高中英语新闻报道阅读试题

Chinese tennis player Li Na didn’t win the Australian Open Championship on Saturday, but she still made the history books.
Li, who lost to Kim Clijsters of Belgium in three sets (3-6, 6-3, 6-3), is the first player from China to make it to a Grand Slam final.
The boss defeated a bit of the feel-good story for China and for Li, who on Thursday defeated No. 1 player Caroline Wozniacki in the semifinals in Melbourne. Li is ranked fifth.
In an interview Li said she was proud of her effort. “I think I play great tennis,” she said. “ I mean, she plays better than me. After the match, I make a joke: tennis should only play one set.”
Bai Yan, a member of China’s men’s national team member and Li Na’s friend, said the loss was disappointing, but still a bright starting point.
“To tell you the truth I feel a little bit down, all of us. But you know she is still the best, and she’s still our hero in everybody’s eyes,” said Bai. “This is just the start.”.
Win or lose, Li’s appearance in the Australian Open finals was seen as a major victory for tennis in China, where badminton and table tennis rules.
Fans across China gathered to watch the match. Li’s mother joined fans at a restaurant in her hometown of Wuhan. In Bejing, fans crowded together to watch China’s national tennis match.
“ Tennis is still relatively a new sport in China,” said Michael Chang, the Chinese-American who was the first Asian grand slam champion, in an interview with CNN. “ To be able to see Li Na have as much success as she has… this could be the start of something very special for tennis in China.”
“Li will definitely change the sport of tennis in China and that is a great thing,” Chang said.
What’s the main idea of the passage?

A．Chinese tennis star Li Na’s tennis career.

B．A fierce tennis match at Australian Open.

C．Chinese tennis star made history at Australian Open.

D．Chinese tennis remained to be tested and challenged.

Which is true according to the passage?

A．Li Na’s failure let the Chinese down.

B．Li Na ranked fifth at Australian Open.

C．LI Na’s mother attended the match with her.

D．Li Na made a new starting point of China

What’s the meaning of the underlined words “tennis should only play one set” (Para 4)?

A．Li Na was not satisfied with the rule of tennis match.

B．Li Na was not satisfied with her own performance.

C．Li Na had a bad opinion of Clijsters.

D．Li Na took pride in her effort.

According to what Chang said in the last two paragraphs, we can imply that ________.

A．it’s normal that Li Na failed because tennis is a new sport in China

B．Li Na has the advantage to change tennis sport in China

C．China still falls behind other countries in tennis sport

D．Li Na has great difficulty in defeating others because of weak ability

MONTREAL (Reuters) – Crossing the US-Canada border to go to church on a Sunday cost an American ＄10,000 for breaking Washington’s strict new security rules.
The expensive trip to church was a surprise for Richard Albert, who lives on the Canadian border. Albert often crosses the border like the other half-dozen people of Township 15. The nearby Quebec village of St. Pamphile is where they shop, eat and go to church. There are many such situations in these areas along the largely unguarded 5,530-mile border between Canada and the US, which in some cases actually runs down the middle of streets or through buildings.
As a result, Albert says he did not expect any problems three weeks ago when he returned home to the US after attending church in Canada as usual. The US customs station in this area is closed on Sundays, so he just drove around the locked gate, as he had done every weekend since the gate appeared last May, following a tightening of border security. Two days later, Albert was told to go to the customs office, where an officer told him he had been caught on camera crossing the border illegally.
Ottawa has given out special passes to some 300 Americans in that area so they can enter the country when Canadian customs stations are closed, but the US stopped a similar program last May. That forces the people to a 200-mile detour along hilly roads to get home through another border checkpoint.
Albert has requested that the customs office change their decisions on the fine, but he has not attended a Sunday church since. “I feel like I’m living in a prison,” he said.
We learn from the text that Richard Albert is      .

A．an American working in a Canadian church

B．a Canadian living in a Quebec village

C．a Canadian working in a customs station

D．an American living in Township 15

Albert was fined because he      .

A．broke the American security rules

B．failed to obey traffic rules

C．worked in St. Pamphile without a pass

D．damaged the gate of the customs office

According to paragraph 4, how can Americans in that area get home?

