— Can I smoke in this hall?

— No, you can’t. If you _____, please go to the smoking room.

A. should              B. might            C. can                     D. must

B

More than 10 years ago, it was difficult to buy a tasty pineapple. The fruits that made it to the UK were green on the outside and, more often than not, hard with an unpleasant taste within. Then in 1996, the Del Monte Gold pineapple produced in Hawaii first hit our shelves.

       The new type of pineapple looked more yellowy-gold than green. It was slightly softer on the outside and had a lot of juice inside. But the most important thing about this new type of pineapple was that it was twice as sweet as the hit-and-miss pineapples we had known. In no time, the Del Monte Gold took the market by storm, rapidly becoming the world’s best-selling pineapple variety, and delivering natural levels of sweetness in the mouth, up until then only found in tinned pineapple.

       In nutrition(营养) it was all good news too. This nice-tasting pineapple contained four times more vitamin C(维生素C) than the old green variety. Nutritionists said that it was not only full of vitamins, but also good against some diseases. People were understandably eager to be able to buy this wonderful fruit. The new type of pineapple was selling fast, and the Del Monte Gold pineapple rapidly became a fixture in the shopping basket of the healthy eater.

       Seeing the growing market for its winning pineapple, Del Monte tried to keep the market to itself. But other fruit companies developed similar pineapples. Del Monte turned to law for help, but failed. Those companies argued successfully that Del Monte’s attempts to keep the golden pineapple for itself were just a way to knock them out of the market.

We learn from the text that the new type of pineapple is ______.

   A. green outside and sweet inside         B. good-looking outside and soft inside

   C. yellowy-gold outside and hard inside    D. a little soft outside and sweet inside

Why was the new type of pineapple selling well?

   A. It was rich in nutrition and tasted nice.    B. It was less sweet and good for health.

   C. It was developed by Del Monte.         D. It was used as medicine.

The underlined word “fixture” in Paragraph 3 probably refers to something ______.

   A. that people enjoy eating             B. that is always present

   CV. that is difficult to get                     D. that people use as a gift

We learn from the last paragraph that Del Monte ______.

   A. allowed other companies to develop pineapples

 B. succeeded in keeping the pineapple for itself

   C. tried hard to control the pineapple market

   D. planned to help the other companies

When I come across a good essay in reading newspapers,I am often inclined to cut and keep it.But just as I am about to do so I find the article on the opposite side is as much interesting.It may be a discussion of the way to keep in good health,or advice about how to behave and conduct oneself in society.If I cut the front essay,the opposite one is bound to suffer damage,leaving out half of it or keeping the text without the subject.As a result,the scissors would stay before they start,or halfway done when I find out the regretful consequence that inevitably(不可避免地) causes my repentance.   

Sometimes two things are to be done at the same time,both deserving your attention.You can only take up one of them,the other has to wait or be given up.But you know the future is unpredictable—the changed situation may not allow you to do what is left behind.Thus you are caught in a fix and feel sad.How come that nice opportunities and brilliant ideas should gather around all at once?It may happen that your life changes dramatically on your preference of one alternative to the other.

In fact that is what life is like:we are often faced with the two opposite aspects of a thing which are both desirable like newspaper cutting.It often occurs that our attention is drawn to one thing only after we are engaged in another.The former may be more important than the latter and give rise to a divided mind.I still remember a philosopher’s remarks:“When one door shuts,another opens in life.” So a casual or passive choice may not be a bad one.

Whatever we do in our lifetime,wherever life’s storm tosses us,there must be something we can achieve,some shore we can land,that opens up new vistas to us.Don’t forget God always keeps an alternative door open for every one.While the front door is closed,there must be another open for you.

When the writer finds a good article in reading newspapers,______.

A.he is always glad to cut and keep it

B.he is always hesitant to cut and keep it

C.he often has a desire to cut and keep it

D.he often finds it difficult to decide which side to cut and keep

The writer feels regretful because______.

A.he fails to choose a good essay

B.he fails to cut the two essays on both sides well

C.he finds the essay on the opposite side is better

D.he finds that he just keeps the text without the subject

What’s the meaning of the underlined part in Paragraph 2?

A.You’re trapped in a trouble.

B.You find it difficult to fix something.

C.You are trapped in a situation where you can’t decide which choice is better.

D.You have so many opportunities that you don’t know which to choose.

Which one do you think is the best title of this passage?

A.Paper Cutting                                               B.Two Opposite Sides

C.Difficult Choices                                           D.Another Door

You might think the largest library in the world would be in Europe. But it isn’t. It’s in Washington D.C. It’s called the Library of Congress.

