Don’t shoot butterflies with guns.

Can you    36    someone running after a butterfly with a gun in his hands? Won’t such stupidity make you burst out laughing? But wait. Stop and consider how often you might have done something    37   .

A hen, Henny-Penny, lived in a forest with many other animals and birds. One fine, sunny morning, she was busy looking for    38    in the ground. Suddenly she let out a frightened cackle (咯咯叫) with wings flapping    39   . A dry leaf had fallen down on her, and she went  40   at whoever she met, “Run, run for your lives; the sky is falling.” The other creatures stopped whatever they were doing. Some ran behind Henny-Penny, screaming warnings with her, while others    41    the unfounded story that the sky was falling.

We all have    42    people like this hen. The rest of us are like the other foolish creatures who didn’t stop to verify (证实) the    43    for themselves. They shoot butterflies with guns. They just will not think for themselves. Why don’t people think for themselves? Often because of laziness, or because they don’t want to be    44    for their way of thinking.

Walking through life    45    is more dangerous than crossing a busy road with eyes closed. Our thoughts should lead us towards the light of wisdom and sense. Our thinking should be high,  46    us to the ranks of the sensible. We have been blessed with reasoning, sensitive minds. Let us make use of them and be    47    of our own minds. Don’t let your mind be enslaved by someone else. Stop, think and then go ahead.

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阅读下列材料，从所给的六个选项（A、B、C、D、E和F）中，选出符合各小题要求的最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。选项中有一项为多余选项。

The following people are all searching for a university. After the description of these people, there is information about six universities A---F on your answer sheet. There is one extra paragraph about one university which you do not need to use.

1.Bobby is tired of working indoors and wouldn’t like to be too far away from his girlfriend who studies at Simmons.

2. Maria wants to learn modern science and she prefers to stay neither by the ocean nor in the northeast.

3.Andrew wishes to study business in a non-state-run university.

4. Lucy enjoys taking her further education in a women-only university.

5.Scott hopes to play the computer conveniently for fun.

A．SIMMONS  The College of Arts and Sciences and Modern Studies. Simmons educates women to achieve their work and life goals. More than 40 majors. Lies in the heart of Boston, US. News &World Report ranks Simmons among the top state universities in the North and among the best values. 617-521-2051  www.simmons.edu.

B．PAUL SMITH’S COLLEGE   The College of Nature. Experience a different kind of classroom: 15,300 acres of forests, lakes and streams, a hotel and a restaurant, 99% placement upon graduation. Two-and-four-year degree programs. PO Box 265Paul Smith, NY 12970800-421-2605     www.paulsmith.edu.

C．ST. MARY’S UNIVERSITY  Personal attention. Powerful  programs. Experience the technology of today at our co-educational university. One Camino Santa Utah 78228-8503 800-FOR-STMU   www.stmarytx.edu.

D．NORTHERN UNIVERSITY  A famous private university with 3,200 students in the Colleges of Arts & Sciences, Business and Engineering. Medicine and Law among the top ten by U.S. News & World Report  Old Union 232 CA 94305-3005 650-723-2091 www.stanford.edu.

E．UNIVERSITY OF PHOENIX   Adult education course. Earn an online degree with University of Phoenix today. 100% online, fast and convenient. Learn why most working professionals choose University of Phoenix Online. www.Phoenixun.edu.

F．PETER’S COLLEGE   Experienced professors are available. Equipped with a lot of modern facilities, two students a dormitory, two computers, power never fails, PO.356 Peter, 16753800-333-12-2135   www. peterun.edu.

We’ve reached a strange—some would say unusual—point. While fighting world hunger continues to be the matter of vital importance according to a recent report from the World Health Organization (WHO), more people now die from being overweight, or say, from being extremely fat, than from being underweight. It’s the good life that’s more likely to kill us these days.

Worse, nearly l8 million children under the age of five around the world are estimated to be overweight. What’s going on?

We really don’t have many excuses for our weight problems. The dangers of the problem have been drilled into us by public-health campaigns since 2001 and the message is getting through—up to a point.

     In the 1970s, Finland, for example, had the highest rate of heart disease in the world and being overweight was its main cause. Not any more. A public-health campaign has greatly reduced the number of heart disease deaths by 80 per cent over the past three decades.

     Maybe that explains why the percentage of people in Finland taking diet pills doubled between 2001 and 2005, and doctors even offer surgery of removing fat inside and change the shape of the body. That has become a sort of fashion. No wonder it ranks as the world’s most body-conscious country.

     We know what we should be doing to lose weight—but actually doing it is another matter. By far the most popular excuse is not taking enough exercise. More than half of us admit we lack willpower.

     Others blame good food. They say: it’s just too inviting and it makes them overeat. Still others lay the blame on the Americans, complaining that pounds have piled on thanks to eating too much American-style fast food.

     Some also blame their parents—their genes. But unfortunately, the parents are wronged because they’re normal in shape, or rather slim.

