I am wearing a small red ribbon this morning to remind myself and others around me that today is World AIDS Day.
The red ribbon, an international symbol of AIDS awareness, is gaining increasing public recognition as more Chinese, from top leaders to movie stars, wear it today.
Gone were the days when the topic of HIV/AIDS was a public and media taboo(禁忌). Over the past few years, we have watched, read and heard many stories from doctors, volunteers and public health officials at the forefront of HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment.
Quite a few people with HIV/AIDS have come forward to share their experiences on TV or in the media.
The local and central governments have become more forthcoming (be helpful) with their new prevention and treatment programmes, and financial input. The latter rose from less than 1 million yuan (US$ 121,000) in 1986 to a pledge of 800 million yuan (US$98.8 million) in the year of 2006.
The change from silence to public and media campaigns with official promises has been remarkable, especially since China battled through the SARS crisis.
But have we got a full grip on HIV/AIDS? What do we know about the extent of HIV/AIDS in China?
The figures, ranging from confirmed cases to estimates, remain debated. After all, no more than a year has passed since the policy of free medical tests was made public. Unknown numbers from the high-risk groups: drug addicts and people working in sex- related places as well as farmers who once sold blood could still be reluctant to come forward.
69. What does the red ribbon stand for?
A. AIDS                         B. World AIDS Day
C. AIDS awareness                 D. AIDS prevention and treatment
70. Which of the following is Not true according to the text?
A. The topic of HIV/AIDS was a public and media taboo in the past.
B. The topic of HIV/AIDS is now still a public and media taboo.
C. Now a lot of people with HIV/AIDS have come forward to share their experiences on TV.
D. The writer wears a small red ribbon because today is World AIDS Day.
71. In paragraph 5 “the latter” refers to ____________________.
A. financial input                     B. new prevention programmes
C. new treatment programmes           D. the central governments
72. We can learn from the text that high-risk groups of HIV/AIDS in China include the following EXCEPT __________________.
A. drug addicts                 B. people working in sex-related place
C. farmer who once sold blood    D. people getting close to those affected with HIV/AIDS

STRANGERS parties go wild these days. The main idea of them is to never let the people know who their matches are until the last minute. These are some popular practices that are storming the world’s youth on this V-day.
Speed dating
It’s exactly what the name implies. Complete with a timer, a whistle and 50 willing singles, speed dating is not the traditional dinner and a movie type of first date. Singles pay US $35 for three minutes with more than two dozen future dates. They ask questions and try to get to know each other. At the sound of a whistle, they do the same thing all over again―25 times in all.
Lock and key party
Women are given a lock and men are given a key, upon arriving at the party. Each key and lock has several matches. One can hunt for his/her later-to-be sweetheart in various groups, and try out the key or lock. Each time a lock and key match the pair are entered into a ballot (票数） for top prizes!
Dinner in the dark
Waiters wearing night vision glasses guide the guests through the pitch-black dining room. They are seated at the table and familiarized with the wine glass and plate. Food is handled with the fingers. People will not see the food they are eating or the guests at their table until the dessert course. At that moment, dining partners will appear.
Message party
Have A Cocktail, Leave A Message! When you arrive, you get a tag with a number and a pad of post-it notes. If you see someone you like, write a message on the message board. But wait… You’ve got a message… Go and collect it! You can make new friends and win lots of gifts. The more messages you leave on the bulletin board, the more chances you have of winning prizes.
【小题1】What do you think the similarities of these parties are?

A．All the parties have very strict rules for their members.

B．If you want to go to any of the parties, you have to buy a ticket.

C．All the parties are aimed at strangers who want to be lovers.

D．All the parties are suitable not only for the young but for the old.

If you ask most Americans, they would say their favorite season of the year is summer. The weather is warm. They do not have to wear heavy clothes to keep warm. Young people do not have to go to school. They can do many activities outside, like playing sports and swimming at the beach or the pool. They like the sunshine during the day and the warm summer nights. People have written and recorded hundreds of songs about summer. These are some of our favorites.
One of the most famous songs about summer is from George Gershwin’s opera “Porgy and Bess”. He wrote the music in nineteen thirty-five. The opera takes place in the southern United States. It opens with these words: “Summertime and the living’ is easy. Fish are jumping’ and the cotton is high.” Leontyne Price sings the song.
The nineteen fifties and sixties produced many songs about teenagers enjoying their summer vacation from school. The songs are about having fun, swimming in the ocean, driving in cars. However, for some teenagers, summer vacation was not all fun and games. Some of them had to work to earn money.
【小题1】Why did people write and record so many songs about summer?

