While small may be beautiful, tall is just plain uncomfortable it seems, particularly when it comes to staying in hotels and eating in restaurants.
The Tall Persons Club Great Britain (TPCGB), which was formed six months ago to campaign for the needs of the tall, has turned its attention to hotels and restaurants. Beds that are too small, showe heads that are too low, and restaurant tables with hardly any leg-room all make life difficult for those of above average height, it says.
But it is not just the extra-tall whose needs are not being met. The average night of the population has been increasing ye the standard size of beds, doorways, and chairs has remained unchanged.]
“The bedding industry says a bed should be six inches larger than the person using it, so even a king-size bed at 6′6″(6 feet and 6 inches) is falling short for 25% of men, while the standard 6′3″ bed caters for less than half of the male population.” Said TPCGB president Phil Heinricy,  “seven-foot beds would work fine.”
Sililarly, restaurant tables can cause no end of problems. Small tables, which mean the long-legged have to sit a foot or so away from them, are enough to make tall customers go elsewhere.
Some have already taken note, however. At Queens Moat Houses′Caledoman Hotl in Edinburgh, 6′6″beds are now put in as standard after requests for longer beds from taller visitors, particularly Americans.
【小題1】What is the purpose of the TPCGB campaign?

A．To provide better services.

B．To rebuild hotels and restaurants.

C．To draw public attention to the needs of the tall.

D．To attract more people to become its members.

【小題2】Which of the following might be a bed of proper length according to Phil Heinricy?

A．7′2″.

B．7′

C．6′6″

D．6′3″

【小題3】What may happen to restaurants with small tables?

A．They may lose some customers.

B．They may start businesses elsewhere.

C．They have to find easy chairs to match the tables.

D．They have to provide enough space for the long-legged.

【小題4】What change has already been made in a hotel in Edinburgh?

A．Tall people pay more for larger beds.

B．6′6″beds have taken the place of 6′3″beds.

C．Special rooms are kept for Americans.

D．Guest rooms are standardized.

British author JK Rowling was at the release of her latest Harry Potter book called “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” at the Natural History Museum in London, Friday July 20, 2007.
J.K. Rowling has been spotted at cafes in Scotland working on a detective novel, a British newspaper reported Saturday.
The Sunday Times newspaper quoted Ian Rankin, a fellow author and neighbor of Rowling's, as saying the creator of the "Harry Potter" books is turning to crime fiction.
"My wife spotted her writing her Edinburgh criminal detective novel," the newspaper quoted Rankin as telling a reporter at an Edinburgh literary festival.
"It is great that she has not abandoned writing or Edinburgh cafes," said Rankin, who is known for his own police novels set in the historic Scottish city.
Rowling famously wrote initial drafts of the Potter story in the Scottish city's cafes. Back then, she was a struggling single mother who wrote in cafes to save on the heating bill at home.
Now she's Britain's richest woman - worth $1 billion, according to Forbes magazine - and her seven Potter books have sold more than 335 million copies worldwide.
In an interview with The Associated Press last month, Rowling said she believed she was unlikely to repeat the success of the Potter series, but confirmed she had plans to work on new books.
"I'll do exactly what I did with Harry - I'll write what I really want to write," Rowling said.
【小題1】 What is JK Rowling famous for?

A. detective novels

B. crime fiction

C. Harry Potter books

D. love stories

【小題2】 Which of the following is Not rue about Ian Rankin?

A. He is a writer famous for police novels.

B. Most of the stories in his novels happened in the historic Scottish city.

C. It was Rankin himself who witnessed JK Rowing writing her Edinburgh criminal detective novels.

D. He told the British newspaper The Sunday Times about JK Rowling’s novels.

【小題3】 Why did Rowling like to write the “Harry Potter stories” in the cafes?

A. Because she was a romantic woman and the atmosphere in the cafes gave her lots of inspiration.

B. Because she was a single mother at that time and she wanted to find a husband there.

C. Because her children were so naughty at home and she had to go to a quiet place for her writing.

D. Because she thought that writing in a cafes could help her save some money.

【小題4】 What can we learn from the passage?

A. The seven Harry Potter series made JK Rowling a success.

B. JK Rowling had made enough money so she decided to stop writing.

C. Rowling planned to write new books because Harry Potter was not exactly what she wanted.

D. Ian Rankin and his wife earned money by telling reporters news about JK Rowling.

【小題5】  What is the best title for the passage?

