I paid a visit to Cambridge last January.  Though the trip took me 5 hours and it rained the whole day with strong winds there, the town deserved a visit.
The bus started at 6:10 a. m. It stopped at 4 airports before we finally arrived，which wasted more time than we expected. Tired with long sitting，one passenger stood up to relax his numbed legs. The driver asked him to sit down but in vain. So he pulled up and said seriously, “Either you get off or sit down.” To him, safety is the first policy.
Cambridge consists of over thirty colleges. The oldest part of the university was built in the 13th century while the newest was founded in the mid 1960s.The number of the students is so great that many students live in lodgings（出租房）and move into college for their final year.
Cambridge is called a university town because there is no clear separation between the university buildings and the rest of the city. The university is not just one part of the town；it is all over the town. The heart of Cambridge has shops，pubs，and supermarkets，but most of it is university-colleges，departments，libraries，clubs and other places for university staff and students. Students fill the shops，cafes，banks and churches，making these as well part of the university.
With over 10,000 undergraduates and postgraduates, the town is a busy place indeed. Students here are not allowed to keep cars. If you happen to be walking in the street during a break，better stop a moment to avoid the boiling sea of bicycles hurrying in all directions，carrying students from one college or lecture room to another

1. 1.

   The writer believed that the trip took more time because of________

   1. A.
      bad weather
   2. B.
      unexpected stops of the bus
   3. C.
      one passenger
   4. D.
      an accident on the way
2. 2.

   Why is Cambridge called a university town？

   1. A.
      It has 10，000 undergraduates and postgraduates
   2. B.
      There are over thirty colleges in the town
   3. C.
      All the students and staff live in the town
   4. D.
      The university and town are fully combined
3. 3.

   It can be inferred that most Cambridge students take _______as their first means of transport

   1. A.
      boats
   2. B.
      cars
   3. C.
      bicycles
   4. D.
      buses

As most people know, in the past few years, sandstorms have swept across many cities and areas of North China, polluting the air and disturbing daily lives of human beings. People look dirty and suffer many kinds of illnesses, such as breath difficulty. The sandstorm is such a serious problem that it has not only undermined the industrial and agricultural development of our country but also caused a lot of trouble to the living conditions of the Chinese people. It is expected that effective(有效的) measures should be taken as soon as possible through our joint efforts to limit its occurrence.
So what should we do with the frightening sandstorms? Some experts put forward practical suggestions as follows: For one thing, more funs(基金)ought to be put into tree planting and forest protection so as to keep more water resources within the surface of the earth. For another, governments of all countries should make laws on environmental protection.For example, banning the use of throw-away chopsticks and punishing illegal tree cutting. Scientists should also study and find ways to cut down the degree of its destruction and to improve the whole environment.
How people look forward to sunny days with little breeze(微风)touching their faces now and forever! Nevertheless, I am fully confident that the golden days can come back so long as everyone tried his best to protect natural environment from today on

1. 1.

   The underlined word”undermined”(in Paragraph 1)means __________

   1. A.
      weakened
   2. B.
      encouraged
   3. C.
      kept
   4. D.
      made
2. 2.

   From the first paragraph, we can infer _________

   1. A.
      China has taken no measures to prevent sandstorms
   2. B.
      sandstorms can cause much damage to human beings and their daily lives
   3. C.
      the sandstorm is the most dangerous natural disaster to human beings
   4. D.
      more sandstorms will happen in the near future in North China
3. 3.

   How many ways do some experts put forward to fight against sandstorm?

   1. A.
      5
   2. B.
      4
   3. C.
      3
   4. D.
      2
4. 4.

   What’s the author’s attitude towards the situation to sandstorms’ problems?

