UK

Attention, Harry Potter fans: The sixth novel in J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter stories, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood, will go on sale in the United States, Canada, Britain and Australia on July 16, 2005

Italy

According to a recent study, there are now more dogs and cats in Italian homes than children. There are at least 14.5 million dogs cats in Italian homes compared with 8.7 million children under the age of 15．Italy has one of the lowest birth rates in Europe. A psychologist said that pets were loved by many young Italians who could not have or did not want to have children. In Italy, spending on pets has increased by 20 percent in the past five years.

US

The start of a new years is time when many Americans like to think about ways to make improvements for the future. But this year, instead of the usually New Year’s resolution(决心) to lose weight, quit smoking or exercise more, the US Department of Homeland Security is urging Americans to create a family emergency plan for any terror attack.

France & Iraq

The two French journalists who had been held hostage(扣为人质) in Iraq for 124 days were freed last week. Christian Chesnot, 37 and Georges Malbunot, 41, were kidnapped along with their Iraqi driver on Aug, 20 in Iraq. French Prime Minister, Jean-Pierre Raffarin, said that the French government had not paid ransom(赎金) for their release.

1.From the news above we know that health is usually most being talked about in _________

2.The content order of the passage is___________

3.Which is the suitable title for the second passage?

4.The two journalists were held hostage on ___________.

UK
Attention, Harry Potter fans: The sixth novel in J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter stories, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood, will go on sale in the United States, Canada, Britain and Australia on July 16, 2005
Italy
According to a recent study, there are now more dogs and cats in Italian homes than children. There are at least 14.5 million dogs cats in Italian homes compared with 8.7 million children under the age of 15．Italy has one of the lowest birth rates in Europe. A psychologist said that pets were loved by many young Italians who could not have or did not want to have children. In Italy, spending on pets has increased by 20 percent in the past five years.
US
The start of a new years is time when many Americans like to think about ways to make improvements for the future. But this year, instead of the usually New Year’s resolution(决心) to lose weight, quit smoking or exercise more, the US Department of Homeland Security is urging Americans to create a family emergency plan for any terror attack.
France & Iraq
The two French journalists who had been held hostage(扣为人质) in Iraq for 124 days were freed last week. Christian Chesnot, 37 and Georges Malbunot, 41, were kidnapped along with their Iraqi driver on Aug, 20 in Iraq. French Prime Minister, Jean-Pierre Raffarin, said that the French government had not paid ransom(赎金) for their release.
【小题1】From the news above we know that health is usually most being talked about in _________

UK

Attention, Harry Potter fans: The sixth novel in J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter stories, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood, will go on sale in the United States, Canada, Britain and Australia on July 16, 2005

Italy

According to a recent study, there are now more dogs and cats in Italian homes than children. There are at least 14.5 million dogs cats in Italian homes compared with 8.7 million children under the age of 15．Italy has one of the lowest birth rates in Europe. A psychologist said that pets were loved by many young Italians who could not have or did not want to have children. In Italy, spending on pets has increased by 20 percent in the past five years.

US

The start of a new years is time when many Americans like to think about ways to make improvements for the future. But this year, instead of the usually New Year’s resolution(决心) to lose weight, quit smoking or exercise more, the US Department of Homeland Security is urging Americans to create a family emergency plan for any terror attack.

France & Iraq

    The two French journalists who had been held hostage(扣为人质) in Iraq for 124 days were freed last week. Christian Chesnot, 37 and Georges Malbunot, 41, were kidnapped along with their Iraqi driver on Aug, 20 in Iraq. French Prime Minister, Jean-Pierre Raffarin, said that the French government had not paid ransom(赎金) for their release.

From the news above we know that health is usually most being talked about in _________

       A．UK   B．Italy  C．US    D．France

The content order of the passage is___________

       A．society, life, politics, business B．life, society, business, politics

       C．business, society, life, politics D．business, politics, society, life

Which is the suitable title for the second passage?

       A．The Lowest Birth Rates   B．More Pets Than Children

       C．Great Change On Money Spending D．A scientific Research Report

The two journalists were held hostage on ___________.

       A．August 20 B．April 18   C．May 17     D．April 16

阅读理解

　　Halloween is a festival (节日) celebrated on October 31st. The name of the holiday means“hallowed”or“holy evening”because it happens the day before All Saints Day (万圣节) . It is said that Halloween is the children's New Year's Eve. They dress up with special costumes(服装), they eat too much, and stay up too late celebrating.

