If Confucius（孔子）were still alive today and could celebrate his September 28 birthday with a big cake, there would be a lot of candles. He’d need a fan or a strong wind to help him put them out.

While many people in China will remember Confucius on his special day, few people in the United States will give him a passing thought. It’s nothing personal. Most Americans don’t even remember the birthdays of their own national heroes.

But this doesn’t mean that Americans don’t care about Confucius. In many ways he has become a bridge that foreigners must cross if they want to reach a deeper understanding of China.

In the past two decades, the Chinese studies programs have gained huge popularity in Western universities.  More recently, the Chinese government has set up Confucius Institutes in more than 80 countries. These schools teach both Chinese language and culture. The main courses of Chinese culture usually include Chinese art, history and philosophy（哲学）. Some social scientists suggest that Westerners should take advantages of the ancient Chinese wisdom to make up for the drawbacks of Westerners philosophy. Students in the United States, at the same time, are racing to learn Chinese. So they will be ready for life in a world where China is an equal power with the United States. Businessmen who hope to make money in China are reading books about Confucius to understand their Chinese customers. 

So the old thinker’s ideas are still alive and well.

Today China attracts the West more than ever, and it will need more teachers to introduce Confucius and Chinese culture to the West.

As for the old thinker, he will not soon be forgotten by people in the West, even if his birthday is.

1.The opening paragraph is mainly intended to ________.

A．provide some key facts about Confucius

B．attract the readers’ interest in the subject

C．show great respect for the ancient thinker

D．prove the popularity of modern birthday celebrations

2.We can learn from Paragraph 4 that American students______.

A．have a great interest in studying Chinese

B．take an active part in Chinese competitions

C．try to get high scores in Chinese exams

D．fight for a chance to learn Chinese

3.What is the best title for the passge?

A．Forgotten Wisdom in America

B．Huge Fans of the Chinese Language

C．Chinese Culture for Westerners

D．Old Thinker with a Big Future

4.The passage is likely to appear in ___________.

A．a biography        B．a history paper     C．a newspaper       D．a philosophy textbook

BEIJING - The country's top health officials state that an international charity's decisions not to give millions of dollars to Chinese organizations that fight AIDS and other diseases will not bring about the end of those organizations. 
The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria announced on Monday that it will withhold $95 million from the $270 million in grants(补助金) it had planned to give China. That decision came as the result of months of discussion between the charity and Chinese officials. 
On the mainland, a large number of programs meant to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS have received money from the Global Fund. Many observers now fear that the announced cut will undermine those organizations' work. 
Chen Zhu, the minister of health, said officials have found a way to limit the harm. “In the coming five years, the Chinese government will constantly increase its financial support of social organizations, particularly those that work to control and prevent HIV/AIDS.” Chen said while addressing the 6th Experience Exchange Conference of International Cooperation Program on HIV/AIDS in China on Monday. 
In a recent survey of more than 200 organizations taking part in the fight against HIV/AIDS on the mainland, nearly 80 percent of them said they had received grants from the Global Fund. About 83 percent of them said they will find it difficult to continue operating without financial support from abroad, it said. Official statistics showed the Global Fund has given China $548 million in grants since 2003. 
Xia Jing, leader of a Beijing-based grassroots organization dedicated to controlling AIDS, said: “We were like children fostered by foreign milk. As foreign money began to be withdrawn from China, we were faced with serious financial hardships.” Han Mengjie, executive director of Global Fund China Programs, said the Chinese government has fully recognized the important role social organizations play in controlling diseases. “The work done and efforts made by such organizations must be sustained for a long time to supplement the government's intervention work,”he said, “We have to face the truth that international money for AIDS control will gradually leave China and to prepare ourselves to deal with that.” 
【小题1】Which sentence is the closest to the title of the passage?

    Riding a London subway, a person from China will notice one major difference; in London, people do not look at each other. In fact, eye contact is avoided at all time. That's not rudeness— people are just too busy to bother looking.

Busy doing what, you ask? Well, they're certainly not using the time for a moment of quiet reflection（沉思）.Nor are they reading a book. New techology has replaced quiet habits. Today the only acceptable form of book on the London Underground is an e-book.

Apple must earn a fortune from London commuters（乘车上下班的人）. Since the launch of the iPhone in 2007, over 40,000-yes, that's 40,000-"apps"(programs downloaded for the iPhone)have been designed.

Commuters love them because they are the perfect time-filler. One "app"，called iShoot, is a game that features tanks. Another one, Tube Exits, tells passengers where to sit on the train to be closest to the exit of their destination（目的地）. ISteam clouds the iPhone screen when you breathe into the microphone. You can then write in the "steam" on your phone screen.

