Slang is one of those things that everybody can recognize and nobody can define. Not only is it hard to wrap slang in a definition,it is also hard to distinguish it from such similar things as colloquialism,provincialism (方言) ，jargon (行話) or trade talk.

  Usually,slang tends to be transient. Thus parents are often laughed at by their children when this older generation uses slang which was considered to be the height of fashion in their own youth. Of course,the slang teenage children use today is very different from that of their parents. Indeed it might ever be some obscure (difficult to understand) foreign language as far as the older generation is concerned for it is totally beyond their understanding.

  It is often said that a slang term stops to be slang when it is "accepted by the dictionary". This is not really the case. You will find many slang terms listed in dictionaries are still slang terms. The term stops to be slang when it drives its respectable synonym (同義詞) out of use,or when it acquires a meaning that cannot be expressed otherwise.

  Such things have happened. The term "hot dog" was once a slang term,but it couldn't be considered so now. No one in America would go up to a counter and order "a sausage sandwich". Similarly "varsity", originally a slang contraction (short form of a word) of university,has acquired a special meaning which only it expresses and is no longer slang. Jazz,when it means a particular kind of music,is scarcely a slang form,since there is no more respectable word meaning that kind of music.

(   ) 1. Which would be the best title for this passage?

   A. Slang Terms and Other Forms of Language

   B. Slang Terms and Their Meanings

   C. How to Understand Slang Terms

   D. Slang

(   ) 2. Parents are often laughed at by their children when         .

   A. they use some obscure slang

   B. they try to learn from their children

   C. they use out-of-date slang

   D. they want to follow the fashion

(   ) 3. The examples in the last paragraph are intended to show         .

   A. when a slang word disappears

   B. when a slang word is no longer slang

   C. how to use slang words

   D. how to understand slang words 

(   ) 4. The underlined word "transient" in the second paragraph probably means         .

   A. hard to understand   B. easy to understand

   C. temporary   D. everlasting

 Coming home from school that dark winter day so long ago,I was filled with excitement of having the weekend off. But I was 1        into stillness by what I saw. Mother,seated at the far end of the sofa,2       ，with the secondhand green typewriter on the table. She told me that she couldn't type fast and then she was out of work. My shock and embarrassment at finding mother in tears was a perfect 3        of how little I understood the pressures on her. Sitting beside her on the sofa,I began very 4        to understand. "I guess we all have to 5        sometime," mother said quietly. I could 6        her pain and the tension of holding back the strong feelings that were interrupted by my arrival. Suddenly,something inside me 7      I reached out and 8        my arms around her. She broke then. She put her face 9        my shoulder and sobbed. I held her 10        and didn't try to talk. I knew I was doing what I should,what I could 11        it was enough. In that moment,feeling mother's 12        racked with feelings,I understood for the first time her being so easy to 13       . She was still my mother,yet she was something 14 ：a person like me,capable of fear and 15        and failure. I could feel her pain as she must have felt mine on a thousand occasions when I had sought 16        in her arms.

  A week later mother took a job selling dry goods at half the salary the radio station had 17       . "It's a job I can do," she said simply. But the evening 18        on the old green typewriter continued. I had a very 19        feeling now when I passed her door at night and heard her typping 20        the paper. I knew there was something more going on in there than a woman learning to type.

