better than German food

B．German schools were harder than American schools

C．Americans and Germans were both friendly

D．There were more cars on the streets in America

4.What is particular in American schools is that________.

A．there is some middle ground between the two teaching buildings

B．there are a lot of after-school activities

C．students usually take fourteen subjects in all

D．students go out side to enjoy themselves in a car

Most people think that the older you get, the harder it is to learn a new language. That is, they believe that children learn more easily and efficiently than adults. Thus, at some point in our lives, maybe around age 12 or 13, we lose the ability to learn languages well. Is this idea a fact or myth(悬念)？

Is it true that children learn a foreign language more efficiently than adults? On the contrary, research studies suggest that the opposite may be true. One report, on 2,000 Danish children studying Swedish, concluded that the teenagers learned more, in less time, than the younger children. Another report, on Americans learning Russian, showed a direct improvement of ability over the age range tested; that is, the ability to learn increased as the age increased, from childhood to adulthood.

There are several possible explanations for these findings. For one thing, adults know more about the world and therefore are able to understand meanings more easily than children. Moreover, adults can use logical(逻辑的) thinking to help themselves see patterns in the language. Finally, adults have more self-discipline (self-control) than children.

All in all, it seems that the common idea that children are better language learners than adults may not be a fact, but a myth.

1.The main idea of the passage is ____.

A．teenagers are more difficult to teach

B．Danish teenagers can learn Swedish faster than younger children

C．adults are more logical than children

D．the ability to learn languages increases with age

2.According to the passage, teenagers can learn a foreign language _____ than younger children.

A．harder                               B．more efficiently

C．more slowly                           D．more carefully

3.Which of the following possible explanations for older student’s better achievement is not mentioned in the above passage?

A．Adults know more about the world.         B．Adults can use logical thinking

C．Adults have more self-discipline.            D．Adults can read better.

Amy returned to her small apartment at midnight, tired. Her worst fears raced through her mind. Would the court tell her she couldn’t care for her family anymore? Would the kids go through the sadness once more of being split up and sent away? She was so young, almost a child herself, and yet Amy knew everything depended on her. At that moment, she wondered if she would ever find the strength to see it through.

From earliest childhood, Amy took care of her younger brothers. Jan, their mother, only added to the family disorder and confusion because of her drug addict. Sometimes they lived in apartments, sometimes in shelters.

One afternoon Amy was called to the high school, where a social worker was waiting for her. “We’re going to have to put you guys in foster（收养) care.” the social worker said. “No! Don’t spilt us up!” the girl cried out. “Can’t you just leave it the way it is?” The social worker shook his head. Amy’s voice then rose like the howl of a lion protecting her babies: “Why can’t I take them? I take care of them all the time anyway.” The social worker hesitated, and then said, “Maybe. Once you’re 18, you could apply to become their relative caretaker. Then you’d be their foster mother until we find a home where all of you can be together.” “I’ll do it,” Amy said.

One month later, Amy was named guardian of her brothers for a six-month trial period. It was a remarkable victory for an 18-year-old girl. Her brothers didn’t make her task any easier in the months ahead. However，Amy’s efforts were rewarded when the court allowed her to continue as guardian. Amy’s relief at remaining the kids’ guardian was at risk of being taken away by the pressure she always

felt to measure up. Social workers still looked regularly over her shoulder and asked the boys shameful

questions: “Does she feed you? Does she ever try to harm you?” Then one day a visiting social worker

came over. “We’d like to get the boys adopted into homes,” she said. Sensing that the family was about to be split apart yet again, Amy replied, “Fine, then. Call it adoption if you want, but they’re not going anywhere.” To her surprise, the social worker took her remark seriously. She explained that if Amy were to adopt the boys, they would become like any other family.

That night at dinner Amy told the boys about the idea. “Cool!” Joey said. He threw a piece of corn at Adam. His brother flicked it back, and pretty soon corn was flying. Amy rolled her eyes. They didn’t have far to go to be like any other family. As the proceedings（程序）ended, Amy thanked everyone. “No,” the judge responded, “Thank you. You saved three kids. Not many family members would do what you’re doing, especially for this many children. I’m very proud of you.” 

On a lazy spring day, in a modest suburban neighborhood, Amy stood in front of a neatly kept one-story house. She watched her brothers playing basketball, and heard the playful bark of their dog, Tahoe. The young lady had made good on her promise: they had rented a home, a real home, and the boys had gotten their dog. Amy continues to raise her family alone, but has begun taking courses in business management at a nearby community college. Eventually, she hopes to become a child psychologist.

1. Which of the following best describes Amy?

A．Crazy and tough                        B．Firm and stubborn

C．Enthusiastic and generous                 D．Abnormal and aggressive.

2.From Paragraph 3, we can learn that __________.

A．The social worker gave in to Amy.

B．The social worker tried to adopt Amy’s brothers.