     It’s a similar story around the world, although people are relatively unlikely to have tried to lose weight. Parents are eager to see their kids shape up. Do as I say—not as I do.

1.What is the “strange” point mentioned in the first sentence?

A. Starvation is taking more people’s lives in the world.

B. WHO report shows people’s unawareness of food safety.

C. The good life is a greater risk than the bad life.

D. Overweight issue remains unresolved despite WHO’s efforts.

2.Why does the author think that people have no excuse for being overweight?

A. They have been made fully aware of its dangers.

B. A lot of effective diet pills are available.

C. Body image has nothing to do with good food.

D. There are too many overweight people in the world.

3.The example of Finland is used to illustrate (说明)_________.

A. the cause of heart disease

B. the effectiveness of a campaign

C. the fashion of body shaping

D. the history of a body-conscious country

4.Which would be the best title for the passage?

A. Overweight or Underweight?       B. WHO in a Dilemma

C. No Longer Dying of Hunger        D. Actions or Excuses?

The insanely popular song from South Korean recording artist PSY has just become the most watched video on YouTube ever, gaining more than 808 million views on the popular media site.

The record was previously held by another pop heavyweight, Justin Bieber, whose song“Baby”had a little more than 804 million views at press time. PSY made the announcement early today.

Since its release，the song has outshone such other popular videos as Jennifer Lopez’s“On the Floor.”and Eminem’s“Love the Way You Lie”.

And in September，“Gangnam Style”also became the most liked video on YouTube，now with nearly 5.4 million thumbs up．

At the time of the announcement, the Guinness Book of World Records released a statement saying: “In years past it was unthinkable that something would be viewed a hundred million times, and now Gangnam Style has achieved more than twice this figure in just three months on YouTube. PSY，your certificate is waiting here at our office，come and pick it up any time!”

Despite its massive popularity, the video shows no signs of slowing down, and it even has a shot at becoming the first video to get more than one billion views.

If it maintains its current rate of around six million new views per day, “Gangnam Style”would be in line to break that record by the end of the year.

It has found its way to the tops of music charts in more than 30 countries, including the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Spain and Canada, while providing material for thousands of parody videos.

It became a staple in the 2012 presidential elections with the now ramous “Mitt Romney Style” video and was even used by the North Korean government in propaganda(宣传)films promoting their supreme leader. Meanwhile, such influential figures as President Obama, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and Google Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt have all made mention of the hit song.

1.Which of the following ranks second in views on YouTube?

A．Gangnam Style．                       B．Baby．

C．On the Floor．                         D．Love the Way You Lie．

2.Which statement about Gangnam Style on YouTube is wrong?

A．It has become the most watched video．

B．It has become the most liked video．

C．It has won more than 5.4 million thumbs down．

D．It has more than two hundred million views in three months．

3.What does the statement made by the Guinness Book of World Records suggest?

A．Some video gained more views than Gangnam Style．

B．It is impossible that Gangnam Style should have 100 million views．

C．Guinness Book of World Records has recognized Gangnam Style’s achievements．

D．Guinness Book of World Records won’t believe Gangnam Style’s achievements．

4. Gangnam Style is to _______ if it keeps its current rate．

A．get more than one billion views

B．get more than two billion views

C．get more than 808 million Views

D．get one hundred million views

5.What can we learn about Gangnam Style from the last paragraph?

A．It is especially popular in developing countries.

B．It has played a part in the US presidential elections.

C．Few influential figures know it.

D．The supreme leader of North Korea has ever performed it.

While surfing television channels over the weekend，a scene from a family classic of last year portraying the now-so-familiar sorry state of retired parents being ill-treated by their children and families caught my attention. I wondered why the description of this relationship had not changed much over the many years! Even though the same movies and soaps accurately capture several other social changes around us — from value systems to new found economic freedom to the importance of technology and the changing approach to consumerism(消费主义) — are these creative efforts far from the truth in telling us that an average retiree is still struggling?
Look around and you will agree that the post-retired lifestyle for an ex-salaried class people is often a pale shadow of their last working years. Even self employed people, who have handed over the responsibility to the next generation, are no exception. Did the average middle class not save enough through his working years?
Socially, we already know that the Indians are taught the benefits of start saving early on in life. Household savings data supports this social behavior — India has the highest rates of savings among various economies and is far ahead of the west. Yet, tragically, a lifetime of savings does not seem to provide enough for a comfortable retirement!
A closer look at the pattern of what we do with our financial savings may tell us a bit more. Over half of households’ financial savings is put into a “safe” deposit, followed by large portions in insurance, pension, provident funds（福利基金） and the rest in physical currency. Less than a tenth goes into “risky” assets(资产) like stocks. While there might be nothing, in particular, worrisome in this investment pool, one has to consider inflation(通货膨胀). The real value of savings, over a few decades, may actually be lower than the starting point.
【小题1】What had not changed much over the many years according to the passage?