A. Harry Potter and JK Rowing	B. Ian Rankin, A Neighbour of JK Rowling
C. A Successful Woman JK Rowling	D. JK Rowling writing Detective Novels

Japan Earthquake and Tsunami(海嘯)：How to Help
For readers interested in contributing to help victims of the earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan and the Pacific region，here is a list of contact information and links for some agencies that plan to provide relief.
THE JAPAN CENTER FOR INTERNATIONAL EXCHANGE
The Japan Center for International Exchange has set up the Japan NGO Earthquake Relief and Recovery Fund.Half of the money raised will go to support six Japanese NGOs currently at work in the disaster area and half will be retained to support the longer term recovery.
AMERICAN RED CROSS
Red Cross officials say donors can text REDCROSS to 90999 and a $10 donation will automatically be charged to donors’ phone bill，or donations can be made directly on its Web site.
B’NAI B’RITH INTERNATIONAL
To help the victims of the Japan earthquake and tsunami，donate online on the group’s secure Web site.
Or，by mail to：B’nai B’rith International Disaster Relief Fund，Attn：Japan Earthquake,2020 K Street，NW,7th Floor，Washington，D.C.,20006.
Or by phone：800­573­9057
CARE
CARE is one of the world’s largest private international humanitarian organizations.Their offices in Asia are on high alert(警戒) and have ensured that staff are informed of the tsunami warnings and other related developments.(Updated information on CARE’s work in Japan is available here.)
GLOBALGIVING.ORG
GlobalGiving is working with International Medical Corps，Save the Children，and other organizations on the ground to disburse(支付) funds to organizations providing relief and emergency services to victims of the earthquake and tsunami.Donors can text JAPAN to 50555 to give$10，and larger donations can be submitted on GlobalGiving’s Web site.
THE SALVATION ARMY
The Salvation Army has been providing food and shelter to Tokyo commuters(每日往返上班者) who were stranded when public transportation was interrupted by the earthquake.They are to send a team to Sendai，a city about 250 miles away from Tokyo，to assess the situation there.Text JAPAN or QUAKE to 80888 to make a $10 donation.(Make sure to respond “YES” to the thank­you message you receive.) Donations can also be made on the organization’s Web site or by calling 1­800­SAL­ARMY.
【小題1】If you want to make donations to the victims by phone，you can text REDCROSS to ________.

A．90999	B．80888
C．50555	D．20006

【小題2】What do we know about CARE from the text?

A．It opened a Person Finder Page online.

B．It is the world’s largest humanitarian organization.

C．It raised much money to support six Japanese NGOs.

D．It warned its staff in Asia of the danger of tsunami.

【小題3】Which group can provide food and shelter?

A．THE SALVATION ARMY.

B．GLOBALGIVING.ORG.

C．B’NAI B’RITH INTERNATIONAL.

D．AMERICAN RED CROSS.

【小題4】The underlined word “stranded” in the last paragraph can be replaced by “________”．

A．a(chǎn)bandoned	B．seperated
C．crashed	D．delayed

As many as 4 out of every 1,000 infants born today have permanent hearing loss. When parents learn that their child has hearing loss, they are faced with many difficult decisions. These decisions can include choosing therapies and schools, as well as finding financial help for hearing aids or cochlear implants (人工耳蝸). Help Me Hear Foundation is a public charity that gives the gift of hearing to deaf children from families existing on very low incomes around the world. The foundation offers life-changing services for impoverished families, and provides real help for children with hearing impairment who may otherwise be left behind in schools or society due to their lack of hearing.
Help Me Hear Foundation believes that a child’s first years of development are critical. Being able to hear is vital to human, and Help Me Hear Foundation seeks to provide a positive lasting impression on society through its programs. Help Me Hear Foundation has many goals, including relieving the burden on communities with hearing-impaired infants and children, and strengthening the social structure of families and neighborhoods.
Recipients of Help Me Hear Foundation’s benefits receive state-of-the-art hearing devices that otherwise would cost thousands of dollars per child over the course of their lifetime. The Foundation raises money through donations for hearing aids and cochlear implants, which saves recipients and their families on average over $50,000 on related expenses.
The Foundation tries to be a transparent charity, and wants to be a catalyst for allowing deaf and hearing-impaired children to develop in a typical fashion alongside their peers.
Needy families can obtain information on specific services, and find out about deafness education by visiting the Help Me Hear Foundation’s website. The website offers helpful information on how hearing aids work, and how hearing aids ease many of the learning and language challenges that hearing-impaired children deal with on a daily basis.
【小題1】Help Me Hear Foundation was probably set up to _____.

A．build schools for deaf children

B．research deaf children’s behavior

C．protect deaf children from being ignored

D．offer real help to poor deaf children

【小題2】We learn from the text that _____.