　　Children go around the neighborhood wearing make-up, and dress in masks(面具) and colorful costumes. The most common costumes are witches, ghosts, skeletons (骷髅) , and popular TV, movie, and storybook characters. Some costumes are homemade; others are bought in stores. The children go from door to door saying“trick or treat”. People give them candy, cookies, fruit or money. Sometimes money is collected to help UNICEF, United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund.

　　Homes, stores, and classrooms are decorated (装饰) in the traditional Halloween colours, orange and black. Usual decorations are witches, ghosts, skeletons, and jack-o-lanterns. Jack-o-lanterns are pumpkins (南瓜) that are carved (雕刻) to look like faces. They are placed on doorway entrances and in windows. Horror movies and ghost stories are shown on TV on this day.

　　Adults and older children also celebrate Halloween with parades (游行), festivals, and costume parties. Some people create their costumes; other people rent them. Contests are held, where the best costume receives a prize. One of the party events popular with children is dunking (浸泡) for apples. Apples are put in tubs filled with water. People try to get the apples using only their mouths; hands cannot be used.

1．What does the word“holy”(in Paragraph 1) mean?

[　　]

A．With a hole in.

B．Not solid; with a hole or empty space inside.

C．Dark and green.

D．Associated with God or with religion.

2．Which of the following statements is NOT true about the common costumes according to the passage?

[　　]

A．They are colorful.

B．Some of the costumes are homemade.

C．All of the costumes are bought in stores.

D．They are witches , ghosts, skeletons, popular TV characters and so on.

3．Which of the following statements is incorrect?

[　　]

A．Apples are the favorite fruit people eat on Halloween.

B．Adults also celebrate Halloween together with children.

C．Jack-o-lanterns are pumpkins that are carved to look like faces.

D．Horror movies are shown on TV on 31th October.

4．Why is it said that Halloween is the children's New Years Eve?

[　　]

A．Because Halloween comes the day before All Saints Day.

B．Because children can get money from their parents on Halloween.

C．Because children dress up with special costumes, eat a lot, and stay up late celebrating.

D．Because only on that day can children go around the neighborhood.

5．What are the traditional Halloween colors?

[　　]

BEIJING, Nov. 30 – The Bird’s Nest may have been built for last year’s Summer Games but Beijing’s Olympic stadium will soon be aiming at fans of winter sports.

As temperatures have begun to drop in recent weeks, so too has the number of visitors to the 80,000-seater venue, which cost 3.6 billion yuan ($527 million) to build.

And, fearing another harsh (寒冷的) winter, National Stadium Co Ltd, which owns the Bird’s Nest, yesterday planed to spend 50 million yuan on a “snow festival”. 　

From Dec 19, visitors will be able to pay 120 yuan to enjoy skiing and snowboarding, among other things, on its newly constructed slopes.

The stadium owners expect to attract more than 20,000 visitors a day – twice as many as it currently does – during the two-month festival, which will include events for both the Western and Chinese new years.

Officials revealed it would take just 5,000 visitors a day to cover the costs of the project.

“It’s not a bad idea. You can ski on man-made snow in Dubai, so why not here?” said Heiko Grasse, a tourist from Germany, yesterday.

Famous outdoor equipment makers and local brands are in talks over sponsorship for the event, the Bird’s Nest owners said yesterday, while the capital’s television network will also provide 500 hours of coverage.

“The Bird’s Nest will not have a cold winter again,” Wu Jingjun, the new president of National Stadium Co Ltd, told China Daily yesterday. “We will create seasonal events almost every month from now on with assistance from the government and, importantly, the public.”

Yang Cheng, a newly appointed vice-president of National Stadium Co Ltd, said the snow festival would run for five consecutive winters if successful.

1.How many people visit The Bird’s Nest a day before the “snow festival”?

A. About 80,000.   B. About 20,000.     About 10,000.   D. About 5,000. 

2.Which of the following is TRUE according to the text?

A. The “snow festival” will attract more visitors from China than the Western countries.

B. People aren’t allowed to visit The Bird’s Nest before Dec 19.

 The “snow festival” would run for at least five winters.

D. More than 2.4 million yuan a day is expected to be made in the “snow festival”.

3.What does Wu Jingjun mean by saying “The Bird’s Nest will not have a cold winter again”?

A. The Bird’s Nest will be kept at high temperatures in winter.

B. Winter Olympic Games will be held in The Bird’s Nest.

 The “snow festival” will provide many events in winter.

D. The Bird’s Nest will get much more assistance from the government.

4.Which of the following may NOT be included in the “snow festival” events?

A. A football game.  B. Skiing.   Snowboarding.  D. A New Year’s Party.