6、Maybe ten-year-old Elizabeth put it best when she said to her father, “But, Dad, you can’t be healthy if you’re dead.”

Dad, in a hurry to get home before dark so he could go for a run, had forgotten to wear his safety belt－a mistake 75% of US population make every day. The big question is why.

There have been many myths(荒诞的说法) about safety belt ever since their first appearance in cars some forty years ago. The following are three of the most common.

Myth Number One: It’s best to be “thrown clear” of a serious accident.

Truth: Sorry, but any accident serious enough to “throw you clear” is able to be serious enough to give you a very bad landing. And chances are that you’ll have traveled through a windshield(挡风玻璃) or door to do it. Studies show that chances of dying after a car accident are twenty-five times in cases where people are “thrown clear”.

Myth Number Two: Safety-belts “trap” people in cars that are burning or sinking in water.

Truth: Sorry again, but studies show that people knocked unconscious(昏迷) due to not wearing safety belts have a greater chance of dying in these accidents. People wearing safety belts are usually protected to the point of having a clear head to free themselves from such dangerous situation, not to be trapped in them.

Myth Number Three: Safety belts aren’t needed at speeds of less than 30 miles per hour.

Truth: When two cars traveling at 30 mph hit each other, an unbelted driver would meet the windshield with a force equal to diving headfirst into the ground from a height of 10 meters.

1．Why did Elizabeth say to her father, “But, Dad, you can’t be healthy if you’re dead”?

       A．He was driving at great speed.               B．He was running across the street.

       C．He didn’t have his safety belt on.           D．He didn’t take his medicine on time.

2．The reason why the father was in a hurry to get home was that he ___________.

       A．wasn’t feeling very well                       B．hated to drive in the dark

       C．wanted to take some exercise                D．didn’t want to be caught by the people

3．According to the text, to be “thrown clear” of a serious accident is very dangerous because you     _______________.

       A．may be knocked down by other cars.

       B．may get serious hurt thrown out of the car

       C．may find it impossible to get away from the seat

       D．may get caught in the car door

4．What is the advice given in the test?

       A．Never drive faster than 30 miles an hour.

       B．Try your best to save yourself in a car accident.

       C．Never forget to wear the safety belt while driving.

       D．Drive slowly while you’re not wearing a safety belt.

5、Tales From Animal Hospital

David Grant

Grant has become a familiar face to millions of fans Animal Hospital. Here Dr Grant tells us the very best of his personal stories about the animals he has treated, including familiar patients such as the dogs Snowy and Duchess, the delightful cat Marigold Serendipity Diamond. He also takes the reader behind the scenes at Harmsworth Memorial Animal Hospital as he describes his day, from ordinary medical check-ups to surgery(外科手术). Tales from Animal Hospital will delight all fans of the programme and anyone who has a lively interest in their pets, whether it is a cat, a dog or a snake!

$ 14.99 Hardback 272pp Simon Schuster

ISBN 0751304417

Isaac Newton: The Last Sorcerer

Michael White

From the author of Stephen hawking: A Life in Science, comes this colorful description of the life of the world’s first modern scientist. Interesting yet based on fact, Michael White’s learned yet readable new book offers a true picture of Newton completely different from what people commonly know about him. Newton is shown as gifted scientist with very human weaknesses who stood at the point in history where magic ended and science began.

$ 18.99 Hardback 320pp    Fourth Estate

ISBN  1857024168

Fermat’s Last Theorem

Simon Singh

In 1963 a schoolboy called Andrew whiles reading in his school library came across the world’s greatest mathematical problem: Fermat’s Last Theorem(定理). First put forward by the French mathematician Pierre de Fermat in the seventeenth century, the theorem had baffled and beaten the finest mathematical minds, including a French woman scientist who made a major advance in working out the problem, and who had to dress like a man in order to be able to study at the Ecole Polytechnique. Through unbelievable determination Andrew Wiles finally worked out the problem in 1995. An unusual story of human effort over three centuries, Fermat’s Last Theorem will delight specialists and general readers alike.