A．They have to drive through the town.

B．They have to race across the fields.

C．They have to drive to the mountain area.

D．They have to drive in a roundabout (绕道的) way.

What would be the best title for the text?

A．A Cross-country Trip.	B．An Expensive Church Visit.
C．An Unguarded Border.	D．A Special Border Pass.

As the United States nears the tenth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks that killed more than 3,000 people, President Obama announced Sunday night that the al Qaeda（基地组织） leader and mastermind of that horrific day, Osama bin Laden, has been killed.
CNN reports that a senior government official confirmed that bin Laden was shot by a small team of U.S. soldiers while in a mansion with family members outside Islamabad（伊斯兰堡）. His body is now in American custody（拘押） and is being handled according to Islamic customs. Three other adult men were killed in the firefight, including a son of bin Laden's, who was a senior member of the terrorist organization.
"Justice has been done," the president announced, saying that the operation he ordered after receiving intelligence information is "the most significant achievement to date in our nation's effort to defeat al-Qaeda."
The immediate reactions ranged from cautious to ecstatic. Crowds cheered outside the White House. But officials said a "worldwide caution" would be set for Americans in case of al Qaeda retaliation（报复）.
Will bin Laden's death be the justice Americans have sought for nearly a decade?
Gordon Felt, president of Families of Flight 93, said it does bring comfort.
"This is important news for us, and for the world. It cannot ease our pain, or bring back our loved ones. It does bring a measure of comfort that the mastermind of the September 11th tragedy and the face of global terror can no longer spread his evil," Felt said.
President Obama says this victory does not close the book.
"His death does not mark the end of our effort. There's no doubt that al Qaeda will continue to pursue attacks against us. We must and we will remain cautious," he noted.
The underlined word “ecstatic” most probably means _________.    

A．scared	B．extremely happy and excited
C．doubtful	D．amazed

The author mentions all of the items listed below EXCEPT_________. 

A．Four people were killed in the firefight.

B．Families of the victims in the 9/11 attacks celebrated together.

C．President Obama thought highly of the Anti-Terrorist Military Action

D．Obama thought that al Qaeda will continue attack against the United States.

It can be inferred from the text _________. 

A．The 9/11 attacks happened on September 11, 2001.

B．Osama bin Laden has three sons.

C．Some soldiers were injured in the firefight.

D．More than 3000 people were killed in the 9/11 attacks.

From the last paragraph we can learn that _________.  

A．Osama bin Laden’s death will put an end to terrorism.

B．President Obama doesn’t think bin Laden's death is a victory.

C．The United States will make efforts to defeat the al-Qaeda

D．The al Qaeda has a new leader now.

About 809 primary school pupils from Southwest China’s quake-hit Sichuan Province arrived in eastern Shandong Province on a special train to attend classes there. The pupils, all from Leigu Township, Beichuan County, a badly-hit area in Sichuan, will study for about two months in schools in Shandong’s capital city of Jinan.
They have been arranged to study in four schools in Jinan and enjoy free schooling, food and accommodation. Each pupil would be given a monthly subsidy of 30 yuan. “To let them come to Jinan is not only for study, but also for recovery from the quake trauma (精神创伤).” said Zou Shiping, Jinan’s vice mayor. In Mingzhu Primary School in Jinan, a wall of pictures became a special way for the local pupils to welcome their friends from the quake zone. Dormitories were also specially decorated for them.
“This is the best meal that I have had for a long time.” a student from Wenchuan said after her first breakfast in the new place. Huang Zujie, Jinan Education Bureau’s deputy director, said, “We will let the children feel just as they are in their hometown.” Huang said the schools had invited chefs of Sichuan cuisine to let the pupils taste their familiar hometown meals. A second group of about 500 middle school students from Sichuan will soon come to Jinan for classes.
Where did those 809 primary school pupils arrive?

A．Hebei Province.

B．Qing Dao.

C．Jinan

D．Beichuan County.

Which statement below is RIGHT?
A. Students come to Jinan for study.
B. Students come to Jinan for recovery from the quake trauma.
C. Students come to Jinan for a visit.
D. Both A and B.
Which statement is NOT true according to the short passage?

