New rules for pubs and clubs, including a ban (禁令) on drinking games like the awful "dentist's chair", will be introduced in Britain this year to prevent the heavy drinking culture, which costs the country billions of pounds a year.
Other activities like "all you can drink for 10 pounds ", "women drink free" nights and speed drinking competitions will also be banned.
But, on the other hand, offers of cheap alcohol in supermarkets will not be affected, which is widely regarded as one of the main sources of Britain's problems with under-age and over-drinking.
Doctors and health experts argue that the government has failed to use its most effective weapon, the taxation(征稅) of minimum price controls on alcohol.
Home Secretary Alan Johnson said that the government and the industry had a duty to act on heavy drinking." These bans have a real impact on society, not to mention the lives of those who just want to enjoy a good night out," he said.
“The dentist's chair”, where drinks are poured directly into the mouth by others, was made famous by the celebrations of footballer Paul Gascoigne at Euro '96. That game and others that promote large consumption will be banned from April and publicans (酒店老板) will have to ensure free tap water is made available to the drinkers.
The government says over-drinking costs Britain up to 12 billion pounds a year and has announced that any pubs that go against the new mandatory code (強(qiáng)制性規(guī)定) will face severe punishment. For instance, publicans and vendors (小販) could lose their licenses, be fined up to 20,000 pounds ($32,750) or face six months in prison.
小題1:New rules for pubs and clubs will be introduced in Britain to ban heavy drinking because ________.

A．people drink too much without paying taxes

B．drinking games are infamous

C．drinking competitions are very crazy

D．drinking in the country costs too much

小題2:Some people believe when the tough new rules come into effect, ________.

A．supermarkets will stop selling alcohol in low prices

B．“women drink free” nights will not be closed

C．over-drinking will still not be stopped

D．under-age people will not continue drinking

小題3:What is probably the most effective way to control alcohol?

A．bans

B．education

C．force

D．taxation

小題4:According to the passage, “the dentist’s chair” is ________.

A．a(chǎn) chair for the patient whose teeth should be treated

B．a(chǎn) drinking game made famous by the celebrations of footballers

C．a(chǎn) way to advertise different types of alcohol

D．to be banned in October this year

小題5:What’s the main idea of the passage?

A．Heavy drinking will be banned in Britain.

B．Over-drinking will be taxed.

C．Drinking in Britain will be banned.

D．12 billion pounds is spent on drinking.

閱讀表達(dá) （滿分10分）
[1]A researcher who helped make crops grow in dry land areas received the World Food Prize last week. Daniel Hillel was recognized for his work in developing what is called “micro-irrigation" or “drip irrigation." It has made farming possible in places where there is little rainfall or water.
[2]Daniel Hillel's farm near his home in Israel shows his ideas at work. “Each tree row is fed by these plastic tubes that drip water at the base of the tree." Watering plants drop by drop has changed agriculture by reducing the amount of water needed to grow crops.
[3]Farmers now depend on drip irrigation in many areas, including vineyards in Spain, onion fields in Africa, and even farms in the United States. Farmers in California grow about fifty percent of the fruits and vegetables of the continental United States. And the reason that is possible is because of these drip and micro-irrigation techniques.
[4]Daniel Hillel was born in California. After his father died, his mother moved the family to Palestine, where her parents lived. The area eventually became part of the state of Israel. Daniel Hillel got his start in dry land farming as a settler in Israel's Negev Desert in the 1950s. “The issue was efficient use of water because land is available and extensive while Water is limited."
[5]Desert farmers were not able to push water through irrigation canals to their crops the way farmers have since ancient times. So Mr. Hillel and others gave plants just what they needed, just where they needed it. The idea was to apply the water little by little. The method worked so well that soon Mr. Hillel was traveling the world, showing others _____.
小題1:Why did Daniel Hillel win the World Food Prize?   ( no more than15 words)
_____________________________________________________________________
小題2:How did drip irrigation change agriculture? ( no more than12 words)
_____________________________________________________________________
小題3:Fill in the blank in Paragraph 5 with proper words. ( no more than 5words)
_____________________________________________________________________
小題4:What’s the main idea of the text? ( no more than 12 words)
________________________________________
小題5:What does the underlined word “it” (Line3, Paragraph 1) probably refer to?
(no more than 3 words)
__________________________________________________________________ 

