LONDON - A British judge on Thursday sentenced a businessman who sold fake (假冒的) bomb detectors (探測器) to 10 years in prison, saying the man hadn't cared about potentially (潛在的) deadly consequences.
It is believed that James McCormick got about $77.8 million from the sales of his detectors ---which were based on a kind of golf ball finder---to countries including Iraq, Belgium and Saudi Arabia. McCormick, 57, was convicted (判罪) of cheats last month and sentenced Thursday at the Old Bailey court in London.
"Your cheating conduct in selling a great amount of useless equipment simply for huge profit promoted a false sense of security and in all probability materially contributed to causing death and injury to innocent people," Judge Richard Hone told McCormick. "You have neither regret, nor shame, nor any sense of guilt."
The detectors, sold for up to $42,000 each, were said to be able to find such dangerous objects as bombs under water and from the air. But in fact they "lacked any grounding in science" and were of no use. McCormick had told the court that he sold his detectors to the police in Kenya, the prison service in Hong Kong, the army in Egypt and the border control in Thailand.
"I never had any bad results from customers," he said.
小題1: Why was McCormick sentenced to prison?

A．He sold bombs.	B．He caused death of people.
C．He made detectors.	D．He cheated in business.

小題2: According to the judge, what McCormick had done _______.

A．increased the cost of safeguarding

B．lowered people's guard against danger

C．changed people's idea of social security

D．caused innocent people to commit crimes

小題3:Which of the following is true of the detectors?

A．They have not been sold to Africa.

B．They have caused many serious problems.

C．They can find dangerous objects in water.

D．They don't function on the basis of science.

小題4:It can be inferred from the passage that McCormick _______.

A．sold the equipment at a low price

B．was well-known in most countries

C．did not think he had committed the crime

D．had not got such huge profit as mentioned in the text

Playing basketball isn’t ladylike. That’s what Jewell Chapman’s high school headmaster told her in 1961 when he was against the girls’ basketball program.
“We were very discouraged, ” said Chapman, a forward（前鋒）for her high school team of Des Moines.
Nearly 50 years later, Chapman is back on the playground. She’s 62 and plays for “Hot Pink Grannies”, joining about 10 other women on a team whose uniforms are black trousers and hot pink socks. They play in the Iowa Granny Basketball League.
It’s one of dozens of basketball leagues for women over 50 that have arisen across the country. For some, it’s a chance to exercise and meet people; for others, it’s a once – refused chance to make up.
“You see more and more elderly women’s teams taking part in state and national competitions,” said Michael Rogers, a professor in sports studies at Wichita State University. “In the future it will be something common to have leagues like this.”
Yearly surveys by the National Sporting Goods Association show the number of women aged 55 and older who play basketball at least 50 times a year has grown from 16,000 in 1995 to nearly 131,000 ten years later.
The women on the Hot Pink Grannies are good – natured but competitive when game time comes.
“I think I’m tough” says Colleen Pulliam, 69, showing off her strong arms at her challengers in a game against “Strutters”, known for their bright yellow socks.
Granny Basketball Leagues and similar groups spread quickly through much of the country, including California, Louisiana, New Mexico, Pennsylvania and Washington, D.C.
小題1:Which is right about Chapman?

A．She thinks playing basketball isn’t ladylike.

B．She is now 62 years old and feels discouraged.

C．She plays basketball again about 50 years later.

D．She is a forward in the Hot Pink Grannies.

小題2:The underlined sentence “it’s a once – refused chance to make up” in the fourth paragraph means          .

A．it is chance to realize their old dream

B．it is chance to take part in sports

C．it is chance to earn a reputation

D．it is chance to compete for medals

小題3:Who is probably a player of “Hot Oink Grannies”?

A．Des Moines.

B．Colleen Pulliam.

C．Michael Rogers.

D．Strutters.

小題4:Which of the following statements is true?
A．Some elderly women play basketball with the purpose of getting wealthy.
B．Granny Basketball Leagues have spread all over the USA.
C．The women on the Hot Pink Grannies are good – natured and less competitive.
D．The number of women aged 55 and older who play basketball has greatly increased.
小題5:From the passage we can infer          .

