Sandstorms hit northwestern China's Gansu Province and North China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region on the first day this year. According to Sun Landong， a meteorologist with the Lanzhou Meteorology Observatory，visibility was less than 100 meters in Minqin， a Gansu county near Inner Mongolia， because of sand. When visibility drops to less than 1 kilometer，it is called a sandstorm. The sandstorm in Minqin blew up dust in neighboring towns， such as Baiyin， Wuwei， Jinchang and Lanzhou， the capital city of Gansu Province. Dust-laden winds also swept into Beijing. Brought by northwesterly blowing at more than 20 meters per second，dust first reached the capital's suburbs at 7 a. m，downtown areas at 9 a. m. The winds，which died down during the night，brought the temperature down to as low as 80C below zero and many flights put off their planned time from the city's airport.

It is quite rare for sandstorms，which are frequent between March and June，to happen in winter，when the earth is frozen. The sandstorms in Gansu and Inner Mongolia do not necessarily mean there will be more of them in the spring than last year，when they were serious，but Beijing is taking it very seriously. It is reported that Beijing will spend 6 billion yuan ( US 725 million) in preventing sandstorms in the capital and has already set up a spe­cial team to make sure what causes them.

1. What is the main idea of the passage?

A. Sandstorms took place in Gansu.

B. Sandstorms happened on the first day of the new year.

C. Sandstorms are very serious，compared to last year.

D. Experts are trying their best to determine the cause of the sandstorm formed this year.

2.Suppose the dust was 300 kilometers away from Beijing， it would reach Beijing about

         hours later if it travels at a speed of 20 meters per second?

A. 4. 2     B. 1. 5     C. 2. 0     D. 2. 5

3.Why did sandstorms begin in the winter this year?

A. Because there was little snow this season.

B. Because a lot of trees have been cut down.

C. Because people took few measures to control them.

D. It is not mentioned in the passage.

4. Which of the following doesn't belong to the bad effect the sandstorms have done in Bei­jing?

A. The temperature fell.    B. Flights put off their time to take off.

C. The air is dirty.    D. People had three days off.

5.The author wrote the passage to        .

A. tell us the environments are becoming worse and worse

B. explain what measures people have taken to control sandstorms

C. make people realize the need to protect the environment.

D. call on us to do what we can to save the earth

Sandstorms hit northwestern China's Gansu Province and North China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region on the first day this year. According to Sun Landong， a meteorologist with the Lanzhou Meteorology Observatory，visibility was less than 100 meters in Minqin， a Gansu county near Inner Mongolia， because of sand. When visibility drops to less than 1 kilometer，it is called a sandstorm. The sandstorm in Minqin blew up dust in neighboring towns， such as Baiyin， Wuwei， Jinchang and Lanzhou， the capital city of Gansu Province. Dust-laden winds also swept into Beijing. Brought by northwesterly blowing at more than 20 meters per second，dust first reached the capital's suburbs at 7 a. m，downtown areas at 9 a. m. The winds，which died down during the night，brought the temperature down to as low as 80C below zero and many flights put off their planned time from the city's airport.
It is quite rare for sandstorms，which are frequent between March and June，to happen in winter，when the earth is frozen. The sandstorms in Gansu and Inner Mongolia do not necessarily mean there will be more of them in the spring than last year，when they were serious，but Beijing is taking it very seriously. It is reported that Beijing will spend 6 billion yuan ( US 725 million) in preventing sandstorms in the capital and has already set up a spe­cial team to make sure what causes them.
【小题1】 What is the main idea of the passage?

A．The temperature fell.	B．Flights put off their time to take off.
C．The air is dirty.	D．People had three days off.

America has been experiencing the longest economic increase in its history. Incomes have risen, unemployment has fallen, and cities such as New York are bursting with new office buildings.

But just a short walk from Manhattan’s skyscrapers, George Brown sits on the side-walk, cooking a lunch of rice and bits of fish over a can of cooking fuel.

Brown is homeless——one of the 2.3 million people in the US who end up on the street.

During the day, Brown collects aluminum cans and sells them for five cents a piece. At night, he sleeps on the street.

“I have been on the street about eight or nine years, something like that,” said the 62-year-old former construction worker.

Brown admits he had problems with alcohol and has smoked cocaine. But he said he still wants a more stable housing arrangement. He could afford it just with the money he earns by collecting cans and small pieces of metal, if only truly low-income housing were available.

However, he sees no hope of finding affordable housing in New York.

With the strong economy and unemployment down, beautiful housing is being built to meet demand.

A US report shows rents in New York City rose more than 27 per cent, from ＄549 to ＄700 a month.

One of the side effects of the strong economy is that rents have been going up.

The majority of people who experience homelessness really just need some affordable housing help.

But few housing companies are building for the poor. Many small apartments in the city now rent for ＄1,500 a month or more.

