阅读理解

　　Some strange, wild and wonderful stories coloured the news in 2010：

　　★A Copenhagen bus company has put "love seats" on 103 of its buses for people looking for a partner．"Even love at first sight is possible on the bus," said a spokesman for the company to explain the two seats on each bus that are covered in red cloth and a "love seat" sign．

　　★Shoppers at an international luxury fair(市场)in Italy, found a cell-phone-equipped golden coffin(棺材)among the items on display．The phones will help "the dead" contact relatives if they have been buried alive by mistake．

　　★A man in New York came up with a disarming(手无寸铁的)way to perform his latest bank heist , approaching the clerk's window with a large bunch of flowers and handing over a note saying “give me the money!”

　　★An Englishman who lost all his legs and arms in an electrical accident successfully swam across the Channel, a challenge he had been preparing for two years．The whole cost is 400 dollars．

　　★A set of artificial teeth(假牙)made for Britain's war-time prime minister Winston Churchill known as "the teeth that saved the world" sold for nearly 18,000 pounds(21,500 euros, 24,000 dollars)at auction(拍卖)．

　　★A British woman caused an Internet hate campaign after she was caught on camera dumping(抛弃)a cat in a rubbish bin．She was fined 250 pounds(400 dollars, 280 euros)after pleading guilty．

　　★The BBC apologized completely and without any doubts after a radio presenter jokingly announced that Queen Elizabeth II had died．

　　★Two Australian men needed surgery(手术)after shooting each other in the bottoms during a drinking session to see if it would hurt and they were charged 400 dollars separately．

　　★ A Kuwaiti MP(议员)suggested state-aid for male citizens to take second wives, in an effort to reduce the large number of unmarried women in the oil-rich state．

阅读理解

First Day at School

　　It was my first day at school in London and I was half-excited and half-frightened．On my way to school I wondered what sort of questions the other boys would ask me and practiced all the answers：“I am nine years old．I was born here but I haven't lived here since I was two．I was living in Farley．It's about thirty miles away．I came back to London two months ago．” I also wondered if it was the custom for boys to fight strangers like me, but I was tall for my age．I hoped they would decide not to risk(冒险)it．

　　No one took any notice of me before school．I stood in the center of the playground, expecting someone to say “hello”, but no one spoke to me．When a teacher called my name and told me where my classroom was, one or two boys looked at me but that was all．

　　My teacher was called Mr．Jones．There were 42 boys in the class, so I didn't stand out there, either, until the first lesson of the afternoon．Mr．Jones was very fond of Charles Dickens and he had decided to read aloud to us from David Copperfield, but first he asked several boys if they knew Dickens' birthplace, but no one guessed right．A boy called Brian, the biggest in the class, said：“Timbuktu”, and Mr．Jones went red in the face．Then he asked me．I said：“Portsmouth”, and everyone stared at me because Mr．Jones said I was right．This didn't make me very popular, of course．

　　“He thinks he's clever,” I heard Brian say．

　　After that, we went out to the playground to play football．I was in Brian's team, and he obviously had Dickens in mind because he told me to go in goal．No one ever wanted to be the goalkeeper．

　　“He's big enough and useless enough．” Brian said when someone asked him why he had chosen me．

　　I suppose Mr．Jones, who served as the referee(裁判), remembered Dickens, too, because when the game was nearly over, Brian pushed one of the players on the other team, and he gave them a penalty(惩罚)．As the boy kicked the ball to my right, I threw myself down instinctively(本能地)and saved it．All my team crowded round me．My bare knees were injured and bleeding．Brian took out a handkerchief and offered it to me．

　　“Do you want to join my gang(帮派)?” he said．

　　At the end of the day, I was no longer a stranger．

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　　Students at the Hogook Middle School in South Korea have a unique homework：going online to message boards and write positive，cheerful comments．Teachers and other adults hope those comments will discourage others from leaving vicious(恶意的)and negative remarks．This is one of the activities in a nationwide program called the Sunfull Movement．

　　Online attacks are an increasing problem in South Korea．The National Police Agency receives tens of thousands of complaints every year， but there is not much that can be done to stop it，since attackers seldom use their real names．In the worst cases，authorities say cyber－bullies(网络攻击)have pressured some people to take their own lives．That is why the Sunfull Movement's founder， Min Byoung'chul, a professor at Kunkuk University，began the program three years ago．

　　Min says research indicates ninety percent of the attackers are under the age of 30．“Young kids，they're stressed out because of schoolwork．They have to prepare for their college entrance examinations and they just write whatever they feel．That's one of the ways to blow off their discontent and stress．” explained Min．

　　Student Kim Hee-joo，15, says she writes thank－you messages to friends，family and teachers on her school' s homepage．And when she sees people making bad comments about famous people，she leaves nice messages，because when people see positive comments they are more likely to stop saying bad things and change their attitude．