第三部分：阅读理解（共15小题，每小题2分，满分30分)
John was waiting for the girl whose heart he knew，but whose face he didn’t，the girl with the rose．Thirteen months ago，in a Florida library he took a book off the shell and found himself interested in the notes in the margin(页边)．The soft handwriting showed a thoughtful soul and insightful(有洞察力的)mind．
In front of the book，he discovered the name，Miss Hollis Maynell. With time and effort he got her address．He wrote her a letter introducing himself and inviting her to keep in touch．  
During the next year and one month the two grew to know each other through the mail． A romance started．John requested a photograph，but she refused．She felt that if he really cared, it wouldn’t matter what she looked like．Later they agreed on their first meeting—7:00 pm at Grand Central Station in New York．
“You’ll recognize me,” she wrote，“by the red rose I’ll be wearing my coat.” So at 7：00 he was in the station looking for the girl with the red rose．
A girl in a green suit was coming toward him，her figure long and slim and her eyes were blue as flowers．Almost uncontrollably he came to her，and just at this moment he saw Hollis Maynell—a woman well past 40．The girl was walking quickly away．
He did not hesitate(犹豫)，saying，“I’m John，and you must be Miss Maynell．I am so glad you could meet me. May I take you to dinner?”
The woman smiled, “I don’t know what this is about，son，” she answered，“but the young lady in the green suit begged me to wear this rose on my coat．And she said if you were to ask me out to dinner，I should tell you that she is waiting for you in the restaurant across the street．She said it was some kind of test!”    
56．Which of the following statements is TRUE?
A．John once met Miss Maynell somewhere before．
B．Miss Maynell was not honest．
C．John didn’t know who Miss Maynell really was when he spoke to the woman．
D．John and Miss Maynell kept in touch by telephone before they met．
57．From the last paragraph，we can learn that          ．
A．the woman was waiting to be asked to dinner by John
B．the woman past 40 was Miss Maynell’s close friend
C．the woman wearing the red rose on her coat was Miss Maynell
D．Miss Maynell wanted to test John before they met
58．How did John learn about Miss Maynell at first?
A．They talked with each other on the Internet．
B．John knew her name while reading in a library．
C．They met each other in a bookstore．
D．The woman well past 40 years introduced them to each other．
59．From the passage，we can infer that             ．
A．Miss Maynell would accept John as her boyfriend
B．Miss Maynell used to work in the library
C．John regretted not greeting the girl in green
D．John loved Miss Maynell because of her good looks

In nineteen ninety-nine, twelve percent of public elementary schools in the United States required students to wear uniforms. Just three years later, estimates were almost double that.
A study of six big-city Ohio public schools showed students who were required to wear uniforms had improved graduation, behavior and attendance rates. Academic performance was unchanged.
Some middle and high schools in Texas have also joined the movement. Yet studies find mixed results from requiring uniforms. And some schools have turned away from such policies.
Supporters believe dressing the same creates a better learning environment and safer schools. The school district in Long Beach, California, was the first in the country to require uniforms in all elementary and middle schools. The example helped build national interest in uniforms as a way to deal with school violence and improve learning.
Findings in Long Beach suggested that the policy resulted in fewer behavior problems and better attendance. But researcher Viktoria Stamison, who has looked at those findings, says they were based only on opinions about the effects of uniforms.
She says other steps taken at the same time to improve schools in Long Beach and statewide could have influenced the findings. The district increased punishments for misbehavior. And California passed a law to reduce class sizes.
In Florida, for example, researcher Sharon Pate found that uniforms seemed to improve behavior and reduce violence. In Texas, Eloise Hughes found fewer discipline problems among students required to wear uniforms, but no effect on attendance.
Sociologist David Brunsma has studied school uniform policies since nineteen ninety-eight. He collected the reports in the book. In his own study, he found that reading and mathematics performance dropped after a school in rural Pennsylvania required uniforms.
Political and community pressures may persuade schools to go to uniforms to improve learning. But David Brunsma and others believe there is not enough evidence of a direct relationship. In fact, he says requiring uniforms may even increase discipline problems.
52. What’s the main idea of this passage?
A. More and more students are required to wear uniforms in the US.
B. Wearing uniforms contributes to good academic performance.
C. Researchers in the US argue for school uniform policies.
D. Evidence for school uniform policies in the US is seen as weak.
53. Which was/were the first in the US to require uniforms in all elementary and middle schools?
A. Six big-city Ohio public schools.
B. The school district in Long Beach, California.
C. Some middle and high schools in Texas.
D. Some elementary and middle schools in Florida.
54. Which of the following researchers are NOT supporters of school uniform policies?
A. Viktoria Stamison and Sharon Pate.  
B. Sharon Pate and David Brunsma.
C. Eloise Hughes and Sharon Pate.  
D. Viktoria Stamison and David Brunsma.
55. The underlined word “misbehavior” in the sixth paragraph probably means ______.
A. serious crime            B. bad performance
C. absence for class       D. action against wearing uniforms
56. We can infer from the passage that ______.
A. more work is needed to get better information about uniform’s effect
B. the number of schools requiring uniforms in the US will decline sharply
C. wearing uniforms has little to do with behavior and learning
D. politicians and communities won’t vote for uniform policies