(Reuters) --- A stampede killed at least 36 people during New Year's Eve celebrations in Shanghai, authorities said, but the police denied reports that it was caused by people rushing to pick up fake money thrown from a building overlooking the city's famous waterfront.
It was the worst disaster in the modern city since 58 died in an apartment building fire in 2010.
The cause of the crush has still to be confirmed, though state media and some witnesses have said it was at least partly aroused when people rushed to pick up coupons that looked like bank notes.
A man named Wu said the fake money had been thrown down from a bar above the street as part of the celebrations.
"This incident happened after the stampede," police said in a brief statement, without saying what the real cause was.
Another witness said there had been a problem away from the area where the fake bills were thrown, with people trying to get on to a raised platform overlooking the river.
Xinhua news agency said that people had been trampled on after falling down on the steps up to the platform.
Authorities had shown some concern about crowd control in the days leading up to New Year's Eve. They recently canceled an annual 3D laser show on the Bund, which last year attracted as many as 300,000 people.
On New Year's Eve, Beijing also canceled a countdown event in the central business district, Chinese media said, due to police fears about overcrowding.
The Shanghai government said on its official microblog that an inquiry had begun, and that all other New Year events had been canceled.
In 2004, 37 people died in a stampede in northern Beijing, on a bridge at a scenic spot, during the Lunar New Year holiday.According to the passage, why did people go to the Bund?
| A．To meet their old friends and relatives. |
| B．To celebrate the New Year’s Eve. |
| C．To watch an annual 3D laser show. |
| D．To pick up bank notes. |
What can be inferred according to the passage?
| A．Some possible measures had been taken by authorities. |
| B．People like 3D laser show better than any other events. |
| C．The local government had shown their worry about overcrowding. |
| D．The celebrations in Beijing were influenced by this stampede. |
What’s the passage about?
| A．A countdown event in Beijing. |
| B．A laser show on the Bund. |
| C．An apartment fire in Shanghai. |
| D．A stampede on New Year’s Eve in Shanghai. |
BEIJING，Feb．5，2013（Xinhua）－Chinese health authorities on Tuesday launched a campaign to fight against assisted reproductive technology （ART：辅助生育技术） abuse．Unauthorized ART use，surrogate motherhood and the illegal collection and supply of sperm and eggs，as well as the illegal sale and abuse of ovulation induction（诱导排卵） medicine，will be targeted．
The Ministry of Health and health department of the People's Liberation Army General Logistics Department jointly announced the campaign at a conference．Both departments also ordered all of their local branches to suspend permits for new organizations that wish to offer ART treatments．That is，new organizations will not appear recently．Official figures showed that at the end of 2012，China had 358 organizations authorized to conduct ART treatment．
The health ministry also delivered a brief statement of the country's current infertility rate（不孕率） and ART use．The infertility rate in China is now between 7 and 10 percent，the ministry said．Some 70 to 80 percent of women who are suffering from infertility can be pregnant after changing their lifestyles and receiving medical treatment．Around 20 percent of infertile couples have to resort to ART to have babies．In 2011，about 350，000 people received ART treatment and more than 60，000 infertile couples successfully had children with the help of ART，the ministry said．ART abuse DOSEN'T include________．
| A．surrogate motherhood |
| B．unauthorized ART use |
| C．the regular usage of medicine |
| D．the illegal supply of sperm and eggs |
What does the underlined word “suspend” （paragraph 2） probably mean?
| A．Support． | B．Pause． | C．Allow． | D．Ban． |
From the last paragraph we can know________．
| A．Nearly10 percent of couples could not have their own babies |
| B．70 to 80 percent of women could not be pregnant now |
| C．Over 350，000 infertile couples had their babies with the help of ART |
| D．About one fifth of infertile couples have to turn to ART for help |
What's the best title of the passage?
| A．China targets ART abuse |
| B．ART is used in China |
| C．ART is illegal in China |
| D．China increases ART using |
BEIJING, (Xinhua) —China’s capital city launched its first underground library, “M Subway Library” on Jan. 12，2015. The theme of its first activity is “Our Characters”. Citizens riding the special train on subway Line 4 now can read e-books provided by the National Library by scanning the QR code in the carriage.
