Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao promised that the country would take actions to improve school bus safety on Sunday, a day after China saw its second terrible school bus accident in November, 2011.
“School buses should be safe mobile campuses(校園) for students,” the premier said at a national meeting on women and children, “Society(社會) should remember in mind that children should be the first to enjoy all kinds of social caring and the last ones to suffer from any disaster.”
School buses have become a hot topic in China since the deaths of 21 people, including 19 pre-school students, in a traffic accident between a truck and a school-owned minibus in Gansu province on Nov. 16, 2011. The nine-seat minibus was carrying 64 people at the time of the accident, according to the reports.
The second accident, in which a school bus in the northern province of Liaoning rolled over on Friday, left 35 people injured, according to China Daily.
“In recent days, a series of big accidents involving school buses has led to great anger among the people. These accidents have also made me uncomfortable,” said Mr Wang, an old teacher from Jiangsu. And he also thought that school bus safety must become a serious problem for schools and the government.
Premier Wen has already asked the government to develop new safety standard (標準) for school buses and made sure to help local government with safe buses for school-age children.
【小題1】How many seats did the minibus in Gansu province have before it was turned into a school bus?

A．64

B．21

C．9

D．19

【小題2】What does “roll over” mean in Paragraph 4?

A．倒車

B．翻車

C．撞車

D．飛車

【小題3】How did Mr Wang feel when such accidents happened?

A．nervous

B．a(chǎn)ngry

C．stressed

D．tired

【小題4】Which of the following sentences is Not True?

A．21 pre-school students died in the school bus traffic accident in Gansu.

B．35 people were hurt in the school bus accident in Liaoning.

C．Mr Wang thought school bus safety was a serious problem.

D．The government has been asked to develop new safety standard for school buses.

TOKYO, JAPAN--What do you do when you see a cockroach (蟑螂）？ Do you hit it with a newspaper? Do you step on it?
When researchers at Tokyo University see a cockroach, they take the remote control and make the cockroach turn around, run left or right, or go forward. These scientists are changing the cockroaches into robots. Each cockroach has a very small pack that has in it a microprocessor(微處理器）.Then researchers can send signals from the remote control to the pack. The signals control the movements of the cockroaches.
Why does anyone want to control a cockroach? “Insects can do many things that people can’t,” says Isao Shimoyama, head of robot research at Tokyo University. In a few years, he says, these robot insects will carry very small cameras. They will be able to move through earthquake rubble(瓦礫）to look for people or move under doors to find information about someone.
This may seem strange, but the Japanese government thinks the research is very important. The government is giving the scientists $ 5 million for this research.
First, the researchers breed (培育)hundreds of cockroaches. They use only the American cockroach because it is bigger and stronger than other cockroaches. Then they choose the best cockroaches and remove their wings and antennae(觸須）. They put small packs where the antennae were. The packs weigh about three grams, or about two times the weight of the cockroaches themselves. “Cockroaches are very strong,” says Ralph Holzer, who is a researcher at Tokyo University. “They can lift 20 times their own weight. ”
With a remote control, the scientists send signals to the packs. When a cockroach gets the signal, it moves. The problem is that the cockroaches don’t always move in the right direction.
【小題1】The scientists are changing the cockroaches into robots because ______.

A．they want cockroaches to do things people can’t in the future

B．they want to control the movements of the cockroaches

C．they want cockroaches to take photos of the earthquakes

D．they want to send signals to the packs on the cockroaches

【小題2】What can cockroaches do to help people?

A．They can lift 20 times their own weight.

B．They can help people to carry very small cameras.

C．They can breed hundreds of cockroaches.

D．They can search for those people in rubble after an earthquake.

【小題3】Scientists control cockroaches’ movements ______.

A．by removing their wings

B．by sending signals from the remote control

C．by using very small cameras

D．by removing their antennae

【小題4】What problem do the rcscarchcrs meet with?

A．The cockroachcs sometimes clon;t move.

B．The cockroachcs sometimes move in ihc wrong direction.

C．The cockroachcs arc too big to move through earthquake rubble.

D．The cockroachcs can only lift 20 times their own weight.

Canberra is the capital of Australia. It is a modern and lively city with a population of over 345,000.


【小題1】How far is Canberra from Sydney?

A．25 km

B．238 km

C．345 km

D．507 km

【小題2】The word “Canberra”means__________.

A．the largest city

B．beautiful man-made lake

C．the old capital city

D．a(chǎn) place for friends to get together.

