For over one hundred and fifty years, Americans of all social classes have worn blue jeans.  小題1:  Whether they are worn for work or for fashion today, Strauss’ invention continues to be popular not only among Americans but also among people around the world.
Levi Strauss was born in Germany in 1829.     小題2:   He grew up in Kentucky before moving to New York in 1847. Before becoming an American citizen and moving to the West in 1853, Strauss worked in his brother’s dry goods business. This gave him a chance to produce his famous invention. After the gold rush of 1849, Strauss decided to move to the West to seek his fortune.
Strauss did not want to be a person who searched an area for minerals. Instead, he knew he could make a good living by selling supplies to the miners. At first, he planned to sell sewing supplies and cloth.     小題3:  When he heard miners complaining that their clothes were easily broken or they usually tore their pockets during mining, he decided to use a special fabric to make pants for the miners. These pants proved so popular that he quickly ran out of materials to make more.
In 1873, Strauss received a letter from a Jewish tailor named Jacob Davis who had invented a process of connecting pockets with copper rivets(鉚釘). This made the pants last a long time. Because Davis did not have the money to patent his idea, he offered to share it with Strauss if Strauss would agree to pay for the patent.    小題4:  
By the time Strauss died in 1902, he had made a great contribution to American fashion.
 小題5:  The business has been growing ever since and Levi Strauss' company is now one of the largest clothing companies in the world.

A．As a young boy, he moved with his family to the United States.

B．Nobody knew what kind of material was suitable.

C．He did and Levi jeans have been made with metal rivets ever since.

D．However, he did not get much business for those products.

E. He also made a great contribution to America's clothing industry.
F. Since they were invented by Levi Strauss, they have become a symbol of American consumer culture.
G. As the business grew, Strauss got much money from it.

Of course, the main difference on the Chinese dinner table is chopsticks instead of knife and fork, but that’s only superficial. Besides, in decent restaurants, you can always ask for a pair of knife and fork, if you find the chopsticks not helpful enough. The real difference is that in the West, you have your own plate of food, while in China the dishes are placed on the table and everyone shares. If you are being treated to a formal dinner and particularly if the host thinks you’re in the country for the first time, he will do the best to give you a taste of many different types of dishes.
The meal usually begins with a set of at least four cold dishes, to be followed by the main courses of hot meat and vegetable dishes. Soup then will be served (unless in Guangdong style restaurants) to be followed by staple food ranging from rice, noodles to dumplings. If you wish to have your rice to go with other dishes, you should say so in good time, for most of the Chinese choose to have the staple food at last or have none of them at all.
Perhaps one of the things that surprise a western visitor most is that some of the Chinese hosts like to put food into the plates of their guests. In formal dinners, there are always “public” chopsticks and spoons for this purpose, but some hosts may use their own chopsticks. This is a sign of genuine friendship and politeness. It is always polite to eat the food. If you do not eat it, just leave the food in the plate.
　  People in China tend to over-order food, for they will find it embarrassing if all the food is consumed. When you have had enough, just say so. Or you will always overeat!
小題1:What’s the main difference on dinner table between China and West is ___________.

A．On Chinese dinner table, chopsticks replace knife and fork.

B．The host will do the best to give you a taste of many different types of dishes.

C．You’re treated to a formal dinner for the first time.

D．You have your own plate of food in West while in China everyone shares the dishes.

小題2:If you have a dinner in a Chinese home, in which order will the food be served in China?
a. a set of four cold dishes.
b. staple food such as rice, noodle or dumplings.
c. the main courses of hot meat and vegetable dishes.
d. serving soup.

A．acbd

B．cabd

C．acdb

D．cadb

小題3:According to the passage, we can infer that ___________.

A．Chinese all think it impolite for guests to ask for a pair of knife and fork.

B．Chinese think it impolite for guests to leave food in the plate.

C．People in China tend to over-order food, for they will find it embarrassing if all the food is consumed.

D．Chinese think it polite to put food into the plated of the guests with their own chopsticks.

小題4:The sentence, in passage 2, “you should say so in good time” means ______________.

A．you should say so happily

B．you’d better say so

C．you should say so early

D．you should say so kindly.

小題5:The “public chopsticks and spoons” are used to ______.

A．show the politeness to the guests.

