Dear Friend,
The recent success of children's books has made the general public aware that there's a huge market out there.
And there's a growing need for new writers trained to create the $3 billion worth of children's books bought each year ... plus stories and articles needed by over 650 publishers of magazines for children and teenagers.
Who are these needed writers? They're ordinary folks like you and me.
But am I good enough?
I was once where you might be now. My thoughts of writing had been pushed down by self-doubt, and I didn't know where to turn for help.
Then, I accepted a free offer from the Institute to test my writing aptitude(潜能), and it turned out to be the inspiration I needed.
The promise that paid off.
The Institute made the same promise to me that they will make to you, if you show basic writing ability:
You will complete at least one manuscript(手稿) suitable to hand in to a publisher by the time you finish our course.
I really didn't expect any publication before I finished the course, but that happened. I sold three stories. And I soon discovered that was not unusual at the Institute.
Since graduation, I have authored 34 nationally published children's books and over 300 stories and articles.
Free test and brochure
We offer a free aptitude test and will send you a copy of our brochure describing our recognized home-study courses on the basis of one-on-one training.
Realize your writing dream today. There's nothing sadder than a dream delayed until it fades forever.
Sincerely,

Kristi Holl, Instructor
Institute of Children's Literature
【小题1】From the first three paragraphs, we learn that_____.

A．children's books are usually bestsellers.

B．publishers are making $3 billion each year.

C．magazines for teenagers have drawn public attention.

D．there is a growing need for writers of children's books.

Limit the use of private cars, improve public transport and encourage the use of bicycles to control traffic congestion(拥挤) during the 2008 Olympics, experts from foreign countries advised Beijing on Friday.
Professor Nigel Wilson, of the civil and environmental engineering department of Massachusetts Institute of Technology, said he was "supportive to the limiting of private cars during the Olympic Games", saying that in foreign countries, the method is also adopted during big events, but he was unsure about the approach.
The government planned to keep an average of more than one million cars off the roads to improve traffic flow during the Olympics, said Liu Xiaoming, deputy director of the Beijing Traffic Committee, at the China Planning Network First Urban Transportation Congress.
Sharing Wilson's view, Dr. Yoshitsugu Hayashi, dean of the Graduate School of Environmental Studies of Nagoya University, believed the reduction in car use should be achieved not by banning, but through incentives.
"Drivers who don't use their private cars could be given points," he said, "and the points could be exchanged for goods from online shopping."
Wetzel stressed limiting the use of company cars. "Governmental officials should also be encouraged to use public transportation or ride bicycles," he said, adding that he himself is a bicycle-rider in London.
Matthew Martimo, director of Traffic Engineering with Citilabs, said the bicycle was China's advantage. "Limiting private cars is an idea worth trying but it is just a temporary solution," he said. "The real cause of congestion is high density of people in Beijing and many have cars."
Beijing, with a population of 15 million, is home to more than three million automobiles, and the number is rising by 1,000 a day.
Professor Wilson said the Olympic Games was a great opportunity for Beijing to think about traffic problems and develop transportation, adding that the city had already been making public transport more efficient. Beijing has promised to stretch its 114-kilometer city railway to 200 kilometers before the opening of the Olympic Games.
“We are looking forward to borrowing Beijing's experiences and drawing from its lessons in preparation for the 2012 Olympics,” said Wetzel. 
51. The underlined word incentives in paragraph 4 means_______.
A. something that encourages people to try           B. online shopping
C. points could be exchanged for goods                D. award
52.It can be seen from the passage that ______.
A. the government planned to forbid over 1 million cars to run on the roads during the Olympics.
B. banning private cars is the best way to solve traffic congestion in Beijing
C. Beijing now has 200 kilometers of city railway
D. the use of company cars will not be limited
53. Why did Wetzel stress “ he himself is a bicycle-rider in London”?
A. To limit the use of company cars.
B. To encourage governmental officials to use public transportation or ride bicycles.
C. To show that riding bicycles is good for health.
D. To show that he loves riding bicycles.
54. Which of the following may be the reason for the traffic congestion in Beijing?
A. The 2008 Beijing Olympic games.
B. The number of cars in Beijing is rising by 1,000 a day.
C. The large population in Beijing and the large number of cars.
D. Public transport in Beijing is not efficient.
55. The purpose of the passage is ________.
A. to limit the use of private cars, improve public transport
B. to encourage the use of bicycles to control traffic congestion during the 2008 Olympics
C. to borrow Beijing's experiences and draw from its lessons in preparation for the 2012 Olympics
D. to tell the advice given by foreign experts on traffic congestion during 2008 Beijing Olympics

