Pingyao, in the center of Shanxi Province, is a famous historic cultural city of China and a world cultural heritage (遗产) site. It’s 90 kilometers south of Taiyuan on the Fen River.
People lived in Pingyao during the New Stone Age. Its long period as a county government seat has left Pingyao with lots of historic buildings and sites, with a 2,700-year history. Ninety-nine of them are under government protection, including Zhengguo Temple, Shuanglin Temple and Pingyao Ancient City.
During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, businessmen organized commercial (商业的) groups that did business nationwide. Shanxi Province had some of the most important ones and Pingyao was their center. In 1823, a store, known as Rishengchang (Sunrise Prosperity), traded in bank checks rather than in silver or gold coins. It was the beginning of modern Chinese banking. Branch (分支) banks were soon set up in major cities in China and other parts of Asia, leading to great development in Pingyao. Its lacquer ware (漆器) became well known.
In Pingyao Ancient City are many traditional houses and commercial buildings, 3,797 of which are protected and more than 400 of which are in good condition. Not only do the houses in Pingyao show Shanxi’s history and culture, but this large number is valuable for studying its history, customs, ancient buildings and art. Most of these houses are still used as homes and shops of local people.
In 1997, Ancient Pingyao City was listed in World Heritage List as “World Culture Heritage Site”

1.
What does the underlined word “them” (in Paragraph 2) refer to?
1. A.
  Historic buildings and sites
2. B.
  The three temples
3. C.
  The county government seats
4. D.
  The 2,700-year history
2.
Which of the following about Pingyao is NOT mentioned in the passage?
1. A.
  Its location
2. B.
  Its tourism
3. C.
  Its business
4. D.
  Its history
3.
During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, Pingyao was a leading center in _____
1. A.
  agriculture
2. B.
  raising cattle
3. C.
  commercial trade
4. D.
  making gold coins
4.
If you want to know about the history of banking in China, which of the following places should you visit?
1. A.
  Sunrise Prosperity
2. B.
  Zhengguo Temple
3. C.
  A lacquer ware store
4. D.
  A commercial house

Two traveling angels(天使) stopped to spend the night in the home of a wealthy family. The family was rude and refused to let the angels stay in the guest room. Instead the angels were given a space in the cold basement. As they made their bed on the hard floor, the older angel saw a hole in the wall and repaired it. When the younger angel asked why, the older angel replied: “Things aren’t always what they seem.”
The next night the pair came to rest at the house of a very poor but very hospitable(好客的) farmer and his wife. After sharing what little food they had, the couple let the angels sleep in their bed where they could have a good night’s rest. When the sun came up the next morning, the angels found the farmer and his wife in tears. Their only cow, whose milk had been their only income, lay dead in the field.
The younger angel was very angry and asked the older angel, “How could this happen?” Why did you not watch out for the cow? The first man had everything, yet you watched over his house,” she accused. “The second family had little but was willing to share everything, and you did not help.”
“Things aren’t always what they seem,” the older angel replied. “When we stayed in the basement, I noticed there was gold stored in that hole in the wall. Since the owner was so greedy and unwilling to share his good fortune, I asked God if I could seal(封口) the wall so he couldn’t find it. Then last night as we slept in the farmer’s bed, the angel of death came for his wife. I asked God if the angel could take the cow instead. Things aren’t always what they seem.”

1.
Why did the older angel repair the hole for the rich family?
1. A.
  Because she didn’t like the greedy owner.
2. B.
  Because she wanted to save the gold for the poor.
3. C.
  Because the basement was too cold to stay in.
4. D.
  Because she believed that one should always be ready to offer help.
2.
In paragraph two, “the pair” refers to_____________.
1. A.
  The poor couple
2. B.
  the rich couple
3. C.
  the guests
4. D.
  the angels
3.
The story tries to tell the reader that_________________.
1. A.
  angels are always ready to help the poor
2. B.
  sometimes things are not what they seem
3. C.
  angels are always ready to help the rich
4. D.
  the young should always learn from the old.

