Phoenix , Arizona, the USA was shaken by a big sandstorm recently. It was a huge dust storm that
struck Phoenix a little after 7:00 pm local time.
     Arizona has sandstorms particularly during the monsoon( 季風(fēng) )season which usually starts from
mid-June until the end of September. However, this was so far the biggest. The cloud of dust turned day
into night. Some trees were downed, gardens were destroyed and it knocked out power for thousands
of local people along the area, but luckily no death happened. A number of the people's pools became
dirty with dust. People who lived in Phoenix for more than 40 years said that this was the first time they
had experienced this huge dust storm. It could greatly influence people's health.
     The big dust cloud started in Tucson traveling north across the desert. The huge storm ran up to 60
miles per hour. It was more than 100 miles wide and a mile high. Besides Phoenix and near cities ,the
storm also reached Yuma area in southwestern and far western Arizona. It reduced the visibility ( 能見度 ) in these areas, putting off the flights at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport.
     The storm only takes place in Arizona, the Sahara Desert and areas of the Middle East, because of
the dry environment and large amounts of sand. Because of the serious shortage of rain, a wall of there's
a large possibility that the water is polluted because of the storm.

1. It is fortunate that though the big sandstorm happened,______.

A. people's health was not influenced
B. it didn't do harm to people's gardens
C. the electricity power remained normal
D. all the local people in the area survived

2. Sandstorms take place in Arizona as a result of _____.

A. its being too far away from the sea.
B. its dry environment and large amounts of sand
C. its being close to the Sahara Desert
D. its looking like areas of the Middle East

3. What does the passage mainly talk about?

A. Sandstorms do a great deal of harm to people
B. We must do something to prevent sandstorms.
C. Phoenix , Arizona in the US experienced a huge sandstorm.
D. Phoenix, Arizona in the us has more sandstorms.

     美國長大的臺灣人氣歌手Wang Lee Hom在接受CNN Talk Asia欄目專訪時,回答了主持人
Lorraine Hahn提出的五個問題(第1-5題).請從下列提問(A、 B、C、D、E和F)中選出與他
的回答相匹配的問題。

A. What do awards mean to you?
B. How would you describe your style?
C. What is it about acting that's so attractive?
D. How do you deal with this loss of privacy?
E. How do you divide your time in acting and music?
F. What gave you the idea to start the studios in the first place?

     Born in New York in 1976, Wang grew up in the United States. Blessed with a mix of brains and
talent, he spent his youth performing in local musicals. While in university, Wang landed a recording
contract in Taiwan. His breakthrough album firmly established him as a rising star in the Asian music
scene. In addition to writing and producing his own music, Wang has also taken part in movie projects
around Asia. He has won a great popularity, and now he is having an interview with CNN Talk Asia.
1. ______________
    WL: It is a school of hip hop, which is the way I like to think of it. It combines Chinese elements and
sounds. I started it off in my last album called Shangrila. And this album combines the music of ethnic
minorities, in China, in Tibet, and in Mongolia. It's beautiful and original to Chinese culture. And this new
album called Heroes of Earth combines Opera and Quen-chu, which are thousand-year-old traditions
also unique to Chinese culture. Very unique instruments, costumes, singing styles. I don't think anyone
has ever done this before in the hip hop world.
2. ______________
     WL: Um, just the large quantity of work that I have to come up with. I produce for other artists and
compose for them as well. And there are a lot of changes in music going on right now in Asia. And it's
really exciting so I decided that I'm going to need a studio in New York. I'm going to need a studio in
Taipei. And maybe the rest I can get by with just my laptop.
3. ______________
     WL: Well, I started doing musical theatre. And I loved it so much from the age of 13, you know.
Actually in 2000, I did my first movie and ever since then I've been enjoying doing movies. I don't
think I'm much of an actor. But I just love being surrounded by creative people and a lot of times doing
music is a lonely struggle, especially composing, and arranging, producing my own albums. Acting, every
day you get called and you're surrounded by other actors and creative people.
4. ____________
     WL: The first time I won, like you just said, when I was 22, it meant a lot to me. It was like…I didn't
know I could make this happen. I didn't know I could get this kind of recognition. So back then, it was
huge increase of confidence. And I don't want to say vanity(虛榮心), but confidence. I think every artis
needs confidence.
5. _____________
     WL: Well, it can be a real pain in the neck. You know, I feel lucky that I can go back to New York
and not be recognized and not be followed. At times it can be really, really annoying. Today many
people own a cell phone that has a camera on it…and a blog. In the entertainment news, there's a recent
trend of journalists or media just going on to the Internet and saying "Oh, so and so saw so and so." when
they see a blog. You know, it's completely irresponsible but in the blog what he says can become the title
of the newspaper article.