“M Subway Library” is a public welfare program initiated by the Beijing MTR and the National Library to provide qualified book resources to the public through the platform of public transportation. The library will organize different themed activities regularly and recommend a dozen free books to the public each year in the long term.
XINING, (Xinhua) —A bullet train made its maiden trip from Xining city to Lanzhou city in Northwest China on Dec. 26, 2014, marking the start of the full operations of the Lanxin high-speed railway. The Lanxin high-speed railway links Urumqi in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region with Xining, capital of Qinghai Province, and Lanzhou, capital of Gansu Province, slashing the total travel time from more than 23 hours to 11 hours and 50 minutes. The 1,776-kilometer high-speed rail line, with a designed speed of 250 kilometers per hour, is China’s first high-speed railway built in a high-altitude region.
NINGBO, (Xinhua) —Ningbo Subway Line 1 started running special trains with 3D paintings featuring the city’s culture starting on Dec. 20, 2014．Through the paintings, the city in East China’s Zhejiang province seeks to share its culture and attract more outside visitors. The paintings focus on four themes: rice cake, fishing festival, books and Buddhism.The purpose of launching “M Subway Library” is to .
| A．earn more money by making advertisements in the carriage |
| B．attract more tourists to come to Beijing to take the subway |
| C．make the idea of “Green Travel” go deep into people’s mind |
| D．offer the passengers an additional reading platform |
Which of the following statements is correct according to the news?
| A．The Lanxin high-speed railway covers Gansu, Xinjiang and Tibet. |
| B．It is China’s first high-speed railway. |
| C．It has a length of 1,776 kilometers. |
| D．It will take you 11 hours and 50 minutes to travel from Xining to Urumqi. |
What can you enjoy when you ride the special train on subway Line 1 in Ningbo?
| A．Chinese classical music. |
| B．3D paintings about Ningbo’s culture. |
| C．Traditional Chinese paintings. |
| D．3D films which were shot in Ningbo. |
New research shows that the healthy brain may hold memories which we don’t even remember. In The Journal of Neuroscience, experts report that the brain might hold more memories than people realize, but that restoring those memories can be tricky.
Memory Check
First, participants saw a list of 120 real words mixed with 80 nonsense words. Next, they saw another word list and tried to remember which words had been on the first list. Meanwhile, their brains were scanned with functional magnetic resonance(核磁共振) imaging.
While participants reviewed the second word list, their brain scans showed more activity in a certain brain area -- the posterior（后部的） median temporal lobe(脑叶) -- when they saw words that had been on the first word list.
But participants didn’t always remember that they’d seen those words before. Sometimes, they goofed and said they hadn’t seen those words before. In other words, the posterior median temporal lobe was more sensitive to memory than participants’ consciousness, the researchers note.
“Album”of Memories
Another part of the median temporal lobe also attracted the scientists’ attention. The anterior（前面的）median temporal lobe showed more activity when participants thought they were seeing a new word, the study shows.
So, why did participants sometimes mess up their memory recall? It might be that two parts of their brain -- the posterior and anterior median temporal lobes -- might be dueling(决斗) for the upper hand in deciding what actually happened in the past, the study notes.
In other words, memories might have a photo album in the brain, but sometimes we forget what’s on all of the photo album’s pages.A person sometimes has difficulty recalling because .
| A．he is unconscious when he gets his memories |
| B．he forgets what is on the pages of the photo album |
| C．there are two parts in his brain dueling for the upper advantage |
| D．the anterior median temporal lobe is more active than the posterior |
According to the passage the researchers are .
| A．studying how a person remembers things |
| B．studying a magazine The Journal of Neuroscience |
| C．examining posterior and anterior median temporal lobes |
| D．doing experiments to find out what disturbs a person’s memory |
What did the experts discover when the participants saw the words on the first word list appear on the second word list?
| A．The instrument worked faster. |
| B．The participants were more conscious. |
| C．The posterior median temporal lobe was more active. |
| D．The anterior median temporal lobe was more active. |
The underlined wordgoofedin the fourth paragraph means .
| A．made a mess of | B．made an answer for |
| C．made out of | D．made the best of |
It was reported last week that developers could take photos from Apple mobile and Google Android devices without the phone owners knowing that the images were being taken. In Apple’s case, developers can also obtain the location information for each photo.