B．put food into the plates of their guests

C．share the food together

D．show the genuine friendship and politeness

Exchanging music over the Internet is fun and easy. Better yet, it's free, which means you don't have to pay for any more expensive music CDs. Several online file-sharing services make it easy for music lovers to exchange their favorite tunes with one another.
However, this illegal sharing of music — a form of music piracy(盜版)— is doing harm to the music industry. Industry experts estimate (估計) that US$4.3 billion in worldwide sales was lost to music piracy last year. These lost profits could force record companies to stop producing the music of many popular artists. That would hurt both musicians and music fans alike.
Music producers are puzzled about how to fight music piracy. Their efforts to fight piracy using the law have had only limited success. The music industry did win a legal victory against Napster, a famous music website. The courts ordered Napster to stop giving away copyrighted music from their site. But a number of other music-sharing networks have sprung up in its place.
These new networks are made up of thousands, or even millions, of individuals. Unlike Napster, there's no one company controlling the distribution(發(fā)行)of music over each network. So it's nearly impossible to stop the illegal activities.
Now people in the music industry have decided that " if you can't beat them, join them." They've begun to offer legal alternatives to online music piracy. Major music producers have given companies like Apple Computer permission(許可) to sell their music online. Apple's iTune Music Store allows computer users to legally download any song for 99 cents.
Will these new measures save the music industry from piracy? That depends on whether music fans are willing to pay 99 cents fro a song that they can download illegally for free. Unfortunately, many people believe music should be free. The music industry, however, hopes to persuade these music fans to change their tune.
小題1:This text is written to _____.

A．discuss music piracy on the Internet

B．introduce the popularity of online music

C．persuade music fans to give up downloading music

D．protect copyrighted music from being downloaded illegally

小題2:Which of the following statements is NOT true?

A．Some online file-sharing services are responsible for music piracy.

B．Napster, a famous music website, broke down because of its piracy.

C．There have been no perfect measures to put an end to piracy.

D．Legal sharing of music is available at Apple's iTune Music Store.

小題3:Which of the following statements would the author agree with?

A．The only effective way to fight music piracy is to stop it by law.

B．Music lovers will be persuaded to pay for online music in time.

C．It is certain that no one will be willing to pay for online music.

D．There is a long way for music industry to go in fighting piracy.

小題4:The underlined word "illegal" in Paragraph 2 probably means _____.

A．being protected by the law

B．popular

C．being against the law

D．surprising

Charlotte Hollins faces a battle. The 23-year-old British farmer and her 21-year-old brother Ben are fighting to save farm that their father worked on since he was 14. Although confident they will succeed, she is aware of farming’s many challenges.
“You don’t often get a day off. Supermarkets put a lot of pressure on farmers to keep prices low. With fewer people working on farms it can be isolating,” she said. “There is a high rate of suicide and farming will never make you rich!”
Like others around the world, Charlotte’s generation tend to leave the farm for cities.
Oliver Robinson, 25, grew up in Yorkshire. But he never considered staying on his father and grandfather’s land. “I’m sure Dad hoped I’d stay,” he said. “I guess it’s a nice, straightforward life, but it doesn’t appeal to me. For young, ambitious people, farm life is hard.”
For Robinson, farming doesn’t offer much “in terms of money or lifestyle”. Hollins agrees that economic factors stop people from enjoying the rewards of farming. He describes it as a career that provides “for a vital human need”, allowing people to work “outdoors with nature.”
Farming is a big political issue in the UK. The “Buy British” campaigns urge consumers not to purchase cheaper imported foods. The 2001 foot and mouth crisis closed thousands of farms, stopped meat exports, and raised public consciousness about the troubles on UK farms.
Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver’s 2005 campaign to get children eating healthily also highlighted the issue.
This national concern gives hope to farmers competing with powerful supermarkets. While most people buy food from the big supermarkets, hundreds of independent Farmers’ Markets are becoming popular.
“I started going to Farmers’ Markets in direct defiance(違抗) of the big supermarkets. I seriously objected to the super-sizing of everything－what exactly do they put on our apples to make them so big and red? It’s terrible,” said Londoner Michaela Samson, 31.
小題1:What are the challenges that British farmers face according to Charlotte Hollins?
a. loneliness                       b. thin profits
c. a lack of good equipment        d. long working hours but slow results

A．abc

B．abd

C．acd

D．bcd

小題2:Why did Oliver Robinson refuse to stay on the farm?

A．He hoped for a simpler life

B．He was fed up with a hard farm life.

