The Banquet has been described as a loose adaptation(节选)of "Hamlet", featuring royal conflicts(冲突) and revenge（复仇）which is set in 10th century China. The new Emperor (Ge You) has usurped(篡夺) the throne（帝位）by murdering the previous Emperor. He marries the Empress (Zhang Ziyi), wife of the previous Emperor and stepmother to the Crown Prince (Daniel Wu).

At first, the Empress seeks only to protect herself, but as the new Emperor grows suspicious(疑心) of all those around him, she realizes that only by helping the Crown Prince kill him can she hope to survive. Together with the Chief Minister (Ma Jingwu)，she tries to carry out this plot, but when the Prince is destroyed by hesitation, she thinks out a new plan and seeks the throne for herself. As the plot move towards its climax(高潮), the Emperor calls for a plentiful royal banquet, where each will seek the end of their enemies.

The Banquet differs from Hamlet in that it does not focus on the prince, but examines the feelings of each character. According to director Feng Xiaogang: "If Hamlet is about a prince who must make a choice involving life and death, then The Banquet is about how each character must face a choice of life or death... All are motivated by desire, but as soon as they have begun their plans must grow more extreme, and they move step-by-step towards the abyss(深渊)... They do not intend evil, but turn to it out of self-preservation and ever-growing ambition（野心）."

1. As far as we can tell from the text, the Empress ________.

  A. She is just the wife of the new Emperor.    

B. She is the later mother of the Crown Prince.

  C. She helps her own son to kill the Emperor.   

D. She takes the place of the Emperor finally.

2. The author wants to tell us the following EXCEPT that _______.

  A. The new Emperor feels doubt about the affairs around him.

  B. The Empress does all she could to survive herself.

  C. The Crown Prince shows uncertainty in action.

  D. The new Emperor owns the authority all the way.

3. Feng Xiaogang’s words imply（暗示）that ___________.

  A. The Banquet is about royal conflicts.    

B. The Banquet’s characters are full of desire.

  C. The Banquet involves life and death.     

D. The Banquet is different from the Hamlet.

4. Which of the following is the best title for this text?

  A. The Banquet differs from the Hamlet.    

B. The main characters in the play.

  C. The plot（情节）of the Banquet.    

D. The ambition of each character.

For a small but increasing  number of young women in modern-day China, true love is all about the numbers. A potential suitor may have a good sense of humor and reasonable good looks, but what they say really matters is if he owns an apartment and how many square feet it is. A sizable bank account is also a must, and, some say, so is a luxury car。

      At least, that’s the way things look if you watch Chinese television these days. The latest reality-TV scandal to shock the nation involves Ma Nuo, a 22-year-old model from Beijing who appeared on China's most popular dating show, If You Are the One. She rejected an offer from a male contestant to take a ride on his bike. "I'd rather cry in a BMW (宝马) car than laugh on the backseat of a bicycle," Ma told her suitor with a giggle.

      The televised words swept the Internet and made an instant celebrity of Ma, who becomes one of the most talked-about women in the country. The reaction  among young Chinese was especially severe, reflecting growing anxieties over the widening gap between rich and poor, shifting societal values and public attention on the difficulties of finding a mate in a country where men are expected to outnumber women by 24 million in a decade.

      As disgusted as they have been by some of the contestants, viewers continue to watch religiously. Why are people still tuning in? "Audiences like programs because they are honest. They show the current reality of Chinese society," says Yan Mu, one of the founders of Baihe.com. Young people are so focused on making money and building their careers these days, they have little time to devote to dating, he says. "Many people feel pressure from their parents and peers," Yan adds. " It can be a struggle to find a partner." Money may not buy you love. But on China's reality shows, it can at least get you a date.

The underlined words“numbers”in the first paragraph include the following except_______

A. the age and degree B. the size of the house C. the sum of the deposit D. the price of the belonging

What does Ma Nuo mean by saying“I’d rather cry in a BMW car than laugh on the backseat of a bicycle.”in the second paragraph?

A. When she is in a BMW car, she will cry   B. When she is on a bike, she will laugh

C. She prefers money to true love           D. She prefers true love to money

Why do many young men take part in TV dating shows?

A. because they think they may get true love from them 

B. because they think China’s reality shows can at least give them a chance to date

C. because their parents and peers force them to do so

D. because viewers like dating shows

Which one of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?

A. some contestants have been disgusted because they are dishonest

B. young people are too busy to take part in dating shows

C. some people are worried that societal value are changing

D. Ma Nuo rejected the bike offered by the contestant

What is the best title of the passage?