　　Teacher Kim Eun－young says Koreans do not really say “Thank you” or “I love you” to friends or parents．But being not face-to-face, they feel more comfortable saying those kinds of things．She also says violence at the school，both online and offline，has decreased and students and teachers get along much better now．

阅读理解

　　Riding a London subway, a person from other countries will notice one major difference：in London, people do not look at each other．In fact, eye contact is avoided at all times．That's not rudeness－people are just too busy to bother looking．

　　Busy doing what, you ask?Well, they're certainly not using the time for a moment of quiet thinking．Nor are they reading a book．New technology has replaced quiet habits．Today the only acceptable form of book on the London Underground is an e－book．

　　Apple must earn a fortune from London commuters．Since the launch of the iPhone in 2007, over 40,000－yes, that's 40,000－“apps”(programs downloaded for the iPhone)have been designed．

　　Commuters love them because they are the perfect time－fillers．One “app”， called iShoot, is a game that features tanks(坦克)．Another one, Tube Exits, tells passengers where to sit on the train to be closest to the exit of their destination．ISteam clouds the iPhone screen when you breathe into the microphone．You can then write in the “steam” on your phone screen．

　　For those without an iPhone, another Apple product, the iPod, may be the distraction(消遣)of choice．It's not just teenagers who “plug in” to their music－iPods are a popular way to pass the time for all ages．

　　And if games, e－books and music aren't enough to keep you occupied, then perhaps you would prefer a film．The development of palm DVD technology means many commuters watch their favorite TV show or film on the way to work．With all these distractions, it's amazing that people still remember to get off the train．

阅读理解

　　Earlier this month, the United States Library of Congress named Katherine Paterson the national ambassador for young people's literature．She is only the second person to hold the position．She replaces writer Jon Scieszka, who had served since two thousand and eight．

　　The librarian of Congress, James Billington, said Miz Paterson “represents the finest in literature for young people”．He spoke of the importance of reading in the lives of America's young people．Miz Paterson has written more than thirty books．She is among only five writers to have won two Newbery Medals．These are among the most important children's book awards in the United States．

　　“Bridge to Terabithia” won a Newbery Medal in nineteen seventy-seven．Her book “Jacob Have I Loved” won the award in nineteen eighty-one．

　　Katherine Paterson's books for children are often quite complex．“Bridge to Terabithia” includes adult themes like depression and death．The book has caused debate because of its place on school library bookshelves．Some parents think it is too adult for young children．Miz Paterson says the idea for the book came from a real life experience．Her son's best friend died in nineteen seventy-four when she was struck by lightening．

　　Katherine Paterson is seventy-seven．She began writing as a young mother with three children．But she says her interest in writing came as a surprise．As a child she had thought about becoming a Christian religious worker in foreign countries like her parents were．

　　Katherine Paterson spoke to a gathering of children when she was named ambassador on January fifth in Washington．She said：“Read for your life．Read for your life as a member of a family, as a part of a community, as a citizen of this country and a citizen of the world．

阅读理解

　　All over my garden I've planted nothing but roses, because I especially love the flower．A close friend came for a visit the other day．I told her that she should pick a bunch of roses to beautify her bedroom．I promised that the smell of the roses would be wafted far, far away．

　　That girl friend of mine, walking into the garden in high spirits, smelt here and there, but in the end she didn't pick a single rose．I said that she could pick many flowers; I told her that I was not a flower farmer and didn't make a living out of them．Saying so, I raised the scissors for the sacrifice of the flowers, but she stopped me, crying no, no, no!

　　To cut such beautiful roses would hurt one, she said．With her hands seizing at my sleeves, she told me that by no means should they be cut．Roses are the smiling face of the earth, and who could be so iron-hearted as to destroy such a charming smile?

　　My mind was shocked：the ugly earth, the tough earth, the plain earth-it is for the reason of that smile that it wins the care and pity of people．

Reading Comprehension

Directions：Read the following three passages．Each passage is followed by several questions or unfinished statements．For each of them there are four choices marked A, B, C andD．Choose the one that fits best according to the information given in the passage．

　　Today, the world is rapidly urbanizing．With half of the world population expected to live in cities by the early part of the 21st century, the Shanghai 2010 World Expo's focus on a better city bears profound meaning．

　　What might future cities look like 28 years from now? Here are some scenarios：things to come, things to go．

　　Zero waste

　　Waste disposal is one of the biggest headaches for cities．Apart from recyclable waste, everything is buried or incinerated, only to pollute the environment．Plastic waste remains underground for several decades．The world produces much more garbage that it can dispose of．

　　Now at the Expo, all waste is delivered to a compression station where the waste is sorted, filtered, decontaminated, deodorized and compressed before finally being disposed of at designated spots．In Beijing, people living in the Asuwei area turn their household waste into organic fertilizers which are used to grow plants at residence communities．

　　No more transportation problems during Spring Festival

　　The Spring Festival, the most important Chinese holiday when everyone returns home, has caused headaches for millions of Chinese．More than 2 billion people travel at the same time, making obtaining travel tickets and the journey difficult．