Time and how we experience it have always puzzled us.Physicists have created fascinating theories, but their time is measured by a pendulum （钟摆） and is not psychological time, which leaps with little regard to the clock or calendar.As some-one who understood the distinction observed, "When you sit with a nice girl for two hours it seems like a minute, but when you sit on a hot stove, a minute seems like two hours."
Psychologists have long noticed that larger units of time, such as months and years, fly on swifter wings as we age.They also note that the more time is structured with schedules and appointments, the more rapidly it seems to pass.For example, a day at the office flies compared with a day at the beach.Since most of us spend fewer days at the beach and more at the office as we age, an increase in structured tune could well be to blame for why time seems to speed up as we grow older.
Expectation and familiarity also make time seem to flow more rapidly.Almost all of us have had the experience of driving somewhere we’ve never been before. Surrounded by unfamiliar scenery, with no real idea of when we’ll arrive, we experience the trip as lasting a long time. But the return trip, although exactly as long, seems to take far less time. The novelty of the outward journey has become routine. Thus taking a different route on occasions can often help slow the clock.
When was become as identical as identical as beads（小珠子）on a string, they mix together, and even months become a single day. To counter this, try to find ways to interrupt the structure of your day—to stop time, so to speak.
Learning something new is one of the ways to slow the passage of time. One of the reasons the days of our youth seems so full and long is that these are the days of learning and discovery. For many of us, learning ends when we leave school, but this doesn’t have to be.

1.
The underlined sentence in Paragraph 1 is used to show .
1. A.
  psychological time is quite puzzling
2. B.
  time should not be measured by a pendulum
3. C.
  physical time is different from psychological time
4. D.
  physical theory has nothing to do with the true sense of time
2.
Why do units of time fly faster as we grow older?
1. A.
  Our sense of time changes.
2. B.
  We spend less time at the beach.
3. C.
  More time is structured and scheduled.
4. D.
  Time is structured with too many appointments.
3.
In Paragraph 3 “novelty” probably means .
1. A.
  excitement
2. B.
  unfamiliarity
3. C.
  imagination
4. D.
  amusement
4.
The purpose of the passage is to .
1. A.
  give various explanations about time
2. B.
  describe how we experience time psychologically
3. C.
  show the different ideas of physicists and psychologists on time
4. D.
  explain why time flies and how to slow it down psychologically

Last Sunday I made a visit to some new neighbors down the block. No specific purpose in mind, just an opportunity to sit at the kitchen table, have some tea and chat. As I did so, it occurred to me how rare the Sunday visit has become.
When I was a kid in the New Jersey of the 1960s, Sunday visits were routine. Most stores were closed and almost nobody worked. My family normally traveled eight city blocks to the home of my grandmother, where adults would sit on the front porch and chat while we children played hide-and-seek.
The Sunday visit was something to desire strongly. It was the repetition to church, our reward for and hour of devotion, and opportunity to take advantage of the fact that Dad was not at work, we were not in school, and there were no chores that couldn’t wait until Monday. Sunday was, indeed, which means that there was one day when everyone seemed to have time for everybody else.
Sunday as a day of rest is, or was, so deeply rooted in the culture that it’s surprising to consider that, in a short span of time, it has almost entirely lost this association.^① In my childhood, it was assumed that everyone would either be home or visit someone else’s home on Sunday. But now the question is, “What do you plan to Do this Sunday?” The answer can range from going to the mall to participating in a road to jetting to Montreal for lunch. If one were to respond, “I’m making a Sunday visit to family,” such and answer would feel strange, an echo from another era.
I suppose I should be grateful to live in Maine, a state of small towns, abundant land tight relationships. Even though folks work as hard here as they do anywhere else, the state’s powerfully rural cast（特质）still harbors at least remnants（剩余部分）of the ethic of yesterday’s America, where people had to depend on one another in the face of economic vagaries（反复无常的情况）and a challenging environment.^②

