3.　　　 According to the author’s opinion, which of the following is not true?

A.　　 It has a long way to go for Little Smart to provide good service.

B.　　　 Little Smart should not have attracted so many consumers.

C.　　　 The complaints by the Little Smart users are objective.

D.　　 Little Smart is not really that smart.

Passage 29　　 The fighting against youth smoking

Since I took office I’ve done everything in my power to protect our children from harm. We’ve worked to make their streets and their schools safer, to give them something positive to do after school and before their parents get home. We’ve worked to teach our children that drugs are dangerous, illegal and wrong.

Today, I want to talk to you about the historic opportunity we now have to protect our nation’s children from an even more deadly threat: smoking. Smoking kills more people every day than AIDS, alcohol, car accidents, murders, suicides, drugs and fires combined. Nearly 90 percent of those smokers lit their first cigarette before they turned 18. Consider this: 3,000 children start to smoke every day illegally, and 1,000 of them will die sooner because of it.

This is a national tragedy that every American should be honor-bound to help prevent. For more than five years we’ve worked to stop our children from smoking before they start, launching a nationwide campaign to educate them about the dangers of smoking, to reduce their access to tobacco products, and to severely restrict tobacco companies from advertising to young people. If we do these, we’ll cut teen smoking by almost half over the next five years. That means if we act now, we have it in our power to stop 3 million children from smoking and to save a million lives as a result.

2.　　　 The main reason why Little Smart is not so smart is　 _________.

A.　　 that there are breaks in the signal when you are moving

B.　　　 that you cannot　 receive a phone call if you are on a bus

C.　　　 that there are not enough　 base stations to pick up its signals

D.　　 that messaging and Internet access has added to the load of its service.

1.　　　 What is the advantage of Little Smarts compared with mobile phones?

A.　　 Cheap costs.

B.　　　 Pleasant service.

C.　　　 More user-friendly.

D.　　 All of the above.

5.　　　 In the passage, the author thinks _________

A.　　 Chinese should learn everything from Western fast food restaurants.

B.　　　 Chinese should say no to Western fast food.

C.　　　 Western fast food are good.

D.　　 Chinese food are bad.

.

Passage 26　 New cards will keep your details safe

The plastic identification (ID,身份证) cards carried by all Chinese citizens over 16 are to be replaced with electronic cards from next year. 　　 The new cards, which most people will have by 2005, contain a microchip (微芯片) on which personal information is stored. This can be checked against databases (资料库) kept by the government. 　　 "The information will be locked into the card so that people won't be able to use false identities," said Ren Tianbu, a security official in Shenyang. 　　 China's present plastic identity cards were introduced 17 years ago, and a similar system is used by many other countries. However, the information shown on a card differs from nation to nation. Most ID cards show the holder's name, sex, date of birth and photograph, as well as the card's expiry (失效) date and number. 　　 Germany, France and Spain all use ID cards, but there are some developed nations who dislike the idea. The US, Canada, New Zealand, Australia, Sweden and Britain are among those with no national ID card. However, some of the countries have ID cards for particular uses. For example, Australia and the United States use a driving licence (驾照) to identify people. 　　 Identity cards are introduced for a variety of reasons. Race, politics and religion were often at the heart of older ID systems. In recent years, though, ID cards have been linked to national information databases, which form the basis of how a government manages a country. 　　 The US, Britain and some other countries are considering a national ID system as a way of preventing possible terrorist attacks. 　　 However, such plans have been met with fierce resistance by those who believe identity cards work against human rights and individual privacy (个人隐私). 　　 "ID cards make us suspects (可疑人员), not citizens," said UK human rights group Liberty. 1. What is one of the differences between China's new and current (当前的) ID cards? 　A. The new ones contain different personal information. 　B. The current ID cards are easier to fake (伪造). 　C. Even little kids can have the new ID cards. 　D. The information on current ID cards isn't in the databases kept by the　　 government. 2. Which of the following countries does not have an ID card system? 　A. France. 　B. Spain. 　C. Sweden. 　D. Germany. 3. What is the main reason governments use ID card systems nowadays? 　A. To prevent terrorist attacks. 　B. To fight against crimes. 　C. To support government services. 　D. To have more control on its citizens. 4. The purpose of this story is to ____. 　A. inform 　B. entertain 　C. clear up some mysteries 　D. remove any misunderstanding

