It was not the first time for Shi Benliang, a senior physics major at Peking University, to feed cats. But the 22-year-old felt sad when he saw the scars and wounds on the bodies of the little creatures.
“I can imagine how they have suffered from being abandoned. They lead a harsh life wandering around,” said the student..Shi is one of a dozen students at the university volunteering to feed the stray cats during the winter break.
Recruited by the Stray Cat Rescue Association at the university through a Bulletin Board System (BBS), he took turns with other students to care for the homeless animals. It is estimated that there are more than 100 stray cats on the campus of Peking University.
Jin Jing, 18, an economics freshman at the university, cared for the cats for two days. “At around 5 pm I cycled to the 22 feeding sites on campus marked on a special map,” she said. “At each site I left some cat food and water.”Jin was excited when the animals rushed to her feet. “Some are shy and timid, and others are more outgoing. Each of them has their own name such as ‘Sweet Orange’ or ‘Karl Marx’,” she said. “By feeding them I learned to respect life.”
Liu Chenhao, a senior electronics and computer science major, who is in charge of the association, said that feeding was just one part of their responsibilities.“Our aim is to keep the stray cats in check and maintain harmony between them and the students on campus,” he said.
The organization also takes cats to the animal hospital to be treated for oral and skin disease. Another of its major tasks is to find new homes for the cats by uploading their photos and information online.
“We’re very careful when selecting owners and ask them lots of questions to ensure that they won’t desert their cat under any circumstances, such as when they move house or get married,” Liu said. But he stressed that their acts of kindness shouldn’t encourage anyone to abandon their cat. “A cat’s normal life expectancy is more than 10 years, but a stray one may survive for only two or three.”  (365words)

1. 1.

   You may read the article from a (an)______________

   1. A.
      academic journal
   2. B.
      fashion journal
   3. C.
      autobiography
   4. D.
      newspaper
2. 2.

   Which of the following is NOT the task of the Stray Cat Rescue Association ?

   1. A.
      To keep students have a harmonious relationship with cats
   2. B.
      To mourn the stray cats when they die of hunger or illness
   3. C.
      To choose suitable owners for stray cats deliberately
   4. D.
      To take stray cats to treat diseases when they were sick
3. 3.

   We can infer from the passage that____________

   1. A.
      A married woman is not qualified to adopt the cat
   2. B.
      A stray cat may live shorter than the ordinary cats
   3. C.
      Volunteers can feed the stray cats in any place they like
   4. D.
      There are more than 100 stray cats on the campus

There is no doubt that Apple is well aware of the increased competition in the market and could be in a hurry to put another device out there, said Ramon Llamas, senior research analyst at IDC Mobile Devices Technology and Trends. Given its history with product launches and business policy, though, Apple probably isn’t going to rush an iPhone release simply to put it on shelves, he said.
“If you’re Tim Cook (CEO of Apple), you’re thinking if you want to pay more attention to how to keep growing that bottom line and keep investors happy, or continue with the same approach from Apple, which is do what we can do and manage products and releases in the best way they can work for us. Apple usually does things in their own time ，and I’m having a hard time buying this May or June timeline.” Llamas told Mac News World.
While it，s probable that Apple is definitely in a testing stage for its next smartphone , consumers likely have a standard wait for the finished product, said Colin Gibbs, analyst at GigaOm Pro.
“It typically takes a year or longer to create a state-of-the-art smartphone, so no one should be surprised Apple is in the testing stages with the next iPhone. And while it’s possible that Apple could launch the next iPhone this spring or summer, I’m not expecting to see it until a little later in the year,” he told Mac News World.
When it does launch, though, it could be in a variety of colors, said Gibbs. “Apple has already tested the waters with releasing colored devices when it revamped(更新，翻新）its iPod line last fall, so it’s not too much of a stretch to believe it would want the new twist with its smartphone, as well”.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if the new iPhone becomes available in some new colors，’’ he said. “That could be done pretty cheaply ，and it would give Apple a new marketing angle.”

1. 1.

   According to Ramon Llamas, Apple always______.

   1. A.
      tries to pleases its investors
   2. B.
      does things as planned
   3. C.
      ignores the fierce market competition
   4. D.
      rushes to put new products to market
2. 2.

   As for the next iPhone, Colin Gibbs didn’t mention______.

   1. A.
      the stage of its being tested
   2. B.
      the rough time of its being released
   3. C.
      the wide variety of its color
   4. D.
      the function to be improved
3. 3.

   What’s Colin Gibbs ，attitude towards the next iPhone?

   1. A.
      Disapproving
   2. B.
      Casual
   3. C.
      Objective
   4. D.
      Doubtful
4. 4.

   This passage is presented in the form of______.

