HE is one of the most charming young heroes since Harry Potter. Like Potter, he is chosen by fate to carry out a mission, but unlike the boy wizard, he doesn’t get any chances to have fun or hang out with friends because he’s a little too busy preparing to lead during an upcoming war to save the Earth.
Meet Ender Wiggin, 15, the main character of the hit US sci-fi movie Ender’s Game (《安德的游戲》), which will come out on Jan 7 in China.
The story opens in 2086, 50 years after an insect-like alien race, called the Formics, attacked the Earth and killed tens of millions of people before being driven back to their home planet. Since then, human beings have been in a state of fear, awaiting a second attack.
Earth’s military leaders seek young warriors to risk going into space for battle, and children are taught to compete for these positions. As the film explains, youths can make leaps of logic and intuition, devising effective attack strategies more quickly than adults.
So here comes Ender, the savior (救世主) of all mankind. Though Ender is a skinny kid, smaller than most, he is also smarter than average. He tends to analyze situations and easily find ways to achieve the most positive outcomes. This rare gift makes him stand out in the program and get promoted to the Battle School, where he is directed to plan and carry out a series of virtual attacks on the Formics.
Can he use his military talents to wipe out Earth’s enemies?
Despite the obvious “be all you can be” subtext (潛臺詞), the movie “explores complex issues, including the consequences of violence and maintaining humanity and morality during wartime with intelligence and insight,” commented Yahoo.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the film best presents the power of empathy (感情移入), which is what makes Ender a good leader. “The reason Ender succeeds is because he understands what makes his opponents tick (有某種行為) on the battlefield,” explained the entertainment news site.
小題1:The underlined words “a mission” in the first paragraph probably refer to “______”.

A．having fun and hanging out with friends

B．being a boy wizard to save the Earth

C．working to save all of mankind

D．a(chǎn)cting as a leader of the Formics

小題2:Earth’s military leaders want to choose youths to be warriors because they think ______.

A．youths are smarter and more fearless than adults

B．youths are more willing to take risks in space

C．youths have sharper intuition and quicker reactions than adults

D．youths adapt to new battle environments more quickly than adults

小題3:Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the text?

A．The movie intends to encourage people to try to be what they want to be and never give up.

B．Ender is able to defeat Earth’s enemies because he possesses a super power that enables him to read his enemies’ minds.

C．Ender’s success proves that a good leader should have intelligence and insight and make full use of his or her teammates’ talents.

D．The movie discusses a variety of issues such as the effects of violence and the importance of morality and humanity during wartime.

On March 15．Dunes View Middle School held a contest for school bands．
Student bands tried out for the opportunity to perform at the school picnic，which will be held at the end of June．The winner of the contest was the band called Four Square.
“We’re very proud that we won the contest and are excited to perform at the picnic，” says Peter Zandt，who plays guitar in the band．“And since we hope to perform someday at other local places，like restaurants and parks，this will be a great first step.”
The contest was the creation of music teacher Mr．Lopez and drama teacher Ms．Cho. The two thought of the idea while discussing recent years' school picnics．“The picnic is one of the biggest events of the year，but it has become a bit formulaic，"said Ms．Cho．“The activities are the same every year .We thought that a performance by a student band would make the school picnic more interesting and fun．”
Mr．Lopez，Ms．Cho，and three other teachers judged the contest，which took place in the gym. To see if the bands could present a wide range of musical skills，the teachers asked them each to prepare two songs：one song with original words，and another in which students played instrumental music only．The judges finally chose the band Four Square as the winner of the contest．Four Square is a rock band with an unusual twist：it includes a violin player! The members of Four Square write their own songs and practice three times a week after schoo1．
Students and teachers agreed that the band competition was：a big success．All are looking forward to the school picnic in June．
小題1:What can be the best title for the article?

A．Famous Band Visits Schoo1．

B．Teachers Give Music Lessons．

C．Students Have Fun at School Picnic．

D．School Holds Student Band Contest．

小題2:The underlined word“formulaic”in Paragraph 4 is closest in meaning to ____________．

A．expensive

B．dull

C．1ong

D．uncertain

小題3:Why did the teachers ask each band to play two songs?

