Beldon and Canfield are two seashore towns, not far apart. Both towns have many hotels, and in summer the hotels are full of holiday-makers and other tourists.
Last August there was a fire at the Seabreeze Hotel in Beldon. The next day, this news appeared on page two of the town’s newspaper. The Beldon Post:
FIRE AT SEABREEZE
Late last night firemen hurried to the Seabreeze Hotel and quickly put out a small fire in a bedroom. The hotel manager said that a cigarette started the fire. We say again to all our visitors： “Please don’t smoke cigarettes in bed.” This was Beldon’s first hotel fire for five years.
The Canfield Times gave the news in these words on page one：
ANOTHER BELDON HOTEL CATCHES FIRE
Last night Beldon firemen arrived just too late to save clothing, bedclothes and some furniture at the Seabreeze Hotel. An angry holiday-maker said, “An electric lamp probably started the fire. The bedroom lamps are very old at some of these hotels. When I put my bedside light on, I heard a funny noise from the lamp.” We are glad to tell our readers that this sort of adventure does not happen in Canfield.
What are the facts, then? It is never easy to find out the exact truth about an accident. There was a fire at the Seabreeze Hotel last August: that is one fact. Do we know anything else? Yes, we know that firemen went to the hotel.
Now what do you think of the rest of the “news” ?
小題1:Which of the following best gives the main idea of this text?

A．Beldon and Canfield are both good places for tourists in summer.

B．A fire broke out night in Seabreeze Hotel last summer.

C．It was not easy to find out exact truth from newspapers.

D．Two newspapers gave reports on the same matter.

小題2:Which of the following are probably facts? 
a. The fire broke out in a bedroom at the hotel.
b. A cigarette started the fire.
c. An old lamp started the fire.
d. The fire broke out at night.
e. There has never been a fire in Canfield.

A．b and c

B．a(chǎn) and d

C．c and e

D．a(chǎn) and c

小題3:The Canfield Times used the headline like this in order to make its readers think _______. 

A．hotels in Beldon often catch fire

B．hotels in Beldon don’t often catch fire

C．this was the second fire at the Seabreeze Hotel

D．Beldon was a good place except that hotels there are not quite safe

小題4:The Canfield newspaper gave a report just the opposite to the Beldon Post by saying that _______. 

A．the bedroom lamps were very old at the Seabreeze Hotel

B．the bedroom lights made funny noise when the fire took place

C．the firemen failed to save clothing, bedclothes and other things

D．such accidents never happened in Canfield for the past 5 years

 MONTREAL (Reuters) – Crossing the US-Canada border（邊界）to go to church on a Sunday cost a US citizen ＄10,000 for breaking Washington’s strict new security（安全）rules.
The expensive trip to church was a surprise for Richard Albert, who lives right on the Canadian border. Like the other half-dozen people of Township 15, crossing the border is a daily occurrence for Albert. 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（海關(guān)）station in this area is closed on Sundays, so be 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 be had been caught on carnera crossing the border illegally（非法）.
Ottawa has given out special passes to some 300 US citizens 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.
小題1:We learn from the text that Richard Albert is            .

A．a(chǎn)n American living in Township 15	B．a(chǎn) Canadian living in a Quebec village
C．a(chǎn) Canadian working in a customs station	D．a(chǎn)n American working in a Canadian church

小題2:Albert was fined because he              .

A．failed to obey traffic rules	B．broke the American security rules
C．worked in St. Pamphile without a pass	D．damaged the gate of the customs office

小題3:The underlined word “detour” in paragraph 5 means              .

A．a(chǎn) drive through the town	B．a(chǎn) race across the fields
C．a(chǎn) roundabout way of travelling	D．a(chǎn) journey in the mountain area

小題4:What would be the best title for the text?