A．The pupils needn’t pay for food and they will eat Shandong meals.

B．A second group of 500 middle school students from Sichuan will soon come to Jinan for classes.

C．Pupils from Leigu Township were arranged to study in four schools in Jinan.

D．Each pupil would be given a monthly subsidy of 30 yuan.

How many students from Sichuan Province will come to Jinan for classes altogether?
A. About 1,309.   About 809.       C. About 500.       D. About 2,000.

（Reuters）--- A Michigan man credited his dog with saving his life by chewing off his diseased big toe as he lay passed out in a drunken stupor(昏迷)
Jerry Douthett, 48, who woke up on a Saturday night in late July in his Rockford, Michigan home to find his Jack Russell Terrier, Kiko, had gnawed off his right big toe.
“The dog always lies with me on the bed”, said Douthett. “That night, I woke up and looked down at my foot, and it was wet. When I looked, it was blood and there was the dog looking at me with a blood moustache.”
Douthett’s wife, Rosee, rushed him to a hospital where doctors found he was suffering from Type 2 diabetes. His toe was badly infected and surgeons amputated(截)the remainder of the toe.
Douthett’s wife, a registered nurse, had been urging him for weeks to have his infected toe examined by a doctor.
On the night Kiko ate his toe, Douthett said he had been out with his wife and drank about six or seven beers and a pair of giant margaritas—big enough to put goldfish in.
“I was self-medicating at this point,” he said. “The moral of the story is that the dog saved my life, because otherwise I would never have gone to see a doctor.”
The couple said they were amazed that Kiko appeared to know Douthett had an infection that needed treatment.
“He kind of chewed off the infected part and stopped at the good bone,” said Rosee. “We joked that we shouldn’t have had to pay the co-pay because he did half the job by chewing off half of the toe.”
What does the underlined phrase “gnawed off” probably mean?

A．bit away

B．cared for

C．sucked on

D．smelt out

It can be learned from the text that________________.

A．Douthett’s wife was a doctor	B．Douthett’s wife felt something about his disease
C．Douthett never got that drunk	D．Douthett had seen a doctor for his disease

From the text we know that Kiko ______________.

A．is in top physical condition	B．was trained at an early age
C．nearly cost Douthett his life	D．saved his master’s life

Which is NOT true according to the text?

A．It is hard for the couple to explain the dog’s behaviour

B．Jerry Douthett went to see a doctor because of Kiko’s chewing his big toe..

C．The couple shouldn’t have to pay the co-pay because Kiko did half the job.

D．Kiko didn’t hurt the good bone of its master.

China news, Beijing, July 29 --- Housing price in China has always aroused heated discussions among property developers and ordinary Chinese. To many property developers and local government officials, housing price in China is still low compared with many developed countries. However, the average housing price in the United States is only 8,000 yuan per square meter, while in China, it is even higher than in the United States. This shows that there are some bubbles(泡沫) in Chinese real estate market, the International Finance News reported.
Although the average price of residential houses in the United States, after converted to Renminbi, is about 8,000 yuan per square meter, the houses in US are not sold in terms of building area, as most Chinese property developers do when they sell their houses. If US property developers sell their houses according to the building area, then the housing price will be even lower than 8,000 yuan per square meter. In most big Chinese cities, such as Beijing, Shanghai, and Shenzhen, houses are sold at a price even higher than those in the US.
The high housing sales price in large cities in China proves that Chinese real estate market does have some bubbles. Moreover, Chinese houses can not be compared with houses in US in terms of building quality, environment and supporting facilities. Furthermore, it should be noted that American people’s average income is several dozen times higher than that of Chinese people. How can the Chinese afford to buy a house which is even more expensive than that sold in US?
At the beginning of 2007, Chinese government issued a set of policies that aimed to benefit the public. Now in order to reduce the high housing prices, the government can regulate(控制) the real estate market by raising tax on property industry. At the same time, the government should allow people to build more houses through various fund-raising channels, such as funds collected from buyers or raised by working units. By applying these multiple means, it is expected that the high housing prices can be lowered.
What is the average housing price per square meter in China?