   1. A.
      stories
   2. B.
      comments
   3. C.
      advertisements
   4. D.
      debates

It happened to me recently. I was telling someone how much I had enjoyed reading Barack Obama’s Dreams From My Father and how it had changed my views of our President. A friend I was talking to agreed with me that it was ,in his words, “a brilliantly（精彩地）written book”. However, he then went on to talk about Mr Obama in a way which suggested he had no idea of his background at all. I sensed that I was talking to a book liar.
And it seems that my friend is not the only one. Approximately two thirds of people have lied about reading a book which they haven’t. In the World Book Day’s “Report on Guilty Secrets”, Dreams From My Father is at number 9. The report lists ten books, and various authors, which people have lied about reading, and as I’m not one to lie too often (I’d hate to be caught out ),I’ll admit here and now that I haven’t read the entire top ten . But I am pleased to say that, unlike 42 percent of people, I have read the book at number one, George Orwell’s 1984. I think it’s really brilliant.
The World Book Day report also has some other interesting information in it. It says that many people lie about having read Jane Austen, Charles Dickens, Fyodor Dostoevsky(I haven’t read him, but haven’t lied about it either )and Herman Melville.
Asked why they lied, the most common reason was to “impress” someone they were speaking to. This could be tricky if the conversation became more in –depth!
But when asked which authors they actually enjoy, people named J. k. Rowling, John Grisham, Sophie Kinsella (ah, the big sellers, in other words). Forty-two percent of people asked admitted they turned to the back of the book to read the end before finishing the story(I’ll come clean: I do this and am astonished that 58 percent said they had never done so)

1. 1.

   How did the author find his friend a book liar?

   1. A.
      By judging his manner of speaking
   2. B.
      By looking into his background
   3. C.
      By mentioning a famous name
   4. D.
      By discussing the book itself
2. 2.

   Which of the following is a “guilty secret” according to the World Book Day report?

   1. A.
      Charles Dickens is very low on the top-ten list
   2. B.
      42% of people pretended to have read 1984
   3. C.
      The author admitted having read 9 books
   4. D.
      Dreams From My Father is hardly read
3. 3.

   By lying about reading, a person hopes to

   1. A.
      control the conversation
   2. B.
      appear knowledgeable
   3. C.
      learn about the book
   4. D.
      make more friends
4. 4.

   What is the author’s attitude to 58%of readers?

   1. A.
      Favorable
   2. B.
      Uncaring
   3. C.
      Doubtful
   4. D.
      Friendly

A year ago August, Dave Fuss lost his job driving a truck for a small company in west Michigan. His wife, Gerrie, was still working in the local school cafeteria (自助食堂), but work for Dave was scarce (不足的，缺乏的), and the price of everything was rising. The Fusses were at risk of joining the millions of Americans who have lost their homes in recent years. Then Dave and Gerrie received a timely gift—＄7,000，a legacy （遗产） from their neighbors Ish and Arlene Hatch, who died in an accident . “ It really made a difference when we were going under financially, ” says Dave.  
But the Fusses weren’t the only folks in Alto and the neighboring town of Lowell to receive unexpected legacy from the Hatches. Dozens of (许多) other families were touched by the Hatches’ generosity. In some cases, it was a few thousand dollars ; in others, it was more than ＄100,000.  
It surprised nearly everyone that the Hatches had so much money, more than ＄3 million—they were an elderly couple who lived in an old house on what was left of the family farm .  
Children of the Great Depression, Ish and Arlene were known for their habit of saving, They thrived on（喜欢）comparison shopping and would routinely go from store to store, checking prices before making a new purchase (购买) .  
Through the years, the Hatches paid for local children to attend summer camp when their parents couldn’t afford it. “Ish and Arlene never asked if you needed anything,” says their friend Sand Van Weelden, “They could see things they could do to make you happier, and they would do them.  
Even more extraordinary was that the Hatches had their farmland distributed (分发；分配). It was the Hatches’ wish that their legacy—a legacy of kindness as much as one of dollars and cents should enrich the whole community（社区）and last for generations to come.
Neighbors helping neighbors ——that was Ish and Arlene Hatch’s story

1. 1.

   According go the text, the Fusses ______

   1. A.
      were employed by a truck company
   2. B.
      worked in a school cafeteria
   3. C.
      were in financial difficulty
   4. D.
      lost their home
2. 2.

   Which of the following is true of the Hatches?

   1. A.
      They had their children during the Great Depression
   2. B.
      They gave away their possessions ( 财产；所有物) to their neighbors
   3. C.
      They left the family farm to live in an old house
   4. D.
      They helped their neighbors to find jobs
3. 3.

