A group of swimmers has described how a group of dolphins protected them from a group of white sharks （食人鲨）off the coast of New Zealand. The lifeguards were on a training swim when they came across a group of great white sharks before the dolphins raced in to help.

The swimmers were surrounded by the dolphins for forty minutes before they were able to make them safety back to the beach. It was an uncomfortable experience as they were circled by a group of white sharks, which came within a couple of meters of them. Lifeguard Rob Howes was in the water with a colleague and his teenage daughter. He said around half a dozen dolphins suddenly appeared and forced them to gather together. The mammals swam in tight circles to create a protective wall between the white sharks and the lifeguards as the great white sharks were under the surface.

The swimmers said the dolphins were extremely upset and repeatedly slapped (拍打) the water with their tails as if to try to prevent the white sharks from attacking them. It’s a day they’ll never forget, especially for one who was on her first day as a volunteer. They have no doubt that the dolphins acted on purpose to protect them. Researchers have said that they’re not surprised. A marine biologist insisted that dolphins, which are considered to be one of the most intelligent mammals, “like to help the helpless.”

1.How many swimmers are attacked by the white sharks?

A. Two.     B. Three.    C. Four.    D. Five.

2. It seemed that the dolphins slapped the water with their tails to ____.

A. attack the white sharks and the lifeguards

B. play with water together for pleasure

C. stop the lifeguards being harmed by the sharks

D. attract the white sharks to kill the lifeguards

3.The underlined words “a volunteer” refers to____.

A. a lifeguard     B. Rob Howes’s workmate

C. Rob Howes        D. Rob Howes’s daughter

4. Which of the following can be the best title?

A. Dolphins Protect Swimmers from Sharks

B. Sharks Protect Swimmers from Dolphins

C. Lifeguards Protect Dolphins from Sharks

D. Lifeguards Protect Sharks from Dolphins

Last month, students from one hundred and three universities in eighty-eight countries took part in an international computer programming contest, which took place in Harbin, China. Three-person teams from each school had five hours to solve eleven real world problems.

The students first listed the problems in order of difficulty. Then they figured out the requirements of each. They designed ways to test their solutions. And they wrote the needed software systems. Even the winning team from Shanghai Jiaotong University in China was not able to solve all the problems within the given limit. Stanford’s team solved five problems and finished in fourteenth place. Stanford was one of twenty-one American universities that took part in the contest this year.

The official name of the Battle of the Brains is the ACM International Collegiate Contest. The first final competition was held in 1977 at the Association for Computer Machinery Computer Science Conference. Today, a network of universities holds area competitions that send the winners to the world finals, now organized by IBM.

Contest spokesman Dong Heintzman says the world champions receive prizes and scholarships. They are also guaranteed an offer of employment or internship(实习) with IBM. He said, “We have had past world champions that IBM has gone and employed in our Zurich research laboratory and are now working on some of the leading edge materials in science and physics. We have a world finalist from China who’s been working on the Watson Supercomputer that in the near future will be playing Jeopardy(一种超级计算机名称)against the best Jeopardy players in the world. So this competition is an opportunity to be recognized and to be recruited(招聘) by some of the top technology and research firms around the world.”

1. From the first paragraph we can figure out there were _______ programmers taking part in the contest.

A．3                B．88               C．246              D．a lot of

2. From the last paragraph we know that _______.

A．the winners will be offered a job in IBM

B．this contest provides a chance for the universities

C．this competition is held every four years

D．many big companies are short of programmers

3. What is the best title of this passage?

A．The Best Top Contest

B．The Battle of the Brains

C．The Difficult Competition

D．Courage and Wisdom Needed

Here is the Eight O’clock News.

…

Chinese people spent about 120 billion yuan during the first three days of the May Golden Week last year. This year it has increased to 140 billion yuan.

The children of Beijing No.2 Middle School sang with students from Toronto in Canada to celebrate the 20th anniversary. They had been sister schools since 1986. They spent about two weeks together in Beijing. They visited the Great Wall and the Summer Palace. They took a lot of photos in Beihai Park.

Have you ever got tired of heavy shopping bags? A new shopping assistant robot which was invented by a Japanese company could be the answer. The helpful robot can follow you around and carry several bags. The robot was tested at a shopping center in February 2006.