$ 12.99   Hardback 384pp    Fourth Estate

ISBN  1857025210

1．In Michael White’s book, Newton is described as _____________.

       A．a person who did not look the same as in many pictures

       B．a person who lived a colorful and meaningful life

       C．a great but not perfect man

       D．an old-time magician

2．Which of the following best explains the meaning of the word “baffle” as it is used in the text?

       A．to encourage people to raise questions.

       B．to cause difficulty in understanding

       C．to provide a person with an explanation

       D．to limit people’s imagination

3．The person who finally proved Fermat’s Last Theorem is __________.

       A．Simon Singh                                       B．Andrew Wiles

       C．Pierre de Fermat                                  D．a French woman scientist

4．What is the purpose of writing these three texts?

       A．to make the books easier to read

       B．to show the importance of science

       C．to introduce new authors

       D．to sell the books

4、When a group of children politely stop a conversation with you, saying: “We have to go to work now,” you’re left feeling surprised and certainly uneasy. After all, this is the already the twenty-first century and the idea of children working is just unthinkable. That is, until you are told that they are all pupils of stage schools, and that the “work” they go off to is to go on the stage in a theatre.

Stage schools often act as agencies(代理机构) to supply children for stage and television work. More worthy of the name “stage school” are those few places where children attend full time, with a training for the theatre and a general education.

A visit to such schools will leave you in no doubt that the children enjoy themselves. After all, what lively children wouldn’t settle for(满足) spending only half the day doing ordinary school work, and acting, singing or dancing their way through the other half of the day?

Then of course there are times for the children to make a name and make a little money in some big shows. Some stage schools give their children too much professional work at such a young age. But the law is very tight on the amount they can do. Those under 13 are limited to 40 days in the year; those over 13 to 80 days.

The schools themselves admit that not all children will be successful in the profession for which they are being trained. So what happens to those who don’t make it? While all the leading schools say they place great importance on children getting good study results, the facts seem to suggest this is not always the case.

1．People would stop feeling uneasy when realizing that the children they’re talking to ______.

       A．attend a stage school                            B．are going to the theatre

       C．have got some work to do                    D．love singing and dancing

2．In the writer’s opinion, a good stage school should ________.

       A．produce star performers

       B．help pupils improve their study skills

       C．train pupils in language and performing arts

       D．provide a general education and stage training

3．“Professional work” as used in the text means __________.

       A．ordinary school work                           B．only money-making performances

       C．stage performances in shows                D．acting, singing or dancing after class

4．Which of the following best describes how the writer feels about stage schools?

       A．He thinks highly of what they have to offer.

       B．He favors an early start in the training of performing arts.

       C．He feels uncomfortable about children putting on night shows

       D．He doubts the standard of ordinary education they have reached.

3、Among various programmes, 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 the Oprah Winfrey shows.

Jerry Springer could easily be considered the king of “rubbish talk”. The contents 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 et up the troubles of other people’s lives.

Like Jerry Springer, Oprah Winfrey takes 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 viewers are middle class Americans. Most of these people have the time, money, and ability to deal with life’s tougher problems. Jerry Springer, on the other hand, has more of a connection with the young adults of society. These are 18-to-21-year-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.

1．Compared with other TV talk shows, both the Jerry Springer and the Oprah Winfrey are ____.

       A．more interesting                                  B．unusually popular

       C．more detailed                                       D．more formal

2．Though the social problem Jerry Springer talks about appear unpleasant, people who watch the shows ___________.

       A．remain interested in them                      B．are ready to face up to them

       C．remain cold to them                             D．are willing to get away from them

3．Which of the following is likely to be a topic of the Oprah Winfrey show?

       A．A new type of robot                             B．Nation hatred

       C．Family income planning.                       D．Street accident

4．We can learn from the passage that the two talk shows ____________.