A．the local government is in charge of the foundation

B．the work of the foundation depends on donations

C．even blind children can turn to the foundation

D．poor deaf African children cannot get help from the foundation

【小題3】Visit the foundation’s website, and you will learn about _____.

A．the function of hearing aids

B．the specific services the foundation needs

C．the challenges that children face every day

D．the prices of a variety of hearing aids

【小題4】For whom is the text most probably written?

A．Poor parents who have deaf children.

B．Doctors who want to improve skills.

C．Students who cannot see the blackboard clearly.

D．Teachers who have deaf children in their class.

【小題5】The author writes the text mainly to _____.

A．tell how to avoid permanent hearing loss

B．explain how hard a life deaf children live

C．introduce Help Me Hear Foundation

D．a(chǎn)dvise people to give money to Help Me Hear Foundation

The illegal ivory(象牙) trade has been a major problem in Africa for decades. Poachers have killed hundreds of thousands of elephants to obtain ivory. Now, affected areas are taking action. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) announced on Wednesday key African states where poaching takes place have promised to stop the ivory trade to protect elephants.
Over the past few days, top officials and experts from 30 states met at the African Elephant Summit. The conference, organized by the IUCN and the government of Botswana, was held in Gaborone, Botswana.
Conservation efforts will include China and Thailand, where much of the ivory is sent. “Now is the time for Africa and Asia to join forces to protect this universally valued species,” said Botswana President Ian Khama.
In the 1980s, as many as 1 million elephants across Africa were killed for their ivory. The ivory was used to make jewelry and other items. This continued until 1989, when the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) voted to ban all the trade in ivory. As a result, demand for ivory fell. Governments cracked down on poachers. Elephant populations slowly began to increase. However , this progress was short-lived.
According to the IUCN, 2011 saw the highest levels of poaching and illegal ivory trading in at least 16 years. Around 25,000 elephants were killed in Africa that year. Data from the IUCN  show even higher levels of illegal trade may have been reached in 2013. “With an estimated 22,000 elephants illegally killed in 2012, we continue to face a critical situation,” said John E. Scanlon, CITES Secretary-General. “Current elephant poaching in Africa remains far too high, and could soon lead to local extinction if the present killing rate continues.
At the African Elephant Summit , key African states where elephants make their home agreed to develop a “zerotolerance approach” to poaching. The deal calls for maximum sentences for poachers and hunters, and increased cooperation between affected states. Officials are committed to classifying wildlife trafficking (交易) as a serious crime --- and to making sure that the people who commit it are punished. All participants at the conference agreed to sign the deal. With these states working together, there may yet be hope for elephants.
【小題1】The purpose of holding the African Elephant Summit is to _________.

A．make new laws to punish poachers.

B．prevent elephants from being poached.

C．collect money for elephants’ protection

D．call for African countries to save elephants.

【小題2】Why are China and Thailand mentioned in the text?

A．The ivory is illegally sold in these two countries.

B．Elephants need protecting in these two countries.

C．They know how to protect wildlife like elephants.

D．They prefer jewelry and other items made of ivory.

【小題3】What can we learn from Paragraph 5 ?

A．The governments do nothing to protect animals.

B．Elephant poaching in Africa is out of control.

C．A large number of elephants have been killed.

D．Illegal ivory trading is to blame for the elephants’ extinction.

【小題4】What would be the best title for the text?

A．Wild Animals Are at Risk	B．New Hope for Elephants
C．Elephants Need Our Help	D．Wildlife Protection in Africa

On Oct4,2011 , I phone 4s made its international appearance at the press conference claimed by the Iphone cooperation . Ever since then , Iphone4s has become a hot cake and even made a fashion around the globe. Meanwhile , many new expressions come about in relationship with this type of high-tech products. “Jailbreak” is one of them.
“ Jailbreak” means to unlock the operating system of a mobile phone or other device so that it can run software which it is not normally authorized to use because of restrictions imposed（實(shí)施） by the device's manufacturer.
If someone jailbreaks a smartphone, tablet computer or other device（設(shè)備）, they use a special piece of software in order to remove the restrictions imposed by the manufacturer on the kind of applications that can be downloaded and run on the device. The concept of jailbreaking is most often associated with products from Apple Inc, such as the iPhone, iPod and iPad, which routinely restrict the user to applications licensed exclusively（獨(dú)家地） by Apple and purchased via its App Store. As well as wanting to lift the restriction（解除限制） on what kinds of applications they can purchase, those who jailbreak often do so as a reaction against what they consider as a form of censorship（監(jiān)控） imposed by Apple Inc in only allowing the use of their 'approved' apps.
The concept of jailbreaking dates back to July 2007, when it was applied to the iPhone within a month of the device's first release. This first occurrence related to the adding of custom ringtones（個(gè)性鈴音）, but the idea quickly developed as a means to lift the restriction and equip the phone with games and other applications not licensed by Apple Inc.
【小題1】“jailbreak” means that________________.

