This is the VOA Special English News Report．

    Single--handed(独自的)

    Zhou Yang，18，China

    Against three strong Republic of Korea competitors，Zhou single—handed took the l，500一meter short speed skating gold to become China’s youngest winter Olympics gold medalisi．According to Coach Li Yan，Zhou，who is usually a gentle girl，took some risks and skated fiercely to take the gold．This is the third gold the Chinese have won at the Vancouver Olympics．

    Unobtrusive(不显眼的)

    Liu Xiang，26，China   

The Olympic gold medalist said on Friday that he’s not the same old him，after setting his worst record in years——8．08 seconds for 60一meter hurdles．Liu said he still had some way to go before he’s back to his best．Many fans have been expecting his taking--off in the 2010 Doha，but Liu said unobtrusively“Robles is still the best in the 60一meter and 1l0—meter hurdles．

I’m no match now”．He added the performances of Terrence Trammell(US)and Robles would be the highlight of the Doha meet．

  Coveted(令人垂涎的)

  Michael Jackson，1958—2009，US

  Thanks to a whopping(庞大的) $350，000 bid，Michael Jackson’s rhinestone—encrusted(镶满人造钻石的) glove has gone to a Macao company．Jackson wore the sparking glove when he did his first“moonwalk” dance in 1983，so it was a really coveted piece of equipment．The pre—auction estimate put its value at $40，000～60，000，but that wasn’t even close . The glove and nine other items from the auction will be on display in a Macao hotel.

1．From the first news we can learn that Zhou Yang __________

  A. likes taking chances in the competitions

  B．won three  gold medaIs at the olympics．

  C．is not a gentle but a fierce girl

D．is a hard--working and strong--minded girl

2．From the above news，we can infer Liu Xiang__________

  A．is not popular with his fans any longer

  B．is still out of condition at present

  C．is feeling discouraged and depressed

  D. is sure of the highlight of the Doha meet

3．The underlined part“but that wash’t even close”probably means __________

  A．the pre--auction estimate may be totally wrong

  B．the actual price may be far higher than the estimate

  C．the glove is not worth the pre--auction estimate

  D．the pre—auction estimate is probably correct

4．Where can we probably learn the passage?

    A．Broadcast    B.  Announcement    C．Advertisement   D．Newspaper

Bissel is a small village of the West Sahara. It lies next to a l.5-square-kilometer oasis（绿洲）, from where three days and nights are generally required to go out of the desert. However, before Ken Levin discovered it in 1926, none of the Bissel villagers had ever walked out of the desert. Reportedly, they were not unwilling to leave this barren land. Many had previously tried but failed, always somehow finding themselves back at the oasis after several days of trying to walk out.

When interviewed by Ken Levin, an expert at the British Royal College of Sciences, the villagers explained that no matter which direction they walked it always brought them back to the village.Why couldn’t the Bissel villagers walk out of the desert? Levin was very puzzled. He had, by himself, managed to walk north from the village and reach the nearest town in three and a half days. He decided to carry out an experiment to solve the mystery. He and a Bissel villager called Argutel, would walk out of the desert together. They prepared enough water for a half-a-month journey and two camels. But this time Ken Levin didn't bring his compass. Levin would follow Argutel.

Ten days later, they had walked for about 500 miles but were still in the desert. On the 11th morning, an oasis came into their view. They were back at Bissel. Levin now understood why the Bissel people couldn’t escape the desert. They had no knowledge of the North Star, which had for centuries provided sailors and other travelers with a point of direction. In the desert, if a person goes forward relying only on their senses, they will not be able to travel in a straight line. Rather they will travel in a very large circle and eventually track back to where they began. Levin explained to Argutel the function of the North Star and said, “As long as you rest in the daytime and walk towards the brightest star at night, you would be able to walk out of the desert.” Argutel did as he was told. Three days later, he came to the edge of the desert.

Now in the West Sahara, Bissel has become a bright pearl, where tens of thousands of tourists come every year. Argutel’s bronze statue stands in the center of the town. On its base are the words: __________________________.