Senator(参议员) Charles Schumer said in a telephone interview that his office had spoken with officials at both Apple and Google on Monday.
“We asked them if they could find a way on their own to prevent Apple from having access to private information,” Mr. Schumer said. “They were friendly and open to the idea that this ought to be changed.”
On Sunday, Mr. Schumer said that he planned to send a letter to the Federal Trade Commission asking the agency to investigate Apple and Google after the privacy concerns came to light. Claudia Bourne Farrell, an F.T.C. spokeswoman, said the agency had received the letter but she could not comment further.
“It worries people to think that one’s personal photos, address book, and who knows what else can be obtained and even posted online without permission,” Mr. Schumer wrote in his letter to the F. T.C. “If the technology exists to open the door to this kind of privacy invasion, then surely technology exists to close it, and that’s exactly what must happen.”
Mr. Schumer said if Apple and Google could not come to an agreement to fix the problem, then he would be forced to take the issue further.
He said other companies had been willing to work with his office to fix issues. “I’m optimistic that we can get this changed without any regulation,” he said. “If it’s not changed, then we’ll turn to the F.T.C., and if that doesn’t work then we’ll consider legislative approach.”
The F.T.C. has warned companies to try to be more vigilant(警醒的) in their efforts to protect consumers when it comes to privacy.The senators spoke with officials at both Apple and Google_______.
| A．to urge them not to invade consumers’ privacy. |
| B．to discuss whether it is illegal to have access to private information. |
| C．to stop them from developing the technology of taking photos. |
| D．to keep them from obtaining the location information for each photo. |
Which of the following statements is True?
| A．Privacy invasion from Apple has existed for a long time. |
| B．Mr. Schumer takes the privacy concerns caused by Apple and Google seriously. |
| C．Privacy invasion from Google has existed for a long time. |
| D．Apple and Google have decided to make a change. |
Mr. Schumer’s letter to the F.T.C. mainly shows that the technology to open the door to privacy invasion_______.
A. causes privacy invasion to happen frequently.
B. can be used if permitted.
C. causes people to worry about the safety of their personal information.
D. causes personal information to be posted online without permission.Where can we read about the passage?
| A．In a newspaper. | B．In a magazine. |
| C．In a science report. | D．In a textbook. |
A group of swimmers has described how a group of dolphins protected them from a group of white sharks （食人鲨）off the coast of New Zealand. The lifeguards were on a training swim when they came across a group of great white sharks before the dolphins raced in to help.
The swimmers were surrounded by the dolphins for forty minutes before they were able to make them safety back to the beach. It was an uncomfortable experience as they were circled by a group of white sharks, which came within a couple of meters of them. Lifeguard Rob Howes was in the water with a colleague and his teenage daughter. He said around half a dozen dolphins suddenly appeared and forced them to gather together. The mammals swam in tight circles to create a protective wall between the white sharks and the lifeguards as the great white sharks were under the surface.
The swimmers said the dolphins were extremely upset and repeatedly slapped (拍打) the water with their tails as if to try to prevent the white sharks from attacking them. It’s a day they’ll never forget, especially for one who was on her first day as a volunteer. They have no doubt that the dolphins acted on purpose to protect them. Researchers have said that they’re not surprised. A marine biologist insisted that dolphins, which are considered to be one of the most intelligent mammals, “like to help the helpless.”How many swimmers are attacked by the white sharks?
| A．Two. | B．Three. | C．Four. | D．Five. |
It seemed that the dolphins slapped the water with their tails to ____.
| A．attack the white sharks and the lifeguards |
| B．play with water together for pleasure |
| C．stop the lifeguards being harmed by the sharks |
| D．attract the white sharks to kill the lifeguards |
The underlined words “a volunteer” refers to____.
| A．a lifeguard | B．Rob Howes’s workmate |
| C．Rob Howes | D．Rob Howes’s daughter |
Which of the following can be the best title?