Marriages improve after children grow up and move out，according to an academic study, which suggests an “empty nest” is not always a bad thing.
Popular wisdom has it that parents’ relationships may suffer once their young fly the coop, because they feel they have lost their purpose in life.However, a new study by researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, has found that many couples actually feel happier when their children leave home because they are able to enjoy spending time together.
In total,123 American mothers born in the 1930s were tracked for 18 years and asked to rate their satisfaction levels shortly after marrying, when they were bringing up babies, once their children reached their teenage years and finally at age 61, when almost all had “empty nests”．
Although not all said they were happier in general, most claimed their marriages had improved since their children had left home. Researchers believe this is not just because the spouses were spending more time together, but because they were able to enjoy each other’s company more.
One of the participants in the study，which is published in the journal Psychological Science，said：“Once the kids grow up...there’s some of that stress removed...that responsibility removed，so things are a little more relaxed.”
Psychologist Sara Gorchoff，who carried out the investigation，said: “The take­home message for couples with young children is ‘hang in there’．” Her co­author Oliver John added：“Don’t wait until your kids leave home to schedule quality time with your partner.”
However, Dr Dorothy Rowe，from the British Psychological Society，said the effects of living in an “empty nest” will depend on the parents’ relationship with their children.“If you’re just waiting for them to leave home so you can get on with your life，then of course you’ll be pleased to see them go,” she said, “But if you’ve built your life around your children you’ll be terribly lonely.For some parents，their world falls apart when their children leave.”
小題1:It is commonly believed that___________.

A．marriages improve after children leave home

B．a(chǎn)n “empty nest” is always a happy thing

C．parents’ relationships may suffer once their young grow up and move out

D．parents will be pleased after their children leave home

小題2:When did many couples feel happier according to the study?

A．At age 61, when almost all had “empty nests”.

B．Shortly after marrying.

C．Once their children reached their teenage years.

D．When they were bringing up babies.

小題3:Marriages improve after children fly the coop not because___________.

A．many couples are able to spend time together

B．many couples are able to enjoy each other’s company

C．things are a little more relaxed

D．many couples needn’t work at all

小題4:The author of the passage tends to agree that____________.

A．parents should build their life around their kids

B．parents should schedule quality time with each other before kids leave home

C．parents’ relationship with their kids has no effect on marriages at all

D．parents should be pleased to see their kids leave home

In Yemen, you always see one type of vehicle on the road: the water truck.They travel mountain roads and cross deserts to bring Yemenis the goods more valuable than oil.It is one that only the rich can afford, with the supply regularly being cut off.Others must rely on scarce rain or charity to  fight thirst.
Experts say Yemen is going to be the first country in the world to run out of water.The capital, Sanaa, will run out of drinking water as early as 2025，says a report by the World Bank.
Hannan, an 18­year­old from Lahej, said that only the rich could prepare for cuts in supply.“In a good week we’ll have a water supply all week but then the following week there will be water only for a day or two, ” she said.
She and her husband, a factory worker, pay 3,000 riyals (99 yuan) for a week’s supply of water from a touring water truck when the taps run dry.With an income of only 20,000 riyals (660 yuan) a month，this means the family often spend half their money on water.
“There are a lot of people who can’t afford it and they have to rely on their neighbors to help，” she said.
The average person in Yemen survives on one­fifth of what the World Health Organization considers to be enough water.
In Taiz, in the south，tap water is available only once every 45 days.In the mountainous Malhan district in the north，women and children climb a 1,500­m mountain to collect water from a spring, often in the small hours to avoid long queues.
Yemen is located in Southwest Asia，bordering the Arabian and Red Sea.Yemeni people have lived on scarce water supplies for thousands of years but that problem has been made serious by conflict in the area，the fast­growing population and the use of water to grow a drug called qat.With one of the world’s highest rates of population growth—3.46 percent, Yemen is the poorest Arab country.
The government is considering desalinating (淡化) seawater，but this would be expensive and it may now be too late.The only other solution is to cut down on farming, but that means importing even more food.
小題1:The passage aims to________.

