Russian President Putin named Time magazine’s“Person of the Year”

　　Russian President Vladimir Putin was named Time magazine’s“Person of the Year”on December 19th.2007 for strengthening stability（稳定）that made Russia a world power again.

　　The magazine recognized Putin’s“extraordinary feat（技艺）of leadership in taking a country that was in a mess and bringing it stability，”said Richard Stengel，Time’s managing editor.

　　The magazine noted that“Person of the Year”is not an honor or an endorsement（认可）but a recognition of leadership that shapes the world.

　　Putin，who is 56 years old，is very popular in Russia，making a great effort to cause economy to come to life on revenue（收入）from oil and natural gas.

　　Putin recently supported vice-PM Dmitry Medvedev’s presidential bid，and said he would accept Medvedev’s offer to serve as prime minister if Medvedev is elected on March 2.

　　The Kremlin said Wednesday the Time recognition was seen there as an acknowledgement of Putin’s role in helping Russia pull out of its social and economic troubles in the 1990s.

　　Others considered for“Person of the Year”included Nobel Prize-winner Al Gore and author J.K. Rowling.

　　This year’s choice was a return to the magazine’s tradition of picking an individual rather than last year’s choice of“You”，which refers to anyone creating or using content on the World Wide Web.

　　Putin is the fifth Russian（or Soviet）leader to be named Person of the Year：Gorbachev，Andropov，Khrushchev and Stalin，who was named twice.

55．How did Putin try to make Russia a world power again？

A．By performing arms race.

B．By making war.

C．By strengthening stability.

D．By getting foreign help.

56．Which of the following is Not True according to the passage？

A．Russia used to be in a mess.

B．Time always picks an individual to be the“Person of the Year”.

C．Oil and natural gas caused Russia’s economy to come to life.

D．Putin will leave office on March 2,2007.

57．What does the underlined word“acknowledgement”mean？

A．Praise. 　　　　　　　　　　　B．Support.

C．Scold. 　　　　　　　　　　　 D．Recognition.

58．How many times have Russian leaders been named“Person of the Year”so far？

A．Five times. 　　　　　　　　　B．Six times.

C．Seven times. 　　　　　　　　 D．Eight times.

                                                                            Ban the Band（乐队）

Every year, out school has a dance for all the students. It’s a little funny seeing friends in clean shoes and trousers or colorful __36____, instead of the usual school uniform.

Most of us think the dance is great _37___ ---even the teachers enjoy being there.___38__,two weeks ago someone said that there would be no ___39___ band this year ---only CDs.

“I don’t __40__ it!” Amy cried out during the lunch break.

“Someone said the school couldn’t __41__ a band, and they think it’s too noisy anyway/”added Daniel.

“Well, I don’t think it’s __42__ enough without a band!” declared Angela．”And I’m going to see what can be done.”

Angela was as good as her __43__.In the afternoon she went to see the school headmaster who agreed to give the __44__ some more thought. And he suggested that one __45__for having a band was to increase the price of each ticket from $5 to $10.Angela had to ___46__ out whether the students would like to do that.

“I need all of you to help me,” she __47__to our group before school the next day.” Mr. Berry gave me a list of all the names, and suggested we ask each one their __48__ about the band and the extra cost.”

___49___ the day we asked around as Angela suggested, and wrote down people’s feelings about the band and the cost. We were amazed how much __50__ there was for the band and everyone agreed to pay the extra $5.

“I’m surprised,” smiled Mr. Berry, when we gave him the __51__.”I realty thought that only a few people __52__ their band and that the cost would be too high. OK. Angela, your next __53__is to find a good band and line them up for the dance. ”

Angela was all smiles and __54__ the news to Amy and Daniel.” You’re __55__,”smiled Daniel to Angela as he thought how close they came to having a less than perfect dance.