| A．Dolphins Protect Swimmers from Sharks |
| B．Sharks Protect Swimmers from Dolphins |
| C．Lifeguards Protect Dolphins from Sharks |
| D．Lifeguards Protect Sharks from Dolphins |
Facebook is now used by 30 million people in the UK，about half the population．
Joanna Shields，vice president of Facebook Europe，made the announcement this morning at a media conference in London．
She said: "We can announce today that we have reached 30 million in the UK，which we are really excited about．"
Globally，Facebook has more than 500 million registered users，a milestone it hit last summer．Last July，it also revealed that it had 26 million registered UK users．In the last eight months，it has attracted four million extra UK users，bringing the UK total to 30 million，while in January 2009，Facebook had only 150 million registered users．
Last year，Zuckerberg，Facebook's founder，said it was "almost a guarantee" that the site would hit one billion users．He explained: "If we succeed in innovating，there is a good chance of bringing this to a billion people．．．it will be interesting to see how it comes true．"
One third of women aged 18 to 34 check Facebook when they first wake up，before even going to the toilet，according to research．Twenty-one per cent of women aged between 18 to 34 check Facebook in the middle of the night，while 42 per cent of the same group think it is fine to post drunken photos of themselves onto the social network，a study by Oxygen Media found．
Shields was speaking this morning at the Financial Times Digital Media and Broadcasting Conference about the power Facebook's referrals can bring to media sites，such as newspapers and TV services．
She explained that the average Facebook user has 130 friends who they share links to media sites with on a regular basis．"Media companies which take advantage of that are really seeing the benefits"，Shields said．
Shields refused to say whether Facebook would develop its own mobile phone operating system and also said it was "silly" that Google had recently disabled the feature（特点）which allowed Google users to sync their contacts with Facebook friends．
【改编】From the passage we know that ．
| A．Facebook would develop its own mobile phone operating system |
| B．Google didn't allow its users to sync their contacts with Facebook friends |
| C．Shields refused to admit the power Facebook's referrals could bring |
| D．Google was always silly |
【改编】from the passage,we can know the population in UK. is about___.
| A． 30 million | B．60 million |
| C．70 million | D．20 million |
【改编】What kind of people are more interested in Facebook according to the passage?
| A．young people | B．middle-aged people |
| C．all people | D．children |
【原创】Recently a series of reports appeared online in the United States and the United Kingdom lamenting(叹息) the “Lazy French”. A new labor law in France had apparently banned organizations from e-mailing their employees after 6 p.m. In fact, it turned out to be more a case of “lazy journalists” than “lazy French”: as The Economist explained, the “law” was not a law at all, but a labor agreement aimed at improving health among a group of professionals.
Brits and Americans have long suspected that the French are goofing off(吊儿郎当) while they – the good corporate soldiers—continue to toil away. They are proud about it, too. In the age of the smartphone, there’s no such things as “downtime”(停工期), and we claim that we are happier—and more productive – for it.
Are we, though? After reviewing thousands of books, articles and papers on the topic and interviewing dozens of experts in different fields, I don’t think so. When we are checking business news in bed or responding to co-workers. But, actually, we’re mostly just getting the small, easy things done. Being busy is not equal to being effective.
And let’s not forget about the surrounding play, which often distracts us from accomplishing our most important tasks. Facebook and Twitter report that their sites are most active during office hours. After all ,the employee who’s required to respond to her boss on Sunday morning will think nothing of responding to friends on Wednesday afternoon. Constant connection means that we’re “always at work”, yes, but also that we’re “never at work”—fully.
