Cambodians are continuing to mourn the death of King-Father Norodom Sihanouk, who died in Beijing this week. In an exclusive interview with CCTV, China’s ambassador to Cambodia, Pan Guangxue, says Sihanouk made indelible(不可磨灭的) contributions to Sino-Cambodian relations and his death will not affect the friendship between the two countries.

Since its founding, the People’s Republic of China has maintained close contact with Cambodia. Bilateral(双边的) trade volume has increased rapidly in recent years, from 200 million US dollars in 2002 to nearly 2.5 billion US dollars in 2011.

China is now not only Cambodia’s third largest trading partner, but for many years has been Cambodia’s number one investor. Norodom Sihanouk, Cambodia’s “King-Father” pioneered the relationship.

Pan Guangxue said, “If we look back at previous decades, I think Sihanouk made the right choice, a choice good to Cambodian national development. It was because of his commitment to the development of Sino-Cambodia friendship that we’ve achieved what we have today.”

In 2010, the two countries established a comprehensive strategic partnership, during its Prime Minister Hun Sen’s visit to China.

And 2013 is set to be China-Cambodia Friendship Year.

Pan Guangxue said, “Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said on many occasions that China does not tell Cambodia what to do or what not to do. China does not point fingers at Cambodia. I think this is a true evaluation of Sino-Cambodian relations. China pursues an independent peaceful foreign policy of non-alignment(不结盟) and non-interference in the internal affairs of other countries.”

The ambassador says Sihanouk’s death is a huge loss to both China and Cambodia, but that bilateral relations will not be affected.

Pan Guangxue said, “I believe the bilateral relationship will be sustained and grow even stronger.”

With both countries enjoying the benefits of the fruitful relationship, the governments of China and Cambodia have promised that Sihanouk’s legacy(遗产) will continue to be the foundation of even stronger ties.

1.We can learn from the passage that Sihanouk ________.

A．is the present Cambodian Prime Minister

B．went for an interview with CCTV the other day

C．made the right choice to encourage investment in China

D．had great influence on Sino-Cambodian relations

2.The following facts can prove the good Sino-Cambodian relations EXCEPT that _______.

A．Sihanouk was committed to Cambodian national development

B．the two countries has set 2013 to be China-Cambodia Friendship Year

C．the two countries has established a comprehensive strategic partnership

D．trade volume between the two countries has increased sharply in recent years

3.What is Pan Guangxue’s opinion on Sihanouk’s death?

A．It will more or less damage the bilateral relationship.

B．It will continue to be the foundation of even stronger ties.

C．It means a huge loss for both countries in economy.

D．It has very little negative effect on the bilateral relationship.

4.Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?

A．China-Cambodia Friendship Year

B．China-Cambodia friendship to continue

C．Sihanouk’s death—a great loss to Cambodia

D．China’s peaceful foreign policy to continue

From their beginnings New England towns had a special democratic system of government. At a stated time all the citizens would assemble at a town meeting, where they would discuss local problems and express opinions freely. They also elected the town’s officials at these gatherings and made decisions about the taxes they would pay and about other community matters. These meetings were usually held at the town hall, which was located in the central square.

In the eighteenth-century town meetings, only men who owned property and who were church members actually voted, although everyone present was allowed to express their opinions. Later, all citizens were allowed to vote. Thus the town meeting became truly democratic. Town meetings are still common in New England communities.

In recent years the town meeting idea has been widely imitated. There are open sessions of this kind on radio and television. Occasionally a meeting of this type is called by a government agency in order to give an opportunity for free and open discussion on current problems and policies.

1.At a town meeting, people do the following things EXCEPT __________. 

A．express their opinions about the government

B．elect officials of the towns

C．make a decision about whom they should marry

D．discuss some community matters

2.In the 18th century, who had the right to vote?  

A．All the citizens.

B．All the men except those who were church members.

C．The rich.

D．The rich men and the church members.

3.Why has the town meeting been widely imitated? 

A．Because many people are interested in it.

B．Because it is very democratic.

C．Because many people enjoy themselves at town meetings.

D．Because sometimes government agencies call them.

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

A．Citizens can elect the officials in the town meeting.

B．In recent years, town meetings are often called by a government agency.

C．People can say what they want to say at the town meeting.

D．Nowadays this kind of meeting is also held on radio and television.

5.This passage mainly talks about _______.  

A．the New England town meeting             B．modern town meetings

C．a democratic meeting                    D．New England towns

阅读表达 （满分10分）

[1]A researcher who helped make crops grow in dry land areas received the World Food Prize last week. Daniel Hillel was recognized for his work in developing what is called “micro-irrigation" or “drip irrigation." It has made farming possible in places where there is little rainfall or water.