Passage 27　　 Too young to drink

Open any English magazine and you're likely to see an advertisement for an alcoholic (含酒精的) drink such as beer and wine. Such images are common, but Ireland has taken a hard stand against alcohol advertised in magazines that are popular with teenagers. 　　 The government is alarmed that the Irish have become among the biggest drinkers in Europe. So, it announced plans on May 19 to limit advertisements for alcohol. European brewers (酿酒商) have also been told that they must do more to dissuade young people from "drinking to get drunk". 　　 The government will ban alcoholic advertisements from buses, trains, cinemas and sporting events for young people. And no advertisements for beer or other alcoholic drinks will be allowed before 10 pm on Irish television. 　　 Alcohol advertisements have faced few such rules in the past. They exist in almost every public space and sports event in Ireland. The Irish brewing giant, Guinness (健力士), sponsors (赞助) the national football team, while Heineken (喜力) beer has the rugby (橄榄球) team. 　　 The pub (酒吧) has long been a famous part of Irish life. More than 10,000 pubs serve a population of 3.8 million in Ireland. For generations, families and friends spend afternoons in pubs, drinking, chatting, listening to live music or watching televised sports. However, in recent years, Ireland has reached the top of the 15-nation European Union (欧盟) in terms of the amount of alcohol drunk per person. 　　 In a report this month, police blamed this rising trend for an increase in public order crimes, mainly public drunkenness and street fighting on weekends. 　　 "More money in pockets has obviously lifted standards of living, but it is being badly spent too," said President Mary McAleese. "The Irish love of partying has its dark side in the stupid, wasteful abuse (滥用) of alcohol."

Though most people are pleased with the planned ban, some have doubts that limiting alcoholic advertisements will influence the amount of alcohol drunk. 　　　 "I didn't drink when I was a teenager. Whether today's kids do or not is a matter of parental influence," said Gerry Crawford, manager of the Brazen Head, Ireland's oldest pub.

Not every teen can have beer

People often drink alcohol a lot at parties, but drinking is illegal (不合法的) for teenagers in many countries. The legal drinking age is different across the world. The United States has the highest drinking age in the world. And the Chinese mainland has no legal drinking age at all. 　Switzerland: age 14. 　France, Germany, Italy, Spain: age 16. 　UK, Ireland, Russia, Canada, Australia, Hong Kong: age 18. 　South Korea: age 19. 　Japan, New Zealand: age 20. 　The United States: age 21 　Drinking below the legal age also faces different types of punishment. In the US, teen offenders may be asked to write an 800-word essay on why he or she shouldn't drink. Or they may have to pay US$500 and have to attend a course on the dangers of drinking. They may also face days or months of suspension (中止) from school and from their driving licences (驾驶执照). 1. Why did Irish government announce plans to place controls on ads for alcohol? 　 A. Because most teenagers are dependent on drinks. 　 B. The rising number of people drinking alcohol is alarming Ireland. 　 C. Drinking with families and friends has long been popular. 　 D. The rising trend of drinking alcohol has caused an increase in public order crimes. 2. Which of the following is not a factor behind the rising amount of alcohol being drunk in Ireland? 　 A. Teenagers naturally copy what parents do in daily life. 　 B. Irish love spending money on drinking. 　 C. In a country where so many people drink alcohol, you simply don’t feel out of place. 　 D. The rising living standards. 3. The writer _________ the Irish government’s measures. 　 A. is objective (客观) about 　 B. is against 　 C. is for 　 D. has doubts about