(   ) 1. A. tired   B. ashamed   C. afraid   D. shocked

(   ) 2. A. crying   B. smiling   C. thinking   D. whispering

(   ) 3. A. appeal   B. conscience   C. proof   D. blame

(   ) 4. A. quickly   B. slowly   C. suddenly   D. proudly

(   ) 5. A. fail   B. win   C. stop   D. lose

(   ) 6. A. convey   B. watch   C. sense   D. recognize

(   ) 7. A. faded   B. upset   C. turned   D. increased

(   ) 8. A. put   B. made   C. got   D. let

(   ) 9. A. to   B. up   C. through   D. against

(   ) 10. A. tightly   B. thoughtfully   C. carefully   D. politely

(   ) 11. A. and that   B. now that   C. but that   D. so that

(   ) 12. A. hand   B. face   C. hair   D. back

(   ) 13. A. fail   B. break   C. fall   D. understand

(   ) 14. A. more   B. much   C. little   D. huge

(   ) 15. A. wound   B. defeat   C. cut   D. hurt

(   ) 16. A. kindness   B. memory   C. comfort   D. support

(   ) 17. A. supplied   B. offered   C. gave   D. provided

(   ) 18. A. practice   B. writing   C. inspection   D. concentration

(   ) 19. A. different   B. hard   C. pleasant   D. serious

(   ) 20. A. off   B. across   C. out   D. through

  We know the effect calories have on your body. For each pound of weight that your body carries,it takes about 12 calories per pound per day to keep it alive. If you weigh 150 pounds,you therefore need about (150 x 12) 1,800 calories per day to keep yourself alive and maintain that same weight.

  If you were to eat more than 1,800 calories per day,the surplus turns into fat. It takes about 3 ,600 excess calories to make a pound of fat.

  Let's say that you were to eat,on average,2,000 calories per day. That extra 200 calories per day is going to turn into fat. However,you will eventually hit a point of equilibrium (平衡，均衡) because as you gain weight,you need more calories to maintain that weight. So,a person eating an average of 2,000 calories per day will hit equilibrium at (2,000 / 12) 166.67 pounds.So let's say that you eat,on average,2,000 calories per day and reach equilibrium at 166 pounds. Then you go on a crash diet where you eat only 1,000 calories per day for 60 days. You lose 16 pounds and reach your target weight of 150 pounds. But then you go right back to eating 2,000 calories per day again. The graph below shows your eating pattern before,during and after the diet:

  Note that the graph assumes that you,like most people,eat a random number of calories per day. Some days you are "good" and eat less,and some days you are   "bad" and eat more,but the assumption is that it averages out to 2,000 calories per day over the long run. This graph shows what happens to your weight before,during and after the diet ：

  There are only two ways to keep the weight off:

  Change your overall eating pattern so that you take in,on average,fewer calories than before you went on the diet.

  Start exercising so that you "burn" the extra calories you take in.

  The best course of action is a combination of these two options.

(   ) 5. The problem that the writer tries to deal with is         .

   A. how to lose weight fast while changing the diet

   B. why the weight comes back so quickly once one stops dieting

   C. how to reach the point of equilibrium

   D. what your target weight is

(   ) 6. What can we learn from the two graphs?

   A. It is hard to keep one's normal weight.

   B. The better way for you to lose weight is keeping your dieting. ,

   C. You will gain weight faster than before dieting.

   D. It is not necessary for you to lose weight by dieting.

(   ) 7. According to the passage,if you weighed 100 pounds and you were to eat on average 1400 calories per day,a year later,you would be         .

   A. 100 pounds   B. 166.67 pounds

   C. 116. 67 pounds   D. 97 pounds

(   ) 8. What is the best way to keep the weight off according to the passage?

   A. Keep your diet and never stop.

   B. Return your overall eating pattern and exercise more.

   C. Take in fewer calories than before your diet and exercise more.

   D. Change your diet and start exercising to burn the extra calories.

 Have you ever pressed the "send" button and immediately wished you could get your email back? For American high school boy Scotty Thomas,it's the biggest mistake of his life. And the result of this thoughtless act makes up the story of the new movie Eurotrip.

  Scotty and his Berlinbased email pen pal Mieke have been writing each other for years,sharing every detail of their lives. But when Mieke suggests coining to the US to meet him face-to-face,Scotty rudely turns him down. What he didn't realize is that,in Germany,Mieke is in fact a girl's name.

  By the time Scotty figures out that Mieke is actually a hot high school girl,she has cut off all contact with him. Thinking that this might be his one chance at true love,he sets out on a trip across Europe to Berlin,helped by his best friends,Cooper and the twins Jenny and Jamie.

  Their journey takes them from London to Paris,Amsterdam,through Eastern Europe and on to Rome before finally arriving in Berlin. From London's Big Ben to the Eiffel Tower in Paris and Rome's Coliseum,the teenagers enjoy a jokefilled adventure.

