New York times, Nov, 24,2011-It is not just any bug, but the native nine-spotted ladybug.
And its reappearance is something of a relief, because it is the official New York State insect,
even though the last recorded sighting of it in New York was 29 years ago.
     Its absence had not gone completely unnoticed. There was a moment in 2006 when the State
Assembly, realizing that the state insect had left the state, tried to replace it with a different species
of ladybug, an attempt that fortunately gave in to law.
     And now-after all these years-the state insect has been found. Like so many other New Yorkers,
it was seen summering in Amagansett. Peter Priolo, a volunteer participant in an effort called the
Lost Ladybug Project, found the ladybug on July 30 in a patch of sunflowers during a group search
he had organized.
     "I didn't realize it was a nine-spotted when I found it," Mr. Priolo said. He was on his way to do
an end-of-the-day ladybug record, so, he said, "I put it in my jar and hurried back to meet with
everybody."
     If the ladybugs are making a comeback, it is only beginning. The lost Ladybug Project started
surveys in 2000. As of 2006, only five nene-spotted ladybugs had been found in North America in
the previous 10 years, none of them in the East. Then one lone ladybug was found in Arlington,
Va. None had been found in the East since, and only 90 have been reported in North America.
     After scientists at Cornell confirmed Mr. Priolo's find, they went to the Amagansett farm in
mid-August to lead a search that turned up about 20 more of the bugs. An area between rows of
carrots and beans turned out to be a hot spot. "We found a lot of them on cosmos and zinnias," said
Dr. Losey said, an insect expert. The farm is part of the 10,000-acre Peconic Land Trust in Amagansett,
and it is organic. For ladybugs, Dr. Losey said, "you couldn't design a better place."
     Dr. Losey wants to find out if it makes sense to reintroduce this strain of the ladybug in other areas.
And he expects volunteers to be back out in the field when ladybug season starts again in the spring.
Now, he said, "we need to find out more places where there are just as many."

1. The last time the New Yorkers saw their state insect in            .

A. 2000
B. 2006
C. 1998
D. 1982

2. The New Yorkers are so delighted to see the insect because           .

A. it has some bright spots on its back
B. it is the official insect of the city
C. it had been out of sight for quite some time
D. it is a new species unknown to New York

3. What does the second paragraph of the passage imply?

A. It's against the law to bring new insects to New York.
B. The State Assembly don't like to live with Ladybugs.
C. The absence of the state insect had never been known.
D. The state insect had to leave because of a new species.

4. From the last two paragraphs we know that       .

A. only some insect experts are really interested in ladybugs
B. Dr Losey is quite confident about the future of the insect
C. most ladybugs have m moved to live in the down area
D. more vegetables will be grown to welcome the state insect

                                56yearold becomes 1st woman to swim Atlantic
     (AP)－Jennifer Figge pressed her toes into the Caribbean sand,excited and exhausted as she
touched land this week for the first time in almost a month.Reaching a beach in Trinidad,she became
the first woman on record to swim across the Atlantic Oceana dream she'd had since the early 1960s,
when a stormy transAtlantic (飞越大西洋) flight got her thinking she could wear a life vest and swim
the rest of the way if needed.
     The 56yearold left the Cape Verde Islands off Africa's western coast on Jan.12,2009,swimming 19
out of 25 days battling waves of up to 30 feet.The distance from Cape Verde to Trinidad is about 700
miles.Crewmembers are still computing exactly how many miles she swam.
     The original plan was for her to swim to the Bahamasa distance of about 2,100 milesbut inclement
(恶劣的) weather forced her to change her plans and she arrived at Trinidad on Feb.5.She now plans
to swim from Trinidad to the British Virgin Islands,ending her voyage at the Bitter End Yacht Club in
late February.
     Her journey comes a decade after French swimmer Benoit Lecomte made the first known solo
transAtlantic swim,covering nearly 4,000 miles from Massachusetts to France in 73 days.No woman
on record has made the crossing.
     Figge wore a red cap and wet suit,with her only goodluck charm (护身符) underneath:an old,red
shirt to guard against chafing (磨痛),signed by friends,relatives and her father,who recently died.The
other cherished (珍惜) possession she kept onboard was a picture of Gertrude Ederle,an American
who became the first woman to swim across the English Channel."We have a few things in common,
"Figge said."She worea red hat and she was of German descent (血统).We both talked to the sea,
and neither one of us wantedto get out."

1.When did Jennifer Figge want to swim across the Atlantic Ocean?

A.After she reached a beach in Trinidad.
B.After she pressed her toes into the Caribbean sand.
C.After her stormy transAtlantic flight in the early 1960s.
D.After her graduation from a university.

2.Jennifer Figge had to change her plans       .

A.because she wanted to shorten her voyage
B.because of bad weather conditions
C.because she wanted to end her voyage in late February
D.because she wanted to set a new world record

3.When did Benoit Lecomte probably make the first known solo transAtlantic swim?

A.In 1998.        
B.In 1988.        
C.In 1978 .      
D.In 1968.

4.For what purpose did Jennifer Figge keep a photo of Gertrude Ederle?

A.Figge would like to follow her example.
B.She had the same red cap as Figge always wore.
C.Figge also wanted to swim across the English Channel.
D.They were both born in Germany.