   1. A.
      Unconfident
   2. B.
      Optimistic
   3. C.
      Regretful
   4. D.
      Satisfied

As computers become all the more popular in China, Chinese people are increasingly relying on computer keyboards to input Chinese characters. But if they use the computer too much, they may end up forgetting the exact strokes（笔画）of each Chinese character when writing on paper. Experts suggest people, especially students, write by hand more.
Do you write by hand more or type more? In Beijing, students start using a computer as early as primary school. And computer dependence is more wide-spread among university students. Almost all their assignments and essays are typed on a computer.
All the students interviewed say they usually use a computer.
It's faster and easier to correct if using a computer. And that's why computers are being applied more and more often to modern education. But when people are taking stock in computers increasingly, problems appear.
"When I'm writing with a pen, I find I often can't remember how to write a character, though I feel I’m familiar with it."
"I'm not in the mood to write when faced with a pen and paper."
Many students don't feel this is something to worry about. Now that it's more convenient and efficient to write on a computer, why bother to handwrite?
Many educators think differently. Shi Liwei , the headmaster of a famous primary school in the capital said "Chinese characters enjoy both practical and aesthetic(审美的) value. But those characters typed with computer keyboards only maintain their practical value. All the artistic beauty of the characters is lost. And handwriting contains the writer's emotion. Through one's handwriting, people can get to know one's thinking and personality. Beautiful writing will give people a better first impression of them"
To encourage students to handwrite more, many primary schools in Beijing have made writing classes compulsory(必修的)and in universities, some professors are asking students to turn in their homework and essays written by hand

1. 1.

   Which of the following can best serve as the title of the passage?

   1. A.
      The Importance of Handwriting and Typing
   2. B.
      To Type or To Hand Write
   3. C.
      Writing By Computer Will Replace Writing By Hand
   4. D.
      Practical and Aesthetic Value of Chinese Characters
2. 2.

   The students interviewed prefer to write using a computer mainly because______

   1. A.
      they are usually asked to e-mail their Homework and Essays
   2. B.
      they can correct the mistakes they make quickly and conveniently
   3. C.
      they find it not easy to remember how to write a character
   4. D.
      computers have become a trend and fashion in China
3. 3.

   Which of the following statements is NOT TRUE of the advantages of handwriting?

   1. A.
      Handwriting contains the writer's emotion
   2. B.
      The writer’s thinking and personality are shown in his or her handwriting,
   3. C.
      Handwriting can impress people well and build one’s self-confidence
   4. D.
      Chinese characters enjoy both practical and aesthetic value

The first day of school our professor introduced himself and challenged us to get to know someone we didn't already know.
I stood up to look around when a gentle hand touched my shoulder. I turned around to find a wrinkled，little old lady beaming up at me with a smile that lit up her entire being. She said，“Hi, handsome. My name is Rose. I' m eighty-seven years old. Can I give you a hug？”I laughed and enthusiastically responded，“Of course you may.”and she gave me a giant squeeze. “Why are you in college at such a young，innocent age？”I asked. She jokingly replied，“I'm here to meet a rich husband，get married，have a couple of children，and then retire and travel.”“No，seriously？”I asked. I was curious what may have motivated her to be taking on this challenge at her age.
“I always dreamed of having a college education and now I'm getting one. ”she told me. After class we walked to the student union building and shared a chocolate milk- shake. We became instant friends. Every day for the next three months, we would leave class together and talk nonstop. I was always attracted listening to this “time machine” as she shared her wisdom and experience with me.
Over the course of the year，Rose became a campus icon and she easily made friends wherever she went. She loved to dress up and she enjoyed the attention from the other students. She was living it up.
At the end of the semester we invited Rose to speak at our football banquet. I'll never forget what she taught us. She was introduced and stepped up to the podium(讲台). As she began to deliver her prepared speech，she dropped her 3x5 cards on the floor. Frustrated and a little embarrassed, she leaned into the microphone and simply said，“I'm sorry I'm so nervous. I gave up beer for Lent(一种威士忌的牌子)  and this whisky is killing me. I'll never get my speech back in order to let me just tell you what I know.”
As we laughed she cleared her throat and began：“We do not stop playing because we are old；we grow old because we stop playing. There are only four secrets to staying young，being happy，and achieving success.” “You have to laugh and find humor every day.” You've got to have a dream. When you lose your dreams，you die. We have so many people walking around who are dead and don't even know it.” “There is a huge difference between growing older and growing up. If you are nineteen years old and lie in bed for one full year and don't do one productive thing，you will turn twenty years old. If I am eighty-seven years old and stay in bed for a year and never do anything, I will turn eighty-eight. Anybody can grow older. It’s non-optional but that doesn't take any talent or ability. The idea is to grow up by always finding the opportunity in change.” “Have no regrets. The elderly usually don't have regrets for what we did，but rather for things we did not do. The only people who fear death are those with regrets.” She concluded her speech by courageously singing “The Rose.” She challenged each of us to study the lyrics and live them out in our daily lives. At the year's end Rose finished the college degree she had begun all those years ago.
One week after graduation Rose died peacefully in her sleep. Over two thousand college students attended her funeral in honor of the wonderful woman who taught by example that it's never too late to be all you can possibly be. When you finish reading this, please send this peaceful word of advice to your friends and family, they’ll really enjoy it! These words have been passed along in loving memory of ROSE

1. 1.