A. China’s TV Dating Show       B. Date for Love or money 

C. Date Makes You a Celebrity     D. Popular TV Dating Show

Find which Direction Is South

Do you have a good sense of direction？If not，please take with you a compass. But if you forget to take a compass , you can still find your way.

It's never a good idea to imagine that the family member who was entrusted(委托〕with the job of map reading actually knows where the family is. You can tell by the "slightly confused look on their face that nothing on the ground seems to match the map. Never mind. The sun is shining and it’s still morning. If you don't know the exact time，you can still find out where south is，but you'll need to be patient.

①Find a straight stick and put it in the ground in a place where you can mark its shadow.

②Try to position the stick as vertically(垂直)as you can. You can check this by making a simple plumb line（铅锤线）with a piece of string（绳子） and weigh. You haven't got any string? Ok, use a thread from your clothes with a button tied at the end to act as a weight.

③Mark the end of the shadow cast by the stick.

④Wait approximately half an hour and mark the end of the shadow again.

⑤Keep doing this until you have made several marks.

⑥The mark nearest the stick will represent the shortest shadow, which is cast at midday, when the sun is highest in the sky and pointing to the exact south.

⑦Pick a point in the distance along the line between the shortest shadow and the stick.

⑧That point is south of where you are.

⑨Now you can turn the map, like you did before, and find which way you should be traveling.

1.To find the direction, we ought to be patient probably because ________.

A. it is not easy to find a proper stick

B. it is not easy to position the stick

C. it takes hours to make the marks

D. it takes about half an hour to make the marks

2.The passage would probably be most helpful to ________.

A. those who draw maps

B. those who get lost

C. those who make compasses

D. those who do experiments

3.Which of the following pictures best shows the way of finding the direction of south?

4.The author presents this passage by ________.

A. telling an interesting story

B. describing an activity in a lively way

C. testing an idea by reasoning

D. introducing a practical method

Mr. Ma, a famous mental doctor from Beijing once said at an important meeting, “Now many young students can have many problems with their minds. Some students become worried because they have to study very hard. Others have trouble getting on well with people around them like their parents and classmates. Parents and teachers should care more about this problem.”

Then Mr. Ma gave some examples. One patient, a middle school student from Xi’an was doing badly in his lessons. He thought his teachers and friends often laughed at him, and he became so nervous and worried that one night he left his home without telling parents. Another student, a 14-year-old schoolgirl from Shanghai, was very afraid of exams. While she was reading the exam paper, she couldn’t think of anything to write.

A recent report from Jiefang Daily says about 18% of the young students in Shanghai have mental problems. They often fell worried and very unhappy. Unluckily, many of them won’t go and ask for help. Some think they will look stupid if they go to see a doctor. Others won’t talk about their own secrets.

At the end of the meeting, Mr. Ma offered some good ideas to young people:

◆Talk to your parents or teachers often.

◆Take part in group activities.

◆Try to get along well with the people around you.

◆Go to see a doctor if you often feel unhappy.

The students who often become worried or have trouble getting on with others may have ______.

   A. no parents            B. no secrets       C. poor memories   D. mental problems

The schoolgirl’s problem happened whenever she __________.

   A. studied very hard                       B. had exams      

C. talked with her parents                   D. went to see the doctor

Some of those with mental problems won’t ask for help because ______________,

A. they don’t want to tell their secrets to others

B. their parents are too busy to look after them

C. doctors can’t help them with the problems

D. they can do with the problems themselves

According to the last part, which of the following is a good idea?

A. It’s important for children to live with their parents.

B. It’s helpful for people to see doctors every day.

C. It’s useful for students to keep quiet in class.

D. It’s necessary for young people to have group activities.

Extract 1（摘录一）
A computer
A computer is an "information processor". It is given information, called "data", instructed to do certain things and then show us the results. The data put into the computer is called the" input" and the results which come out are the "output". Some people say the circle of large standing stones at Stonehenge is a kind of computer. Prehistory people worked out their calendar from the position of the shadows made by the sun shining on the stones.
Extract 2
Teach yourself new subjects and skills at your own pace with a home computer. Use it to help with schoolwork, for self-improvement, even to improve your career skills. Learn touchtyping.
Foreign languages or computer programming. A home computer can help children of all ages learn classroom subjects such as spelling, geography and others. In fact it makes learning fun. So if you want to teach yourself, or help your children teach themselves---get a home computer. It can also help you manage your personal finances(经济）or help you to work taxes and plan household budgets(预算）.You can make business a pleasure with a home computer.
【小题1】The writer introduces the words such as "input" and "output" in order to_____.