C

On May 8, last Thursday morning, the Olympic flame was lit on the top of Mount Qomolangma! It was a historic moment for China exactly three months ahead of the Beijing Games.

Tibetan female climber Cering Wangmo reached the summit with a special extreme-altitude Olympic torch. This event is what China has promised to the world as the high point of the torch relay, the longest and most challenging of all time.

Five torchbearers(火炬手) finished the highest relay ever—three of the climbers are Tibetan athletes.

Team members said “Beijing welcomes you!” in Chinese, English and Tibetan, as they stood at the summit celebrating, with the event broadcast on national television.

“I finally fulfilled the last dream of my husband,” said Gyigyi with tears in her eyes. She was the first torchbearer. Her husband lost his life in an attempt to climb all 14 mountains in China more than 8,000 meters three years ago.

“We are on top of the world! One world, one dream,” shouted Nima Cering, at the top of his voice. He said that although he had climbed the peak（峰顶）several times, this was the most significant ascent(登高). “As a Tibetan and a Chinese I pray for the success of Beijing 2008,” he added.

The special torch is different from the one currently touring the Chinese mainland, after an around-the-world relay. Officials organizing the trek up the peak had earlier set an April 26 target to begin the ascent, but high winds and heavy snow had delayed the mission.

The Xinhua News Agency said that the Qomolangma leg of the torch relay represents the Olympic motto, “higher, faster and stronger,” in practice and will promote unity among all 56 ethnic groups in China.

It was a historic moment because ______.

   A. some Tibetan torchbearers took part in it

   B. it was lit three months before the Olympic Games were held 

C. it was the first time that the Olympic torch had been lit on the top of Mount Qomolangma

D. it was the longest attempt in history

Which is RIGHT according to the whole passage?

A. All the five torchbearers are men.

B. Only the five torchbearers reached the summit. 

C. Team members said “Beijing welcomes you!” in their native language.

D. At least two of the five torchbearers are females.

What does the word “leg” underlined in the last paragraph refer to?

A. One part of a journey or race.

B. One of the long parts that connect the feet to the rest of the body.

C. The leg of an animal, especially the top part, cooked and eaten.

D. The part of a pair of trousers that covers the leg.

What would be the best title for the text?

A. One world, one dream

B. Torch relay reaches its highest point

C. Qomolangma, the highest summit in the world

D. A special torch 

Where can you read about this passage?

A. In the English textbook.        

B. In the newspaper.

C. In the science report.             

D. On the street wall.

Most British people prefer to live in a house rather than a flat and one of the reasons is that houses usually have gardens. The garden is a place where people can be outside and yet private.
If a house has a front and back garden, the front is likely to be formal(正规的) and decorative(装饰性的), with a lawn (an area of grass) or fancy flower borders. The back garden usually also has a lawn and flower beds, and sometimes a vegetable plot(菜地) fruit trees. There’s often a bird table, on which food is put for birds, and a small simple house in which garden tools are kept.
Many British people spend quite a lot of money on their gardens and even the smallest may contain different kinds of flowers and plants. For them gardening is a hobby and they take pride in their gardens. Some towns and villages have competitions for the best-kept small garden. People with a small garden, or no garden at all, can rent a piece of land, on which most grow vegetables.
There are garden centers near most towns, selling everything a gardener might need, from flower pots to fish ponds as well as many types of plants.
The British interest in gardening affects the appearance of whole towns. Public parks and some roads often have bright displays of flowers in summer and public buildings have windows boxes(窗口花坛) and hanging baskets. Towns and villages enter for the Britain in Bloom competition every year.
【小题1】 According to paragraph 2, a back garden _________.