About 500 people from different countries were in the 2006 “Rock Paper Scissors (剪刀)” World Match in Canada. This event was founded in 1842. It is said that playing this game is fun, and also a good way to solve problems among people.

…

And now it’s time for Morning Music.

1.The students from Canada and Beijing No. 2 Middle School didn’t _________.

A．take photos                            B．visit places of interest

C．sing songs                             D．have a football match

2.Which of the following is NOT talked about in the news?

A．The robot can help with shopping bags.

B．A Japanese company invented the robot.

C．The robot was tested at a shopping centre.

D．There are such robots in people’s homes now.

3.The underlined word “anniversary” means_________.

A．birthday

B．yearly return of the date of an event

C．university

D．the new beginning of something important

4.Which of the following is a game?

A．Shopping assistant robot.                 B．May Golden Week.

C．Rock Paper Scissors.                     D．A visit to the school.

1.The Beijing-Shanghai High Speed Railway was put into operation at the end of __, 2011.

A．June             B．July              C．August            D．September

2.Shanghai Disneyland will open ___________.

A．on April 8, 2011                        B．in 2012

C．on May 8, 2012                         D．in 2016

3.Which of the following is TRUE about Shanghai Disneyland?

A．A 10-kilometer-long river goes in the middle of the park.

B．There will be many Chinese characters.

C．It is the same as the others.

D．It opened 5 years ago.

4.In order to keep the road safe, European Commission wants to

A．make buses and taxis go slowly.

B．fit buses and taxis with "black boxes".

C．make the police find out what happened.

D．find out what "black boxes" can do.

5.According to the news, we can learn___________

A．Now we are able to enjoy a Disney Park in Shanghai.

B．The black boxes can help the police predict what will happen.

C．The passenger volume can reach 380 million a year.

D．“The most beautiful teacher” Zhang Lili is our good example.

In November of 2007, NBC Universal launched its first official Green Week. Throughout the week, NBC Universal presented over 150 hours of environmentally themed content through multiple platforms (平台).

Now, NBC Universal is proud to present Green Week 2012. With a new theme and message of “Green Your Routine”, NBC and NBC.com presents green-themed tips in several of our daytime life, among several other features here on the “Green Your Routine” site.

Fashion & Beauty

Throw a clothes exchange party! Are you dying for that sweater your friend wore the other day? Well, maybe she’ll trade for that old T-shirt you have. Here’s a website that helps you organize an exchange party (www.swapstyle.com), or just plan your own!

Go natural with organic make-up. Applying unnatural products on your skin wasn’t exactly that nature intended. Try switching to a line of organic make-up and cosmetics for a different way to bring out your natural beauty.

Home

Drop a brick in your toilet tank! Literally! According to the EPA, flushing (冲洗) makes up 30 percent of a household’s water use (about three to six gallons per flush). By placing a brick in your toilet tank, you can help to conserve the amount of water used during each flush.

Work

Print smarter. Printing and copying can be one of the most costly operations in any office. To save on ink and paper costs, print double-sided and try to fit more than one page on a sheet. More printing tips can be found here: lifehacker.com

Turn off your computer. Do you leave your computer on over night? If so, you’re using up a good amount of electricity. If you can, try turning off your computer and the power strip it’s connected to. If you can’t, shut off your monitor at least.

Transportation

Organize a car pool (拼车). There are many benefits to carpooling. You save on gas and you get to ride in the HOV lines. Get connected with your neighbors and co-workers to start sharing rides and check out this website for more tips: www.erideshare.com.

Lose the car and get a bike. If you live close to where you work, try taking a bike instead of driving. You’ll keep in shape and save on gas!

Every small step and efforts makes a difference! Be sure to GREEN YOUR ROUTINE!

1.NBC Universal holds Green Week activities ________.

A．in a university                          B．in a park

C．in an office                            D．on the Internet

2.This year, Green Week welcomes________. 

A．advice on how to improve the website

B．suggestions about how to make their activities more interesting

C．tips on what to do to make our life greener

D．opinions on whether we should have campaigns

3.Which of the following statement is TRUE according to the passage?.

A．Never use make-up and cosmetics any more.

B．Putting a brick in the toilet tank can help flash quickly.

C．Printing double-sided can save paper costs.

D．You’ll keep fit through carpooling.

