Say you are a 17th century construction worker who’s worked long and hard to build a splendid tower for the dead wife of your emperor.

Now say that the emperor orders your fingertips cut off so you can never build another one. Yes, that is the Taj Mahal, one of the most famous buildings in the world. And the tale behind the construction is just as impressive (印象深刻的) as the building itself.

First, there’s the emperor of northern India, Shah Jehan, also called the King of the World. In 1612, Shah Jehan married Mumtaz Mahal. Madly in love, they had 14 children over the next 20 years. But then sadness came. As Mumtaz was about to give birth to child number 14, she said she had heard her unborn baby cry out. It was a sign of death. And as Mumtaz lay dying, she asked Jehan to build a lasting memorial(纪念物) to celebrate their love.

When the heartbroken Jehan appeared eight days after his wife’s death, his people were shocked to see that his coal-black hair had turned snow-white.

Putting away his sadness, Jehan ordered his wife’s dying wish carried out. More than 20 000 workers labored nearly 22 years to complete the construction. In 1653,Jehan placed Mumtaz’s remains in the center under the building.

And then, son number five, Aurangzeb, murdered his brothers and took over the power from his aging father. Jehan lived the rest of his days－eight years, to be exact—imprisoned not far from the Taj Mahal. Jehan was only allowed to climb onto the top of his prison to see the timeless treasure from a distance. But never again would he be allowed to visit it—until he was buried next to his wife.

Today 25 000 people visit the Taj Mahal each day. Though the reason for building the tower was a strange, sad story, those who see its breath-taking beauty are reminded of the happiness that inspired(激发……的灵感) its construction.

1.The first two paragraphs were written to show that _____________.

A. the Taj Mahal is an unusual historic building

B.ancient Indian emperors were cruel

C.construction workers led a hard life in ancient India

D.India has some of the most famous buildings in the world

2.The Taj Mahal was first built as _____________.

A. a prison　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　  B.a gift to Mumtaz

C.a memorial building 　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 D.a tourist attraction

3.We learn from the text that Mumtaz probably died in _____________.

A.1626　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　   B.1632

C.1634　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　   D.1653

Ellis Island is located in New York. Harbor Ellis Island is open daily year-round from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., with extended hours during summer. It is closed on December 25.There is no admission charge to Ellis Island; donations(捐款) are gratefully accepted.

At Your Fingertips

Park information　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 (212)363-7620

Emergencies　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　   (212)363-3260

Ferryboat information　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　  (212)269-5755

Lost and found　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　    (212)363-7620

Dining, gifts,& audio tour　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　    (212)344-0996

Transportation

Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island Ferry: Boats leave from Battery Park, Manhattan, and from Liberty State Park, New Jersey. They run about every 30 to 45 minutes beginning at 9:15 a.m.(ferry schedule subject to change)

Hours: may vary; call the number below

Closed: December 25

Ferry fees:(Includes Liberty and Ellis Islands) adults,$7;senior citizens,$6;children(age 3 to 17),$3.(group rates are available for 25 or more adults)

Ticket &schedule information:(212)269-5755

1.In summer, visitors will have _____________ to visit Ellis Island.

A. no enough time

B.a longer time

C.a shorter time

D.a wonderful time

2.Which number would you call if your friend were suddenly ill?

A.(212)344-0996　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　  B.(212)363-7620

C.(212)363-3260　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　  D.(212)269-5755

3.Which of the following is not true?

A.People can visit Ellis Island free of charge.

B.The boats departure time from Battery Park is at 9:15 a.m. all the year round.

C.Ferry fees for children are cheaper than for adults.

D.Ferry fees for group visitors can be reduced.

4.We may infer from the passage that _____________.

A.visitors prefer to go to Ellis Island by boat

B.there are more visitors in winter

C.Ellis Island is open every day

D.Boat is the only transportation to Ellis Island

Rick Stevenson, 16 years old, spends every minute he can on the mountain. He and his friends go snowboarding every weekend. “It’s great,” he says. “The winds are so strong, the boards go 50 miles an hour.” His friend Laura Fields agrees. “No one goes skiing any more,” she says, “that’s for the old folks.”

Rick and Laura are part of a new trend in sports. Its philosophy（purpose）is to get as close to the edge as possible. And more and more young athletes are taking part in these risky（adventurous）activities called “extreme sports” or “X-Sports”.

In the past, young athletes would play baseball. Today, they want risk and excitement—the closer to the edge, the better. They snowboard over cliffs and mountain-bike down steep mountains. They wind-surf near hurricanes and bungy-jump from towers.

