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

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.

●Ms Tan, you’ve referred to your new novel as your eighth book.

That’s because it took me six or seven attempts at a second novel before I started and completed this one.

●Why do you think you had so many false starts?

I would say that my reasons were wrong. I was trying to prove that I wasn’t just a mother-daughter storyteller, or I was trying to prove that I didn’t just have to write about things that were strictly Chinese or Chinese-American. Those were never the right reasons for writing those early stories. And I could never come up with other better reasons for continuing them.

●What kept you going on this book?

This book was different because it was based on my mother’s real life. The reason for writing it became more personal and emotional. After The Joy Luck Club came out, my mother was always explaining to people that she wasn’t any of the mothers in that book. And at one point she said to me, “Next book tells my true story.” And then she started telling me things I never knew before. She also told me many, many stories, because my mother doesn’t generalize(笼统地表达). The book really grew out of that.

●Have you ever visited China?

Yes. I’ve been there twice: about three years ago and then again last November, both times with my mother and my husband.

●Was it difficult to understand the Chinese-American dialect(方言) without sounding like a parody(拙劣的模仿)?

No, because it’s the language I’ve heard all my life from my mother. She speaks English as it’s direct translation from Chinese. But it’s more than that. Her language also has more imagery than English.

●Can you think of an example?

Somebody might say to me, “Don’t work so hard. You’ll kill yourself.” My mother will say to me，“Why do you press all your brains out on this page for someone else？” So it’s very vivid. That’s the way she talks.

●Have many readers told you that the Chinese mother in your book reminded them of the typical Jewish (有癖好的) mother?

Many people have told me that. I think the mother-daughter relationship is very intense(紧张) in both cases. Culturally there is an acceptance that mothers have the power to tell their children, especially their daughters, how to conduct their lives --- not simply up until the time they are 18, but for the rest of their lives. However, when children grow up in a different culture from their parents’，they tend to keep more secrets from their parents. The children think, “They just wouldn’t understand that I had to do this.” And that can really create a gap, and it can grow as the number of secrets grows.

1.Based on the questions in this interview, what do you think Ms Tan’ s profession is?

A．A journalist.        B．A story-writer.      C．An interviewer.     D．An interviewee.

2.What’ s TRUE about Tan’ s second book?

A．It’ s about her real life in America.

B．The name of the book is The Joy Luck Club.

C．It is the result of many times of carefull thought.

D．It includes many works of her mother.

3.Which question is NOT answered in the interview?

A．How does she think of her mother’ s language?

B．How many books does she plan to write?

C．When did she visit China?

D．How is generation gap created?

4.We can infer that________.

A．Tan’ s mother is a good storyteller

B．Tan plans to write another book about her mother

C．Tan plans to return to China

D．Tan’ s mother is hard to communicate with because of personality

5.The last paragraph mainly talks about________.

A．how to keep secrets from parents

B．how to deal with the mother-daughter relationship

C．how to conduct the lives

D．how the generation gap comes about

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

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

A yoga master made a shocking statement that Abraham Lincoln had been a Himalayan yogi in a past life．Lincoln delivered a proclamation setting up Thanksgiving as an American holiday in 1863．Research throws light on a possible Hindu （印度的）origin for the American celebration of Thanksgiving．

"The holiday of Thanksgiving has a Hindu origin," says Richard Salva, author of a book on the reincarnation （转世）of Abraham Lincoln entitled Soul Journey: From Lincoln to Lindbergh which is based on a statement by the great master of yoga, Paramhamsa Yogananda, who declared that Abraham Lincoln had been a Himalayan yogi in a past life, and that he was reborn as the famous pilot, Charles Lindbergh．

“During my search for signs of a past-life yoga practice,” SaIva said, “I noticed that President Lincoln repeatedly chose Thursdays as national days of prayer, fasting （禁食），and thanksgiving．This was interesting, because Thursday is considered a holy day — a day for prayer, fasting, and spiritual reflection — among Hindus, who call it “guru day”.”

