We keep reading that TV is bad for you. If this is true, how come the current generation of TV-addicted kids is much smarter than we are? In my home, the only people who can work the remote control are the children.

Perhaps TV does educate you. For example, you learn a useful medical fact: A person who has been shot always has time to speak an incomplete sentence before he dies. “The killer was…” (dies)

But I guess the biggest things we learn from TV can be regarded as “Life Skills”. Bad things only happen on dark and stormy nights. Emotional breakdowns cause people to wander in the heavy rain without umbrellas. And contrary to what scientists say, the crack(霹雳) of lightning and the accompanying flash happen at exactly the same time, wherever you are.

I’ve even acquired useful geographical facts from science-fiction shows: Aliens speak English no matter which planet they come from.

Making use of what we learn from TV can improve our security. Consider these truths. If you are ever attacked by 20 bad guys, don’t worry about being outnumbered. The criminals will hang back and take turns to approach you in ones and twos just so you can conveniently defeat them all. Bad guys who are completely covered in black clothes always remove their black masks to reveal that they are in fact, aha, women.

TV also teaches us important information about escaping from danger. Watch and learn. (1) If anyone is running after you down a passage, you will find that boxes have been conveniently placed near all the walls you need to jump over. (2) If you are tall and handsome, you can run from any number of armed criminals, and every shot will miss you.

Be warned, however. If your name card says “henchman” (帮凶) and you are part of a group of plain-looking people trying to catch a handsome individual, a single shot will kill you. But don’t be anxious: TV also delivers useful information for bad guys. All cars are inflammable (易燃的) and have amazing shock absorbers that enable them to fly into the air and land without damage — except police cars.

TV even teaches us about TV. Whenever anyone turns on a TV, it shows a news flash about someone they know. They then turn the box off immediately after that news item.

By saying “A person who has been shot always has time to speak an incomplete sentence

 before he dies” (Paragraph 2), the writer shows his________.

A. humor                                                            B. sympathy

C. deep concern                                            D. medical knowledge

We can infer from Paragraph 3 that in the real world_______.

A. bad things cause people to break down in the rain

B. bad things never happen on dark and stormy nights

C. people with emotional problems like to walk in the rain without umbrellas

D. the crack of lightning and the accompanying flash don’t happen at the same time

On TV what usually happens when a person turns it on?

A. The news shown is always about someone the person knows.

B. The person always turns off the TV when it’s time for news.

C. The program shown is always about the importance of TV.

D. TV always shows news about famous people.

What’s the main idea of this passage?

A. Life skills can be learned from TV.

B. TV plays an important role in society.

C. Watching TV makes people more creative.

D. What happens in TV is very different from reality.

Our teacher,Miss Chua,is nearing retirement.However, she still commands our great  1   for being an excellent teacher. ?

     She has short hair that is gradually   2 white,an indication that age is creeping on her.The wrinkles (皱纹) that line her face   3  of years of hard work and selfless devotion to her students.She wears a pair of glasses through which her kind eyes are always   4   fixed upon us with affection and consideration.She looks

splendid in her   5  clothes which she will not throw away for something more   6  ,reflecting a thrifty (节俭的) nature.Through her,we have learned to be more careful with    7  .Not only that,she has also taught us the   8   of filial duty (孝道) by setting us a good   9  of looking after her eighty-five years old mother.

    All her life,she has never  10  her duty towards her family and her students.For much

of her life,she has been working hard,displaying a    11   of discipline and an attitude of industry which she is presently   12   to fix in our mind. As her parents could not afford to  13  her to university,she saved hard and managed to graduate   14  a master degree from a British university.This is an inspiration to us—that absolute   15   leads to eventual fulfillment of dreams.??

Miss Chua is totally committed to the  16   of her students.Armed with a keen insight into the teaching process,she never fails to   17   our minds and most important,her gift to us has been the development of a good   18   of English.?   The day when Miss Chua   19  school and retires,I will send her a thousand flowers with the message “You’ve  20  us well.” I will never forget her.She has made a great impact on my life and on my English.?

1. A.support                  B.attention    C.respect              D.view?

2. A.changing            B.turning?   C.appearing         D.showing?

3. A.tell                     B.speak      C.talk                   D.think?

4. A.sharply                  B.suddenly     C.generally        D.gently?

5. A.matching            B.expensive?C.dry                   D.new?

6. A.valuable            B.fashionable?C.comfortable      D.available?

7. A.friends                  B.studies      C.time                D.money?

8. A.virtue                    B.lesson?    C.method            D.technique?

9. A.goal                   B.example     C.pattern            D.standard?

10. A.performed            B.done       C.ignored             D.had?

11. A.process            B.need        C.series                D.sense?

12. A.trying                  B.willing     C.learning            D.getting?

13.A.send                     B.accompany?C.take                D.bring?

14.A.upon                    B.to          C.for                  D.with?