[2]Daniel Hillel's farm near his home in Israel shows his ideas at work. “Each tree row is fed by these plastic tubes that drip water at the base of the tree." Watering plants drop by drop has changed agriculture by reducing the amount of water needed to grow crops.

[3]Farmers now depend on drip irrigation in many areas, including vineyards in Spain, onion fields in Africa, and even farms in the United States. Farmers in California grow about fifty percent of the fruits and vegetables of the continental United States. And the reason that is possible is because of these drip and micro-irrigation techniques.

[4]Daniel Hillel was born in California. After his father died, his mother moved the family to Palestine, where her parents lived. The area eventually became part of the state of Israel. Daniel Hillel got his start in dry land farming as a settler in Israel's Negev Desert in the 1950s. “The issue was efficient use of water because land is available and extensive while Water is limited."

[5]Desert farmers were not able to push water through irrigation canals to their crops the way farmers have since ancient times. So Mr. Hillel and others gave plants just what they needed, just where they needed it. The idea was to apply the water little by little. The method worked so well that soon Mr. Hillel was traveling the world, showing others _____.

1.Why did Daniel Hillel win the World Food Prize?   ( no more than15 words)

_____________________________________________________________________

2.How did drip irrigation change agriculture? ( no more than12 words)

_____________________________________________________________________

3.Fill in the blank in Paragraph 5 with proper words. ( no more than 5words)

_____________________________________________________________________

4.What’s the main idea of the text? ( no more than 12 words)

________________________________________

5.What does the underlined word “it” (Line3, Paragraph 1) probably refer to?

(no more than 3 words)

__________________________________________________________________ 

Recently, university students around the world were asked to volunteer in a global experiment called Unplugged. It was designed to see how young people would react if they were asked to observe a total media ban by unplugging all forms of media devices for 24 hours．

Unplugged is being run by Dr. Roman Gerodimos, a lecturer in Communication and Journalism at Bournemouth University．During the experiment, Dr. Gerodimos said there were already signs of how much the exercise affected volunteers．He said：“They’re reporting withdrawal symptoms, overeating, feeling nervous, isolated and disconnected．”

During their 24-hour test, three of the experiment’s participants were followed around by a BBC reporter plus cameraman．They were asked to write down 100 lines about their day offline, but of course, they all waited until the next day when they had access to their laptops．

Elliot Day wrote：“Today, my whole morning routine was thrown up into the air．Despite being aware of the social importance of the media, I was surprised by how empty my life felt without the radio or newspapers．”

From Caroline Scott, we read：“I didn’t expect it, but being deprived of the media for 24 hours resulted in my day-to-day activities becoming so much harder to carry out than usual…I didn’t break out in a cold sweat like our lecturer expected us all to, but It’s not something I would like to do again！”

And Charlotte Gay wrote：“I have to say the most difficult item for me to be without has been  my mobile；not only is it a social device, it’s my main access point of communication．”

Earlier in the year, a UK government study found that in the UK we spend about half our waking hours using the media, often plugged into several things at once．So, with technology continuing to develop at an alarming rate, how much time will you set aside for sleep in the future?

1.What can we learn about the volunteers?

A．Volunteers didn’t write down about their day offline．

B．Volunteers weren’t allowed to use any media for 24 hours．

C．Volunteers were followed around by Dr Roman Gerodimos．

D．Only volunteers in the UK took part in Unplugged experiment．

2.Which of the following is NOT mentioned about the participants’ feelings？

A．Anxious．         B．Lonely            C．Bored．          D．Despaired．

3.Which of the following is true of Caroline Scott？

A．The media ban affected his temperature．

B．His work went on smoothly without the media．

C．His work was carried on hard without the media．

D．His life was empty without the radio or newspapers．

4.What can be inferred from the last paragraph?

A．People should use the media devices reasonably．

B．People can easily survive the media devices addict．

C．People can spend more time sleeping in the future．

D．People spend about half the time using the media devices．

5.The text is most probably a         ．

A．newspaper ad      B．book review       C．news report        D．science fiction story

For many blind people, computers are inaccessible. It can cost $1,000 to purchase “screen reader” software, but two blind computer programmers from Australia have solved this problem.

Queensland University of Technology (QUT) graduate James Teh and business partner Michael Curran developed a free, open-source program, called NVDA, which provides a voice to read the words on a computer screen as the cursor(光标) moves over them. NVDA won the blind inventors an award in the grand final program of the ABC’s New Inventors, which aired on September 23. They took home the award for an invention that “might make a real difference to people’s lives or the environment.”