C．Amy tried to apply for the guardian of the brothers

D．Amy had no idea how to face her family being separated up.

3.By saying “They didn’t have far to go to be like any other family”, the writer means________.

A．they will live in the same area as other families

B．they made a deep impression on the neighborhood

C．Amy is able to take good care of the family

D．Amy and her brothers would be already just like a family

4.The best title for this text would be___________. 

A．Standing On Two Feet                    B．Growing Up Alone

C．A Lifelong Fight                         D．A Teen Hero

5.What does  the underlined word guardian in paragraph 4 mean?

A．保护者           B．监护人           C．收养人           D．引导人

If you look for a book as a present for a child，you will be spoiled for choice even in a year there is no new Harry Potter． J．K Rowling’s wizard is not alone．The past decade has been a harvest for good children’s books, which has set off a large quantity of films and an increased sales of classics such as The Lord of the Rings．

Yet despite that, reading is increasingly unpopular among children．According to statistics in 1997, 23% said they didn’t like reading at all．In 2003, 35% didn’t．And around 6% of the children leave primary school each year unable to read properly．

Maybe the decline is caused by the increasing availability of computes games．Maybe the books boom has affected only the top of the educational pile．Either way, Chancellor Cordon Brown plans to change things for the bottom of the class．In his pre-budget report, he announced the national project of Reading Recovery to help the children struggling most．

Reading Recovery is aimed at six year olds, who receive four months of individual daily half-hour classes with a specially trained teacher．An evaluation this year reported that children on the school made 20 months’ progress in just one year, whereas similarly weak readers without special help made just five months’ progress ,and so ended the year even further below the level expected for their age．

International research tends to find that when British children leave primary school, they read well, but read text often for fun than those elsewhere．Reading for fun matters because children who are keen on reading can report lifelong pleasure and loving books is an excellent indicator of future educational success．According to the OECD, being a regular and enthusiastic reader is of great advantage．

1.Which of the following is true of Paragraph 1?

A．Many children’s books have been adapted from films．

B．Many high-quality children’s books have been published．

C．The sales of classics have led to the popularity of films．

D．The sales of presents for children have increased．

2.Statistics suggested that____________．

A．the number of top students increased with the use of computers

B．a decreasing number of children showed interest in reading

C．a minority of primary school children read properly

D．a huge percentage of children read regularly

3.What do we know about Reading Recovery?

A．An evaluation of it will be made sometime this year．

B．Weak readers on the project were the most hardworking．

C．It aims to train special teachers to help children with reading．

D．Children on the project showed noticeable progress in reading．

4.Reading for fun is important because book-loving children _________．

A．take greater advantage of the project

B．show the potential to enjoy a long life

C．are likely to succeed in their education．

D．would make excellent future researchers

5.The aim of this text would probably be _________．

A．to overcome primary school pupils reading difficulty．

B．to encourage the publication of more children’s books

C．to remind children of the importance of reading for fun

D．to introduce a way to improve early children reading

STARBUCKS China yesterday renamed a newly­opened outlet near one of Buddhism's most famous temples after a wave of controversy over what critics called a “cultural invasion”．

The coffee shop in Hangzhou had opened as the Lingyin Temple Starbucks, leading some people to believe it was located inside the renowned temple.

However, the company said in a statement yesterday that the coffee shop was actually in the Lingyin scenic area, about 20 minutes' walk from the temple's entrance.It was said the outlet would now be known as the Lingyin Starbucks.

Wang Shan, deputy director of the Lingyin office of the West Lake Administration in Hangzhou, capital of Zhejiang Province, said, “Actually, the coffee house is a long distance from the temple.It is located in the tourist service area on Lingyin Road outside of the temple, as part of the supporting facilities.”

The temple's administration urged the cafe to change its name to make it clear that it was not located inside the temple.

In a heated online debate, critics said the U．S.chain's commercial style would spoil the serenity that an oriental Buddhism temple should embrace.

Supporters, however, said that the talk of an “invasion” was misplaced as the outlet was not inside the temple but on a nearby commercial street where a KFC restaurant and a shopping mall had been open for more than six months.

The incident follows calls in 2009 to stop an earlier “cultural invasion” when the Seattle­based coffee chain had to move its outlet out of Beijing's Forbidden City seven years after it opened.

Critics urged closure of the outlet, which they said was a “humiliation” for a culture exemplified by the ancient buildings.

1.Why did the temple's administration urge the cafe to change its name?

A．To attract the tourists.

B．To tell the public the coffee outlet doesn't lie inside the temple.

C．To obey the government.

D．To do something to protect the temple.

2.Why did the Seattle­based coffee chain have to move its outlet out of Beijing's Forbidden City?

A．Because the Seattle­based coffee chain was thought as an earlier “cultural invasion”．

B．Because it changed Chinese culture.