President John Adams started the library in 1800 for members of Congress. He wanted them to be able to read books about law. The first 740 books were bought in England. They were simply set up in the room where Congress met. Then Thomas Jefferson sold Congress many of his own books. He felt Congress should have books on all subjects, not just on law. This idea changed the library forever.

The library grew and grew. Now it covers a large area of land. It contains20million books as well as many pictures, movies, globes and machines. Experts in every field work there. Hundreds of people call every day with all kinds of questions. Many of them get answers right over the phone.  

The library is a huge storehouse. Thomas Edison’s first movie and Houdini’s magic books are preserved there. And it is the proud owner of the world’s best collection of humorous books.

The first step in starting the Library of Congress was         .

A. buying Thomas Jefferson’s books

B. buying books from England

C. putting up the library building

D. asking experts in every field to work there

Thomas Jefferson’s opinion about the library was that      .

A. it should buy books on law

B. it should be the largest in the world

C. it should have books on all subjects

D .it should answer all kinds of questions

Which of the following is NOT true?

A. Thomas Jefferson enriched the collection of the Library.

B. The Library of Congress is in Washington D.C.

C. The Library of Congress has books on all subjects from the very beginning.

D. You can ask the experts in the Library of Congress all kinds of questions by phone.

The best title for this passage is       .

A. General Introduction to the library of congress

B. The building of the Library of Congress

C. The Library of Congress—the American’s Pride

D. The Library of Congress—the World’s Best Collection of Humorous Books

For ??12 you can equip an entire classroom in Burkina Faso, for ??31 you can equip a school football team in Sierra Leone and for ??68 you can support the whole education of a Haitian schoolgirl.

The educational presents are the latest way on the trend of charitable（慈善的）giving for Christmas. Plan UK, an international children's charity, has made its gift list focusing on helping the world's poorest countries to improve their education conditions.

"Every year we rack our brains for the perfect present and too often end up with yet another pair of socks or a useless ornament," said Marie Staunton, Plan UK's chief executive.

"This year we are offering people in the UK the chance to give twice. Buying an alternative gift for a loved one could likely save the life of some of the world's poorest children."

Plan UK is working on projects in specific countries, such as Burkina Faso, which is one of the poorest countries in the world and has a primary school enrolment rate（入学率）of just 36%. A present of ??12 will help equip a classroom in Burkina Faso with chairs, desks, books and pencils.

The educational presents are the latest addition to a list of other charitable presents, including vaccinations（接种）and clean water systems.

Football strips for schoolchildren in Sierra Leone are designed to help the children have fun while continuing with the psychological healing process following the country's civil war. The ??31 gift will supply the team strip, a football and a whistle to a school in Sierra Leone.

Oxfam offers similar gifts. Its Back to School kits for five pupils is a bestseller in a catalogue（目录）which includes the ??24 Christmas goat, the ??30 lavatory and ??12 for school dinners for up to 200 children.

The first paragraph is written to tell us________.

   A. the great differences between the rich and the poor.

   B. the general conditions of education in poor countries.

   C. the difficulty in getting good education in poor countries.

   D. the great meaning of a little money to children in poor countries.

The underlined phrase “rack our brains” means _____in the third paragraph.

A. cause physical or mental hurt

B. think very hard

C. improve our intelligence

D. make full use of

Which of the following is Right according to the passage?

   A. Plan UK is working on educational projects all over the world.

   B. The sufferings brought by war still have side effects on the children in Sierra Leone.

   C. The educational Christmas presents have been given to the children for many years.

   D. Its Back to School kits for five pupils is a bestselling book.

The title for the passage would probably be ______.

   A. A new way of Christmas shopping   

B. Give a helping hand to poor children

C. Buy a child an education this Christmas

D. Plan UK, an international children's charity

Sherlock Holmes is considered by many people as the greatest detective in fictional literature. He is, in fact, more famous than his own creator, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. In the popular series of stories, Holmes is described as “tall and lean, pope-smoking, always in his cape and speaks in a splendid manner”. Doyle gave Holmes’ address as 221-B Baker Street, London, and to this day some visitors to London still go to Baker Street to search for 221-B. Of course, there never was really any such address. Holmes’ flat was supposed to be shared by the lovable, but sometimes clumsy Doctor Watson who went around with Holmes trying to solve crimes before Holmes did. Poor Dr Watson lost out to Holmes every time.

Doyle gave Holmes a masterly skill of deduction---the ability to come up with interesting conclusion from the simplest clues found at the scene of a crime. Doyle said that the description of Holmes was modeled on one of his lecturers at Edinburgh University where he studied medicine. That man was Dr Joseph Bell. Sherlock Holmes first appeared in Doyle’s A Study in Scarlet published in 1887. Holmes was so loved by all that when his author killed him off in one of his stories, readers wrote in anger to complain. They refused to allow Holmes to die! Holmes was brought back to “life” and appeared in further stories.  

