No country in the world has more daily newspapers than the USA.　There are almost 2000 of them，as compared with 180 in Japan，164 in Argentina and 111 in Britain.　The quality（質(zhì)量） of some American papers is quite high and their views are used all over the world.　Excellent newspapers like the Washington Post or the New York Times　have a powerful influence（影響） all over　the country.　However，the Post　and the New York Times　are not national newspapers in the sense that The Times is in Britain of Le Monde is in France，since each American city has its own daily newspaper.　The best of these give detailed（詳細(xì)的）accounts of national and international news，but many tend to limit themselves to state or city news.?

Like the press（報(bào)刊） in most other countries，American newspapers report news from the “exciting” and “relaxing” to the serious.　They try to entertain people as well as give information，for they have to compete with the attraction of television.

Just as American newspapers try to satisfy all tastes，they also try to attract readers of all political parties.　A few news papers support extremist（極端主義者） groups on the far right and on the far left，but most daily newspapers try their best to attract middle-of-the-road Americans who are mainly moderate（溫和的）.Many of these papers print materials by well?known journalists of different political and social views，in order to give a balanced picture.?

As in other countries American newspapers can be either responsible（負(fù)責(zé)任的） or irresponsible，but it is generally accepted that the American press serves its country well and that it has more than once exposed political scandals（丑聞），for example，the Watergate Affair（水門事件）.?

1.Which newspaper in the U.　K.　is national？?

A.?Le Monde.　　　　　　　 B.?Washington Post.?

C.?New York Times.　　　　　　 D.?The Times.?

2.Most American newspapers attract readers by carrying　　　　　 .?

A.　national news　　　　　 B.　local news?

C.　international news　　　　 D.　political news?

3.In order to win the competition with television，American newspapers have to　　　 .

A.　give information　　　 B.　give serious news?

C.　give entertainment news　　 D.　give national news?

4.Most daily newspapers attract moderate Americans by　　　　　 .?

A.　printing articles by well-known journalists of different views?

B.　supporting extremist groups?

C.　exposing political scandals?

D.　serving the country well?

 

“Choo, Choo!” Here comes the Chunnel train. Get aboard if you want to learn more about this underground transportation system. This is an unusual form of transportation, because it is a tunnel that trains travel through and not an actual form of transportation.

The Chunnel is actually the English nickname for the Channel Tunnel. In French, it is called le tunnel sous la Manche. It is a rail tunnel beneath the English Channel at the Straits of Dover. It connects Cheriton in Kent, England with Sangatte in northern France. It is the second longest rail tunnel in the world.

Did you know that the British and the French had a race whi1e they were building the Chunnel? The race was to see who could get to the middle of the tunnel first. The British won by a little bit. It took 15,000 workers over seven years to dig the tunnel. The tunnel was finished in 1994.

The completed Chunnel cost about $ 21 billion. But it all paid off, because it became very popular, very quick. Millions of people use it. Now it is getting even more popular.

There are three complete tunnels in the Chunnel. The two outside ones are the passenger trains. The small inner one is a guidance train. The guidance train is not used for transportation. Each track is exactly parallel to each other.

There are four different train systems in the Chunnel. The Eurostar is a high speed passenger service that connects London, Paris, Brussels, and Lille. The Eurotunnel shuttle is a rail ferry service. These shuttles carry cars. These are railcars that allow drivers to drive their vehicles on and off. There are also two Eurotunnel goods service trains.

Now you know more about the Chunnel. Everybody off, this is the last stop.

1.The Channel Tunnel links ______ with _______.

A. Dover; Kent          B. London; Paris      C. Lille; Brussels        D.Cheriton; Sangatte

2.Which of the following shows the structure of the tunnels in the Chunnel?

3.The Eurotunnel shuttle is intended to carry _________.

A. passengers                 B. drivers and their vehicles

C. goods              D. staff members of the Chunnel

4.The text can most probably be __________.

A. found in a textbook                                               B. read in a magazine

C. broadcast on a train                                           D. heard in a railway station

 

Not all memories are sweet. Some people spend all their lives trying to forget bad experiences. Violence and traffic accidents can leave people with terrible physical and emotional scars. Often they relive these experiences.

Now American researchers think they are close to developing a pill, which will help people forget bad memories. The pill is designed to be taken immediately after a frightening experience. They hope it might reduce, or possibly erase the effect of painful memories.

In November, experts tested a drug on people in the US and France. The drug stops the body releasing chemicals that fix memories in the brain. So far the research has suggested that only the emotional effects of memories may be reduced, not that the memories are erased.

The research has caused a great deal of argument. Some think it is a bad idea, while others support it. Supporters say it could lead to pills that prevent or treat soldier’ troubling memories after war.

They say that there are many people who suffer from terrible memories. “Some memories can ruin people’s lives. They come back to you when you don’t want to have them in a daydream or nightmare. They usually come with very painful emotions,” said Roger Pitman, a professor of psychiatry（精神病學(xué)）at Harvard Medical School. “This could relieve a lot of that suffering.”

But those who are against the research say that changing memories is very dangerous because memories give us our identity（特性）. They also help us all avoid the mistakes of the past. “All of us can think of bad events in our lives that were horrible at the time but make us who we are. I’m not sure we’d want to wipe those memories out,” said Rebecca Dresser, a medical ethicist（倫理學(xué)家）.

Some people fear that although the drug would first be used in only very serious cases, it would become more and more common. “People always have the ability to misuse science,” said Joseph Le Doux, a New York University memory researcher. “All we want to do is to help people have better control of memories.”

What’s the main idea of this passage?

       A．People often suffer from bad memories.

       B．American researchers are trying to develop a pill.

       C．Forget bad memories, and be happy.