“Lincoln also set aside time on Thursdays to grieve(哀悼) for his son,Willie, who died in Washington．Clearly, Thursdays had a spiritual significance in Lincoln's mind.

In his book, Richard Salva presents more than 500 connections between Lincoln, Lindergh, and the ancient spiritual science of yoga. The connections run through every aspect of the human condition and provide convincing evidence that Lincoln had had a Hindu past life.

More than one out of every five Americans today believes in reincarnation—yet few are aware of how past-life patterns affect them. Soul Journey tries to fill this gap, by offering a substitute experience of reincarnation. Through clear and persuasive similarities between the lives of Lincoln and Lindbergh, the book discovers how the hidden laws of fate and reincarnation impact the events of his or her daily life. It addresses other issues, such as the secret spiritual history of America's greatest president, including his past life as a Himalayan yogi; the hidden clues that reveal past lives; the greatness he achieved; and the spiritual principles behind the yoga postures that millions now practice．

1.Based on Richard Salva’s view, ______.

A．Hindus started the holiday of Thanksgiving

B．the Americans copied Thanksgiving from Hindus

C．Charles Lindbergh had been a Himalayan yogi

D．Thanksgiving had Hindus roots

2.We can draw a conclusion from the passage that ______.

A．in India all the prayers are done on Thursday

B．in India Thursday is a religious day

C．Abraham Lincoln was once a famous pilot

D．Paramhamsa Yogananda once taught Lincoln yoga

3.When it came to the comparison between Lincoln and Lindbergh, the author held a ______ attitude.

A．neutral           B．doubtful          C．negative          D．positive

Narasimha Das is on his way to feed 169,379 hungry children. Das is in charge of a kitchen in Vrindaban. The town is about a three-hour drive from India’s capital, New Delhi. Das gets to work at 3:00 a.m. Thirty workers are already working to make tens of thousands of rounds of bread. It will be brought to 1,516 schools in and around Vrindaban.

A Growing Problem

Going to school is difficult for more than 13 million children in India. They must go to work instead, or go hungry. That’s why India began the Mid-Day Meal Scheme, the largest school-lunch program in the world. A free lunch encourages children to come to school and gives them the energy they need for learning. The program began in the 1960s.

The kitchen in Vrindaban is run by the Akshaya Patra Foundation. It is one of the lunch program’s biggest partners. “Just $11.50 can feed one child for an entire year,” said Madhu Sridhar, president of the Akshaya Patra Foundation.

Lunch Is Served!

The Akshaya Patra food truck arrives at Gopalgarh Primary School. Since the program started, the number of underweight children has gone down. The children get foods they need — as long as they finish what’s on their plates.

1.The kitchen in Vrindaban supplies food to _____.

A．the poor                              B．the old

C．college students                        D．school children

2.Why is it difficult for children to go to school in India?

A．Because there are not enough teachers.

B．Because there are not enough schools.

C．Because they have to work to make money.

D．Because their parents refuse to send them to school.

3.Which of the following about the Mid-Day Meal Scheme is NOT true?

A．It is run by Narasimha Das.

B．It has been carried out for about 50 years.

C．It is to encourage children to go to school.

D．It is the largest school-lunch program in the world.

Authorities in Shanghai said Thursday night that another person has died from H7N9 bird flu, bringing the death toll to five around the country. The city has reported six infections (感染) to date, and four have died, said the Shanghai Municipal Health and Family Planning Commission. Of the rest two, there was a four-year-old, the agency said. The baby was recovering from mild illness, it added. The person died at Huashan Hospital on Wednesday and was confirmed infected with the H7N9 bird flu on Thursday.

Also on Thursday, the commission reported the city's third death from the H7N9 bird flu. The case involved a 48-year-old man surnamed Chu, a poultry (家禽) transporter from Rugao in neighboring Jiangsu Province. He developed symptoms(症状) of cough on March 28. After having a fever on Monday, he went to a private clinic for treatment. The man then sought help in the Tongji Hospital in Shanghai in the early hours of Wednesday after his condition worsened. Chu died three hours after being admitted to the hospital. He was confirmed infected with the H7N9 virus on Thursday. Eight people who had close contact with him have shown no abnormal symptoms.