“A sighted person takes for granted that they can sit down at any computer and use it,” Mr Teh said. “We really are in the information age — everything is online these days. So access to computers for the blind is very important, which is why we wanted our software to be free.”

Mr Teh, who majored in software engineering at QUT, said blind students typically didn’t have the money to purchase “screen reader” technology, at the time in their life when they most needed it. Now NVDA could be downloaded on to anyone’s personal computer free of charge.

“It can also be copied to a USB stick, which can be used on any PC at school or university, with no installation required,” he said.

Mr Teh and Mr Curran have drawn on their own experience as blind computer users to develop a product which has some unique features. For example, as the mouse moves up and down the screen, a sound becomes higher and lower to let you know where the cursor is located.

NVDA has been translated into 27 languages, thanks to volunteer translators. To date, there have been over 50,000 downloads.

Mr Teh and Mr Curran have been working on the project since 2006. They worked on their product without any pay for two years. When Mozilla offered some funding in 2008, Mr Teh was able to quit his day job and work full-time developing NVDA.

1.NVDA won an award in the program of the ABC’s New Inventors because it _____.

A．causes no harm to the environment         B．influences people’ s lives

C．is aiming at blind people                  D．is easy to use

2.Why did James Teh and Michael Curran want their software to be free?

A．They got funding from Mozilla.

B．They belonged to a volunteer group.

C．They wanted to help the blind.

D．They wanted people to give up “screen reader” software.

3.What do we know about Teh and Curran?

A．They are studying at QUT.                 B．They are good at translating.

C．They know how the blind feel.              D．They began to develop NVDA in 2008.

56­year­old becomes 1st woman to swim Atlantic

(AP)－Jennifer Figge pressed her toes into the Caribbean sand, excited and exhausted as she touched land this week for the first time in almost a month. Reaching a beach in Trinidad, she became the first woman on record to swim across the Atlantic Ocean—a dream she'd had since the early 1960s,when a stormy trans­Atlantic (飞越大西洋) flight got her thinking she could wear a life vest and swim the rest of the way if needed.

The 56­year­old left the Cape Verde Islands off Africa's western coast on Jan.12,2009, swimming 19 out of 25 days battling waves of up to 30 feet.The distance from Cape Verde to Trinidad is about 700 miles.Crewmembers are still computing exactly how many miles she swam.

The original plan was for her to swim to the Bahamas—a distance of about 2,100 miles—but inclement (恶劣的) weather forced her to change her plans and she arrived at Trinidad on Feb.5.She now plans to swim from Trinidad to the British Virgin Islands,ending her voyage at the Bitter End Yacht Club in late February.

Her journey came a decade after French swimmer Benoit Lecomte made the first known solo trans­Atlantic swim,covering nearly 4,000 miles from Massachusetts to France in 73 days.No woman on record had made the crossing.

Figge wore a red cap and wet suit,with her only good­luck charm (护身符) underneath:an old,red shirt to guard against chafing (磨痛),signed by friends,relatives and her father,who recently died.The other cherished (珍惜) possession she kept onboard was a picture of Gertrude Ederle,an American who became the first woman to swim across the English Channel.“We have a few things in common,”Figge said,“She wore a red hat and she was of German descent (血统).We both talked to the sea,and neither one of us wanted to get out.”

1.When did Jennifer Figge want to swim across the Atlantic Ocean？

A．After she reached a beach in Trinidad.

B．After she pressed her toes into the Caribbean sand.

C．After her stormy trans­Atlantic flight in the early 1960s.

D．After her graduation from a university.

2.Jennifer Figge had to change her plans 　　　　.

A．because she wanted to shorten her voyage

B．because of bad weather conditions

C．because she wanted to end her voyage in late February

D．because she wanted to set a new world record

3.When did Benoit Lecomte probably make the first known solo trans­Atlantic swim？

A．In 1999.          B．In 1988.           C．In 1978 .          D．In 1968.

4.For what purpose did Jennifer Figge keep a photo of Gertrude Ederle？

A．Figge would like to follow her example.

B．She had the same red cap as Figge always wore.

C．Figge also wanted to swim across the English Channel.

D．They were both born in Germany.

Ladies and Gentlemen, some strange, wild and wonderful stories colored the news in 2010, you may like them.

● A Copenhagen bus company has put "love seats" on 103 of its buses for people looking for a partner. "Even love at first sight is possible on the bus," said a spokesman for the company to explain the two seats on each bus that are covered in red cloth and a "love seat" sign.