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

 Three months after the government stopped issuing（發(fā)放）or renewing permits for Internet cafes because of security（安全）concerns, some cafe owners are having financial（經(jīng)濟的）concerns of their own.
The permits were stopped suddenly three months ago by the government until new safeguards could be put in place to prevent misuse of the information superhighway, but for cafe owners it’s a business breakdown with no fix in sight.
“I handed in a request to open up an Internet cafe and received the conditions,” said the businessman Obeidallah. “I rented a place in the Sharafiah district at SR45,000 and prepared the place with equipment that cost me more than SR100,000. When I went to the local government after finishing everything, I was surprised to find that they’d stopped issuing permits for Internet cafes.”
Having an Internet cafe without Internet is much like having a coffee shop without coffee. “I’m avoiding closing the place, but it’s been more than three months with the situation ongoing as it is.” Obeidallah said. “Who will bear the losses caused by the permit issue?”
The decision took many cafe owners by surprise. “I asked to open an Internet cafe, and I was handed a list of all the things that were needed to follow through, such as a sign for the place, filling out forms,” said Hassan Al-Harbi.
“I did all that was asked and rented a place. And after the Haj vacation I went to the local government and they surprised me, saying that there are new rules that forbid the issuing of any more Internet cafe permits and that one can’t even renew his permit. I’ve lost more than SR80,000,” Al-harbi added.
As for the government, officials say a method to deal with it is on the way. But security concerns come before profit（盈利）.
小題1:The government stopped issuing or renewing permits for Internet cafes       .

A．to prevent misuse of new safeguards in Internet cafes

B．to make cafe owners earn less profit from their business

C．to stop the use of the information superhighway on Internet

D．to make sure of the proper use of the information superhighway

小題2:The government’s decision led to the fact that many cafe owners            .

A．suffered heavy financial losses

B．a(chǎn)sked to open up Internet cafes

C．continued to operate Internet cafes

D．a(chǎn)sked the government for payment

小題3:The underlined phrase in the last paragraph “on the way” means             .

A．to be studied

B．to be put into practice

C．to be changed

D．to be improved

小題4:The cafe owners found the government’s decision          .

A．surprising and unacceptable

B．understandable and acceptable

C．reasonable but surprising

D．surprising but acceptable

You are a German living in Berlin. One day you’ re walk­ing down the street, minding your own business, when sudden­ly a stranger comes up with a smile on his face. After stopping you, he holds a small electronic device (裝置) close to his face and speaks slowly into it, saying, in English," Can you tell me where I can buy some sauerkraut?" What should you do? (a) Run away; (b) Call the police; or (c) Listen closely for the device to say in German," Konnen Sie mir bitte sagen, welches sauerkraut haufen kann?"
The most proper answer would be (c) because the person in front of you is only a tourist trying to enjoy himself. The de­vice is said to be the world’s first portable(便攜的) translator — a hand-held microcomputer that at the same time translates one spoken language into another. The four-pound, battery-op­erated product is called the Voice, and it is the invention of Advanced Products and Technologies, an American electronics company. When the Voice is introduced in the Unite States in late April — at a price of (1,500 — it will be used to trans­late spoken English into Italian, German, French and Span­ish. The product comes with separate cartridges(盒式存儲器) for each of the four languages, which can be changed when the user travels from one country to another. It will be sold in Eu­rope soon after the US introduction, with cartridges that trans­late Italian, German, French and Spanish into English.
The Voice uses a microchip(微型集成電路片) to trans­late languages. It is Started by voice command and produces voice output through a built-in speaker. When the user makes a statement or asks a question, the Voice immediately repeats what has been said in another language.
小題1: The device held by the stranger is probably a kind of________.

A．a(chǎn) two-way radio	B．language translator
C．easily-carried speaker	D．a(chǎn) multi-functioned computer

小題2:. What does the last sentence of the first paragraph mean?

A．Can you tell me where I can buy some sauerkraut?

B．Can I ask for some information from the police?

C．Would you like to try my device?

D．Would you not run away if I ask you where to buy some sauerkraut?

小題3:When the stranger says," Can you tell... sauerkraut?" he is ________.

A．learning German from his device

B．a(chǎn)sking you the way to the sauerkraut shop

C．making fun of you with his device

D．testing his device for fun

小題4:Which of the following is not mentioned in the text?

A．The price of the hand-held microcomputer.

B．The function of the product Voice.

C．The producer pf the small electronic device.

D．The number of the device sold to the European coun­tries.

