University junior Sarah Bwabye, who has lived in South Africa, came to the US three years ago to study. Through the University’s International Cultural Service Program, she gives reports about Uganda regularly.

　　“I chose to discuss dance and music because I’m very familiar（熟悉的）with them and have things to show and tell,” explained Bwabye.

　　Uganda is made up of 50 different cultural tribes. But the tribal lines are blurring, and always people can’t tell. Uganda’s national language is English. Many children are not learning their native tongues, which makes her worried about their future.　　In Uganda, dance and music not only give tribes their own identity（身份）, but also unite them. Dance and music unite the youth, and also tie them to their parents and grandparents. In the schools students have dance and music classes. It’s something they grow up with. There are competitions. Through these, dance and music traditions are carried on.

　　Western influence has changed traditional Ugandan dance and music. The music her grandmother and parents once listened to now has included English lyrics（歌詞）. Bwabye showed the gradual change of music with recordings from three different times, playing the music of Ugandan performers such as Jose Chameleone, Afrigo, and Nandujja.

　　“I like my parents’ musical days because it’s relaxing and good music,” she said. “I, of course, like my days because it is what’s played on the radio.”

　　During her presentation, Bwabye passed around Ugandan instruments including a tube fiddle, a bow harp, a shaker, a thumb piano, and several drums.

　　Ugandan music is often a form of storytelling, especially in traditional songs. Traditional music forms different life issues and stories that tell morals（道德）at the end. Both singing and dancing performers wear brightly-colored clothes decorated with different things and tribes wear headgear（頭飾）differing in appearance and meaning.

(1)It can be inferred that Sarah Bwabye ________.

[　　]

A．was proud of her country’s music

B．went to America to give reports

C．would give up her tribe’s music

D．worried about her country’s future

(2)The underlined word “blurring” (in Paragraph 3) means _________.

[　　]

(3)Dance and music can be carried on because of the following reasons EXCEPT _________.

[　　]

A．schools have music and dance classes

B．dance and music can show tribes’ identity

C．dance and music can keep people warm

D．there are competitions about dance and music

(4)The traditional music is Uganda _________.

[　　]

A．was developed to keep people healthy

B．was just intended for entertainment

C．a(chǎn)lways remain unchanged

D．was often used to educate people

Uganda is a country in East Africa and,as in many such countries,a high percentage of the population,about 80 percent,are village-dwellers living in huts,which are often no bigger than a garage. The walls of the huts are made of mud,which is held together by reeds and sticks,and the roofs of the older ones are thatched（覆蓋）with grass,although an increasing number of newer village houses have roofs made from corrugated（波紋形的）iron.
Several generations of the same family live together in the huts,which are usually divided into two sections by a curtain. The inner section,the one furthest from the open door of the hut,is where everyone sleeps and food is prepared and served in the outer part. If the family owns chickens or goats,they are kept in a small room attached to the main house.
Food is usually prepared on open fires although some people prefer to cook inside. However,this is quite dangerous and also means that the walls of the hut are stained by smoke and the atmosphere is acrid. The family sit in a circle on mats while they eat.
Newer village houses are almost always made of corrugated iron and are bigger,with one or two separate bedrooms and the kitchen in a smaller building beside the main house. But,old or new,the houses are not powered by electricity,and all homes are lit by paraffin（石蠟）candles called “tadobba”.
Nor is there any running water in the houses. Some villages have their own well,but in many cases,collecting water involves a long and arduous walk to a river or spring,carrying plastic containers or pots made of clay.
Children are the ones who have to fetch water,and they have to do this early in the morning before they go to school,or in the evening when they come home. They often have to climb high hills or walk through valleys with narrow paths through dense vegetation. It is no surprise that they grow up muscular and fit after such daily exercise,walking for several kilometres carrying such heavy weights.
【小題1】Most Ugandans live        .

A．with their whole family in large mud houses in the countryside

B．in towns in small houses made of mud and iron

C．in villages in small houses made of wet earth,grass and wood

D．With their parents and children as well as their chickens and goats

【小題2】Where is food usually prepared?

A．In the kitchen.

B．On the floor in the middle of the house.

C．On fires in front of the hut.

D．In a small room attached to the main house.

【小題3】How are the old and new houses the same?

A．Both of them have roofs made of corrugated iron.

B．Neither of them have a garage or kitchen.

C．Neither of them have electricity,lights or running water.

D．Both of them have water inside but no electric light.

【小題4】The majority of Ugandan children have to          .

