4、What to expect in the cinema this winter?

The Golden Compass

Running Time: 1 hour 54 min

Release Date: December7, 2007

Starring: Nicole Kidman, Dakota Blue Richards

Directed by: Chris Weitz

12-year-old Lyra is a girl who lives in a world, where human souls take the form of animal companions. When her best friend disappears, Lyra promises to find him. One thing Lyra packs for the trip is a mysterious compass that many people are violently determined to get. What is awaiting her?

I Am Legend

Running Time: 1 hour 42min Release

Date: December14, 2007

Starring: Will Smith, Alice Braga, Dash Mihok

Robert Neville, a brilliant scientist, isn’t quite brilliant enough to stop a man-made virus from escaping and killing everyone in sight. Somehow, Robert is virus-free. As Robert realizes that his time may be up, he’s determined to find a way to save the human race-using his own virus-free blood.

This Christmas

Running Time: 1 hour 57min

Release Date: November29, 2007

Starring: Laz Alonso, Chris Brown

It’s Christmas! Time for joy! Love! Gifts! And, oh family. For the first time in many years, the Whitefields are all coming home. It should be a happy time for all, but after years away, it’s clear that there are plenty of reasons they’ve grown apart. How can all these people and all their secrets survive under one roof? By the time the presents are opened, they are to find out what they have missed for these years-family .

Into the Wild

Running Time: 2 hours 20min

Release Date: December22, 2007

Starring: Emile Hirsch, Marcia Harden

Freshly graduated from Harvard with a bright future, 22-year-old Christopher instead walked out of his “good” life and into the wild in search of adventure. What happened to him on the way changed this young wanderer into an enduring symbol for countless people. Was Christopher a heroic adventurer or another American loser?

65. The film with the shortest running time is      .

A. The Golden Compass                                          B. I Am Legend

C. This Christmas                                                   D. Into the Wild

66. “This Christmas” Probably         .

A. reveals how to choose Christmas gifts for our relatives

B. reveals the secrets to a successful marriage

C. reveals the importance of money to any family

D. reveals the truth of a family and its real problems

67. In the movie “Into the Wild”, the “good” life is probably        .

A. adventurous and dangerous                                  B. steady and promising

C. risky and exciting                                                D. poor and depressing

3、Russian President Putin named Time magazine’s person of the year

Russian President Vladimir Putin was named Time magazine’s “Person of the Year” on December 19^th ,2007for strengthening stability（稳定） that made Russia a world power again.

The magazine recognized Putin’s “extraordinary feat（技艺）of leadership in taking a country that was in a mess and bringing it stability,” said Richard Stengel, Time’s managing editor.

The magazine noted that “Person of the Year” is not an honor or an endorsement（认可）but a recognition of leadership that shapes the world.

Putin, who is 56 years old, is very popular in Russia, making a great effort to cause economy to come to life on revenue（收入）from oil and natural gas.

Putin recently supported vice-PM Dmitry Medvedev’s presidential bid, and said he would accept Medvedev’s offer to serve as prime minister if Medvedev is elected March2.

The Kremlin said Wednesday the Time reconnition was seen there as an acknowledgment of Putin’s role in helping Russia pull out of its social and economic troubles in the 1990s.

Others considered for Person of the Year included Nobel Prize-winner Al Gore and author J.K. Rowling.

This year’s choice was a return to the magazine’s tradition of picking an individual rather than last year’s choice of “You”, which refers to anyone creating or using content on the World Wide Web.

Putin is the fifth Russian（or Soviet） leader to be named Person of the Year: Gorbachev, Andropov, Khrushchev and Stalin, who was named twice.

61. How did Putin try to make Russia a world power again?

A. By performing arms race                                     B. By making war

C. By strengthening stability                                     D. By getting foreign help

62. Which of the following is Not True according to the passage?

A. Russia used to be in a mess

B. Time always picks an individual to be the “Person of the Year”

C. Oil and natural gas caused Russia’s economy to come to life

D. Putin will leave office on March2, 2007

63. What does the underlined word “acknowledgement” mean?

A. Praise               B. Support                    C. Scold                 D.  Recognition

64. How many times have Russian leaders been named Person of the Year so far?

A. Five times                B. Six times                  C. Seven times              D. Eight times

2、 

GENEVA，Feb. 11（Xinhua）-The current La Nina weather phenomenon may just be a partial cause of south China’s freeze-up at the start of 2008, said the United Nations World Meteorological Organization （WMO）Monday.