A．8000 yuan.

B．10000 yuan.

C．7000 yuan.

D．Not mentioned.

Which of the following does NOT support the idea that the average housing price in China is even higher than in the United States?

A．Chinese houses can not be compared with houses in US in terms of building quality, environment and supporting facilities.

B．American people’s average income is several dozen times higher than that of Chinese people.

C．The population who need houses in China is larger than in the United States.

D．The houses in US are not sold in terms of building area, as most Chinese property developers do when they sell their houses.

How many measures are mentioned in the last paragraph in order to reduce the high housing prices?

A．One.

B．Two.

C．Three.

D．Four.

What is the main idea of this passage?

A．The housing price in China is so high that the government should do something useful to prevent it.

B．There are some bubbles in Chinese real estate market.

C．The average housing price in China is even higher than in the United States.

D．Chinese government issued a set of policies that aimed to benefit the public.

More American people take their troubles with them on holiday, according to a new survey. Although 40 percent said that the main reason for going away is to escape pressure (压力) from work, almost all said they worry more than they do at home. Only four in every 100 said that they are happy and free of care.
The most common worry is burglary ( 入室盗窃) , with four out of 10 worrying about their homes being broken into while they’re abroad．More than a quarter fear they will feel crazy with some other noisy and rough holiday-makers and 22 percent worry they may be attacked or their possessions will be missing. One in five think the car may break down; and the same number worry about the chances of bad weather.
The survey also showed that the stay-at-home Americans are no more. Three out of every five want to have a holiday abroad, a great increase from the figures only three years ago. The hotel holiday is still a winner, with about one third of all Americana preferring to go on a self-catering ( 自助 ) holiday.
The underlined word “survey” in the first paragraph most probably means ______.

A．research

B．review

C．exhibition

D．examination

According to the text, about ____ of people worry more on holiday than when they are at home.

A．25%

B．40%

C．80%

D．95%

The third most common worry of American holiday-makers is that they may ______.

A．be attacked or lose their possessions

B．have problems with their cars on the road

C．have bad weather on holiday

D．get mixed with some rough fellow holiday-makers

Where do American holiday-makers like to stay most?

A．At a hotel.	B．In a quiet place.
C．At a friend's house.	D．Where they can cook for themselves.

Soccer star David Beckham will be there with his pop star wife Victoria. Elton John is attending with partner David Furnish.
The guest list for the April 29 union of Prince William and Kate Middleton is still being kept secret, but details have begun to leak out, with some coming forward to say they are attending and the Mail on Sunday newspaper claiming to have  the  official  invitation  roster (名单).
The palace dismissed the newspaper's list as speculation (猜测) Sunday.
It won't be clear until the day how the royal couple has balanced the protocol demands (王室规则) that they invite statesmen, diplomats, religious leaders, politicians and the like with invitations to the people they really want to see, particularly the crowd they made friends with when they met and fell in love at St. Andrews University in Scotland.
Kate Reardon, editor of high-society magazine Tatler, said many prominent Britons acted as if they didn't really care about receiving an invitation while secretly checking the mail every day to see if the invitation had arrived.
"Everyone's been hoping," she said.
William and Middleton have showed their modern side by inviting a number of close friends, including some former sweethearts, the newspaper said.
The wedding is not technically a state event, which somewhat limits the protocol requirements applied to the guest list. But royal obligations (职责) still order that a large number of the 1,900 or so seats go to guests from the world of politics, not actual friends of the couple.
The couple have also invited many guests from the charities they work with, and Middleton has used her influence to invite the butcher, shopkeeper and pub owner from her home village of Bucklebury.
President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle were not invited and many other international leaders are also expected to be watching on TV, not from a seat at Westminster Abbey.
It is not clear if treasured Brits from the world of stage and screen and pop music will be on the list.
Who were not invited to Prince William and Kate Middleton's wedding?    

A．David Beckham and his wife.

B．Elton John and his partner David Furnish.

C．People from the charities they work with.

D．President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle.

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

A．The guest list for the wedding is officially announced.

B．The wedding is technically a state event.

C．Only the actual friends of the couple will be invited to the wedding.

