Mail carriers will be delivering some good news and some bad news this week.

The bad news: Stamp prices are expected to rise 2 cents in May to 41 cents, the Postal Regulatory Commission announced yesterday. The good news: With the introduction of a “forever stamp,” it may be the last time Americans have to use annoying 2-or-3-cent stamps to make up postage differences.

Beginning in May, people would be able to purchase the stamps in booklets of 20 at the regular rate of a first-class stamp. As the name implies, “forever stamps” will keep their first-class mailing value forever, even when the postage rate goes up.

The new “forever stamp” is the United States Postal Service’s (USPS) answer to the complaints about frequent rate increases. The May increases will be the fifth in a decade. Postal rates have risen because of inflation (通货膨胀), competition from online bill paying, and the rising costs of employee benefits, including healthcare, says Mark Saunders, a spokesman for USPS.

The USPS expects some financial gain from sales of the “forever stamp” and the savings from not printing as many 2-or-3-cent stamps. “It’s not your grandfather’s stamp,” says Mr. Saunders. “It could be your great-grandchildren’s stamp.”

Other countries, including Canada, England, and Finland use similar stamps.

Don Schilling, who has collected stamps for 50 years, says he’s interested in the public’s reaction. “This is an entirely new class of stamps.” Mr. Schilling says. He adds that he’ll buy the stamps because he will be able to use them for a long period of time, not because they could make him rich — the volume printed will be too large for collectors. “We won’t be able to send our kids to college on these,” he says, laughing.

The USPS board of governors has yet to accept the Postal Regulatory Commission’s decision, but tends to follow its recommendations. No plans have been announced yet for the design of the stamps.

The main purpose of introducing a “forever stamp” is ______.

   A. to reduce the cost of printing 2-or-3-cent stamps

   B. to help save the consumers’ cost on first-class mailing

   C. to respond to the complaints about rising postal rates

   D. to compete with online bill paying

By saying “It could be your great-grandchildren’s stamp”, Mr. Saunders means that forever stamps ________.

   A. could be collected by one’s great-grandchildren

   B. might be very precious in great-grandchildren’s hands

   C. might have been inherited from one’s great-grandfathers

   D. could be used by one’s great-grandchildren even decades later

Which of the following is true according to the passage?

   A. The investment in forever stamps will bring adequate reward.

   B. America will be the first country to issue forever stamps.

   C. The design of the “forever stamp” remains to be revealed.

   D. 2-or-3-cent stamps will no longer be printed in the future.

What can be concluded from the passage?

   A. With forever stamps, there will be no need to worry about rate changes.

   B. Postal workers will benefit most from the sales of forever stamps.

   C. The inflation has become a threat to the sales of first-class stamps.

   D. New interest will be aroused in collecting forever stamps.

阅读下面短文,从短文后所给各题的四个选项(A、B、C、D)中选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。

　　At the 1924 Olympic Games in Paris, the sports of canoe (划船) racing was added to the list of international competition. The  31  team in the four-man canoe race was the United States team. One member of that team was a young man named Bill Havens.

   As the time for the Olympics  32 , it became clear that Bill’s wife would give birth to their first child at about the  33  that the U.S. team would be competing in the Pairs games. In 1924 there were no planes form Paris to the United States, only  34  ships. Bill found himself in a dilemma (左右为难的困境).

Bill’s wife insisted that he go to Paris.  35 , competing in the Olympics was a lifelong dream. But Bill felt  36  and, after much soul-searching, decided to remain home, where he could  37  his wife when the child arrived. He considered being at her  38  his highest priority (优先考虑的事), even higher than going to Paris to fulfill his  39 .

The team won the gold medal in Paris. And Bill’s wife was  40  in giving birth to their child.  41 , Bill could have competed in the event and returned home  42  to be with he when she gave birth.

People said, “What a shame!” But Bill said he had no  43 . For the rest of his life, he  44  he had made the better decision.

Bill Havens knew what was most important to him. Not everybody  45  that out. Not everybody has the strength to say no to something he or she truly  46  in order to say yes to something that truly  47 . Peace begins to  48  our lives when we learn to say yes to the things that really matter.

Twenty eight years later, Bill  49  a telegram. It was from Finland, where the 1952 Olympics were being held. The telegram read, “Dad, I won. I’m bringing home the gold medal you  50  while waiting for me to be born.”

