What will you be doing when you are 26 years old? Studying at university or working for a living? Take a look at what Albert Einstein was doing at the age of 26.

100 years ago, Einstein was working in Switzerland. His hobby was physics. Without much money or help, he wrote five papers(论文) for a physics magazine. Three of these greatly changed the study of physics and our understanding of space, time, light and matter(物质). His most famous work is on the Theory of Relativity(相对论). Einstein was given the Nobel Prize for his discoveries. Although he also did many other things later, the years 1905 has been called Einstein’s “Year of Wonders”. It has been 100 years since then. Because of this, the UN has named 05 the World Year of Physics.

Today, over fifty years after Einstein’s death, a question is asked,  “ Will there ever be another Einstein?” It may take a long time. After all, Einstein was born more than 200 years after Sir Isaac Newton, another great scientist. Besides, physics is a different field now, and education is different, too. Even if you can’t be the next great scientist, it is still helpful to remember some of the things that made Einstein great. He thought independently(独立地) and read widely. He left with us a formula(公式) for life: If A is a success in life, then A="X+Y+Z." X is work, Y is play, and Z is keeping your mouth shut.

1.The year 1905 is known as Einstein’s “Year of Wonders” because           .

2.Why hasn’t there been another scientist as great as Einstein?

3.The UN has named 05 the World Year of Physics because           .

4. What does Einstein’s formula for life mean?

One day, Raul was miles away from the small ranch（牧场）house in a large valley. Everything seemed to be all right，yet he felt strange and somewhat uneasy. The wind had picked up，and angry，dark clouds __1__ across the sky. He could smell the rain coming. And it did. __2__，the lightning flashed through the clouds, nearly __3__ Raul. The thunder（雷声）was so loud that he buried his head in his hands and rubbed his eyes. Then he heard it. Hoofbeats（蹄声）. He __4__. There before him stood a tall, white horse. An old man stared down at him from its back.

“Wh-wh-who are y-y-you?" asked Raul. “My name is Gray Cloud,” the old man answered__5__．"Come with me.”

Raul followed on his horse. A __6__ feeling came over him. All __7__ them the rain was pouring down，__8__ not a drop fell on them. They seemed to be __9__ back toward Raul' s home. Raul lost track of time. Then all at once he found __10__ at the ranch gate. The old man turned his horse，waved his hand, and smiled. Lightning flashed again. The old man and his horse were __11__

Raul's father ran out across the yard to __12__ him. "We have been __13__ sick about you. Are you okay? Hurry. Let's get in out of the __14__．”

"Wait,” said Raul. "Have you ever heard of an old man called Gray Cloud?"

"Can't say I…wait. I believe my great-grandfather used to tell stories about a man called Gray Cloud. He died a long time ago. They say he was __15__ by lightning during a terrible thunderstorm. Why do you ask?"

1. A. dropped       B. fell               C. rolled             D. covered

2. A. Suddenly      B. Strongly           C. Quickly           D. Hardly

3. A. beating        B. blinding           C. burning            D. touching

4. A. looked up      B. woke up           C. lay down           D. sat down

5. A. lazily         B. angrily             C. coldly             D. slowly

6. A. natural        B. common            C. strange            D. bad

7. A. around        B. beside              C. through           D. above

8. A. yet           B. for                 C. so               D. or

9. A. walking       B. leading             C. heading           D. returning

10. A. them         B. themselves          C. him              D. himself

11. A. gone         B. left                C. followed          D. lost

12. A. see           B. meet               C. beat             D. ask

13. A. waited        B. thought             C. worried          D. excited

14. A. yard          B. wind               C. grass            D. rain

15. A. defeated       B. caught             C. damaged         D. struck

Each time I see a balloon, my mind flies back to a memory of when I was a six-year-old girl. It was a rainy

Sunday and my father had recently died. I asked my mom if Dad had gone to heaven. "Yes, honey. Of course." she said.    

    "Can we write him a letter?"

    She paused, the longest pause of my short life, and answered, "Yes."

    My heart jumped. "How? Does the mailman go there?" I asked.

    "No, but I have an idea." Mom drove to a party store and returned with a red balloon. I asked her what it was for.

    "Just wait, honey. You'll see." Mom told me to write my letter. Eagerly, I got my favorite pen, and poured out my six-year-old heart in the form of blue ink. I wrote about my day, what I learned at school, how Mom was doing, and even about what happened in a story I had read. For a few minutes it was as if Dad were still alive. I gave the letter to Mom. She read it over, and a smile crossed her face.

    She made a hole in the corner of the letter where she looped the balloon string. We went outside and she gave me the balloon. It was still raining.

    "Okay, on the count of three, let go. One, two, three."

The balloon, carrying my letter, darted upward against the rain. We watched until it was swallowed by the mass of clouds.

Later I realized, like the balloon, that Dad had never let his sickness get him down. He was strong. No matter what he suffered, he'd persevere, dart up, and finally transcend this cold world and his sick body. He rose into sky and became something beautiful. I watched until the balloon disappeared into the gray and white and I prayed that his strength was hereditary. I prayed to be a balloon.

1.When the girl asked her mother if they could write to her father, her mother _________.

A．felt it hard to answer       B．thought her a creative girl

C．believed it easy to do so           D．found it easy to lie

2.When the girl was told that she could send a letter to her father, she _________.