     CANBERRA-Patients' care would no longer be compromised after the ACT Government gave up
paid parking at public hospitals.
     Visitors had been paying up to $5 a day to park at Canberra and Calvary hospitals under the scheme
introduced in September, 2010.
     Health Minister Katy Gallagher announced yesterday visitors would no longer pay these fees because
the idea had proved unworkable and unpopular.
     The Government would also spend $29 million over two years to build a multistorey car park with
1,400 spaces at Canberra Hospital. But she could not rule out that visitors would be charged to park in the new structure.
     Ms Gallagher said the Government had listened to the public concerns. "It is clear that, in spite of a
generous policy, many visitors to the hospitals don't support the present system," she said.
     The public would have access to twohour and threehour parking spaces from 8:30 am to 5:30 pm
weekdays.
     Opposition spokesman on urban services Steve Pratt congratulated the Government for "adopting"
Liberal policy to put an end to paid parking.
     "Finally, the Stanhope Government has been forced to reduce the unfair burden that they put on ACT
residents," Mr Pratt said, "Why was it so necessary to put so many ACT residents  particularly those who have to visit loved ones frequently or could hardly afford it through so much inconvenience and for so long before finally coming to their sense?"
     Mr McGowan said the Government must come up with other ways to deal with problems such as
people parking at the hospital to avoid fees in Woden and Belconnen.

1. After a multistorey car park is completed, visitors to Canberra Hospital are ________ to pay for
parking there.

A. unable  
B. likely  
C. free  
D. sure

2. The former scheme being given up shows that ________.

A. the majority are not as rich as expected
B. new things are hard to become popular
C. the Government accepts public views
D. people park far away from the hospitals

3. In Mr Pratt's opinion, ________.

A. the Government should have given up the parking policy much earlier
B. the problem with hospital parking should also be solved in other places
C. the paid parking policy has not been supported by most hospital visitors
D. the Government's latest decision is supposed to be still further improved

     "It was all his own idea," says Pat Peters, the 38-year-old wife of Palo Alto (帕罗奥图市
,属美国加利福利亚州), California high school football coach Bob Peters, 39. Bob had just
drawn up a "motherhood contract" - a document stating that for 70 days this summer he would
take over the care and feeding of the couple's four children, plus all household chores. Although
he didn't even know how to make coffee when he signed, he was quite confident. (He though
t the experience would make a nice book.)
     After 40 of the 70 days, he was ready to give up. "I was beaten down, completely humbled,"
admits Peters. Three weeks later he spoke to the local press (also part of the bargain), stating,
"Not only is motherhood a difficult task, not only is it never-ending, it is an impossible job for
any normal human being."
     Bob and Pat were high school sweethearts. After they were married in 1960, she worked as
a secretary to help pat him through university. Since then Bob has been the football and wrestling
coach at Palo Alto's Cubberley High while Pat raised the kids.
     Then two years ago Pat went back to work as a secretary at Cubberley. "I had been around
children so much, "she sighs, "I couldn't talk to a grown-up." She continued to run the house-hold,
however  until Bob signed the contract, whereupon she decided to relax and enjoy it. Although
Peters had consulted (咨询) with his school's home economics teachers and the head of the
cafeteria (食堂), his meals were sometimes a disaster. "I tried to slip the butter I'd forgotten under
the eggs after they were frying," he says. For the last three weeks, the family ate out a lot sometimes
having Macdonald's hamburgers for lunch and dinner.
     As for housekeeping, a home economics teacher had told Bob that a room always looks clean
if the bed is made. "I found an easier way I shut the doors," he says. Soon the kids were wearing
the same clothes for a week. I made them wear their shirts inside out, and when we went to pick
up Pat at work they turned them right side out so they would look clean."
    Now that Bob has publicly admitted he was wrong, he is routinely (日常地)sharing the child-raising
and household tasks with Pat. The tentative (暂定的) tide of his book about the summer is taken
from something he shouted at the kids one day.

1. The couple signed the contract because ______.

A. Pat complained a lot about her doing the housework all by herself
B. Bob loved taking care of children and wanted his wife to have a good rest
C. they agreed that husband and wife should share household tasks
D. Bob thought it easy to take care of the family and wanted the experience for a book

2. What can we learn about Pat Peters?

A. She was hard-working and selfless.B. She was pretty and kind-hearted.
C. She was tired of the child-raising and household tasks.
D. She did not love Bob any longer

3. Which of the following can best end the news story?

A. "My experience of being a mother."
B. "I'm proud of you all, my dear!"
C "Wait till your mother gets home!"    
D. "Motherhood: an impossible job for anyone."

4. Which of the following is true according to the passage?

A. Bob managed to keep the kids' clothes clean.
B. Bob tried to cook good meals for his children.
C. Bob frequently took the kids out to eat because he was too busy at work.
D. Bob taught the kids to make their beds every day.

     An 8.8magnitude earthquake struck Chile on 27 Feb,2010.More than 300 people are
reported __1__(kill) in Chile after a magnitude 8.8 earthquake hit the South American nation
early Saturday,__2__(cause)considerable destruction as well,and creating tsunami warnings
across the Pacific Ocean.
     Rescuers worked frantically for hours to help survivors of the quake __3__centered 100
kilometers from the city of Concepcion but caused damage and deaths in several parts of Chile.
     Homes,buildings and bridges collapsed or caught fire,cars __4__(overturn),and the main
international airport had to be shut down because of damage.One survivor said it was terrible.
She said she thought she was not __5__(scare)of earthquakes but then,she says,it looked
as if everything was going to collapse.There were at least eight aftershocks and tidal waves
__6__up to two meters that hit Chile's coast.Residents in lowlying areas and living on islands
off the mainland tried to flee __7__higher ground.Chile experiences many earthquakes but
the early Saturday natural disaster was __8__of its most severe.Thorne Lay,a geophysicist
at the University of California,Santa Cruz,said it was much stronger than __9__one that
caused devastation(废墟)in Haiti last month,but probably less __10__(destroy),because
of where it was centered.