A．To decide which songs to play at the picnic．

B．To see if the bands could play a variety of songs．

C．To make sure the contest did not go on too long．

D．To make the concert more enjoyable for students．

小題4:According to the article，what is unusual about the band Four Square?

A．It is named after a popular children’s game．

B．Its members practice several times a week．

C．It is a rock band with a violinist．

D．Its members all play guitar．

小題5:According to the article，what does the band Four Square hope to do in the future?

A．Perform at the school picnic every year．

B．Perform in many different places．

C．Buy new instruments．

D．Record an album．

Many years ago，a French naturalist，the Count de Buffon，wrote some books about natural history．The books were a great success even though some critics did not like them．Some critics said，“Count Buffon is more of a poet than a scientist．”
Thomas Jefferson did not like what the Count had said about the natural wonders of the New World．It seemed to Jefferson that the Count had spoken of natural wonders in America as if they were unimportant．
This troubled Thomas Jefferson．He too was a naturalist，as well as a farmer，inventor，historian，writer and politician．He had seen the natural wonders of Europe．To him，they were no more important than those of the New World．
In 1788，Thomas Jefferson wrote about his home state，Virginia．While writing，he thought of its natural beauty and then of the words of the Count de Buffon．At that moment．Jefferson created a new word—belittle．He said．“The Count de Buffon believes that nature belittles her productions on this side of the Atlantic．”
Noah Webster，the American word expert，liked this word．He put it in this English language dictionary in 1806，“Belittle—to make small，unimportant．”
Americans had already accepted Jefferson’s word and started to use it．In 1797，the Independent Chronicle newspaper used the word to describe a politician the paper supported．“He is an honorable man，”the paper wrote，“so let the opposition try to belittle him as much as they please．”
In 1872，a famous American word expert decided that the time had come to kill this word．He said，“Belittle has no chance of becoming English．And as more critical writers of America，like those of Britain，feel no need of it，the sooner it is forgotten，the better．”
This expert failed to kill the word．Today．belittle is used where the English language is spoken．
小題1:Why did Thomas Jefferson disagree with the Count de Buffon?

A．The Count said something silly about the Atlantic．

B．The Count wasn’t a true scientist in natural history．

C．The Count was a poet from a different country．

D．The Count belittled the natural wonders in America．

小題2:We can infer that Jefferson created the word“belittle”out of his ．

A．a(chǎn)nger

B．excitement

C．kindness

D．responsibility

小題3:From the text we can know that ．

A．a(chǎn)ll critics thought little of the Count de Buffon

B．Europe has better wonders than the New World

C．the word“belittle”survived from disagreements

D．word experts can change the future of a new word

小題4:Which of the following is true of the word“belittle”?

A．It is gradually accepted by people．

B．It was invented by the Count de Buffon．

C．It was used to describe nature．

D．The Independent Chronicle made it popular．

小題5:What is the main idea of the text?

A．How the word“belittle”came into being．

B．The argument about natural wonders．

C．Every word has a long history behind．

D．Noah Webster supported Jefferson’s idea．

Almost anywhere in the world, you can probably see graffiti (涂鴉畫). Although it’s usually more common in big cities, it can be found in almost any community, big or small.
The problem with graffiti art is the question of whether it’s really art. This isn’t always an easy question to answer, simply because there are so many different types of graffiti. While some simply consists of collections of letters, known as tags, with little artistic value, such examples are easy to find, especially on larger spaces such as walls.
If it weren’t for the fact that most graffiti is placed on private property without permission, it might be more commonly recognized as a legal form of art. Most graffiti, however, annoys the property owner, who is more likely to paint over it or remove it than accept it as art.
Many ways of removing graffiti have been developed, such as paints that dissolve graffiti paint, or make it easy to remove. Community groups and government departments often organize graffiti-removal teams.
It hardly makes sense to encourage artists to deface (丑化) private or public property; but perhaps there are ways to work with them rather than just oppose them. Graffiti artists can, for example, create murals (壁畫) for property owners, and get paid for them.
Maybe we need to start at a very basic level, and find a way to encourage the creation of graffiti art on paper or canvas rather than on walls. After all, who would remember Monet or Picasso if they’d created their masterpieces on walls, only to have them painted over the next day? Finding a solution to such a complex problem is never going to be easy, but with more and more graffiti art being recognized in galleries around the world, we do need to try.
小題1:What would be the best title for this passage?