Extreme sports started as an alternative（选择余地）to more expensive sports such as golf. A city kid who didn’t have the money to buy expensive sports equipment could get a skateboard and have fun. But now it has become a whole new area of sports, with specialized equipment and high levels of skill. There’s even a special Olympics for extreme sports, called the Winter X-Games, which includes snow mountain biking and ice climbing.

What makes extreme sports so popular? “People love the risk,” says Murray Nussbaum, who sells sports equipment. “City people want to be outdoors on the weekend and do something challenging. The new equipment is so much better that people can take more risks without getting hurt.” An athlete adds, “Sure there’s a risk. Once you go mountain biking or snowboarding, it’s impossible to go back to bike riding or skiing. It’s just too boring.”

Now even the older crowd is starting to join in. Every weekend groups of friends in their early thirties get together. During the week they work as computer programmers in the same office. On Sundays they rent mountain bikes that cost $2 000 each and ride down steep mountains together.

Extreme sports are certainly not for everyone. Most people still prefer to play basketball or watch sports on TV. But extreme sports are definitely gaining in popularity. “These sports are fresh and exciting. It’s the wave of the future,” says Nussbaum.

1.Which of the four pictures does not describe extreme sports?

2.Generally speaking,_____________are unfit for extreme sports by inference from the text.

A. high school students

B.the aged people

C.office workers

D.city teenagers

3.It is clear from the text that extreme sports are_____________.

A.exciting but risky

B.expensive but challenging

C.special but dangerous

D.popular but a little old

4.What would be the best title for the text?

A.Rick Stevenson’s Hobby

B.The Wave of the Future

C.X-Sports

D.People’s Love for Risk

Among the four skills in learning English, which one of these is the “odd-man-out”? The answer is speaking. The other three you can do alone on your own. But you can’t really speak alone! Speaking to yourself can be “dangerous” because men in white coats may come and take you away!

Where can you find people to speak English? And how can you practice speaking when you are alone?

At school  If you pay to go to a language school, you should use the opportunity to speak. If your teacher asks you to speak in pairs or groups with other students, try to say as much as possible. Don’t worry about your mistakes. Just speak!

Conversation Clubs  Many cities around the world have conversation clubs where people can exchange one language for another. Look in your local newspaper to find a conversation club near you. They are usually free although some may charge a small entrance fee.

Shopping  Even if you don’t want to buy anything, you can ask questions about products that interest you in a shop. “ How much does this cost?” “Can I pay by cheque?” Often you can start a real conversation—and it costs you nothing!

Cafe and Bars  There are often American, Britain, Irish and Australian bars in many large cities. If you can find one, you’ll probably meet many people speaking English as a first or second language.

Language is all around you  Everywhere you go, you find language. Shop names, street names, advertisements, notices, and car numbers…When you walk down the street, practice reading the words and numbers that you see. Say them to yourself. It’s not exactly a conversation, but it will help you to “think” in English. But don’t speak too loud!

Songs and Video  Repeat the words of an English-language song singing with the music until it becomes automatic. It’s good practice for your memory and for the mouth muscles that you need for English.

Above all, speak as much as possible! Make as many mistakes as possible! When you know that you have made a mistake, you know that you have made progress!

1.What does “odd-man-out” probably mean according to the passage?

A. Someone or something appearing different from the others.

B.Someone or something standing out of the group.

C.Someone or something arranged in pairs.

D.Someone or something that can be easily mistaken for another.

2.What might happen if you speak to yourself loudly in public?

A.The police will take you away and punish you.

B.The doctors will force you to stay in hospital.

C.You will have to pay to escape being punished.

D.You will be forbidden to be member of the club.

3.In which places can you learn English NOT free of charge?

A.At school, in conversation clubs and cafe and bars.

B.At school, in shops and cafe bars.

C.In conversation clubs, shops, songs and video.

D.In conversation clubs and in the streets.

4.Why does the writer say “Make as many mistakes as possible”? Because _____________.

A. everyone will make mistakes in learning English

B.everyone will meet people speaking English with some mistakes

C.making mistakes is a must in making progress in learning English

D.making mistakes can make one realize the importance of speaking

5.According to the passage, which way is NOT likely to be accepted by English beginners?

A. Recite poems loudly along the riverside.

B.Listen to some English fashion songs and video.

C.Find an Englishman to speak English with.

D.In class, try to practice in groups or pairs.

Scientists have tried to come up with biological explanations for the difference between boys and girls.