   The writer provides the details about Rose in Paragraph 2 to show that_______

   1. A.
      she was an innocent and enthusiastic person
   2. B.
      she was an optimistic and humorous person
   3. C.
      she was an aggressive person with a strong sense of honor
   4. D.
      she was an intelligent person with highly motivated personality
2. 2.

   Why does the writer compare Rose to “time machine” in Paragraph 3?

   1. A.
      To describe the friendship between Rose and her young schoolmates
   2. B.
      To stress her old age and rich wisdom and experience
   3. C.
      To show that she enjoyed dressing up in spite of her old age
   4. D.
      To emphasize that she took on the challenge at such an old age
3. 3.

   Which of the following best explains the sentence ”We do not stop playing because we are old; we grow old because we stop playing”(Paragraph 6)?

   1. A.
      “If we lose our dreams, we will regret for what we did when young.”
   2. B.
      “If we don’t laugh every day, we will easily get old.”
   3. C.
      “Once we stop seeking and working for our dreams, we will really become old.”
   4. D.
      “Once we stop exercising, we will get weaker physically and mentally.”
4. 4.

   It can be inferred from Paragraph 6 that________

   1. A.
      those who don’t have dreams are as good as dead
   2. B.
      growing old is uncontrollable but growing up is optional
   3. C.
      the elderly usually feel regretful for what they did
   4. D.
      our talent and ability decline with age
5. 5.

   The method the writer uses to describe the character of Rose is________

   1. A.
      making comments
   2. B.
      making comparisons
   3. C.
      providing arguments
   4. D.
      giving examples
6. 6.

   Which of the following is the best title for the passage?

   1. A.
      Meeting challenges
   2. B.
      Secrets to success
   3. C.
      Dream in heart
   4. D.
      My best friend

Accidents and illness are unhappy things to talk about, but no one can expect to live a lifetime without having some kind of accident or becoming ill. Some accidents and illnesses are serious and may result in long periods of invalidism.
The newspapers contain spectacular accounts of accidents in the street and highways and public places, but nearly as many accidents occur around the home. Somebody trips on a rug. Somebody falls off a stepladder. Somebody is careless in cooking dinner, and is burned. Accidents incurred in the playing of sports and swimming also accounts for a large number of injuries, big and little. Despite constant campaigns to reduce the number of accidents, there are still approximately 100,000 accidental deaths and nearly 9,000,000 non?fatal injuries in the United States each year.
It has been estimated that around 3,000,000 people are constantly ill in the United States throughout the year and that over half the illness is caused by respiratory diseases, chiefly colds and influenza.
The pain and suffering caused by accidents and illness tell only half the story. Loss of time from school and work and medical and hospital expenses often make the pain seem worse. Money spent in this country for doctors, services, hospitalization, nursing care, drugs, medicines, Xrays, and special treatments, amounts to a huge annual sum. Added to this expense is another much larger amount that is lost to wage earners throughout the nation by reason of their loss of wages or income while sick or otherwise disabled.
Accident and health insurance is a form of insurance devised to protect against these economic losses. It protects the earning of wage earners and finishes financial aid to the family of the breadwinner by the payment of his doctor and hospital bills. Today, business and professional men, farmers, industrial workers, clerks and those engaged in various occupations, whose earning power is shut off for a week, a month, or sometimes years, because of accidents or illness can insure themselves against this financial loss by accident and health insurance.
Protection is available to all types of workers and the cost(called the premium)ranges from a few cents a day for small or limited policies to a month for policies paying larger amounts(called indemnities). Policy is another name for an insurance contract(合同). Most accident and health policies are cancelable policies—that is, they are sold for a definite term such as a week, a month, or a year, similar to contracts of fire insurance and automobile liability insurance. There are, however, policies which cannot be canceled or terminated(终止)by the insurance company until the policyholder reaches an age at which he usually has no further earning power—most often at sixty or sixty?five years. These non?cancelable policies cost more than the cancelable policies

1. 1.