   Why would the Hatches routinely go from store?

   1. A.
      They decided to open a store
   2. B.
      They couldn’t afford expensive things
   3. C.
      They wanted to save money
   4. D.
      They wanted to buy gifts for local kids
4. 4.

   According to Sand Van Weelden, the Hatches were ______

   1. A.
      curious
   2. B.
      optimistic
   3. C.
      childlike
   4. D.
      understanding
5. 5.

   What can we learn from the text?

   1. A.
      The Hatches would like the neighbors to follow their example
   2. B.
      The summer camp was attractive to the parents
   3. C.
      Sandy Van Weelden got a legacy form the Hatches
   4. D.
      The community of Alto was poor

When people talk of a virus these days, chances are that they are talking about computer virus that have the power wipe out all the valuable work people may have stored in their computers. Imagine, the virus has the power to make military systems, giant banks, airports, hospitals and traffic system come to stop!
What does a computer virus do? It targets electronic objects that are programmed. The virus spreads through connections between these electronic objects. For virus spreading experts, e-mail is a favorite method of sending their destructive (破坏性的) weapon.
But scientists warn that this is not the worst that can happen. There is more. People are also connected through phones. The next virus may actually target mobile phones, especially those that are programmed to do many tasks apart from just communicating. It would then be easy for a virus to infect those programs and create major disorder.
For example, these virus may have the power to record your phone conversations and make others hear them. They create problems with your electronic money accounts, or they could create a mountain of telephone bills for calls you never made. And that would be a disaster. A report on this was published in the New Scientist recently. 
One way out would be to have simpler phones with not so many different functions. This would mean there would mean there would be fewer programs for the virus to attack. But mobile phone producers are in a fix. People on longer want an electronic item to perform just one task. They want more and more functions added. That would mean more software programs to make the mobile phone perform all those functions. And that means the possibility of more viruses

1. 1.

   It can be inferred from the passage that ______

   1. A.
      computer viruses are not so as destructive as mobile phone viruses
   2. B.
      people should be careful when receiving e-mails
   3. C.
      people find it difficult to use electronic equipment correctly
   4. D.
      having electronic money accounts brings people a lot of convenience
2. 2.

   Which of the following shows that your mobile phone is infected with a virus?

   1. A.
      You can’t hear the person who answers the phone clearly
   2. B.
      You can’t send e-mails with your mobile phone
   3. C.
      your phone bill increases for unknown reasons
   4. D.
      You can hear other people’s phone conversations
3. 3.

   What does the underlined sentence in the last paragraph mean?

   1. A.
      Mobile phone producers have made no progress
   2. B.
      Mobile phone producers are proud of their products
   3. C.
      Mobile phone producers are faced with a difficult situation
   4. D.
      Mobile phone producers refused to fight against virus
4. 4.

   For whom is the passage written?

   1. A.
      Government officials
   2. B.
      Virus spreading experts
   3. C.
      Electronic scientists
   4. D.
      Mobile phone users

1. 1.

   If you are interested in western education, you might call _________

   1. A.
      010- 100125
   2. B.
      800 819 0260
   3. C.
      021-5158 1658
   4. D.
      6465 7788
2. 2.

   If you would like to organize a large meeting or conference, you should contact __________

   1. A.
      Office General
   2. B.
      Apollo Business Center
   3. C.
      Canadian International School
   4. D.
      None of the above
3. 3.

   You may _________ to get more information about any of the three ads（广告）

   1. A.
      send an email
   2. B.
      use a fax(传真) machine
   3. C.
      go by yourself
   4. D.
      visit some websites

Lego, the inventor of those colorful bricks that have inspired kids’ imaginations world-wide, has celebrated its 50th anniversary.

On January 28, 1958, a man named Godtfred Kirk Christiansen created the plastic building bricks that can now be found in almost every child’s toy box. The simple building block has become one of the most well-known and popular toys around the world.
"The Lego brick continues to be very attractive, because it allows children, and others, to develop their creativity and imagination," said Charlotte Simonsen, a spokeswoman of the Danish Lego company.
The company’s building brick allows an infinite number of links. With just two bricks there are 24 different links, and with six, there are 915 million possibilities, according to Lego.
A half-century after its creation, more than 400 million children and adults spend five billion hours a year putting the bricks together and pulling them apart. Also, the bricks made today can still interlock with those made in 1958.
Lego bricks are not just child’s play: they also attract the interest of adults. South Korean adventurer, Heo Young-Ho, who climbed Mount Everest in 1987, left a Lego toy behind in the snow during his climb.
After its great success Lego experienced a severe crisis at the end of the 1990s, hit hard by fierce competition from electronic games. This so-called "Toy of the Century" then suffered a dark period that lasted several years.
With great efforts, the company began to prosper again, and in 2006 it earned about 1.5 billion dollars in 130 countries. Seven boxes of Lego are now sold every second around the world, and 19 billion bricks are produced each year: enough to encircle the Earth five times！

1. 1.