A．go to a well or a river and often carry it for a long distance

B．do a lot of work cooking and carrying water

C．collect water on the way home from school

D．get water out of their own well

Pollution is a growing problem that is facing the international community, but even the actions that we take can make a difference. Littering is creating environmental problems all over the world and is often created by careless individuals. If we guard our actions against careless littering we can ensure a better world for everyone.

Littering is a severe problem in many countries around the world. For example, the African city of Kampala, the capitol of Uganda, is suffering from the consequences of littering. For many years the city’s poor didn’t have a proper way to dispose of trash, so garbage filled the streets.  Over the years much of the plastic garbage would slowly be pushed into the ground. This plastic litter doesn’t allow rain water to seep into the ground and has caused flooding. In many of Kampala’s poor neighborhoods whenever it rains people’s homes become flooded with water.  This water is often dirty and has allowed diseases to spread. This flooding has become so bad that the Ugandan government has banned plastic bags in the entire country to stop the littering.

Trash often finds its way into the water. Today the world’s oceans are believed to have millions of tons of trash floating around in them. This creates a problem for wildlife because they may accidentally eat the trash and die from it. Scientists have found on very remote islands baby birds that have died because their stomachs were full of trash. Fish often get tangled in plastic and will also die. Our actions in our own countries affect the most remote parts of the planet.

We can all be part of the solution to stop this pollution, just by preventing careless littering.  If you need to throw something away, don’t toss it over your shoulder — find a trash can. If you see a friend littering tell them not to. By making this small change we can create a better world for all.

1.What does the author say is the cause of littering? (No more than 4 words)

________________________________________________________________________

2.How does trash cause flooding? (No more than 10 words)

_______________________________________________________________________

3.How can local actions affect the international environment? (No more than 12 words)

________________________________________________________________________

4.What does the author suggest to prevent littering? （No more than 7 words）

________________________________________________________________________

 

When you have a question about something, where do you go? For many people the answer is simple. They go online to a search engine like Google or Yahoo. But what about people in rural or under developed areas who may have no way to get on the Internet? Luckily, Rose Shuman, a business and international development consultant in California, has found a way for them. Her amazing solution is “Question Box”.

Question Box is a service that provides answers -- free of charge -- for people who cannot search the Internet directly. They might not be able to read, or they simply have no access.

Question Box began two years ago in India. People use a metal call box with a push-to-talk button to connect to a live operator, as Rose Shuman explains, “You just push a button, a big green button, and that will connect you directly to our operators who are sitting in front of computers, and speak your language. And you can ask them any sort of question you want, and they'll look it up in English or in Hindi, or whatever the main language is, and translate the answer right back for you.”

The service is currently offered in two villages. The latest version of the box uses mobile phone technology and solar panels in case the electrical power fails. Rose Shuman says the aim was to make the box as easy as possible for users.

“Rather than try to bring a lot of infrastructure to them and expect them to learn how to use the Internet, the idea was to make a technology that even Grandma could use, figuring that Grandma could probably walk up to a box and push a button,” added Shuman.

In April, Question Box expanded to Uganda. Forty community workers with mobile phones connect villagers to call center operators in Kampala. The community workers go around telling people about the service. They wear T-shirts that say “Ask Me.”

But Internet service in Uganda proved slow and undependable. So Question Box teamed up with a local technology company to store information on a local server. That way, the researchers in Kampala can quickly search the database for answers when users ask about current events and many other subjects.

Rose Shuman continued, “When was Mahatma Gandhi born and how long is the Nile River? What's the tallest mountain? The funniest one I think we got was, 'Did the pyramids ever move to another place?', which we found pretty funny. But we did look it up, and they haven't moved.”

1. According to the passage, “Question Box” is a service intended to________.

   A．help improve the living standard of the people in poor areas

   B．promote the computer technology

   C．provide answers to the people without the Internet

   D．enrich the local people’s life

2. Which of the following is TRUE about Question Box according to the passage?

   A．Uganda is the original place where the service started.

   B．Some modern technologies have been used for improving the service.

   C．Question Box won’t be able to work if there is no electrical power.

   D．It was impossible for a grandma to use Question Box.

3. We can learn from the passage that in Uganda ______.

A．forty call center operators helped make Question Box known to villagers

B．it was very convenient for villagers to have access to Internet service

C．users are very interested in current events

D．a(chǎn) local technology company cooperate with Question Box

4. What can be inferred from the last paragraph?

A．All the questions asked by people are pretty funny.

B．Workers of Question Box know the answer for any question.

C．Question Box always tries to answer the question, no matter how strange.

D．Those who asked questions wanted to make progress in their studies.

5. What attitude does the writer hold towards “Question Box” according to the passage?

A．Indefinite.              B．Negative.      C．Supportive.          D．Indifferent.