If you enjoyed the spring-like sunshine over the weekend and thought the weather has finally turned a
comer, you're sadly mistaken.
     Chilly (寒冷) days and grey clouds are forecast for the week-making it far too early to pack away the
winter woollies.
     Temperatures will struggle to rise above zero at night and fail to make double figures during the day.
     People enjoy the spring sunshine in Sefton Park, Aigburth, Liverpool. Forecasters have predicted a return
to chilly weather this week.
     Met office forecaster Charlie said. "It was a nice, dry, bright weekend in many parts and Monday is going
to be a similar affair for many."
     "Temperatures will be between 5℃ and 8℃, which is below average for the start of spring."
     The sun will disappear from the south of the country after today, with dry but cloudy conditions forecast
for tomorrow and Wednesday.
     Wednesday will be warmest of the three, with temperatures peaking at 9℃. But this is still two degrees
below the March average for the district.
     Overnight, temperatures will drop sharply with lows of minus 30℃ for the next three nights.
     "It will generally stay on the cold side of average," said Mr. Powell.
     The March misery comes at the end of the coldest winter for more than 30 years.
     Temperatures in December, January and February struggled to stay above zero, with the UK's average
l.5℃, making it the deepest freeze since 1978-79.
     It claimed there was just a one-in-seven chance of a cold December to February.
     The agency also sadly predicted a "barbecue summer", saying it was "quite optimistic" that it would be
warmer and drier than average.
     Following the two mistakes, the Met Office has dropped its long-range seasonal forecasts and will instead
publish a monthly prediction for Britain, updated once a week.
     In its defense, it says that while short-term forecasts are extremely accurate, Britain's size and geographical
position makes long-term predictions much more challenging. 
     It also points out that it gave warning of any heavy falls of snow this winter.

1. According to the passage, the weather on Tuesday in the south might be _____.

A. dry but cloudy
B. sunny but chilly
C. sunny and warm
D. cloudy and chilly

2. Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?

A. British people can put away their winter clothes now.
B. The Met Office has shortened its forecast range.
C. The weather forecast becomes more and more accurate.
D. The agency was quite confident of long-term predictions.

3. Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?

A. The big chill isn't over yet
B. A warm spring finally arrives
C. A heavy snow is on the way
D. The Met Office drops forecasts

4. From the passage, we can conclude _____.

A. the weather report is more and more important
B. British people become worried about bad weather
C. Britain has just experienced a very freezing winter
D. the agency can always predict heavy snow falls accurately

     Here below are two pieces taken from a blog. 
     ▲ Growing up as one of three girls I've always been keen on women's issues. And now with three
daughters to raise, I have the responsibility of ensuring that they grow up without any preconceived (預(yù)
想的) ideas of their capabilities & potential based on their gender. Earlier this year I read an article that
indicated that women surpassed men in the workforce for the first time in history. That is a milestone!
And while we still don't have equality in leadership positions or pay (especially if you're a mom), we have
made significant progress over the past couple of decades. All this prompted me to do some digging around
to see what else I could learn. Here are some fun facts from the census bureau for you: 
     ● 29% of women aged 25 or older had obtained a bachelors degree in 2008 vs. 18% in 1987. 
     ● 55% of all college students were women in the Fall of 2008. 
     ● 60% of women 20 years or older participate in the workforce today vs. 34% in 1950. 
     ● 14% of the armed forces were women in 2008, compared to 2% in 1950. 
     ▲ We're all looking to stretch the value of our dollar as much as possible. Every day as you juggle the
needs of your family, remember to eat right, take your vitamins and keep up with laundry and bills-you
probably also look for budget friendly, family appropriate activities. A day trip to a national park is a great
way to explore all the wonders of nature: without breaking the bank. Once or twice a month, my wife and
I will prepare for a leisurely hike in one of our favorite parks close to home. The night before, she makes
some homemade granola and I make sure our reusable water bottles are full and on ice. Next time you're
looking for an inexpensive adventure that your family isn't soon to forget, take a hike! To find a national
park near you, just visit www. nps. gov.