C．Farm life was too demanding though he liked it.

D．He hoped for something challenging and rewarding.

小題3:What happened in 2001 to the British beef farmers?

A．British people ate more British beef.

B．To be a beef farmer became profitable.

C．Diseaes dramatically reduced the amount of beef available.

D．Foreign farmers stopped selling beef to Britain.

小題4:Which of the following is an advantage of Farmers’ Markets?

A．Lower prices.	B．Flexible sizes.
C．Convenient location.	D．Healthier food.

小題5:What can we conclude from the last two paragraphs?

A．Things are improving for independent farms in the UK.

B．Farming in the UK can now match the powerful supermarkets.

C．Most British people are doubtful of food in supermarkets.

D．Most British people have realized the problems facing farms and begun to help save them.

In the UK, we like a good bargain. People flock to the sales in January, when stores slash their prices to get rid of all their winter stock. But surprisingly, the British hate haggling. In markets you might see the odd British person battling with a stall owner to bring down the price of a pair of trousers or some furniture. Generally, though, people from the UK are too reserved to haggle. If we think the price of something we want is too high, we’ll simply move on and try somewhere else.
The act of bargaining with someone is very theatrical, in my opinion. It’s a test to see who can stand their ground for the longest. But it is not in British people’s nature to “perform” in public, especially around strangers.
However, in the US, people are generally more willing to haggle. And if you wander into a market, you’re likely to hear a number of phrases that Americans reserve for such occasions.
First, “you drive a hard bargain” is commonly said by the customer to indicate they think the stall holder is working very hard, probably a little too hard, to get the price he wants.
Or you might hear the buyer telling a stall holder that “the kid’s gotta have braces”, which means they don’t have enough spare money lying around to afford the price being offered.
If the customer is really shocked at the price suggested by the seller, they also might say “you’re killing me” to indicate that they think the price is far too high.
In Britain, it’s difficult to imagine anyone saying anything along these lines. If I were forced to bargain, I’d probably say, very simply: “I’m going to make you an offer.” If that offer were refused, I think I’d just walk away.
小題1:The underlined word “haggling” can be replaced by _______.

A．arguing

B．bargaining

C．performing

D．insisting

小題2:Why don’t the British haggle generally?

A．They don’t think it is polite behavior.

B．They have sales every January.

C．They can always get a better price somewhere else.

D．They dislike openly expressing feelings or opinions.

小題3:The underlined phrase “you drive a hard bargain” means_______.

A．the seller has a lot of deals on offer.

B．the buyer will make a final offer

C．the stall holder is too insistent

D．the buyer doesn’t have a lot of spare money

小題4:What’s the author’s attitude toward bargaining?

A．Negative.

B．Careless.

C．Positive.

D．Critical.

小題5:How does the passage mainly develop?

A．By providing examples.

B．By making comparision.

C．By analyzing causes and effects.

D．By following the order of importance.

Few of us haven’t read Cinderella(灰姑娘), the story of a young woman living in poverty who meets the prince of her dreams. Some might not want to admit it, but there is a hidden Cinderella in everyone’s heart—we all wish we could achieve recognition or success after a period of obscurity(默默無聞). Mary Santiago has that secret dream, too. Her story is featured(特點) in Another Cinderella Story, a film set in a US high school.
Mary is shy but loves to dance. Compared with other girls, she is invisible. However, her world changes completely when a famous teenager pop singer, Joey Parker, appears. Joey is everything the rest of the boys in her class are not—kind, handsome and desirable. Mary and Joey’s paths cross at a ball. They meet and fall in love with each other. But when Mary has to rush back home, she leaves behind her MP3 player, which becomes the only clue Joey has to find the girl of his dreams. Of course, there is a wicked(邪惡的) stepmother, who turns out to be Dominique Blatt and she takes in Mary after her dancer mother dies. Dominique treats Mary like a maid and does everything she can to make sure Mary doesn’t get into the top dance school. Her two daughters are equally determined to stop Joey falling for Mary, even if that means embarrassing her.
The story, though it mostly follows Cinderella, does add a few modern day twists to the classic fairy tale. Refreshingly, the film, unlike many high school films, does not focus on looks, although the actors are all beautiful. There is also a lot less materialism in Another Cinderella Story than in many similar movies.
“The movie takes the Cinderella fairytale as its jumping off point,” writes movie critic Amber Wilkinson, “The focus is firmly on following your dream.”
小題1:The first paragraph is mainly to ____________.

