There are several ski hills that can be found locally, and not so locally. Here's a bit of an informal snow report for any visitors to the city who may be unfamiliar with the local options for skiing.

Sunshine Village

   Sunshine is definitely the premier ski hill in the area. Of all the hills in Alberta, Sunshine is the one that has earned international renown. Ticket prices are cheaper this year than they have been in the past. Adults pay $76.5, seniors $61.5, and children only pay $26.5. At present, they have a snow base of 107 cm. The terrain (地形) is a mix of both easy and hard runs.

Lake Louise

   Of all the ski resorts nearby it is the largest with 4,200 acres of ski-able terrain. It has the best balance between easy and difficult runs, and it gets snow of 93 cm right now. Adults pay $75.5, seniors pay $54.5, and children pay $24.5. Lake Louise is a great choice for anyone looking to do some easy access backcountry skiing.

Nakiska

   While it will be opening shortly, Nakiska is popular to the public. Currently, they have a base of 71cm. The terrain at Nakiska is varied, but slants (倾斜) more towards the easy side. It's the best place for families to go skiing as there is a lot of beginner and kid terrain. Tickets are relatively cheap. Adults pay $64.5, seniors pay $51.5, and children only pay $19.5.

Olympic Park

    O.P. was built for the 1988 Winter Olympics in Canada, and it is a world-class facility (设施） for almost every winter sport. It has facilities not only for skiing, but also for all kinds of other activities. It has a snow base of 102 cm, but it isn't the primary focus. However, with tickets starting at $5 and capping at $39, it is very inexpensive.

1.What can we know about Sunshine Village?

    A. It is a ski hill in Europe.

    B. Its snow is the thickest of the four.

    C. It is suitable for ski beginners.

    D. its ticket prices are getting more expensive.

2.What does the underlined word "renown" mean in the passage?

    A. Good attraction.       B. Place of interest.

    C. Prize or reward.       D. Fame or reputation.

3. Which will be the best choice for someone who is fond of other sports games besides skiing?

    A. Sunshine Village.  B. Lake Louise.

    C. Olympic Park.    D. Nakiska.

4. How much will a woman pay if she and her husband with two children go skiing in the best family place?

    A. 168 dollars.   B. 103.5 dollars.

C. 209 dollars.   D. 129.5 dollars.

 Qian Xuesen is one of the pioneers of China's space science. As a world-famous expert on aerospace rockets and aerodynamics, he obtained great achievements in the areas of applied mechanics, engineering cybernetics and system engineering and made distinguished contributions to the foundation and development of Chinese aerospace undertaking(事业).

He graduated from Shanghai Jiaotong University in 1934, and Qian Xuesen went to the United States to study in MIT, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, one year later. After receiving master's degree in MIT, he went to study in California Institute of Technology and received PhD degrees in both aerospace and mathematics.

In 1955, six years after the founding of People's Republic of China, Qian Xuesen returned to his motherland. His return brought China the hope of developing space science and its own missiles. In 1956, Qian Xuesen put forward “Proposal on the Development of China's Aviation Industry for National Defense”. With the support from Zhou Enlai, the premier, and marshal Nie Rongzheng, Qian Xuesen began to prepare for the establishment of China's first missile and rocket research and development structure, the Fifth Research Institute of State Ministry of Defense. Henceforth(从此以后), he has long been in charge of the chief technological research and development of China's missile, rocket and spacecraft.

Due to research and development led by Qian Xuesen, China successfully exploded its first atom bomb in 1964. Later, China launched its first man-made satellite, Dong Fang Hong I, to the earth orbit on April 24, 1970, becoming the fifth country in the world to independently launch satellite following the former Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, the USA, France and Japan. The satellite floated around the earth, blaring(高声播放)the song Dong Fang Hong, which has the same name as the satellite.

As a forerunner leading the development of China's aerospace science and technology, Qian Xuesen also provided chances for young scientists. Wang Yongzhi, former chief designer of China's manned-space project, has benefited a lot from Qian Xuesen. “He suggested that rocket of the second generation should be developed by our second generation scientists. This suggestion gave us chances to be general designers.” Recalling the experience working with Qian Xuesen, Sun Jiadong, general designer of China's lunar orbiter project, is very grateful. “He put great expectation on us and trusted us a lot. Whenever we made mistakes, he seldom blamed us, but helped us to find out the reason so we could avoid it in the future.”

Honored as Father of China's Missile and King of Rockets, Qian Xuesen never stopped his work on scientific research after he retired. He said he had no time to review the past, but looked forward to the future.

1.When did Qian xuesen begin to study in Massachusetts Institute of Technology?

2.Which of the following is about the five countries that launched man-made satellite independently before 1970?

3. What does the underlined word “forerunner”(Paragraph 5) probably mean?                                 

4.According to the passage, which of the following about Qian Xuesen is NOT true?

5.It can be inferred from Paragraph 5 that _________.