NEWS BRIEF
●Prime Minister Tony Blair new allegations(指控) on Thursday that he misled Parliament and the public in making the case for the war in Iraq after he disclosed his chief legal adviser’s written opinion raising questions about the legality(合法) of the war.
●U.S. Forest Service officials are reminding people to stay off Forest Service roads that are closed. The fine for disobeying the rule of road closures is a maximum of ＄5,000 fine and/ or six months in prison. Those who enter the area and cause road damage may also be required to pay for repairs.
●In a second study presented at the meeting, scientists from the UK and Denmark showed that even a few days of high temperatures can severely reduce production of crops such as wheat,  soybeans, rice and groundnuts, if it occurs when the plants are flowering.
●A bomb exploded in Thailand’s mainly Muslin south on Sunday, killing two policemen and wounding three others, a day after Thailand’s queen condemned those behind a 15-month wave of violence(暴力).
●Mechanicsburg 3, West York 1: Ken Stamper and Rusty Bowman had seven kills each, and Ryan Warfield had six to lead the Wildcats past the Bulldogs, 25-11, 25-15, 15-25, 25-23, in a non-league match.
小題1:The news brief covers _____________.     

A．war, law, violence, culture and agriculture

B．sports, war, violence, politics and climate

C．politics, culture, violence, climate and sports

D．violence, sports, politics, law and agriculture

小題2:From the news brief, we can learn that ____________.

A．the Bulldogs defeated the Wildcats by 3-1 in a non-league match

B．Forest Service roads are closed for repairs before they are opened again

C．quite a few violent accidents happened in Tailand before the latest one

D．the British people think the decision made by Blair about the war is of legaliry

小題3:According to the U.S. Forest Service officials, those who enter the area and damage the closed roads __________.

A．shall have to pay a $ 5,000 fine for the repairs to them

B．shall be fined or put in prison, and may pay for the repairs

C．shall be fined $ 5,000 and kept in prison for six months

D．shall pay a fine and repair the roads as a punishment

小題4:The study of the scientists from the UK and Denmark is about ____________.

A．the importance of climate and the growth of crops

B．the damage caused by high temperatures to some crops

C．the relationship between crops flowering and high temperatures

D．the effect of high temperatures on the production of some crops

BEIJING, Nov. 26—U.S. dollar hit another record low against the euro on Friday, with the European currency climbing above $1.32 for the first time. The green-back fell to its lowest in nearly five years against the yen the same day.
By 1943 EST, the dollar was trading at US$1.3265 per euro, compared with US$1.3270 in thin late New York trade. It was at 102.55 yen, little changed from New York after touching 102.37, a level not seen since March 2000, in London.
Japanese Finance Minister Sadakazu Tanigaki repeated his warning against dollar weakness, threatening to take action against sudden moves, but market participants said such verbal intervention (口頭干涉) had long lost its clout.
Traders were expecting market liquidity to remain thin on Friday because of the extended U.S. holiday.
In such thin trading, many said a fall in the dollar past 102 yen and US$1.33 per euro was a real possibility.
Referring to recent currency movements as “brutal”, European Central Bank chief Jean-Claude Trichet, who is the most vocal European policymaker on dollar weakness, is due to make comments in Rio de Janeiro, along with ECB council member and Spanish central bank governor Jaime Caruana.
Introduced in 1999 as the common currency for 12 European countries, the euro initially(最初) dropped against the dollar but has risen some 60 percent since hitting an all-time low of 82 U.S. cents in October 2000.
64. What does “the green-back” refer to in the first paragraph?
A. U.S. dollar                                           B. Another record
C. The euro                                              D. European currency
65. How did Sadakazu Tanigaki feel about dollar weakness?
A. Excited                    B. Puzzled             C. worried                    D. Disappointed
66. The underlined word “brutal” probably means ______.
A. cruelty                            B. help                 C. criticism                   D. apology
67. According to some people, it was possible for the dollar to trade ______.
A. at 1.3265 per euro                                 B. at 1.32 per euro
C. at 1.3270 per euro                                 D. at 1.331 per euro