     BEIJING - After a night of wining and dining with 50 of China's richest people, Warren Buffet and
Bill Gates told the journalists on Thursday that the biggest difference between eating with Chinese
tycoons (企業(yè)界大亨) and Western ones was the food.
     "I was amazed last night, really, at how similar the questions and discussions and all that were to those
in the dinners we had in the U.S.," said Mr. Buffett.
     Mr. Buffett and Mr. Gates, two of the best known Westerners here, announced in September, 2010
that they planned to invite 50 wealthy Chinese tycoons to dinner in Beijing to encourage philanthropy (慈善事業(yè)) among China's new rich.
     On Thursday, the two men pronounced the dinner a great success, saying that two-thirds of those
invited had shown up, and that more than half of them had offered their own ideas on how Chinese
philanthropy should work.
     The guest list wasn't made public, but the Chinese news media reported that it included Jet Li, the
movie star; Niu Gensheng, the founder of a Chinese dairy business; and Pan Shiyi and Zhang Xin, who
control the SOHO China real estate (房地產(chǎn)) empire.
     As with four earlier dinners held in the United States, Mr. Buffett and Mr. Gates said, no one at the
Beijing event was asked to donate money or to promise to engage in charity. "Bill and I won't be calling
anybody. What happens in China will depend on what the Chinese people feel about a project of this
sort," said Mr. Buffett.
     China is widely reported to be second only to the United States in the number of dollar billionaires.
Mr. Gates and Mr. Buffett said the nation was unique because its wealthy class had arisen almost wholly
in the past 30 years, so the philanthropic practices established among European and American dynasties
are new here, and open to change.
     The two said the dinner wasn't a long planned matter, but an offshoot (衍生事物) of a trip that Mr.
Buffett had already scheduled to Guangdong and Hunan Provinces, where BYD Company, a maker of
clean-energy automobiles, has factories. Mr. Buffett's company, Berkshire Hathaway, holds a 10%
stake (股金) in the company.
     But Mr. Gates suggested that their philanthropic trip wasn't yet over. "We may do an event in India,"
he said.

1. What is the text mainly about?

   A. A brief analysis of future philanthropy.
   B. The development of Chinese philanthropy.
   C. An introduction on Mr. Buffett and Mr. Gates' trip in China.
   D. A charity dinner held in Beijing by Mr. Buffett and Mr. Gates.

2. According to the first two paragraphs, Mr. Buffett really wanted to say that _____.

   A. the dinner was quite a success
   B. the food in the dinner was very delicious
   C. Chinese tycoons are similar to Western ones
   D. it was pleasing to discuss with Chinese tycoons

3. We can learn from the text that __________.

   A. China has the largest number of dollar billionaires in Asia
   B. many people have promised to donate money at dinner
   C. Beijing will be the last stop of their philanthropic trip
   D. the Chinese news media published the complete guest list of the dinner

     BEIJING-Seven prestigious universities in China announced Sunday that they would begin using the
same independent exam -besides the national one -to test students hoping to gain entrance to them in
2011.
     The seven are Peking University, Beihang University, Beijing Normal University, Nankai University,
Fudan University, Xiamen University and Hong Kong University.
     Students who want to gain entrance to any of the seven universities will only have to sit one
independent exam, according to the joint announcement.
     "This will help lighten tile students' load, otherwise they must take several exams for different
universities,"said the announcement.
    Passing the exam could result in more than one interview chance, giving the students more
opportunities to choose their favorite universities.
     China' s college entrance exam system is undergoing reform as universities aim to select students
based on independent criteria rather than just using the results of the national exam.
     In 2003, Peking University and another 21 universities were allowed to pilot (試用) the reform by
using their own criteria to independently select five percent of their students.
    Now nearly 80 universities across the country have the right to select talented students based on their
own exams.
     Education experts regard universities selecting students according to independent examinations as
conducive (有助的) to better understanding where the students' talents lie.
     Although this may be the case, it has also created problems as students may sit many different exams
as they often apply for a number of universities.
     To relieve students from such pressures, the national education outline (2010-2020) released in July
this year encourages high-level universities to group together to use the same exams.