A．a(chǎn)nalyze the reasons why Yemen lacks water

B．suggest some solutions to the water issue in Yemen

C．present how serious the water problem is in Yemen

D．encourage the world to help Yemenis who are suffering from water shortages

小題2:When Hannan said that only the rich could prepare for cuts in supply，she meant that________.

A．rich people drank more water than the poor

B．rich people could buy water from the water trucks if there was a water supply cut

C．she had a rich neighbor who often helped her during water supply cuts

D．the rich were not affected by water supply cuts

小題3:Which of the following may be a reason why Yemen is short of water?

A．The country has had no rain for a long time.

B．The population of Yemen is growing fast.

C．The government has failed to reduce farming.

D．People can’t afford the water from government water trucks.

小題4:The best title for the passage is “________”．

A．Never take water for granted

B．The water truck—the commonest sight in Yemen

C．The first country to run out of water in the world

D．No water for Yemen

56­year­old becomes 1st woman to swim Atlantic
(AP)－Jennifer Figge pressed her toes into the Caribbean sand, excited and exhausted as she touched land this week for the first time in almost a month. Reaching a beach in Trinidad, she became the first woman on record to swim across the Atlantic Ocean—a dream she'd had since the early 1960s,when a stormy trans­Atlantic (飛越大西洋) flight got her thinking she could wear a life vest and swim the rest of the way if needed.
The 56­year­old left the Cape Verde Islands off Africa's western coast on Jan.12,2009, swimming 19 out of 25 days battling waves of up to 30 feet.The distance from Cape Verde to Trinidad is about 700 miles.Crewmembers are still computing exactly how many miles she swam.
The original plan was for her to swim to the Bahamas—a distance of about 2,100 miles—but inclement (惡劣的) weather forced her to change her plans and she arrived at Trinidad on Feb.5.She now plans to swim from Trinidad to the British Virgin Islands,ending her voyage at the Bitter End Yacht Club in late February.
Her journey came a decade after French swimmer Benoit Lecomte made the first known solo trans­Atlantic swim,covering nearly 4,000 miles from Massachusetts to France in 73 days.No woman on record had made the crossing.
Figge wore a red cap and wet suit,with her only good­luck charm (護(hù)身符) underneath:an old,red shirt to guard against chafing (磨痛),signed by friends,relatives and her father,who recently died.The other cherished (珍惜) possession she kept onboard was a picture of Gertrude Ederle,an American who became the first woman to swim across the English Channel.“We have a few things in common,”Figge said,“She wore a red hat and she was of German descent (血統(tǒng)).We both talked to the sea,and neither one of us wanted to get out.”
小題1:When did Jennifer Figge want to swim across the Atlantic Ocean？

A．After she reached a beach in Trinidad.

B．After she pressed her toes into the Caribbean sand.

C．After her stormy trans­Atlantic flight in the early 1960s.

D．After her graduation from a university.

小題2:Jennifer Figge had to change her plans 　　　　.

A．because she wanted to shorten her voyage

B．because of bad weather conditions

C．because she wanted to end her voyage in late February

D．because she wanted to set a new world record

小題3:When did Benoit Lecomte probably make the first known solo trans­Atlantic swim？

A．In 1999.

B．In 1988.

C．In 1978 .

D．In 1968.