1.
The writer’s general impression of the Sunday in the past was a day when_________.
1. A.
  everyone would pay a visit to some relative far away
2. B.
  everyone seemed to be free and could have some leisure
3. C.
  Dad was not at work while Mom was busy cleaning the house
4. D.
  nearly every adult would go to church and children were not at school
2.
What can we learn from the underlined sentence in paragraph 4?
1. A.
  People nowadays prefer staying at home on Sunday
2. B.
  People in the city dislike being disturbed on Sunday
3. C.
  Such answers are rarely heard in our modern society
4. D.
  Visiting someone on Sunday might take a lot of time
3.
From the last paragraph we may infer that people in Maine____________.
1. A.
  suffer more from economic depression and the changed environment
2. B.
  have abandoned their tradition and lived an absolute new life
3. C.
  have tense relationships with each other
4. D.
  always help each other when they are in need
4.
What is the writer’s attitude towards the Sunday today?
1. A.
  Unsatisfied
2. B.
  confused
3. C.
  Respectful
4. D.
  Thankful

Obama Still Smokes in Secret
US President Barack Obama has just made life more difficult for cigarette makers. He has just signed a law that will set tough new rules for the tobacco industry. The new law gives the US Food and Drug Administration the power to strictly limit the making and marketing of tobacco products.
At a White House signing ceremony Monday, Obama said that he was among the nearly 90% of smokers who took up the habit before their 18 th birthday.
Obama, who has publicly struggled to give up smoking, said he still hadn’t completely kicked the habit. Every now and then he still smokes in secret.
“As a former smoker I struggle with it all the time. Do I still smoke sometimes? Yes. Am I a daily smoker, a constant smoker? No.” Obama said at a news conference.
“I don' t do it in front of my lads.I don ?t do it in front of my family.I would say that I am 95% cured, but there are times when I mess up, " he said.
"Once you go down this path, it' s something you continually struggle with, which is exactly why the law is so important.The new law is not about me, it' s about the next generation of kids coming up.What we don ' t want is kids going down that path," he said.
Nearly 20% of Americans smoke and tobacco use kills about 440,000 people a year in the United States due to cancer, heart disease, and other serious diseases.

1.
The new law makes life difficult for .
1. A.
  Obama
2. B.
  tobacco industry
3. C.
  White House
4. D.
  US Food and Drug Administration
2.
What do we know about Obama?
1. A.
  He no longer smokes.
2. B.
  He still smokes as usual.
3. C.
  He began to smoke at eighteen.
4. D.
  He is trying hard to give up smoking.
3.
According to the passage, Obama is most concerned about .
1. A.
  children
2. B.
  officials
3. C.
  his family
4. D.
  Businessmen

Thanks a Million, Dad
I was born disabled.A difficult birth, feet first, my head stuck.By my first birthday, I couldn't stand or walk.
When I was three, the doctor told dad I had cerebral palsy （脑瘫）.A loss of oxygen to my brain had destroyed brain signals to the right side of my body.
But no son of my dad' s was going to be disabled.Every morning before breakfast and every evening before bed, my dad placed me on the bedroom floor to exercise my right leg.The muscles were shrunk and twisted together.Back and forth up and down, my dad pushed and pulled the muscles into shape.
But my dad' s exercise of passion didn't stop there.For my 13th birthday, he threw me a special party.When everybody was gone, he brought me to open a large box, it was a-set of boxing gloves.We put them on.My dad kept on beating me mercilessly.Each time I tried to get up, leather kissed my nose, eyes and jaw.I "begged him to stop. He said he beat me to get me ready for the tough world.
That same year, I was the only kid in my neighborhood that wasn't picked for Little League. Two weeks later.Dad started the Shedd Park Minor League, and every kid played.Dad coached us and made me a pitcher （棒球投手）.
The power of my dad' s love guaranteed I walked and more.In high school, I became a football star.
In 1997, a brain surgeon in San Jose told me I didn’t t have cerebral palsy after all.He explained how and where the doctor' s forceps （镊子） at birth had damaged my brain.
My dad never knew the whole truth since he passed away years ago.But all that counts is the bottom line.After all his madness, on this Father' s Day, like every Father' s Day, I' m no longer disabled.