1. If students want to be admitted to the seven prestigious universities, they can______.

A. only pass the interview.      
B. only take the national exam.
C. only take the independent exam.
D. either take the national exam or the take the independent exam.

2. What's the purpose of students sitting one independent exam to gain entrance to the seven universities?

A. It can reduce students'load to take several exams.
B. The universities will have the same standard to test students.
C. There will be less trouble marking students' test papers.
D. It can avoid fierce competition among these universities.

3. If students pass the independent exam,they will ______.

A. take the national exam.      
B. have one or more interview chances.
C. be admitted to one of the universities.
D. he trained to be adapted to universities life and studies.

4. What is the advantage of universities selecting students according to independent examinations?

A. Students needn't take the national exam.  
B. Students'education cost can be lowered.
C. Students abilities and talents can be better found.
D. It can encourage middle schools to recommend more qualified students.

     China Daily Oct.11,2008-The Ministry of Health has called for more awareness from the public on
the mental health of the young,as part of efforts to mark World Mental Health Day which fell on Friday.
     More than 15 percent of Chinese youths have been found with mental problems,and about 30 million
young people under 17 are suffering from depression,the Shanghaibased Wenhui Daily reported.The
World Health Organization estimates that before 2020,the rate of children with mental problems will
increase to 50 percent,and mental problems will become a major factor behind deaths and illness in the
young worldwide.
     Deng Xiaohong,the spokesperson for the Beijing Municipal Health Bureau,said rapid social changes
are one of the reasons behind the rising number of youngsters with psychological problems.If these
mental diseases are not addressed on time,occurrence of crimes,drugtaking and other dangerous
behavior are expected to rise.Experts said mental diseases could be caused by many factors,such as the
inability to handle interpersonal  relations well,unstable emotions and pressures from an overload of
studies.A number of experts have also said the onechild policy is another reason leading to poor mental
health in the young.Children are said to be too "spoiled" and "selfish" in a onechild family.
     It's reported that schools in many cities are rolling out measures to help students maintain their mental
wellb eing.Yin Jingmiao,a teacher of the Beijing No.105 Middle School,told China Daily that the school
invites psychologists to provide counseling to students three times a month."Students can be arranged to
have 40minute counseling sessions," Yin said.The school also gives lectures on mental health to senior
grade students before they take the national college entrance exams to help ease any anxiety arising from
the tests.

1. Which of the following can be the best title for the passage?

A. Efforts to Mark World Mental Health Day
B. Seriousness of Youngsters'Mental Health Problems
C. How to Maintain Mental Wellbeing
D. Public Awareness on Youngsters'Mental Diseases Expected

2. The writer intends to tell us in the second paragraph that________.

A. mental health problems of the young are becoming a popular problem
B. only young people are suffering from mental health problems
C. mental problems will become as serious as deaths and illness
D. the rate of children with mental problems will increase to 50 percent

3. Which could be the consequence if the problem is left untreated?

A. Inability to handle interpersonal relations.
B. Unstable emotions.
C. Drugtaking and other dangerous behavior.
D. Rapid social changes.

     WASHINGTON: An analysis of global temperatures by independent statisticians shows the Earth is
still warming and not cooling as some global warming skeptics are claiming.
     The analysis was conducted at the request of The Associated Press to investigate the legitimacy of
talk of a cooling trend that has been spreading on the Internet, fueled by some news reports, a new book
and temperatures that have been cooler in a few recent years.
     In short, it is not true, according to the statisticians who contributed to the analysis.
     The statisticians, reviewing two sets of temperature data, found no trend of falling temperatures over
time.US government data show the decade that ends in December will be the warmest in 130 years of
record-keeping, and 2005 was the hottest year recorded.
     The case that the Earth might be cooling partly stems from recent weather. Last year was cooler than
previous years. It has been a while since the superhot years of 1998 and 2005. So is this a longer climate
trend or just weather's normal ups and downs?
     In a blind test, the AP gave temperature data to four independent statisticians and asked them to look
for trends, without telling them what the numbers represented. The experts found no true temperature
declines over time.
     "If you look at the data and sort of cherry-pick a microtrend within a bigger trend, that technique is
particularly suspect," said John Grego, a professor of statistics at the University of South Carolina.
     Yet the idea that things are cooling has been repeated in opinion columns, a BBC news story posted
on the Drudge Report and in a new book by the authors of the best-seller Freakonomics. Last week, a
poll by the Pew Research Center found that only 57 percent of Americans now believe there is strong
scientific evidence for global warming, down from 77 percent in 2006.          