小題4:For what purpose did Jennifer Figge keep a photo of Gertrude Ederle？

A．Figge would like to follow her example.

B．She had the same red cap as Figge always wore.

C．Figge also wanted to swim across the English Channel.

D．They were both born in Germany.

For many blind people, computers are inaccessible. It can cost $1,000 to purchase “screen reader” software, but two blind computer programmers from Australia have solved this problem.
Queensland University of Technology (QUT) graduate James Teh and business partner Michael Curran developed a free, open-source program, called NVDA, which provides a voice to read the words on a computer screen as the cursor(光標(biāo)) moves over them. NVDA won the blind inventors an award in the grand final program of the ABC’s New Inventors, which aired on September 23. They took home the award for an invention that “might make a real difference to people’s lives or the environment.”
“A sighted person takes for granted that they can sit down at any computer and use it,” Mr Teh said. “We really are in the information age — everything is online these days. So access to computers for the blind is very important, which is why we wanted our software to be free.”
Mr Teh, who majored in software engineering at QUT, said blind students typically didn’t have the money to purchase “screen reader” technology, at the time in their life when they most needed it. Now NVDA could be downloaded on to anyone’s personal computer free of charge.
“It can also be copied to a USB stick, which can be used on any PC at school or university, with no installation required,” he said.
Mr Teh and Mr Curran have drawn on their own experience as blind computer users to develop a product which has some unique features. For example, as the mouse moves up and down the screen, a sound becomes higher and lower to let you know where the cursor is located.
NVDA has been translated into 27 languages, thanks to volunteer translators. To date, there have been over 50,000 downloads.
Mr Teh and Mr Curran have been working on the project since 2006. They worked on their product without any pay for two years. When Mozilla offered some funding in 2008, Mr Teh was able to quit his day job and work full-time developing NVDA.
小題1:NVDA won an award in the program of the ABC’s New Inventors because it _____.

A．causes no harm to the environment	B．influences people’ s lives
C．is aiming at blind people	D．is easy to use

小題2:Why did James Teh and Michael Curran want their software to be free?

A．They got funding from Mozilla.

B．They belonged to a volunteer group.

C．They wanted to help the blind.

D．They wanted people to give up “screen reader” software.

小題3:What do we know about Teh and Curran?

A．They are studying at QUT.	B．They are good at translating.
C．They know how the blind feel.	D．They began to develop NVDA in 2008.

The city of Rome has passed a new law to prevent cruelty to animals. All goldfish bowls are no longer allowed and dog owners must walk their dogs,
"The civilization of a city can be measured by this," said Monica Cirinna, the councilor(議員 ) behind the new law.
"It's good to do whatever we can for our animals who in exchange for a little love fill our existence with their attention," she told a Rome newspaper.
The newspaper reported that round bowls don't give enough oxygen for fish and may make them go blind.
"Rome has tried to protect fish more than anywhere else in the world. It stands out for recognizing that fish are interesting animals who deserve our respect and compassion every bit as much as dogs and eats and other animals,” said Karin Robertson, a director of the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.
Last year a law was passed in Italy that gives people who desert pets big fines (罰款) and prison sentences. Since then local governments have added their own animal protection rules.
The northern city of Turin passed a law in April to give pet owners fines of up to $ 598 if they do not walk their dogs three times a day.
The new law in Rome also says that owners mustn't leave their dogs in hot cars or cut their dogs' tails to make them look lovelier. The law also gives legal recognition to the "cat ladies" who feed homeless cats. The cats live all over the city from ancient ruins to modem office car parks.
小題1:The new law passed in Rome will             .

A．help improve fishing environment

B．guarantee better conditions for goldfish

C．stop people from catching goldfish

D．discourage keeping goldfish at home

小題2:People in Rome believe that the civilization of a city can be judged by its      .