A．How to Be a Good Graffiti Artist.

B．Stop Removing Graffiti!

C．Do You Like Graffiti?

D．Is Graffiti Art?

小題2:The reason why people remove graffiti is that it ______.

A．makes buildings ugly	B．has no artistic value at all
C．robs private property	D．takes up too much space

小題3:In Paragraph 4, the underlined word "dissolve" is closest in meaning to ______.

A．change

B．flow

C．remove

D．freeze

小題4:The example of Monet and Picasso are mentioned in the passage to indicate that ______.

A．they are world-famous artists

B．they are good at graffiti

C．walls are right places to keep their masterpieces

D．their works, if painted on the wall, might not be kept long

小題5:The writer’s attitude toward graffiti is that graffiti ______.

A．should be removed by more countries

B．should be saved on larger spaces

C．should be created only on paper or canvas

D．may be accepted as art

　小題1:　This was not because the woods and fields were always far away, but because they were too far from the city to permit people to make a day trip between morning and nightfall.
　小題2:　He decided to turn his little school house into a dormitory for the summer holidays. Anyone who brought his sleeping bag and cooking equipment along could stay there for a very small quantity of money. The idea was a success. A few years later, the school house was much too small to hold the many young people who wanted to stay there. 　 小題3:　This was the first hostel(青年招待所).
Today, young students and workers of every country can meet in the hostel and get to know each other. When young people arrive at the hostel, they have only to show their cards of membership in a hostel organization in their own country. 　 小題4: 
Often, at the evening meal, a group of boys and girls from various parts of the country or world will happen to meet at the same hostel. They may put their food together and prepare a dinner with many kinds of dishes. Sometimes a program will be organized after the meal with dances, songs, or short talks followed by a question period. 　 小題5:　For this reason, a few weeks spent ‘hostelling’ can be just as useful a part of one’s education as classes in school.

A．In 1970, a young German school master had an idea which changed this situation.

B．People could stay in the hostel if they brought enough equipment with them.

C．One can learn a lot about other places, just by meeting people from those places.

D．As a result, a dormitory was set up in an old castle nearby.

E. For years, children in the industrial areas of Europe seldom left their cities to see the beauties of the countryside.
F. More and more young people went to the hostel for summer holidays.
G. This card will permit them to stay in a hostel all over the world for very low prices.

Every people uses its own special word to show its ideas and feelings. Some of these expressions are commonly used for many years. Others are popular for just a short time. One such American expression is “Where’s the beef? ”It is used when something is not as good as it is said to be. In the early 1980s“Where’s the beef? ”was one of the most popular expressions in the United States. It seemed as if everyone using it at the time.

Beef, of course, is the meat from a cow, and this kind of food is more popular in America than a hamburger made from beef. In the 1960s a businessman named Ray began building small restaurants that sold hamburgers at a low price. Ray called this “McDonald’s”. Ray became one of the richest businessmen at last in America.
Other business people watched his success. Some of them opened their own hamburger restaurants. One company called “Wendy’s” said its hamburgers were bigger than those sold by McDonald’s or anyone else. The Wendy’s Company began to use the expression “Where’s the beef ? ”to make people know that Wendy’s hamburgers were the biggest. The Wendy’s television advertisement showed three old women eating hamburgers. The bread that covered the meat was very big, but inside there was only a bit of meat. One of the women said she would not eat a hamburger with such a little piece of beef. “Where’s the beef? ”she shouted in a funny way. The advertisement for Wendy’s hamburger restaurants was success. As we said, it seemed everyone began using the expression “Where’s the beef? ”.
小題1:　　　　started McDonald’s restaurant.

A．Ray	B．McDonald
C．Wendy	D．Three old women

小題2: Other people wanted to open hamburger restaurants because they thought
　　　　.

A．they could sell hamburgers at a low price

B．hamburgers were easy to make

C．beef was very popular in America

D．they could make a lot of money

小題3:Wendy’s made the expression known to everybody　　　　.

