President Barack Obama's speeches are proving a best-seller in Japan -- as an aid to learning English. An English-language textbook, "The Speeches of Barack Obama," has sold more than 400,000 copies in two months, a big hit in a country where few hit novels sell more than a million copies a year.

　　Japanese have a fervor for learning English and many bookstores have a corner dedicated (专门用于) to dozens of journals in the language, many of them now featuring the new U.S. leader's face.

"Speeches by presidents and presidential candidates(候选人) are excellent as listening tools to learn English. Obama's are especially so. His speeches are so moving, and he also uses words such as 'yes, we can,' 'change' and 'hope' that even Japanese people can memorize," said Yuzo Yamamoto of Asahi Press, which produced the best-selling text book.

　　Speeches by George W. Bush and former nominee(提名) John Kerry's four years ago did not have the same interest, however, and nor do those made by Japanese politicians. “We have to turn to a foreign president for someone in whom to place our hopes”, Yamamoto said.

　　The 95-page paperback features Obama's speeches in English from the 2004 Democratic National Convention and during the Democratic Party primaries(初选), in which he defeated Hillary Clinton. They are accompanied by Japanese translations.

　　The 1,050 yen ($12) book, which includes a CD of the speeches, tops the bestseller list on bookseller Amazon's Japanese Website, http://www.amazon.co.jp/. He said lawmakers from Japan's main opposition Democratic Party had bought the book to study Obama's speeches.

　　Following Obama's inauguration(就职典礼), Asahi Press plans to issue a sequel(续集) that includes his inaugural address, as well as President John F. Kennedy's 1961 inaugural speech. It will also feature a reading of President Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg address of 1863.

64. Speeches by presidents and presidential candidates are excellent as listening tools to learn English because ________.

the speakers are all great

B. the speakers have high speech skills

C. the language is full of humor

D. the contents are good and the words are easy to catch

Why do Japanese place their hopes in a foreign president?

A. Because they don’t have politicians who have such a positive influence.

B. Because they have the same attitude as the foreign presidents.

C. Because they have never made a political speech.

D. Because they hope to have a foreigner as their leader.

Which is true about “The Speeches of Barack Obama”?

A. It contains all Obama’s speeches .

B. It has 1,050 pages with a CD.

C. It includes his inaugural address.

D. It is an especially popular book in Japan.

Which of the following can best describe the main idea of the passage?

A. Japan speaks highly of Obama president .

B. Japan learns English from Obama speeches textbook .

C. Obama gains his fame from his election speeches.

D. Obama gives Japanese speeches on how to learn English.

Hillary Diane Clinton arrived at the White House after serving as First Lady of Arkansas for twelve years. During that time she worked as a full-time partner of a law firm, chaired an education committee that set public school standards in Arkansas, managed a home, and cared for her husband and child.

Hillary Diane Rodham, daughter of Hugh and Dorothy Rodham, was born in Chicago, Illinois, on October 26, 1947. She and her younger two brothers grew up in Park Ridge, Illinois, as a close-knit family. As an excellent student, she was also a Girl Scout and a member of the local Methodist youth group. Hillary also enjoyed sports and was always interested in politics. She entered Wellesley College in 1965. Graduating with high honors, she moved on to Yale Law School, where she served on the Board of Editors of the Yale Review of Law and Social Action. While at Yale, she developed her special concern for protecting the best interests of children and their families. It was there that she met Bill Clinton, a fellow student.

In 1973, Hillary became a lawyer for the Children’s Defense Fund. In 1975 Hillary left Washington and followed her heart to Arkansas（阿肯色州）, marrying Bill Clinton. The couple taught together in the University of Arkansas. Their daughter, Chelsea, was born in 1980.

As First Lady of Arkansas, Hillary continued to work tirelessly on behalf of children and families. In addition to chairing the Arkansas Education Standards Committee, she founded the Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families. She introduced a pioneering program called Arkansas Home Instruction for Preschool Youth, which trained parents to work with their children in preschool preparedness and literacy. Hillary also served on the board of the Arkansas Children's Hospital. In recognition of her professional and personal accomplishments, Hillary was named Arkansas Woman of the Year in 1983 and Arkansas Mother of the Year in 1984.

