New York State has passed the USA’s first state law banning motorists talking on hand-held cell phones. The ban will begin November 1, although drivers caught using hand-held cell phones will be given only warnings during the first month.

First-time violators(违法者) will face a $100 fine. A second time call for a $200 fine and every violation after that will cost$500.

At least a dozen localities(地方) have established bans, starting in 1999; and 40 states have had bans proposed but not passed. At least 23 countries, including the Great Britain, Italy, Israel and Japan, ban drivers from using hand-held cell phones.

There are about 115 million cell phones in use in the United States and more than 6 million in New York State.

“To think that I’m not going to use cell phone when at the same time I can still use my laptop, I still can read a paper, I can still change my pants(裤子) while driving 65 mph. I think there’s just something wrong,” an official said.

Other critics noted that other things like eating, drinking coffee and applying make-up while driving posed(造成) at least as much of a concern. They suggested that the ban include a broader range of things.

How much fine will a hand-held cell phone user receive if he has been caught using it four times while driving after November?

       A. $500.                      B. $1000.                    C. $1200.                    D. $1300.

We can see from this passage that _______.  

       A. the ban has been put into effect in most states in the U. S.

       B. many of the developed countries forbid drivers using hand-held cell phones

       C. over fifty localities or states ban drivers from using hand-held cell phones

       D. more people in the U. S. are against the ban than for it

The official mentioned in this passage _______.  

       A. does not agree with this ban

       B. doesn’t believe using hand-held cell phones while driving will cause any danger

C. doesn’t understand why hand-held cell phones alone should be banned among many others

       D. believes changing pants while driving will cause greater danger

The writer intends to tell us in the last paragraph that _______.

       A. it is not fair to have this ban passed

       B. the ban will never be passed in the whole country

       C. more activities of the same kind should also be banned

       D. the ban will meet with more criticism

This article is most probably taken from _______.

       A. a newspaper article                       B. an advertisement    

C. a personal diary                             D. a letter

Read the following passage. Answer the questions according to the information given in the passage.

Indian’s snake charmers are to be retrained as wildlife teachers under a plan to prevent their unique skills and knowledge from being lost. The charmers, who make snakes dance to the sound of flutes, used to be a traditional feature of Indian life, performing in towns and villages, until they were banned in 1972 to control the trade in snake skins.

The government is now considering a plan to train the saperas, as they are known, to visit schools and zoos to tell children about forests and wildlife. There is also a proposal to set up a “dial a snake charmer” service to help householders to deal with unwelcome intruders.

“For generations they have been a feature of Indian life but now they can’t earn a living for fear of arrest,” said Behar Dutt, a conservationist behind the plans, “if a policeman doesn’t catch them, animal rights activists report them.”

Many snake charmers have continued to work clandestinely(暗中地) since the ban, despite the threat of up to three years in jail. But their trademark cloth-covered baskets, hung from a bamboo pole carried across their shoulders, make them an easy target for police.

The fate of Shisha Nath, 56, from Badarpur, a village just outside of New Delhi, is typical of practitioners(从业者) of the dying art. “I used to earn enough to support my family and send my children to school,” he said. “Now it’s hard to earn even $1 a day. My children want to be snake charmers. It’s our identity. We love the work. But it’s become impossible.”

Next month Dutt’s project to train 30 snake charmers will begin at a snake park in Pune, western India, where experts will enrich their home-grown skills with some formal knowledge.

More than the law, though, it is the dishonest attitude of their fellow countrymen that anger many snake charmers.

“We’re disturbed all the time but when people want a snake removed from the house, they rush to us,” said Prakash Nath, who was ordered recently to the home of Sonia Gandhi, the Congress party leader.

What do snake charmers usually do in India? (no more than 8 words) (2 marks)

How long will a saperas be in prison if he is caught during the ban? (no more than 3 words) (2 marks)

 

For what purpose will snake charmers in India be retrained as wildlife teachers?(no more than 10 words) (3 marks)

 

According to the passage, what will make snake charmers angry? (no more than 11 words) (3 marks)

 

Anchors on China Central Television (CCTV) will need to do some fast talking to replace the popular English acronyms(首字母缩略词) they’re now banned from using. Shanghai Daily reports that “anchors at  (CCTV) have been banned from saying the English acronyms NBA, CBA, GDP, and the like in their programs.”

The replacement for those handy acronyms? Chinese presenters must use the full Chinese name, standardized by the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television.

Although CCTV presenters must already have a score of at least 94 in their government-rated oral Mandarin proficiency exam, saying the full name of organizations like the CBA or WTO ― 10 and 6 character’s long separately ― is sure to challenge even the most skillful anchors. CCTV sports anchor Sun Zhengping tells Shanghai Daily, “A full Chinese explanation of the English initials must be followed if my tongue slips. It is a little trouble but a necessary one because not every audience member can understand the initials.”

Although the government isn’t giving any official explanation for the shift, it is believed to have to do with a proposal by Huang Youyi, director of the China International Publishing Group, at March’s NPC meeting. In his speech, Huang said, “With more and more publications mixing Chinese with English, measures and regulations should be adopted to avoid English invading Chinese. If we don’t pay attention and don’t take measures to stop the expansion of mixing Chinese with English, Chinese won’t be a pure language in a couple of years.”

Although China is far from the first country to take measures to protect local languages (the French and Québécois beat them to it by a long way), acronyms are more about saving time than they are about corrupting a language, we would think. Good luck to the CCTV anchors. 

