Doors and windows can’t keep them out; airport immigration officers can’t stop them and the Internet is a complete reproduction soil. They seem harmless in small doses, but large imports threaten Japan’s very uniqueness, say critics. “They are foreign words and they are infecting the Japanese language”.

“Sometimes I feel like I need a translator to understand my own language, ”says Yoko Fujimura with little anger, a 5-year-old Tokyo restaurant worker.“It’s becoming incomprehensible”.

It’s not only Japan who is on the defensive. Countries around th globe are wet through their hands over the rapid spread of American English. Coca?Cola,for example, is one of the most recognized terms on Earth.

It is made worse for Japan, however, by its unique writing system. The country writes all imported utterances(言论) except Chinese?in a different script called katakana (片假名). It is the only country to keep up such a difference. Katakana takes far more space to write than kanji?the core pictograph (象形文字) characters that the Japanese borrowed from China 1,500 years ago. Because it stands out, readers complain that sentences packed with foreign words start to look like extended strings of lights. As if that weren’t enough, katakana terms tend to get puzzling.

 For example, digital camera first appears as degitaru kamera. Then they became the more ear?pleasing digi kamey. But kamey is also the Japanese word for turtle. “It’s very disappointing not knowing what young people are talking about,” says humorously Minoru Shiratori, a 53?year?old bus driver. “Sometimes I can’t tell if they’re discussing cameras or turtles.”

In a bid to stop the flood of katakana, the government has formed a Foreign Words Committee to find suitable Japanese replacements. The committee is slightly different from French?style language police, which try to support a law that forbids advertising in English. Rather, committee members and traditionalists hope a non?stop campaign of persuasion, gentle criticism and leadership by example can turn the tide.

12.According to the author, the reason why the Japanese is infectd greatly by English is .      

A.that nothing can prevent it from entering into Japan

B.that English is the most recognized language in the world

C.that the government has not set up a special administration department to control this trend   before it becomes popular in Japan

D.not clearly mentioned in this passage

13.By saying “counties around the globe are wet through their hands over the rapid spread of American English,”the author infers that        .

A.even a restaurant worker in Japan may feel the English infection on Japanese

B.the flood of katakana has covered most of countries in the world

C.Coca?Cola is the most popuar on the earth and this product covers all the global market

D.many other countries are affected greatly by American English

14.According to the author, the last paragraph mainly deals with.      

A.how French-style language police has prevented the infection of English

B.how Japanese Foreign Words Committee prevents the infection of foreign words

C.the suitable Japanese replacements

D.why committee members and traditionalists begin to declare a war against the infection of foreign words

15.Which conclusion can be drawn based on the opinions from the Japanese people (in paragraph 2 and 4 of this passage)?

A.The elders strongly advocates replacing the foreign words than young people.

B.All the people dislike speaking the foreign words, such as “digi kamey”.

C.They are so old that it is necessary to give some language assistance by a specialist.

D.People’s work determines the language they speak.

Parents whose children show a special interest in a sport feel very difficult to make a decision about their children’s careers．Should they allow their children to train to become top sportsmen and sportswomen? For many children it means starting schoolwork very young．And going out with friends and other interests have to take a second place．It’s very difficult to explain to a young child why he or she has to train five hours a day, even at the weekend, when most of his or her friends are playing．

       Another problem is of course money, In many countries money for training is available from government for the very best young sportsmen and sportswomen．If this help can not be given, it means that it is the parents who have to find the time and the money to support their child’s development and sports clothes, transport to competitions, special equipment, etc．All can be expensive．

       Many parents are worried that it is dangerous to start serious training in a sport at an early age．Some doctors agree that young muscles may be damaged by training before they are properly developed．Professional trainers, however, believe that it is only by training when young that you can reach the top as successful sports person．It is clear that very few people do reach the top, and both parents and children should be prepared for failure even after many years of training．

Where can we most probably find this passage?

       A．An advertisement．       B．A diary．

       C．A newspaper．        D．A notice board．

What does the underlined phrase “to take a second place ”in the first paragraph mean?

       A．to become less important

       B．To put it at another place

       C．To happen again

       D．They are the most important of all the things

Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?

       A．It’s easy to make a decision when your children want to take up sports．

       B．Most of the students may become top sports men after a long period of training．

       C．Early training may damage young muscles．

       D．It’s not very expensive for parents to support their children’s development in sports．

—How did you find the film The Flowers of War?
—It’s very moving. I couldn’t _____ my tears.

Surprises often come in boxes. Birthday presents wrapped in colorful paper, brown paper packages mailed from a friend. No matter what kind of box it is, people like to open it up and see what's inside. In America, and in many other countries, one special kind of box contains the future. It's called a ballot box. What people put into the box on election day can change the course of history.