Some parts of the workforce do rely on constant connection. But others should be given proper breaks. The great technology historian, Melvin Kranzberg, said, “Technology is neither good nor bad, and nor is it neutral(中立的).” That statement should become a real principle of the information age. We must actively decide on our levels of technology engagement at different times to maximize productivity, success and happiness.The author mentions “lazy French” at the beginning of the passage in order to __________.
| A．criticize them for how they work |
| B．introduce the subject of working styles |
| C．show the way they work |
| D．explain how they differ from Americans and Brits |
Why did the author review many materials and interview many experts?
| A．It was his work to do that. |
| B．He needed to prepare plenty of materials for his work. |
| C．He wanted to prove that his working style was correct. |
| D．He wanted to find out which way of working was better. |
What can we conclude from the passage?
| A．We should make better use of technology. |
| B．Being busy makes us happier and more productive. |
| C．Small tasks can be done at home, but important ones must be done in the office. |
| D．In terms of working style, we should learn from the French. |
Thousands of taxi drivers in Shenyang, Liaoning province, reportedly blocked streets with their vehicles on Sunday in protest against unlicensed vehicles using taxi-hiring apps(打车软件) and apps-based car rental companies providing passenger services, including high-end cars. Although the drivers also complained about the withdrawal of the fuel subsidy by the government, their main complaint was the loss of business because of the rising number of Internet-based car services companies.
On Wednesday, news reports came that Beijing transport authorities will take measures to stop the illegal “taxi business” of private cars through the newly rising Internet apps, following the footsteps of Shenyang and Nanjing.
It is not yet clear how the Shenyang city government will handle the issue and whether it will declare the services offered by market leaders such as Didi Dache, a taxi-hiring app provider backed by Tencent Holdings, and Kuaidi Dache illegal. But Shanghai transport regulators have set a rule, by banning Didi Zhuanche, or car services offered by Didi Dache in December.
Such regulations will cause a setback to the car-hiring companies and investors that are waiting to cash in on the potentially booming business. Just last month, Didi Dache got $700 million in funding from global investors, including Singapore state investment company Temasek Holdings, Russian investment company DST Global and Tencent. Besides, the market is uncertain that Kuaidi Dache is about to finalize its latest round of funding after getting $800 million from global investors.
Regulatory uncertainties, however, could cast a shadow on the future of the Internet-based car-hiring services, which have become popular in most of China’s big cities. To be fair, these companies’ business model is anything but bad. For example, Didi Zhuanche works side by side with established car rental companies to provide high-end car service mainly for businesspeople through the Internet and mobile phone apps.
Every link in this business model chain has legal companies and services. Hence, it is hard to define it as illegal and ban it.Why did taxi drivers in Shenyang block the streets with their vehicles?
| A．Because they wanted the government to increase their driving allowances. |
| B．Because they wanted to be educated how to use the taxi-hiring apps. |
| C．Because they wanted to make their main complaints known to the government. |
| D．Because they wanted to call on passengers not to hire the private cars. |
The author’s attitude to banning internet car-hiring service is______.
| A．positive | B．negative | C．neutral | D．unclear |
Which of the following statements is false according to the passage?
| A．The problem referred to in the passage exists in all cities |
| B．App-based car rental is helpful to some degree |
| C．The government should regulate the app-based car rental market |
| D．Didi Dache is a China-foreign joint company |
From the passage we learn ___________.
| A．Shenyang banned apps-based car rental companies |
| B．Shanghai is the second city banning Didi Zhuanche |
| C．some international investment companies have faith in the future of apps-based car rental companies |
| D．it is easy to describe the apps-based car rental companies illegal |
The US will seek to expand its own oil production in an attempt to reduce dependence on imported oil and bring down fuel prices, President Obama says. New contracts for exploration will be signed in non-protected areas of Alaska and in the Gulf of Mexico.
In his weekly speech, the President insisted the US could reduce its need for imported oil and improve safety. Using his speech to tell Americans that he understood their concerns about rising prices, President Obama focused particularly on the price of fuel, which has risen in recent months.
US consumers have historically enjoyed cheap fuel, but have seen prices rise in recent months even though US oil production in 2010 reached its highest level for seven years.
Although the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010 was serious, Mr. Obama said the Gulf remained a key part of the country’s future energy supply.
The President’s proposals (议案) come after Republicans (共和党人) introduced a series of proposals that would expand and speed up oil and gas production.
The White House has criticized the Republican proposals for safety reasons, but Mr. Obama was clear in his speech that he felt safety and environmental standards could be maintained even though production might rise.
“I believe that we should continue to expand oil production in America — even as we increase safety and environmental standards,” he said.
“As a nation, we should be investing in the clean, renewable sources of energy that are the solution to high gas prices.”