1. CCTV anchors have to “do some fast talking” because they can no longer ______.

         A. speak as slowly as they like                            B. mix English into Chinese

         C. use shortened Chinese expressions             D. have so much time for their program

2. When Sun Zhengping said “if my tongue slips”, he meant “if I _____”.

         A. habitually use an English acronym                B. speak a little bit too fast

         C. make a mistake in pronunciation                  D. say something impolite or improper

3. What’s Huang Youyi’s proposal?

         A. Using full English names instead of short forms.

         B. Translating Chinese terms into proper English.

         C. Avoiding Chinese words mixing into English.

         D. Keeping our mother tongue as a pure language.

4. What’s the main idea of the last paragraph?

         A. China has fallen behind in the matter.         B. The ban is not necessary.

         C. Chinese shouldn’t be corrupted.                D. CCTV anchors will have a hard time.

 

Ever since news of widespread food recalls caused by a carcinogenic dye broke, there has been confusion(混淆) over possible links to the country of the same name, but Sudan officials say there is no connection whatever.

   Sudan 1 is a red industrial dye(颜料) that has been found in some chilli powder, but was banned in food products across the European Union (EU) in July 2003.

   Since the ban was put in place, EU officials have been trying to remove some food products from the shelves.So far 580 products have been recalled.

Last week Sudan’s Embassy in the United Kingdom asked the Food Standards Agency (FSA) for clarification(澄清) of the origin of the dye’s name.

   Omaima Mahmoud Al Sharief, a press official at Sudan’s Embassy in China, explained the purpose of the inquiry was to clear up any misunderstanding over links between the country and the poisonous dye.

  "We want to keep an eye on every detail and avoid any misunderstanding there," she said."Our embassy to Britain asked them how the dye got that name and whether the dye had something to do with our country.But they told us there was no relationship."

   The FSA, an independent food security watchdog in Britain, received a letter from the Sudanese embassy last week.

 "They asked us why the dye is named Sudan, however, we also do not know how it got the name," she said."People found the dye in 1883 and gave it the name.Nobody knows the reason, and we cannot give any explanation before we find out."

   Sudan dyes, which include Sudan 1 to 4, are red dyesused for colouring oils, waxes, petrol, and shoe and floor polishes.They are classified as carcinogens by the International Agency for Research on Cancer.

1.What does the underlined word “carcinogenic” mean in paragraph one?

    A.Causing cancer.                     B.Having side effect.   

    C.Containing poison.                  D.Poisonous.

2.How did the Sudan 1 get its name?

    A.The dye is often produced in Sudan.

    B.The dye has something to do with the country named Sudan.

    C.Nobody is sure of the origin of the name.

    D.Many foods produced in Sudan contain the dye.

3.We can infer from the passage that.

    A.the Sudan government is paying much attention to the food safety

    B.Sudan 1 is often used to be added to the food

    C.people didn’t realize the danger of Sudan1 until 2003

    D.many food shops will be closed down

4.Which of the following is the best title?

    A.Keep away from Sudan1

    B.No Sudan 1 dye links to the country

    C.How Sudan1 dye got its name?

    D.Pay attention to the food safety

 

 

For thousands of years, the most important two buildings in any British village have been the church and the pub. Traditionally, the church and the pub are at the heart of any village or town, where the people gather together to socialize and exchange news.

As a result, British pubs are often old and well preserved. Many of them have become historic sites. The most famous example is the pub in the city of Nottingham called “The Old Trip to Jerusalem”, which dates back to the year 1189 AD and is probably the oldest pub in England.

However, British pubs are not just for kings and queens; they welcome people from all classes and parts of society. On a cold night, the pub’s landlord or landlady can always find a warm place for you by the fire. There is always honest and hearty food and plenty of drink available at an affordable price.

That’s how things used to be. Things are beginning to change. It is said that the credit crunch(信贷紧缩) is causing 39 British pubs a week to go out of business. People do not have enough spare money to spend on beer. Recently, the UK government banned smoking in all pubs, and that may also have affected the number of customers going to pubs.

This decline is happening despite the fact that in 2005 the UK government started to allow pubs to stay open after 1l pm. Previously, with 1l pm as closing time, customers would have to drink quite quickly, meaning they sometimes got more drunk than they would if allowed to drink slowly. The British habit of drinking a lot very quickly is known as “binge drinking”, and it causes long-term health problems for people and problems with violent crime for communities.

In order to save their businesses, pubs are trying to change with the market. British pubs now offer something for everyone. A lot of pubs used to be “Working Men's Clubs”, meaning that women could not usually enter. Today, however, women can freely enter 99% of pubs without experiencing any problems. Perhaps things are changing for the better after all.

1. The passage mainly tells us something about ______.

A. the past and present of British pubs         B. the decline of British pubs

C. the long history of British pubs             D. the importance of British pubs

2.Which may not be the cause of the decline of British pubs?

A. The credit crunch.                   B. The present closing time.

C. The ban of smoking.                  D. Having no spare money.

 

3.We can infer from the passage that ______.      

A. British people used to like drinking slowly

B. closing the pubs early will reduce social problems

C. binge drinking means drinking less beer

D. British government aims to discourage people from binge drinking

4.We can see from the last paragraph that the author _______.

  A. is against the admission of too many women to the pubs

  B. holds an optimistic attitude towards the British pubs

  C. thinks that women in the pubs will cause less social problems

  D. thinks that British pubs should offer everything you need

 

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