Dolan began swimming at the age of 5,because his elder sister Kathleen was a swimmer." Whatever she
did, I wanted to beat her," he says. While he says he was a" pool rat" as a child, he didn't aggressively pursue
swimming until his freshman year in high school. Golf was his favourite sport then-he played for his high
school team until his junior year.
      Dolan grew up in Arlington, Virginia, and his early development as a swimmer was under the guidance of
Rick Curl. At the University of Michigan, he trained under head coach Jon Urabancheck, who helped mold
Dolan into an Olympic champion. During breaks from school, Dolan would reunite with Curl, and in the
lead-up to Sydney, he returned home full time. In April 2000, Dolan told the Detroit Free Press," My whole
career I had gone back and forth, but now I'm spending the whole year with Rick. But where I go and swim,
I'll always be linked to Michigan and to Jon, just as I will to Rick."
     Dolan was 18 when he entered the 1994 World Championships. He remembers being near all the big stars
and noticing they were staring at him. He won the 400 IM title in world record time. He successfully defended
his world title four years later in Perth, Australia. Dealing with asthma (哮喘) and poor air quality, Tom Dolan
could hardly breathe at the 1996 Atlanta Games. But as the top world champion and world record holder in the
400-metre individual medley(混合泳),he was determined to win Olympic gold." My legs were burning pretty
bad, and I couldn't get any oxygen. I knew it was between me and Eric, and I just gave it everything I had
coming into the wall," says Dolan. He touched first, just ahead of fellow American Eric, who got the silver.

1. Which of the following can best describe Dolan when he was young?

A. His elder sister swam better than him.
B. Golf became his favourite sport only after he entered high school.
C. He began to be very fond of swimming when he became a new student in high school.
D. Competing with his sister in swimming made him known as a " pool rat".

2. The underlined word "mold" in the second paragraph means _____.

A. guide
B. paint
C. learn
D. tell

3. Dolan owes his success to _____.  

A. Eric
B. his sister
C. Jon and Rick
D. his high school

4. It was____ that might have made Dolan win a gold medal in Atlanta.

A. being a world-record holder
B. the 400 IM title in 1994
C. help from his fellow teammate
D. his determination

     Microsoft founder Bill Gates said that he planned to give away almost all of his vast fortune (财产), largely
to the cause (事业)of global health, during the course of his lifetime. With an estimated (估计) worth of more
than $40 billion, according to Forbes, the project will be no small feat (功绩) for Gates. Having already
provided the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation with $24 billion to address global health issues, Cates said that
eventually (最终地) his entire fortune will be put towards the cause except" a few percent left for the kids".
     So what has made the richest man in the world to channel his resources so heavily into one interest? Gates
believes that" the equality of opportunity" n which Americans take such pride needs to extend to other nations
around the world. Improving the health of the populations, he says, has proven to be an essential (基本的)
method in helping poor countries to be financially successful." National borders allow inequalities," said
Gates." We all need to take a more global view, rather than just saying my country is doing well. We have to
step up these health issues, knowing how few resources are going into them."
     Gates said that both his parents set up an example for him as a child. His father, William H. Gates, was the
head of the local Planned Parenthood, and his mother, Mary, volunteered for the Untied Way. As he gathered
his fortune, Gates knew he would eventually want to give back as well, but he didn' t expect to devote himself
whole-heartedly to one project until he was about 60. However,Gates,47,began to question his ability to wait
that long. "It seemed there was a real time urgency," Gates said."I started to think-How many lives could I
save before then?"

1. Bill Gates will give away his vast fortune to _____.

A. improve the health of population in America alone
B. improve the health of population all over the world
C. avoid leaving his children too much money
D. spare the American government the burden of health care

2. Bill Gates believes that one important way of developing poor countries is _____.

A. to set up more foundations for them
B. to aid them with natural resources
C. to put more effort into the health issues in them
D. to help them take a more global view

3. It can be learned from the text that Bill Gates thinks ______.

A. Americans should care about people in other countries
B. Americans should treat fellow citizens well
C. Americans should devote themselves to certain projects
D. Americans can be world-famous by giving away vast fortune

4. Bill Gates gave away his vast fortune earlier than he had expected because of _____.

A. his weakening health condition
B. his parents' suggestions
C. his great success in business
D. his concerns for suffering people

