A pair of pandas being lent by China to Japan was set to arrive in Tokyo's Ueno Zoo in the Japanese capital and raising hopes that the animals may help improve bilateral (双边的)ties.
Bi Li and his female partner, Xian Nu, both 5, were  due  to  touch  down at  Narita international Airport in Tokyo on a flight from Shanghai.
Together with their keeper, the pair were transferred from Chengdu, to Shanghai on Monday morning, said Li Desheng, deputy chief of the Wolong Nature Reserve.
The pair, which are young adults, will be the first pandas at Ueno Zoo since April 2008, when the institution's beloved Ling Ling died.
Ueno Zoo had spent 90 million yen ($1.1 million) installing under-floor heating, a playground with a sandbox and landscaping.
The pair will dine on rare bamboo from the central Japanese mountain of Izu that is similar to what they are used to at home in China.
The zoo's first pair of pandas arrived in 1972, marking the normalization of diplomatic ties between the two countries.
Expectations are running high that the pandas that will stay in Japan for 10 years will boost the local economy and improve troubled relations between Tokyo and Beijing.
Business and tourism officials expect them to bring in around 20 billion yen a year, or 10 percent of the local economy.
In 1993, a year after Ling Ling arrived in the zoo, an additional 1 million people visited the attraction. Visitors have fallen to around 3 million a year from 3.5 million since Ling Ling's death.
Since a boat collision near the Diaoyu Islands in September, Sino-Japanese relations have been at a low point. The media outlets expressed hope that bilateral relations will improve with the arrival of the pandas.
【小题1】The passage mainly tells us         .    

A．an additional 1 million people will visit the zoo

B．they will eat what they are used to from China

C．they will stay there for 10 years

D．they will be the first pandas at Ueno Zoo

A pair of pandas being lent by China to Japan was set to arrive in Tokyo's Ueno Zoo in the Japanese capital and raising hopes that the animals may help improve bilateral (双边的)ties.

Bi Li and his female partner, Xian Nu, both 5, were  due  to  touch  down  at  Narita international Airport in Tokyo on a flight from Shanghai.

Together with their keeper, the pair were transferred from Chengdu, to Shanghai on Monday morning, said Li Desheng, deputy chief of the Wolong Nature Reserve.

The pair, which are young adults, will be the first pandas at Ueno Zoo since April 2008, when the institution's beloved Ling Ling died.

Ueno Zoo had spent 90 million yen ($1.1 million) installing under-floor heating, a playground with a sandbox and landscaping.

The pair will dine on rare bamboo from the central Japanese mountain of Izu that is similar to what they are used to at home in China.

The zoo's first pair of pandas arrived in 1972, marking the normalization of diplomatic ties between the two countries.

Expectations are running high that the pandas that will stay in Japan for 10 years will boost the local economy and improve troubled relations between Tokyo and Beijing.

Business and tourism officials expect them to bring in around 20 billion yen a year, or 10 percent of the local economy.

In 1993, a year after Ling Ling arrived in the zoo, an additional 1 million people visited the attraction. Visitors have fallen to around 3 million a year from 3.5 million since Ling Ling's death.

Since a boat collision near the Diaoyu Islands in September, Sino-Japanese relations have been at a low point. The media outlets expressed hope that bilateral relations will improve with the arrival of the pandas.

1.The passage mainly tells us         .    

A. a pair of pandas was lent to Japan by China

B. the pair of pandas from China brought hope of improving Sino-Japanese relations

C. the normalization of diplomatic ties between China and Japan

D. sino-Japanese relations have been at a low point since the Diaoyu Island incident

2.en the pair of pandas arrives in Japan,         .   

A. an additional 1 million people will visit the zoo

B. they will eat what they are used to from China

C. they will stay there for 10 years

D. they will be the first pandas at Ueno Zoo

3.According to the passage, we know that Ling Ling stayed in Japan for about         .  

A. 5 years              B. 10 years         C. 15 years        D. 20 years

4.What does the underlined phrase "touch down" probably mean ?   

A. take off             B. land              C. come up         D. meet

5. The arriving of the pandas is expected to bring several positive effects except         . 

A. boosting the local economy

B. improving the troubled relations between China and Japan

C. bringing in around 20 billion yen a year

D. attracting 3.5 million visitors from China

As a solo artist, Brightman has sold 26 million albums and two million DVDs in 34 countries. Her musical styles put opera, pop and jazz together. She is popular in the States but not here(Britain) – the image of her and her second husband, Andrew Lloyd Webber (he much older, she his muse) seems for ever frozen.

The 47-year-old singer talks about the new album Symphony that came out of a “very dark time”, including her decision to give up trying to have children. “People have suggested I could adopt,” Brightman says. “But work is central to my life now. And so I am going to put it to one side. After a while not having children becomes the norm and perhaps that might sound alarming, to parents especially, but I have never known anything different. I’m not hurt by not having children. My life and career are incredibly rich.”

Talking about growing up in a large family in Berkhamsted (father a property developer who later committed suicide), she says: “I was gifted as a child, and very musical. I seemed to be good at anything to do with the arts. At 5 I understood the music I was dancing to and had an eye for costume.” She first appeared in a West End musical at 11 and hated boarding school.

Brightman led the saucy dance troupe（辣妹三人舞） Hot Gossip and had her first hit with I Lost My Heart to a Starship Trooper in 1978. At 18 she married a music manager called Andrew Graham Stewart. “I was probably in love but I can’t remember. Girls change such a lot between 18 and 22. It didn’t really work out.” In 1981 she was spotted by Lloyd Webber. She became his leading lady in Song and Dance, Requiem and Phantom of the Opera. They married in 1984.