The latest La Nina pattern, which began in the third quarter of 2007, has picked up strength in the past three months, with sea surface temperatures now about 1.5to 2 degrees Celsius（摄氏度）colder than average over large parts of the eastern and central equatorial Pacific Ocean, said the latest report issued by the WNO.

Presenting the Geneva-based body’s report, Rupa Kumar Killi, a WMO climate expert, said the recent month-long snow and ice-storms in China’s central, southern and eastern regions could be connected with the La Nina phenomenon, the climatic opposite of El Nino（厄尔尼诺现象）.

However, he said China’s freeze-up was a result of several causes causes combined and was partly caused by a cold surge from the north and west.

He also said the present La Nina cycle may last at least until mid-2008 and it is also possible, if less likely, that the cycle could stretch into the third quarter.

La Nina is a large pool of unusually cold water in the equatorial Pacific that develops every few years and influences global weather. It is the climatic opposite of El Nino, a warming of the Pacific, and both have been associated with extreme weather around the globe.

Since Jan.10, snow, sleet and low temperatures have swept China’s southern regions, a rare occurrence for the area.

56. What partially caused south China’s freeze-up at the beginning of 2008?

A. La Nina                    B. El Nino                     C. Typhoon                         D. Frost

57. When did the latest La Nina weather phenomenon begin?

A. In the spring of 2007                                   B. In the summer of 2007

C. In the fall of 2007                                        D. In the winter of 2007

58. Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?

A. Due to the La Nina, sea surface temperatures become colder over the eastern Pacific Ocean

B. The La Nina phenomenon is the climatic opposite of El Nino

C. There were several causes which brought about China’s freeze-up

D. The present La Nina cycle may last until spring in 2008 and disappear

59. What can we learn from the sixth paragraph?

A. La Nina does not happen every year but it influences global weather

B. La Nina happens every year and influences global weather

C. La Nina happens every year but seldom influences global weather

D. La Nina happens every few years and brings about warm and wet weather

60. What is the best title of the passage?

A. La Nina may be partial cause of S China’s freeze-up

B. La Nina and El Nino

C. What cause the La Nina weather phenomenon

D. How La Nina destroys the whole world’s weather

1、I think if we are lucky we will meet nice people. They will offer us help, friendship, kindness and so on.   36  , when I was 17 years old, there was a boy, who gave me something very important. It was a    37  .

The story   38  when I became a high student in the autumn of 2003. At the beginning of the term, I did not know anyone in my class because I had just   39  from a school, which was far from my new school, I was the only one who studied at my new school. I felt very lonely. I was afraid to  40  friends with anyone because I did not think they were  41  to me.

Every time I heard them talking and laughing, I felt my heart  42 . I thought my life was dark and sad. I did not know what to do and I did not want to  43  my parents anything because they would worry about it.

44, one day, something good happened, I was sitting on my seat,  45  as usual, as my deskmate talked happily with her friends. At that  46  ,a boy, who I didn’t know, entered the classroom,  47  through the seats, passed mine and suddenly turned back. It seemed that he was looking for something.  48 , he looked at me, and without a word, gave me a smile.

Suddenly, I felt like something warm, bright and friendly had  49  me and I thought I would be lucky and never live in  50 from then on. Why was that? I asked myself. Although he walked away  51 ,I knew he had smiled at me. His smile made me feel friendly, happy, lively and warm.

The smile  52 my life. I did not feel sad any more. Therefore, I think, sometimes the world is  53 you think it is .If you think you are  54 , you may always be alone. So, cheer up, those who are lonely or in  55 . The world is not that bad. Smile to the world and it will smile back.

32、 (山东省济宁市2008—2009学年度高三第一阶段质量检测)

假设你是李华，在英国参加夏令营时成为下图中的交通事故的唯一目击者，警察要求你用英语填写下面表格。请根据图中信息加上合理想象陈述事故发生的时间、地点、原因、过程和结果。词数控制在120—150之间。（直接写在表格中）

31、 (北京海淀区2009年高三年级第二学期期中练习——情景作文)

假设你是红星中学高三一的学生李华，上周你们班组织了一次感谢恩师的活动。请根据下面图示，为学校网站写一篇英文稿件，叙述这次活动从准备到结束的完整过程。

注意：词数不少于60。

30、________ of the land in that county ________ covered with trees and grass.

A. Two fifth…is      B. Two fifth…are    C. Two fifths…is       D. Two fifths…are

29、Scarcely ________ his homework when she went out.

A. finished she       B. she had finished  C. did she finish         D. had she finished

28、----How did you find the film Curse of the Golden Flower?

 ----__________. I can’t think too highly of it.

   A. It’s really wonderful                                B. It all depends

   C. It’s just so-so                                         D. It makes no sense