1. The first paragraph serves as a (n) _______.

A. explanation      
B. introduction        
C. comment        
D. background

2. According to the passage ,the hottest year in 130 years of record-keeping is _____ .

A. 1998            
B. 2005              
C. 2006            
D. 2010

3. How many factors lead to the idea that the earth is cooling?

A. 2              
B. 3                    
C. 4                
D .5

4. We can learn from the passage that _____.

A. five independent statisticians were given temperature data to look for trends
B. more and more Americans now believe there is strong scientific evidence for global warming
C. The analysis of global temperatures was required by the independent statisticians
D. The earth is not becoming cooler as some people are claiming on the internet

     China reported blistering growth for the last three months of 2009 ,  raising expectations of interest
rate increases and other measures to head_off inflation.
     China has declared that it is recovering from the global economic crisis.
     Ma Jiantang, head of the National Bureau of Statistics,  said Thursday the country's economy grew
by 10.7 percent in the last three months of 2009.
     Ma says China has managed to quickly hold back what he described as "the sliding of the national
economy". He says China has become the first country,  on the whole,  to achieve economic recovery
and stabilization.
     According to previous estimates, Ma says China's  gross domestic product for 2009 rose 8.7 percent,  to nearly five trillion dollars.
     This goes beyond the official growth rate target of eight percent. The government has long considered
eight percent growth essential to create enough jobs for the country's more than one billion people.
     At the same time, Ma says some problems and contradictions are natural.
     Ma says the Chinese government will  give more priority  to  restructuring  economic  and  improving
peoples' livelihood.
     To reduce the effects of the global economic crisis that began in 2008 ,  China loosened lending practices, cut interest rates and began massive spending programs. But the government wants to make sure those measures do not contribute to inflation, which can be politically sensitive in a country where hundreds of millions of people remain poor.
     Beijing resident Ms Wang says she is worried. She says she thinks prices are rising really fast. She points to the price of cabbage, which has increased more than 10 times in the past year.
     The head  of the  Chinese  Banking  Regulatory Commission, this week said the government will step up monitoring of banks and rein in lending to prevent speculative bubbles(投機(jī)泡沫) in real estate(房地產(chǎn)) and other assets.
     The World Bank on Thursday released a report that predicts China's economy will grow by nine percent this year. This contrasts with forecasts of 2.5 percent growth rate for the United States and one percent growth for European economies in , because of weaknesses remaining from the global financial crisis.

1. What does the underlined phrase in the first paragraph mean?

A. Prevent.   
B. Begin.  
C. Continue.    
D. Reduce.

2. How many measures did China take to reduce the sliding of the national economy?

A. 2.  
B. 3.  
C. 4.  
D. 5.

3. The global economy in  will ________.

A. increase more quickly than in 2009
B. recover immediately if proper measures are taken
C. remain weak as a result of the global financial crisis
D. remain the same standard as that in 2009

4. The passage is mainly about ________.

A. jobs created for more than one billion people
B. lending practices loosened in China in the new year
C. rapid growth of Chinese economy in last months of 2009
D. fast growth in economy leading to inflation