   The Lego bricks have remained popular in the past 50 years as a result of _______

   1. A.
      attracting many children worldwide
   2. B.
      brought imagination to the children worldwide
   3. C.
      making the children and even adults worldwide creative and imaginative
   4. D.
      having infinite links that bring many imagination
2. 2.

   The author gave the example of South Korean adventurer Heo Young-Ho in order to prove that ______

   1. A.
      Heo Youn-Ho also loved playing Lego bricks
   2. B.
      the Lego bricks made him a mountain climber
   3. C.
      the Lego bricks not only interest children but also adults
   4. D.
      the Lego bricks are a must when on goes on an adventure
3. 3.

   It can be inferred from the text that ______

   1. A.
      there are 915 different links with just 6 bricks
   2. B.
      the Lego Bricks Company has made a lot of money from the people worldwide
   3. C.
      the Lego Bricks can’t compare with computer games
   4. D.
      the bricks made today don’t change much compared with those made in 1958
4. 4.

   The underlined word “hit” in the seventh paragraph means _____

   1. A.
      defeated in a fight or a competition
   2. B.
      have a crash in an accident or a fight
   3. C.
      get known through a song
   4. D.
      attack somebodyin a fight
5. 5.

   The main idea of the story is that _____

   1. A.
      Lego bricks: brilliant past and struggling future
   2. B.
      Lego bricks: an attraction of both children and adults
   3. C.
      Lego bricks: making creativity and imagination
   4. D.
      Lego bricks: making billions of money every year

Inventor，physicist，surveyor，astronomer，biologist，artist... Robert Hooke was all these and more. Some say he was the greatest experimental scientist of the seventeenth century. Once he worked with renowned（有名声的） men of science like Christian Huygens，Antony van Leeuwenhoek，Robert Boyle，Isaac Newton and the great architect，Christopher Wren.
Hooke’s early education began at home，under the guidance of his father. He entered Westminster School at the age of thirteen，and from there he went to Oxford，where he came in contact with some of the best scientists in England. Hooke impressed them with his skill at designing experiments and devising（发明） instruments. In 1662，at the age of twenty-eight，he was named Curator of Experiments of the newly formed Royal Society of London. Hooke accepted the job，even though he knew that it had no money to pay him!
Watching living things through the microscope was one of his favorite occupations. He devised a compound microscope for this purpose. One day while observing a cork (软木) under a microscope，he saw honeycomb-like structures. They were cells—the smallest units of life.In fact，it was Hooke who coined the term “cell” as the boxlike cells of the cork reminded him of the cells of a monastery(修道院)．
Perhaps because of his varied interests，Hooke often left experiments unfinished. Others took up where he left off and then claimed sole(独占的)credit. This sometimes led to quarrels with colleagues. One work that he finished was his book MICROGRAPHIA，a volume that reveals the immense potential of the microscope. The book also includes，among other things，ideas on gravity and light which may have helped scientists like Newton while they were developing their own theories on these phenomena.
Hooke made valuable contributions to astronomy too. A crater(陨石坑) on the moon is named after him in appreciation of his services to this branch of science

1. 1.

   From the first paragraph，we can know that Robert Hooke __________

   1. A.
      was famous because he worked with many scientists
   2. B.
      liked making friends with the famous people
   3. C.
      received a lot from other scientists
   4. D.
      made contributions to many different fields
2. 2.

   Robert Hooke probably went to school in __________

   1. A.
      1647　　　
   2. B.
      1634
   3. C.
      1662
   4. D.
      1640
3. 3.

   Robert Hooke made himself known to some of the best scientists in England by __________

   1. A.
      learning by himself with his father’s help
   2. B.
      introducing himself to them
   3. C.
      designing experiments and instruments
   4. D.
      refusing any reward from Royal Society of London
4. 4.