  The cultures they find are certainly a world away from the ones they read about in their textbooks. In Eastern Europe,they manage to enjoy a fivestar hotel and a night of dancing with just US $1. 87—and have 27 cents left over.

  As Scotty Thomas,Scott Mechlowicz is in his first ever leading role. But he manages to express his character's simpleminded,but daring and charming nature in a believable way.

  "This movie presents the final days of childhood and the beginning of that next big adventure into freedom," said Hollywood movie critic Michael Rechtshaffen. Eurotrip ranked No. 6 at the North American box office early this month.

(   ) 1. The best title for this passage could be         .

   A. Travel―an Interesting Topic

   B. Eurotrip―a New Film

   C. A New Film Star―Scotty Thomas

   D. Europe―My Dream

(   ) 2. From the passage,we can learn that         .

   A. Scott Mechlowicz succeeded acting out the character of Scotty Thomas

   B. the people in Eastern Europe live a happy life

   C. the journey is full of adventures that are hard to get through

   D. only young people enjoy the film

(   ) 3. The underlined word "presents" in the passage means         .

   A. thing given or received as a gift

   B. being in the place

   C. give or hand over sth. to sb.

   D. show something to the public

(   ) 4. Which of the following statements is true?

   A. During their journey,the book is their best guide.

   B. Although the film is a jokefilled one,many people still enjoy it.

   C. The biggest problem of the character is that he pressed a wrong button.

   D. The movie critic thought highly of the film.

  In high school I knew a guy who wanted to become a doctor. From the seventh grade on,that was all he wanted to be. After 1       he went straight into a medical school,and 2       doctor by age 25.        I 3        such people. They know 4        where they want to go in life.

  I don't think most people have such a 5       picture of where they are going. I,for one,feel I've been 6        all my life. The only thing Fve ever had a strong 7        to do is to dance,and I've spent 8        of my life trying to do that.

  Anyway,when I was 22       ,I 9       a crisis that forced me to stop dancing. I had to take a new 10       ,and I was at a loss to what it should be. Then one morning,I started to paint. My first piece,to my 11,sold for $4,000. And over the next few years I 12       16 more paintings,most of which also sold.

  13      ,though,as I approached the 60th year of my life,that 14       of being lost in life returned. I could 15        make myself paint,and once again,I was plagued (被.... 煩憂) with 16        about whether this was really what I was 17        to be doing with my life. Perhaps my life had become dull and I was to reach into the 18        and look for a fresh direction?

  I 19       everything I owned in storage,bought a tent and a bicycle and 20        out of town. I started a journey that day―a journey around the whole country.

(   ) 1. A. school   B. graduation   C. work   D. church

(   ) 2. A. became   B. turned   C. made   D. grew

(   ) 3. A. challenge   B. like   C. love   D. envy

(   ) 4. A. really   B. exactly   C. luckily   D. specially

(   ) 5. A. clear   B. beautiful   C. complete   D. colorful

(   ) 6. A. missing   B. left   C. lost   D. remaining

(   ) 7. A. devotion   B. urge   C. sense   D. pressure

(   ) 8. A. part   B. some   C. most   D. little

(   ) 9. A. went over   B. went against   C. went up   D. went through

(   ) 10. A. way   B. road   C. direction   D. route

(   ) 11. A. surprise   B. happiness   C. excitement   D. joy

(   ) 12. A. finished   B. completed   C. collected   D. created

(   ) 13. A. Unfortunately   B. Naturally   

       C. Strangely   D. Disappointedly

(   ) 14. A. picture   B. view   C. sense   D. idea

(   ) 15. A. nearly   B. never   C. almost   D. barely

(   ) 16. A. doubts   B. questions   C. worry   D. trouble

(   ) 17. A. suggested   B. supposed   C. required   D. advised

(   ) 18. A. darkness   B. brightness   C. heaven   D. unknown

(   ) 19. A. lifted   B. put   C. took   D. carried

(   ) 20. A. rode   B. drove   C. ran   D. walked

  California pet lover has founded an internet radio station designed to ease the lives of lonely dogs and cats around the world.