For those without an iPhone, another Apple product, the iPod, may be the distraction（消遣）of choice. It's not just teenagers who "plug in" to their music-iPods are a popular way to pass the time for all ages.

And if games, e-books and music aren't enough to keep you occupied. Then perhaps you would prefer a film? The development of palm（掌上）DVD technology means many commuters watch their favorite TV show or film on the way to work. With all this distraction, it's amazing that people still remember to get off the train.

1.People in London do not make eye contact on the subway because they are busy     .

   A．going to work          

B．reading books    

   C．thinking private thoughts 

   D．playing games, reading e-books, listening to music or watching films

2.In Paragraph 4, the underlined word “them” refers to “        ”.

         A．habits                  B． “apps”                        C．iPhones                    D．films

3.Those who like war games can download      to their iPhones.

   A．iShoot              B．Tube Exits     C．iSteam     D．iPod

4.The underlined word "occupied" in the last paragraph probably means     .

   A．delighted        B．busy               C．amused        D．controlled

5.The article tells us that      .

   A．London commuters are unfriendly to strangers

   B．Apple has earned a lot of money from selling 40,000 apps

   C．technology is changing the way London commuters spend their traveling time

   D．with all the new time-fillers, London commuters often forget to get off the train.

(CNN)-China will sometimes say “no” and the world should get used to it.

That message came through when China joined Russia in blocking action on Syria.

“Do not mistakenly think that because China takes a careful and responsible position on the Syria issue, China will not use its veto power (否决权) or will always abstain（弃权）,” said Cui Tiankai, China’s vice foreign minister, “When China must use its veto power to say no, it will surely use it.”

On Saturday, Susan Rice, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, called the vetoes “disgusting and shameful.”

He Wenping, director of African Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said the veto shows China’s confidence in foreign affairs. “A country expressing its true opinion – that’s progress. China opposes the use of threat or force to achieve regime（政权）change in other countries. This agrees with China’s long-standing diplomacy principle. It is also not acceptable for China to rush a U.N. vote without sufficient discussion.”

So why did China use its veto this time?

China’s critics say China’s veto of the U.N. draft proposal(草案) was in part due to Beijing’s fear that allowing a regime change in Syria could encourage the spread of the Arab revolution and eventually threaten China.

He Wenping disagrees, “China has a completely different political system and economic development path. If someone in the international community thinks that the Arab Spring will happen in China, then I think they misjudge the situation in China, exaggerate(夸大) some problems in the Chinese society and underestimate the ability of the Chinese government to control the situation in China.”

1.Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A. China often uses its veto power on international issues.

B. China never uses its veto power on international issues.

C. China’s normal practice in the U.N. is to abstain rather than veto.

D. China should not have veto power in the U.N.

2.What is the international reaction to China’s veto on the Syria issue?

A. Russia supports China    B. The U.S. feels very unhappy.

C. The international community is used to it.

D. The Arab countries show no concern.

3.Why did China use its veto power this time?

A. Because Russia and China are friends.

B. Because China wants to hold an opposite stand against the U.S.

C. Because China is worried about a chain-action resulting from Syria’s                         revolution.

D. Because China opposes the use of threat or force to achieve regime change in other countries.

4.What can we learn from the passage?

A. China has a firm stand on international issues.

B. The U.N. asks the whole world to get used to China saying no on international       issues.

C. CNN believed that China helped Syria to fight against the U.N.

D. All the member countries of the U.N. supported Susan Rice.

If Confucius（孔子）were still alive today and could celebrate his September 28 birthday with a big cake, there would be a lot of candles. He’d need a fan or a strong wind to help him put them out.
While many people in China will remember Confucius on his special day, few people in the United States will give him a passing thought.  It’s nothing personal.  Most Americans don’t even remember the birthdays of their own national heroes.
But this doesn’t mean that Americans don’t care about Confucius.  In many ways he has become a bridge that foreigners must cross if they want to reach a deeper understanding of China.
In the past two decades, the Chinese studies programs have gained huge popularity in Western universities.  More recently, the Chinese government has set up Confucius Institutes in more than 80 countries.  These schools teach both Chinese language and culture.  The main courses of Chinese culture usually included Chinese art, history and philosophy（哲学）.  Some social scientists suggest that Westerners should take advantages of the ancient Chinese wisdom to make up for the drawbacks of Westerners philosophy.  Students in the United States, at the same time, are racing to learn Chinese.  So they will be ready for life in a world where China is an equal power with the United States.  Businessmen who hope to make money in China are reading books about Confucius to understand their Chinese customers. 
So the old thinker’s ideas are still alive and well.
Today China attracts the West more than ever, and it will need more teachers to introduce Confucius and Chinese culture to the West.
As for the old thinker, he will not soon be forgotten by people in the West, even if his birthday is.
【小题1】The opening paragraph is mainly intended to ________