BBC: The Chinese culture is fascinating. During China’s Lunar New Year or Spring Festival, paper-cutting is one of China’s most popular and characteristic folk arts. The tradition goes back to the 6th century. After hundreds of years of development, it has now become a very popular way to decorate the house among country folk, especially women. During the Spring Festival, people paste(粘贴）some paper-cuttings on the entrance gates. They are supposed to bring good luck for the family.

    The main cutting tools are simple: paper and scissors or an engraving(雕刻）knife. Clever craftspeople are very good at cutting out a theme about daily life. When you look at works made in this method carefully, you will be amazed by the details in the faces of the people as well as the plants and animals. Although other art forms, like painting, can also show similar scenes paper-cutting still stands out for its charm. Though simple, the color appears charmingly bright.

    While it is easy to learn how to cut a piece of paper, mastering it is another thing. One must hold the knife in an upright fashion and press evenly on the paper with a little strength. Flexibility is required but the whole image will be damaged if you make one mistake. Engravers attempt to carve a circle like the moon, a straight line like a stem of wheat, a square like a brick, and many other forms, but not all of them can do them.

    People find hope and comfort in expressing wishes with paper-cuttings. For a wedding ceremony, red paper-cuttings are traditional and required decorations for the furniture. Patterns of plump children holding fish signify that they will be wealthy next year.

63. Where does the writer of this passage probably come from?

A. The USA.        B. Japan.

C. The UK.         D. France.

64. Usually, paper-cuttings can amaze and impress people by_______ .

A. bringing good luck

B. being true-to-life

C. appearing charmingly bright

D. being all hand-made

65. When you do paper-cutting, you should_______.

A. hold the knife or scissors as tight as you can

B. avoid any unnecessary change

C. bear all the set rules in your mind

D. always be confident and not stop

66. We can learn from the passage that _______.

A. mastering paper-cutting skills is different from cutting a piece of paper

B. paper-cutting is the most popular characteristic folk art

C. women are better at paper-cutting than men

D. paper-cutting can nearly bring people good luck

Below is a web page from Google.

1.When was the environmental symbol of Beijing Olympics made public?

A.On January 23,2005.

B.On September 24,2005.

C.On February 5,2007.

D.On March 11,2007.

2.Which of the following websites is designed for young researchers interested in the Olympics?

A.Environment

B.Green Olympics Forum In Beijing 2004

C.Olympic Games Quizzes and Olympic Games Trivia

D.OFFICIAL WEBSITE OF THE OLYMPIC MOVEMENT

3.Which website provides a complete list of the winners in the Olympic Games?

A.Olympic—Modern Olympic Games

B.Green Olympics Forum In Beijing 2004

C.Environmental Symbol of Beijing Olympics—‘Green Olympics’

D.Ancient Olympic Heritage and Modern Olympic Games in Athens 2004

4.What do we learn from the above web page?

A.Beijing has made efforts to improve its air quality.

B.The Olympic torch relay route has not been planned.

C.The Olympic flags will be on display in Athens.

D.A quiz on the Olympics will be held in Beijing.

Was the London Olympics a success? Many people hold different opinions. However one thing is certain, London could win a gold medal for hosting the “greenest” Games ever, BBC News reported.

Previous Olympic hosts have been criticized for the environmental damage they have caused through construction, waste. and transport. But things had to be different in London because seven years ago it bid for the Olympics through the concept of “a One Planet Olympics”.

What is most impressive is that London used the construction of the Olympic Park as an opportunity to clean up polluted areas — 2 million tons of contaminated (被污染的) soil were removed and 200 old factory buildings, were torn down, according to sustainablebusiness.com. But that’s not all —. 99 percent of the debris (废瓦砾) were reused to build the Olympic Park. For example, part of the Olympic Stadium’s roof is made from 2,500 tons of steel tubes recycled from old gas pipelines.

As well as using recycled materials, all venues were built with green building techniques. The Olympic Stadium is the lightest one ever built, which minimized the amount of steel and concrete needed. Also, the handball field has lighting pipes on the roof that reduce electricity use by 40 percent, according to sustainablebusiness.com.

The effort that London made to deal with waste also deserves praise. Water used for drinking and watering plants was from collected rainwater or recycled wastewater. In this way. about 30-40 percent less water was used in total. Waste food packages were either recycled or processed and turned into renewable energy.

As one of the best connected places in Europe, London tried to solve traffic jams by encouraging the use of public transport. For example, it had trains deliver half of the building materials, instead of cars, which greatly reduced carbon emissions.

The clean anti-doping (反兴奋剂) result also added to the greenness of the Games. The International Olympics Committee (IOC) said that the devices used this time were the most accurate and advanced. Only one athlete tested positive for a banned drug on the day of competing, which is why the IOC President, Jacques Rogge, has praised anti-doping efforts at the London Games.

1.To make the Olympic Park green, London _______.

A. recycled 2 million tons of contaminated soil

B. removed 99 percent of the debris from the city

C. built the Olympic Stadium mostly with recycled materials

D. applied green building techniques to the construction work

2.The underlined word “minimized” in the fourth paragraph probably means

A. increased as much as possible

B. reduced as much as possible

C. made good use of

D. took little notice

3.What can we conclude from the article?

A. The London Olympics cost less than the other Olympics ever held.

B. London has possessed the most advanced techniques to deal with waste.

C. Public transport is made good use of in London during the Olympic games.

D. The anti-doping result in the London Olympics turned out to be dissatisfactory.

4.Which of the following best shows the structure of the text?

5.What is the best title of the passage?