Mr. Obama has previously called for a step-change in energy policy, saying the US must move towards getting 80% of its electricity from clean energy sources by 2035.Which of the following is NOT included in Mr. Obama’s speech?
| A．The dependence on imported oil. |
| B．Improving safety standards. |
| C．The reason for the rising oil prices. |
| D．Expanding oil production. |
Mr. Obama thinks the Republican proposals are ______.
| A．not safe enough |
| B．not environmentally friendly |
| C．practical |
| D．clear |
What can we learn from the text?
| A．The US has got most of its electricity from clean energy. |
| B．US oil production is too small to keep the present low fuel prices. |
| C．The US produced the most oil in 2010 in its history. |
| D．The Gulf is still important in energy supply in spite of the oil spill in 2010. |
Which of the following can serve as the title?
| A．Obama: US will seek oil in Alaska and Gulf of Mexico |
| B．Obama: US will import less oil to improve safety and environmental standards |
| C．Obama: the time of high fuel prices will be gone |
| D．Obama: clean, renewable sources of energy are the solution to high gas price. |
The United Nations says forty million people or so around the world went hungry in 2008, mainly because of higher food prices. Early estimates（估计） from the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) show that 963 million people did not get enough to eat.
World food prices have dropped since early 2008. Prices of major crops have decreased by more than half from their height earlier last year. But they remain high compared to earlier years.
But FAO official Hafez Ghanem says lower prices have failed to end the food crisis (危机) in many poor countries. “For millions in developing countries,” he says, “getting enough food every day to live an active and healthy life is a distant dream.”
The FAO says food shortage is a threat to people's health. Today, two-thirds of the world's undernourished people live in just a few countries. These are India, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Pakistan, Ethiopia and so on.
A report on food insecurity warns that the current economic crisis could send even more people into hunger and poverty.
In sub-Saharan Africa, the percentage of the people who continually go hungry fell from 34% in 1997 to 30% in 2008. But the FAO says Ghana is the only country that has reached two sets of hunger reduction targets. These were set by the 1996 World Food Summit and the Millennium Development Goals. The main reason is the growth in agricultural production in Ghana.
The FAO says some countries in Southeast Asia like Thailand and Vietnam have made progress in hunger reduction goals. But South Asia and Central Asia haven't, and North Korea is still in hot water.What FAO official Hafez Ghanem says implies（暗示）__________
| A．it's easy but takes long to provide people with enough food |
| B．enough food can make people more active and healthier |
| C．there is difficulty solving the food shortage in a short time |
| D．people in developing countries will never get enough food |
Ghana has reached the targets of hunger reduction mainly because of ________.
| A．the still high food prices |
| B．the donation of developed countries |
| C．the two targets of hunger reduction |
| D．the growth in agricultural production |
The underlined word "undernourished" in Para. 4 probably means ________.
| A．hungry and unhappy |
| B．unhealthy for lack of food |
| C．not fat because of poverty |
| D．undeveloped and poor |
Which country has not made progress in hunger reduction?
| A．North Korea | B．Thailand | C．Vietnam | D．Ghana |
What is the best title of this passage?
| A．The food production of the world |
| B．The hunger reduction target of the FAO |
| C．The food shortage around the world |
| D．The solution to the global food shortage |
An explosion on Thursday killed one and injured 21 in a busy street in Tongren, Southwest China’s Guizhou Province.
The bomb was hidden in a rubbish bin in the city’s commercial hub（商业中心），where lots of shops and restaurants are concentrated.
The ear-splitting blast was heard around 12∶50 p.m.，said a local newspaper, citing witnesses. The power of the blast（爆炸）shattered nearby shop windows and ripped the stainless（不生锈的）steel rubbish can to pieces.
One passer-by，identified（确认）only as Zhang，said she was shocked by the noise and saw a lot of pedestrians lying on the ground when she got to the scene.
Thirteen of the injured were taken to a local hospital after the explosion. A doctor there said five were in serious condition but already out of danger after emergency treatment. The others were just slightly hurt.