Elections are the lifeblood of a democracy. The word democracy literally means "the people rule," an important concept in American history. In the mid-1700s, England began passing laws that made the American colonies angry. The colonists had to pay more and more taxes and enjoyed less and less freedom. They felt the government of England didn't represent their interests. On July 4, 1776, the colonies declared their independence from England. They wanted to establish a democracy where people could have a voice in government.

An effective democracy holds regular elections. In America, elections are held every two years for members of Congress. In these elections, all seats in the House of Representatives and one-third of the Senate seats are up for grabs. In addition, every four years, voters go to the polls to elect the nation's president and vice-president. Voters also regularly cast their ballots for state and city government leaders and local school board members. Sometimes they also have to vote on a proposed law.

In the American electoral system, people don't really vote for presidential candidates. Instead, voters cast their ballots for "electors" who support each candidate. Each state has as many electors as the total number of its representatives in Congress. This equals two senators per state plus the number of its representatives in the House (which is based on the state's population). The candidate who has the most votes in a state wins all of the state's electors. To win the presidential election, a candidate must gain at least 270 of the 538 total electoral votes.

Over the years, the U.S. has made a number of election reforms. Some early reforms outlawed cheating, giving bribes and threatening voters. They also limited the amount of money candidates could receive from donors and spend on their campaigns. In 1870, black people gained the right to vote, and in 1920, that right was extended to women. In recent decades, laws against unfair rules for voting have been passed. No longer do people have to pay a special tax or pass a test in order to vote. In 1971, the voting age was lowered to 18. Other reforms made voting easier for the blind, the disabled and people who couldn't read. In some areas, ballots had to be printed in languages besides English.

In November, Americans will again elect those who will represent them in government. Although some citizens aren't even registered to vote--and some registered voters don't bother to go to the polls--most Americans exercise their right to vote. They realize that their future is wrapped up in a special package--the ballot box. It's a package that must definitely be "handled with care."

1.According to the context, what does a “ballot box” mean in Chinese?

A．彩票箱           B．投票箱           C．礼品箱           D．保险箱

2.Democracy means that ____.

A．People couldn’t have a voice in a government.

B．In America, elections are held every four years for members of Congress.

C．Democracy is the lifeblood of elections.

D．Basically “ the people rule”, and it’s very important in American history.

3.How will the votes distributed if Romney got 20 votes while Obama received 17 votes in California in the election?

A．Romney will win 20 votes in California.

B．Obama will win 20 votes in California.

C．Romney will win 37 votes in California.

D．Obama will win 37 votes in California.

4. Which one is RIGHT about election reforms?

A．People have to pay a special tax to vote.

B．There are bribes and threatening in elections now.

C．People above eighteen years old can vote now.

D．The disabled or the blind have tough access to voting.

5. What’s the main idea of this passage?

A．Birthday boxes in the U.S.                 B．Election systems in the U.S.

C．Election reforms in the U.S.                D．Democracy in the U.S.

BRITAIN is apopular tourist place. But tours of the country have pros and cons.

Good News

Free museums. No charge for outstanding collections of art and antiquities.

Pop music. Britain is the only country to rival(与---匹敌) the US on this score.

Black cabs. London taxi drivers know where they are going even if there are never enough of them at weekends or night.

Choice of food. Visitors can find everything from Ethiopian to Swedish restaurant.

Fashion. Not only do fashion junkies love deeply and respect highly brand names such as Vivienne Westwood, Alexander McQueen, street styles are justly loved, too.

Bad News

Poor service. “ It’s part of the image of the place. People can dine out on the rudeness they have experienced,” says professor Tony Seaton, of Luton University’s International Tourism Research Center.

Poor public transport. Trains and buses are promised to defeat the keenest tourists, although the overcrowded London tube is inexplicably(无法解释的) popular.

Lack of languages. Speaking slowly and clearly may not get many foreign visitors very far, even in the tourist traps(圈套).

Rain. Still in the number one complaint(抱怨).

An air-conditioning. So that even splendidly hot summers become as unbearable as the down- pours.

Overpriced hotels. The only European country with a higher rate of tax on hotel rooms is Denmark.

Licensing hours. Alcohol(酒精) is in short supply after 11p. m. even in “ 24-hour cities”

What do tourists complain most?

A. poor service              B. poor public transport

C. rain                     D. overpriced hotels

What do we learn about pop music in Britain and the US through this passage?

A. pop music in Britain is better than that in the US.

B. pop music in Britain is as good as that in the US.

C. pop music in Britain is worse than that in the US

D. pop music in Britain is quite different from that in the US

When is alcohol not able to get?

A. at 9:00 p. m.             B. at 10:00 p. m.

C. at 11:00 p. m.            D. at 12:00 p. m.

Which of the following is true according to the passage?

A. you have to pay to visit the museum

B. it’s very cheap to travel by taxi there

C. you cannot find Chinese food there

D. the public transport is poor there