1.Ken Levin asked Argutel to walk to the north in order to ________.

A. prove that people could walk out of the desert see

B. how far away Bissel was to the edge of the desert

C. tell people not to walk in circles

D. show Argutel was a great person

2.According to the passage, Ken Levin ________.

A. knew Argutel before he came to the village

B. came to Bissel to do experiments on behalf of his college

C. became the first man to walk out of the desert from Bissel Village

D. taught Bissel villagers knowledge of the North Star when he first arrived

3.It can be inferred from the passage that ________.

A. Ken Levin didn’t walk south because it would take more days

B. the use of a compass was necessary to walk out of the desert

C. tourism in Bissel has been greatly developed and improved

D. Argutel became the leader of Bissel after his return

4.Which of the following can most probably be found at the base of Argutel’s statue?

A. A new life starts from the fixed direction.

B. Where there is a will , there is a way .

C. A long journey starts with the first step .

D. Two heads are better than one.

This is the VOA Special English News Report．
Single--handed(独自的)
Zhou Yang，18，China
Against three strong Republic of Korea competitors，Zhou single—handed took the l，500一meter short speed skating gold to become China’s youngest winter Olympics gold medalisi．According to Coach Li Yan，Zhou，who is usually a gentle girl，took some risks and skated fiercely to take the gold．This is the third gold the Chinese have won at the Vancouver Olympics．
Unobtrusive(不显眼的)
Liu Xiang，26，China   
The Olympic gold medalist said on Friday that he’s not the same old him，after setting his worst record in years——8．08 seconds for 60一meter hurdles．Liu said he still had some way to go before he’s back to his best．Many fans have been expecting his taking--off in the 2010 Doha，but Liu said unobtrusively“Robles is still the best in the 60一meter and 1l0—meter hurdles．
I’m no match now”．He added the performances of Terrence Trammell(US)and Robles would be the highlight of the Doha meet．
Coveted(令人垂涎的)
Michael Jackson，1958—2009，US
Thanks to a whopping(庞大的) $350，000 bid，Michael Jackson’s rhinestone—encrusted(镶满人造钻石的) glove has gone to a Macao company．Jackson wore the sparking glove when he did his first“moonwalk” dance in 1983，so it was a really coveted piece of equipment．The pre—auction estimate put its value at $40，000～60，000，but that wasn’t even close . The glove and nine other items from the auction will be on display in a Macao hotel.
1．From the first news we can learn that Zhou Yang __________
A. likes taking chances in the competitions
B．won three  gold medaIs at the olympics．
C．is not a gentle but a fierce girl
D．is a hard--working and strong--minded girl
2．From the above news，we can infer Liu Xiang__________
A．is not popular with his fans any longer
B．is still out of condition at present
C．is feeling discouraged and depressed
D. is sure of the highlight of the Doha meet
3．The underlined part“but that wash’t even close”probably means __________
A．the pre--auction estimate may be totally wrong
B．the actual price may be far higher than the estimate
C．the glove is not worth the pre--auction estimate
D．the pre—auction estimate is probably correct
4．Where can we probably learn the passage?
A．Broadcast    B.  Announcement    C．Advertisement   D．Newspaper

 My father got his first job at eleven years old. cleaning up the garbage outside of the bowlingalley（保龄球场）． Two years later his dad died. and my fatber worked odd jobs to help put food onthe table during the Depression. Ten years after that. Dad fell in love. married Mom and had ababy girl. Eight more children followed. During those years, Dad slipped into a routine he neverbroke He woke up before six. took the train to work and wouldn't get home until after five thirly.After supper, Dad spent the rest of the evening in the basement making dental parts for extra    

Two years ago, at the age of sixty-four, Dad retired. When I was young, Mom and Dad did well to hide the fact that we were poor. All nine of us attended Catholic schools and we always had plenty of school supplies. We slept in wooden beds, shared one bathroom and watched television from a tiny black-and-white set in the living room. Mom and Dad never bought anything for themselves. They clipped coupons, wore the same pair of sneakers for twenty years and sewed wom clothing together every Saturday afternoon.

