Obama still smokes in secret
     US President Barack Obama may have just made life more difficult for cigarette smokers, but he still
smokes every now and then in secret.
      Obama, who has publicly struggled to quit smoking, said he still hasn't completely kicked the habit
even after signing a law this week that will set tough new rules for the tobacco industry.
     "As a former smoker I constantly struggle with it. Have I fallen off the wagon sometimes?  Yes. Am I
a daily smoker, a constant smoker? No," Obama said at a news conference.
     "I don't do it in front of my kids, I don't do it in front of my family. I would say that I am 95 percent
cured, but there are times where I mess up," he said.
      The new law gives the US Food and Drug Administration the power to strictly limit the making and
marketing of tobacco products.
     At a White House signing ceremony Monday, Obama said he was among the nearly 90 percent of
smokers who took up the habit before their 18th birthday.
      "Once you go down this path it's something you continually struggle with, which is exactly why the
law we signed is so important because what we don't want is kids going down that path in the first
place," he said at the news conference.
      Nearly 20 percent of Americans smoke and tobacco use kills about 440,000 people a year in the
United States due to cancer, heart disease, and other serious diseases.

1. According to the passage, Obama _________.

A. has no plan to give up smoking    
B. still smokes as usual
C. no longer smokes              
D. hasn't completely given up smoking
2. What does the underlined sentence mean in the third paragraph?

A. Have I dropped from the wagon?  
B. Have I stopped smoking completely?
C. Do I still smoke sometimes?      
D. Do I still smoke as much as before?

3. Which of the following is Not TRUE?

A. Nearly 90 percent of the population of America smoke.
B. Nearly 90 percent of the smokers of America began to smoke before they turned 18.
C. Nearly one-fifth of Americans smoke.
D. Smoking kills about 440,000 people a year in the USA.

4. The new law first looks at _________ health.

A. adults'    
B. middle-aged people's  
C. women's  
D. children's

     A group of graduates, successful in their careers, got together to visit their old university professor.
Conversation soon turned into complaints about stress in work and life.  
Before offering his guests coffee, the professor went to the kitchen and returned with a large pot of
coffee and a variety of cups-porcelain, plastic, glass, crystal, some plain looking and cheap, some
exquisite and expensive-telling them to help themselves to the coffee.
     When all the students had a cup of coffee in hand, the professor said: "If you noticed, all the nice
looking expensive cups were taken up, leaving behind the plain and cheap ones. While it is normal for
you to want only the best for yourselves, that is the source of your problems and stress. Be assured
that the cup itself adds no quality to the coffee. In most cases it is just more expensive and in some
cases even hides what we drink. What all of you really wanted was coffee, not the cup, but you
consciously went for the best cups. . And then you began eyeing each other's cups.
     Now consider this: Life is the coffee; the jobs, money and position in society are the cups. They
are just tools to hold and contain Life, and the type of cup we have does not define, nor change the
quality of life we live. Sometimes, by concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the coffee God
has provided us. "
      God brews the coffee, not the cups. Enjoy your coffee!
     "The happiest people don't have the best of everything. They just make the best of everything. "
     Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly. Leave the rest to God.

1. Why did the professor offer his students coffee with varieties of cups?

A. To give his students many more choices.
B. To teach his students how to enjoy coffee.
C. To show the students his collection of cups.    
D. To tell his students the right attitude to life

2. According to the professor, the happiest people are the ones who _____.

A. get the best type of coffee cups      
B. make the best of what they have
C. have a wide range of coffee cups    
D. care about social status and wealth

3. The best title for the passage would be _____.

A. God's Coffee                    
B. The Pressure of Life
C. The Happiest People              
D. Professor's Coffee Cups

     A young man, while traveling through a desert, came across a spring of clear water. 1______ water was
sweet. He filled his leather container so that he could bring some back to an elder 2______ had been his teacher.
After a four-day journey, the young man 3______ (present) the water to the old man. His teacher took a deep
drink, smiled 4______ (warm), and thanked his student very much for the sweet water. The young man went
home 5______ a happy heart.
     After the student left, the teacher let 6______ student taste the water. He spit it out, 7______ (say) it was
awful. Apparently, it was no longer fresh because of the old leather container. He asked his teacher, "Sir, the
water was awful. Why did you pretend to like 8______?"
     The teacher replied, "You tasted the water. I tasted the girl. The water was simply the container for an act
of kindness and love. Nothing could be 9______ (sweet)."
     We understand this lesson best 10______ we receive gifts of love from children. Whether it is a cheap pipe
or a diamond necklace, the proper response is appreciation. We love the idea within the gift rather than the thing.