D．A large number of guests from the world of politics will be invited.

The word "prominent" in paragraph 5 probably means         .  

A．honest	B．modern
C．well known and important	D．busy and hardworking

It can be inferred from the passage that         .  

A．their wedding will be held at Westminster Abbey on April 29^th.

B．Kate Reardon was invited to the wedding.

C．journalists will not be allowed to attend the wedding.

D．their former sweethearts are sure to attend their wedding.

The best title for the passage might be         .   

A．Prince William and Middleton fall in love at St. Andrews University

B．British royal wedding guest list details leaks out

C．Prince William and Middleton prepares for their grand wedding

D．British singers and movie stars invited to the wedding

Now, it’s time for some brief news items.
Teens Go Online
Some 13 million European children under 18 use the Internet for schoolwork, games and music according to research done by Nielsen’s “Net-rating”. The study covered Britain, Germany, France, Italy and Spain. Experts advesed parents to limit the time their kids on line and keep them away from chat rooms.
Chat to the magic Mum
British author J.K.Rowling, mother of magic boy Harry Potter, will do an Internet interview about her new bool”Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince”on June 26. Before the event, children are invited to send their questions about Harry to the website. The book will hit stores in the US and UK on June 21 and will arrive in China in August.
School Soldiers
Russian school students will have to do basic military training in their final year of school, the government has decided．The lesson will include learning to fire guns, marching drills and how to deal with a chemical, nuclear or biological attack. The activity is seen as part of a drive toward the education of their love for their country.
Is it hard for you to get up early and get ready for classes? Some students at Winter Park High School just roll our of bed in their pajamas(睡衣) and go to class in their own bedrooms. Of course, their teachers and classmates do not see them because all their class work is on the computer. The Florida High School, the state’s only online school, had 250 students who are taking classed at home by computer. Students in this first online program take classed in algebra(代数)， American government , chemistry, computer, economics, and web-page design. They also have to go to regular school to attend other classes.
In the first news item, which country is NOT covered in the research?

A．Britain.

B．France.

C．Sweden.

D．Spain.

Why will Russian school students have basic military training?

A．To get ready for a milirary parade.

B．To learn to protect themselves.

C．To gain some military knowledge.

D．To develop their love for the country.

What is the second news item mainly about?

A．J.K.Rowling will have an Internet interview.

B．Children will meet Harry Potter’s mother.

C．The Harry Potter book will be available on the Internet.

D．The Harry Potter book will arrive in China in early June.

The bus driver and his passengers were being hailed as heroes last night after rescuing a woman from her burning car following a crash on the Bluff Highway. The 60-year-old woman was taken by ambulance to Southland Hospital after firefighters battled for 30 minutes to cut her from her car.
Acting Senior Sergeant Brock Davis, of Invercargill, said emergency services were called to the scene of the crash at the crossroads of Motorimu Rd and State Highway I shortly before 5:00 p.m. yesterday.
Mr. Davis said a Mitsubishi car driven by a 30-year-old man traveling north on the highway and the woman’s southbound（南行的）Suzuki Alto collided（碰撞）. The man suffered slight injuries in the crash, he said.
Invercargill Passenger Transport Ltd driver Bill McDermott and his passengers—New Zealand Aluminum Smelters Ltd workers were first on the scene and alerted emergency services. The scene at the spot was disordered, Mr. McDermott said.
“There was a car on its side and a guy wandering around who was quite excited,” he said. “We stopped, got out and found a lady trapped in her car …… then we noticed flames in the engine bay and the smell of petrol.” Mr. McDermott took a fire extinguisher（灭火器）from the bus，doused（泼洒）the flames，and several other workers controlled traffic.
However，he said his actions were “no big deal”. He was not willing to take any credit for helping the woman.
“The praise goes to all the guys that jumped off that bus.” Invercargill Senior Station officer Alan Goldsworthy, who was an officer in charge at the scene, said there was a possibility the car could have burst into flames if Mr. McDermott and the smelter workers had not helped. “They should acquire a good pat on the back.” he said.
It can be known from the passage that the car accident happened _____.

A．at noon	B．in the morning
C．in the afternoon	D．at night

Who should get the biggest praise according to the reporter？_____.