Women’s International Center proudly presents the Living Legacy Award to Hillary Rodham Clinton for her vast contributions in so many fields, especially honoring her work for women and children.

1.Hillary did all the following things before going to college EXCEPT        .

2.The topic sentence of the fourth paragraph is            .

3.What is the main reason why Hillary won the Living Legacy Award?

4.What do we know about Hillary from this passage?

A She and Bill Clinton were schoolmates at Yale.

B. She was in her thirties when she married Bill Clinton.

C. She has been a full-time lawyer for more than 20 years.

D. She once worked as a doctor in the Arkansas Children’s Hospital.

任务型阅读，从所给的6个选项(A，B，C，D，E，F)中，选出符合各小题要求的最佳选项。

    有些怀旧的影片值得我们永远观赏与品味。阅读81至85中想要观赏怀旧影片的个人信息介绍和A至F中六部怀旧影片的信息介绍，为影片观赏者选择合适的影片。

1．These days Ada and her classmates are arguing about whether a woman can play an important role in the political area as Hillary．They are searching for any useful information about women and politics．

2．Albert shows great interest in Asian history．These days he is busy collecting information about how people in Asia fought against colonists(殖民者)in the 1930s．He thinks the people from that time were very great．

63．Elva realizes that it is difficult to combine music and performance perfectly so she wants to watch more films and plays that are full of music．

4．Ivy is something of a dreamer．She is always hoping that one day she will come across a boy in an unexpected situation．In her opinion，films like that are the most romantic．

5．Tim majors in science，but these days he finds it difficult to concentrate on his work．He’s not sure if he’s fit for the course so he wants to watch a film that can give him some courage．

A．Gandhi

    Gandhi is the biography of Mahatma Gandhi，who became the famous leader of the Indian movement against the British through his philosophy of non-violent protest(非暴力抗争)．This film describes his life and times and how he managed to free his country from the British rule using peaceful means．

B．Gettysburg

    It is a film directed by Ronald F．Maxwell which presents a lifelike picture of the Gettysburg

War．The turning point of the Civil War．The famous speech The Gettysburg Address by Abraham Lincoln is related to this war．

C．Roman Holiday

    Roman Holiday，a 1953 romantic comedy，introduced American audiences to Belgian-born actress Audrey Hepburn．The film was remade for television in 1987．

    Princess Anne signs up for a very popular tour of all the European capitals；however，when she arrives in Rome，she becomes dissatisfied with her very restricted(受限制)schedule．

D．The Sound of Music

    The Sound of Music is a 1956 film directed by Robert Wise and starring Julie Andrews in the lead role．The film is based on the Broadway musical The Sound of Music，with songs written by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II，and with the musical book written by the writing team of Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse．Ernest Lehman wrote the screenplay．

E．A Beautiful Mind

  This is a 2001 American film about John Forbes Nash．The story begins in the early years of

Nash’s life at Princeton University，as he develops his “original idea” that will revolutionize the

world of mathematics．Early in the movie，Nash begins developing schizophrenia(精神分裂症)and brings a heavy burden upon his wife and friends．

F．Evita

    Eva(Evita)Peron，started out life as a poor girl who went on to become an actress and then

the wife of the president of Argentina，Juan Peron．The musical is a story of love and politics．Evita’s huge political influence and constant charity(慈善)work earned her love from people all over the country．She is described-as the most beloved woman in Argentina．    ‘

London ［2009-4-01］—In the first  

meeting between Chinese President  

Hu Jintao and US President Barack  

 Obama  prior to the Group of 20      

summit in London, the two leaders pledged that both countries will be working together to help the world resist the financial crisis.   

China and the US have agreed to prioritize（使……更重要; 优化） the two countries’  relations by establishing the new strategic economic dialogue.

     The two teams will be headed by Vice Premier Wang Qishan and State Councilor Dai Bingguo from the Chinese side and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner from the US side.