  Styled as " the radio station all pets prefer"，DogCatRadio.com goes out live 17 hours each day from a van in the car park of a Los Angeles recording studio.

  DJs speak to pets directly,and ask " pet parents" to send in pictures.

  Founder Adrian Martinez,34 ，says the station aims to keep pets company while their "parents" head out to work.

  DogCatRadio's daily play list ranges from the soothing (撫慰) sounds of Irish singer Enya to Elvis Presley's classic anthem (圣歌) ，Hound Dog.

In between tracks,Mr. Martinez and his fellow DJs offer practical advice to pet owners,plus a liberal sprinkling (小雨) of the station's signature sound―barks and miaows.

  Mr. Martinez,an independent record producer,hopes that many of his audience will be listening in while at home alone,albeit (雖然，盡管) with a little help from their human friends.

  "My cat,Snickers,asked me to do it," Mr. Martinez told the New York Times. Faced with a nervous,restless cat at home one day,Mr.  Martinez discovered that Snickers calmed down almost as soon as he turned up the background music a little. "I wanted to do something for the pet community," he said.

  The station,which claims8,000 listeners each week through its website,currently makes no money.

  But the US pet industry is worth an estimated $35 bn (£ 19. 7bn) annually,and Mr. Martinez eventually hopes to attract advertising.

(   ) 5. The radio station was founded in order to         .

   A. help the owners of the pets

   B. ask people to love the animals

   C. comfort the lonely dogs and cats in America

   D. be the pets' company when they are left alone at home

(   ) 6. The underlined word "miaows" means         .

   A. the music from the radio

   B. the sounds made by cat

   C. the voice of the DJs at the station

   D. the Elvis Presley's classic anthem,Hound Dog

(   ) 7. Which of the following statements is true?

   A. Mr. Martinez loved his cat so much that he decided to set up a radio station for it.

   B. The radio station is located in a recording studio.

   C. Mr. Martinez happened to find that background music can calm down the cat.

   D. It is hard for people to understand the programmes of the station.

(   ) 8. What can you infer from the passage?

   A. Most of the audience are the "parents" of the pets.

   B. If you want to pick up the programme,you just need a radio.

   C. The market of the pet service in the US is large.

   D. The DJs can communicate with the pets directly.

  The long years of food shortage in this country have suddenly given way to obvious abundance. Stores and shops are choked with food. Yet,instead of joy,there is widespread uneasiness and confusion. Why do food prices keep on rising,when there seems to be so much more food about? Is the abundance only temporary,or has it come to stay? Does it mean that we need to think less now about producing more food at home? No one knows what to expect.

  The recent growth of export surpluses (過剩) on the world food market has certainly been unexpectedly great,partly because of two strange successful grain harvests. North America is now being followed by a third. Most of Britain's overseas suppliers of meat,too,are offering more this year and home production has also risen. 

  But the effect of all this on the food situation in this country has been made worse by a rise in food prices,due chiefly to the gradual cutting down of government support for food. The shops are overstocked with food not only because there is more food available,but also because people,frightened by high prices,are buying less of it.

  Moreover,the rise in domestic prices has come at a time when world prices have begun to fall,with the result that imported food,with the exception of grain,is often cheaper than the homeproduced variety. And now grain prices,too,are falling. Consumers are beginning to ask why they should not be enabled to benefit from this trend.

  The significance of these developments is not lost on farmers. The older generations have seen it all happen before. Despite the present price and market guarantees,farmers fear they are about to be pressed between cheap food imports and a shrinking home market. Present production is running at 51 percent above prewar levels,and the government has called for an expansion to 60 percent by 1956;but repeated Ministerial advice is carrying little weight and the expansion programme is not working very well.

(   ) 1. Why is there " widespread uneasiness and confusion”about the food situation in Britain?

   A. The abundant food supply is not expected to last.

   B. Britain is importing less food.

   C. Despite the abundance,food prices keep rising.

   D. Britain will cut back on its production of food.

(   ) 2. The main reason for the rise in food prices is that         .

   A. people are buying less food

   B. the government is providing less financial support for agriculture

   C. domestic food production has decreased

   D. imported food is driving prices higher

(   ) 3. The government's expansion programme didn't work very well because         .