A．Brock Davis.	B．Bill McDermott.
C．Allan Goldsworthy.	D．The firefighters.

The underlined sentence “They should acquire a good pat on the back” in the last paragraph really means _____.

A．the government should give each of the heroes a gold medal of honor

B．the saved woman should offer as much money to the heroes as she can

C．everybody there should pat the heroes on the back gently and thankfully

D．the good deeds of the heroes are well worthy of great appreciation

STRANGERS parties go wild these days. The main idea of them is to never let the people know who their matches are until the last minute. These are some popular practices that are storming the world’s youth on this V-day.
Speed dating
It’s exactly what the name implies. Complete with a timer, a whistle and 50 willing singles, speed dating is not the traditional dinner and a movie type of first date. Singles pay US $35 for three minutes with more than two dozen future dates. They ask questions and try to get to know each other. At the sound of a whistle, they do the same thing all over again―25 times in all.
Lock and key party
Women are given a lock and men are given a key, upon arriving at the party. Each key and lock has several matches. One can hunt for his/her later-to-be sweetheart in various groups, and try out the key or lock. Each time a lock and key match the pair are entered into a ballot (票数） for top prizes!
Dinner in the dark
Waiters wearing night vision glasses guide the guests through the pitch-black dining room. They are seated at the table and familiarized with the wine glass and plate. Food is handled with the fingers. People will not see the food they are eating or the guests at their table until the dessert course. At that moment, dining partners will appear.
Message party
Have A Cocktail, Leave A Message! When you arrive, you get a tag with a number and a pad of post-it notes. If you see someone you like, write a message on the message board. But wait… You’ve got a message… Go and collect it! You can make new friends and win lots of gifts. The more messages you leave on the bulletin board, the more chances you have of winning prizes.
What do you think the similarities of these parties are?

A．All the parties have very strict rules for their members.

B．If you want to go to any of the parties, you have to buy a ticket.

C．All the parties are aimed at strangers who want to be lovers.

D．All the parties are suitable not only for the young but for the old.

In which party does a participant have to be careful with the time?

A．Speed dating.	B．Lock and key party.
C．Dinner in the dark.	D．Message party.

If you go to the Dinner in the dark, ________.

A．you have to wear night vision glasses

B．you have to eat with your hands

C．guests eat all the courses in the darkness

D．your dining partners will help you choose the food

How many of the parties offer gifts or prizes?

A．1.

B．2.

C．3.

D．4.

The pound new Library of Birmingham（LoB）will be the most visible sign of the way the city is accepting the digitalization（数字化）of everyday life.
Set to open in 2013, the £188m LoB is already beginning to tale shape next to the Birmingham Repertory Theatre, with which it will share some equipment.
As digital media（媒介）is important to its idea. the project is already providing chances for some of the many small new local companies working at the new technologies.
Brian Gambles, the LoB project director, says it is about giving people the right tools for learning,“The aim is to mix the physical with the digital. Providing 24-hour services which can be used through many different ways. It is important to enable us to reach more people, more effectively.”
The digital library will, he says, be as important as the physical one, allowing the distant use of the services, making sure that it is never closed to the public.
Even before the LoB is complete, the public has been able to go online to visit the Virtual（虚拟的）LoB, designed by Baden, the Birmingham virtual worlds specialists. Not only have the public been able to learn about LoB, but the virtual one has also enabled those working on the LoB to understand the building and how it will work before it even opens.
Two other small Birmingham-based digital companies are working on the LoB projects. Substrat, a digital design company, is developing what it calls “enlarge reality” project. It is about the use of an exciting smart phone, an important part of the LoB which is in the early stages of development is an online library of figures of the city being built by a digital content company in Cahoots, in which users will be encouraged to add to and comment on the material.
Gambles says: “Technology will enable us to make the library’s content and services open to citizens as sever before.”