【小題3】Canberra Flower Festival is a festival to ________

A．ride bikes	B．visit universities
C．welcome the spring	D．walk around the lake

	News 1 Huang Heshan, a boy from Xinghua, has moved(感動) many people in Taizhou. Thanks to Huang Heshan, Yang Kangshao can go to school every day. Yang is disabled, but Huang Heshan carries him to school on his back. It’s eight years since he started to do that. They help each other. At school, Yang helps Huang with his study, too. Huang says that he feels happy when he can do something to help disabled people.
	News 2 In Taizhou City, Ren Min Park is a good place for families to have fun. There are many green trees and the air is fresh. People can have different activities in the park. However, we can also find the waste bags and other rubbish everywhere. How can we get such bad environment? Now it’s time to keep the park clean if we want to have a nice field trip.
	News 3 On March 25, more than four thousand people started to run from Jiangsu Taizhou Middle School. All the runners ran about 4.7 kilometers. They took part in the activity to lead a healthy life and show the spirit of the people in Taizhou. After running, many runners signed their names on the wall.

【小題1】In News 1, we know Huang Heshan has helped Yang Kangshao for _____.

A．eighteen years

B．eighty years

C．eight months

D．eight years

【小題2】We should _____ if we want to have a nice field trip in Ren Min Park.

A．throw the rubbish

B．find some waste bags

C．plant more trees

D．help keep the environment clean

【小題3】To lead a healthy life, over four thousand people _____ on March 25.

A．cleaned the park

B．signed their names on the wall

C．ran about 4.7 kilometers

D．started to help disabled people

【小題4】According to the news, we can know something happened in _____.

A．Beijing

B．Taizhou

C．Guangzhou

D．Shanghai

【小題5】We may know the news above from _____.

A．a(chǎn) newspaper

B．a(chǎn) book

C．a(chǎn) magazine

D．a(chǎn) poster

Paris—French President Nicolas Sarkozy said he would clear over 300 Roma camps in France. He will send more than 700 Roma back to their native countries, including Romania (羅馬尼亞) and Bulgaria (保加利亞) in the next three months.
Many French people disagree with Sarkozy’s move. Some European countries don’t agree with the move, either. They say it goes against human rights. However, Sarkozy has made up his mind. Police have been clearing Roma camps.
Roma are also called gypsies (吉普賽人). They came from India. They left their homeland sometime during the 11th century and entered Europe in the 14th century. Today there are 2-5 million gypsies. Most of them live in Eastern Europe.
They traveled everywhere and made a living as actors, actresses, workers, and by selling goods from faraway lands. Most gypsies are very poor and their children don’t go to school. Some gypsies can’t find work so they make a living begging (乞討) or stealing. The French government thinks gypsies bring a lot of social problems. That’s why Sarkozy wants them out of France.
Sarkozy’s move, however, won’t solve the gypsy problems in France for the long term. According to EU (歐盟) laws, the gypsies of EU member countries are free to go to another EU member country, like France. They can stay there for up to three months. Many of the gypsies will probably come back to France in the future.
【小題1】How many Roma will be sent from France to their native countries in the next three months?

A．Over 300

B．Over 700

C．2 million

D．5 million

【小題2】According to the news, most of the Roma live in _________.

A．France

B．India

C．America

D．Eastern Europe

【小題3】Why does Sarkozy want to send the Roma out of France?

A．They traveled everywhere around Europe and India.

B．The gypsies are free to go to another EU member country.

C．Most gypsies are very poor and their children don’t go to school.

D．The French government thinks gypsies bring a lot of social problems.

【小題4】How long can the gypsies of EU member countries stay in another EU member country?

A．They can stay there all life long.

B．They can stay for up to three months.

C．They stayed from 11th century to 14th century.

D．They can travel to the country and stay for a few days.

【小題5】Which is Not True according to the text?

A．Police have been clearing Roma camps.

B．All the French people agree with Sarkozy’s move.

C．Some European countries say the move goes against human rights.

D．Sarkozy’s move won’t solve the gypsy problems in France for the long term.