1.
What caused the author' s disability?
1. A.
  A failed operation.
2. B.
  The doctor's forceps.
3. C.
  An accident in a game.
4. D.
  Shrunken and twisted muscles.
2.
What do we learn from the passage?
1. A.
  The author has a talent for boxing.
2. B.
  The author achieved a lot thanks to his father' s love.
3. C.
  The author became a baseball star with the help of his father.
4. D.
  The author doesn't think his father should be so strict with him.
3.
Paragraph 3 suggests that the author' s father____.
1. A.
  wouldn't give up hope easily
2. B.
  believed his son was a normal child
3. C.
  blamed the doctors for his son' s disability
4. D.
  couldn't accept the truth that his son was disabled
4.
The author wrote the passage to ____.
1. A.
  remember his father
2. B.
  encourage disabled children
3. C.
  show the difficulty the disabled face
4. D.
  give advice to the parents of disabled children

Secondhand smoke isn’t just a health threat to people.It can also hurt dogs and cats，veterinarians say.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention，more than 126 million Americans who don't smoke are exposed to secondhand smoke in their homes，vehicles，workplaces，and public places.This exposure causes thousands of lung cancer and heart disease deaths among nonsmokers every year，according to the California Environmental Protection Agency.
“Making the leap from the effects of secondhand smoke on humans to their effects on pets isn't a big one,” says veterinarian （兽医专家） Carolynn MacAllister of Oklahoma State University.
“There have been a number of scientific papers recently that have reported the significant health threat secondhand smoke poses to pets,” MacAllister said.“Secondhand smoke has been associated with oral cancer and lymphoma in cats，lung and nasal cancer in dogs，as well as lung cancer in birds.”
Studies have also shown that dogs living in a smoking household are susceptible to cancers of the nose and sinus area，particularly if they are a long-nosed breed，because their noses have a greater surface area that is exposed to carcinogens and a greater area for them to accumulate.Dogs affected with nasal cancer normally don't survive for more than one year.
“Short and medium-nosed dogs are more susceptible to lung cancer，because their shorter nasal passage aren't as effective at accumulating the inhaled secondhand smoke carcinogens,” MacAllister said.“This results in more carcinogens （致癌物质） reaching the lungs.”
Birds are also at risk for lung cancer，as well as pneumonia，because their respiratory systems are hypersensitive to any type of air pollutant.
To help prevent animals from being adversely affected by smoking，pet owners who smoke should have a designated smoking area that is separated from the home or stop smoking altogether，MacAllister said.

1.
From the passage，we can see secondhand smoke maybe not harmful to _______.
1. A.
  smokers
2. B.
  non-smokers
3. C.
  pets
4. D.
  trees
2.
What can be suggested according to the passage?
1. A.
  Smokers can smoke anywhere.
2. B.
  Smokers can smoke at any time.
3. C.
  Smokers should smoke in the designated place.
4. D.
  Smokers must give up smoking at once.
3.
What kind of dogs are likely to suffer from nasal cancer?
1. A.
  Long-nosed dogs
2. B.
  Short-nosed dogs
3. C.
  Medium-nosed dogs
4. D.
  Dogs without noses
4.
The best title of the passage is __________.
1. A.
  Secondhand Smoke Causes Cancer in People
2. B.
  Secondhand Smoke Causes Cancer in Birds
3. C.
  Secondhand Smoke Causes Cancer in Pets
4. D.
  Secondhand Smoke Causes Cancer in Cats
5.
What is the meaning of the underlined phrase “are susceptible to”?
1. A.
  are likely to be harmed by
2. B.
  are hard to be influenced by
3. C.
  are less to be effected by
4. D.
  are lucky to be caught by

Everybody knows that words can carry messages. People communicate with words. Books, magazines, TV ，radio and films all help us to know what is going on in the world and what people are thinking about.
Do you think you can communicate without words? A smile on your face shows you are happy or friendly. Tears in your eyes tell others that you are sad. When you put up your hand in class, the teacher knows that you say something or ask a question. You shake your head, and people know you are saying “No”. You nod and people know you are saying “Yes”.
Other things can also carry messages. For example, a sign at the bus stop helps you to know which bus to take. A sign on the wall of your school helps you to find the library. Signs on doors tell you where to go in or out. Have you ever noticed there are a lot of signs around you and you receive messages from them all the time? People can communicate in many ways without words. For example, an artist can use his drawings to tell about beautiful mountains, seas and many other things.

