Jamie Oliver has been invited by Gordon Brown to prepare a banquet at No.10 for President Barack Obama and other leaders of the G20，offering a cut-price menu to reflect times when trade and industry are far from prosperous and the rate of employment is decreasing．
Downing Street sources say Oliver, the well-known chef, will cook using“honest high—street products”and avoid expensive or“fancy”ingredients(材料).
The prime minister is trying to avoid a repeat of the embarrassment last year when he sat down to an 18-course banquet at a Japanese summit to discuss world food shortages．
Obama，President Nicolas Sarkozy of France，Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany and other leaders will be served by apprentices(学徒)from Fifteen，the London restaurant Oliver founded to help train young people in poverty in order to make a living by mastering a skill.
Brown wants the dinner to reflect the emphasis of the London summit，which he hopes will lead to an agreement to lift the world out of depression．“To be invited to cook for such an important group of people，who are trying to solve some of the world’s major problems, is really a privilege,”said Oliver，“I’m hoping the menu I'm working on will show British food and produce is some of the best in the world，but also show we have pioneered a high-quality apprentice scheme at Fifteen London that is giving young people a skill to be proud of．”
The chef has not yet finalized the menu，but is expected to draw inspiration from his latest book, Jamie's Ministry of Food，which has budget recipes for beef and ale stew(啤酒炖菜)and “impressive” chocolate fudge cake.
56. What can we learn about Oliver from the text?
A．He is a well-known American cook．
B．He is invited to attend the G20 summit．
C．He has founded the Fifteen London．
D.  He is one of the apprentices serving leaders of the G20.
57．The menu of the banquet for the leaders of the G20 is supposed to        .
A．include all delicious British food
B．use inexpensive produce with special characteristics
C．be rich，varied and of high quality
D．imitate the menu of last Japanese summit
58．Which of the following is TRUE according to the text?
A．Oliver is honored to be invited to cook for the G20 leaders.
B.  Altogether three presidents are mentioned in the text.
C．President Barak Obama offers the cut-price menu.
D．The menu for the G20 dinner banquet has been decided.
59．What is the Fifteen London?
A．an apartment in London                 B．a luxurious restaurant in London
C．a restaurant as well as a training center    D．a famous avenue

Jamie Oliver has been invited by Gordon Brown to prepare a banquet at No．10 for President Barack Obama and other leaders of the G20, offering a cut-price menu to reflect times when trade and industry are far from prosperous and the rate of employment is decreasing.

Downing Street sources say Oliver, the well-known chef, will cook using "honest high-street products" and avoid expensive or "fancy" ingredients.

The prime minister is trying to avoid a repeat of the embarrassment last year when he sat down to an 18-course banquet at a Japanese summit to discuss world food shortages．

Obama, President Nicolas Sarkozy of France, Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany and other leaders will be served by apprentices （学徒） from Fifteen, the London restaurant Oliver founded to help train young people in poverty in order to make a living by mastering a skill.

Brown wants the dinner to reflect the emphasis of the London summit, which he hopes will lead to an agreement to lift the world out of recession．"To be invited to cook for such an important group of people, who are trying to solve some of the world's major problems, is really a privilege," said Oliver.

"I'm hoping the menu I'm working on will show British food and produce is some of the best in the world, but also show we have pioneered a high-quality apprentice scheme at Fifteen London that is giving young people a skill to be proud of."

The chef has not yet finalized me menu, but is expected to draw inspiration from his latest book, Jamie's Ministry of Food, which has budget recipes for beef and ale stew （啤酒炖菜） and "impressive" chocolate fudge cake. (286 words)

What can we learn about Oliver from the text?

       A．He is a well-known American cook．

       B．He is invited to attend the G20 summit．

       C．He has founded the Fifteen London．

       D．He is one of the apprentices serving leaders of the G20.

The menu of the banquet for the leaders of the G20 is supposed to ____．

       A．include all delicious British food

       B．use inexpensive produce with special characteristics

       C．be rich, varied and of high quality

       D．imitate the menu of last Japanese summit

Which of the following is TRUE according to the text?

       A．Oliver is honored to be invited to cook for the G20 leaders.

       B．Altogether three presidents are mentioned in the text．

       C．President Barack Obama offers the cut-price menu．

       D．The menu for the G20 dinner banquet has been decided．

What is the Fifteen London?

