All the denim will be donated to COTTON FROM BLUE TO GREEN．．This denim drive is a call-to-action to donate denim and give it“new life”by changing it intoUltraTouchtm Natural Cotton Fiber Insulation(纤维隔热材料), which is used to help build houses in places that have been damaged by hurricanes, tornadoes, and other natural disasters．Your jeans will help set a record, keep clothes out of landfills(垃圾场), and build houses for families to live in!UltraTouchtm is made of 85％ recycled fibers and is an environmentally safe, natural cotton fiber insolation(隔离)．
It's a Fact
It takes about 500 pairs of jeans to recycle enough denim to insulate one average-size U．S．house．So send us lots!
Here's How You Can Get Involved!
1．Get a parent's permission and select as many denim clothes as you like．(Any denim clothing is OK．)
2．The denim must be used．
3．The denim can be any brand．
4．The denim can be of any color or size but must have been worn by a human(no doll clothes!)．
5．Please print out this form and include it with each package!
6．Send as many jeans or denim items as you wish to：
NG Kids P．O．Box 98001 Washington, D．C．20090-8001
Jeans must be received by June 30, 2009!
(1)
The activity organizer asks you to send denim clothes to ________．
[ ]
A．
turn them into new clothes for sale
B．
prevent them from being thrown away
C．
provide clothes for the homeless
D．
collect old clothes for being reused
(2)
The denim clothes that you intend to send ________．
[ ]
A．
can be of any shape or color
B．
can be either new or second-hand
C．
must be a certain brand
D．
Can be worn by dolls
(3)
We can infer that UltraTouchtm may be the name of ________．
History is a society's memory and forms part of people's identity(身份)．But Taiwan's government has proposed(提议)a change to their history．In the move their textbooks will separate the island's history from the rest of China．
By disconnecting the island's history from the mainland, the government hopes to create a stronger Taiwan identity．
Under new guidelines(方针)to be carried out in 2006, Taiwan has ordered high schools to change textbooks to create one book of Taiwan's history．At the moment their books cover the complete Chinese history．But following the new move Chinese history will be taught as part of international history．No longer to be included as part of Taiwan's history is the founding of theRepublic of China(ROC)in 1911 by Sun Yat-sen．This event will be in the new international history book．
“It is a political attempt by Taiwan's leader Chen Shui-bian to make their education support Taiwan's independence”, said Li Weiyi, spokesman for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council．
This move has also received great opposition(反对)in Taiwan's schools．“The new outline(大纲)is too political and facts have been changed,”said Yu Lin, the headmaster of Taipei Middle School．“It will confuse students' understanding of history．”
“Who on earth should I think is the founding father of the ROC?”asked a student in Taipei．“Many famous people in history like Confucius(孔子)or Sun Yat-sen, who was considered 'father of the ROC' for more than half a century, should now be thought of as foreigners based upon this ridiculous logic．'' he said．
Many people have shown opposition to the move．“History cannot be changed．Mixing politics with our history means forgetting our ancestors,”said Lien Chan, chairman of Kuomintang Party．“It will not do any good for the Taiwanese and only worsen cross-Straits relations．”
(1)
What is mainly described in the passage?
[ ]
A．
Taiwan's government has proposed a change to their history textbooks in 2006．
B．
Taiwan authorities want to separate the island from the mainland．
C．
Taiwan leaders want to make their education support Taiwan's independence．
D．
Taiwan leaders try to confuse students' understanding of history．
(2)
What's the excuse for the move according to Taiwan's government?
[ ]
A．
To disconnect the island's history from the mainland．
B．
To cut off all connections with the mainland．
C．
Most of the Taiwanese do not welcome the textbook．
D．
To create a stronger Taiwanese identity．
(3)
Which of the following is NOT included in the move?
[ ]
A．
Chinese history will be taught as part of international history．
B．
The founding of the ROC in 1911 by Sun Yat-sen will be in the new international history book．
C．
Sun Yat-sen will be considered 'father of the ROC'．
D．
Many famous people in history like Confucius or Sun Yat-sen will be thought of as foreigners．
(4)
Which of the following does NOT show the correct relation between the man and the opinion?