Some students, parents and teachers in Shanghai were surveyed last month. According to the result of the survey, the generation gap(代溝) between students and parents as well as teachers is becoming wider. Here is what they said.
Voice of the students:
“Our parents hold too high expectations which put us under lots of pressure. They care too much about our lives and studies,” one student said.
“It’s impolite that some students’ parents read their children’s diaries without permission!” one student said angrily.
“Some of our teachers are so serious that we can’t make friends with them at all,” another student said sadly.
Voice of the parents:
One mother said, “After school, my daughter usually locks herself into her room and spends lots of time talking with others on the phone. And I can’t stand her clothes and hairstyle!”
“I thought my son was doing very well in his studies. I didn’t realize I was being cheated by him until I got a call from his teacher,” said a father.
Voice of the teachers:
An English teacher said, “Today, the role of the teacher is to put knowledge into students’ brains. The power of teachers has kept students away from them.”
“Some parents pay too much attention to their children’s grades instead of creating a lively and colorful environment at home,” another teacher said.
“In the past, teachers and students often played games together or talked with each other. Today, only studies and grades are talked about,” said a teacher. “A school should be a place where students can learn not only knowledge, but also how to face failure and frustration bravely enough.
【小題1】What can we know from the students’ voice?

A．They hope to be free don’t want their parents to be very strict.

B．The higher expectations their parents hold, the better they will do.

C．Teachers like making friends with students now.

D．A warm and happy family isn’t expected.

【小題2】The underlined word “expectations” in the passage means “­­­­___________” in Chinese.

A．表揚

B．期望

C．夢想

D．責任

【小題3】What can we infer from the teachers who were surveyed?

A．Teachers feel what they are doing for students is good.

B．Parents, teachers and educational rules all influence students greatly.

C．Now teachers and students communicate better than before.

D．Teachers should care more about excellent students.

【小題4】Which of the following could be the best title for the passage?

A．Unhappy teenagers	B．Serious parents
C．Educational rules	D．The generation gap

	News 1 Huang Heshan, a boy from Taipin, Mazhang, has moved(感動) many people in Zhanjiang. Thanks to Huang Heshan, Yang Kangshao can go to school every day. Yang is disabled, but Huang Heshan carries him to school on his back. It’s eight years since he started to do that. They help each other. At school, Yang helps Huang with his study, too. Huang says that he feels happy when he can do something to help disabled people.
	News 2 In Zhanjiang City, the Forest Park is a good place for families to have fun. There are many green trees and the air is fresh. People can have different activities in the park. However, we can also find the waste bags and other rubbish everywhere. How can we get such bad environment? Now it’s time to keep the park clean if we want to have a nice field trip.
	News 3 On March 25, more than four thousand people started to run from Zhanjiang Convention and Exhibition Center(湛江會展中心). All the runners ran about 4.7 kilometers. They took part in the activity to lead a healthy life and show the spirit(精神) of the people in Zhanjiang. After running, many runners singed their names on the wall.

【小題1】In News 1, we know Huang Heshan has helped Yang Kangshao for _____.

A．eight days

B．eight weeks

C．eight months

D．eight years

【小題2】We should _____ if we want to have a nice field trip in the Forest Park.

A．throw the rubbish	B．find some waste bags
C．plant more trees	D．help keep the environment clean

【小題3】To lead a healthy life, over four thousand people _____ on March 25.

A．cleaned the park	B．singed their names on the wall
C．ran about 4.7 kilometers	D．started to help disabled people

【小題4】According to the news, we can know something happened in _____.

A．Beijing

B．Zhanjiang

C．Guangzhou

D．Mazhang

【小題5】We may know the news above from _____.

A．a(chǎn) newspaper

B．a(chǎn) book

C．a(chǎn) magazine

D．a(chǎn)

Readers’ favorite landmarks

Arizona’s Grand Canyon Skywalk(人行天橋)is the best new bridge, New York by Gehry(蓋里設(shè)計的紐約大廈) is the top new skyscraper and the National September11Memorial(911紀念館)is the favorite new public space, according to Travel+ Leisure magazine (《悅樂》雜志).
What do the three architectures have in common? They were all opened in the last fifteen years and are this year’s new best landmarks. It shows that some architectures could become classics in a very short time.
How were these top new landmarks voted(投票)?The New York-based travel magazine carried out an online survey to discover the world’s top new landmarks in2012.They asked readers to vote their favorite ones in different categories(類別)—skyscrapers, parks and public spaces, museums, bridges, sports and performance places.
The architectures having the most votes in each category are crowned as the best new landmarks. Each category has a top new landmark.
【小題1】Arizona’s Grand Canyon Skywalk is ________.

A．the best new bridge	B．a(chǎn) high building
C．a(chǎn) new walkway	D．a(chǎn) street.

【小題2】In the passage , ______ famous architectures are mentioned.

A．1

B．2

C．3

D．4

【小題3】How long have the architectures been open ? ________.

A．5 years

B．10 years

C．15 years

D．150 years

【小題4】The architectures are crowned as the best new landmarks according to having the most votes on_________ .