       A．have become the only ones of its kind

       B．exploit the weaknesses in human nature

       C．appear at different times of the day

       D．attract different people

2、此题要求改正所给短文中的错误。对标有题号的每一行作出判断：如无错误，在该行右边横线上画一个勾（√）；如有错误（每一行只有一个错误），则按下列情况改正：

此行多一个词：把多余的词用斜线（\）划掉，在该行右边横线上写出该词，并也用斜线划掉。

此行缺一个词：在缺词处加一个漏字符号（/\），在该行右边横线上写出该加的词。

此行错一个词：在错的词下划一横线，在该行右边横线上写出改正后的词。

注意：原文没有错的不要改。

Nowadays, almost every family has TV set, and almost                       1._____________

everyone likes watching TV. TV has become part of our life.                2. _____________

TV has many advantages, for example, it inform us of the                   3. _____________

latest news that is happened in the world; it can open our                     4. _____________

eyes, enlarge our knowledges and also help us to see more                   5. _____________

about the world. But, it also has some disadvantages. People                6. _____________

waste too much time in watching TV and his normal life                      7. _____________

and work are affected. To the children they spend too                         8. _____________

much time in watching TV, it can do harmful to their sight                   9. _____________

and health. So we should control the time of watch TV.               10. _____________

1、你所在的班级将要举办一次主题为“What Can We Do for Our School？”的英语演讲比赛。请写一篇英语演讲稿，要求从以下四方面中任选二个进行阐述，并举例加以说明。

1．关心他人；

2．美化校园；

3．爱护学校设施；

4．营造良好的这习氛围。

注意：

1．不要在书面表达中出现所在学校的校名和本人姓名，否则本节判为零分；

2．词数：100—120词；

3．参考词汇：爱心—love and care; 校园—campus；

             设施—facilities；氛围—environment

4．开头和结尾已经写好，且不记入词数。

Hello, everyone. It’s nice to speak about what we can do for our school, and I think each of us can do something.

Thank you for listening!

28、Directions: Read the following text and choose the most suitable heading from A – F for each paragraph. There is one extra heading which you do not need.

1．

    European television had the idea of taking ordinary people and turning them into “stars” by putting them in unusual situations. “Big Brother” (created in Holland) was one of the first. A group of people were locked in a small house with cameras running 24 hours a day. It was called a “watch and dial” show because viewers vote by telephone to decide who should leave or stay.

2．

    “Big Brother” was probably the first of the new reality shows, bus such a programme has developed. Many have found appeal by having a theme to them, but most are based on the principle of “survival of the fittest” by eliminating participants as the series progresses. So we have the dating shows where winners either pair off or stay true to their partners outside the TV studio. Then there are those that test people’s abilities for specific jobs like running a kitchen, becoming an interior designer or a top model.

3．

    Critics say these programmes are basically bad television, but people watch them. So why are there so many of them? For the viewer it’s an opportunity to “people watch”. It’s natural to like watching other people. They’re interesting. We can imagine what we would do in that situation. We get to know the characters and see them grow and develop week after week. And of course, television is the perfect place to watch people. Like the theatre or cinema we can look at other people and they can’t look back. But with television, we can watch in the privacy of our own homes. We watch, but we don’t have to admit it to anyone.

4．

    The TV companies like reality shows because they are cheap to produce and attract younger viewers, which advertisers like. The last “Big Brother” in Britain attracted enormous advertising revenue. They aren’t dependent on “star” actors with enormous salaries. And your actors won’t go on strike. And why do people participate in them? Well, for fame and money of course. In the past, appearing on television wasn’t for ordinary people. You had to be good at something, like sport, or reading the news, or acting. But not any more.

5．

It seems that most shows do well at the beginning but then the viewing figures begin to fall. And it varies from country to country too. For example, one show had an adopted child try to guess the identity of her real father, and another had a family arguing over an inheritance. Both were cancelled after one episode. Perhaps the novelty has worn off. Certainly, reality TV seems to appeal much more to the younger audience. And now there are so many shows around even the young have become more critical. Reality shows will probably survive – it’s just no longer so easy to make a successful one.