A. How to deal with the anti-doping

B. How to use recycled materials

C. London’s green games

D. London’s public transport

This Christmas, maybe different from previous years, a strong desire drives me to make my own Christmas gifts. Honestly speaking, I’ve promised myself this more than once. As a crafter (工匠), I’ve frequently thought I am supposed to turn it into action. However, this year I really plan to stick to it. It’s partly because I run short of money. More importantly, I’ve recently returned from an inspiring trip around Britain, collecting some information about crafting for BBC’s Newsnight.

    Actually I planned the trip couples of months ago. The idea of traveling the country — making things as I went, meeting artists and craftspeople — sounded perfect to spend the summer. I’d pack a tent and a sewing machine and I’d set off. But by the time I determined my plans and hit the road, leaves made a sighing sound under foot. It seemed crazy to camp with winter on the way; Luckily, Newsnight viewers offered me accommodations in return for help with a craft task.

My tasks ranged from sewing worn-out clothes to making trousers. Textile students in Harpenden offered to pay for my petrol in return for a talk about hats. In Derby, Amy needed help to change an old pair of curtains.

I was really struck by people’s increasing enthusiasm for making things. When I asked some people if they could sew, only a few raised their hands. But when I asked who wanted to learn, nearly everyone responded positively, hoping to learn something practical.

Craft is definitely popular at the moment. But besides fashion, we’re learning to appreciate effort and quality again. Perhaps once people rediscover the pleasure to be gained from making something unique, it may stick.

Sue is director of quilts at the V&A, where next spring she’ll be putting on the museum’s first major quilting exhibition. Sue believes the return to crafting is related to how we rethink ourselves. “People, especially women, are beginning to think about the way they live their lives. It’s 40 years since the first women’s liberation(解放) conference was held in Oxford. Since then we’ve been in the workplace, and we’ve had the opportunity of choice. Now we’re carefully choosing to go back into the home.”

Whether you agree with that or not, there’s something about Christmas that brings out the artistic flavor(气息) in everyone. Whether it’s baking bread or pies or decorating the halls or rooms, we’re all prepared to have a try at any time. So if you fancy having a different and joyful party or holiday and making a few presents, try these really simple ideas, each inspired by my recent journey there. They make small and interesting gifts, and take no longer than 30 minutes each. Enjoy Christmas songs and settle down with a cup of hot cocoa, and the cold is gone. You’ll save yourself a small quantity of money and spread a little bit of love, too!

1.Why did the author promise to make herself a Christmas gift this year?

A. She wanted to enjoy a different Christmas.

B. She wanted to make more money.

C. She was inspired by her trip for a BBC TV program.

D. She hoped to present herself with a surprise.

2.The author had her plans carried out and set out for Britain in ______.

A. spring                      B. summer                            C. fall                            D. winter

3.What happened during the author’s trip to Britain?

A. She met many artists and craftspeople on her way to Britain.

B. She spent a whole summer in Britain making crafts.

C. She was asked to sew clothes, and curtains and made much money.

D. Many people showed great interest in making things themselves.

4.According to the passage, people learn to ______ through crafting.

A. be grateful to what they have gained

B. keep up with fashion

C. stick to something interesting

D. know more information about craft

5.What is the author’s opinion on homemade Christmas presents?

A. Making Christmas presents can only convey a bit of your love.

B. People can find their artistic talent in making Christmas presents.

C. A cup of hot cocoa can inspire you to make a creative present.

D. It would take a long time to prepare a homemade Christmas present.

（BBC）The "father of the personal computer" who kick-started the careers of Microsoft founders Bill Gates and Paul Allen has died at the age of 68. Dr Henry Edward Roberts was the inventor of the Altair 8800, a machine that led to the home computer age.

Gates and Allen contacted Dr Roberts after seeing the machine on the front cover of a magazine and offered to write software for it. The program was known as Altair-Basic, the foundation of Microsoft's business. "Ed was willing to take a chance on us - two young guys interested in computers , and we have always been thankful to him," the Microsoft founders said in a statement.

 Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak told technology website CNET that Dr Roberts had taken " a critically important step that led to everything we have today".

Dr Roberts was the founder of Micro Instrumentation and Telemetry Systems (MITS), originally set up to sell electronics parts to model rocket hobbyists. The company went on to sell electronic calculator parts, but was soon overshadowed by bigger firms.

In the mid-1970's, with the firm struggling with debt, Dr Roberts began to develop a computer kit(配套零件) for hobbyists. The result was the Altair 8800. The $395 kit (around ??1,000 today) was featured on the cover of Popular Electronics in 1975, resulting in a flood of orders.

Amongst those interested in the machine were Paul Allen and Bill Gates. The pair contacted Dr Roberts, offering to write software that would help people program the machine. The pair finally moved to Albuquerque - the home of MITS - where they founded Micro-Soft, to develop their software.

Dr Roberts sold his company in 1977. He died in hospital on 1 April after a long period of pneumonia．(肺炎)

Why did Dr Roberts probably decide to sell his company?

A. Because he was in heavy debt in the mid-1980's .

B. Because he wanted to take a chance on Gates and Allen.

C. Because he wanted to develop a computer kit for hobbyists.

D. Because he had difficulty competing with big companies. 

What do we know about MITS?

A. It was set up by Steve Wozniak.

B. It sold electronics parts to big firms.

C. It is located in Albuquerque.

D. It is a technology website.

We can learn that Popular Electronics is likely to be  ____.

A. a newspaper   B. a magazine   C. a Website   D. an organization

What is the best title of this passage?

A. The story of the Altair 8800

B. The founder of MITS

C. Father of the personal computer died

D. The story of Dr Roberts