[ ]
A．
Headmaster in Taipei：The new outline will throw light on students' understanding of history．
B．
China's spokesman：It is an attempt to make their education support Taiwan's independence．
C．
A student in Taipei：It's ridiculous to consider some Chinese historical figures as foreigners．
D．
Chairman of Kuomintang Party：The relation between the island and the mainland will become tense．
阅读理解
WASHINGTON–Barack Obama swept to victory as the first black president in the US history Tuesday night in an electoral(选举的)college landslide that overcame racial barriers as old as America itself．"Change has come," he told a huge group of cheering supporters．
In his first speech as victor, Obama stated the challenges ahead．"The greatest of a lifetime," he said, "two wars, a planet in danger, the worst financial crisis in a century．"
He added, "There are many who won't agree with every decision or policy I make as president, and we know that government can't solve every problem．But I will always be honest with you about the challenges we face．"
The son of a black father from Kenya and a white mother from Kansas, the Democratic senator(民主党参议员)from Illinois sealed his historic triumph by defeating Republican Sen．John McCain in a string of wins in hard-fought battleground states－Ohio, Florida, Virginia, Iowa and more．
In his speech, Obama invoked(引用)the words of Lincoln and echoed John F．Kennedy．"So let us summon a new spirit of patriotism, of service and responsibility where each of us resolves to pitch in(努力投入)and work harder," he said．
He and his running mate, Joseph Biden of Delaware, will take their oaths(宣誓)of office as president and vice president on Jan．20, 2009．
Obama will move into the Oval Office as leader of a country that is almost certainly in recession(不景气), and fighting two long wars, one in Iraq, the other in Afghanistan．
Obama has said his first order of presidential business will be to deal with the economy．He has also promised to withdraw most US combat troops from Iraq within 16 months．
(1)
What is special about Barack Obama, the newly-elected president of America?
[ ]
A．
He has a black father and a white mother．
B．
He is the first black president in the US history．
C．
He defeated Republican Sen．John McCain easily．
D．
He will move into the White Palace on Jan．20, 2009．
(2)
What Obama emphasized in his first speech were ________．
[ ]
A．
dangers
B．
wars
C．
challenges
D．
financial problems
(3)
The first issue Obama will focus his attention on may probably be to ________．
[ ]
A．
withdraw most US combat troops from Iraq
B．
care for environmental protection
C．
declare two wars in Iraq and Afghanistan
D．
deal with the problems of economy
(4)
According to the passage, Obama's attitude toward the challenges he faces is ________．
[ ]
A．
positive
B．
negative
C．
ambiguous
D．
worried
阅读理解
WASHINGTON(Reuters)－A US senator has asked Microsoft Corp about its plans to slash up to 5,000 jobs, urging the world's biggest software company to preserve the jobs of Americans ahead of foreigners working on visas．
“I am concerned that Microsoft will be retaining foreign guest workers rather than similarly qualified American employees when it carries out its layoff plan,” Sen．Charles Grassley, an Iowa Republican, said in a January 22 letter．
Microsoft shocked investors on Thursday when it released quarterly results that missed Wall Street expectations, announced up to 5,000 layoffs and said it would no longer give forecasts for the rest of the financial year．
The company has been a champion of expanding the H-1B visa program, a temporary visa program that lets American companies and universities hire foreign workers in a category considered by the government to be a “specialty occupation”．
Microsoft employs thousands of workers through the program, according to Grassley, the top Republican on the Senate Finance Committee．
A spokeswoman for Microsoft said the company has not yet received the letter, but it would respond to Grassley directly．
The letter asked Microsoft Chief Executive Steve Ballmer to provide a breakdown of the jobs to be dismissed, and how many of those are individuals with H-1B visas and how many are Americans．Grassley also wants to know what the breakdown will be when the layoffs are complete．
“Microsoft has a moral obligation to protect these American workers by putting them first during these difficult economic times,” Grassley said in the letter, copies of which were provided by his office on Friday．
(1)
What's Sen．Charles Grassley worried about?
[ ]
A．
American employees will be fired．
B．
Foreign guest workers will be dismissed．
C．
Microsoft has another bad year in sales．
D．
Microsoft won't carry out the layoff plan．
(2)
What can be learned about the H-1B visa program?
[ ]
A．
It attracts foreign hi-tech talents to live in America．
B．
It forbids foreigners to work in the American government．
C．
It allows foreigners to work in America temporarily．
D．
It ensures foreigners to receive the same education as Americans．
(3)
It suggests from the passage that ________．
[ ]
A．
Microsoft is in favor of the H-1B visa program
B．
Microsoft's investors are excited about the layoff plans
C．
Grassley is satisfied with Microsoft's answer to the layoffs
D．
many American companies are against the H-1B visa program
(4)
The January 22 letter asks about the following EXCEPT ________．
[ ]
A．
the breakdown of jobs to be cut
B．
who's in charge of the layoff plans
C．
what the breakdown will be after the layoff plans
D．
the number of guest workers and local employees
(5)
Which of the following can be the best title of the passage?