However, none were believable enough to explain the general picture. As one scientist points out, “ There are slight genetic（遗传的） differences between the sexes at birth which may affect the subjects boys and girls choose. But the difficulty is that by the time children reach school age, there are so many other effects that it is almost impossible to tell whether girls are worse at science and math, or whether they’ve been brought up to think of these subjects as boys territory.”

Statistics（统计数据）show that in mathematics, at least, girls are equal to boys. A recent report suggests that girls only stop studying mathematics because of social attitudes. One of the reports’ authors says, “While it is socially unacceptable for people not to be able to read and write, it is still acceptable for women to say that they are ‘hopeless’ at math. Our research shows that, although girls get marks which are as good as the boys, they have not been encouraged to do so.”

The explanation for the difference, which is very clear during the teenage years, goes as far back as early childhood experiences. From their first days in nursery school, girls are not encouraged to work on their own or to complete tasks, although boys are. For example, boys not girls, are often asked to ‘help’ with repair work. This encouragement leads to a way of learning how to solve problems later on in life. Evidence（证据）shows that exceptional（例外的） mathematicians and scientists did not have teachers who supplied answers; they had to find out for themselves.

A further report on math teaching shows that teachers seem to give more attention to boys than to girls.

Most teachers who took part in the study admitted that they expect their male students to do better at mathematics and science subjects than their female students. All of this tends to encourage boys to work harder in these subjects, gives them confidence（信心） and makes them believe that they can succeed.

Interestingly, both boys and girls tend to regard such ‘male’ subjects like mathematics and science as difficult. Yet it has been suggested that girls avoid mathematics courses, not because they are difficult, but for social reasons.

Mathematics and science are mainly male subjects, and therefore, as girls become teenagers, they are less likely to take them up. Girls do not seem to want to be in open competition with boys. Neither do they want to do better than boys because they are afraid to appear less femaleお and so, less attractive.

1.The underlined word “territory” in the second paragraph most probably means “_____________”.

A. interest　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　    B.area of land

C.special field　　　　　　　　　　　　　　     　　　　　　  D.district

2.According to scientific studies_____________ .

A. math is not fit for girls to learn

B.boys have a special sense of math

C.girls are poorer at math because they are the weaker sex

D.girls can learn math as well as boys if given enough encouragement

3.Those who made extraordinary contribution toお mathematics and science _____________.

A. usually had good teachers to help them

B.had the abilities to solve problems by themselves

C.usually worked harder than others

D.were encouraged to repair things when young

4.Which of the following is not true according to the text?

A.It seems socially acceptable for a girl not to be able to read and write.

B.It is a social problem rather than a problem of brains that girls are poor at math.

C.Mathematics and science are not easy subjects to either girls or boys.

D.There is no connection between a girl’s ability in math and her appearance.

5.What would be the best title for the text?

A. Who’s Afraid of Math Anyway?

B. Are Boys Cleverer than Girls?

C. Boys Are Better at Math than Girls by Birth

D. Math—A Difficult Subject

If the world were a village of 1 000 people it would include:

·584 Asians

·124 Africans

·95 Eastern and Western Europeans

·84 Latin Americans

·55 former Soviets(including Lithuanians, Latvians, Estonians, and other national groups)

·52 North Americans

·6 Australians and New Zealanders

The people of the village would speak:

·165 Mandarin

·86 English

·83 Hindu/Urdu

·64 Spanish

·58 Russian

·37 Arabic

The above list covers the mother tongues of only half the village.

One-third of the people in the village are children, and only 60 are over the age of 65.Just under half of the married women in the village have access to modern equipment.

This year 28 babies will be born. Ten people will die, three of them for lack of food, one from cancer. Two of the deaths will be of babies born within the year. With the 28 births and ten deaths, the population of the village next year will be 1 018.

In this village of 1 000 persons, 200 people receive 75 percent of the income; another 200 receive only 2 percent of the income.

About one-third have access to clean, safe drinking water.

Of the 670 adults in the village, half can not read nor write.

The village has a total yearly budget(预算),public and private, of over $3 million, that is,$3 000 per person if it is distributed evenly of the total $3 million:

$181 000 goes to weapons and warfare

$159 000 to education

$132 000 to health care

These weapons are under the control of just 100 of the people. The other 900 are watching them with deep anxiety, wondering whether they can learn to get along together.

1.Which of the following is true about Mandarin according to the text?

A. Nearly one-third of Asian people speak Mandarin in the village.

B.About 8.25 percent of the people speak Mandarin in the village.