Passage 28　　 Little Smart is not so smart

It looks like a mobile phone, but the service is much cheaper. It acts like mobile phone, but only in your own city. Beyond the city walls, it's useless. 　　 If you're enjoying such a service, you're one of a growing number of users of "Little Smart" in China. 　　 "Little Smart", also called "xiaolingtong", has always been compared to mobile phones. But actually, it is more like one of those cordless phones (无绳电话) used around the home. The only difference is that this one reaches much further than from the bathroom to the living room. It can travel across an entire city. 　　 Cheap costs are the main reason for the success of Little Smart. It costs 25 yuan a month for the line and about 0.1 yuan per minute to use. A mobile phone, on the other hand, can cost four or five times as much. What's more, unlike mobile phones, there's no fee (费用) for incoming calls. 　　 These low charges have attracted many users. Since it was first established in Zhejiang in 1998, Little Smart had spread to 300 cities with 12 million users in China by the end of last year. 　　 But, Little Smart is not really that smart. Users often complain about its bad voice quality. The system uses the fixed phone lines and has a great number of base stations placed close to each other to send the signals. And there are not as many stations to pick up its signals as there are for mobiles. 　　 "I couldn't receive a phone call if I was on a bus," said Li Ping, a user in Hangzhou. "It worked fine when I stood still, but there were breaks in the signal when I was moving. People calling me would get angry because they kept thinking I had hung up on them." 　　 Scientists are trying to make Little Smart more user-friendly. Messaging and Internet access has been added to the service. And the latest Little Smart handset even has colour screens.

4.　　　 What will be worth learning from the Western fast food chains? _______

A.　　 The content of the food.

B.　　　 The menus.

C.　　　 　The lessons in management and decoration.

D.　　 Shape or form of the food.

3.　　　 The reasons Western fast food restaurants make money are __________.

A.　　 assembly lines that will not attract bugs or spoil easily

B.　　　 clean and tastefully decorated

C.　　　 good service and an inviting dining atmosphere

D.　　 above of all

2.　　　 A diet high in animal foods and refined foods will cause diseases, in particular it damages ___________

A.　　 the heart and brain

B.　　　 the walls of arteries

C.　　　 all organs

D.　　 the blood

1.　　　 They are fast food chains from the West except ___________

A.　　 McDonald’s

B.　　　 Kentucky Fried Chicken

C.　　　 Pizza hut

D.　　 Chinese food

3.　　　 　The main purpose of this story is to tell the readers _____. 　A. about a study conducted among US teens 　B. what types of music are popular among US teens 　C. that both American and Chinese teens love music 　D. that kids love different types of music because of the stars

Passage 25　　　 Say no to western fast food

With the advent of fast food chains from the West such as McDonald’s, Kentucky Fried Chicken and Pizza Hut, the Chinese are being introduced to a diet that markedly increases the death rate from certain diseases in any population.

The main killers in North America, the degenerative diseases such as heart attack and stroke as well as colon cancer, will become a way of death, not death, not life, in this country if the Chinese do not act quickly and compete with these health destroying food chains.

Scientific studies from all over the world show that a diet high in animal foods such as pork, beef, including sugar, white flour, white noodles and even white rice, undermines one’s health. Deposits of animal fat cling to the walls of arteries, blocking the blood supply to various organs.

This causes diseases in almost every organ, but in particular it damages two of the most vital ones, the heart and brain.

Compare these problems with the excellent health one may enjoy if one consumes good Chinese food. The cook goes out every day, procures great-tasting, fresh vegetables, then cooks them for just a few minutes so that their nutritional value is preserved and afterwards serves them in a most artistic and elegant fashion. Please cling to your traditional ways of eating. They are far superior to those of the West.

Certainly the fast food chains make lots of money, but who wants to fill the pockets of a foreign food chain that proceeds to ruin the health of the Chinese people?

Another reason Western fast food restaurants make money is that the food they serve, which comes from assembly lines, will not attract bugs or spoil easily.

How the Chinese could patronize these fast food places when Chinese cook such delectable food, not just in this country but over the entire world, is beyond my comprehension.

Western restaurants are clean and tastefully decorated. Moreover, these restaurants also do indeed have “good service and an inviting dining atmosphere”. However, Chinese food chains could do likewise if they would organize themselves as the Western chains do.

These lessons in management and décor are the only ones worth learning from the invasion of this country by the Western fast food chains. In other words only imitate the style of the restaurants, not the content of the food or the menus in any way, shape or form.

Do not let the desire for money destroy the wonderful tradition that China has established in producing absolutely fantastically tasty as well as healthful food.

2.　　　 　What does the word “offensive” in Paragraph 5 mean? 　A. Loud. 　B. Quick. 　C. Unpleasant. 　D. Slangy.