For six hours we shot through the landscape of the Karoo desert in South Africa. Just rocks and sand
and baking sun. Knowing our journey was ending, Daniel and I just wanted to remember all we had seen
and done. He used a camera. I used words. I had already finished three notebooks and was into the
fourth, a beautiful leather notebook I'd bought in a market in Mozambique.
     Southern Africa was full of stories. And visions. We were almost drunk on sensations. The roaring of
the water at Victoria Falls, the impossible silence of the Okavango Delta in Botswana. And then the other
things: dogs in the streets, whole families in Soweto living in one room, a kilometre from clean water.
      As we drove towards the setting sun, a quietness fell over us. The road was empty-we hadn't seen
another car for hours. And as I drove, something caught my eye, something moving next to me. I glanced
in the mirror of the car; I glanced sideways to the right, and that was when I saw them. Next to us, by the
side of the road, thirty, forty wild horses were racing the car, a cloud of dust rising behind them-brown,
muscular horses almost close enough to touch them, to smell their hot breath. I didn't know how long they had been there next to us.
     I shouted to Dan: "Look!", but he was in a deep sleep, his camera lying useless by his feet.
    They raced the car for a few seconds, then disappeared far behind us, a memory of heroic forms in the
red landscape. When Daniel woke up an hour later I told him what had happened.
     "Wild horses?" he said. "Why didn't you wake me up?"
     "I tried. But they were gone after a few seconds."
     "Are you sure you didn't dream it?"
     "You were the one who was sleeping!"
      'Typical, he said. "The best photos are the ones we never take."
      We checked into a dusty hotel and slept the sleep of the dead.

1. During their journey in Africa, the two travelers________

A. made friends with local residents  
B. complained about the poor living conditions
C. enjoyed the sunset in the Karoo desert most
D. recorded their experiences in different ways

2. What does the phrase "heroic forms" in Paragraph 4 refer to?

A. Racing cars.      
B. Wild horses.          
C. Eye-catching locals.  
D. Running dogs.

3. What did Daniel think when he woke up and was told what had happened?

A. He always missed out on the best thing.  
B. He had already taken beautiful pictures.
C. A sound sleep was more important.        
D. The next trip would be better.

4. What is 'the passage mainly about? 

A. How to view wildlife in Africa.            
B. Running into wildlife in Africa.
C. Tourist attractions in southern Africa.    
D. Possible dangers of travelling in the desert.

     There has been an outpouring of love for, a 23-year-old disabled woman whose dog was killed in 
front of her while a groomer (美容師) tried to trim (修剪) its claws.    
     Calls and e-mails came from as far away as the Upper Peninsula and Arizona as well as Oakland 
and Macomb counties, offering Laurie Crouch, who uses a wheelchair because of multiple sclerosis (硬
化癥), everything from dogs to money, such as that from Jason Daly of Roseville who said, " I would like
 to buy her a new dog." 
     A story about the death of Crouch's pet, Gooch, was printed on the front page of Macomb Daily. 
Crouch said a man sat on the dog to trim its nails. Gooch died after one claw was trimmed. 
    Crouch yelled at the groomer to stop when she saw Gooch was struggling to breathe, but she said 
she was ignored. "If I could have walked, I would have put my hands on her and pulled her off my dog
 and physically stopped her, but I can't do that." Gooch was not a trained service animal, but naturally
 helped Crouch by picking up things for her.
      "This case is absolute animal abuse ( 虐待)," Larry Obrecht, division manager of the Oakland 
County Animal Shelter in Auburn Hills, said.  
     People who read the story contacted Oakland Press to offer help. A message, from Rebecca Amett 
of Giggles N Wiggles Puppy Rescue, in Roseville, said, "We have puppies to donate … and want to help
 the young woman who lost her service dog."
     "When Gooch was with me, I was happy," Crouch said, "I think I can be happy again but no animal
 can replace Gooch. There's never going to be another Gooch out there but I think I will find a dog that 
can bring me joy again."

1. What does the passage mainly tell us?

A. A disabled woman's service dog. 
B. A cruel groomer killed a disabled woman's dog. 
C. People's love for a disabled woman who lost her dog. 
D. Disabled woman loves to have the dog as company.  

2. People called and emailed to ____.

A. offer help and care to Laurie Crouch.
B. give their angry voice to the groomer. 
C. offer a cure for Crouch's disease.
D. tell Crouch how to punish the groomer.