4.The passage is mainly intended to _______.

A．call on readers to be environmentally friendly and present some good tips

B．tell readers to be environmentally friendly while travelling

C．persuade readers to ride bicycles when travelling

D．inform readers of measures to improve our environment

A father with Parkinson's disease was arrested as he watched the Olympic cycling road race because he failed to smile or look as if he was enjoying himself.

Mark Worsfold, a martial arts trainer and former soldier, claims that he was thrown to the floor and handcuffed just as cyclists passed by. His worried wife Nicola only found out he was being held after she reported him missing when he did not turn up for their daughter's ninth birthday party. The 54­year­old man had his fingerprints, DNA and mugshot taken before being questioned about why he did not appear to be enjoying the event on July 28. Police said Mr. Worsfold, who was held for over five hours, was arrested because of his manner，his state of dress and his being too near to the course. A spokesman added that the arrest was necessary to avoid a breach(破坏) of the peace because he was standing near a group of protesters(抗议者)．

But Mr. Worsfold, who was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 2010, said that one of the symptoms of the disease is muscle rigidity, which can cause his face to become expressionless. “I was sitting minding my own business”， he told a local newspaper. “Before I knew anything the police grabbed me off this seven­foot wall, threw me to the floor and handcuffed me, so all I saw of the cycle race was between the feet of people from the pavement. It could have been done better. I was arrested for not smiling. I have Parkinson's disease.”

Mr. Worsfold has since asked for a letter of not being guilty from police. The officers who made the arrest have apologized to him.

1.Which word can be used to replace the underlined word “mugshot” in the second paragraph?

A．Clothes.  B．Photos.  C．Measures.  D．Tools.

2.Which statement is TRUE according to the passage?

A．Worsfold's wife was immediately informed of his being arrested by the police.

B．Worsfold was arrested because he was extremely dangerous.

C．Worsfold enjoyed the cycle race though he saw it between the feet of people from the pavement.

D．Worsfold was arrested because of his clothes as well as his facial expression.

3.What can we infer from the passage?

A．The officers must have been punished for Worsfold's arrest.

B．Worsfold has an expressionless face and probably looks strong.

C．The officers apologized to Worsfold after one day's arrest.

D．Worsfold was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease four years ago.

Phil White has just returned from an 18,000-mile, around-the-world bicycle trip. White had two reasons for making this epic journey. First of all, he wanted to use the trip to raise money for charity, which he did. He raised £70,000 for the British charity, Oxfam. White's second reason for making the trip was to break the world record and become the fastest person to cycle around the world. He is still waiting to find out if he has broken the record or not.

White set off from Trafalgar Square, in London, on 19th June 2004 and was back 299 days later. He spent more than l,300 hours in the saddle（车座）and destroyed four sets of tyres and three bike chains. He had the adventure of his life crossing Europe, the Middle East, India, Asia, Australia, New Zealand and the Americas. Amazingly, he did all of this with absolutely no support team. No jeep carrying food, water and medicine. No doctor. Nothing! Just a bike and a very, very long road.

The journey was lonely and desperate at times. He also had to fight his way across deserts, through jungles and over mountains. He cycled through heavy rains and temperatures of up to 45 degrees, all to help people in need. There were other dangers along the road. In Iran, he was chased by armed robbers and was lucky to escape with his life and the little money he had. The worst thing that happened to him was having to cycle into a headwind on a road that crosses the south of Australia. For 1,000 kilometres he battled against the wind that was constantly pushing him. This part of the trip was slow, hard work and depressing, but he made it in the end. Now Mr. White is back and intends to write a book about his adventures.

1.When Phil White returned from his trip, he________.

A. broke the world record               B. collected money for Oxfam

C. destroyed several bikes             D. travelled about 1,300 hours

2.What does the word "epic" in Paragraph l most probably mean _____.

A. Very slow but exciting.                    B. Very long and difficult.

C. Very smooth but tiring.                 D. Very lonely and depressing.

3.During his journey around the world, Phil White _______.

A. fought heroically against robbers in Iran

B. experienced the extremes of heat and cold

C. managed to ride against the wind in Australia

D. had a team of people who travelled with him

4.Which of the following words can best describe Phil White?

A. Imaginative.    B. Patriotic.   C. Modest.       D. Determined.