Brightman says she felt hostility(敌意) “from the beginning. I haven’t tried to understand it. I’ve done very well everywhere else, especially the US, where I now live, I just accept it for what it is. The more you are away from Britain, the more you appreciate it. But I don’t miss it, although I miss my family. Our profession can be uncomfortable but I enjoy what I do. I get on with it.”

The first paragraph tells us that _____.

  A. Brightman is very popular around the world except in America

  B. Brightman’s musical style is a mixture of opera, pop and jazz

  C. the British people don’t like her for her style of music

  D. Brightman is much older than Andrew Lloyd Webber

Brightman decided to give up having children because _____.

  A. she could adopt one    B. her life and career were unbelievably rich without children

  C. she felt it normal not to have children   D. she was too busy

The following statements are true except ______.

  A. Brightman first appeared in a West End musical at 5

  B. Brightman disliked life on the campus

  C. Brightman was very gifted when she was young

  D.The saucy dance troupe made Brightman famous

The underlined word in the fourth paragraph probably means _____.

  A. located     B. admired     C. followed     D. found

What does the author try to say in the last paragraph by quoting Brightman’s words?

  A. Brightman has to accept the fact that she is liked in Britain

  B. Brightman lives in America but she loves her own country

  C. The British coldness towards Brightman led to her hatred to her homeland

  D. Brightman was at a loss why she was not welcome in Britain

Every year mobile phones develop. Imagining what they will look like and be able to do in 2020 is really a challenge. To help, experts have outlined three major mobile trends that they believe will have become reality by then.

Our phones will be so smart in 10 years’ time that they’ll know everything about our situation and warn us when something needs our attention. This is the top prediction of both Nokia and Google. They predict that our cars and home appliances will be able to communicate with our mobile. For example, fridges will tell your mobile to tell you to pick up milk on the way back from work. While driving, your mobile will suggest that you take a different route because there’s a road accident up ahead.

The second trend is in gesture-based controls. People who know the iPhone’s touch-sensitive screen are already familiar with the technology. It translates hand movements into actions on-screen. But gestural communications will make the phone more convenient to use and may completely replace touchpads. According to industry insiders, the most immediate step forward in gestural technology will be in voice recognition. It’s believed voice recognition technology will speed up communications. It is quicker to speak than type. Eventually, phone screens will disappear.

The third major development will change our understanding of a mobile phone. From a single phone, the mobile will be developed into multi-part devices. It is opposite to the current trend in which mobile phones are combining the functions of cameras, music players and game consoles. The prediction is based on the idea that the world will become more wireless and all these—cameras, music players and game consoles—will be wirelessly connected. Mobile phones won’t need to contain these devices because users will be able to control them wirelessly through their phones.

The first paragraph serves as          .

A. a lead-in        B. a conclusion      C. a summary         D. a supporting fact

Which of the following is most likely to be the appearance of a mobile phone in 2020? 

A. drive cars for us                             

B. be controlled by the users’ voices

C. be controlled by home appliances

D. be very big together with separated multiple parts

The text mainly tells us          .

A. three major trends of mobile phones  

B. what mobile phones will look like in 2020

C. the future mobile phones are gesture-based

D. some new functions of the present mobile phones

Don’t be surprised when strangers talk to you in Canada! You will find that many Canadians will smile at you as they pass in the street, or say something to you like “Hi!” or “How’s it going?” Just reply with something similar. In the UK the reply would be “I’m fine”, but in Canada they say “I’m good”.

In company, when someone is offering you a second helping of food or more wine, if you don’t want any more, use the same expression— “I’m good”. In this case, it means “No, thank you. I’ve had enough”. Most Canadians don't press you to eat more than you want.

In restaurant, your plate will be cleared away almost immediately you have finished eating. When you go into a shop or store, the shop assistant asks you how you are or if they can help you, it is their way of being friendly and making conversation with the customers.

Canadians eat early and go home early. When you are invited to a Canadian’s home, you may be asked to arrive at 5:30 pm or 6 pm. But guests in Europe don’t expect to arrive until 7:30 pm or 8 pm. Remember to take off your shoes and leave them inside the door without being asked. It’s not a religious custom, but it’s practical. In winter, there can be a lot of snow and dirt on your shoes, once you are in the warm house it melts and falls off, making a mess. Canadians tend to have light colored carpets or hardwood floors.

If you’re invited for dinner, it will be a full sit- down meal. Meat is usually barbecued in the freezing cold of winter. Do take something with you, like a bottle of wine. Arrive on time and don’t stay over 10 pm.

Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?

A.    “I’m good” can mean you do not need more food in Canada.

B.    In Canada, you will meet strangers in the street saying “Hi” to you.

C.    In a Canadian restaurant, the plates will stay at the table until you leave.

D.    Canadians usually say “I’m good” to answer the greeting of “How’s it going?”

If you are invited for dinner in your Canadian friend’s home, ________.

A.    you will have a full sit-down meal

B.    you don’t have to bring any gift for the host

C.    you are expected to arrive at 7:30 or 8 pm

D.    you don’t have to take off your shoes when you enter the room

When a Canadian shop assistant says “How are you?” to you, it suggests that _______.

A.    they hope to make friends with you

B.    they want to ask you for help

C.    they are very friendly to customers

D.    they are your good friends

What can we learn from the passage?

A.    Canadians like dark colored carpets.

B.    In Canada, meat will not be barbecued even in the cold winter.

C.    You will always be asked to eat more food than you want in Canada.

D.    It is usually rude to stay over 10 pm in your Canadian friend’s home.

What would be the best title for this passage?

A.    Some customs in Canada

B.    Dinner party rules in Canada

C.    Studying in Canada

D.    Doing business in Canada