People often ask why“Uncle Sam”is a nickname（绰号）for the United Stated of America. The reason is strange but simple.

Once there was a man called Samuel Wilson. He was born in Arlington, Massachusetts, on September 3, 1766. He was called“Uncle Sam”. When Sam Wilson was 14 years old, he joined the army and fought in several battles. At the end of the war, he went to live in Troy in the state of New York. He opened a meat-packing（肉食品包装）business there.

Sam Wilson worked hard and loved his country. Everyone in the city liked him. One day in 1812, a reporter from a newspaper visited his business. The reporter looked at some boxes of meat. He saw the letters“EAUS”on the sides of the boxes.

“What do those letters mean?”he asked one of the workers.

“The EA stands for ‘Edward Anderson’,”the workman replied.“The boxes of meat are for him.”“What about the letters US?”the reporter asked.

These letters really stood for “United States”, but the workman wanted to have a laugh.“Oh,”he said .“They stand for Sam Wilson. He owns this company. We call him ‘Uncle Sam’.”

The worker did not think that the reporter would believe him. But the reporter wrote a story about his visit to Sam Wilson’s business. He wrote that his workers called him“Uncle Sam”and that“Uncle Sam”meant the United States.

Many people liked using the name“Uncle Sam”as a nickname for the United States and soon everyone was using it. In 1961, almost 150 years later, the United States government made the nickname“Uncle Sam”official（官方的）.

1. This passage is mainly about_____.

A. why the USA is called“Uncle Sam”

B. how to carry boxes with goods to other countries

C. a businessman in Troy, New York State

D. why people called Sam Wilson“Uncle Sam”

2. Many people liked Samuel Wilson because_______.

A. a reporter wrote a story about him

B. his nickname was “Uncle Sam”

C. he worked hard and loved his country

D. he had a meat-packing business

3. The reporter became important in this story because he________.

A. visited Sam Wilson’s business

B. wrote about Sam Wilson and the letters“US”

C. was Sam Wilson’s best friend

D. was good at advertising Sam’s business

4. From this passage, we can infer that________.

A. most Americans don’t like the nickname“Uncle Sam”

B. the British soldiers liked calling Americans“Uncle Sam”

C. the reporter made Americans nicknamed“Uncle Sam”on purpose（故意地）

D. the United States government has agreed to use the nickname“Uncle Sam”

Once there was a man called Samuel Wilson. He was born in Arlington, Massachusetts, on September 3, 1766. He was called“Uncle Sam”. When Sam Wilson was 14 years old, he joined the army and fought in several battles. At the end of the war, he went to live in Troy in the state of New York. He opened a meat-packing（肉食品包装）business there.

Sam Wilson worked hard and loved his country. Everyone in the city liked him. One day in 1812, a reporter from a newspaper visited his business. The reporter looked at some boxes of meat. He saw the letters“EAUS”on the sides of the boxes.

“What do those letters mean?”he asked one of the workers.

“The EA stands for ‘Edward Anderson’,”the workman replied.“The boxes of meat are for him.”“What about the letters US?”the reporter asked.

These letters really stood for “United States”, but the workman wanted to have a laugh.“Oh,”he said .“They stand for Sam Wilson. He owns this company. We call him ‘Uncle Sam’.”

The worker did not think that the reporter would believe him. But the reporter wrote a story about his visit to Sam Wilson’s business. He wrote that his workers called him“Uncle Sam”and that“Uncle Sam”meant the United States.

Many people liked using the name“Uncle Sam”as a nickname for the United States and soon everyone was using it. In 1961, almost 150 years later, the United States government made the nickname“Uncle Sam”official（官方的）.