A．with many old women eating hamburgers

B．by a television advertisement

C．while selling bread with a bit of meat in it

D．a(chǎn)t McDonald’s restaurant

小題4: We can learn from the passage that the expression “Where’s the beef ? ” means　　　　.

A．The beef in hamburgers is not as much as it is said to be

B．The hamburgers are not as good as they are said to be

C．It is used when something is not as good as it is said to be

D．Wendy’s is the biggest

A. The introduction of Paris
B. The culture of Paris
C. The population growth in Paris
D. The production of Paris
E. The education in Paris
F. The industries in Paris
小題1:Paris, the capital and the largest city of the country, is in north central France. The Paris metropolitan area contains nearly 20% of the nation’s population and is the economic, cultural, and political center of France. The French governments have historically favored the city as the site for all decision-making, thus powerfully attracting nearly all of the nation’s activities.
小題2:Paris has grown steadily since it was chosen as the national capital in the late 10th century. With the introduction of the Industrial Revolution, a great number of people moved to the city from the country during the 19th century. The migration was especially stimulated by the construction of railroads, which provided easy access to the capital. After World WarⅡ, more and more immigrants arrived.
小題3:The city is the centralized control point of most national radio and television broadcasting. It is a place of publication of the most important newspapers and magazines and an international book publishing center. With more than 100 museums, Paris has truly one of the greatest concentrations of art treasures in the world. The Louvre, opened as a museum in 1793, is one of the largest museums in the world.
小題4:In the late 1980s about 4. 1 million pupils annually attended about 47, 000 elementary schools. In addition, about 5. 4 million students attended some 11, 200 secondary schools. Approximately 1. 2 million students were enrolled annually at universities and colleges in France in the late 1980s. French centers of learning have served as academic models throughout the world.
小題5:Paris is the leading industrial center of France, with about one quarter of the nation’s manufacturing concentrated in the metropolitan area. Industries of consumers’ goods have always been drawn to Paris by the enormous market of the big population, and modern, high technology industries also have become numerous since World WarⅡ. Chief manufactures are machinery, automobiles, chemicals and electrical equipment.

Think of London and you will probably remember the bright red double-decker buses. Think of Thailand’s capital city, Bangkok, and the noisy tuk-tuks may come to mind. Think of San Francisco and you might see the city’s cable cars.

Imagining what these cities would look like without those is difficult. They are symbols of these cities that make them different. However, these city symbols are not always so well loved by their city leaders. City leaders want what is best for their city, which often means the most modern transport.
In Bangkok, city leaders have banned(禁止)tuk-tuks because they consider them noisy and polluting. However, the ban has largely been unsuccessful as it has not changed Thai people’s love for the cheap tuk-tuks over taxis.
In London the city’s first ever mayor(市長)removed the red double-decker buses, which he thought were old fashioned. His plan worked, but Londoners were unhappy to lose the nice old buses they believed represented the best of their city. They made their unhappiness felt when the mayor came up for re-election. Most Londoners voted for his competitor, who promised to bring the bus back.
As for San Francisco, several cable cars are still in use but mainly as tourist attractions. They are too slow to be used for anything other than scenic trips.
City transport symbols may have a place in their city people’s hearts, but it seems they are increasingly out of step with the modern world. As Londoners have proved, their continued life depends on people’s willingness to fight for their survival.
小題1: What’s the author’s purpose of writing the first paragraph?

A．To introduce some city transport symbols.

B．To explain why some cities are popular.

C．To talk about modern transport in some cities.

D．To attract more tourists to visit some cities.

小題2:The London double-decker bus is returning mainly because　　　.

A．the new mayor loves it

B．Londoners fought for it

C．it is an improved transport

D．it is popular with tourists

小題3: Which proves the old city transport symbols are not loved by city leaders?

A．Only a few cable cars are still in use in San Francisco.

B．Bangkok city leaders tried to remove the cheap tuk-tuks.

C．The mayor who sold double-decker buses lost the re-election.

D．The new mayor will bring back improved double-decker buses.

小題4: What can we infer from the passage?

A．Modern cities should remove old city transport symbols.

B．The writer thinks highly of the old city transport symbols.

C．Old city transport symbols face the problem of survival.