A．jumped with joy

B．became excited

C．started writing immediately

D. was worried that it couldn't be delivered

3.In the eyes of the author, what was the rain like?

A．An incurable disease.

B．An unforgettable memory.

C．The hard time her father had.

D．The failures her father experienced.

4.What would be the best title for the passage?

A．An unforgettable experience          B．The strong red balloon

C．Fly to paradise                           D．A great father

For Chinese wanting to work as nurses in the United Sates, the arrival of the test of the Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools (CGFNS) may be a welcome move.

 The CGFNS has a certification programme for people wanting to work as registered nurses in the US. The first CGFNS test in China is to be held in Beijing in July. Registrations is open till April 9. According to US labour law, nurses have to pass the National Council License Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN) before they can practise. However, the NCLEX-RN is only useful in the US, making it difficult for people from other countries to get in. But, the US expects a shortage of 50,000 nurses by 2010. So, the CGFNS has not replaced the NCLEX-RN, which is still needed for work as a registered nurse in the US.

So what exactly does CGFNS do?

First of all, it helps international nurses qualify for a work visa for the US. Nurses educated abroad who do not have a US license by the NCLEX-RN, must get the CGFNS certificate. “But not everyone who gets a CGFNS certificate can get a work visa. There are many requirements for a visa, and the CGFNS is just one,” said John Ratigan, immigration officer for the CGFNS.

The certificate helps applicants meet requirements for the NCLEX-RN. Forty-two states require a CGFNS certificate from nurses educated abroad before taking the NCLEX-RN examination.

About 85 percent of those who passed the CGFNS have passed the NCLEX-RN. According to Barbara Michols, chief executive officer of CGFNS, “the CGFNS is cost-efficient for the Chinese. If they can’t pass the CGFNS here in China, their chances of passing the NCLEX-RN for the US are tiny. This saves time and money on visa applications and the long trip. ” In a word, to get a CGFNS certificate, a person must have: a credentials review, the CGFNS qualifying exam of nursing knowledge and an English language proficiency exam.

1.  We can infer from the text that to people hoping to work as registered nurses in the US, CGFNS tests can be taken _____.

A. nowhere but in the US                    B. somewhere outside the US

C. in every country but the US              D. both in China and the US

2. According to American labour law, people cannot work as nurses until they pass                   _____.

A. NCLEX-RN                         B. CGFNS

C. CGFNS and NCLEX-RN                   D. CGFNS or NCLEX-RN

3.We can learn from the text that _____.

A. if you get a CGFNS certificate, you can pass the NCLEX-RN in the US and get visa

      applications

B. if you pass the NCLEX-RN in the US, you can get a CGFNS certificate and get visa

    applications

C. if you can't pass the NCLEX-RN in the US, you will not be able to pass the CGFNS

examination

D. if you get a CGFNS certificate, you will be more likely to pass the NCLEX-RN examination

4.The sentence "CGFNS holders have a higher rate of success on the NCLEX-RN examination" can be arranged at the beginning of Paragraph _____.

A.  Two             B. Four                 C. Five             D. Six

5.What is probably the best title of this passage?

A. The CGFNS helps international nurses    

B. The first CGFNS test in China

C. The CGFNS and the NCLEX-RN          

D. Working as registered nurses in the US

A

BEUING (Associated Press 美联社)—China has a growing middle class, a tradition of expecting education and 21 million new babies every year. Selling educational toys should be easy.

    While China may be the world’s biggest toy maker, many of the best are exported. Department stores here do not have enough toys of high quality. It is said that the demand for educational toys is low.

A US company, Baby Care, is trying to change that with a new way to sell toys in China.

    Baby Care works basically together with doctors in Beijing hospitals.  People who join the company’s "mother club" can get lectures and newsletters on baby and child development at no extra cost, if they agree to spend 18 dollars a month on the company’s educational toys and child-care books.

"We want to build a seven year relationship with those people," said Matthew J. Estes, Baby Care’s president. "It starts during pregnancy (孕期), when the anxiety and needs are highest." Baby Care works on a one-to-one basis. Doctors, nurses, and teachers paid by Baby Care advise parents and explain toys that are designed for children at each stage of development to age six.

Baby Care opened its first store in China last June in a shopping center in central Beijing and another near Beijing Zoo. It plans to have 80 stores in China within six years.

It is a new model for China and develops a market in young children’s education and health that no other companies are in.

1.What do the first two paragraphs mainly tell us?

A. Educational toys and foreign toy markets.

  B. Problems with China’s toy market and education.

  C. Reasons for pushing sales of educational toys in China.

  D. Baby population and various kinds of toys made in China.

2. Which of the following is a fact according to the passage?

  A. Club members buy Baby Care products for free child care advice.

  B. Doctors in Beijing help in making Baby Care products.

  C. Parents are encouraged to pay $ 18 for club activities.

  D. Baby Care trains Chinese doctors at no extra cost.

3. Baby Care is developing its business in China by ___________.

A. opening stores in Beijing hospitals

B. offering 18 month courses on child care

C. setting up children’s education centers

D. forming close relationships with parents

4.Which of the following would be the most suitable title for the passage?

  A. Mother’s Club in China.               B. Baby Care and Doctors.

  C. American Company Model.            D. Educational Toys in China.