A．build interest and lead us to Mary’s secret dream

B．remind us why Cinderella is popular all the years

C．tell us what is the Cinderella Story

D．tell us how interesting the fairy tale Cinderella is

小題2:What can we infer from the passage?

A．Joey is just like other boys in Mary’s class.

B．Mary’s mother influences her a lot in singing.

C．Not many people have a dream to be realized.

D．The MP3 player helps Joey in finding Mary.

小題3:The passage is mainly about ____________.

A．an introduction to a novel	B．a review about a film
C．a passage about dreams	D．an advertisement of Cinderella

Mini  Book  Excerpts（節(jié)選）
Biography
When Salinger learned that a car park was to be built on the land, the middle-aged writer was shocked and quickly bought the neighboring area to protect it. The townspeople never forgot the rescue and came to help their most famous neighbor.
J.D. Salinger A Life by Kenneth Slawenski（Random House,$27）
Mystery（疑案小說）
“You’re a smart boy. Benny’s death was no accident, and you’re the only who saw it happen. Do you think the murderer should get away with it ? ”The boy was starting stubbornly at his lap again.
A thought suddenly occurred to Annika, “Did you …You recognized the man in the car, didn’t you?”
The boy hesitated, twisting his fingers, “Maybe,” he said quietly.
Red Wolf by Liza Marklund（Atria Books, $25. 99）
Short Stories
She wants to say to him what she has learned, none of it in class. Some women are born stupid, and some women are too smart for their own good. Some women are born to give, and some women only know how to take. Some women learn who they want to be from their mothers, some who they don’t want to be. Some mothers suffer so their daughters won’t. Some mothers love so their daughters won’t.
You Are Free by Danzy Senna （Riverhead Books,$15）
Humor
Do your kids like to have fun? Come to Fun Times! Do you like to watch your kids having fun? Bring them to Fun Times! Fun Times! “amusement cycling” is the most fun you can have, legally, in the United States right now. Why spend thousands of dollars flying to Disney World when you can spend less than half to that within a day’s drive of most cities?
Happy And Other Bad Thoughts by Larry Doyle（Ecco,$14. 99）
小題1:If the readers want to know about the life of Salinger , they should buy the book published by         

A．Random House	B．Atria Books
C．Riverhead Books	D．Ecco

小題2:The book Happy And Other Bad Thoughts is intended for       .

A．young children	B．Disney World workers
C．middle school teachers	D．parents with young children

小題3:Which book describes women with characters of their own?
A. Happy And Other Bad Thoughts      B. You Are Free
C. J. D. Salinger :A Life                D. Red Wolf
小題4:After finishing the book Red Wolf, the readers would learn that        .

A．the murderer got away with the crime

B．Benny died of an accident

C．the boy helped arrest the murderer

D．Annika carried out the crime

This is the SCIENCE IN THE NEWS, I’m Barbara Klein.
Animal experts say one of the world’s most beautiful and rare kinds of big cat is close to disappearing from the wild. A study earlier this year found that about thirty Amur leopards(豹) still live free. The cats are also called Far Eastern leopards.
Recently, their numbers have been reduced by one. Some person shot a female Amur, then beat her to death. The animal’s body was discovered last month in the Barsovy National Wildlife Refuge in eastern Russia.
An official of the World Wildlife Fund, Darron, said this was the third such killing in the area in the past fives years. Mr. Collins said the death of even one adult female is a huge loss for the endangered cat. He noted that the killing reduces the possibility for cubs(幼獸) or young.
It is not clear how many Amur leopards still live free. One population count was performed in February and March. Wildlife expert Dmitry Pikuuov led this study. It found evidence of seven to nine males. The study identified(確定) three to seven females without cubs. Four leopards were identified as females with cubs. In all, five or six cubs were recorded. Six to eight animals could not be identified.
Most of the land where the Amur leopard once lived was in China. New roads and climate change there threatened(威脅) the animals. So did hunters who kill big cats for their body parts.
Mr. Pikuuov says adult Amurs need about five hundred square kilometers with good forests to survive. He said they also need a large and continuing supply of animals like deer for food. He believes the answer to saving the Amur leopard is for governments to provide protected spaces for wildlife.
小題1:This passage is probably from____________.

A．a magazine

B．a newspaper report

C．a TV report

D．a film

小題2:Why is the killing of an adult female a huge loss?