1. This passage is mainly about_____.

A. why the USA is called“Uncle Sam”

B. how to carry boxes with goods to other countries

C. a businessman in Troy, New York State

D. why people called Sam Wilson“Uncle Sam”

2. Many people liked Samuel Wilson because_______.

A. a reporter wrote a story about him

B. his nickname was “Uncle Sam”

C. he worked hard and loved his country

D. he had a meat-packing business

3. The reporter became important in this story because he________.

A. visited Sam Wilson’s business

B. wrote about Sam Wilson and the letters“US”

C. was Sam Wilson’s best friend

D. was good at advertising Sam’s business

4. From this passage, we can infer that________.

A. most Americans don’t like the nickname“Uncle Sam”

B. the British soldiers liked calling Americans“Uncle Sam”

C. the reporter made Americans nicknamed“Uncle Sam”on purpose（故意地）

D. the United States government has agreed to use the nickname“Uncle Sam”

They say that Mexico is a country no one ever leaves. Every year, millions of tourists pass through. And Mexicans happily warn that a part of them will remain behind forever. Most visitors are vacationing North Americans who go up on the brilliant beaches of Cancun, Acapulco, Mazatlan, and Puerto Vallarta. The beaches, of course, are among the world’s best ----but those who venture (冒险) inland are rewarded with the true soul of Mexico.
And it is a big soul. The Republic of Mexico is vast, consisting of nearly two million square miles of coastline, desert, rain forest, mountains, and rich plains. From the American borderlands of the wide, agriculturally rich north, the country narrows gently as it sweeps south and east. The two main mountain ranges(山脊), the Sierra Madre Occidental and the Sierra Madre Oriental, hug the west and east, finally merging（融入） into the volcanically active central highlands and the capital, Mexico City - the most populous city in the world. Further south, the country narrows to only 100 miles, then broadens again before reaching the Guatemalan border. There are two major peninsulas (半岛) in Mexico: the Baja Peninsula to the west and the Yucatan peninsular to the east.
The population is about 106 million. and the generosity (慷慨大方) of the Mexican people is unsurpassed. Knowing a few simple sentences in Spanish will win hearts.
Mexico has been blessed with an unusually temperate (适度的) climate year-round. The most important thing to remember is that the Mexican summer is also the rainy season, although the rain rarely lasts more than a few hours, and typically arrives in the late afternoon. Extremes(极端)are present only in the North and in Baja, both of which have deserts where the temperature leaps above 100F. Mexico City has a year-round temperature in the high 80s. while the coasts usually stay in the mid-90s. Night time temperatures fall somewhat, but rarely break down below a comfortable 60F.
【小题1】All of the following are names of beaches EXCEPT ___________ .

E
President Obama’s meeting with the Dalai Lama has already made China extremely angry and stirred up Tibet advocates who thought it should have come sooner. China says Tibet is part of it, and that the meeting represents an unwanted intrusion(侵犯) into its own affairs. Many Americans still see the Dalai Lama as the representative of a people treated cruelly by Chinese rule. Many Tibetans are dissatisfied with Chinese rule, and this has led to widespread rioting(暴乱) over the past few years. Theywantself-determination; fair enough. But that seems to be the only story about Tibet that is ever told. The other story is — Looking at growth, standard of living, infrastructure(基础设施), and GDP, one thing is clear: China has treated Tibetans amiably.
Since 2001, Beijing has spent $45.4 billion on development in the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR). The effect: double-digit GDP growth for the past nine years. About a third of the money went to infrastructure investment, including the train connecting Beijing to Lhasa. The train provides an opportunity for Tibetan goods to be sold outside of the region and for a massive increase in number of tourists, reaching more than 5.5 million in 2009 — up from close to 2 million in 2005, the year before the train. While Tibetan independence groups like Free Tibet raise concerns about the increase in tourism, Hillman，a Tibet expert, points out that “tourism is an important industry that can benefit local Tibetans.”
Infrastructure improvements have not only helped grow the economy but also have aided in modernizing remote parts of Tibet, an area with 3 million people about twice the size of France.
Though Tibet is seriously puzzled by the "special contradiction" of the Dalai Lama, the central government stressed the need for Tibet to develop using the "combination of economic growth, well-off life, a healthy eco-environment, and social stability and progress" and The government is offering Tibetans the same bargain it has offered the rest of the country: in exchange for a great rise in living standards, the government requires citizens to stop having the right to free worship and free speech. Even if Tibetan residents never signed the contract, they have benefited from its policy—a fact Obama might keep in mind when he meets the Dalai Lama.
67. What does the underlined word “amiably” in the first paragraph mean?
A. rudely     B. kindly     C. politely         D. coldly
68. According to the writer’s viewpoint it can be inferred that         .
A. it doesn’t matter much to the Chinese government whether Tibetan problems exist
B. all the Americans agree with their president Obama’s meeting with the Dalai Lama
C. Hillman and Free Tibet hold different attitudes towards the increase in tourism
D. the Tibet Autonomous Region is an area of dense(稠密的) population
69. What can be learnt about the writer from the passage? The writer ______ .
A. urges the Chinese government to promote economy in Tibet
B. has an obvious political trend
C. describes what a happy life Tibetans are living to the public
D. states the facts as they are
70. The writer’s attitude towards the economical policy of the Chinese government in Tibet is ____ .
A. positive     B. negative     C. doubtful     D. pessimistic

Among various programs, TV talk shows have covered every inch of space on daytime television．And anyone who watches them regularly knows that each one is different in style．But no two shows are more opposite in content, while at the same time standing out above the rest, than the Jerry Springer and Oprah Winfrey shows．
Jerry Springer could easily be considered the king of "rubbish talk"．The topics on his show are as surprising as can be．For example, the show takes the ever-common talk show titles of love, sex, cheating, and hate, to a different level．Clearly, the Jerry Springer show is about the dark side of society, yet people are willing to eat up the troubles of other people's lives．
Like Jerry Springer, Oprah Winfrey takes the TV talk show to its top．But Oprah goes in the opposite direction．The show is mainly about the improvement of society and different quality of life．Contents are from teaching your children lessons, managing your work week, to getting to know your neighbors．
Compared to Oprah, the Jerry Springer show looks like poisonous waste being poured into society．Jerry ends every show with a "final word"．He makes a small speech about the entire idea of the show．Hopefully, this is the part where most people will learn something very valuable．
Clean as it is, the Oprah show is not for everyone．The show's main audience are middle-class Americans．Most of the people have the time, money and ability to deal with life's tough problems．Jerry Springer, on the other hand, has more of a connection with the young adults of society．These are 18-to 21year-olds whose main troubles in life include love, relationship, sex, money and drug．They are the ones who see some value and lessons to be learned through the show's exploitation．
【小题1】Compared with other TV talk shows, both the Jerry Springer and the Oprah Winfrey shows are____．