     Fayette Pinkney, once a member of The Three Degrees, died at 61 in Lansdale, Pa. She lent her strong voice
to the 1970s hits" When Will I see You Again" and" T. S. O. P. ( The Sound of Philadelphia)",the theme song of the television show Soul Train.
     The Three Degrees was formed in the early 1960s when Ms Pinkney joined with Shirley Porter and Linda
Turner. She was then still going to Overbrook High School in Philadelphia. For more than ten years, Ms Pinkney was the one who kept staying in a group whose members came and went. She sang on the group' s first single" Cee Baby", and on its 1970 hit " Maybe".
      The group ' s first two singles for Philadelphia Intemational," Dirty Ol' Man" and"I Didn ' t Know", were
small successes. But" T. S. O. P.", a mostly inStrumental piece, reached No. 1 on the pop charts (流行榜) in
1974." When Will I See You Again" which sold more than two million records reached No. 2 on the pop charts
that year.
     Their special singing made The Three Degrees very popular. The group performed with Engelbert
Humperdinck in Las Vegas; a performance in Manhattan ended up in the film The French Connection.
     After leaving The Three Degrees and recording a solo album,"One Degree" in 1979, Ms Pinkney studied at
Temple University and earned a master's degree (硕士学位) in human services at Lincoln University in
Pennsylvania in 1985. She began working as an assistant for the Medical College of Pennsylvania. She later did
the job of offering professional advice to the patients at United Behavioral Health.
     Ms Pinkney continued to sing."I travel with a special group. I do still love people and I love to make them
smile," she once said.

1. When did Fayette Pinkney join The Three Degrees?

A. After she graduated from school.
B. After The Three Degrees formed.
C. In the late 1960s.
D. In the early 1960s.

2. According to the passage, we know that " T. S. O. P." _____.

A. was Ms Pinkney' s first solo album
B. was the last song Ms Pinkney sang
C. was only a small success
D. was sung for Soul Train

3. What did Ms Pinkney do after she left The Three Degrees? 

A. She did some other different jobs.
B. She performed with Engelbert Humperdinck.
C. She taught at Temple University.
D. She sang in the film The French Connection.

4. What does the last paragraph mean?

A. Ms Pinkney didn' t die at all.
B. Ms Pinkney' s songs sounded really beautiful.
C. Ms Pinkney didn' t want to leave the world.
D. Ms Pinkney will be alive in people' s hearts.

     Shu Pulong has helped at least 1,000 people bitten (咬) by snakes, "It was seeing people with snake bites
(伤口) that led me to this career," he said.
     After his army service, Shu entered a medical school and later became a doctor of Chinese medicine. As
part of his studies he had to work in the mountains. There he often heard of people who had their arms and
legs cut off after a snake bite in order to save their lives. 

Which of the following words can take the place of the word "career" in the first paragraph(段)?

A. conclusion
B. story
C. incident
D. job

     "She was born for the camera," said a photographer who shot Liu Yifei's picture when she was only eight.
     Over the past year, Liu, an 18-year-old Chinese American, has shot to fame while playing Wang Yuyan in
Jin Yong‘s "Eightfold Path of the Heavenly Dragon" (《天龙八部》). Millions of teenagers have been drawn in
by her light smile and beautiful long hair. Many magazines have described her as one of the most charming
young actresses of 2004. People say that Liu will be even bigger this year.
     "She is so beautiful on TV. She has the special character to give flesh and blood to the fairy-like and
beautiful Wang Yuyan," said Yang Mingwei, a Senior 2 boy and Liu’s fan from Wuyi High School in Fujian.
     Currently Liu is filming the TV series"The Return of the Condor Heroes" (《神雕侠侣》), another Jin
Yong novel. In the show to be aired this year, Liu plays the Little Dragon Girl.
      Liu is now a grade three student at the Beijing Film Academy, the star factory of China. But some people
say that her success is only down to her beauty. When she returned to China with her mother at the age of
14, she did originally work as a model. It was when a director saw her picture on an advertisement board on
the street that her opportunity to work in TV arose.
     "A pretty face does not last forever. To be a good actress you must work hard and have a professional
attitude," Liu said. Every day she spends hours practising all the kungfu kicks and punches for the show.
      "There have been times during filming when I have remained hanging in the air on wires for half a day
as the director keeps trying to get the perfect take," said Liu recently.

1. In the first paragraph, the photographer commented on Liu's  _____.

A. beauty
B. talent as an actress
C. promising future
D. special character

2. What does the underlined word probably mean?

A. Flown
B. Broadcast
C. Published
D. Recorded

3. Which of the following about Liu Yifei is true according to the passage?

A. She thinks her beauty contributes to her success.
B. She has become a citizen of the US.
C. She graduated from the Beijing Film Academy months ago.
D. She failed to improve her English when studying in America.