   A. farmers were uncertain about the financial support the government guaranteed

   B. farmers were uncertain about the benefits of expanding production

   C. farmers were uncertain about whether foreign markets could be found for their produce

   D. the older generation of farmers were strongly against the programme

(   ) 4. What did the future look like for Britain's food production at the time this article was written? ^

   A. The fall in world food prices would benefit British food producers.

   B. An expansion of food production was at hand.

   C. British food producers would receive more government financial support.

   D. It looks depressing despite government guarantees.

  It was a halfmile walk from our small house to the beach road,where the taxi would be waiting for us. But that morning Jane was much 1        She couldn't make that walk. And I couldn't 2        her. The path to the beach was steep and narrow and 3        at the water's edge. ,

  I was a stranger far from home. I didn't know where to 4        for help. But I needed it badly. I hurried down to the beach and I found help. Four fishermen were about to go out for their morning 5      . I told them about my sick little sister. Could they help me get her 6        the path?

  I hardly got the words out of my mouth before they 7        their boat back onto the sand. They climbed the hill with me. One looked at Jane and they 8        their heads. They talked softly to one another.

9       sick to sit in a chair," one said.

  "Better carry her 10        in bed," said another.

  An iron cot (簡(jiǎn)易床) 11 along the cliff!I was frightened. How could they do it? 12       the men told me not to worry. "Truly easy,truly 13      ," they said.

  They tied a rope to each leg of the cot. Each of them threw a rope 14        his shoulder and held the end in one hand. I understood what they meant to do. 15       they carried the cot down the path,they would use the ropes to keep the cot 16       . But what if one of the men slipped and lost his balance? What would happen to him―to the others―to 17      ?The men just smiled at my alarm. "That 18       will make us even more careful," they said.

  The men went down the path. Every 19       was a careful one. Always the cot was level,with never a bump. When they reached the beach road,they quietly lifted Jane into the taxi. 20      ,they stretched her out on the back seat.

  We made the morning train for Tokyo. And there an ambulance was waiting to take Jane to the hospital. The doctor told me that I had got my little girl there just in time. Jane would be all right soon.

(   ) 1. A. better   B. worse   C. heavier   D. happier

(   ) 2. A. take   B. collect   C. help   D. carry

(   ) 3. A. only   B. much   C. right   D. straight

(   ) 4. A. find   B. seek   C. turn   D. face

(   ) 5. A. catch   B. train   C. exercises   D. action

(   ) 6. A. beyond   B. up   C. down   D. toward

(   ) 7. A. put   B. laid   C. pushed   D. dragged

(   ) 8. A. shook   B. nodded   C. held up   D. dropped

(   ) 9. A. Very   B. Too   C. So   D. Truly

(   ) 10. A. sitting   B. lying   C. kneeling   D. standing

(   ) 11. A. took   B. brought   C. lifted   D. carried

(   ) 12. A. And   B. But   C. Then   D. So

(   ) 13. A. interesting   B. exciting   C. dangerous   D. safe

(   ) 14. A. over   B. on   C. through   D. across

(   ) 15. A. As   B. Because   C. Before   D. Since

(   ) 16. A. smooth   B. unchanged   C. level   D. unmoved

(   ) 17. A. me   B. Jane   C. themselves   D. thecot

(   ) 18. A. chance   B. matter   C. problem   D. time

(   ) 19. A. walk   B. step   C. foot   D. pace

(   ) 20. A. Anxiously   B. Quickly   C. Nervously   D. Carefully

  Ridgewood is a small,quiet town 20 miles from Manhattan. It is a typical suburban town,perfect for raising children away from the fast pace of the city. However,some Ridgewood kids feel as upset as if they were on the city's busy streets. In addition to hours of homework,Ridgewood's children are occupied with afterschool activities―from swimming to piano to religious classes.