   What is the passage mainly concerned about?

   1. A.
      Everyone will have some sort of illness or accident
   2. B.
      Accident and health insurance is available to everyone
   3. C.
      Cancelable insurance policies are better than non­cancelable one
   4. D.
      Insurance is a good protection against accidents and illness
2. 2.

   Every year in the United States there are________

   1. A.
      more people die in accidents than of illness
   2. B.
      more people who are ill than those injured in accidents
   3. C.
      more outdoor accidents than indoor accidents
   4. D.
      more people injured in accidents than those who are constantly ill
3. 3.

   The heaviest pain and suffering caused by accidents and illness are________

   1. A.
      colds and influenza
   2. B.
      financial losses
   3. C.
      loss of time
   4. D.
      invalidism
4. 4.

   Accident and health insurance will protect people by________

   1. A.
      covering their medical expenditure
   2. B.
      paying their wages
   3. C.
      restoring their earning power
   4. D.
      providing policyholders with the money they need to survive

Sydney Australia—Mobile phone has become a problem for middle schools. Some middle schools in Australia have banned students from carrying mobile phones during school hours.
Mobile phone use among children has become a problem for the school this year. Several children have got mobile phones as Christmas gifts, and more students want them.
Mary Bluett, an official, said mobile phone use is a distraction（分心的事）to students during school hours and it also gives teachers so much trouble in their classrooms. Teachers were also saying that sometimes students might use phone messages to cheat during exams.
She said some schools had tried to ban mobile phones. Some parents felt unhappy because they couldn’t get in touch with their children.
Many teachers said students should not have mobile phones at school, but if there was a good reason, they could leave their phones at school offices. They also said there were many reasons why the students should not have mobile phones at school: they were easy to lose and were a distraction from studies.
Many people say that they understand why parents would want their children to have phones, but they think schools should let the students know when they can use their mobile phones

1. 1.

   Some middle schools in Australia have banned students from carrying mobile phones________

   1. A.
      because they are students
   2. B.
      when they are free
   3. C.
      when they are at school
   4. D.
      because they are young
2. 2.

   We know from the passage that some children get mobile phones from________

   1. A.
      the makers and sellers
   2. B.
      some other strangers
   3. C.
      their parents and friends
   4. D.
      some mobile phone users
3. 3.

   Some parents felt unhappy because they couldn’t _______ during school hours

   1. A.
      use their mobile phones
   2. B.
      leave their mobile phones
   3. C.
      help the teachers with their work
   4. D.
      get in touch with their children
4. 4.

   The underlined word “they” in the fifth paragraph refers to________

   1. A.
      many teachers
   2. B.
      some messages
   3. C.
      mobile phones
   4. D.
      some students

Television is a relatively stable advertising medium. In many ways, the television ads today are almost the same to those two decades ago. Most television ads still feature actors, still run 30 or 60 seconds, and still show a product. However, the different medium of the Internet causes unique challenges to advertisers, forcing them to adapt their practices and techniques.
In the early days of Internet marketing, online advertisers used banner (框式广告) and pop-up ads (弹出式广告) to attract customers. These techniques reached large audiences, led to many sales leads, and came at a low cost. However, a small number of Internet users began to consider these advertising techniques annoying. Yet because marketing strategies relying heavily on banners and pop-ups produced results, companies invested growing amounts of money into purchasing these ad types. As consumers became more complicated, frustration with these online advertising techniques grew. Independent programmers began to develop tools that blocked banner and pop-up ads.
A major development in online marketing came with the introduction of pay-per-click ads. Unlike banner or pop-up ads, which originally required companies to pay every time a website visitor saw an ad, pay-per-click ads allowed companies to pay only when an interested potential customer clicked on an ad. More importantly, however, these ads are not affected by the pop-up and banner blockers. As a result of these advantages and the incredible growth in the use of search engines, which provide excellent places for pay-per-click advertising, a great number of companies began turning to pay-per-click marketing. However, as with the banner and pop-up ads, pay-per-click ads came with their shortcomings. When companies began pouring billions of dollars into this emerging medium, online advertising specialists started to notice the presence of what would later be called click fraud (欺诈): representatives of a company with no interest in the product advertised by a competitor click on the competitor’s ads simply to increase the marketing cost of the competitor. Click fraud grew so rapidly that marketers sought to diversify (摆脱) their online positions away from pay-per-click marketing through new mediums.
Although pay-per-click advertising remains a common and effective advertising tool, marketers adapted yet again to the changing elements of the Internet by adopting new techniques such as pay-per-performance advertising. As the pace of the Internet’s evolution increases, it seems all the more likely that advertising successfully on the Internet will require a strategy that avoids constancy (持续性) and welcomes change