A．in the 1960s, playing basketball wasn’t considered as a girls’ sport

B．the color of the socks is of great importance to granny players

C．more and more granny players are confident about getting higher scores

D．Jewell Chapman’s high school headmaster has already changed his attitude

It's not much, but it's home. Francis Chan, an engineer, lives in Hampstead, north London, in a flat that's just 4ft wide by 21ft long. He loves it.
Tiny though it is, it has got all the comforts. Peter Baynes, Chan’s architect (建筑師),has achieved a clever piece of design, according to architectural experts.
The Chan mini-house was built on what was once a path down the side of a big Victarian house. Not an inch of space is wasted.
When you step in through the front door, you're standing in the shower, on Britain' s only self-cleansing doormat (自動清潔門墊). A door opens on to an equally tiny toilet with washbasin. Two steps further in comes the kitchen, complete with full-sized cooker and fridge, and washer/ drier. A worktop folds down from the wall.
Another step and you're into the dining/ office area. Four people can sit here for dinner, says Chan as he sets the table-top into place. He even has a fold-down drawing-board for when he's working at home. The bed is hidden under a cover board right at the back. "I don't even have to make the bed," Chan says." I just put the cover down. "
Chan's business suits hang neatly on the wall over the bed. Daylight comes in through the skylight. The house feels like a very small boat and Chan admits he toyed with the idea of naming it the "boat-house".
"It cost around ￡4,700 to build last year. Now it's been valued at ￡30,000. It proves that good design doesn't need to cost more. It just needs a lot of care." says Chan.
小題1:By saying "It's not much" (line 1, para. 1), the author means that Chan's flat______.

A．is cheap

B．has cheap furniture

C．has a simple design

D．is fairly small

小題2:Where is Chan's flat?

A．Next to a big house	B．Under an old building
C．In a busy London street	D．By the side of a country road

小題3:Which of the following is the right order of things described in the text?

A．Shower, kitchen, toilet, dining table and bed

B．Shower, toilet, dining table, kitchen and bed

C．Shower, toilet, kitchen, dining table and bed

D．Shower, kitchen, toilet, bed and dining table

小題4:What is the purpose of this writing?

A．To sell Chan's flat for more money

B．To tell people how to take care of small flat

C．To introduce to readers a cleverly-designed flat

D．To call on engineers to design their own home

To make our digestive (消化的) system work well, we should avoid doing some things after having a meal, for example, drinking water. It is true that a person should drink 8 glasses of water every day to stay healthy. However, drinking water right after eating or even during a meal may disrupt (擾亂) digestion. It might affect the natural levels of acid and bile (酸和膽汁) that are necessary for proper digestion. What’s more, drinking cold water after eating might slow down digestion. So try to avoid drinking water at least an hour after a meal, and avoid drinking it while eating.
Though walking after eating is healthy, doing it immediately after a meal is not. Doing so will make it difficult for the digestive system to take in nutrients (營養(yǎng)) from the food. Besides, the blood will flow towards other parts of the body, like legs, hands, etc., which will make the digestive tract not have enough amount of blood flow that is needed for proper digestion. So we should wait for at least 2 hours after eating, and then begin exercising.
Sleeping should also be avoided right after eating. This is because going to bed right after a meal will lead to improper digestion. What’s more, such a habit will also make you put on a lot of weight. Therefore, wait for an hour or two, and then go to sleep.
Many of us have the habit of drinking tea just after lunch or dinner, which is really unhealthy. The tea leaves contain a large amount of acid which prevents the protein in the food from digesting. The best time to drink tea is at least one hour after eating.
Eating fruits right after a meal may fill the stomach with air and cause discomfort. They will also take time to reach the digestive tract, disturbing the entire process of digestion. To protect your stomach from digestive problems, eat fruits before or after 1-2 hours of a meal.
In a word, if you avoid doing all the above things after eating, you will surely make your digestion easy, and you will be less likely to have digestive problems.

Things to avoid immediately after eating
Drinking water	● Drinking water immediately after eating or during a meal may disrupt digestion by 小題1:______ the natural levels of acid and bile. ● Drinking cold water after eating probably reduces the小題2:______ of digestion. ● Don’t drink water until at least an hour has passed after a meal.
Going for a walk	● If we walk right after a meal, our digestive system will have 小題3:_____ taking in nutrients from the food. ● Walking right after a meal can result in 小題4:_____ digestion by causing insufficient (不足的) amount of blood flow in the digestive tract. ● Don’t 小題5:_____ out within two hours after eating.
小題6:_____	● Going to bed right after eating can小題7:_____ the digestive system working properly. ● Going to bed right after eating can 小題8:_____ one to gain weight.
Drinking tea	● The tea leaves are小題9:____ in acid, which prevents the protein in the food from digesting. ● Drink tea at least one hour after eating.
Eating fruits	● Eating fruits right after a meal may fill the stomach with air and make you feel小題10:_____. ● Fruits should be eaten before or after 1-2 hours of a meal.