A．exchanges with' other cities

B．protection for ancient ruins

C．a(chǎn)wareness of animal protection

D．recognition of animal lovers

小題3:The underlined word" compassion" in Paragraph 5 is the closest in meaning to   .

A．pity

B．praise

C．support

D．popularity

小題4:People may break the law in Turin if they

A．keep their dogs or cats in cars

B．feed homeless animals in car parks

C．raise their cats near ancient ruins

D．shut their dogs home all day long

BERLIN （AP）----A tiger escaped its enclosure at Cologne Zoo in western Germany on Saturday and killed a female keeper before being shot dead by the zoo's director, police said．
The tiger slipped through a passage between the enclosure and a neighboring storage building, where it fatally attacked the 43-year-old keeper, said police spokesman Stefan Kirchner．
"It appears the gate wasn't properly shut," Kirchner told The Associated Press．
The zoo was evacuated and a SWAT （特警） team was called in, police said．But before it arrived, the zoo's director managed to kill the tiger by climbing onto the storage building and shooting it through a skylight using a rifle．
Kirchner said it was unlikely that members of the public had witnessed the incident. "This is the darkest day of my life," the zoo's director, Theo Pagel, was quoted as saying by Cologne newspaper Express．
The paper said on its website that the Siberian tiger was a 4-year-old male called Tltai that came to Cologne Zoo from an animal park in England．In November it fathered three cubs with a 7-year-old Siberian tiger called Hanya, according to the zoo's website．
Police said the zoo reopened after Saturday's incident, which occurred around noon．However, a planned late-night opening of the zoo has been canceled．
Cologne Zoo is one of the oldest in Germany．It was founded in 1860 and houses some 10,000 animals consisting of more than 700 different species．
小題1:Which of the following can be the best title of the news text?

A．Tiger Escapes, Kills Keeper in German Zoo

B．Tiger Escapes in German Zoo, Shot Dead

C．German Zoo Keeper Shot Escaped Tiger

D．People Killed in Oldest Zoo in German

小題2:According to the police, what was the direct reason for the incident?

A．The zoo keeper was a new hand．

B．A gate was not closed appropriately.

C．The zoo had neglected the secret passage.

D．It was very dark when the incident happened.

小題3:What did the zoo do after the incident?

A．They honored the killed person in a way.

B．They paid SWAT for their timely help.

C．They returned the tiger’s three cubs to England.

D．They called off the late-night opening.

小題4:How did the zoo director feel after the incident?

A．Proud.

B．Disappointed.

C．Sad.

D．Angry.

小題5:What can we learn about Cologne Zoo?

A．It keeps a large variety of species.

B．It is one of the largest in German.

C．It has a history of more than 700 years.

D．No such incident has happened before.

One of the world's richest men has taken a close interest in one of man's most basic functions: visiting the toilet．Bill Gates’ charitable organization, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, is looking for inventors to design the loo of the future, which, they hope, would improve sanitation for millions of people around the world．
So, what's wrong with the traditional flush toilet? Firstly, it wastes a huge amount of potential drinking water．Secondly, they are more likely to cause pollution．This is a real problem in many areas of the developing world, where, according to United Nations’ estimates, unsafe sanitation causes half of all hospitalizations．Younger people are particularly at risk．Illnesses which cause diarrhea are responsible for the deaths of about 1．5 million children a year．Finally, standard lavatories simply aren't practical in remote areas．
The challenge set by Bill Gates was to come up with a latrine which works without running water, electricity or aseptic tank．It also needed to operate for less than 5 cents．28 designs were displayed at the recent event of the Toilet Fair in Seattle, USA．Among them was one which turned human waste into electricity using microwaves, another which converted human waste into charcoal, and yet another which used urine for flushing．
But the winner was a solar-powered design which generated hydrogen gas and electricity．The team from the California Institute of Technology（CIT）picked up a prize of $ 100,000.
But clearly Bill Gates doesn't feel he's flushing money down the toilet．After the Seattle event he said, "We couldn't be happier with the response we've gotten," Gates has even promised $370 million more to the future toilet project．They hope to field test more prototypes over the next three years．
小題1:Why is Bill Gates paying people to invent new toilets?