完形填空（共15小题；每小题2分，满分30分）
阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后从16－30各题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
Jenkins was a jeweller, who had made a large diamond ring worth ￡57,000 for the Silkstone Jewellery Shop. When it was ready, he made a copy of it which looked ___16__ like the first one but was worth only￡2,000. This he took to the shop, which accepted it without a question.
　　Jenkins gave the much more 17__ ring to his wife for her fortieth birthday. Then, the husband and wife __18__ to Paris for a weekend. As to the __19__ ring, the shop sold it for￡60,000.
　　Six months later the buyer __20__it back to Silkstone's office. "It's a faulty diamond,"he said. "It isn't worth the high __21__ I paid." Then he told them the __22__. His wife's car had caught fire in an __23__. She had escaped  ,__24__ the ring had fallen off and been damaged  in the great __25__ of the fire.
　　The shop had to agree. They knew that no fire on earth can ever damage a perfect diamond. Someone had taken the __26__ diamond and put a faulty one in its place. The question was: who __27__ it?
　　A picture of the ring appeared in the __28__. A reader thought he recognized the ring. The next day, another picture appeared in the papers which showed a famous dancer walking out to a plane for Paris. Behind the dancer there was a woman __29__ a large diamond ring."Do You know the __30__ with the lovely diamond ring?" the papers asked their readers. Several months later, Jenkins was sentenced to seven years in prison.
16. A. surely         B. only　　　C. nearly　　 D. exactly
17. A. real　　　　 B. worthy　　C. modern      D. valuable
18.A. drove　　　  B. flew        C. sailed　　　　D. bicycled
19. A. last          B. first 　　　  C. second　　　D. next
20. A. sold　　　 B. posted　　　 C. brought　　  D. returned
21.A. money　　　B. price　　     C. cost　　   D. value
22. A. facts　　　 B. questions　    C. results       D. matters
23. A. accident      B. affair　　   C. incident　　  D. experience
24. A. so　　　　 B. but　　        C. or　　    D. and
25. A. pile　　　　 B. heat　　　　　C. pressure     D. power
26. A. real　　　　B. pure　　　　C. right　　   D. exact　
27.A. made　　　B. stole　　       C. copied　　 D. did
28.A. magazines   B. notices　    C. newspapers　　 D. programmes
29. A. carrying　　B. holding      C. dressing  　D. wearing　　　 
30. A. dancer　　　B. woman　　　C. jeweler       D. reader

When a storm is coming, most people leave the area as quickly as possible and head for safety…But there are a few people who will get into their cars and go straight for the center of the storm．These people are willing to risk being killed by floods or 100-Kilometer- an-hour winds for the excitement of watching the storm close up．
　 “Storm chasing (追逐)”is becoming an increasingly popular hobby，especially in the Midwest of the United States, where there are frequent storms between March and July．A storm chaser begins the day by checking the Internet for the latest weather reports, and then drives up to l,000 kilometers to where the storm will be and waits for it to develop．
　  Although anyone can do it，storm chasing is extremely dangerous．The power of a big storm  can throw a cow into the air or destroy a whole house in seconds．Storm chasers are also often hurt in accidents caused by driving in a heavy rain．If you are a beginner, it is much safer to join a group for storm - chasing vacations during the storm season．
　  Even then，storm chasing is not all adventure and excitement．“Storm chasing is 95％driving，”says Daniel Lynch，who spends most of his summer storm-chasing．“Sometimes you
Can sit around for hours waiting for something to happen，and all you get is blue sky and a few light showers.”
　  However，for storm chasers，it is all worth it. “When you get close to a storm，it is the most exciting sight you will ever see in your life，”says Jasper Morley．“Every storm is an example of the power of nature．It is the greatest show on Earth．”
【小题1】For storm chasing，the first thing storm chasers do is to　　　 ．

What makes a gift special? Is it the price you see on the gift receipt? Or is it the look on the recipient's face when they receive it that determines the true value? What gift is worth the most?
This Christmas I was debating what to give my father.  My dad is a hard person to buy for because he never wants anything.  I pulled out my phone to read a text message from my mom saying that we were leaving for Christmas shopping for him when I came across a message on my phone that I had locked.  The message was from my father.  My eyes fell on a photo of a flower taken in Wyoming, and underneath a poem by William Blake.  The flower, a lone dandelion standing against the bright blue sky, inspired me.  My dad had been reciting those words to me since I was a kid.   That may even be the reason why I love writing. I decided that those words would be my gift to my father.
I called back.  I told my mom to go without me and that l already created my gift.  1 sent the photo of the cream-colored flower to my computer and typed the poem on top of it.  As I was arranging the details another poem came to mind.  The poem was written by Edgar Allan Poe; My dad recited it as much as he did the other.  I typed that out as well and searched online for a background to the words of it.  The poem was focused around dreaming, and after searching I found the perfect picture.  The image was painted with blues and greens and purples, twisting together to create the theme and wonder of a dream.  As I watched both poems passing through the printer, the white paper coloring with words that shaped my childhood, I felt that this was a gift that my father would truly appreciate.
Christmas soon arrived.  The minute I saw the look on my dad's face as he unwrapped those swirling black letters carefully placed in a cheap frame, I knew I had given the perfect gift.
【小题1】The idea for a special gift began to form when the author was________________.