March 22, 20II---Most restaurants in the United States offer their customers a glass of tap water at no charge with their meal, but this week many restaurants are asking dinners to pay a dollar, or more, for a glass of water. Cards on their tables explain that this small amount helps bring clean water to children around the world. It’s called the UNICEF Tap Project.
“UNICEF’s Tap Project is really all about bringing attention to the fact that over 900 million people around the globe do not have access to good, clean, healthy drinking water,” says Cary Stem, who heads the US Fund for UNICEF. She adds that water-borne illness is the second-highest cause of preventable childhood death in the world.
“Each and every day approximately 4,100 children die just because they don’t have that access - 4,100 every single day.”
The public service campaign encourages people to help change that statistic with a simple, affordable action: paying a dollar to get a glass of tap water at a restaurant.
“One dollar buys enough good, clean water for a child for 40 days,” Stem says.
“The tap project has expanded since it began five years ago with 300 restaurants in New York City. This year, Stem says, about 3,000 restaurants across the country are participating in the campaign. We raised about $2.5 million over the last five years of this campaign,” says Stem. “Last year, we raised over $1 million for the first time. This year we’re hoping to top that.”
Stem credits the continued success of the campaign to an army of volunteers who support the tap project and raise money in their communities.
The UNICEF Tap Project is promoting its efforts with a simple motto: when you take water, give water. Currently, UNICEF works in more than 100 countries around the world to improve access to safe water and sanitation facilities in schools and communities.
Stem hopes that, by participating in the project, more Americans will realize that what they often take for granted is a precious and scarce resource in many other parts of the world.
小題1:Restaurants began to charge for tap water to _______.

A．increase their profit

B．urge customers to save water

C．raise people’s awareness of the world water problem

D．collect money for those without access to safe water

小題2:We can learn from the text that the Tap Project ________.

A．began in New York City

B．was started by volunteers

C．is hoping to collect $2.5 million this year

D．provides help for 1,000 countries in the world

小題3:It can be learned that _______.

A．the Tap Project began in 2006

B．America suffers a serious problem

C．4,100 children die of water pollution every year

D．water-borne illnesses are the biggest killer of children

小題4:How does Cary Stem feel about the work of the Tap Project?

A．Concerned

B．Hopeful

C．Disappointed

D．Angry

Mother-of-three Carmen Blake called her midwife(助產(chǎn)師)to ask for an ambulance when she went into labor unexpectedly with her fourth child.
But the 27-year-old claims she was refused an ambulance and told to walk the 100m from her house in Leicester to the city’s nearby Royal Infirmary(醫(yī)院).
Her daughter Mariah was delivered on a pavement outside the hospital by a passer-by, just before ambulance crews arrived.
Ms Blake said she started going into labor at about 7:15 am on Sunday, August 2. She said, “I phoned up the Royal Infirmary, it’s just across the road.
“I went into the bath and realized she was gong to come quickly. I didn’t think I’d be able to make it out of the bath, so I phoned the maternity(婦產(chǎn)科的) ward back and told them to get an ambulance out.”
They said they were not sending an ambulance and told me I had had nine months to sort out a lift.
Experienced mother MS Blake today said she knew she had to get herself out of the bath and try to get to the hospital.
Eventually MS Blake and her friends enlisted the help of a physiotherapist(理療師) who happened to be passing on her way to work. She dialed 999 and helped deliver baby Mariah while waiting for emergency services.
Ms Blake said despite the happy ending she was upset she was told to make her own way to the hospital as, being an experienced mum, she knew she did not have the time.
Today a government spokeswoman said, “We are disappointed that Ms Blake was not happy with the advice and care she received and will of course investigate any complaint. We are pleased that both Ms Blake and her daughter are well and healthy.”
小題1: Carmen Blake, the 27-year-old mother, gave girth to her new child Mariah           .

A．in the city’s Royal Infirmary

B．in the ambulance on her way to hospital

C．out of the bath at home

D．in the street on her way to hospital

小題2:The underline3d phrase “went into labor” in the first paragraph probably means           .

A．felt worried

B．felt tired

C．gave birth to

D．went to sleep

小題3:It can be inferred that           .

A．there were not enough ambulance in the Royal Infirmary

B．the story ended with a sad ending

C．the maternity ward said Ms Blake only needed a lift

D．the maternity ward said Ms Blake ought to call earlier

小題4:Carmen Blake accused the Royal Infirmary of           .