A year ago, at the annual pre-Grammy party, Whitney Houston, the great star, walked on stage and closed the evening with a brilliant performance．
Last Saturday, Houston was once again the focus before the Grammy, but her presence was a regrettable one．Earlier that day, the pop music's former queen was found dead in her hotel room．She was 48．This, no doubt, is sad news to the whole music industry and her fans all over the world．
At her peak(巅峰), Houston was the golden girl of the music world．From the mid-1980s to the late 1990s, she was one of the world's best-selling artists．She impressed audiences with her effortless, powerful and peerless performance．
Besides multi-million record sales, Houston made countless hits such as The Greatest Love of All, I Have Nothing, and the mostly famous I Will Always Love You．She also influenced a generation of younger singers, from Christina Aguilera to Mariah Carey．
But by the end of her career, there was a shocking fall for this superstar．Houston had been addicted to(上瘾) drugs．Her album sales declined (下降) and the hits stopped coming and her once beautiful voice became hoarse （嘶哑的）, unable to hit the high notes as she used to．
In 2009, Houston staged a successful comeback with the album I Look To You, which fell on top of the charts．But hoarse voice, canceled concerts, and continuous illness-Houston's comeback trail wasn't smooth at all．In an interview with Oprah Winfrey in 2009, Houston admitted: "It (show business) is too much for me and I wanted out．"
Now that Houston has finally taken a break from all the chaos(混乱), may she rest in peace．
【小题1】Whitney Houston died ______．

A newly-wed couple on a four-month honeymoon were hit by six natural disasters, including the Australian floods, Christchurch earthquake and Japanese tsunami.
Stefan and Erika Svanstrom left Stockholm, Sweden, on December 6 and were immediately stranded in Munich, Germany, due to one of Europe's worst snowstorms. Travelling with their baby daughter, they flew on to Cairns in Australia which was then struck by one of the most tremendous tonadoes in the nation's history. From there, the couple, in their 20s, were forced to shelter for 24 hours on the cement floor of a shopping centre with 2,500 others. "Trees were being knocked over and big branches were scattered across the streets," Mr Svanstrom told Sweden's Express newspaper. "We escaped by the skin of our teeth," said Svanstrom.
They then headed south to Brisbane but the city was experiencing massive flooding, so they crossed the country to Perth where they narrowly escaped raging bush fires. The couple then flew to Christchurch, New Zealand, arriving just after a massive magnitude 6.3 earthquake destroyed the city on February 22. Mrs. Svanstrom said, "When we got there the whole town was a war zone." "We could not visit the city since it was completely blocked off, so instead we travelled around before going to Japan." But days after the Svanstroms arrived, Tokyo was rocked by Japan's largest earthquake since records began. "The trembling was horrible and we saw roof tiles fly off the buildings," Mr. Svantrom said. "It was like the buildings were swaying back and forth."
The family returned to Stockholm on March 29,2011 after a much calmer visit to their last destination China. But Mr. Svanstrom, who also survived the destructive Boxing Day tsunami that hit southeast Asia in 2004, said the marriage was still going strong. He added, "I know marriages have to endure some trials, but I think we have been through most of them." "We've certainly experienced more than our fair share of catastrophes, but the most important thing is that we're together and happy." Mrs. Svantrom added: “ To say we were unlucky with the weather doesn’t really cover it! It’s so absurd that now we can only laugh.”
【小题1】How many countries did the couple visit during their honeymoon?

Most British people prefer to live in a house rather than a flat and one of the reasons is that houses usually have gardens. The garden is a place where people can be outside and yet private.

If a house has a front and back garden, the front is likely to be formal(正规的) and decorative(装饰性的), with a lawn (an area of grass) or fancy flower borders. The back garden usually also has a lawn and flower beds, and sometimes a vegetable plot(菜地) fruit trees. There’s often a bird table, on which food is put for birds, and a small simple house in which garden tools are kept.

Many British people spend quite a lot of money on their gardens and even the smallest may contain different kinds of flowers and plants. For them gardening is a hobby and they take pride in their gardens. Some towns and villages have competitions for the best-kept small garden. People with a small garden, or no garden at all, can rent a piece of land, on which most grow vegetables.

There are garden centers near most towns, selling everything a gardener might need, from flower pots to fish ponds as well as many types of plants.

The British interest in gardening affects the appearance of whole towns. Public parks and some roads often have bright displays of flowers in summer and public buildings have windows boxes(窗口花坛) and hanging baskets. Towns and villages enter for the Britain in Bloom competition every year.

1. According to paragraph 2, a back garden _________.

A．is also formal

B．has flower beds

C．doesn’t have a lawn

D．has beautiful flower borders

2.What do we know about garden centers?

A．They are in the centre of the town.

B．Each town has a garden center.

C．Gardeners can buy tools there.

D．They have gardens for rent.

3.From the last paragraph we know that _________.

A．gardening improves the appearance of British towns

B．British parks are full of flowers all year round

C．the British interest in gardening is decreasing

D．Britain in Bloom is a worldwide competition