C．Because the Seattle­based coffee chain earned much more money than the temples.

D．Because the Seattle­based coffee chain closed the shops by itself.

3.What's the best title of this passage?

A．Coffee shop's new outlet deletes the word “temple”．

B．Cultural invasion.

C．Starbucks chain invasion.

D．Seattle­based coffee chain's invasion.

(2013·湛江一中期末测试)If cars had wings，they could fly and that just might happen，beginning in 2012.The company Terrafugia，based in Woburn，Massachusetts，says it plans to deliver its car­plane，the Transition，to customers by the end of 2012.

“It's the next ‘wow’ vehicle，” said Terrafugia，vice president Richard Gersh.“Anybody can buy a Ferrari，but as we say，Ferraris don't fly.”

The car­plane has wings that unfold for flying—a process the company says takes one minute—and fold back up for driving.A runway is still required to take off and land.

The Transition is being marketed more as a plane that drives than a car that flies，although it is both.The company has been working with FAA to meet aircraft regulations，and with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to meet vehicle safety regulations.

The company is aiming to sell the Transition to private pilots as a more convenient and cheaper way to fly.They say it saves you the trouble of trying to find another mode of transportation to get to and from airports：you drive the car to the airport and then you're good to go.When you land，you fold up the wings and hit the road.There are no expensive parking fees because you don't have to store it at an airport—you park it in the garage at home.

The car­plane is designed to fly primarily under 10,000 feet.It has a maximum take­off weight of 1,430 pounds，including fuel and passengers.Terrafugia says the Transition reduces the potential for an accident by allowing pilots to drive under bad weather instead of flying into marginal(边缘的) conditions.

The Transition's price tag：$194,000.But there may be additional charges for options like a radio，transponder or GPS.Another option is a full­plane parachute.

“If you get into a very awful situation，it is the necessary safety option，”Gersh said.

So far，the company has more than 70 orders with deposits.“We're working very closely with them，but there are still some remaining steps，” Brown said.

1.We can learn from the first paragraph that ________.

A．car­planes will be popular in 2012

B．people might drive a car­plane in 2012

C．both the Transition and the Ferrari can take off and land

D．Richard Gersh is the vice president of Massachusetts

2.It takes the car­plane one minute to ________.

A．fold and unfold its wings

B．unfold wings for flying

C．land in the airport

D．meet flying safety regulations

3.According to the passage，which of the following is NOT true?

A．The car­plane needs a runway to take off and land.

B．To meet aircraft regulations，the company has been working with FAA.

C．The car­plane may fly as high as normal planes.

D．People can park the car­plane in the garage at their home.

4.The underlined word “it” in the last but one paragraph refers to ________.

A．the radio

B．the transponder

C．the GPS

D．the full­plane parachute

The US government has started a website, Admongo, to help children think critically about the advertising aimed at them. It claims to provide visitors with an “education” through games and other entertainment.

A cartoon man dressed in old time pilot clothing greets visitors to Admongo. "Call me Haiz", he says upon arrival in a rocket ship that opens up with a crazy world inside it. Spacey dance music plays in the background as Haiz tells visitors that they need to learn about advertising.

Its inventors say eight to twelve years old is the age kids develop their critical thinking abilities. Kids of that age are also a big market for advertisers.

The idea behind Admongo is to teach children three things: To identify the advertiser. To know what the advertiser is really saying. And to know what the advertisement is trying to get the child to do.

Children learn these things through a video game. They create their own game character. They can choose different skin colors, hair styles, eye and mouth shapes. Then they begin a trip through ad-land, where there are ads on buses and billboards. The players have to find all the marketing in the neighborhood before they can move on to the next level.

The Admongo game takes players inside a home, to the advertising studio and everywhere else ads can be found. It is a complete exploration of the world of marketing.

One such area is food marketing. The Federal Trade Comission (FTC) says it is a big business. The FTC estimates that food, drink and fast-food restaurants spent more than one and a half billion dollars on advertising to young people in 2010.

The FTC says children are important for three reasons. They buy products. They influence parents and caregivers to buy. And they are the future adult buyers of the products.

A recent study says most advertising aimed at children is for foods of the lowest nutritional value. First Lady Michelle Obama has said she would like to see advertisers marketing healthy foods for children.

1.The best title of the text may be ________.

A．The guide of Admongo                   B．An education website for children

C．A popular online video game               D．An advertising website

2.The government started the website to _________.

A．attract the biggest market of buyers.

B．sell the products of its company.

C．help children know about advertising.

D．advertise the video game for children.

3. Players in the website game can_________.

A．choose hair styles for their character.        B．travel to a supermarket.

C．eat in a fast-food restaurant.               D．play video games during the trip.

4.According to Michelle Obama, lots of food advertised for children are _____.

A．healthy           B．of high nutrition     C．yummy           D．of low quality