3. Gooch died mainly because _____   .

A. the groomer was careless. 
B. the groomer sat on the dog with another man. 
C. the dog was wearing a collar.
D. the groomer didn't know how to trim the dog's nails

4. We can infer from the passage that  ____  . 

A. Crouch refused to take another dog.
B. Crouch must be sad after losing her dog. 
C. Crouch has accepted another dog from a stranger. 
D. Crouch can live well without a dog's company.

     A disheveled (頭發(fā)凌亂的) man appeared in court Thursday on charges of murdering a Chinese
woman whose fight with her attacker was seen on webcam (攝像頭) by her boyfriend in China. Police
refused to release any details about the crime or its possible motive.
     The body of York University student Liu Qian, 23, of Beijing, was found Friday in her apartment in
Toronto a few hours after her boyfriend witnessed the attack, police said.
     She was found undressed from the waist down but there were no obvious signs of sexual attack or
trauma (創(chuàng)傷) severe enough to kill her. Police say it may be weeks before the results of an autopsy (尸
體解剖) are known.
     Brian Dickson, 29, stood before the court in a wrinkled white shirt and blue jeans as a charge of
first- degree murder was read out. He did not enter a plea. His case was held over until April 26.
     Dickson was arrested Wednesday. Police only announced his name and his age and asked the media
not to publish any photos of Dickson, saying it could compromise the investigation. Toronto police spokesman Tony Vella declined to respond to the request further.
     Liu's father, Liu Jianhui, who arrived from China after being informed of his daughter's death, thanked
authorities for their quick action.
     "I sincerely thank the people concerned with my daughter's case," he told reporters after the arrest.
"Our daughter was studying very hard."
     Police released no motive or details about Dickson, but one friend described the Toronto man as an
aspiring actor.
     Patricia Tomasi, a friend of Dickson's, told The Associated Press that she acted in a play at a local
theater in Toronto with Dickson in 2007.
     "He doesn't seem like the type but that's what they always say," Tomasi said. "He's tall with boyish
good looks. I don't know much about him except that he wanted to be an actor."
     Dickson attended York University where he studied global politics, but did not earn a degree from
there.
     He later worked for the Atlantic Council of Canada (ACC), where he served as an assistant to the
president Juilie Lindhout. According to his biography on a newsletter from the Atlantic Council of
Canada, Dickson has also been a running instructor and has been involved with Developments in
Literacy, a Pakistani aid organization that raises money for children in Pakistan.
     A statement from the Atlantic Council of Canada on Thursday said it was not council policy to
comment on staff, but it confirmed that Dickson had been an intern(實(shí)習(xí)生) with the council from
September 29, 2008, until March 27, 2009.
     Liu was chatting with her boyfriend, Meng Xianchao, by webcam at about 1 am. Friday when a man
knocked on the door, police said.
     Meng reported seeing a struggle break out between the two before Liu's webcam was shut off. Meng
contacted other friends in Toronto who in turn called police.
   The victim's father, Liu Jianhui, said his daughter studied at Beijing City University before moving to
Canada, where she met Meng.
     Liu Qian's laptop computer, webcam and mobile phone were taken from the apartment the night of
the attack, police said. Police said the online chat was on a live streaming camera and was not recorded,
though investigators were trying to figure out if there was any way they could recover it.
     York University, whose campus is located near one of Toronto's rougher neighborhoods, is one of
Canada's largest universities with more than 53,000 undergraduate and graduate students. About 3,200
of York's students come from more than 150 foreign countries, the university's website says.

1. Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?

A. York University students come from over 150 foreign countries.
B. Dickson was a graduate of York University where he studied global politics.
C. The passage does not mention the reason why Dickson murdered Liu Qian.
D. ACC wouldn't make any comments on staff even if they committed a crime.

2. The underlined word in paragraph 8 probably means ______.

A. a successful actor    
B. a gifted actor  
C. a common actor
D. an ambitious actor

3. Why did police ask the media not to publish any photos of Dickson?

A. Worrying about bad influences on the investigation.
B. Not intending to give out any information about Dickson.
C. Not confirming whether Dickson had killed Liu Qian.
D. Wanting to protect their citizen for fear of losing face.

4. What can be inferred from the text?

A. Developments in Literacy raises money for all children
B. Seeing the struggle, Meng contacted Toronto police.
C. Dickson had no bad records before the murder.
D. Investigators could recover the chat record online.