     SOUTHPORT, ENGLAND-A British teaching union famous for strange ideas has supported
proposal to employ dogs as classroom assistants.
     At the annual conference of the Professional Association of Teachers in Southport, northwest of
England, one person suggested properly trained dogs be able to keep order in primary schools. They
can round up lost children and protect those who experience unfortunate "accidents". Wendy Dyble, a
Shetland Islands woman who teaches children up to age seven, made it clear to her fellow friends that
she was not "barking mad". They obviously believed her, supporting her idea by 16 votes to 13, with a
total of 63 abstentions (棄權(quán)).
     She said big dogs could help round up children, keep them in line, lick up the milk they spill on the
floor and provide the extra eyes that a teacher needs to keep order."A big dog would also be helpful in
breaking up fights and looking for lost property, like gym shoes or dolls, " Dyble said at the conference.
"The dog will also be useful in sniffing out smells that children do not own up to, " she added. "It would
be nice for the teacher not to have to go round sniffing each child to find the culprit (犯錯的人)."
     The idea was greeted by the Dog Defense League but less so by bigger teaching unions. A
spokesman for Education Secretary David Blunkett, who is blind, said his guide dog was always
popular with pupils when he visited schools. The Professional Association of Teachers, with around
35,000 members, is the smallest teaching union in Britain. It has an honour for occasional strange ideas.
Earlier this week, its annual conference here suggested stopping exams because they lead to stress and
introducing selection at the age of 12 based on physical coordination and manual skill in the use of hand.

1. According to the writer's opinion, to employ dogs as classroom assistants________.

A. is a wonderful idea
B. can improve the relation between children and animals
C. is beyond ordinary people's minds
D. can make some teachers lose jobs

2. What Dyble said at the conference________.

A. gained some support from the members
B. frightened everyone at the conference
C. interested everyone at the conference
D. caused some trouble to trained dogs

3. A spokesman for Education Secretary________.

A. once used a dog as a classroom assistant
B. sang high praise for Dyble' s idea
C. would employ dogs as teachers
D. benefited much from dogs

4. The last paragraph of this passage________.

A. has nothing to do with the topic of this passage
B. shows there are too many exams in British schools
C. provides further facts about the teaching union
D. shows the writer's anger to the union

     New York-Wednesday,October fifteenth,is the first Global Hand Washing Day.Activities are planned
in more than twenty countries to get millions of people in the developing world to wash their hands with
soap.
     Experts say people around the world wash their hands but very few use soap at socalled critical
moments.These include after using the toilet,after cleaning a baby and before touching food.
     Global Hand Washing Day is the idea of the PublicPrivate Partnership for Hand Washing with Soap.
The goal,they say,is to create a culture of hand washing with soap.The organizers say all soaps are equally effective at removing diseasecausing germs (病菌)．They say the correct way to wash hands is to wet
your hands with a small amount of water and cover them with soap.Rub it into all areas,including under the fingernails.Then,rinse well under running water.Finally,dry your hands with a clean cloth.
     The Partnership says soap is important because it increases the time that people spend washing.Soap
also helps to break up the dirt that holds most of the germs.And it usually leaves a pleasant smell,which
increases the likelihood that people will wash again.
     It also says washing with soap before eating and after using the toilet could save more lives than any
medicine.It could help reduce cases of diarrhea (痢疾),which is the second leading cause of child deaths,
killing more than one and a half million children a year,by almost half.

1. The most suitable title for the text would be________.

A. Hand Washing Brings Good Health
B. Hand Washing Gets a Day of Its Own
C. It Is Soap That Matters
D. Partnership for Hand Washing Takes Action

2. The Partnership creates Global Hand Washing Day to ________.

A. call on people to wash hands
B. help the developing countries
C. promote the importance of soap in hand washing
D. make a culture of hand washing in the third world

3.The following facts can explain why soap is important EXCEPT that________.

A. soap gives people a longer hand washing time
B. soap helps to get rid of more germs off hands
C. soap attracts people to do more hand washing
D. soap gets people into the habit of washing hands

4. According to the last paragraph,diarrhea is a disease that________.

A. kills half of the kids in developing countries
B. causes the greatest number of child deaths
C. can be prevented by washing hands with soap
D. makes soap stand out in hand washing

1．The train station has put up a no kissing sign in order to________.

A．ban kissing in the station
B．get passengers to walk quickly
C．a(chǎn)void embarrassment
D．prevent illegal practice

2．The underlined word "it" here refers to________.

A．rescuing love from the tracks  
B．banning kissing in the station
C．kissing at the dropoff point  
D．kissing in the car park

3．We learn that in High Wycombe________.

A．kissing is encouraged
B．kissing is forbidden
C．kissing is intolerable
D．kissing is limited to a certain time

4．We can infer that________.

A．the dropoff point is not a safe place
B．the dropoff point is a quiet place
C．the dropoff point is a romantic place
D．the dropoff point is often packed with the traffic and passengers