A teddy bear from Cumbria is launching into space to raise cash for charity(慈善).
Terence, an experienced traveller who has been to Iraq, will be the guest of honour on aviation(航行) legend Burt Rutan’s Spaceship One when it flies above Earth. The mission takes off from California on September 29, and on his return the cuddly toy will be auctioned off(拍賣) in aid of the North Air Ambulance Appeal(北部空中救護(hù)服務(wù)中心).
Spaceship One is the world’s first private spacecraft, and is competing for a prestigious space travel prize. Chief executive of the Great North Air Ambulance Service (GNAAS), Graham Pickering, said “flying officer” Terence had been handed over to the RAF six months ago and staff had been receiving postcards from him ever since.
He said, “Terence was a fundraising idea that really took off. We have received pictures of him in a U2 craft, trying parachuting and even looking drunk and disorderly. When the RAF finally discharge him he will be a very rare bear indeed—we just hope he does not burn up on re-entry to Earth.”
GNAAS, which needs charitable donations of more than ￡2m a year, has three air ambulances(空中救護(hù)機).
Peter Bond, spokesman for the Royal Astronomical Society, said Terence’s safety was not guaranteed. He said, “This is a new and experimental craft and this will only be the second time it has flown. During its first voyage it developed technical problems but hopefully they have now been resolved.”
Since May, Terence has spent time with members of 100 Squadron(空軍中隊) based at RAF Leeming in Basra, Iraq, and at air shows with performing fighter planes.
Spaceship One will fly 100km (62 miles) above the Earth’s surface, just breaking through the planet’s atmosphere.
If it repeats the feat(技藝) inside two weeks, it will claim the $10m Ansari X-Prize set up to encourage the private space flight business.
小題1:Terence is ________.

A．a(chǎn) real bear living in England	B．a(chǎn)n experienced astronaut
C．a(chǎn)n air force officer	D．a(chǎn) toy bear

小題2:We can infer that________.

A．a(chǎn)fter this space flight, Spaceship One will get the $10m Ansari X-Prize

B．it is dangerous for a spaceship to re-enter the earth atmosphere

C．Terence will be very safe on the flight

D．Spaceship One is just an ordinary plane

小題3:Which of the following is true of Spaceship One?

A．Spaceship One is the world’s first spacecraft.

B．The purpose of its flight is to collect money for the charity.

C．The purpose of its flight is to compete for a prestigious space travel prize.

D．Spaceship One has never flown.

小題4:Which of the following is the best title?

A．Teddy bear astronaut to lift off	B．Spaceship One to lift off
C．Space flight	D．The toy bear will be auctioned off

SANTO DOMINGO, Domincan Republic ---An infant girl born with a second head bled to death Saturday after complex surgery (外科手術(shù)) to remove her partially formed twin , her parents and doctors said.
A medical team completed the 11- hour operation Friday night and said 8-week-old Rebecca Martinez died seven hours later. Doctors had warned after the surgery that the girl would be at great risk of death.
“ We knew this was a very risky surgery , and now we accept what God has decided , “ Rebecca’s father , 29-year-old Frankin Martinez, said at a news conference with his wife. “ Rebecca is no longer with us physically , but no one will forget her.”
Martinez said the family would bury Rebecca in a private funeral later in the day.
The girl lost a lot of blood in the operation, which apparently ( 明顯地) caused her to suffer a heart attack , said Dr. Jorge Lazareff , the lead surgeon . Friends and family donated (捐贈) almost 4 gallons of blood for surgeons to use Rebeca’s operation
“This was not a failure or an error ,” Lazareff said . “ When we left here last night the girl was in stable condition. At some point in the middle of the night , she started to bleed.”
Rebecca was born Dec. 10 with the undeveloped head of her twin, an exteremely rare condition known as craniopagus parasticus . Rebecca was the eighth documented case in the world of craniopagus parasiticus, doctors said.
All the other infants documented to have had the condition died before birth , making Rebecca\s surgery the first known operation of its kind.
Without an operation , Rebecca would have barely been able to lift her head at 3 months old. Her doctors said the pressure from the second head would have prevented her brain from developing.
“ We always saw Rebecca without the extra part of her body, ”er father said after her death.
Rebecca was their third child-----along with a 4-year-old boy and a 1-year-old girl.
小題1:The underlined word “infant “ most probably means____________________.

A．a(chǎn) disabled child

B．a(chǎn) newly-born child

C．a(chǎn) 2-headed child

D．a(chǎn) very young child

小題2: Rebecca Martinez died ________________________after she went to the operation table.

A．8 weeks

B．11 hours

C．7 hours

D．18 hours

小題3: Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the text?

A．Rebecca died because mistakes happened during the operation

B．Rebecca most probably died of bleeding

C．Rebecca was her parents’ third child

D．Without an operation , Rebecca would have little hope of living

小題4: Which of the following would be the best title of the passage?