So far, China has confirmed 14 H7N9 cases -- six in Shanghai, four in Jiangsu, three in Zhejiang and one in Anhui, in the first known human infections of the lesser-known type of bird flu. Of all, four died in Shanghai and one died in Zhejiang. China's Ministry of Agriculture said Thursday the H7N9 avian flu virus has been detected from pigeon (鸽子) samples collected at a marketplace in Songjiang District of Shanghai.

After gene sequence analysis, the national avian flu reference laboratory concluded that the H7N9 virus found on pigeons was highly congenetic with those found on persons infected with H7N9 virus. China's health authorities have promised transparency(透明) and cooperation (合作) to the World Health Organization in regards to human infections of the new type of bird flu. The Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention said Wednesday that no human-to-human transmission of H7N9 has been discovered.

1.What does the underlined word “confirmed” probably mean?

A．said

B．doubted

C．proved

D．made

2.What does the news report mainly about?

A．How many people died of H7N9 bird flu

B．How the development of the H7N9 bird flu vaccine (疫苗) is going on

C．What measures the government has taken to stop the spreading of H7N9

D．The new outbreak of the H7N9 bird flu

3.Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the news report?

A．H7N9 bird flu has killed four people in Shanghai and one in Zhejiang.

B．H7N9 virus is not one that spreads from human to human

C．So far, China has confirmed 14 deaths from the H7N9 bird flu

D．The government agreed to cooperate with WHO in regards to the H7N9

4.What can we infer from the second paragraph?

A．Chu, a poultry transporter is the city’s third death from the H7N9 bird flu

B．Chu developed symptoms of cough and a fever

C．Chu died three hours after being admitted to a private clinic

D．Eight people who had close contact with him haven’t been infected with H7N9

In a mountainous area of Brazil, there is a kind of beautiful butterfly which can kill men. If people meet them, they will come down in great quantities to bite and kill, sucking blood and flesh through the wounds they cause.

In June, 1966, a boy named Marl Andre who went into the mountains in search of butterfly specimens (标本) was killed by these butterflies. A country boy saw him when he was just about to catch a butterfly. Suddenly thousands of butterflies came down upon him, covering him all over. The boy struggled and cried as he tried to free himself from their attack. Finally he fell senseless to the ground. Police examined his body and proved that he had died of bites by butterflies.

In New Guinea, there is a kind of needlefish which also kills men. Needlefish likes light. At night, it will swim near the lights of fishing boats, then suddenly shoot out of water like an arrow to its target, and force its 3-inch sharp mouth into a human body. Of-ten people are thrust in the eye, or through the chest or stomach, resulting in death. Sometimes it will even attack the people in a fishing boat in broad daylight.

About 10 persons in the world are killed by sharks every year, yet more than 240 people are killed by needlefish every year.

1.From the passage, we know that ______.

A．butterflies are living in the mountains

B．all butterflies like sucking blood and eating fish

C．the butterflies in a certain part of Brazil can kill men

D．the more beautiful a butterfly is, the more dangerous it is

2.Mari Andre was killed when he ______.

A．went to Brazil                          B．tried to catch a butterfly

C． entered the mountains                  D．raised a net

3.Needlefish comes out ______.

A．sometimes at night                      B．both at night and in the daytime

C．only when boats appear                  D．usually in the daytime

4.According to the story, each year needlefish kills ______.

A．twice more than sharks do

B．about 10 more persons than sharks do

C．24 times more persons than sharks do

D．fewer persons than sharks do

5.The best title for the passage is ______.

A．Brazil Home of Dangerous Butterflies

B．Killer Butterflies and Needlefish

C．New Guinea—No Fit to Live in

D．Deaths Caused by Butterflies and Needlefish