1.
Choose the best title for this passage.
1. A.
  Ways for Communication.
2. B.
  The Best Way for Communication.
3. C.
  The Only Way for Communication.
4. D.
  Words Can Carry Messages.
2.
How can people communicate with each other?
1. A.
  With words only
2. B.
  Only without words.
3. C.
  Either with words or without words.
4. D.
  Just by using different kinds of signs.
3.
Which of the following is NOT a way for communication without words?
1. A.
  A cry for help
2. B.
  A smile on your face
3. C.
  Making a face
4. D.
  Nodding your head
4.
What does the road sign P tell people?
1. A.
  You can go into the park.
2. B.
  You can please everybody.
3. C.
  You can leave your car there.
4. D.
  You can cross the street there.
5.
How can a musician (someone who writes music) communicate with people?
1. A.
  By saying something.
2. B.
  By playing some music.
3. C.
  By writing letters.
4. D.
  All of the above are right.

WASHINGTON -Tofu（豆腐）and Soyaburgers (豆饼) may be coming to American school lunch menus. What will the kids say? “Terrible,” said Greg Dudzinski, 17, of Ripon High School in Wisconsin, as he toured the US capital.
“The regular hamburgers are bad enough, so soyaburgers would be a lot worse, offered Zach Richey, 13, of Scottsboro Junior High in Alabama, another tourist. But the United States government – hoping to reduce the amount of fat that children are eating –has approved the use of soy as a meat substitute in meals for schools and day-care centers.Not all kids dislike the change. Mariel Spano, 17, of sandy Greek High School in New York, also visiting the capital, said she likes soyaburgers：“There is less fat, and they are better for you… They taste the same, and they are just as good.”
The government tried to make soy a meat substitute nearly 20 years ago, but later dropped the idea.At the time, the plan was intended as a cost-cutting move. US Agriculture Department officials say that their purpose now is only to make meals healthier.Schools are likely to increase the amount of soy that is mixed with hamburgers and other foods already on their menus, and they will also be looking for food companies to develop new soy products that children will like. “I can’t see putting tofu on a student’s plate and having a good acceptance. I can see taking a product that is familiar to the students and adding a large amount of soy to it and having it to be acceptable,” said Jill Benza, director of food services for the Mesa, Arizona schools.

1.
What is the newspaper report mainly about?
1. A.
  The difficulty in using soy products for US schools.
2. B.
  Various opinions on soy products for US schools.
3. C.
  The plan that is made by the US government for school lunch.
4. D.
  Healthy foods for students in US schools.
2.
Where did the interviews most probably take place?
1. A.
  In food companies.
2. B.
  In schools.
3. C.
  In Washington.
4. D.
  In some other states.
3.
We may learn from the text that _________________________.
1. A.
  soyaburgers taste better than hamburgers.
2. B.
  hamburgers are healthier than soyaburgers.
3. C.
  soyaburgers cost less than hamburgers.
4. D.
  hamburgers cost less than soyaburgers.
4.
What Jill Benza said shows that ___________________________.
1. A.
  students have not yet been used to soy products.
2. B.
  it is hardly possible to make soy products popular.
3. C.
  he does not like the change in meals for students.
4. D.
  schools are unwilling to change the lunch menus.