C.About 16.5 percent of the people speak Mandarin in the village.

D.Nearly all the Mandarin-speaking people are from Asia in the village.

2.Which of the following problems is NOT mentioned in the text?

A.Poverty.　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　   B.Education.

C.Environment.　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　    D.Marriage.

3.The underlined part “have access to”(in Para.4) means_____________.

A.use　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　  B.buy

C.produce　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　   D.try

4.According to the passage, which continent has the second largest population?

A. Asia.　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　   B.America.

C.Africa.　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 D.Australia.

5.The last sentence in the text implies that most of the people long for _____________.

A.a peaceful world　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　   B.good education

C.better health care　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　   D.a life without anxiety

Let us say there is something you don’t know how to do.

In the past if you were determined to learn, you might have called a friend or relative, taken a night class or walked down to the local library for a research thereお. But now a host of websites are springing up to provide free practical advice on these subjects and actually anything else you can think of.

In one sense, these “how-to” sites represent(表明) a part of the growing world of online learning. This tradition found one of its earliest forms in the FAQ—or Frequently Asked Questions files—that began on Usenet, the Internet’ s global discussion group. These FAQs, many of which still circulate (go round continuously), took a specific subject—and explained it to complete novices.

But “how-to” sites take the FAQs idea in a somewhat different direction by addressing subjects that aren’t necessarily related to discussion forums(论坛).These sites take the style of a written tutorial (teaching period) and a tone of friendly advice. Possibly the biggest and best known of these sites is learn2.com (www.learn2.com).It offers nearly 1 000 free tutorials and adds new ones frequently for a job interview.

At ehow.com (www.ehow.com) you can learn how to train for your first marathon, how to buy a vacation home, or how to make a movie in eight steps.

1.The purpose of writing the passage is to _____________.

A. introduce new websites to people

B.teach how to take new courses by Internet

C.present new means to learn something you want to know

D.help you to solve any difficulty you meet with

2.“How-to” sites are set up to _____________.

A.explain FAQs to the public

B.help people to learn what they want to

C.tell the difference from discussion forums

D.complete the growing world of online learning

3.The underlined word “novices” in the passage probably means _____________.

A.experts who know a lot

B.hosts of “how-to” sites

C.people without knowledge

D.beginners of “how-to” sites

4.It can be inferred from the passage that _____________.

A.“how-to” sites are specially designed for the disabled

B.people can teach themselves at home by visiting “how-to” sites

C.it is pleasant to listen to the advice on “how-to” sites

D.you can just click your mouse at home to question anything

5.According to the text, if you want to buy a tent for camping you may _____________.

A. visit www.ehow.com

B.visit www.learn2.com

C.visit the discussion forums

D.visit the FAQs

8:30 PM

Outlook

Outlook is back with a new series of reports to keep you up date with all that’s new in the world of entertainment. Stories go all the way from the technical to the romantic, from stage to screen. There will be reports of the stars of the moment, the stars of the future and the stars of the past. The director with his new film, the designer with the latest fashion, and the musician with the popular song are part of the new Outlook. The program is introduced by Fran Levine.

9:00 PM

Discovery

When a 10-year-old boy gets a first class degree in mathematics or an 8-year-old boy plays chess like a future grand master, they are considered as geniuses. Where does the quality of genius come from? Is it all in the genes(基因) or can any child be turned into a genius? And if parents do have a child who might become a genius in the future, what should they do? In this 30-minute film, Barry Johnson, the professor at School of Medicine, New York University will help you discover the answer.

10:00 PM

Science/Health

Is it possible to beat high blood pressure without drugs? The answer is “yes”, according to the researchers at Johns Hopkins and three other medical centers. After a study of 800 persons with high blood pressure, they found that after 6 months, those devoted to weight loss-exercise and eating a low-salt, low-fat food—lost about 13 pounds and became fitter.Plus,35% of them dropped into the “normal” category(范畴).This week, Dr. Alan Duckworth will tell you how these people reduce their blood pressure to a level similar to what’s achieved with Hypertension drugs.

1.The main purpose of writing these three texts is _____________.

A.to invite people to see films

B.to invite people to topic discussions

C.to attract more students to attend lectures

D.to attract more people to watch TV programs

2.From Outlook, you can get a great deal of information about _____________.

A. story tellers

B.famous stars

C.film companies

D.music fans

3.Who will be most probably interested in Discovery?

A. Parents who want to send their children to a school of medicine.

B.Children who are good at mathematics.

C.Parents who want their child to become another Albert Einstein.