1. According to the first blog, _____.

A. the blogger has three sisters 
B. there are more women than men at work this year
C. 14% of women are working in the army
D. women has got equality in leadership position

2. What is mainly talked about in the first blog?

A. Responsibility.
B. Women's potential.
C. Workforce.
D. Women s issues.

3. The underlined words "breaking the bank" in the second blog means _____.

A. robbing the bank
B. getting some money from the bank
C. using up the money in the bank
D. going to the bank

4. What's the writer's suggestion in the second blog?

A. We all have to think about the needs of our family.
B. All the wonders of nature are in the national park.
C. To go hiking once or twice a month will be an inexpensive adventure.
D. Each of us will have to make our budget friendly.

     If foreigners want to drive a car in China, they must have a Chinese license. That is 1______ international
driver licenses are not valid in China. But foreigners who have a driving license issued by their home countries
can apply for a 2______ driving license and drive in China 3______ having to take the related tests. 
     4______, they need to attend lessons to study Chinese road safety rules before they drive in China And they
can only drive small cars. The temporary license can be valid for three months at most. The valid period cannot
be made 5______.
     In addition, the temporary driving license should be used 6______ the driving license issued in their home
country. Foreigners should always take these two licenses with 7______ in case the traffic police ask them to
show these licenses.
     If you drive in China, you must understand that most drivers are new. Every day, hundreds of brand-new
cars are driven by brand-new drivers. They don't have much 8______ on the road. So, be careful.

     During the Spring Festival, my parents and some of my relatives gave me some gift money. What should I
do (1) ____ the money? I had desired to buy a pair of Nike sports (2) ____(鞋). I had also wanted to have an
MP4 player of my (3) ____. With the gift money I could a (4) ____ what I wanted to buy. However, I soon
gave up the idea (5) b____I knew I was still a student at school. Besides, my parents always lived a (6) s____
life. Their money was not (7)____(容易) earned. Thinking of this, I decided to open a savings account at a
bank the (8) f ____ day. From now on, I'll make both ends meet as a student financially (9) ____ (支持) by
my parents. I am sure my dream will (10) ____ true one day with the money through my hard work.

     If you have a chance to go to Finland, you will probably be surprised to find how "foolish" the Finnish
people are. 
     Take the taxi drivers for example. Taxis in Finland are mostly high-class Benz with a fare of two US
dollars a kilorneter. You can go anywhere in one, tell the driver to drop you at any place, say that you have
some business to attend to, and then walk off without paying your fare. The driver would not show the
least sign of anxiety.
     The dining rooms in an big hotels not only serve their guests, but also serve outside diners. Hotel guests
have their meals free, so they naturally go to the free dining rooms to have their meals. The most they would
do to show their good faith is to wave their registration card to the waiter. With such a loose check, you can
easily use any old registration card to take a couple of friends to dine free of charge.
     The Finnish workers are paid by the hour. They are very much on their own as soon as they have agreed
with the boss on the rate. From then on they just say how many hours they have worked and they will be paid
accordingly.
     With so many loopholes (漏洞) in everyday life, surely Finland must be a heaven to those who love to take
"petty advantages". But the strange thing is, all the taxi passengers would always corne back to pay their fare
after they have attended to their business; not a single outsider has everbeen found in the free hotel dining
rooms. And workers always give an honest account of the exact hours they put in. As the Finns always act
on good faith in everything they do, living in such a society has turned everyone into a real "gentleman".
     In a society of such high moral practice, what need is there for people to be on guard against others?

1. While taking a taxi in Finland, a passenger _____.

A. can go anywhere without having to pay the driver
B. only pays two US dollars for a taxi ride
C. can neverbe tumed down by the taxi driver whereVer he wants to go
D. needs to provide good faith denlonstration before leaving without paying

2. We can know from the passage that in Finland _____.

A. both hotel guests and outside diners are served food free of charge 
B. big hotels provide meals for all kinds of diners
C. guests can enjoy free food once they stayed in the hotel
D. big hotels are mostly poorly managed

3. Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?