       A．an apartment in London．                    B．a luxurious restaurant in London．

       C．a restaurant as well as a training center．        D．a famous avenue.

Before astronauts can go into space, they have to have the right suit. That’s why NASA（美国国家航天和航空局）scientists are developing a new kind of space suit——lighter and more flexible than before. These new space suits will have lots of mobility(灵活性) for the astronauts, but will not need much maintenance. NASA wants the suits to include new technology that can help astronauts be safe in outer space.
Right now, the American space suit weighs about 275 pounds and is big and massive. But the suit is also easy to work in for long periods of time. The Russian space suit is less complicated, but is used only a few times and then gets thrown away.
“Finding the right balance is always going to be a challenge,” said a long-time astronaut Jeff Williams. Williams has worn both types of suits. Space suits protect astronauts from both extreme heat and freezing temperatures. They carry life-packs with oxygen for the astronauts. They also shield astronauts from radiation, or particles that send out harmful rays.
Scientists are using computers to design the new suits. This allows them to change the design again and again, and to even test the design out before actually making anything. “There’s a lot more capable tools and technology to get the job done——a lot more knowledge, as well,” said Joe Kosmo. Kosmo helped design, develop, and test suits during the Mercury, Gemini, Apollo, Skylab, and shuttle periods.
These new space suits will be much lighter and use a new kind of complex material. They also will have a smaller life support backpack, thanks to tiny electronics. NASA hopes to have the first prototypes(原型) in development by 2010 and certify(证明) the suit by 2012. This will be in time for the launch of the Orion spaceship in 2014.
【小题1】 What characteristic does the new space suit have?

There are all kinds of dolls in the shop. _________ she wants, the little girl’s parents are ready to buy it for her.

 A. However        B. Whatever      C. Whichever          D. Whenever

In the UK, students’ residence halls are run as profit-making business, but this can occasionally be to students’ disadvantage.

As many universities choose to contract out their hall’s management to private companies, room rents are rising and student rights are suffering.

In 2006, 55 percent of student rooms were managed by private companies — only 27 percent by universities and colleges, the National Union of Students (NUS) has reported.

These private companies are improving the hall’s facilities in return for higher room rents. The most noticeable example of this trend is the growth in luxury halls. These are halls for students willing to pay more for larger rooms with better services.

Chancellors Court, at Edinburgh University in Scotland, is one such luxury hall. Rooms are divided between standard and large, with larger rooms costing 173 pounds each week, 40 pounds more than smaller rooms. They come with a scenic view, color TV, fast Internet connection and a modern bathroom.

Other luxury halls have private gyms for their residents. Private companies capitalize (用…以牟利) on their investment by renting out the students rooms to travelers over the summer vacation period.

But the NUS is concerned that luxury halls are affecting room rents at standard un-privatized halls. Most students in the UK pay on average 126 pounds a week for a private room in catered (提供餐饮的) halls of residence, the International Students Advice and Welfare organization has reported. According to the NUS, rent in UK halls of residence has risen by almost a quarter from 2005 to 2007.

Veronica King, NUS vice-president of welfare, wants the privatization of university accommodation to stop.

“For the students for whom luxury is not affordable, there is a significant risk that accommodation costs, coupled with the burden of complete fees, may reduce the choice of where to go to university,” she said.

Legal quarrels with privatized halls may also account for some of the 10 percent per year rise in student complaints to the Office of the Independent Adjudicator for Higher Education (OIA). The OIA is an independent student complaints scheme that has authority over all higher education institutions in England and Wales.

Rob Behrens, chief executive of the OIA, said he was unsurprised by the rise in complaints. “The bottom line is that students are today more self-confident in thinking about what their rights are and what are the things they can get form the commitments they make.”

1.Why are room rents rising in British universities?

A.Because the world is facing a financial crisis.

B.Because most universities are getting bored about students’ complaints.

C.Because many universities let private companies run students’ halls.

D.Because not all universities can meet the demands of the students.

2. Which of the following is not mentioned about a luxury hall?

A.Students have to pay more for a luxury hall.

B.Students can have a good view in a luxury hall.

C.Students can enjoy their own gym in a luxury hall.

D.Students can have an Internet connection free of charge.

3.Why do some students want to pay more for a luxury hall?

A.Because they just want to show that they are rich. 

B.Because they are better served in a luxury hall.

C.Because there are too much complaints about small rooms.

D.Because there are no other choices.