D.Children who are interested in playing chess.

4.In Science/Health, “Johns Hopkins” is _____________.

A.a famous university

B.a medical center

C.a well-known doctor

D.a drug company

5.According to the third text, which of the following has almost the same effect as Hypertension drug?

A. Exercise plus a healthy diet.

B.Loss of thirteen pounds in weight.

C.Six months of exercise without drugs.

D.Low-salt and low-fat food.

In the Caucasus(高加索) region of the Soviet Union, nearly 50 out of every 100 000 people live to celebrate their 100th birthday, and many don’t stop at 100!By comparison, in American only 3 people out of 10 000 reach 100.But these Soviet old people aren’t alone. The Pakistani Hunzas, who live in the Himalaya Mountains and the Uilcabambans of the Andes Mountains in Ecuador, seem to share the secret of long life, too. These peoples remain healthy in body and spirit despite the passage of time. While many elder persons in industrial societies become weak and ill in their 60s and 70s,some Georgians, aged 110 to 140,work in the fields beside their great great grand children. Even the idea of aging is foreign to them, when asked, “at what age does youth end?” most of these old people had no answer. Several replied, “well, perhaps at 80”, the very youngest estimate was age 60.

What accounts for this ability to survive to such old age, and to survive so well? First of all, hard physical work is a way of life for all these long lived people. They begin their long days of physical labor as children and never seem to stop.

All these people get healthful rewards from the environment in which they work. They all come from mountains regions. This reduced oxygen environment makes the heart and blood vessel system stronger.

Another factor that may contribute to the good health `of these people is their isolation（隔绝）.To a great extent, they are separated from the pressures and worries of industrial society. Inherited（遗传）factors also play some role.

1.Why does the writer mention some long lived people in the first paragraph?

A.To surprise his readers.

B.To introduce the subject of the article.

C.To tell you the difference between people in the Soviet Union and America.

D.To tell you why Americans don’t live as long as other people.

2.How many factors that contribute to long life of the people are mentioned in the article?

A.One.　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　  B.Two.

C.Three.　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　    D.Four.

3.Whom does the underlined word “They” refer to in Paragraph 2?

A.Old people in the Soviet Union.

B.The Pakistani Hunzas.

C.All of the long lived people.

D.Some Georgians.

4.From the writer’s viewpoint, industrial society _____________.

A.is highly developed and beneficial to people

B.is a great advance in human history

C.is full of pressures and therefore bad for people’s health

D.should be replaced by isolated environment because it is bad for people’s health

5.Which of the following is true according to the article?

A.It is beneficial for people to be isolated.

B.People should learn to relax themselves from high pressures of life in industrial society.

C.The more hard physical work you do, the more healthy you will be.

D.The more remote areas you live in, the more healthy you will be.

The Americans believe that anybody can become President of the United States. In a recent Hollywood comedy(喜剧), that is exactly what happens.

Dave Kovic, played by Kevin Kline, is a kind-hearted man who runs a business that finds people jobs. He leads a typical(典型的) American way of life, except for one thing—he looks exactly like the President, Bill Mitchell. In fact, the only thing that makes him different from the nation’s leader is that he is very nice!

The president has started using look-alikes during some public appearances. Dave is offered a chance to “serve his country” by becoming one. However, things go wrong. The President becomes very ill and Dave ends up acting as the President forever.

Director Ivan Reitman, who made the popular and successful comedies like Twins, Ghostbusters and Legal Eagles, could have gone for easy laughs by making fun of the American government. Instead, Dave is an attractive comedy about an ordinary man in extraordinary situations. Kevin Kline gives a double performance as Dave and the President, and Sigourney Weaver is at her best as his First Lady. The love story that develops between her role and Dave is a real classic(经典).

The film is 100% American. However, if you’ve ever felt that anybody could do a better job running the country than the people in power, then you’ll enjoy Dave!

1.What is the purpose of the text?

A. To tell the reader about the American government.

B.To discuss the American’s ideas about the President.

C.To make a comparison between Dave and other films.

D.To introduce a new film to the reader.　　 

2.Who plays the role of the President in the film?

A.Sigourney Weaver.

B.Kevin Kline.

C.Bill Mitchell.

D.Ivan Reitman.

3.The underlined word “one” in the 3rd paragraph refers to ______.

A.the President

B.the director

C.an actor

D.a look-alike

4.Which of the following is best supported by the text?

A.The author makes fun of the President.

B.The author thinks highly of the film.

C.The author is a fan of Hollywood comedies.

D.The author wishes to become the American President.