The UK has a well-­respected higher education system and some of the top universities and research institutions in the world. But to those who are new to it all, sometimes it can be confusing.
October is usually the busiest month in the college calendar. Universities have something called Freshers’ Week for their newcomers. It’s a great opportunity to make new friends, join lots of clubs and settle into university life．
However, having just left the comfort of home and all your friends behind, the prospect（前景）of meeting lots of strangers in big halls can be nerve-­wracking（令人头痛的）. Where do you start? Who should you make friends with? Which clubs should you join?
Luckily, there will be thousands of others in the same boat as you worrying about starting their university social life on the right foot. So just take it all in slowly. Don’t rush into anything that you’ll regret for the next three years.
Here is some top advice from past students on how to survive Freshers’ Week：
●Learn rules. Make sure you know British social etiquette（礼节）. Have a few wine glasses and snacks handy for your housemates and friends.
●Be kind. Sometimes cups of tea or even slices of toast can give you a head start in making friends.
●Be sociable. The more active you are, the more likely you’ll be to meet new people than those who never leave their room.
●Bring a doorstop. Keep your door open when you’re in and that sends positive messages to your neighbors that you’re friendly.
So with a bit of clever planning and effort, Freshers’ Week can give you a great start to your university life and soon you’ll be passing on your experience to next year’s new recruits．
【小题1】Which of the following statements is FALSE according to the passage？

The UK has a well­respected higher education system and some of the top universities and research institutions in the world. But to those who are new to it all， sometimes it can be confusing.
October is usually the busiest month in the college calendar. Universities have something called Freshers’ Week for their newcomers. It’s a great opportunity to make new friends， join lots of clubs and settle into university life.
However， having just left the comfort of home and all your friends behind， the prospect(前景) of meeting lots of strangers in big halls can be nerve­wracking(令人头痛的). Where do you start？ Who should you make friends with？ Which clubs should you join？
Luckily， there will be thousands of others in the same boat as you worrying about starting their university social life on the right foot. So just take it all in slowly. Don’t rush into anything that you’ll regret for the next three years.
Here are some top advice from past students on how to survive Freshers’ Week：
●Learn rules. Make sure you know British social manners. Have a few wine glasses and snacks handy for your housemates and friends.
●Be kind. Sometimes cups of tea or even slices of toast can give you a head start in making friends.
●Be sociable. The more active you are， the more likely you’ll be to meet new people than if you’re someone who never leaves their room.
●Bring a doorstop. Keep your door open when you’re in and that sends positive messages to your neighbors that you’re friendly.
So with a bit of clever planning and effort， Freshers’ Week can give you a great start to your university life and soon you’ll be passing on your experience to next year’s new recruits.
【小题1】Which of the following statements is FALSE according to the passage？

A．October is generally the busiest month for universities.

B．It’s a good idea to put a doorstop in your suitcase.

C．A bit of planning can make Freshers’ Week easier.

D．The first week of your every year at university is called Freshers’ Week.

The speaker, a teacher from a community college, addressed a sympathetic(赞同的) audience. Heads nodded in agreement when he said, “High school English teachers are not doing their jobs.” He described the inadequacies of his students, all high school graduates who can use language only at a grade 9 level. I was unable to determine from his answers to my questions how this grade 9 level had been established.

My topic is not standards nor its decline(降低). What the speaker was really saying is that he is no longer young; he has been teaching for sixteen years, and is able to think and speak like a mature adult.

　　My point is that the frequent complaint of one generation about the one immediately following it is inevitable. It is also human nature to look for the reasons for our dissatisfaction. Before English became a school subject in the late nineteenth century, it was difficult to find the target of the blame for language deficiencies (缺陷). But since then, English teachers have been under constant attack.

　　The complainers think they have hit upon an original idea. As their own command of the language improves, they notice that young people do not have this same ability. Unaware that their own ability has developed through the years, they assume the new generation of young people must be hopeless in this respect. To the eyes and ears of sensitive adults the language of the young always seems inadequate.

Since this concern about the decline and fall of the English language is not perceived(察觉) as a generational phenomenon but rather as something new and peculiar(特有的) to today’s         young people, it naturally follows that today’s English teachers cannot be doing their jobs. Otherwise, young people would not commit offenses against the language.

1. The speaker the author mentioned in the passage believed that _____.

2. In the author’s opinion, the speaker ______.

3.The author’s attitude towards the speaker’s remarks is ______.

4.It can be concluded from the passage that ______.

5.In the passage the author argues that ______.