A．It could lead to the death of an adult male.

B．It means it can not give birth to the young any more.

C．It is worth more money than a male.

D．There is only one adult female in the world.

小題3:The number of the Amur leopards in China is becoming smaller because of all the following EXCEPT

A．new roads

B．climate change

C．human hunting

D．rare diseases

小題4:According to the experts the Amur leopards ____________.

A．are living on plants	B．are living in the zoo
C．are well protected by people	D．are endangered

India is an ancient civilization with rich cultural heritage (遺產), and its cultural heritage has something to do with all major religions of the world. Here we take a look at some of the top heritage destinations in India.
Sun Temple, Konark
As the name suggests this temple is all about the power of the sun God. A huge chariot (二輪戰(zhàn)車) drawn by seven horses and twelve pairs of wheels reflect the importance which ancient people placed on the power of the sun. The pictures of animals and humans give this place a special look.
Churches Goa
Goa is the only Indian state which was under the Portuguese (葡萄牙人), so the scene in Goa is dotted with (點綴著) Portuguese style churches. Some of the famous churches include the church of Saint Catherine, church of Saint Augustine and church of saint Francis of Assisi. These churches exhibit beautiful paintings and flower designs which make them a must visit.
Ajanta and Ellora Caves
These caves contain well designed paintings which are widely regarded as the most outstanding works of Buddhist religious art.
Taj Mahal, Agra
Built on the bank of the Yamuna River, it is an excellent building. The writing and paintings on the outside structure provide the finest examples of the outstanding style of buildings.
Sanchi
Sanchi is a UNESCO world heritage site with numerous Buddhist temples dating back to the seventh and eighth centuries.
On your visit to India, be sure to visit some of these heritage destinations. An Indian journey is not wonderful without experiencing the beauty of these heritage destinations.
小題1:What can we learn from the passage?

A．Ellora Caves only have statues of animals.

B．The Portuguese controlled the whole India two centuries ago.

C．Indian cultural heritage is related to religions.

D．The church of Saint Catherine is the earliest one in the world.

小題2:The ancient people in India attached importance to      .

A．animals

B．the sun’s power

C．ancient temples

D．ancient civilization

小題3:What is the main idea of the passage?

A．Several top heritage destinations in India.

B．The great effect that Indian religion has on culture.

C．India has rich cultural heritage in the world.

D．India is famous for its cultural heritage.

If you have no friends around you, it’s time that you should know about your neighborhood. Not all of your neighbors out there are friendly, but at least you need to communicate with them. It is common that when you are new to the neighborhood, your neighbors might actually greet you in an inspiring way.
In other words, they are pleased to welcome you in their neighbor-hood. Both you and your neighbors may start in getting known to each other by introducing yourselves. This is a sign that you and your neighbors are actually friends. Instead of watching television and playing computer games all the time, you also need to take a break and have some fun talking with your neighbors. But if you want to make friends with them, you need to do something that might please them. The only problem for this situation is that you are afraid to approach and greet them in a nice way.
This is a challenge that you or your fellow neighbors must be aware of. You need to get as many friends as possible in your neighborhood, and one of them is to get closer with the unfriendly. If you want to get closer with him but he refuses to be friends with you, don’t force him anymore. Treat him with some respect if you don’t like to create any more problems. However, if he agrees to be your friend, you are lucky and start treating him like a friend. It is very tough to approach a person in your neighborhood, but it is a good challenge. This is how important for you to get closer with your neighbors, even if they’re unfriendly. This is better than sticking yourself alone at home and not having time for social interactions (交往) with real people.
小題1:The passage is mainly about ______.

A．the importance of friendship in our life

B．how to build good neighborhood relations

C．methods to communicate effectively with people

D．how to get rid of misunderstandings with neighbors

小題2:Which of the following statements does the writer agree with according to the passage?

A．It’s just natural that all our neighbors are not friendly.

B．Neighbors are usually unwilling to greet newcomers.

C．Television and online games help reduce one’s loneliness.

D．Making friends with the unfriendly neighbors needs patience.

小題3:What’s the most difficult in making friends with neighbors?

A．Staying away from television and games.

B．Knowing more about neighbors’ situations.

C．Getting known to each other by introducing.

D．Getting close with the unfriendly neighbors.

小題4:The main purpose of the passage is to ______.

A．share experience	B．provide facts
C．give advice	D．compare opinions