    At his retirement party. I wanted to thank Dad for all his hard work and sacrifice by buying him the best present I could think of. As I shopped though. l realized there was nothing I could buy for Dad. Dad taught me through his own faith that the greatest gifis come from the heart Finally. I left my present on the kitchen table for Dad to find before he Ieft for his frnal day at work.

1.How did Dad get extra money besides his daytime routine work?

A. Collecting garbage outside the alley.

B. Making dental parts in the basement.

C. Putting food on the table in a hotel.

D. Working oddjobs on the train.

2.What does Paragraph 2 mainly talk about?

A. Dad retired after sixty-four years of hard work.

B. Dad and Mom could afford their children good education.

C. Parents made every effort to save for chcir children

D. The family was once poor but became well off later.

3.After reading the text. what would be the author's present for his Dad?

A. A big-screen television.

B. A vacation schedule.

C. A letter of grateful words.

D. A great retirement party.

4.What can be the best title for the text?

A. Thank You. Dad.                                 B. Dad's Expenence.

C. A Hardworking Dad.                              D. Dad. a Breadwinner.

Bissel is a small village of the West Sahara. It lies next to a l.5-square-kilometer oasis（绿洲）, from where three days and nights are generally required to go out of the desert. However, before Ken Levin discovered it in 1926, none of the Bissel villagers had ever walked out of the desert. Reportedly, they were not unwilling to leave this barren land. Many had previously tried but failed, always somehow finding themselves back at the oasis after several days of trying to walk out.

When interviewed by Ken Levin, an expert at the British Royal College of Sciences, the villagers explained that no matter which direction they walked it always brought them back to the village.Why couldn’t the Bissel villagers walk out of the desert? Levin was very puzzled. He had, by himself, managed to walk north from the village and reach the nearest town in three and a half days. He decided to carry out an experiment to solve the mystery. He and a Bissel villager called Argutel, would walk out of the desert together. They prepared enough water for a half-a-month journey and two camels. But this time Ken Levin didn't bring his compass. Levin would follow Argutel.

Ten days later, they had walked for about 500 miles but were still in the desert. On the 11th morning, an oasis came into their view. They were back at Bissel. Levin now understood why the Bissel people couldn’t escape the desert. They had no knowledge of the North Star, which had for centuries provided sailors and other travelers with a point of direction. In the desert, if a person goes forward relying only on their senses, they will not be able to travel in a straight line. Rather they will travel in a very large circle and eventually track back to where they began. Levin explained to Argutel the function of the North Star and said, “As long as you rest in the daytime and walk towards the brightest star at night, you would be able to walk out of the desert.” Argutel did as he was told. Three days later, he came to the edge of the desert.

Now in the West Sahara, Bissel has become a bright pearl, where tens of thousands of tourists come every year. Argutel’s bronze statue stands in the center of the town. On its base are the words: __________________________________.

1.Ken Levin asked Argutel to walk to the north in order to ________.

A. prove that people could walk out of the desert see

B. how far away Bissel was to the edge of the desert

C. tell people not to walk in circles

D. show Argutel was a great person

2.According to the passage, Ken Levin ________.

A. knew Argutel before he came to the village

B. came to Bissel to do experiments on behalf of his college

C. became the first man to walk out of the desert from Bissel Village

D. taught Bissel villagers knowledge of the North Star when he first arrived

3.It can be inferred from the passage that ________.

A. Ken Levin didn’t walk south because it would take more days

B. the use of a compass was necessary to walk out of the desert

C. tourism in Bissel has been greatly developed and improved

D. Argutel became the leader of Bissel after his return

4.Which of the following can most probably be found at the base of Argutel’s statue?

A. A new life starts from the fixed direction.

B. Where there is a will, there is a way.

C. A long journey starts with the first step.

D. Two heads are better than one.