　　But in 28 years．Spring Festival travel may not be a problem at all．China plans to have more than 120,000 kilometers of railway and a rapid transportation network that will serve 90 percent of the population by 2020．And because most of China will be cities, people will not have to go to other places to find a job, so migration will no longer be so large-scale．

　　Newspapers to disappear

　　American scholar Philip Meyer predicts that newspaper will come to an end in 2043．Utagawa Reizou, former editor-in-chief of The Mainichi Daily News．believes that the newspaper will be gone in 2030．This kind of prediction may worry those in print news business．In the U．K．, the circulations of national newspapers are declining．Major Japanese newspapers have gone into debt．In the U．S．, declining circulations and ad revenues have forced several newspapers to stop printing paper editions．

　　Media tycoon Rupert Murdoch thinks the future of media relies on interaction through the Internet．In the future, digital newspapers will be sent to portal web terminals through wirelessly．Readers can discuss issues with journalists and editors．Information will move faster．

　　Oil to run out

　　In August 2009, Fatih Birol, chief economist of the International Energy Agency, said that oil is running out faster than expected and that the world will likely feel the tightness in supply in the next five years．Scientists have found substitutes for oil as fuel．Coal．natural gas．solar power, nuclear power and even water can replace oil as sources of energy．Flammable ice reserves alone can support humans for the next 1,000 years．

Reading Comprehension

Directions：Read the following three passages．Each passage is followed by several questions or unfinished statements．For each of them there are four choices marked A, B, C andD．Choose the one that fits best according to the information given in the passage．

　　Movie magic can defy reality, but actors are inescapably human．They grow and change, and don't necessarily change for the better．

　　Harry Potter actors, who are now saying their final goodbyes to their roles, have all become fully-fledged grown-ups, worlds apart from the little kids who began the Hogwarts' adventures in 2001．

　　While many fans feel sad that the magical franchise is coining to an end, some feel even sadder to see how much the actors have changed over the years．

　　"Daniel Radcliffe(who plays Harry Potter)went from being a really cute kid to a thin, pale-looking guy," said Filipino Internet User lealuvy2j．26．"I kind of wish he stayed a kid forever．''

　　Radcliffe himself doesn't seem to be bothered by his change of appearance．In an interview with GQ magazine last week, he teased himself："If people find me sexy or cool, it's because they like short, little, nerdy guys．And we do have our niche．"

　　Meanwhile, actors growing up to be handsome have their headaches．

　　Harry Melling, who played Potter's cousin Dudley Dursley, told The Telegraph that he was almost recast for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows when producers discovered he' d lost a lot of weight he had as a kid．He was too thin for the part．

　　"They(the producers)did this double take, 'Oh my God, we are going to have to do something', and I felt guilty," said Meiling．

　　Aside from changes in looks, the gradual personality change of child stars is another big concern of audience and producers．

　　Miley Cyrus began her career at 13 in Disney's hit TV series Hannah Montana．

　　When Cyrus decided to show her adult personality by releasing "sexy" photos, people began to get uneasy about her．

　　Reports had it that furious Disney bosses were considering replacing Cyrus with a more clean-cut teen star．

　　Cyrus finally kept her role after public apologies．But some parents banned their children watching the show．

　　"My daughter has been banned from watching the show," supermodel Cindy Crawford told ShowbizSpy．"I really don't think Miley Cyrus is much of a role model for my kid．"

Reading Comprehension

Directions：Read the following three passages．Each passage is followed by several questions or unfinished statements．For each of them there are four choices marked A, B, C andD．Choose the one that fits best according to the information given in the passage．

阅读理解

　　People tend to become more personal and hide less of themselves when using email．Researchers from Open University in Britain have found in a recent study that there are good reasons for this．

　　The team of researchers asked 83 pairs of students, all strangers to each other, to solve a problem．They had to discuss this question：If only five people in the world could be saved from a world disaster, who should they be?The pairs of students had to talk over the problem either face to face or by computers．Dr．Johnson said, “They told their partners four times as much about themselves when they talked over the Internet as when they talked face to face．When the computers were fitted with cameras so that students could see each other, this limited the personal side of the conversation．”

　　Generally the information was not extremely personal．It was mainly about things such as where they went to school, or where they used to live．But some students discussed their love stories, and personal childhood experiences．

　　Dr．Johnson believes that emailing encourages people to focus on themselves．And when they do this, they become more open, especially if there are no cameras．“If you cannot see the other person, it becomes easier to talk about yourself．This is because you are not thinking what the other person is thinking of you．So emailing has become the modern way of talking．” said Dr．Johnson．However, this style of talking is not entirely new．“In the 19th century people started to use the ‘telegraph' to communicate．Now the same kind of thing has happened and people ended up speaking more freely．”

　　Dr．Johnson thinks that e-mailers need to know about these effects of emailing, especially when they start work in a company．“If you don't know about it, you could find yourself saying more about yourself than you wanted to．”