1. 1.

   What is the main idea of the passage?

   1. A.
      The pace of the Internet’s evolution is increasing and will only increase in the future
   2. B.
      Internet advertising fails to reach Internet users, causing ads to be blocked
   3. C.
      The Internet has experienced dramatic changes in short periods of time
   4. D.
      Rapid development of the Internet calls for new advertising strategies and mediums
2. 2.

   As an advertising medium, the television and the Internet mainly differ in ________

   1. A.
      the type of individual each medium reaches
   2. B.
      whether the medium is interactive
   3. C.
      the pace at which the medium develops
   4. D.
      the cost of advertising with each medium
3. 3.

   According to the passage, which of the following is a typical click fraud?

   1. A.
      Using software to block competitors’ advertisements
   2. B.
      Clicking on the pay-per-click ads of competitors
   3. C.
      Clicking on the banner advertisements of opponent companies
   4. D.
      Using search engine to attack the pages of competitors
4. 4.

   What does the author imply about the future of pay-per-performance advertising?

   1. A.
      It will eventually become less popular just like other forms of Internet advertising
   2. B.
      It will not face shortcomings due to its differing approach to online marketing
   3. C.
      Internet users will develop free software to block its effectiveness
   4. D.
      Although it improves on pay-per-click advertising, it still suffers from click fraud

1. 1.

   You will pay _____ if you want to stay in the English club for half a year

   1. A.
      300 yuan
   2. B.
      600 yuan
   3. C.
      1200 yuan
   4. D.
      2400 yuan
2. 2.

   You can visit Ocean Museum _____

   1. A.
      on Saturday
   2. B.
      on Wednesday
   3. C.
      on Monday
   4. D.
      anytime
3. 3.

   One can get free examinations in Health Centre if he is _____

   1. A.
      9
   2. B.
      17
   3. C.
      67
   4. D.
      73
4. 4.

   If you are interested in the life of fish, you should go to _____

   1. A.
      Health Centre
   2. B.
      Ocean Museum
   3. C.
      Sunny English Club
   4. D.
      16 Yong Le Street

Early this morning, I got up to make a batch of Rice Krispie Treats for my neighbor across the hall. She barely greets me when we see each other, and her sweet little boy, who's now four,  has picked up her mother's manner and will not talk to me, either．
Last Monday, she had called the firefighters when a pan I'd forgotten on the stove caused my flat to fog up while I was out taking a walk. When I came home, the street in front of our apartment house was blocked by a police car, a fire truck and an ambulance! The instant I saw them, I remembered the pan! Luckily, nothing serious had happened, and all my neighbors agreed with the firefighter who said, "It could have happened to anyone．" When I thanked the neighbor who had called the firefighters-let's call her Ivy-and apologized for causing the trouble, she just asked if my cats were all right．When I said they were fine, she said, "Well, that's ok then," and turned into her flat．l felt strangely safe, knowing that even though we don't get along, she'd done the right thing and didn't blame me．So, the Rice Krispie Treats．
Last Christmas, my neighbor carelessly let it out that she was holding a grudge （怨恨） towards me because of an incident we'd had four years ago．I had particularly apologized and asked if there was anything I could do to improve our relationship. She would not accept my apology．
It had taken me a lot of courage to apologize and ask that question instead of insisting that we both shared responsibility for what had happened．Her flat-out refusal to make amends（补偿） really shocked and saddened me．After that, I decided I'd just leave her be-a relationship takes two to work．So, you see, I was really scared she was going to refuse my offer again, leaving me standing on her doorstep, facing the closed door and holding my plate of treats． I know some people have a hard time understanding how the possibility of rejection can make an adult so afraid, but that's just the way I felt．
Then, I reminded myself of how loving and good I had felt yesterday when I'd done some random acts of kindness （thanks to helpothers．org）, after telling myself: Feet the fear,  and do it anyway! So I put the squares of Rice Krispie Treats on a beautiful plate, opened my apartment  door-and there she was, standing in the hallway．I smiled and said, "Hi," but when she saw me, she turned on her heels and went back inside, even though she seemed to have just stepped out．I went after her, regardless, and quickly said, "I'm sorry, I've got something for you ! I just wanted to tell you how grateful I am that you were paying attention on Monday．" When she heard me speaking, she turned around． As I held the plate towards her, explaining these were very sweet American treats, and that she could just try and see whether she and her family would like them, her eyebrows winged up-and she took the plate．l was so happy and excited．We then talked a bit about how she'd become aware of the smoke in my flat, and parted ways．
Back in my place, I did a "happy dance", because I had dared to be kind even though I hadn't been sure at all my kindness would be welcome．I do hope that our relationship will slowly get better; I know I was and still am biased（存有偏见）towards her at times, but even if we don't make amends, I want to be able to be kind without depending on other people's behaviors and reactions