BEIJING , March 9 --- The central government will require an additional three years of use for official vehicles for ministers and governors to reduce the costs of purchasing new cars, media have reported.
The new rule has been applied among all Party and government departments nationwide, the Beijing News reported on Tuesday. The new rule has not yet been made public, said Li, a member of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference National Committee.
Under the old rules, the cars used by minister-level officials could be replaced as often as every five years, Li said. These officials will also keep the same cars when they assume new posts, he added.
The new rule also reiterated(重申) that officials ranking below minister-or-governor-levels should not be allocated cars. The cars possessed by their departments should be used on demand.
“It violates the rules for lower-ranking --- even county-level-officials to be allocated cars,” Li said.
Purchases of vehicles for official use have been heavily investigated, as they account for a large expenditure (花费) of public funds every year.
A survey on the Web news www.ifeng.com found 64 percent of respondents believed the new rule will be difficult to carry out because it is related to officials’ interests.
“Local government departments had halted(中断) approvals for requests for such vehicles and had started to work on new quotas(指标) under the new rules,” Li said. “The future reform of official vehicle use will introduce market mechanisms and monetization.”
Premier Wen Jiabao said in the annual government work report on Saturday that expenditures on such vehicles will not increase in 2011 compared with a year ago.
Beijing’s standing deputy mayor Ji Lin last week said the municipal (市政的) government will release the number of vehicles for official use in the capital as early as at the end of this month.
Earlier this month, the Minister of Finance had published a rule regulating the budgets for such vehicles.
【小题1】What is the purpose of the new rule allocating vehicles among officials?

第三部分:阅读理解(共20小题;每小题2分满分40分)

US first lady Michelle Obama is among the world’s 100 most powerful women on a list topped by German premier Angela Merkel for four years in a row, according to a Forbes ranking released recently.

Michelle Obama debuted（初次露面）at No.40,coming in ahead of talk show host Oprah Winfrey at 41 and Britain’s Queen Elizabeth at 42.

Sheila Bair, chair of the US Federal Deposit Insurance Corp, which insures bank deposits,remained NO.2 after debuting on the Forbes list last year. She has gained increased fame as the US recession（经济衰退） lasts.

The list is based on factors such as economic impact, media reach and career accomplishments. Former US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice fell off the list after leaving office in January. Rice’s successor （继任者）,Hillary Clinton, came in at NO.36, dropping from No.28 last year when her presidential bid made her the woman with the highest public profile on the list.

“women im power are rising to leadership positions in business, government and philanthropy （慈善）by making daring and unconventional moves,”Forbes said.“Gone are the days of women feeling they must stick with one employer and patiently wait for promotions.”

“Highly ambitious women… are moving across companies and industries, making big leaps with each change, and repositioning themselves for opportunities that allow them to gain a breadth of experience,” the business magazine said.

Merkel,55, became the first female premier of Germany in 2005 and succeeded in retaining(保留) power in a federal election not long ago.

Michelle Obama,45,has won fans for her down-to-earth personality, her support of causes including healthy eating and the arts.

1.Condoleezza Rice is not included on the list probably because_______________ .

A. she exercises less influence

B. she keeps her new job a secret

C. she has become an ordinary woman

D. she is silent after leaving office

2.Hillary Clinton was ranked No.28 last year because_____________

A. she was the former first lady

B. she was running for president then

C. she frequently appeared in public

D. she got support from her husband

3. We learn from the passage that powerful women today_____________

A. change their jobs more frequently

B. are better political leaders than men

C. are not content with being housewives

D. have changed their traditional concept

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

A. The most powerful women in the world

B. Women in power are rising to leadership postitions

C. Forbes: Germany’s Merkel again most powerful woman

D. Forbes: The rise and fall of the women in power

D. The latest source of biofuel

Australians have been warned they face a life or death decision over their water — drink recycled sewage (污水) or die.

With the drought (干旱) continuing, the country is set to be forced to use purified (净化的) waste water for drinking, even though there is great opposition to the measure.

Queensland has become the first state to introduce the policy after a warning from its premier.

“I think in the end, because of the drought, all of Australia is going to end up drinking recycled purified water,” said Peter Beattie.

“These are difficult decisions, but you either drink water or you die. There’s no choice. It’s liquid gold; it’s a matter of life and death.”

Beattie said Australia’s second largest state would become the first to use recycled water for drinking.

Water is recycled in Britain and parts of northern Europe along with the US and Israel.

But Australians have never liked the idea.

To try to change the way Australians think, Prime Minister John Howard and Environment Minister Malcolm Turnbull have adhered to Queensland’s move.

“I am very strongly for recycling and Mr. Beattie is right and I agree with him completely,” Howard said.

“Australian cities, all now facing water shortages because of the worst drought on record, must start to use recycled water.” added Turnbull, “All of our big cities have to widen the range of water sources to include sources which are not dependent on rainfall.”

1.What is the text mainly about?

2.What can we learn from the last paragraph?

3.The underlined phrase “adhered to” in Paragraph 9 probably means ______.

4.It can be inferred from what Premier Peter Beattie said that ______.