The underline part “its idea” in Paragraph 3 refers to the idea of____

A．the equipment	B． the project
C．the digital media	D． the physical library

While visiting the Virtual LoB, the public can_____ 

A．get a general idea of the LoB

B．meet many world-famous experts

C．learn how to put up a library building

D．understand how the specialists work on the project

Which of the following is true of the LoB when it opens?

a. It offers better learning tools b. It reaches users in different ways   c. It provides users with smart phone d. It allows users to enrich its material e. It gives non-stop physical and digital services

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

This text is most probably taken from                  .

A．a put book	B．a library guide
C．a handbook	D．a newspaper report

The battle for the leadership of Britain’s Labour Party ended on September 25. Five candidates competed for the top job, but it turned out to be a tale of two brothers. Victory went to Ed Miliband, 40, with his elder brother David, 45, coming a close second. Ed’s Miliband’s job will now be to try to lead his party back into power and oppose Prime Minister David Cameron.
The two Milibands were both ministers in the Gordon Brown government. David Miliband, as Foreign Secretary, held the third most important post in UK politics. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton described him as “vibrant and attractive”. Ed, who had a lesser role in government as Minister of Climate Change, was valued for his contribution to policy discussions and for his performance at the Copenhagen Conference on Climate Change last December.
The Miliband brothers were born to political parents. Their father, Ralph, was a Marxist scholar. He came to Britain from Belgium in 1940, fleeing the Nazis. Ralph Miliband was buried beside Karl Marx in London’s Highgate Cemetery. His wife Marion, the brothers’ mother, remains an active party member at 76.
The two brothers represent different wings of the Labour Party. David supported former Prime Minister Tony Blair; Ed was a follower of Blair’s great rival Gordon Brown, the last Labour PM.
“We’re determined to make sure that family comes before politics, and I don’t think there’s any chance that politics is going to get in the way,” David Miliband said before the vote.
After the result, the two embraced in front of the cameras.
In his acceptance speech, Ed Miliband said to his brother: “David, I love you so much as a brother. And I have such extraordinary respect for the campaign that you ran.”
But some feel their warm words were for the media and for the sake of party unity. There had been reports of anger on David’s part when his younger brother chose to stand against him. David may feel that the leadership was stolen from him-and by his own brother. Ed himself was reported to be concerned that he might have hurt David. According to the Guardian, after the result, Ed’s first reaction was: “what have I done to David?”
Ed suggested that he was prepared to make his brother shadow chancellor. But David has decided it is time to move on. He will not have a role in the Shadow Cabinet in the future.
In effect, he has fallen on his sword for the Party. David Miliband said the priority was to allow his brother to make a success of leading Labour: “I believe this will be harder if there is constant comparison with my comments and position as a member of the shadow cabinet.”
. Ed Miliband became head of Britain’s Labour Party because ______.

A．he played an important role in the previous British government.

B．his arguments at political discussions and his performance at an international conference

C．Hillary Clinton thought highly of him

D．his brother supported him both at home and politics.

. According to the passage, which is NOT TRUE?

A．Ed and David both worked in the government.

B．Ralph Miliband came to Britain because of the Nazis.

C．Tony Blair, Gordon Brown and David Cameron are all Labour Party Prime Ministers.

D．David Miliband and Ed Miliband’s mother is still alive.

.What can be inferred from the passage?

A．David Miliband and Ed Miliband fought against each other both at home and politics.

B．Ed was concerned about David’s feelings after the election.

C．David and Ed were born into a political family.

D．David and Ed agreed with each other on most of the issues

.What does the underlined sentence mean?

A．David accepted his brother’s invitation to be a shadow chancellor.

B．David was determined to fight against his brother.

C．David was so upset that he would end his life with a sword for the Party.

D．David refused his brother’s offer for him to be a shadow chancellor.

.Which of the following can best describe the relationship between David and Ed?