Brown, the homeless New Yorker, said he has a daughter who lives in the city but he rarely sees her. She is angry about his drinking and won’t allow it in her house.

Smiling, he said he also has seven grandchildren whom he’d like to see more often. “All I’ve got to do is clean up my act,” he said.

What kind of life does George Brown lead?

A. Stable.         B. Dangerous.      C. Hard.        D. Comfortable.

It can be inferred from this passage that     .

A. America is short of housing companies

B. the poor can’t benefit from the increasing economy

C. poor people in America will become rich

D. housing companies will build more houses for the poor

The underlined part “clean up my act” in the last paragraph means “    ”.

A. remove my cans                B kick my bad habits   

C. make a lot of money             D. see my grandchildren

Which part of a newspaper is the passage possibly taken from?

A. Society.         B. Science.         C. Arts.         D. Business.

Charles Blackman：Alice in Wonderland

An Exhibition at the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV), Australia

June —12 August 2007

Venue (地点) The Ian Potter Centre

Admission             Free entry

Charles Blackman is famous for his beautiful painting of dreams. In 1956, he heard for the first time Lewis Carroll’s extraordinary tale of Alice in Wonderland –the story of a Victorian girl who falls down a rabbit hole, meets a lot of funny characters and experience all kinds of things. At that time, Blackman’s wife was suffering form progressive blindness. The story of Alice moving through the strange situations, often disheartened by various events, was similar to his wife’s experiences. It also reflected so much of his own life. All this contributed to the completion of the Alice in Wonderland paintings.

Illustrator Workshop

Go straight to the experts for an introductory course in book illustration. The course includes an introduction to the process of illustration and its techniques, workshop exercise and group projects.

Dates Sunday 17 June &Sunday 5Aug. 10am—1pm

Venue Gas Works Arts Park

Wonderful World

Celebrate the exhibition and Children’s Book Week with special activities just for the day, including a special visit from Alice and the White Rabbit

Date Sunday 24 June, 11am—4pm

Venue Exhibition Space. Level 3

Topsy-Turvy

Visit the exhibition or discover wonderful curiosities in artworks in the NGV Collection and make a magic world in a box. Alice and the White Rabbit will be with you. Walt Disney’s Alice in Wonderland will be screened.

Dates                    Sunday 8, 15, 22, 29 July, and Tuesday 24-Friday 27 July, 12noon—3pm

Venue                   Theatre, NGV Australia

Drawing Workshop

Distortions of scale (比例失真) can make artworks strange but interesting. Find out how Charles Blackman distorted scale in his paintings to create a curious world. then experiment with scale in your own drawings. More information upon booking.

Date Friday 27 July, 10: 30am-3pm

Venue Foryer, Level 3

Charles Blackman’s paintings come from ________.

A. his admiration for Lewis Carrioll

B. his dream of becoming a famous artist

C. his wish to express his own feelings

D. his eagerness to cure his wife’s illness

Which two activities can you participate in on the same day?

A. Illustrator Workshop and Wonderful World

B. Illustrator Workshop and Drawing Workshop.

C. Wonerful World and Topsy –Turvy.

D. Topsy-Turvy and Drawing Workshop.

To understand the Alice in Wonderland paintings, you should go to ________.

A. Exhibition Space. Level 3                B. Gas Works Arts Park

C. Theatre, NGV Australia                  D. Foyer, Level 3

Activities concerning children’s books are to be held

A. on June 24, 2007                           B. on July15, 2007

C. on July 24, 2007                            D. on August 5, 2007

根据短文内容，从短文后的七个选项中，选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。选项中有两项为多途选项。

If you are hungry, what do you do? Have your favorite-meal and stay quiet after that?_ But it never lets you know, because, you keep it busy thinking about your friends or favorite stars．So it silently serves your needs and never lets itself grow．When mind loses its freedom to grow．creativity sets a full stop．This might be the reason why we all sometimes think "What happens next?", "Why can't I think?"

   Why reading but not watching TV? It is because reading has been the most educative tool used by us right from childhood．Since it develops other aspects of our life, we have to take help from reading．

Once you read a book, you run your eyes through the lines and your mind tries to explain something to you Now this seed is unknowingly used by you to develop new ideas．If it is used many times, the same seed can give you great help to relate a lot of things, which you would have never thought of in your wildest dreams!

This is nothing but creativity．    Within no time you can start talking with your friends in English or any other language and never run out of the right words．

So guys, do give food for your thoughts by reading, reading and more reading． Go and get a book!

    A．Now what are you waiting for?

    B．Reading can help you make more friends, too．

    C．Just like your stomach, your mind is also hungry．

    D．Why not do some reading while you are hungry?

    E．Also this makes a significant contribution to your vocabulary．

    F．The interesting part of the book is stored in your mind as a seed．

    G．Hunger of the mind can be actually solved through wide reading．