The cause of the explosion is still under investigation, said an officer with the Tongren police, but refused to speculate as to the cause.It can be inferred from the passage that ________.
| A．All the injured were taken to a hospital |
| B．8 of the injured were not taken to a hospital |
| C．The rubbish bin with a bomb was in a restaurant |
| D．The rubbish bin with a bomb was in a shop |
Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?
| A．One passer- by, saw a man throwing a bomb into a bin. |
| B．Some customers in restaurants were injured. |
| C．The writer didn’t get to the scene. |
| D．All customers in shops got hurt. |
In the last paragraph the underlined word“ speculate” probably means ________.
| A．tell | B．guess | C．discuss | D．talk |
What of the following can be the best title for the passage?
| A．Bomb Hidden in a Rubbish Bin |
| B．The Cause of the Explosion |
| C．A Terrible Thing |
| D．Market Blast Kills 1 ,Injures 21 |
The passage probably comes from________.
| A．a newspaper | B．a diary |
| C．a story book | D．a survey |
The government of Norway is planning to build an unusual storage center on an island in the Arctic Ocean. The place would be large enough to hold about two million seeds. The goal is to present all crops known to scientists. The British magazine New Scientist published details of the plan last month. The structure will be designed to protect the world’s food supply against nuclear war, climate change and other possible threats. It will be built in a mountain on the Norwegian island of Spitsbergen. The mountain is less than one thousand kilometers from the North Pole, the northernmost position on earth.
An international group called the Global Crop Diversity Trust is working on the project. The director of the group, Cary Fowler, spoke to New Scientist. He said the project would let the world rebuild agriculture if, in his word, “the worst came to the worst”. Norway is expected to start work next year. The project is expected to cost three million dollars. Workers will drill（钻孔） deep in the side of a sandstone mountain. Temperatures in the area never rise above 0ºC. The seeds will be protected behind walls a meter thick and high-security door.
The magazine report says the collection will represent the products of ten thousand years of farming. Most of the seeds at first will come from collections at seed banks in Africa, Asia and Latin America. To last a long time, seeds need to be kept in very low temperatures. Workers will not be present all the time. But they plan to replace the air inside the storage space each winter. Winter temperatures on the island are about eighteen degrees below 0ºC. The cold weather would protect the seeds even if the air could not be replaced.
Mr. Fowler says the proposed structure will be the world’s safest gene bank. He says the plant seeds would only be used when all other seeds are gone for some reason. Norway first put forward the idea in the 1980s. But safety concerns delayed the plan. At that time, the Soviet Union was meeting in Rome of the Food and Agriculture Organization.
The project is meant to ______.
| A．increase the world’s food output in the future |
| B．carry out some scientific experiments on plant genes |
| C．build an exhibition centre of the world’s plant seeds |
| D．protect crop seeds from dying out in case of possible disasters |
Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the above passage?
| A．The government of Norway will perform the project alone. |
| B．Seeds to be collected there were produced ten thousand years ago. |
| C．Spitsbergen is chosen because it is free of the nuclear war forever. |
| D．Temperature is a major consideration when choosing the storage place. |
We can infer from the text that _______.
| A．Norway had meant to build the storage centre about 20 years before. |
| B．The storage center will greatly promote world agriculture |
| C．People will get newly-developed seeds from the center every year. |
| D．There haven’t been any seed storage centers in the world before. |
What is probably the best title of the passage?
| A．The Best Place to Store Seeds |
| B．Noah’s Ark（诺亚方舟）of Plant Seeds in Plan |
| C．Concerns of World Food Supply |
| D．A New Way to Feed the World |
The average British 22 year-old has more than 1,000 online friends on sites like Facebook, compared to those in their fifties who have fewer than 20, according to a new study.
The “Facebookgeneration gap” has been highlighted in a new piece of research which shows that the average 22 year-old claims to have 1,000 or more friends on sites like Facebook.
People in their twenties have more than 50 times as many digital friends as those who are over 50 years old, despite the popularity of sites like Facebook with the older generations, says a study conducted by consumer research group Intersperience.
The news comes during the same week Facebook's second-in command, Sheryl Sandberg, is visiting the UK to deliver a speech at the London School of Economics.