[ ]
A．
Microsoft is encouraged to save jobs．
B．
Senator complains about Microsoft．
C．
Microsoft faces difficult economic times．
D．
Senator asks Microsoft about job cuts．
阅读理解
Typhoons usually come to Taiwan in summer．They bring lots of rain．It gives us water to use．But typhoons also bring us floods if it rains too much．After the floods, there may be diseases such as dysentery or dengue fever．Typhoons also come with a lot of wind．The wind damages houses, trees, crops and hurts people．So staying at home, preparing food and water, and watching the news on TV are the safest things to do．
The confirmed death toll(伤亡人数)in Taiwan caused by Typhoon Morakot, which first hit the island on August 6th, causing the worst floods since 1959, is bad enough．By the middle of this week, over 100 people were reported dead and more than 60 were missing．But there had been fears that 500 people had been buried alive in Hsiao Lin, a village in the wooded mountains of Taiwan’s south, and even more in remote neighboring villages．These made people feel a little comforted on August 12th, when almost 1,600 people were found alive by a 25-helicopter search mission(任务)．Survivors had not eaten for days and helicopters dropped foods and drinks and began a slow evacuation(撤离), blocked by heavy rain．The army says it does not know how many people may have died there．The government faced criticism for not having arranged an evacuation as soon as it heard the typhoon was coming．“We should brace ourselves(振作起来)against typhoons as if they are an invading enemy,” said Chu Wen-sen, one of Taiwan’s leading water-management experts．
(1)
Which of the following statements is true?
[ ]
A．
Typhoons usually do nothing good to Taiwan
．
B．
Typhoons definitely bring floods
．
C．
Taking a walk on the street is not safe when there is a typhoon
．
D．
Taiwan has typhoons in October generally
．
(2)
The underlined word
“remote” probably means ________．
[ ]
A．
poor
B．
near
C．
removed
D．
distant
(3)
Typhoon Morakot is ________ any other typhoon since 1959 in Taiwan
．
[ ]
A．
worse than
B．
smaller than
C．
as bad as
D．
not so serious as
(4)
What the second part of the passage mainly tells about is ________
．
[ ]
A．
common sense about typhoons
B．
that people should brace themselves against typhoons
．
C．
what happened to Hsiao Lin Village
．
D．
that typhoon Morakot is bad enough
．
阅读理解
We have met the enemy and he i s our s．We bought him at a pet shop．When monkey-pox, a di sea se u sually found in the African rain fore st suddenly turn s up in children in the American Midwe st, it' s hard not to wonder of the di sea se that come s from foreign animal s i s homing in on human being s．“Mo st of the infection s we think of a s human infection s started in other animal s, ” say s Stephen Mor se, director of the Center for Public Health Preparedne s s at Columbia Univer sity．
It' s not ju st that we're going to where the animal s are; we're al so bringing them clo ser to u s．Popular foreign pet s have brought a whole new di sea se to thi s country．A strange illne s s killed I sak sen' s pet s and she now think s that keeping foreign pet s i s a bad idea, “I don't think it' s fair to have them a s pet s when we have such alimited knowledge of them．” say s I sak sen．
“Law s allowing the se animal s to be brought in from deep fore st area s without stricter control need changing．” say s Peter Schantz．Monkey-pox may be the wake-up call．Re searcher s believe infected animal s may infect their owner s．We know very little about the se new di sea se s．A new bug(病毒)may be kind at fir st．But it may develop into something harmful．Monkey-pox doe sn't look a major infectiou s di sea se．But it i s not impo s sible to pa s s the di sea se from per son to per son．
(1)
We learn from Paragraph 1 that the pet sold at the shop may ________．
[ ]
A．
come from Columbia
B．
prevent u s from being infected
C．
enjoy being with children
D．
suffer from monkey-pox
(2)
Why did I sak sen advi se people not to have foreign pet s?
[ ]
A．
Becau se they attack human being s．
B．
Becau se we need to study native animal s．
C．
Becau se they can't live out of the rain fore st．
D．
Becau se we do not know much about them yet．
(3)
What doe s the phra se “the wake－up call” in Paragraph 3 mo st probably mean?
．This denim drive is a call-to-action to donate denim and give it“new life”by changing it into UltraTouchtm Natural Cotton Fiber Insulation(纤维隔热材料), which is used to help build houses in places that have been damaged by hurricanes, tornadoes, and other natural disasters．Your jeans will help set a record, keep clothes out of landfills(垃圾场), and build houses for families to live in!UltraTouchtm is made of 85％ recycled fibers and is an environmentally safe, natural cotton fiber insolation(隔离)．