A．Infant Girl Dies After 2nd Head Removed

B．Rebecca , Hiciano’s Third Child

C．The Death of a Gril With two Heads

D．Rebecca’s Surgery, the First Known Operation

Observer 2007-03-28 13:54
Nothing could be more shameful for McDonald’s and KFC. They are violating labour’s rights. The government must immediately bring the guilty to justice. A stricter government inspection system must be enforced to protect the workers.
Nathan 2007-03-28 21:39
It is known that McDonald’s and KFC and other fast-food restaurants pay the lowest wage they possibly can to get their employees. I think it’s kind of funny that these two restaurants have not yet set up unions. It is also known that they also take every possible measure e(legal, and sometimes illegal) to prevent their employees from forming or joining unions. I think it is high time that government enforced the law that they have made.
Cushman 2007-03-28 22:32
The deepest reason is that China has a large population. If you complain that the pay is very low, the boss will tell you that can go to other places and that there are a lot of people waiting for the job. Today finding a job is not very easy, so you don’t have many choices, and you have to face the reality.
Chip 2007-03-29 20:33
If wages were too low, people wouldn’t work for them, but they do, so it proves the wages are reasonable. Sure, they could raise the wages, but why should they? The workers are still working, still willing to show up on time, and it keeps costs lower. Were they to raise wages, they would have to FIRE more workers, and the price of burgers would go up. Then people wouldn’t buy them, then McDonald’s would once again FIRE more workers because of a reduced demand, and you’d be back in the same boat, just with less people working.
小題1:What are they debating about?

A．McDonald’s and KFC pay too low a salary to their employees.

B．Setting up a social security system.

C．Fast-food restaurants have no rights to fire workers.

D．McDonald’s and KFC will be punished for their behaviour.

小題2:According to Chip, it is____for McDonald’s and KFC to give employees a low salary.

A．unacceptable

B．shameful

C．a(chǎn)cceptable

D．illegal

小題3: In the opinion of Cushman, the key to the problem is that____.

A．the social security net has not been set up

B．China has too large a population

C．the government has not taken stronger steps to protect workers

D．the unions have not played an important part to raise the wages.

小題4: The underlined word “they” in Nathan’s words refers to____.

A．the employees	B．governments
C．a(chǎn)ll the restaurants	D．fast-food restaurants

It's killed at least two dozen people, damaged hundreds of homes, cost some 22 billion Yuan in direct economic losses so far and has left thousands of family-bound travelers stranded. The massive snow and ice storm that has swept through the southern part of China has put this country into full disaster management mode. Tens of thousands of soldiers have been activated and the government has already provided 126 million Yuan in aide to six provinces in the south slammed by the unexpected winter blast. But is enough being done? And what else can be done to ensure that the effects of natural disasters like the one in southern China are minimized in the future?
“Ni hao, you're listening to People In the Know, your window into the world around you, online at www.crienglish.com here on China Radio International. In this edition of the show, we'll be talking about the southern China snow and ice storm. So let's get started.
First, let's get a Chinese perspective of how well the ice and snow storm in southern China is being handled from a logistical point of view. For this we're joined on the line by Professor Peng Xizhe, Dean of the School of Social Development and Public Policy at Fudan University in Shanghai.
(Dialogue with Peng)
And after a short break, we'll talk about the broader view of disaster management.”
“Ni hao, you're listening to People In the Know, your window into the world around you, online at www.crienglish.com here on China Radio International. I'm Paul James in Beijing. In this edition of the show, we're talking about the massive winter storm that has ravaged southern China. For a broader look at disaster management, we're joined on the line now by Mr. Aloysius Rego and Ms. Jiang Lingling, both with the Asian Disaster Preparedness Center in Thailand.
(Dialogue with Jiang and Rego)
And with that we close out this edition of People In the Know, online at www.crienglish.com here on China Radio International. Though it may seem small consolation now for the thousands who remain stranded because of the storm, it's important to remember that as long as patience prevails, you will get home. Questions or comments for us can be sent to crieng@crifm.com. For Executive Director Wang Lei and Producers Yang Jingjie and Xu Yang, I'm Paul James in Beijing. Take care.”
小題1:What style does this passage according to?

A．說明文

B．議論文

C．描寫文

D．新聞報道

小題2:What’s the main idea of this article?

A．Tell the stories about the snow storm in the southern part of China

B．Tell us some facts about the people in the disaster.

C．What have been done or will be done to rescue the people in the disaster.

D．Let’s know the measures about the disaster.

小題3:How many people died from the snow disaster before this report?

A．more than 30

B．more than 24

C．many

D．50