American schools begin in September after a long summer holiday. There are two terms in a school year;
the first term is from September to January, and the second is from February to June. Most American children
begin to go to school when they are five years old. Most children are seventeen or eighteen years old when
they finish high school.
    High school students take only five or six subjects each term. They usually go to the same class every day,
and they have homework for every class. After class, they do a lot of interesting things.
    After high school, many students go to colleges. They usually have to pay a lot of money. So many college
students work after class to get money for their studies.

1. In America, summer holidays begin in           .

A. September
B. July
C. May
D. February

2. When a boy is six years old, he           .

A. has to stay at home
B. can go to high school
C. is old enough to go to school
D. always plays at home

3. In American high school students            after class.

A. do the homework
B. go to work
C. play basketball
D. do many interesting things

4. In order to (为了)           , many American college students work after class.

A. help their parents
B. get money for their studies
C. help others
D. learn some useful things

5. Which is right?

A. American students usually have a two-month holiday.
B. American students have three terms in a year.
C. A ten-year-old child usually has six subjects at school.
D. American students don't like to go to school.

    A giant panda from the Beijing Zoo has been saved by a transfusion of blood from two black bears. But
it's still under special care, according to the Beijing Zoo.
    Yong Liang, two years old, is the first giant panda raised from birth in the zoo. Last month zoo keepers
found the panda was suffering from serious anaemia (贫血症), calling for urgent (紧急的) blood transfusion.
    The best way, according to the zoo's experts, to save Yong Liang from anemia would have been to
transfuse blood from another panda. But it was the breeding (reproducing) (繁殖) season for giant pandas,
making such a transfusion very difficult.
    But the experts found that there exists (存在) a close consanguinity (血缘) between giant pandas and black
bears, and so they decided to try to take blood from black bears in the zoo and transfuse it to Yong Liang.
    With the help of hospitals and the Beijing Blood Donor Station, they made an experiment which proved that
the red blood cells (细胞) in the blood of black bears can be used.
    On the afternoon of February 15th, the first red blood cell transfusion was given to the giant panda, from
600 ml of black bear blood. Immediately the young panda started to recover.

1. From the passage we can infer "transfusion of blood" means           .

A. 抽血
B. 供血
C. 运血
D. 输血

2. The best title of the article should be           .

A. Bear Blood Saves Panda
B. A Successful Transfusion
C. Protecting Giant Pandas
D. Yong Liang-A Giant Panda

3. Which of the following is not true according to the article?

A. After the special transfusion, the young panda began to regain health.
B. The 2-year-old panda must have been born in the Beijing Zoo.
C. Giant pandas and black bears are of the same race (种族).
D. The transfusion was based on scientific research and experiments.

4. They decided to try another way instead of the best way to save the panda because           .

A. it was the breeding season for the panda, Yong Liang
B. other pandas were producing young at that time
C. it was difficult to find other pandas
D. blood of pandas was too expensive

5. This article must be taken from           .

A. a doctor's diary
B. a medical book
C. China Daily (中国日报)
D. a story book

                                                 Once in a Lifetime Twice As Good
      I can already hear firecrackers in the distance as the New Year begins. It is time to celebrate 2005.
This is a brand new year for those of us who follow the Western calendar. Of course, according to the
lunar calendar, the firecrackers will not sound for the New Year until February when the year of Rooster
(公鸡) officially begins. I feel lucky to live in Shanghai because I can celebrate two different New Years.
I am looking forward to learning about the traditions of Chinese New Year.
     At home in Canada, everyone in my family writes down their predictions (预言) for the next year.
Then we hide them away for an entire (完整的) year (no peeking!) and read them on New Year's Day.
I didn't predict that I would be living in Shanghai, China this year and if I had, I would never have predicted
that I would be enjoying life here so much. (Better luck next year with my predictions!)
     I think I'll play it safe this year and predict that many new buildings will go up in my neighbourhood in
Gubei! That is a prediction that is sure to come true, here in the fastest-growing city in the world! Another
tradition at the New Year is writing down all those resolutions (决心). So here I go! I have some plans for
the New Year that I intended (打算) to keep. For example, I plan to work much harder on learning Chinese.
It is not an easy language, but living here gives me a once in a lifetime opportunity to really learn it. So, I
plan to apply myself, yes I do. 
     I will use a new Chinese phrase every day when I am out in the city. My second resolution is to get rid
of the habit of procrastination (拖延)! I am one of those people who always leave things to the last minute
and that has got to change! No more staying up late to finish my homework at the last minute.
     Let's not call it procrastination in China, but a month's grace period on New Year' resolutions. Whatever,
Happy 2005!

1. The year of Rooster begins ______.

A. on January 1st
B. in February of the western calendar
C. on the Chinese New Year's Eve
D. on the first day of the Western calendar

2. The writer is ______.

3. Which of the following is NOT true?

A. The writer believes that Shanghai is developing fastest in the world.
B. The writer lives in Gubei, a neighbourhood in Shanghai.
C. The writer is sure there will.
D. The writer expects a much.

4. Which of the following is true?

A. The writer did not write down her resolutions.
B. The writer intended not to keep her plans.
C. The writer was determined to learn Chinese well.
D. The writer thinks Chinese is easy to learn.

A. use a new Chinese phrase every day
B. use her time very wisely
C. change her habit of procrastination
D. leave things to the last minute