A．Brothers and political rivals	B．Partners in the political campaign
C．Partners in public and enemy in private	D．Representatives of different wings of Labour Party

Sydney 2005-01-01 08:33 --- mother of two, Jillian Searle, had to choose between her children when she made a life-or-death decision.
Swept up by mountainous tsunami（海啸）waves at a Thai resort ( 旅游胜地), she couldn't hold on to both her young sons and survive. Fighting to stay above the waters, she had to choose which one would have to take his chances in the swirling torrent ( 漩流 ).
“I knew I had to let go of one of them and I just thought I’d better let go of the one that's the older,” she told Sky News Television in a report broadcast on Thursday. She said she was accompanied by the two boys, Lachie, 5, and two-year-old Blake, and their father, Brad, who had watched the drama helplessly from their first-floor hotel room, when the waves struck. “and I was screaming, trying to find him, and we thought he was dead,” she told reporters on arrival back in Australia.
Lachie was found alive about 2 hours later clinging (扳住) to a door and, looked uninjured as his mother spoke to reporters.
British surfer ( 冲浪运动员) Martin Markwell is also a lucky man. He had always dreamed of catching that perfect wave-- but when it finally came along, it was a nightmare (噩梦). He was on his surfboard when he was swept up by a tsunami wave.
“It was really terrible because I was surfing. I was really surfing on a wave I wasn't supposed to be on.” he said. “As an experienced surfer, when I saw the wave come, I realized something was wrong, but I couldn't escape because my surfboard was tied to my ankle（脚踝）.”
His wife Vicki and son Jake looked on in horror from a hotel balcony (阳台) as he crashed towards the shore. Luckily, he stayed atop his board until he reached the hotel, jumped off and got to safety as the ocean rolled back to feed a much larger tsunami wave on its way. The family regrouped and ran to safety just minutes before a giant tsunami wave 10 meters high.
When the waves struck, the father Brad _______.

A．reported the disaster to Sky News Television

B．was watching a drama on TV in the hotel

C．tried to find his son lost in the waters

D．watched things going on, unable to do anything

The underlined word “him” in the third paragraph refers to _______.

A．an old man

B．Lachie

C．Brad

D．Blake

It's not true that Lachie and Martin _______.

A．were both accompanied by their family when the disaster happened

B．both survived from the high waves when tsunami struck

C．were both travelers from Europe on holiday in Thailand

D．were both alive owing to their proper judgment and determination

The best title of this news story would be_______.

A．Narrow escape	B．Disaster caused by tsunami
C．Exciting surfing experience	D．Struggle against tsunami

Chilean rescued miner Edison Pena ran the New York City Marathon on November 7th , less than a month after he was rescued from a collapsed (坍塌的) mine that trapped him and the other 32 miners for 69 days. Pena ran 10 km daily through the mine’s tunnels (巷道) to beat the anxiety, wearing cut-down boots until rescuers sent him a pair of sports shoes through a narrow hole that served as the miners’ “lifeline” to the surface.
“When I ran in the darkness, I was running for life,” Pena told a news conference in New York. “I was running to show that I wasn’t just waiting around. I also wanted God to see that I really wanted to live.” The miners were discovered alive on August 22---17 days after the mine collapsed, but it took many more days for rescuers to dig a hole big enough to bring them out.
The New York Road Runners, which organizes the marathon, had invited Edison Pena to the event after hearing his story. They thought he could ride in the lead vehicle or hold the finish line tape, but Pena said last week he did not want to watch, he wanted to run. “I was very eager to take on this big challenge,” he said. “I wanted to show the world I could run.” He hoped to run the 26.2-mile race in about six hours. “I have a knee injury, but I am eager to cross the finish line,” he said.    
An Elvis Presley fan who asked rescuers to send the singer’s music down into the mine, Pena broke into song at the news conference with the Presley hit Return to Sender.
On the morning of November 7^th, Pena, known as “the runner” by fellow miners trapped with him, set out to cover the course along with thousands of other runners and completed the race in five hours and 40 minutes.
When trapped underground, Pena ran a long way every day to _______.

A．find a way to get out	B．dig a lifeline to the ground
C．keep himself from coldness	D．get rid of his uneasy feelings

According to the passage, Pena _______.

A．was not expected to run the marathon at first

B．failed to achieve the goal he had set for the marathon

C．wore sports shoes while working underground

D．was asked to sing a Presley’s song at a news conference

During the rescue of the Chilean trapped miners, the digging of the escape hole lasted about _________.

A．17 days

B．22 days

C．52 days

D．69 days

Pena can be best described as _________.

A．smart-minded

B．strong-willed

C．hard-working

D．warm-hearted