New Year’s Eve is a time to celebrate and enter the new year with a smile on your face. This year, there’re plenty of local activities for all ages and interests, so the smiles will come easily.
BLUE CONCERT
Blues band the Coyotes is playing at the Dance Barn，at 8 Barn View in Sudden Valley, The show will start at 9 p. m. and benefit the charity Bikers Fighting Cancer. Tickets cost $10 in advance and $15 at the door. Call 224-2308 for more information.
NEW YEAR’S LAUGHS
Ring in the New Year and laugh out the old one at the Upfront Theatre Comic improvisers will hit on all the highlights of the year with The Last Laugh of 2008. The 9 p. m. show will cost $15 and is open to all ages. The 11 P. m. show is to 21 and older and costs $18, which includes a champagne (香槟酒) toast. Call 733-8855 for more information.
MAZE
For a fun activity earlier in the evening，walk the labyrinth (迷宫) at the Leopold Crystal Bellroom. Wander through the maze, based on the French Chartres Cathedral, for free from 4 to 9 P. m. Call 752-0048 for more information.
COUNTRY DANCING
At the Bellingham Eagles Hall, live local music will help get the dance started at 8 p. m. Tickets are $15 for adults, $10 for students and free for kids 12 and younger. For more information, call 676-1554.

1.
In what way do these activities have in common?
1. A.
  They’re all held in the same day.
2. B.
  They’re all held by the same organization.
3. C.
  They’re all organized for children.
4. D.
  They’re all about the dancing and music.
2.
Which of the following activities may be free for Tom aged 16?
1. A.
  COUNTRY DANCING.
2. B.
  NEW YEAR'S LAUGHS.
3. C.
  MAZE.
3.
If you want to know something about the Coyotes at 8 Barn view, you'd better call _______.
1. A.
  676-1554
2. B.
  733-8855
3. C.
  752-0048
4. D.
  224-2308
4.
Which of the followings will be the highlights of NEW YEAR'S LAUGHS?
1. A.
  Wander through the maze.
2. B.
  The champagne toast.
3. C.
  Its live music.
4. D.
  The Last Laugh of 2008.
5.
It can be inferred from the text that ___________.
1. A.
  $10 is enough to book a ticket to Blue Concert
2. B.
  you can read the text on a telephone book
3. C.
  all these activities are international ones
4. D.
  New Year’s Laughs will hold shows three times

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What does the underlined word “them” (in Paragraph 2) refer to?

Which of the following about Pingyao is NOT mentioned in the passage?

During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, Pingyao was a leading center in _____

If you want to know about the history of banking in China, which of the following places should you visit?

Why did the older angel repair the hole for the rich family?

In paragraph two, “the pair” refers to_____________.

The story tries to tell the reader that_________________.

The underlined sentence in Paragraph 1 is used to show .

Why do units of time fly faster as we grow older?

In Paragraph 3 “novelty” probably means .

The purpose of the passage is to .

The writer’s general impression of the Sunday in the past was a day when_________.

What can we learn from the underlined sentence in paragraph 4?

From the last paragraph we may infer that people in Maine____________.

What is the writer’s attitude towards the Sunday today?

The new law makes life difficult for .

What do we know about Obama?

According to the passage, Obama is most concerned about .

What caused the author' s disability?

What do we learn from the passage?

Paragraph 3 suggests that the author' s father____.

The author wrote the passage to ____.

From the passage，we can see secondhand smoke maybe not harmful to _______.

What can be suggested according to the passage?

What kind of dogs are likely to suffer from nasal cancer?

The best title of the passage is __________.

What is the meaning of the underlined phrase “are susceptible to”?

Choose the best title for this passage.

How can people communicate with each other?

Which of the following is NOT a way for communication without words?

What does the road sign P tell people?

How can a musician (someone who writes music) communicate with people?

What is the newspaper report mainly about?

Where did the interviews most probably take place?

We may learn from the text that _________________________.

What Jill Benza said shows that ___________________________.

In what way do these activities have in common?

Which of the following activities may be free for Tom aged 16?

If you want to know something about the Coyotes at 8 Barn view, you'd better call _______.

Which of the followings will be the highlights of NEW YEAR'S LAUGHS?

It can be inferred from the text that ___________.

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