A. Generally speaking, in Finland, workers can get more pay by working long hours.
B. The workers and their bosses will make an agreement in advance about the pay.
C. The workers are always honest with their working hours.
D. The bosses are too busy to check the working hours of their employees.

4. It can be concluded that _____.

A. Finnish people are really foolish in daily life
B. Finland has been a good place for cheats
C. the Finnish society is of very high moral level
D. all the Finns are rich and therefore honest

     Many people say that the United States is a paradise for the children, a struggling field for the youth and a
tomb for the aged. However, the situation is quite different in Australia. Different people have their own ways
for enjoyment and their own worlds of pastime.
     Most children often work hard in school since they have to face various exams. After school they do not
want to confine themselves to books any more. Instead, they put aside their schoolbags at home and sneak
quickly to some quiet street corners for their games. Bigger children like to shoulder their large kites to some
steep cliffs, and jump to fly in the sky with their kites.
     Some old people often get up early in the morning and go to parks to do newspaper reading. After breakfast,
they come to horse races, dog races and sometimes car races for betting. If he wins, he will feed himself a
good dinner. In the evening, they stay at home, watching TV sometimes with grandchildren. Some of the aged
also enjoy fishing and gardening.
     Young people prefer to go outing for holidays. At the weekends, they go to the seashore for swimming or
to the forest for hunting and camping, or mountainous areas for picnicking. Then in the evenings on Sundays,
they start their long bumper-to-bumper drive back on the highways. Nobody seems in a hurry.
     The Australian government also encourages its people to have more relaxation after work. Sometimes,
certain kind of financial help is distributed to people going on holidays and public holidays are purposely set on
Monday or Friday so that Australians may have a longer weekend for enjoyment. They think people can work
better only after they get a full relaxation. And it grows out of this idea that relaxation comes the top priority
(優(yōu)先權(quán)) for enjoyment in Australia.

1. According to many people's opinion, which of the following is NOT true?

A. All people in the US live a desirable life.
B. The competition among American young people is fierce.
C. The life of the American old people is very terrible.
D. Children in America are extremely happy.

2. Australia is different from America because Australia _____.

A. is not a paradise for children
B. is not a struggling field for the youth
C. is not a tomb for the aged
D. has different worlds for different people

3. There is an idea of enjoyment priority in Australia because _____.

A. enjoyment is more important than other aspects of life
B. a full relaxation will make people work better
C. enjoyment can make people happy
D. Australian people are lazy

4. The underlined part can be replaced by "_____".

A. adjust themselves to
B. prevent themselves from
C. limit themselves to
D. satisfy themselves with

Dear Annie,
     I am not opposed to drinking, but it sometimes makes Christmas parties out of control. Every year, the
company my wife works for 1______ (host) a Christmas dinner party at a local restaurant. What used to be
an enjoyable meal with some employees has become a large, drunken event 2______ (last) late into the night.
One year, two employees 3______ (expect) had a fight outside the entrance. Last year, it was even more
embarrassing that the scene 4______ some drunken employees set fire to one of the tables was viewed by
other customers in the restaurant. Every year, my wife talks about not going, 5______ always does and insists
we stay till the end of the party. This year, we thanked the hosts, left the restaurant and had cocktails and
dinner at home. I think we would be setting a good example and other employees would follow. What do you
think?
Dear West.
     We're with you, as you never know 6______ the party will have in store for you. 7______ you don't make
your farewells in an unhurried manner and don't give the impression that you are 8______ a rush, it will not
be rude to do so. The employees who get drunk may not even notice you're gone. More importantly, other
employees may find courage in 9______ to do the same, and perhaps if enough of them walk out, the boss
will find 10______ way to celebrate the holiday.