       D．The research has caused a heated argument.

The underlined word “it” in Paragraph 4 refers to “               ”.

       A．the new drug           B．the research into the drug

       C．the bad memory             D．the chemical in the drug

Which of the following is NOT the opinion of the supporters?

       A．The pill can erase all the memories in the past.

       B．Some memories can ruin people’s lives. The pill can relieve emotional suffering.

       C．The pill can also help many other types of people who suffer from terrible memories.

       D．The pill can prevent or treat troubling memories in soldiers after war.

Which of the following is NOT the opinion of the opponents（反對(duì)者）？

       A．Our memories give us our identity.

       B．The memories help human avoid mistakes of the past.

       C．The drug should be used in only very serious cases.

       D．People may not be sure whether they want to wipe the memories out.

The Olympic flame:

The Olympic flame is a symbol carried over from the ancient Olympics, where a sacred (神圣的) flame burned at the altar（神壇）of Zeus throughout competition. It was finally reintroduced at the 1924 Amsterdam Games, and again burned in 1932.

Carl Diem, chairman of the organising committee for the 1936 Berlin Games, proposed that the flame be lit in Greece and transported to Berlin via a torch relay. The idea was adopted, and continued at every Olympic Games since 1952.

The flame is lit at the ancient site of Olympia by the natural rays of the sun reflected off a curved mirror. It is lit at a ceremony by women dressed in robes resembling those worn in ancient times, who then pass it to the first relay runner.

Olympic motto:

“Citius, altius, fortius” is a Latin phrase meaning “swifter, higher, stronger”, which Baron de Coubertin borrowed from Father Henri Martin Dideon of Paris. Dideon was headmaster of Arcueil College, and used the phrase to describe the athletic achievements of students at the school. He had previously been at the Albert Le Grand school, where the Latin words were carved in stone above the main entrance.

Olympic oath(宣誓)

“In the name of all competitors, I promise that we shall take part in these Olympic Games, respecting and abiding by the rules that govern them, in the true spirit of sportsmanship, for the glory of sport and the honour of our teams.”

Written by Baron de Coubertin, the oath is taken by an athlete from the host nation while holding a corner of the Olympic flag. The athletes’ oath was first taken by Belgian fencer Victor Boin at the 1920 Antwerp Games. A judge from the host country also speaks the oath, with slightly different wording.

66. The Olympic flame was first burned at _______ in modern times.

A. the 1920 Games                    B. the 1924 Games

C. the 1932 Games                    D. the 1936 Games

67. From the passage we can learn ________.

A. before 1936, no flames burned at the Olympic Games

B. the first torch relay was held at the 1936 Berlin Games

C. Carl Diem proposed that flames should burn at the Olympic Games

D. The Olympic torch has burned since 1924

68. Which of the following is TRUE?

A. There was no athlete’s oath in the 1896 Olympic Games.

B. The 1920 Olympic games was held in Amsterdam.

C. The judge from the host country takes the same oath as the athletes does.

D. Dideon wrote Citius, Altius, Fortius for the Olympic Games.

 

Weighed down by study? Pushed to the limit by the fast pace of life ? Frightened by the possible war ? Well, you’re not alone. Men and women in France are seeking relief using the world’s best medicine-----laughter.

In the past year, more than 15 laughter clubs have been set up across the country. People of all ages go to release their stress with an hour group laughs. “People telephoned me and said they have forgotten what it is to laugh. They want to find a place where they can escape all their problems for a while. So they come,” said 40—year—old Jocelyne Le Moan. She usually takes a class of around 60 people through a series of laughter techniques.

Her pupils range from teenagers to 70 years old, but most are middle---aged white collars seeking 60 minutes of relaxation at the end of a busy day. Le Moan takes them through the “Lion Laugh”and the “Laugh Contest”, where participants “speak”to each other in different ways. And instead of talking, they break into fits of laughter. At the end there are 15 minutes of “meditation”, when they lie on their backs and let the laughs burst out of their mouths.

“I love it. It’s an experience that has changed my life. Through it I rediscovered the child’s laugh inside me,”Said Romain Jouffroy, 24. “US President George W. Bush should give it a try. He has lost his laugh,”she joked . Like Jouffroy, many laughter club members find themselves changed into children again, and why not ? The average preschooler laughs up to 400 times a day.

The average adult only a day seven to 15.

The physical benefits of laughter are already well—recognized. Doctors say the act of laughing releases good chemicals into the blood—stream, while the quick breathing that accompanies it helps massage（按摩）the digestive organs and strengthens the heart.

“A full hour is like having your inside go jogging！One finishes out of breath, but feels revitalized（產(chǎn)生新活力. And on top of that , you’ve had a laugh,”said doctor Alexisd’ Estaing.And many participants in Paris also emphasize the psychological benefits. They believe that laughter is a way of making oneself feel more confident.

1.Which of the following is not included among the benefits of laughing?

A．It can make people rediscover their children’s laugh.

B．It can release good chemical into blood streams.

C．It can make you feel self—confident.

D．It can cure the illness of people.

2.The writer suggested that you should_____________.

A．take the world’s best medicine.

B．talk to each other about what troubles you.

C．learn series of laughter techniques.

D．have a good laugh after a busy day.

3.From the passage , we can conclude the following but___________.

A．Jocelyne Le Moan is a teacher of the club.

B．the members are mostly middle---aged white collars.

C．people always need some way to relax in life.

D．laugh freely and everything goes well.

4.Which of the following is not the reason why so many people join the laughter clubs ?

A．Those members feel too much pressure on them.

B．They want to find a place to relax themselves.

C．Laughters help massage the digestive organs.

D．The members don’t know how to laugh.