   Robert Hooke couldn’t get along well with his colleagues because __________

   1. A.
      he couldn’t finish his work on time sometimes
   2. B.
      he had all kinds of interests in his daily life
   3. C.
      he was too proud to look up to them
   4. D.
      the other scientists took the fruits of his experiments

A middle-aged couple from California got to the Pacific Ocean after a 4,900- mile-cross-country walk, becoming the first to backpack the American Discovery Trail by walking．
Marcia and Ken started the travel across 13 states, through 14 national parks and 16 national forests from Delaware and finally reached their destination a day nearly eight months later.
“We are sad that a great adventure is over. Now we just go home and do housework” said the couple, who went through cities, desert, mountains and farmland before reaching the Pacific alone.
They overcame deep snow in the East, a quicksand in Utah, close lightning strikes in the Mid- west and strong desert sandstorms in the West while averaging 22 miles a day and taking only four days off．But they enjoyed the French history of St.Louis and the beauty of the Colorado Rockies.   They particularly remember kindness of strangers they met along the way.
“Americans are truly warm-hearted and wonderful. We got to meet people that we would never meet in our daily living at home. It' s an amazing country.” Marcia said．

1. 1.

   Which of the following is the most suitable title?

   1. A.
      The first couple to backpack the Pacific Ocean alone
   2. B.
      The first couple to cover a 4,900 mile cross-country walk
   3. C.
      A husband-and-wife team suffered a lot during an adventure
   4. D.
      A husband-and-wife team got much help during an adventure
2. 2.

   Which of the statements is TRUE?

   1. A.
      The couple travelled across 16 states
   2. B.
      Their walk lasted nearly half a year
   3. C.
      They prefer housework to adventure
   4. D.
      They took four days off during the travel
3. 3.

   We know that during the walk, the couple_________

   1. A.
      were worried about their housework
   2. B.
      once covered 22 miles within four days
   3. C.
      were treated warm-heartedly by strangers
   4. D.
      met strong desert sandstorms in the East
4. 4.

   Which place do you suppose can replace the underlined word “destination”?

   1. A.
      Delaware
   2. B.
      Colorado Rockies
   3. C.
      California
   4. D.
      Pacific Ocean

While watching the Olympics the other night, I came across an unbelievable sight. It was not a gold medal, or a world record broken, but a show of courage.
The event was swimming and started with only three men on the blocks. For one reason or another, two of them false started, so they were disqualified. That left only one to compete. It would have been difficult enough, not having anyone to race against, even though the time on the clock is important.
I watched the man dive off the block and knew right away that something was wrong. I’m not an expert swimmer, but I can tell a good dive from a poor one, and this was not exactly medal quality. When he resurfaced, it was evident that the man was not out for gold – his arms were waving in an attempt at freestyle. The crowd started to laugh. Clearly this man was not a medal competitor.
I listened to the crowd begin to laugh at this poor man who was clearly having a hard time. Finally he made his turn to start back. It was pitiful. He made a few desperate strokes and you could tell he was worn out.
But in those few awful strokes, the crowd had changed.
No longer were they laughing, but beginning to cheer. Some even began to stand and shout “Come on, you can do it!” and he did.
A clear minute past the average swimmer, this young man finally finished his race. The crowd went wild. You would have thought that he had won the gold, and he should have. Even though he recorded one of the slowest times in Olympic history, this man gave more heart than any of the other competitors.
Just a short year ago, he had never even swum, let alone race. His country had been invited to Sydney.
In a competition where athletes remove their silver medals feeling they have somehow been cheated out of gold, or when they act so proudly in front of their competitors , it is nice to watch an underdog

1. 1.

   From the passage we can learn that the young man        

   1. A.
      made his turn to start back pitifully
   2. B.
      was skillful in freestyle in the game
   3. C.
      swam faster than the average swimmer
   4. D.
      was not capable enough to win the medal
2. 2.

   The crowd changed their attitudes because         

   1. A.
      they felt sorry for the young man
   2. B.
      they were moved by the young man’s courage
   3. C.
      they wanted to show their sympathy
   4. D.
      they meant to please the young man
3. 3.

   According to the passage, “it is nice to watch an underdog” probably means         

   1. A.
      it’s amazing to watch an ordinary man challenging himself
   2. B.
      it’s amusing to watch a man with awful swimming skills
   3. C.
      it’s cheerful for athletes to act proudly before their competitors
   4. D.
      it’s brave enough for some athletes to remove the silver medals
4. 4.

   Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?

   1. A.
      The event started with three men, two of whom were disqualified later
   2. B.
      The crowd started to laugh at the athlete’s arms waving in an attempt at freestyle
   3. C.
      The athlete, as well as the author, is an expert swimmer
   4. D.
      The swimming event is a show of courage rather than a fierce competition
5. 5.

   What’s the best title for the passage?

   1. A.
      Compete for Gold!
   2. B.
      Try again!
   3. C.
      Break a Record!
   4. D.
      Go for it!