     Just over a year ago, life as an orphan (孤兒) girl in Tilinanu, southern Malawi, was uncertain. Relying
on the kindness of the poor villagers for a roof over their head, many had to sleep in a room that held as
many as fifteen people, eating a diet mainly of porridge. Their classroom for daily lessons was an open
space in the bush.
     Now 34 of them have comfortable beds in a smart new home, with a community hall and medical
centre next to it. Another 175 village children eat there daily, with the adults coming in to learn English; it's an amazing transformation. Even more amazing is that the person behind it is just 21.
     When Alice Pulford was waiting to get into university, she took a five-month teaching position in
Malawi. She loved the place, and returned in the spring of 2009 to visit her friend Zulu in Tilinanu. His
aunt Mercy owned land there and was doing her best to provide an education for the orphans, many of
whom had lost parents to AIDS or malaria (瘧疾).
     But after helping Mercy out for some time, Alice realised that what the girls in particular really needed was a safe and permanent place to live. There was a derelict (年久失修的) church on Mercy's land.
"If you give me the church, I'll set up a home for these children," Alice told her.Mercy agreed.
     Alice phoned home and told her family about her plan. The family had already helped Alice raise ￡
1,800 to assist the orphans. After they received Alice's call, they threw themselves into raising another ￡6,000, organising theatre trips and special parties and dinners.
     Alice found Malawian builders, selected materials and even helped with the brick-laying. In ten
weeks, the church became a dormitory with toilets and a living area. In spring last year, Alice raised
another ￡19,000 to build the medical centre and two new dormitories.
     The girls are happier-and so is Alice, who has been spending around four months in Malawi a year.
"The orphans think they're gaining from me, but when I see their smile, it transforms me," she says.

1. Over a year ago, the orphans didn't have _______.

A. a classroom   
B. a teacher    
C. shelter    
D. food

2.What is known about the home Alice has built for the orphans?

A. It looks like a community hall.
B. It depends on the villagers' help.
C. It provides a place for recreation.
D. It benefits both the children and adults.

3. The  Pulfords' family are _______.

A. short of money                
B. fond of entertainments
C. supportive of each other        
D. unaware of Alice's plan

4.What has Alice learned from her experience? 

A. Money-raising is a family business.
B. Winning orphans' smile calls for skills.
C. AIDS has made many children parentless.
D. Helping others brings changes in a person.

     Margaret Cook is a professional, married woman with two young children. The elder, who is four, has
just started at a local primary school. It is a school that she was eager for her daughter to attend because
it has a mix of racial and social cultures. As a white from a middle-class family, she thought it important for her daughter to go to a local school that was representative of the cultural and social mix of the society in
which we live. Having met, however, some of the other parents and children, she's becoming increasingly
unsure about her choice. She is worried that along with the accent and vocabulary of her classmates, her
daughter will also pick up what appears to be a very narrow-minded, uneducated attitude. She wants her
daughter to be able to adapt and to fit in with her friends at school, but not necessarily to model her
behaviour on theirs. She wants her to like them but not be like them.
     Is she worrying unnecessarily? Or should she abandon her principles and send her children to private
school? A report, published by the Independent Schools Council, shows record numbers of parents want
to send their children to private schools that stress "moral standards" and classroom discipline as they lose
faith in state education, even many Labour voters would consider going private for the first time if they
could afford the fees.
     But is it right without question to see private schools as heavens where moral standards are high,
teachers are models of correctness and learning, children all come from open-minded families, and where
our little ones will be protected from the ills of the world? The only difference is that those who can afford
school fees are in the habit of making expensive mistakes. One of my colleagues who sends all his children to private schools tells stories of drug abuse, troublemakers, the decline of discipline and ever younger
age of rebellion (叛逆).
     It's an excellent plan to send our children to a mixed school. Placed in an entirely new environment,
they are at the risk of rejection, bullying (欺負(fù)) and maybe long-term alienation (疏離).But as soon as
our children step out of the front door they are faced with a challenging world where boundary between
the good and bad is so complex that young people have difficulty telling them apart. For this reason I
believe that Cook is better advised to bring her children up in the real world.

1. From this passage we know that the woman's daughter _______.

A. is changing others' behavior          
B. is mixing with trouble-makers
C. is attending a mixed school          
D. is applying for a private school

2. The mother wants her daughter to be _______.

A. popular and attractive              
B. a fighter against social ills
C. a model for her classmates          
D. open-minded and well-educated

3. What does the writer think of the private school?

A. It's a heaven of pleasure.            
B. It is going from bad to worse.
C. It is experiencing moral decline.      
D. It's a place of high moral standard.

4. The writer suggests sending kids to a mixed school because he thinks _______.

A. it is well managed                  
B. it is close to the real world
C. kids there are well protected            
D. the competition there isn't fierce