4. In which part of a newspaper can you read the above passage?

A. National news.
B. Business.
C. Advertisement.
D. Famous people.

     She was known to millions as the "Queen of Crime" or the " Duchess (女公爵) of death". But surprisingly,
she hated violence and blood, and knew nothing of the weapons most often used in murder."I don't think I dare
look at a really horrible and damaged body." Agatha Christie once said.
     But her pen dared travel where her eyes would not. In a 50-year writing career, Christie's murder stories
made her the world's best-known mystery writer. She is outsold only by the Bible and Shakespeare.
     Her works have been turned into films and TV series, and a line of computer games is to be released over
the next six years.
     "My grandmother liked to use new ways to reach people who wanted to enjoy her work," said Christie's
grandson, Mathew Pri- chard."Turning her stories into PC games allows us to introduce classic mysteries to
new audiences.
     Born in 1890 in England, Christie was educated at home and began her writing career while working as a
nurse during World War I. She went on to produce 79 novels and numerous short sto- ries, dying at the age
of 86.
     "With her knowledge of murder, Christie could have been a teacher at police academies," said one fan.

1. By which means can't we learn the works of Christie?

A. Watching TV.
B. Going to the cinema.
C. Reading novels.
D. Playing computer games.

2. Mathew Prichard's words suggest that ____.

A. Christie had been trying to write different stories in different styles
B. Christie was fond of changing styles while writing
C. Christie's works are short of audiences
D. People began to lose interest in Christie's works

3. The fifth paragraph mainly _____ .

A. tells us Christie is a productive writer
B. gives us a brief introduction of Christie
C. tells us when Christie took up writing
D. tells us why Christie was popular

                                                              Marie Curie Biography
      Marie Curie, née Maria Sklodowska, was born in Warsaw on November 7,1867,the daughter of a secondary-school teacher. She received a general education in local schools and some scientific training from her father. She became involved in a students' revolutionary (革命的) organization and found it prudent (深谋远虑的) to
leave Warsaw, then in the part of Poland dominated by Russia, for Cracow, which at that time was under
Austrian rule. In 1891,she went to Paris to continue her studies at the Sorbonne where she obtained
Licentiateships in Physics and the Mathematical Sciences. She met Pierre Curie,professor in the School of
Physics, in 1894 and in the following year they were married. She succeeded her husband as Head of the
Physics Laboratory at the Sorbonne, gained her Doctor of Science degree in 1903,and following the tragic (悲
剧的) death of Pierre Curie in 1906,she took his place as Professor of General Physics in the Faculty (系,院)
of Sciences, the first time a woman had held this position. She was also appointed (委派) Director of the Curie
Laboratory in the Radium Institute of the University of Paris, founded in 1914.
     Her early researches, together with her husband, were often performed under difficult conditions,
laboratory arrangements were poor and both had to undertake much teaching to earn a livelihood (生计).The
discovery of radioactivity (放射能) by Henri Becquerel in 1896 inspired the Curies in their brilliant (辉煌的)
researches and analyses (分析) which led to the isolation (分离) of polonium, named after the country of
Marie's birth, and radium. Marie Curie developed methods for the separation of radium from radioactive
residues(残渣) in sufficient (足够的)quantities to allow for its characterization and the careful study of its
properties, therapeutic (有疗效的) properties in particular.
      Quiet, dignified and unassuming, she was held in high esteem(尊敬)and admiration by scientists throughout
the world. She was a member of the Conseil du Physique Solvay from 1911 until her death and since 1922 she
had been a member of the Committee of Intellectual Co-operation of the League of Nations. Her work is
recorded in numerous papers in scientific journals.
     The importance of Marie. Curie's work is reflected in the numerous awards bestowed (给予) on her. She
received many honorary (光荣的) science, medicine and law degrees and honorary memberships of learned
societies throughout the world. Together with her husband she was awarded half of the Nobel Prize for
Physics in 1903,for their study into the spontaneous (自然的) radiation discovered by Becquerel, who was
awarded the other half of the Prize. In 1911 she received a second Nobel Prize,this time in Chemistry, in
recognition (认可) of her work in radioactivity. She also received, jointly with her husband, the Davy Medal
(奖章) of the Royal Society in 1903 and, in 1921,President Harding of the United States, on behalf of the
women of America, presented her with one gram (克) of radium in recognition of her service to science.

Do you think what made Marie Curie achieve so much? In my view
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