A．Because he wants to test people's sense of creativity．

B．Because he wants to improve sanitation for many people．

C．Because he thinks the traditional ones are out of fashion．

D．Because he can't design this kind of things himself．

小題2:Which of the following is NOT a problem with the traditional flush toilet?

A．They waste too much water．	B．They might cause diseases．
C．They are not always practical．	D．They are too complicated to use.

小題3:The underlined word "latrine" in the third paragraph might have similar meanings to the word "__   " in the text．

A．loo

B．sanitation

C．diarrhea

D．prototype

小題4:The team from CIT won the prize because their design        .

A．can change human waste into electricity

B．can turn human waste into charcoal

C．can produce power with solar energy

D．can use urine for flushing

小題5:If people "flush money down the toilet", they are       .

A．showing off their wealth	B．a(chǎn)ngry with their working conditions
C．wasting money for nothing	D．expressing their great determination

Anger at the practice of demanding dowries, which can lead to violence against brides, has caused a takeoff of "Angry Birds" called "Angry Brides" that aims to highlight the illegal practice still common in many South Asian countries.
Dowries -- such as jewelry, clothes, cars and money -- are traditionally given by the bride's family to the groom and his parents to ensure she is taken care of in her new home.
The custom was outlawed more than five decades ago. But it is still widely practiced, with the groom's family demanding even more money after marriage, leading to mental and physical abuse that can drive the woman to suicide.
"The Angry Brides game is our way of throwing a spotlight on the nuisance (陋習(xí)) of dowry," said Ram Bhamidi, senior vice president and head of online marketing for Shaadi.com, a matrimonial (婚姻的) website with two million members.
"According to a 2007 study, there is a dowry-related death every four hours in India. We condemn this and have consistently run campaigns on social media to help create awareness of the issue."
The name of the app, available on the group's home page, is a spinoff from the globally popular "Angry Birds" game. Its home page shows a red-clad, eight-armed woman resembling a powerful female Hindu goddess. Underneath, there is a caption: "A woman will give you strength, care and all the love you need ... NOT dowry!"
To play the game, users have to try and hit three dodging grooms -- a pilot, builder and doctor. There is a wide array of weapons to choose from, including a stiletto shoe, a frying pan, broomstick, tomato and loafer.
Each groom has a price tag, starting at 1.5 million rupees ($29,165). Every time the player hits a groom, his value decreases and money is added to the player's Anti-Dowry Fund, which is saved posted on their Facebook page.
"Since we launched the game last week, more than 270,000 people have liked the app. Both men and women seem to be playing it," said Bhamidi.
小題1:What caused "Angry Brides" to appear online?

A．Women's rights' being seriously abused．

B．Anger at the practice of demanding dowries．

C．The bride's giving a great many dowries．

D．The popularity of Angry Birds online．

小題2:Which of the following is True about "Dowries"?

A．The custom of giving dowries has been in practice for five decades．

B．Lack of abundant dowries may lead to the bride's being in violence．

C．The illegal practice of dowries is still popular in many African countries．

D．More dowries the bride gives mean a high social status of her family．

小題3:The underlined word "spinoff” probably means_____________．

A．relation

B．connection

C．copy

D．fake

小題4:Which of the following is NOT TRUE about the game "Angry Brides"?

A．There are a variety of weapons to choose from．

B．Ram Bhamidi thinks highly of the game．

C．Men players don't find the game enjoyable．

D．The game character looks like a Hindu goddess．

小題5:What is the text mainly about?

A．Women's unfair treatment in the marriage．

B．The popularity of the game "Angry Brides"．

C．The groom's demanding too many dowries．

D．How to build an equal relation in the marriage．