     Bobby Moresco grew up in New York's Hell's Kitchen, a tough working-class neighborhood on
Manhattan's West Side. But Hell's Kitchen lies right next door to Broadway, and the bright lights
attracted Bobby from the time he was a teen. Being stage-struck was hardly what a street kid could
admit to his partners. Fearing their ridicule, he told no one, not even his girlfriend, when he started taking
acting lessons at age 17. If you were a kid from the neighborhood, you became a cop, construction
worker, longshoreman or criminal. Not an actor.
      Moresco struggled to make that long walk a few blocks east. He studied acting, turned out for all the
cattle calls-and during the decade of the 1970s made a total of $2,000. "I wasn't a good actor, but I had
a driving need to do something different with my life," he says.
He moved to Hollywood, where he drove a cab and worked as a bartender(酒吧服務(wù)員). "My father
said, 'Stop this craziness and get a job; you have a wife and daughter.' "But Moresco kept working at his
chosen craft.
      Then in 1983 his younger brother Thomas was murdered in a mob-linked killing. Moresco moved
back to his old neighborhood and started writing as a way to explore the pain and the patrimony of
Hell's Kitchen. Half-Deserted Streets, based on his brother's killing, opened at a small Off-Broadway
theater in 1988. A Hollywood producer saw it and asked him to work on a screenplay.
       His reputation grew, and he got enough assignments to move back to Hollywood. By 2003, he was
again out of work and out of cash when he got a call from Paul Haggis, a director who had befriended him. Haggis wanted help writing a film about the country after September 11. The two worked on the writing, but every studio in town turned it down. They kept pitching it. Studio executives, however, thought no one wanted to see a severe, honest vision of race and fear and lives in collision in modern America.
     Moresco believed so strongly in the script that he borrowed money, sold his house. He and Haggis
kept pushing. At last the writers found an independent film producer who would take a chance, but the
upfront money was too little, Moresco delayed his salary.
     Crash slipped into the theaters in May 2005, and quietly became both a hit and a critical success. It
was nominated for six Academy Awards and won three-Best Picture, Best Film Editing and Best Writing (Original Screenplay) by Paul Haggis and the kid from Hell's Kitchen.
      At age 54, Bobby Moresco became an overnight success. "If you have something you want to do in
life, don't think about the problems," he says, "think about other ways to get it done."

1. Rearrange the following statements in terms of time order:
a. His work Half-Deserted Streets drew attention as it opened at a small Off-Broadway theater
b. Unexpectedly Crash became both a hit and a huge success.
c. He moved to Hollywood to be a taxi driver and a waiter.
d. He started learn acting in spite of hardness with the belief of doing something different.
e. His younger brother Thomas was killed in conflict among bullies.

A. d; c; e; a; b      
B. d; e; c; b; a    
C. c; d; e; a; b    
D. c; e; d; b; a  

2. Why Bobby Moresco did not tell anyone that he started taking lessons at age 17?

A. He wanted to give his girlfriend a surprise.    
B. His girlfriend did not allow him to do this.
C. He was afraid of being laughed at.
D. He had no talent for acting.

3. Which of the following sentences is NOT true?

A. His father did not support his work as a bartender.
B. Before he became an overnight success, his life experienced ups and downs.
C. His brother's death inspired his writing Half-Deserted Streets.
D. Moresco grew up in New York's Hell's Kitchen which is a few blocks east of Broadway.

4. The Studio executives turned the script Crash down because ______________.

A. they thought the script would not be popular.
B. the script was not well written.
C. they had no money to make the film based on the script.
D. they thought Moresco was not famous.

5. What's the best title of the article?

A. The Road to Success
B. Try It a Different Way
C. A Talented man-Moresco
D. Moresco's Perseverance

6. Which of the following can best describe Bobby Moresco?

A. initiative (主動(dòng)) and persistent        
B. shy but hardworking  
C. caring and brave                  
D. aggressive and modest

     Imagine eating the dishes of 102 different countries in as many consecutive (連續(xù)的) days. That's what
Noah Galuten has done. He raced around the Southland (the name given to the towns and cities that surround
Los Angeles county in California) for almost four months, indulging in (沉迷于) lunches, dinners and a few
breakfast without a break.
     Although he's not chef (廚師), Galuten grew up around good food. His mother mainly cooked Italian food,
and he recalled standing on a stool (板凳) making sauce when he was six years old. He also cooked dinners
for friends during his college years. And he had experimented and adapted food from many cultures.
     Galuten's food journey began after he graduated from college. Unemployed and back in Los Angeles, he
decided to try something that he had a passion for. And he hoped it would help him 'keep his mind off his
unemployment depression.
     Then he set up a blog and began his food journey. The requirement was to eat one dish at each place. After
each meal, he would write a biog about the food, the cost, the environment and the company. It was indeed an
incredible challenge. Sometimes Galuten searched online and contacted a friend of a friend for a restaurant tip
or seeking out local food companies, he mostly dined at inexpensive restaurants.
     His journey also used up his savings. Galuten figured that he spent about $11,000 during the 102-day
experiment, including groceries, meals, gasoline, rent and other living cost. Now that he has used up all his
money and is $4,000 in debt, he is seriously joy-hunting.
     But he pointed out, "I feel very happy now, although I am in debt. It's not to say that a lack of money has
caused my happiness, because the feeling is not related to money at all. It's more about doing that is important
to you and sticking to what makes you happy, then making it the focus of your life."