A．Criminals escape out of the jail

B．People make a great breakthrough in their life

C．It is a way to lift the restriction specially imposed by the Iphone manufacturer.

D．It’s a breakthrough beyond one’s dream.

【小題2】Which is probably the correct Chinese meaning of a hot cake？

A．熱蛋糕

B．搶手貨

C．熱門話題

D．最高禮遇

【小題3】Which one is the correct statement from this passage?

A．The original mobile phones also require jailbreaking

B．People jailbreak not only in order to lift the restrictions of applications licensed by the Iphone Cooperation.

C．The concept of jailbreak is seldom associated with products from Apple Inc

D．The concept of jailbreak dates back to the twentieth century

“Global warming could make humans shorter,” warn scientists who claim to have found evidence that it caused the world's first horses to shrink(收縮) nearly 50 million years ago. In fact, a team from the universities of Florida and Nebraska says it has found a link between the Earth heating up and the size of mammals – horses, in this case.
The scientists used fossils to follow the evolution of horses from their earliest appearance 56 million years ago. As temperature went up，their size went down, and vice versa（反之亦然）;“ At one point they were as small as a house cat,” said Dr Jonathan Bloch, curator（博物館長） of the Florida Museum of Natural History, which was quoted by the "Daily Mail" as saying.
The scientists say that the current warming could have the same effect on mammals and could even make humans smaller."Horses started out small, about the size of a small dog . What's surprising is that after they first appeared, they then became even smaller and then dramatically increased in size, and that exactly corresponds to the global warming event, followed by cooling”
"It had been known that mammals were small during that time and that it was warm, but we hadn't realized that temperature specifically was driving the evolution of body size," Dr Bloch said in the "Science" journal.
【小題1】How did scientists find out the horses’ earliest appearance millions of years ago?

A．searching the data on the net

B．sorting through the pictures of ancient times

C．using fossils to follow the evolution

D．a(chǎn)nalyzing the related images

【小題2】What can we infer form the passage?

A．As temperatures went up, horses dramatically increased in size

B．The temperature has no effect on mammals’ evolution

C．As temperatures went up, horses’ size went down

D．In history, it used to be warm at early times , followed by a certain period of sharply cooling down.

【小題3】Which is the most closest meaning to the underlined words most probably mean _______.

A．react to	B． be contradictory to
C．be consistent with	D． differ from

【小題4】What is the best title of the passage?

A．Global warming is to disappear

B．The temperature on earth is to decrease

C．Global warming makes human shorter

D．Mammals are dying out.

News that Microsoft made a $44.6 billion bid to buy Yahoo resulted in heated discussions made by many Internet users. Here are some responses:
Diane Burke of Weeks bury, Kentucky
I think it would definitely be an interesting combination. Everyone recognizes the names Yahoo and Microsoft, but everyone also says, “Did you Google it?” Such a catchphrase (時(shí)髦話) is going to be hard to beat.
Shaun Carney of Laurelville, Ohio
I think the merger (合并) will provide more competitions for Google. I don’t think the merger will allow Microsoft to develop faster than Google, though. I believe the increased competition this merger brings will force Google to stay on top of its game by offering more fresh and original Internet tools and expanding on the tools it already offers.
Toni Suarez of Hacienda Heights, California
I view the merger as a necessary element in preventing a monopolization (壟斷). Perhaps it would bring better high technology innovations to e-mail and help in researching and developing a better Internet!
Rick R. of Edgewater, Florida
It sounds like a disaster to me. If this were to happen, I would stop using my Yahoo e-mail account because I don’t like the feeling of Microsoft spying upon my business. I will sign up for Google.
Antonio Glosser of Kansas City, Missouri
Right now, Yahoo offers a lot of features and tools at no cost for all different levels of Internet users. Microsoft seeks nothing but profit. Undoubtedly, they’ll do nothing other than find ways to start removing Yahoo’s formerly non-priced features. Microsoft’s greed will ruin the great thing that Yahoo currently is.
【小題1】How many companies are mentioned in the passage?

A．One.

B．Two.

C．Three.

D．Four.

【小題2】Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?

A．Shaun’s attitude towards Google is passive.