1. 1.

   The neighbor held a grudge towards the writer most probably because_____．

   1. A.
      the writer's cats disturb her neighbor frequently
   2. B.
      the writer didn't thank her for calling the firefighters
   3. C.
      the writer never apologized to her for her misbehaviors
   4. D.
      the writer had an unpleasant experience with the neighbor long ago
2. 2.

   From Paragraph 4, we can learn that the author_____

   1. A.
      was afraid of being rejected again by her neighbor
   2. B.
      didn't know how to get along with her neighbor
   3. C.
      didn't admit it was her fault in the last incident
   4. D.
      refused to forgive her neighbor's rude behavior
3. 3.

   After the writer said "Feel the fear, and do it anyway!", she decided to_____

   1. A.
      do an act of kindness
   2. B.
      leave her neighbor be
   3. C.
      apologize to her neighbor once more
   4. D.
      do something to let her neighbor down
4. 4.

   What can we learn about the writer?

   1. A.
      She was a professional dancer．
   2. B.
      She often had quarrels with her neighbor．
   3. C.
      She had a bias against her neighbor sometimes．
   4. D.
      She had an unpleasant experience at Christmas this year．
5. 5.

   What does the author try to tell us?

   1. A.
      Don't punish yourself because of other's mistakes．
   2. B.
      We should be kind to others, regardless of their behavior．
   3. C.
      We must keep a good relationship with our neighbors．
   4. D.
      When we make a mistake, we should have the courage to admit it．

The invention of the electric telegraph gave birth to the communications industry.Although Samuel B．Morse succeeded in making the invention useful in 1837，it was not until 1843 that the first important telegraph line was constructed.By 1860 more than 50,000 miles of lines connected people east of the Rockies.The following year，San Francisco was added to the network.
The national telegraph network strengthened the ties between East and West and contributed to the rapid expansion of the railroads by providing an efficient means to monitor schedules and routes.Furthermore，the extension of the telegraph，combined with the invention of the steam-driven rotary printing press by Richard
M．Hoe in 1846，revolutionized the world of journalism.Where the business of news gathering had been dependent upon the mail and on hand-operated presses，the telegraph expanded the amount of information a newspaper could supply and allowed for more timely reporting.The creating of the Associated Press as a central wire service in 1846 marked the arrival of a new era (纪元) in journalism

1. 1.

   The main topic of the passage is ________

   1. A.
      the history of journalism
   2. B.
      the origin of the national telegraph
   3. C.
      how the telegraph network contributed to the expansion of railroads
   4. D.
      the contributions and development of the telegraph network
2. 2.

   This passage would most likely be found in a________

   1. A.
      U.S. history book
   2. B.
      book on trains
   3. C.
      science textbook
   4. D.
      computer magazine
3. 3.

   It can be inferred from the passage that ________

   1. A.
      Samuel Morse did not make a significant contribution to the communications industry
   2. B.
      Morse’s invention did not immediately achieve its full potential (潜力)
   3. C.
      the extension of the telegraph was more important than its invention
   4. D.
      journalists have the Associated Press to thank for the birth of the communications industry