15. A.development        B.determination?C.decoration          D.distinction?

16. A.talent                   B.success?  C.experience          D.entertainment?

17.A.charge                  B.concentrate?C.challenge        D.change?

18.A.appreciation          B.writing?   C.command         D.skill?

19. A.leaves                  B.enters        C.quits                     D.attends?

20. A.protected             B.showed      C.guarded          D.guided?

Governments and health officials around the world continued to take steps Tuesday against the outbreak of swine flu that has killed scores of people in Mexico and spread to the U.S., Europe and possibly Asia.

By early Tuesday, the swine flu outbreak in Mexico had caused in 152 deaths and more than 1,600 illnesses. So far, at least 113 cases have been proved worldwide, including 64 in the United States; six in Canada; 11 in New Zealand and two each in Spain the United Kingdom and Israel. None has yet resulted in death.

The World Health Organization on Monday raised its alert level from three to four on its six-level scale. The move means the U.N. agency has determined that the virus can transmit

from human to human.

"In this age of global travel, where people move around in airplanes so quickly, there is no region to which this virus could not spread," said Fukuda, assistant director-general of the WHO.

Governments around the world struggled to prevent further outbreak. Some, like China and Russia, banned pork imports from the United States and Mexico. U.S. President Barack Obama said the outbreak was a cause for concern, not for alarm. The government urged travelers to avoid non-essential travel to Mexico.

The latest WHO report listed only seven proved swine flu deaths in Mexico but it was not clear why there was the discrepency.

Mexico City has closed all schools until at least May 6 to help curb(control) the spread of swine flu and ordered 35,00 public venues to close or serve only takeaway meals. In addition, bars, clubs, movie theaters, pool halls, gyms, sport centers and convention halls have been told to close until May 5. Armed police officers are also guarding hospitals in Mexico City while roads and schools in the city of 20 million people are deserted. Officials also have talked about shutting down the bus and subway systems.

How many people were found catching swine flu in Spain?

A. 2.           B. 11.      C. 6.           D. 64.

When learning the outbreak of swine flu, the WHO was ____.

A. calm     B. nervous  C. shocked  D. careful

Fukuda’s words suggest that _____.

A. he likes travel by air

B. global travel hasn’t been affected

C. this virus can spread quickly because of global travel

D. planes must be forbidden to take to prevent swine flu

The last paragraph mainly tells us _____.

A. Mexico has taken measures to control swine flu

B. Mexico City is too dangerous to live in

C. the normal life in Mexico has been changed

D. people in Mexico are badly in need of help

Two Chinese cargo ships, the Hua Ping and Yu Xing 8 were attacked by _____________ armed people on the Mekong River on Oct.5.

A. unrecognized    B. unidentified      C. unfamiliar     D. unbelievable

The British royal family is about to be slimmed down. The Queen plans to reduce the number of real royals, it was recently announced. However, there seems little sign of the monarchy (君主) disappearing completely.

Up till the 17th century, the British king or queen was believed to rule by “divine (神的) right”, which was the idea that God chose the king or queen to rule and that he or she was therefore above the law. However, this idea ended with the English Revolution, in which King Charles I was imprisoned and then beheaded (斩首) in 1649.

So what role does the British royal family have today?

Well, the Queen has important formal duties as Head of State, the Queen represents the UK on visits abroad and invites other world leaders to visit the UK. As Head of the Armed Forces: Only the Queen can declare when the UK is at war or when war is over. The Queen also has constitutional duties: She has to sign many government and Commonwealth (英联邦) documents everyday.

In addition, the royal family sends a great deal of its time traveling up and down the country in support of different charity projects.

But republicans in Britain do not believe there should be a royal family. Sometimes, the press and media criticize the royal family as well. One criticism is that British people should have to pay for the royal family through their taxes.

Today, the royal family works hard to be relevant(相关联的) in the modern world. The Queen Speech on television is less formal every Christmas, and is now available as a podcast (播客). In 2005, after graduating from university, Prince William spent time teaching English in Uruguay, the sort of work many young British people do at some time in their lives.

1.    What can be concluded from the first two paragraphs?

         A. The British King or Queen is now considered above the law.

         B. The British King or Queen is no longer believed to rule by divine right.

         C. The royal family played a less important role in Britain in the late 17th century than in nowadays.

         D. The English Revolution put an end to the British royal family in 1649.

2.    Which of the following is NOT among formal duties of the Queen?

         A. Traveling around the UK.

         B. Declaring when the UK is at war.

         C. Inviting other leaders to visit the UK.

         D. Signing Commonwealth documents every day.

3.    With the example of Prince William in the last paragraph, the author intends to show _____.

         A. Prince William is very popular in the UK

         B. the royal family is trying to connect better with ordinary people

         C. Prince William has made an effort to win young people’s admiration

         D. many young British people do voluntary work

4.    According to the article, British people __________.

         A. are all in favor of the royal family

         B. can talk to the Queen through a podcast

         C. pay for the royal family through the taxes

         D. criticize the royal family through media and press