● Shoppers at an international luxury fair in Italy, found a cell-phone-equipped golden coffin（棺材）among the items on display. The phones will help "the dead" contact relatives if they have been buried alive by mistake.

● A man in New York came up with a disarming（手无寸铁的）way to perform his latest bank heist , approaching the clerk’s window with a large bunch of flowers and handing over a note saying “give me the money!”

● An Englishman who lost all his legs and arms in an electrical accident successfully swam across the Channel, a challenge he had been preparing for two years. The whole cost is 400 dollars.

● A set of artificial teeth(假牙) made for Britain's war-time prime minister Winston Churchill known as "the teeth that saved the world" sold for nearly 18,000 pounds (21,500 euros, 24,000 dollars) at auction（拍卖）.

● A British woman caused an Internet hate campaign after she was caught on camera dumping（抛弃）a cat in a rubbish bin. She was fined 250 pounds (400 dollars, 280 euros) after pleading guilty.

● The BBC apologized completely and without any doubts after a radio presenter jokingly announced that Queen Elizabeth II had died.

● Two Australian men needed surgery（手术）after shooting each other in the bottoms during a drinking session to see if it would hurt and they were charged 400 dollars separately.

● A Kuwaiti MP(议员) suggested state-aid for male citizens to take second wives, in an effort to reduce the large number of unmarried women in the oil-rich state.

1.What is special about the coffin in the second news?

A．It is golden.                            B．It has a cell phone.

C．It is new.                              D．It has many items.

2.What is the probable meaning of the underlined word “heist” in the third news?

A．robbery          B．love              C．discussion         D．repair

3.Who has to spend 400 dollars to do the surgery?

A．A British woman who dumped a cat in a rubbish bin.

B．One who bought Winston Churchill’s artificial teeth.

C．An Australian man who was shot in bottom to test the hurt.

D．An Englishman crossing the Channel without legs and arms.

Blind photography sounds strange．But a striking exhibition of photographs in California argues that it develops as a result of the contemporary art．The show "Sight Unseen", at the California Museum of Photography until Aug．29, includes everything: underwater scenes, landscapes, abstracts and everything else you might expect from a "sighted" photographer．

How do the blind take their photographs? Some rely on assistants to set up and then describe the shots （镜头） , and others just point and shoot in the right place．"Just like any good artists," says McCulloh．"They have their unique ways of operating．" One participating photographer is Pete Eckert, an artist with multiple degrees in design and sculpture who only turned to photography after losing his vision in the mid-1990s．He opens the shutter （快门） on his camera and then uses flashlights, lights, and candles to paint his scene on film．A former fashion photographer in Chicago, Weston, lost his vision due to AIDS in 1996 and focuses on images of destruction and disability．His photos are also a star of the show．

What do gallery-goers say? "I was very impressed by it．The technique and experience was amazingly different," says John Hesketh, a printmaker in Anaheim．"You never have a sense of feeling sorry for these people because they've worked very hard to prove their value．"

Beyond the praise, however, the exhibition also makes a great example for disabled people everywhere．That point was explained in early May during a discussion on the TV show．At the very end of the talk, one attendee expressed his opinion．"This exhibition is extraordinary and revolutionary for many reasons．I think that by being an artist with a disability, you are continuing the work of those people who fought for basic civil rights to gain access and to have a voice．In that way, it's so wonderful that your photographs say it all．"

1.From the passage we know that some blind people take photos by     .

A．describing the things to their assistants.

B．holding the camera and shooting randomly.

C．opening the shutter with the help of others.

D．using special equipment designed for them.

2.We can learn from the passage that blind photographers ______.

A．were not born blind.

B．do jobs related to art.

C．focus on different subjects.

D．like photos of destruction.

3.What is people's reaction to the blind photography show?

A．They admire the blind photographers' hard work．

B．They feel really sorry for those blind photographers．

C．They think some have good techniques while others not．

D．They can understand the real meaning of each photograph．

4.The significance of the exhibition lies in the fact that ______．

A．the California Museum of Photography receives praises for holding the show.

B．the public have a chance to know what the blind people are concerned about.

C．the blind photographers have a good place to show their works.

D．the exhibition can be very inspiring to the blind in the world.

( C )

In Denmark, parents are allowed to set up a new school if they are dissatisfied with the school in the area where they are living. Although these schools have to follow the national courses, they are allowed a lot of choice in deciding what to teach. Some of these new schools are called “small schools” because usually the number of pupils in them is only sixty, but a school has to have at least twenty-seven pupils.