D．Tourist cities will lose their attraction without the symbols.

Nearly all the tourists who come to southeast France make a tour to Monaco(摩納哥), too. Lying near the French-Italian border, Monaco is not part of France, but a separate principality(公國), though it is surrounded by its greatest neighbour.
Monaco became a principality in the 16th century after being owned by a family member of a certain Italian king. The French and Italians, however, soon came to “protect” it one after another, until 1861, when it became its own master again.
Facing the blue Mediterranean(地中海), Monaco is mainly made up of two cities, Monaco, where the palace of the prince(王子)stands, and Monte Carlo(蒙特卡洛), which is a wonderful place for tourists. Every year, around half a million people from all parts of the world come to Monaco, nearly 25 times as much as its population.
Believe it or not, Monaco has no soldiers or policemen of its own. Law and order is kept by French police, and French stands for it in its foreign affairs, even the money used in Monaco is franc, too.
小題1:Monaco is　　　.

A．a(chǎn)nother name for Monte Carlo

B．mostly visited by French tourists

C．surrounded by France

D．more related to Italy than to France

小題2: Monaco has a population of　　　.

A．over 20, 000	B．20, 000 or so
C．more than 25, 000	D．no more than 20, 000

小題3: Which of the following is TRUE?

A．The national income of Monaco depends mainly on France.

B．Monaco is famous for having no soldiers or policemen of its own.

C．Monaco does not have a seat in the UN because it is too small a country.

D．Monte Carlo City seems more important for the existence of this principality.

小題4: The Head of Monaco is　　　.

A．the King

B．the President of France

C．a(chǎn) member of the royal family

D．the Emperor

Can a Language Become Extinct? 
A language can become extinct when the last person who can speak it passes away. Or more likely when the second­last person who speaks it dies because then there is no one left to talk to. According to linguists (語言學(xué)家) there is nothing unusual about a single language dying out. But what is happening today is quite remarkable. According to the recent statistics, there are approximately 6,000 languages in the world as we speak. Of these, about half are going to die out in the next century.
There are several reasons as to why a language can eventually die out. These range from natural disasters, such as hurricanes, to sociological factors, like cultural assimilation, in which the culture of a minority group is gradually replaced by a stronger one. The former can cause tribes to leave their natural habitat(棲息地) and therefore become fewer and fewer in number. However, it doesn't happen very frequently. In fact, the latter is a much bigger threat and it is responsible for the extinction of a lot of languages in countries like the USA and Australia. For instance, Chemehuevi is one of the languages which is really close to dying out since its sole speaker is an old, yet healthy, man named Johnny Hill, Jr.
It is very important for as many languages as possible to be preserved. Scientists have been trying to raise people's awareness on how certain tribes have specific words which cannot be expressed in let's say English simply because there is no equal meaning. Namely, the Yupik of Alaska have 99 names to describe different layers of ice formation, or how the Tofa of Siberia classify reindeer (馴鹿). In other words, when languages die out, mankind's wisdom reduces.
On a happier note, there are many famous cases which show what can be done to preserve languages in danger of extinction. In particular, the Maori in New Zealand have created so­called “l(fā)anguage nests”： organizations which help children under five learn the language. They provide them with a setting where they are exposed to the language intensively so that they get to realise that communicating in Maori is as natural as communicating in English. There is always, of course, the risk that the children won't keep the language alive after they have left their “nests”. Nevertheless, hope dies hard.
小題1:What most probably caused the death of languages in the USA and Australia?

A．Habitats were lost.

B．Natural disasters struck.

C．Native cultures disappeared.

D．Foreign languages were spoken.

小題2:In Paragraph 3, the author states his opinion by ________

A．listing definitions

B．providing examples

C．presenting causes and effects

D．comparing with other opinions

小題3:What does the author really intends to tell us in the last paragraph?

A．Attempts may not produce the desired effect.

B．Environment is important in language protection.

C．People can do little about a language's extinction.

D．Measures should be taken in spite of difficulties.

小題4:The author believes that ________.

A．a(chǎn)ll languages are finally going to die out

B．human wisdom can be reflected in languages

C．the protective approaches have proved ineffective

D．the current situation of languages hardly requires attention