The stories of Sherlock Holmes have been reprinted many times ever since then. Today we can watch Holmes at work on cinema and television screens as well as on stage.

Sherlock Holmes was________.

  A. the greatest detective who ever lived

  B. Dr Joseph Bell

  C. Arthur Conan Doyle

  D. only a character made up by Arthur Conan Dolye

Dr Watson was________.

  A. tall and learn

  B. lovable but always clumsy

  C. lovable but sometimes clumsy

  D. lovable and never clumsy

Holmes was supposed to have lived_______.

  A. with Dr Watson           B. with Dr Joseph Bell

  C. with the greatest detective   D. with Doyle

Doyle made up the description of Holmes_______.

  A. from his own imagination

  B. based on a famous London doctor

  C. based on Dr Joseph Bell at Edinburgh University

  D. based on a model of Holmes

Millions of people visit Yosemite National Park every year to see the tall waterfalls and mountains. These mountains are a splendid sight when viewed form the valley floor. Lots of stores, hotels, and restaurants are needed to handle the crowds. Also, water, roads, and other service systems are part of the infrastructure (基础设施) that must be maintained.

Unfortunately, these systems are starting to break down. It’s not just in Yosemite but in national parks around the nation.    

Yosemite is thirty years old according to Dennis Galvin, a National Park Service worker. The Park is not only old but worn out. Two or three times as many visitors come every year. That is too many visitors for the park to deal with.

Four years ago a storm washed out a water pipeline in the Grand Canyon. The National Park Service had to send water trucks to provide water for the visitors. Last month pipes almost broke again and roads had to be closed for a while.

Why hasn’t the National Park Service kept up the park repairs? There is a lack of money. The United States has 378 monuments, parks, and wilderness areas. Between three and four billion dollars are needed for repairs.

Yosemite is one national park that does have money for repairs. It has two hundred million dollars but cannot spend it any way it chooses. When the park workers started widening the road, they were forced to stop by the Sierra Club. The club claimed that the road work was damaging the Merced River that runs through the park.

A sierra Club lawyer, Julia Olson, feels that the infrastructure needs to be moved out of Yosemite. That way less pressure will be put on the already crowded park.

According to the text, the mountains in Yosemite look most splendid when they are

appreciated from ______.    

A. the bottom of the valleys                              B. the top of the mountains

C. the side of the mountains                              D. the edge of the valleys

National parks like Yosemite in the U.S. find it increasingly difficult to meet the need of

visitors because ______.

A. their transport management needs improving

B. they spend too much on their service systems

C. their service systems frequently go out of order

D. they need help from environmental organizations

The main problem of Yosemite National Park is its ______.

A. rundown water pipes                                    B. overcrowdedness

C. lack of money                                              D. narrow roads

According to the text, the Sierra Club is most likely to be ______.

A. an environmental group                                B. an information center

C. a travel service                                             D. a law firm

The education of _____ young has become _____ hot and serious topic in the present society.

 A. the; /               B. a; the                C. /; the                 D. the; a

Every afternoon hundreds of thousands of youth fill Internet cafes, switch on a game console (游戏机), or otherwise sit down to enter fantasy worlds. I’m talking about video games. These games can be fun and exciting, but we need to look out when this pastime becomes an addiction.

Games are often quite exciting and dramatic, but they generally aren’t very intellectual. We don’t learn as much from them as we would only reading a book. Spending too much time playing them can take away our study time. We need to remember that we are students first. Nothing should ever get in the way of proper studying.

Video games can also be a bad effect on younger children who may be watching. Many video games are violent and the object in most of them is to kill the other player(s). This does not send the right message to the children who need to be told that violence is not acceptable and need to be taught how to deal with situations maturely. Even if we do need to sit down and play a violent video game, we need to make sure that it is not affect the younger people around us.

Playing a computer game in our spare time is not a bad thing. Games can be a great way to relax after studying, to connect to our friends, or just to help our creativity. However, games should not become the focus of our life. We need to make sure that laying games never interferes with our studies and that we aren’t thinking about them all day. If we ever find ourselves playing them too much, we need to break the addiction. If that happens, we need to step away from the computer or television screen and learn to spend our time more productively.  

The writer mainly tells the readers __________.

to play computer games every afternoon

not to play computer games too much

not to affect other people while playing games

to spend more time studying

The writer thinks about computer games all of the following except _________.

A. exciting           B. dramatic           C. intellectual          D. violent

Computer games may have bad effect on younger children because __________.

these children often stay in Internet cafes all day long

children often forget to do their lessons

computer games are often violent

children don’t have enough money to play computer games

The writer advises computer game players ________.

not to affect younger people around

not to play violent games

never to enter Internet cafes

to teach younger children how to play computer games