　Cooleenbridge School in Ireland, is a small school similar to the ones in Denmark, it was set up by parents who came from Holland, Germany, Czechoslovakia, England and other parts of Ireland. They came because they wanted to live in the countryside and to grow their own food. In June 1986, they decided to start a school. They managed to get an old, disused primary-school (小学) building and started with twenty-four children aged from four to twelve.

　The teachers say, “The important thing in school is doing, not sitting.” And so the courses includes yoga(瑜伽), cooking, knitting, kite-making, music, fishing, drama (戏剧) and environmental(环境的) river studies, as well as reading, writing, maths and science.

1.What are the rules for setting up a new school in Denmark?

A．Parents are allowed to set up their own school.

B．The school has to follow the national courses.

C．The school has to have at least 27 pupils.

D．All of the above.

2. The writer tells about the Cooleenbridge School in Ireland because ____ .

A．it was set up by parents who are not people of Denmark

B．it was taken as an example of this kind of “small school”

C．there were only twenty-four children

D．the pupils there were aged from 4 to 12

3.What makes this kind of school special?

A．It is set up by parents not by government.

B．It is free to decide what to teach.

C．The number of pupils in it is only sixty.

D．It has to have at least 27 pupils.

4. “The important thing in school is doing not sitting.” What the teachers say actually means ____ .

A．What we should do is teaching in the classroom, not sitting in the office.

B．Children should do more homework at home, not just sit in class to listen to the teachers.

C．Children should learn by themselves not rely on teachers.

D．Children should learn through practice not just from books.

5.The courses includes ____ .

A．yoga, cooking, knitting, kite-making, music, fishing, drama and environmental river studies, except reading, writing, maths and science

B．either yoga, cooking, knitting, kite-making, music, fishing, drama and environmental river studies, or reading, writing, maths and science

C．not only reading, writing, maths and science, but also yoga, cooking knitting, kitemaking, music, fishing, drama and environmental river studies

D．mainly yoga, cooking, knitting, kite-making, music, fishing, drama and environmental river studies, and supplemental (补充的) reading writing, maths and science

TOKYO, Japan (AP) – Japan is very serious about robotics (机器人技术). If the droids are going to fit in, they probably need to learn the Japanese custom of serving tea. Fortunately, researchers at the University of Tokyo are exploring just that. In a show this week, a humanoid（有人特点的）with camera eyes made by Kawada Industries Inc. poured tea from a bottle into a cup. Then another robot on wheels delivered the cup of tea in an experimental room that has sensors embedded in the floor and sofa as well as cameras on the ceiling, to simulate（模仿）life with robot technology.

“A human being may be faster, but you’d have to say ‘Thank you,’” said University of Tokyo professor Tomomasa Sato. “That’s the best part about a robot. You don’t have to feel bad about asking it to do things.”

Sato believes Japan, a rapidly aging society where more than a fifth of the population is 65 or older, will lead the world in designing robots to care for the elderly, sick and bedridden（卧床不起的）.

Already, monitoring technologies, such as sensors that automatically turn on lights when people enter a room, are becoming widespread in Japan.

The walking, child–size Asimo from Honda Motor Co. greets people at showrooms. NEC Corp. has developed a smaller companion robot–on –wheels called Papero. A seal robot available since 2004 can entertain the elderly and others in need of fuzzy companionship.

Sato says his experimental room is raising awareness about privacy questions that may arise when electronic devices（设备）monitor a person’s movements down to the smallest detail.

On the bright side, the tea – pouring humanoid has been programmed to do the dishes.

1.What is the best title of this passage?

A．“Thank You” Will Never Be Needed in Japan

B．Monitoring Technologies Are Widespread in Japan

C．Robot Is Designed to Care for the Elderly.

D．Robot technologies are widespread in Japanese daily life.

2.The underlined word “embedded” in the first paragraph probably means       .

A．fixed             B．established        C．settled            D．rooted

3.According to Professor Sato,       .

A．the robot serves tea much faster than a human being

B．the robot does anything like human beings

C．tea – serving robot helps to form laziness of the aging society

D．tea – serving robot doesn’t need any reward for the service

4.Which of the following statements is NOT true?

A．A robot can imitate people to complete complicated tasks.

B．A robot has been programmed to clean the dishes.

C．All the problems in the aging society can be solved by robots.

D．The number of aging people is increasing rapidly in Japan.

5.We can infer from the passage that        .

A．people are afraid of being monitored by robots.

B．the technology of robots has been highlighted in Japan.

C．robots can completely take the place of human beings.

D．people’s privacy should be strictly protected