A．failing to send an ambulance to help her

B．having killed her newly-born baby

C．not taking good care of her and her baby

D．refusing to admit her into the hospital

Jack Andraka from Maryland won the grand prize at the 2012 Intel International Science and Engineering Fair. It is the largest high school science competition in the world. The Maryland teenager is the youngest winner of the $75,000 prize. He was chosen from among 1,500 students in 70 countries.Jack Andraka invented a test for pancreatic cancer （胰腺癌）. He started to learn it after losing a close family friend to the disease. “I went on the Internet and I found that 85%of all pancreatic cancers are found late, when someone has less than 2% chance of survival（生存）, ” he says, “and I was thinking,’ That’s not right. We should be able to do something.’” He found that early discovery is important to increasing the chances of surviving the disease.
The Maryland teenager asked to work in a laboratory at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore and was allowed. There he developed a simple paper test, which can recognize the disease in a single drop of blood. His test has proved correct 90% of the time. It also is 100 times more sensitive（敏感的）than other tests. “It costs 3 cents per test, and then it takes only 5 minutes to run,” he said.
Jack’s success wouldn’t have been possible without Anirban Maitra, a professor at Johns Hopkins. He was the only person among the 200 researchers Jack wrote to who showed interest in his project. “I was very surprised that this was a 15-year-old who was writing this. I wanted to meet this clever young man and see what he wanted to talk about and so I called him over for an interview（會面）. ”
Jack worked in Professor Maitra’s laboratory, completing his project in 7 months. The government has given the Maryland teenager patent rights（專利權(quán)）to the pancreatic cancer test. He is now talking with companies about developing the test into a simple product.
Whatever happens, the professor believes Jack Andraka’s name is one we will be hearing again over the next 10 to 20 years.
小題1: What made Jack Andraka research pancreatic cancer?

A．A high school task.	B．A professor’s encouragement.
C．Losing a friend.	D．Doubts about the present test.

小題2: Jack Andraka’s research on pancreatic cancer __________.

A．proved to be very successful

B．was 100 times cheaper than other tests

C．gave patients a 90% chance of survival

D．was finished at the high school of Maryland

小題3: We can infer（推斷）from the text that Jack Andraka __________.

A．left a deep impression on Professor Maitra

B．was thought highly of by companies

C．got support from others easily

D．wasn’t afraid of failure

小題4: The underlined sentence in the last paragraph suggested Jack Andraka will __________.

A．become rich

B．make contributions（貢獻）continually

C．get a good job

D．make products to treat cancer

小題5: What’s the best title for the text?

A．Intel International Science and Engineering Fair

B．Jack Andraka’s Fights Against Cancer

C．Research on Pancreatic Cancer

D．Teenager Cancer Researcher

A heartless thief is believed to have crashed a fund-raiser and made off with a bag of cash meant to help a New York City firefighter pay for life-changing surgery for his 9-year-old son. But little Aidan Sullivan -- who was born with a facial defect and no right ear -- yesterday put up a brave front, with a message for the crook(thief): "I'm going to kick your butt!"
"I want to look normal," said Aidan, whose father, Tim, is a firefighter in the Bronx. The third-grader has hemi facial micro soma, in which one half of the face doesn't develop correctly.
Last weekend, family friend Peter Drake, a Ridgefield, Conn., firefighter, hosted a fund-raiser, collecting between $8,000 and $9,000. But when the party at a Danbury, Conn., Irish cultural center was over, the money had disappeared.
"At the end of the night, all the money that was donated was put in a zippered bag," said Tim Sullivan. "A bartender gave the bag to Pete... He had it in his hands. He put it down to go do something, and when he came back, he saw that it was missing."
Sullivan said his longtime friend -- who has had fund-raisers to pay for Aidan's 10 previous surgeries -- is "devastated."
"Pete was so upset. He kept saying, 'I let Aidan down, I let Aidan down,” Colleen Sullivan, 40, recalled.
"We even went Dumpster diving, in case it was thrown out."
The Sullivans plan to go ahead with the March 1 surgery led by specialists at NYU's Langone Medical Center in Manhattan. The money would have offset the $10,000 to $15,000 that insurance doesn't cover. Yesterday, Aidan said he's not a fan of hospitals and doesn't like to be away from his sister, Kaylee, 4. But he's willing to do it. "I'm excited," he said. "Finally, an ear."
小題1: Where do you probably read this text from?

A．A magazine.

B．A newspaper.