1. What led Galuten to start his daily food journey? (no more than 10 words)
    _____________________________________________________________________________
2. How did Galuten collect information for his food journey? (no more than 8 words)
    _____________________________________________________________________________
3. What canwe leam from Galuten's words in the last paragraph? (no more than12 words)
    _____________________________________________________________________________
4. What is the passage mainly about? (no more than words)
    _____________________________________________________________________________

     After Maggie Doyne graduated from high school, she decided to spend a year traveling the world before
starting college. The journey changed her life and the lives of hundreds of orphaned children forever.
     In 2006, Doyne took a trip in Nepal, Asia. Having grown up in New Jersey, Doyne was shocked to see
so many orphaned children living on the streets. She wanted to do something about it. Doyne used her savings
to buy an acre of land. Then, she built the kids a home, the Kopila Valley Children's Home.
     Now, the Do Something foundation is doing something for Doyne. The organization provides resources
and support for teens that want to make a difference in the world. On Thursday night, the foundation named
Doyne the $100,000 prize winner of the 2009 Do Something Award.
     The Kopila Valley Children's Home officially opened its doors in 2008. Doyne, now 22 years old, cares for
26 kids. She has helped more than 700 other orphans find families. She also runs a program that provides
scholarships for needy families to send their children to school. The children learn basic skills such as sewing
and cooking. They also grow their own food in their garden and raise farm animals.
     Doyne admits that she didn't have it all figured out when she first arrived in Nepal. "I just felt that there
was something there for me," she said. Her parents were supportive of her. But it was a challenge to convince
other adults that an 18-year-old girl could accomplish such a big project. Still, Doyne never gave up on fund
raising. In just over a year, she had enough money to build her dream home.
     "When all the kids are sitting at the table for breakfast, or they're happy and all dancing... it's the best feeling
in the world." she says.

1. After graduation from high school, Doyne determined _____.

A. to continue her education in college
B. to change the lives of orphaned children
C. to tour the world before going to college
D. to set up the Kopila Valley Children's Home

2. What do we know about the Do Something foundation?

A. It is an organization intended for orphans.
B. It is an organization set up in Nepal, Asia.
C. It officially opened its doors in 2008.
D. It offers Doyne great honor and support.

3. It can be inferred from the passage that _____.

A. Doyne overcame great difficulties in building the home
B. everything in Nepal worked out as Doyne had expected
C. with her parents' help, Doyne stopped raising funds
D. it was easy to persuade adults around to support Doyne

4. Which of the following words can best describe Maggie Doyne?

A. Brave
B. Caring
C. Talented
D. Cautious

     Ellen Parker was worried about her health. She could not walk very quickly and it was difficult for her
to climb stairs. She was soon out of breath."I suppose I had better go to the doctor." she thought. She went
to the doctor and told him her problem. "I'm not at all surprised." he said, "I know what your problem is."
He examined her and then gave her some advice. "If you don't do what I say, Mrs. Parker," he said, "You
will have a heart attack. It could kill you."
     Ellen was very worried as she left the doctor's. She knew that she had to take his advice but that it would
not be easy and it would take time.
     The next day she went shopping. The first shop she went into was a butcher shop.
     "I'd like ten pounds of steak, please." she said.
     "Certainly, madam." the butcher replied and went into the cold room and found a large piece of steak. He
brought the huge piece of meat back into the shop and placed it on the scale.
     "That's just ten pounds." he said.
     "That's big enough." Mrs. Parker said.
     The butcher worked out the price. "At $4.99 a pound that will be $49.90, please. Would you like me to
cut it up into smaller pieces for you?"
     "Oh, I don't want to buy the meat." Mrs. Parker said.
     "If you don't want to buy it," the butcher replied angrily, "Why did you ask me to get it for you?"
     "My doctor told me that I am too heavy and have to lose ten pounds. I wanted to see what ten pounds of
meat looked like."

1. Why did Ellen Parker visit the doctor?

A. She had a heart attack.
B. She had a problem with her health.
C. She was unhappy about her weight.
D. She could not sleep well.

2. Why did Ellen Parker ask for ten pounds of steak?

A. She wanted to buy some for dinner.
B. She wanted to lose weight.
C. Her doctor had told her to eat steak.
D. She wanted to see what ten pounds of meat looked like.