First lady Michelle Obama urged students to visit China at the “100,000 Strong” China Study Abroad Forum at Howard University.
President Barack Obama announced the “100,000 Strong” Initiative（十万强计划）during his 2009 visit to China. The program aims to increase the number of American students studying in China by making study abroad more affordable.
During the event at Howard, Mrs. Obama spoke about the importance of studying abroad. “Studying in a country like China is about so much more than just improving your own prospects（前途） in the global market. The fact is that with every friendship you make and every bond of trust you establish you are shaping an image of America projected to the rest of the world and making America known better.” she said.
Mrs. Obama encouraged students to set aside the opinion that studying abroad is for “rich kids only” or for those attending “certain schools”. The first lady also announced that the Chinese government is giving 10,000 “Bridge Scholarships” to cover costs for American students studying in China.
Some students who had studied in China shared their experiences. David Marzban from Pepperdine University recalled a time when he formed a cross-cultural bond with a complete stranger at a restaurant near Fudan University in Shanghai. He noticed a young chef signaling him to come over. “He pressed the play button on his media player and started singing California Dreaming and wanted me to sing along with him,” Marzban said. “At that time I knew a great friendship had started during my first two weeks in China.”
Nicole Baden from Howard University recalled how her time in China really helped her master the language. “You have to experience the culture while learning the language to really master it to understand why things are how they are compared to your own culture,” Baden said.
12-year-old Sarah Davis, who studied in China last summer, said she was very excited to hear Michelle Obama talk about the country. “I love Chinese. Out of all the languages I’ve learned, Chinese is the most difficult and interesting.” She said.
【小题1】 According to the passage, the “100,000 Strong” Initiative ______.

For Rachael and Leigh Badman, there is only one wish on their Christmas list this year__ that their sick daughter survives until December 25.

Fifteen –year-old Paige suffers from a rare brain condition. The disease affects as few as 12 people in the world, and can kill her any day without warning. And her condition has deteriorated in recent months. Each time she closes her eyes, she may never wake up. Rachael and Leigh Badman are worried that she couldn’t live through Christmas. They filled their house with Christmas decorations on November1, so she could enjoy her favorite day of the year in advance.

Paige was diagnosed with the condition four years ago. Mrs. Badman described the condition as “being on death row” as she never knows if she will wake up and still have a daughter. She said, “ Paige always loves Christmas and it’s heartbreaking to see her suffering like this.”

In the last months, Paige has been unable to eat and has never walked or spoken. But she loves music, and enjoys watching pop stars’ DVDs. And in May she also went on holiday to Florida with her parents and little brother, Kefton. The family , who have already organized parts of Paige’s funeral, also saw the teenager swimming with dolphins during the trip. Since then, however, her condition has worsened.

Mrs Badman, who is separated from her husband and works as Paige’s full-time carer, said, “Now she can’t eat or drink anymore, and her brain is shrinking.(萎缩) With all her problems, we just thought, ‘Let’s get the Christmas tree up as soon as possible.’ We’re praying she lives to see Christmas Day.”

1.Paige’s parents got the Christmas tree up on November 1 to ____.

A．let her enjoy the great time with visitors

B．let her understand her parents’ love

C．let her enjoy Christmas early before her death

D．let her receive more good wishes from others

2.Mrs Badman described Paige as “ being on death row” because ______.

A．Paige could die at any time without warning

B．she found Paige struggling painfully

C．she had organized Paige’s funeral

D．Paige lost the abilities to walk and speak

3.The underlined word can be replaced by “_____”.

A．proved satisfying    B．grown stronger     C．got improved       D．become worse

4.What can be learned from the passage?

A．Christmas is Paige’s favorite festival.

B．12% of children in the world suffer from the disease.

C．Paige enjoyed watching pop stars’ DVDs on a trip.

D．Paige travelled with her family before suffering the disease.

They only got engaged（订婚）on Saturday, but it seems that Rochelle Wiseman and Marvin Humes are planning on marrying in March. The pop stars are eager to tie the knot in just ten weeks in order for their big day to coincide with（重合）their birthdays. are both keen to turn the events into one big celebration. According to the Daily Star, the couple think it is the perfect excuse to have one huge party.
“After getting engaged this Christmas, Rochelle and Marvin didn’t waste any time in thinking about dates,” a source told the newspaper. The couple apparently came to a mutual agreement that they would like to be married by the summer, and then the subject of their birthdays came up．“Rochelle has been telling her pals how excited she is and that she loves the birthday idea,” the source continued, “she thinks combining the events will make it the most amazing three—way celebration ever.”
JLS star Marvin proposed(求婚)to Rochelle during a festive break in Antigua，and The Saturdays singer was keen to announce the news as soon as possible．“It’s official Marvin proposed 2 me 2day, wanted 2 tell u b4 some1 else did! So excited 2 b Mrs Humes.” she tweeted(微博留言)on December 31. She also posted a photo of her and her husband-to-be in which she flashes her ￡45，000 heart-shaped diamond engagement ring.
【小题1】 Rochelle Wiseman and Marvin Humes want to get married in March_________.

“I’m a little worried about my future．”said Dustin Hoffman in The Graduate．He should be so lucky．All he had to worry about was whether to have an affair with Mrs. Robinson．In the sixties，that was the total sum of post-graduation anxiety．

Hoffman’s modem peers are not so fortunate．The Mrs. Robinsons aren’t sitting around at home any more．They are out in the workplace，doing the high-powered jobs the graduates want，but cannot get．For those fresh out of university，desperate for work but unable to get it，there is a big imbalance between supply and demand．And there is no narrowing of the gap in sight．

Parents feel as badly let down as the young people themselves．Middle-class families see their graduate offspring on the dole (救济金) queue and wonder why they bothered paying school fees．Working-class families feel an even keener sense of disappointment．For many such families，getting a child into university was the fulfillment of a lifelong dream．It was proof that they were living in a dynamic，economically successful country．That dream does not seem so rosy now．Graduate unemployment is not，ultimately，a political problem．Job-creation for graduates is very low down in the government’s schedule．If David Cameron’s Conservatives (保守党) had a brilliant idea for guaranteeing every graduate a well-paid job，they would have presented it by now．It is a social problem，though a more deep-seated social problem than people perhaps realize．

1.The author begins with the lines from The Graduate in order to __________ ．

A．support the fact that more women are working now

B．show that few graduates started working right after graduation

C．demonstrate that there were much fewer graduates than now

D．emphasize the sharp contrast between now and then

2.Regarding job opportunities for young graduates，the author sounds __________ ．

A．pessimistic????????????? ????????????? B．hopeful????????????? ????????????? C．unconcerned ????????????? ????????????? D．content

3.The main purpose of the passage is to __________ ．

A．criticize the government

B．present a current severe situation

C．publicize a movie

D．display the success of the country

4.Towards the end of the passage，the author implies that __________ ．

A．there will be job-creation programs for graduates

B．graduate unemployment is more of a political issue

C．graduate unemployment is not likely to be solved in a short time

D．the Conservatives have done nothing to solve the issue