A. new B. favorite      C. special       D. weak

A. arrived  B. passed C. neared D. ended

A. moment   B. opportunity       C. time    D. promise

A. fast       B. old     C. small  D. slow

A. In all     B. After all     C. As a result  D. As usual

A. honored   B. worried      C. conflicted   D. delighted

A. persuade       B. accompany C. support      D. satisfy

A. place       B. side    C. door   D. mercy

A. duty B. promise      C. dream D. demand

A. favoring       B. successful   C. safe    D. late

A. In addition    B. For example      C. In fact D. At last

A. on time       B. in time       C. on purpose D. in need

A. judgments   B. excuse C. choices       D. regrets

A. believed      B. wished       C. wondered   D. proved

A. puts     B. takes   C. figures       D. gives

A. trusts     B. wants  C. understands       D. respects

A. matters       B. happens      C. appears      D. continues

A. turn into     B. look into    C. settle on    D. rely on

A. discovered    B. wrote  C. sent    D. received

A. grasped       B. offered       C. took    D. lost

Finnish President said Finland-China relations had progressed_______ with fruitful co-operation in new and high-tech fields.

A. peacefully                       B. highly                               C. quietly                             D. smoothly

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Horseriding in the Tarn France
Learn to ride, or perfect your horse-riding skills at Les Juliannes in the Tarn Valley.  Activities include everything from show-jumping to hacking（骑马）through the rolling hills and medieval（中世纪的）villages.  Between sessions, you can relax by the pool, cycle along the country lanes or roam the grounds.  Guests stay at a rural 17th-century farmhouse.
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【小题1】If you want to have some experiences of country life in the past, you’d better go to        .

Pushy parents and teachers who “hothouse” the under-5s risk causing damage to the children’s long term development, a leading education expert said.

       Lilian Katz, Professor of Education at the University of Illinois, said that four-year-olds engaged in reading and writing went on to perform worse academiclly than those engaged in imaginative learning. They scored higher in tests at the age of 5, but children whose first year at school was stimulating outstripped them four years later.

   The findings suggest that the government's structured approach to early years' learning could be storing up problems for children. They also raise serious questions about the plan for all children to be able to read by the age of 6.

   In many countries formal teaching does not start until children are 6 or 7 and have improved their social and manual skills. Children start learning to read and write at 6 in the United States. France and Germany , and at 7 in Finland and Sweden.

   Professor Katz said that in many schools the courses were "boring children to tears". Much academic teaching required children to learn by memorizing pieces of information out of context, she said. Teaching in reception class should instead allow children to develop their intellect by exploring their environments and asking questions.

   "Research suggests the benefits of formal academic insturction for four- and five-year-olds seem to be promising when they are tested early, but considerably less so in the long term. When these children are followed over a period of three or more years, those who had early experience in more intellectually engaging curricula were more likely to do well in school than their peers, who had received early academic instruction." She avocates teaching children through first-hand experience and play, in mixed-aged classes. This can include puppet shows, drawing or running a pretend shop in the classroom.

1．According to the passage, those who “hothouse” the under-5s would probably _________.

       A. prefer a lot of interaction and stimulation while teaching

       B. teach in a lively way to motivate kids’ interest

       C. push the kids to memorize pieces of information

       D. care about the kids’ physical development

2．What does the underlined word “ outstripped” in Paragraph 2 mean?

       A. did better than                                B. looked down upon

       C. caught up with                                      D. performed worse than

3．According to Lilian Katz, the government’s structured approach to early-years learning ______.

       A. is necessary for improving children’s reading and writing ability

       B. needs to be improved to develop children’s academicability

       C. will cause problems to children in their future learning

       D. has more advantages than disadvantages

4．The message the author wants to deliver through the passage is that formal teaching _______.

       A. can start at different times in different countries.

       B. should not be started too early

       C. is best carried out in Finland and Sweden

       D. should include teaching children social and manual skills

5．Which of the following is NOT the opinion of Lilian Katz?

       A. Children should be taught through first-hand experience.

       B. Learning in a mixed-age class is good for children.

       C. Running a shop can help children get good marks.

       D. Puppet shows and drawing are useful easy in teaching children.