B．Toni believes the Internet will have a promising future.

C．Rick will support Google after the merger.

D．Antonio is afraid that the merger will cost Yahoo’s free features.

【小題3】The passage is mainly about ______.

A．opinions on the merger of Yahoo and Microsoft

B．the strengths of Yahoo and Microsoft

C．the strengths and weaknesses of large companies

D．the future of Yahoo and Microsoft

One of India’s top engineering schools has restricted Internet access in its boarding houses, saying addiction to surfing, gaming and blogging was affecting students’ performance, making them lonely and even suicidal.
Authorities at the best Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) in Mumbai said students had stopped socializing and many were late for morning classes or slept through them. “Now, a student doesn’t even know who lives two doors away from him because he is so busy on the Internet,” said Prakash Gopalan, dean of Student Affairs. “The old dormitory culture of companionship and socializing among students is gone. This is not healthy in our opinion.”
IIT­Mumbai, with about 5,000 students, is one of the seven IITs across India which are considered to be among the finest engineering schools in the world. They are also a talent pool for global technology giants. But their hard courses, tough competition and lonely campus lifestyle have taken an effect on students. Depressive and dysfunctional lifestyles are known to be common among IIT students, and at least nine have committed suicide in the past five years. Students have unlimited free Internet access in their boarding houses to help them in their studies, but many also use it to surf, chat, download movies and music, blog and for gaming.
“Starting Monday, Internet access will be banned between 11 p.m. and 12:30 p.m. at IIT­Mumbai’s 13 boarding buildings to encourage students to sleep early and to try and force them out of their shells.” Gopalan said. But the move has not gone down well with students who say they hate their lives being regulated. “Now they will say we need to listen to a lullaby (搖籃曲) to go to sleep.” said Rajiv, an electronics student. 
【小題1】According to the text, the students addicted to the Internet in IIT-Mumbai are likely to ______.

A．perform well in studies	B．participate in social activities
C．know their classmates better	D．feel lonely and even suicidal

【小題2】The underlined word “dysfunctional” in Paragraph 3 most probably means “______”.

A．unpopular

B．meaningful

C．a(chǎn)bnormal

D．exciting

【小題3】What measures have been taken in IIT­Mumbai?

A．Students must go to bed before 11 p.m.

B．Students are forbidden to surf the Internet on campus.

C．Students have unlimited free Internet access in their dormitories.

D．Internet access is unavailable in deep night in boarding buildings.

【小題4】We may infer from the last paragraph that ______.

A．a(chǎn)ll electronics students hate the banning order

B．some students complain about the banning order

C．there is no Internet access on the IIT campus ever since

D．more students prefer listening to music to surfing the Internet

  Regardless of their family background, the children’s reactions to new environments have struck the public. 
In one episode of Dad! , the five-year-old daughter of former Olympic diving champion Tian Liang cries and hides behind her father when they arrive at a rural village. In an episode of the other series, a young girl in Tianjin breaks down into a tearful fit after being asked by her father to go out alone to buy eggs and a pancake.
In the eyes of some observers, these kids show no sense of independence, and the reason is put down to parents who are overly sheltering. But television viewers and parents were heartened when the sobbing Tianjin girl finally wiped away her tears as she returned holding the pancake. In the case of Tian’s daughter, she eventually began to take care of her younger companions and learned to seek help from people she didn’t know.
The father of the Tianjin girl felt “delightfully shocked” and said. “She used to have to be accompanied by her mother or grandmother. Now she has the courage to do it all by herself. ”
The shows have led many parents to change how they raise their children. Shanghai mother Liang Jing said she would try to “give some training” to her shy son, asking him to tidy up his toys. Lin Yi, a parenting expert in Beijing, said giving kids a chance to do things for themselves helps to raise their sense of achievement, which carries benefits throughout their lives. ”
【小題1】What attracts the audience’s eyes in the programs?

A．What the kids’ family background is like.

B．Where children’s real comfort zone is.

C．How children react to new environments.

D．Why those children are independent.

【小題2】What is Tian Liang’s daughter expected to do in the show?

A．Go out to buy something alone.

B．Hide in a safe place to avoid a danger.

C．Make friends with strange adults.

D．Live in a rural village with her father.

【小題3】It can be inferred from the underline words “delightfully shocked” that     .

A．father is more important than mother in a family

B．children deserve a chance to be independent

C．parents should provide a safe environment

D．the children are as fragile as parents expected

【小題4】The shows are bound to raise a wave of discussion about    .

A．protecting good traditions	B．the social safety
C．a(chǎn)pproaches to parenting	D．the influence of TV programmes