C．A book.

D．An advertisement.

小題2: How did little Aidan Sullivan feel when he knew the money was missing.

A．He felt excited.	B．He felt surprised.
C．He felt upset.	D．He felt annoyed.

小題3:What is the money used for according to this text?

A．To help Aidan Sullivan to have another operation.

B．To help pay for Aidan Sullivan’s life insurance.

C．To return the money the Sullivans owed to the hospital.

D．To help a firefighter who got hurt in the ear.

小題4: What is true of little Aidan Sullivan?

A．He hates going to hospital.

B．He will go to New York for the surgery.

C．He didn’t care too much about the lost money.

D．He has received 10 surgeries before.

小題5: What can we infer about Pete from the text?

A．He was heartless.	B．He was kind.
C．He was caress.	D．He was a firefighter.

Beijing today, first published in May, 2001, is the capital’s only English weekly newspaper and is published with the help of the Information Office of the Beijing Municipal Government and run by Beijing Youth Daily. Its readers include English-speaking foreigners living in Beijing and local Chinese who have great interest in English or take English as a working language.
The paper’s main content deals with metropolitan life, explaining the differences and similarities between Eastern and Western culture. Its culture and lifestyle part is regarded as a guide to metropolitan life in Beijing.
The paper has 24 pages in four main sections:
NEWS: Select stories that discuss cultural differences.
COMMUNITY: Reports on developments related to foreigners in the city and a platform(平臺)by which they can communicate with a bigger audience.
CULTURE and LIFESTYLE: Highlights from international lifestyle and fashion trends in Beijing
STUDY: Cheerful and humorous pieces to help English-language students improve their skills
Beijing Today circulates 50,000 copies published every Friday. It is one of Beijing’s most authoritative(權(quán)威的) English media sources, and is sold at post newsstands and distributed in hotels, apartment complexes, etc.
Price: 2 yuan per issue
小題1:Which of the following sections would be the best choice to exchange thoughts with others？

A．NEWS

B．COMMUNITY

C．CULTURE and LIFESYLE

D．STUDY

小題2:If you want to subscribe to Beijing Today for half a year, you need to pay ________.

A．52 yuan

B．24 yuan

C．104 yuan

D．48 yuan

小題3:What CANNOT you read in Beijing Today?

A．News abou foreign cultural festivals

B．fashion trends in Paris.

C．Discussions with foreigners

D．Skills in improving English

Michelle Obama made a daring decision to return to the same designer who created her Inaugural（就職）Ball dress four years ago --- and the risk paid off.
The First Lady looked extremely attractive in a red dress by designer Jason Wu. She teamed the dramatic dress with heels by Jimmy Choo and a diamond ring by Kimberly McDonald.
She surprised the fashion world by returning to a Wu design which had been made for her.
Four years ago at her first Inauguration Ball, Michelle shone in a white, one-shouldered floor-length dress by the designer.
Wu, who was 26 at the time and had only been working in fashion for three years, saw his career take off after the First Lady’s surprise decision to wear one of his dresses.
He said at the time that he was unaware she had chosen the dress and had been watching at home on his couch and eating pizza when she appeared.
After her 2013 decision, Wu told Women’s Wear Daily: “Mrs. Obama likes to keep her secrets. She fooled me again.”
Wu released a women’s clothing and accessories（配飾）collection at Target last year and continues to be popular with the First Lady for official appointments.
The sleeveless dress with low-cut back flattered （突出）49-year-old Michelle’s arms and neat waist.
It had been created especially for her by Wu and was a departure from the dark and plain color tone she stuck to at earlier inauguration events.
Vice-President Joe Biden’s wife Jill also looked attractive in a blue silk dress by Vera Wang at the Inauguration Ball.
小題1:What does the passage mainly talk about?

A．Mrs. Obama’s 2013 decision.

B．Wu, a great designer.

C．The First Lady’s secrets.

D．Michelle Obama’s inaugural ball dress.

小題2: Michelle Obama’s brave decision proved to be a _________.

A．risk

B．success

C．surprise

D．danger

小題3:Which of the following best describes Jason Wu?

A．Daring and gifted.	B．Unusual and cautious.
C．Talented and lucky.	D．Careful and brave.

小題4:We can infer from the passage that _________.

A．Wu was aware that Mrs. Obama had chosen his work again

B．Being First Lady, Mrs. Obama hasn’t stuck to her dark and plain color tone.

C．Mrs. Obama told Wu to give away her secrets

D．Mrs. Obama should have told Wu the truth