  Out of desperation one day,the town decided to schedule another activity. This one was called " Ridgewood Family Night―Ready,Set,Relax!" Instead of schedules filled with sports,music,or overtime at the office,some of the town's 25,000 residents decided to take the night off and stay home. For a few months before Family Night,a committee of volunteers worked hard to spread the word. Younger students took "Save the Date for Me" leaflets home to their parents. The mayor issued a statement,and schools and clubs agreed to cancel homework and meetings so families could relax and be together.

  The tension between a hope for a more relaxed lifestyle and the knowledge that the standard for success has been raised in recent years weighs heavily on the minds of the townspeople. Some parents like to recall a different kind of childhood,one without so many scheduled afterschool activities. However,these same parents feel obliged to make sure their children are prepared to survive in today's highpressure work environment. They are afraid that any gap in their children's physical or intellectual development might mean they won't be admitted to the "right" universities and won't succeed in a more and more competitive world.

  Nevertheless,it seems that Family Night worked,at least to a point. Cars moved easily around Ridgewood's normally busy downtown streets,and stores and restaurants saw a drop in business. Some families ate supper together for the first time in months.

  Initially,there was great hope of taking back their lives. But sadly,few families believe that one night will change their lives. Many are sure that they will fall back into the habit of overscheduling their children to be overachieving adults.

(   ) 5. The writer describes Ridgewood as a town where         .

   A. residents take little notice of education

   B. children are stressful and overexpected

   C. parents are concerned about children's safety

   D. children lead a life of relaxed,ordinary rhythm

(   ) 6. According to the passage,which of the following is NOT true about the Family Night?

   A. Schools assigned no homework.

   B. Fewer people ate in the restaurants.

   C. The streets were less crowded.

   D. People enjoyed meeting each other.

(   ) 7. According to the passage,the parents in Ridgewood         .

   A. have conflicting desires about what experiences to offer their children

   B. are happy with the lifestyle they have chosen for themselves and the children

   C. believe that it is their duty to make a change for the stressful life style

   D. are worried about their children's lacking of big ambition

(   ) 8. We may get the conclusion from the passage that         .

   A. the concept of Family Night will become a regular part of life in Ridgewood

   B. Ridgewood people believe the Family Night will change their way of living

   C. Family Night is not as popular as people have originally thought

   D. schools are worried about students being given too much free time

  A panic attack is a sudden feeling of terror. Usually it does not last long,but it may feel like forever.

  The cause can be something as normally uneventful as driving over a bridge or flying in an airplane. And it can happen even if the person has driven over many bridges or flown many times before.

  A fast heartbeat. Sweaty hands. Difficulty breathing. A lightheaded feeling. At first a person may have no idea what is wrong. But these can all be signs of what is known as panic disorder.

  In the United States,the National Institute of Mental Health says more than two million people are affected in any oneyear period.

  The American Psychological Association says panic disorder is two times more likely in women than men. And it can last anywhere from a few months to a lifetime.

Panic attacks can be dangerous―for example,if a person is driving at the time. Some people who suffer a panic attack develop a phobia,a deep fear of ever repeating the activity that brought on the attack.

  But experts say panic disorder can be treated. Doctors might suggest antianxiety or anti depressant medicines. Talking to a counselor could help a person learn to deal with or avoid a panic attack. There are breathing methods,for example,that might help a person calm down. 

  Panic disorder is included among what mental health professionals call anxiety disorders. A study published last week reported a link between anxiety disorders and several physical diseases.

  The report in the Archives of Internal Medicine came from a German health study of more than four thousand adults.

(   ) 1. When a panic happens,you can have the feeling that         .

   A. your heart beats slowly   B. your hands become sweaty

   C. you breath faster   D. your reaction is quicker

(   ) 2. What is the best title for the passage?

   A. A Panic Is a Kind of Disease

   B. How to Prevent Panic Attacks

   C. A Research Report about Panic Attacks

   D. The Cause of Panic Attacks

(   ) 3. In which section can you find the passage in the newspaper?

   A. Entertainment. B. Sports.

   C. Health. D. High technology.

(   ) 4. What does the underlined word "phobia" in the passage mean?

   A. A kind of deep fear after a panic attack.

   B. A disease resulting in death.

   C. A special treatment to cure panic attacks.

   D. A sort of medicine for heart disease.