President Hu Jintao and US President Barack Obama made the announcement to the press before they went into the official meeting, their first, at Winfield House, residence of the US ambassador to the UK.

     Although it is their first meeting, they have kept a close contact, which Obama said will  “set the stage” for both countries  “to tackle the challenges in the years to come. ”

Both presidents highlighted the importance of China-US relations, especially during the current economic crisis.

    Obama said he hoped their meeting will be constructive and open not only about the whole state of the world economy during the current crisis, but to the efforts to improve peace and security for both countries and the world.

Hu said all the positive results the two countries have achieved have not come easily, adding that he hoped to develop good working relationship and personal friendship with Obama.

    Sino-US relations are of fundamental interests not only to both countries, but to peace, stability and prosperity to Asia and the world.

What is the best title of this passage?

A. Hu, Obama set up new economic dialogue.

B. Sino-US relations will be improved.

C. China and the US are working together to resist economic crisis.

D. China and the US have achieved positive results.

How do China’ s and US’ s presidents think they should deal with their relations?

A. By trusting and helping each other.

B. By sharing their common interests.

C. By establishing the new strategic economic dialogue.

D. By establishing new economic policy.

What is Winfield House?

A. The US ambassador to the UK.

B. Residence of UK ambassador to the US.

C. The living place of US ambassador to the UK.      

D. The residence of British Queen.

All of the following are mentioned EXCEPT____.

A. The two presidents agreed to work together to resist the financial crisis

B. The two presidents announced to the press before the official meeting

C. Both countries will make efforts to improve peace and security

D. Sino-US relations are of fundamental interests only to both countries

In 1953, the New Zealander Edmund Hillary, then 33, joined a British Qomolangma expedition led by Colonel John Hunt. Tom Bourdillon and Charles Evans were the first team to attempt the summit (顶峰). Despite a violent storm, they reached the South Summit — at 28,700 feet (8,748 meters) — by 1 p.m. on May 26. But both men knew they would run out of oxygen if they went on. They agreed to turn back.
Two days later, Hillary and Norgay, set out from Camp IX at 25,900 feet to make the next attempt. At 27,900 feet they made a temporary camp on a six foot wide rock to spend the night. At 6:30 the next morning, cheered by clearing skies, the team moved out. Roped together, cutting steps with their ice axes, they inched up a steep, knife-edged ridge (山脊) southeast of the summit. They reached the South Summit by 9:00 a.m.
Farther up, they met a 40-foot icy rock face, which was later named the Hillary Step. “…looking up at the rock step at 29,000 feet, it really did look extremely difficult to overcome,” said Hillary. But they found a narrow crack on the surface of the rock, just large enough to move inside on hands and knees, and managed to climb it by supporting feet against one side and backs against the other. Hillary said, “That was really the first moment during the whole of the expedition that I was confident that we were going to get to the top.” 
The last few yards to the summit were relatively easy. “Then I realized that the ridge, instead of rising ahead, now dropped sharply away,” Hillary said. “I looked upward to see a narrow ridge running up to a sharp point. …and we stood on the summit.” It was 11:30 a.m. on May 29, 1953.

1. 1.

   What is the passage mainly about? 

   1. A.
      The climbing history of Qomolangma.
   2. B.
      The life and achievements of Edmund Hillary.
   3. C.
      How Hillary and Norgay conquered Qomolangma.
   4. D.
      How the Hillary Step got its name.
2. 2.

   At what height did Hillary and Norgay set out on May 29? 

   1. A.
      25,900 feet.
   2. B.
      27,900 feet.
   3. C.
      28,700 feet.
   4. D.
      29,000 feet.
3. 3.

   According to Paragraph 2, one of the main advantages to Hillary and Norgay was        .

   1. A.
      fine weather conditions
   2. B.
      good rest the night before
   3. C.
      enough food supplies
   4. D.
      good climbing skills
4. 4.

   When looking back, Hillary described the Hillary Step as        .

   1. A.
      much easier to climb than she expected
   2. B.
      impossible for her to overcome again
   3. C.
      easy to climb up but hard to climb down
   4. D.
      one of the biggest barriers before the summit