A．skyscrapers, parks and public spaces, museums, bridges, sports and performance places.

B．skyscrapers, parks and public spaces, museums, bridges and performance places

C．parks and public spaces, museums, bridges, sports and performance places.

D．skyscrapers, parks and public spaces and performance places.

Thousands of people have been killed in a massive(大規(guī)模的) earthquake in Japan. The quake -- the most powerful to hit Japan in more than 100 years -- caused massive damage and many people are missing and feared dead.
The 8.9 magnitude quake struck Friday(March 11) off Japan's eastern coast, and prompted(引發(fā)) tsunami warnings（海嘯警報）across the Pacific as far away as South America and the U.S. West Coast. Several days after a 8.9-magnitude earthquake and resulting 10-meter-high tsunami devastated the coastline. The United States Geological Survey says it was the fifth largest earthquake since 1900. The largest, with a 9.5 magnitude, shook Chile(智利) in 1960.
In Japan, the tsunami swept away boats, cars and hundreds of houses in coastal areas north of Tokyo. The quake shook buildings in the Japanese capital and caused several fires. All train and subway traffic in Tokyo has been stopped, and thousands of people there were unable to get back home. People are just trying to find clean water. Food supplies are running out. In the convenience stores, there are no rice balls left. There is no bottled water left. People are facing a really serious situation in the days ahead for these people that are living in areas that were only moderately（普通的） damaged. The final death toll could range from the thousands to tens of thousands, depending on how many of these communities are gone.
Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan said the government would do everything it can to minimize（使降到最低） the effects of the disaster. And in Washington, President Obama said the United States is ready to help the people of Japan.
【小題1】The underline word damage means_____________ in the article.

A．illness

B．disaster

C．terror

D．danger

【小題2】 Which is true according to the passage?

A．Thousands of people have been killed in a massive earthquake in Japan.

B．Only people in areas that were only moderately damaged are facing a really serious situation in the days.

C．The tsunami devastatednot only the coastline in Japan, but also the areas across the Pacific as far away as South America and the U.S. West Coast.

D．The massive earthquake caused the tsunami.

【小題3】According to the passage, which earthquake is the largest one since 1990 ?

A．the one happened in Japan on March 11, 2011

B．the one in Chile in 1960

C．the fifth largest earthquake since 1900

D．We don't know.

【小題4】If you're in Tokyo these days, what you can't get from the convenience store?

A．newspapers and magazines

B．some medicine

C．paper napkins and toothpastes

D．rice balls and bottled water

【小題5】The passage can't be in/on __________.

A．March 10th newspapers

B．TV

C． Internet

D． Radios

One of the most popular items(項目) in the school newspaper is the advice column. No one knows who writes it. The students think their teacher does, but it might be a student using a false name.
The students enjoy thinking up problems for the advice column. Here are some of them and their answers.
Ask the Wise Owl
Q: I’m always late for school. I try not to be, but I can’t help it. Please advise me what to do. Tommy.
A: You are probably late for school because you don’t really like school. My advice to you is to try and enjoy school more, then you won’t be late so often.
Q: I find it difficult to make friends. What do you think I should do? Sara.
A: I can’t advise you until I know more about you. Your problem may be that you are shy. On the other hand, it may be the opposite. You may be too bold(冒失). Write and tell me more about yourself.
Q: I’m always at the bottom(底部，末尾) of the class. What do you advise me to do? Molly.
A: I advise you to concentrate on(全神貫注) improving your grades in one subject to start with. If you can do this, you should move a little way up from the bottom. Next, try to improve your grades in another subject, and so on. If you concentrate on one subject at a time, by the end of the year you should be quite a long way up from the bottom in all your classes.
【小題1】What is Tommy’s problem?

A．He needs help with his homework.

B．He finds it difficult to make friends.

C．He is always late for school.

D．He is always at the bottom of his class.

【小題2】What does Molly want to do?

A．To stay at the bottom of her classes.

B．To make more friends.

C．To concentrate on one subject at a time.

D．To improve her grades.

【小題3】What does the Wise Owl want Sara to do?

A．Give more information about herself.

B．Stop being so shy.

C．Make more friends.

D．Stop being so bold.

【小題4】By the end of the year, where should Molly be in all her classes?

A．At the top.

B．Quite a long way up from the bottom.

C．At the bottom.

D．A little way up from the bottom.

【小題5】What is the main idea of this passage?

A．Sara finds it difficult to make friends.

B．Tommy wrote to the school newspaper to ask for advice.

C．The advice column in the school newspaper is very popular.

D．The school newspaper has an advice column.