Facebook's chief operating officer is going to speak about how the social web has transformed people's friendships and relationships.
The survey found that there was a clear link between people's age and the number of online friends they have．The researchers found that those aged 13 to 16, have an average of 450 friends on social networks, with girls having slightly more friends that boys．People in their thirties tend to have between 100 and 200 friends, while those in their forties have between 50 and 100.
However, those using sites such as Facebook over the age of 50, tended to have 20 or less friends．The oldest person surveyed was 70 years old.
Paul Hudson, Intersperience's chief executive, said: "Our research underlines fundamental （根本的）changes taking place in British society as a result of finally entering the digital age．Half of the UK population are on Facebook now．In a social media context, a 'friend' means something different to a 20 year old than to a 50 year old."
He added: “Social networking activity is just one example of how different groups are adapting to the digital age at different paces．In this case, age is the determining factor - however in other instances it is not.”Which is the determining factor in social networking activity?
| A．Gender | B．Age | C．Relationship | D．Pace |
What can we learn from the survey?
| A．The older a person is, the less online friends he may have |
| B．Girls have remarkably more friends than boys |
| C．People in their thirties tend to have between 50 and 100 friends |
| D．The link between people’s age and the number of online friends they have is not clear |
According to the passage, the following statements are True except .
| A．The oldest people surveyed is 70 |
| B．Paul Hudson will deliver a speech at the London School of Economics |
| C．Different groups are adapting to the digital age at different paces |
| D．Facebook is popular in UK now |
What’s the main idea of the passage?
| A．Social networking activity |
| B．The digital age |
| C．“Facebook generation gap”—Facebook generation has more than 1,000 friends |
| D．Changes taking place in British society |
News 1
Chinese President Xi Jinping on Saturday delivered a speech at a gathering marking the 15th anniversary of Macao’s return to China. He stressed the importance to strengthen the future-oriented education and upbringing of the young people in Macao, which was striving to address the shortage of human resources.
“We need to strengthen the education and upbringing of young people to ensure that fine tradition of loving the motherland and loving Macao will be carried forward from one generation to another and that the cause of ‘one country, two systems’ will be continuously advanced,” he said.
News 2
China has already built the largest high-speed rail network in the world, and leads especially in making high-speed trains, most of the rail makers are focusing more on enhancing innovation with a view to develop “China-designed” high-speed trains and to transfer technology to overseas countries.
China’s railway investment during the first 10 months of this year rose 37 percent from a year ago to 590 billion yuan, according to the country’s top economic planner.
News 3
Halloween is becoming the third-biggest imported festival after Christmas and Valentine’s Day in China.
As the festival approaches, lots of malls and theme parks have taken the card of “ghost”. All kinds of scary designs and various pumpkin shapes have pushed the festival atmosphere to its prime.
Many themes parks have planned “Halloween night”. In recent years, these kinds of activities have attracted more and more young people.
News 4
Li Yifeng is probably the most sought-after celebrity right now. Since the actor shot to fame with TV series Legend of the Ancient Sword （《古剑奇谭》）, he has been offered the opportunity to participate in a variety of movies and programs. And as the New Year is approaching, Hunan TV, Dragon TV, Zhejiang TV and Jiangsu TV are all fighting to get Li at their New Year gala. However, Li’s representative revealed that Li is sure to appear in Hunan TV’s gala. No plan has been made for Li to take the stage on Dragon TV.In President Xi’s speech, he mainly talked about ________.
| A．the shortage of human resources |
| B．the cause of “one country, two systems” |
| C．the tradition of loving the motherland |
| D．the education of the young people in Macao |
News 2 is likely to be about ________.
| A．politics | B．economy | C．culture | D．entertainment |
Which is the best title for News 3?
| A．The Activities of Halloween |
| B．The Designs of Halloween |
| C．Halloween Night in Theme Parks |
| D．Halloween Gains Popularity in China |
What can we learn from News 4?
| A．Li Yifeng is famous for acting in a TV series. |
| B．Li Yifeng has played leading roles in many films. |
| C．Dragon TV got the chance to interview Li Yifeng. |
| D．Li Yifeng is likely to appear in Zhejiang TV’s gala. |
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