MUMBAI-Indian commandos battled into the early hours of Friday to end a multiple hostage crisis
in Mumbai after suspected Islamic militants killed 125 people across the city.
      Officials said they had almost totally cleared the luxury Taj Mahal hotel where gunmen had been held
up for more than 24 hours.
      Indian security forces personnel released hostages from Nariman House in Mumbai. Thirty-nine
people were rescued from the five-star Oberoi hotel,where " mopping up(清理火場) "  operations were
still underway,police said.
     Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said the militants had come from "outside the country".
       The Press Trust of India said one Pakistani militant had been arrested,although Pakistan's
government fiercely denied any involvement.
     Indian media reports said between six and nine foreign nationals were among the dead in
Mumbai-including a Japanese businessman,an Australian,a Briton,a German and an Italian.
      At least five gunmen had been shot dead and one captured,police said. Fourteen security personnel
were also killed,including the head of Mumbai's anti-terror squad.
     To draw maximum intemational attention,the militants used small groups to attack a total of about a
dozen targets in India's financial hub,including the main railway station,a hospital and a restaurant popular
with tourists.
      An unknown group calling itself the Deccan Mujahedeen claimed responsibility,with one gunman
telling an Indian TV channel by phone that the outfit(裝備) was of Indian origin and motivated by the
treatment of Indian Muslims.
     Up to 327 people were reported wounded.
      The main Bombay Stock Exchange was closed until further notice,as were shops,schools and
businesses.
         Prime Minister Singh said the aim had clearly been to spread panic by choosing high profile(知
名度度的)  targets and "indiscriminately(隨心所欲地) killing foreigners".
      Witnesses said the gunmen had been very particular in their choice of hotel hostages.  "They said
they wanted anyone with British and American passports," said one British guest at the Taj Mahal hotel.

1. The following statements are NOT true except ______.

A. thirty-nine hostages were rescued from the Taj Mahal Hotel
B. fourteen gunmen were killed in Nariman House
C. the target of the attack was obviously on Britons and Americans
D. an American was among the killed foreigners

2.  By quoting what the Press of Trust of India said the author meant to say _____.

A. Prime Minister Singh's judgment was right
B. the Pakistanis were not involved in the attack
C. the Pakistani govemment had nothing to do with the attack
D. some six to nine foreigners were killed in the attack

3. The underlined word in the sixth paragraph most probably means _____.

A. citizens                                      
B. people living abroad
C. countries                                      
D. the whole people of a country

4. The best title of this passage can be _____

A. Hostages Released by Indian Commandos
B. Mumbai Under Terrorist Attack
C. Islamic Militants Attacking Westerners in Mumbai
D. Unfortunate Britons and Americans in Mumbai

     L'HAYLESROSES,France:Three teenage girls admitted starting a fire in a suburban Paris housing
project over the weekend that killed 17 people,including three children,police said yesterday.A fourth girl
was held yesterday morning.
     The fire in a 19storey building south of Paris was the third fatal blaze in the Paris area in nine days.The
death toll rose to 16 after a man died last Sunday in a hospital,where seven others were being treated for
serious injuries,police said.
     Three teenagers taken in for questioning on Sunday admitted having started the fire for fun,police said.
Two of the suspects were 18yearold,the other was 16,police said.Further details were not available.
     Witnesses claimed to have seen a group of youths who lived in the building start the fire,said Patrick
Seve,mayor of the town of L'HAYLESROSES,near Orly airport,where the building was located.
     The fire is believed to have broken out in the lobby (門廳) of the building before raging up a stairwell at
least three floors.Some residents jumped from windows as the fire spread through the building's entrance.
     Authorities were investigating possible criminals in an August 26 fire that killed 14 African children and
three adults in a Paris apartment building.Three days later,another fire killed seven in a building.
     Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy suggested on French television on Sunday night that copycats (盲目
模仿者) were at work."Each time there is a new story,sometimes that gives ideas to people who then turn
into criminals," Sarkozy said,promising severe punishment for anyone found guilty of arson (縱火)．

1．What can we learn from the first two paragraphs?

A．Three girls were caught setting fire to a building.
B．The fourth girl wasn't present when the fire broke out.
C．All the people lost their lives before police came.
D．Paris was troubled by fire during that period.

2．Why did the teenagers start the fire?

A．They were interested in playing with fire.
B．They wanted to make fun of their parents.
C．They were not satisfied with the surroundings.
D．They wanted to warm themselves.

3．From the fourth and fifth paragraphs we know that________.

A．the witnesses must have put out the fire
B．the lobby of the building was covered with wood
C．the witnesses were familiar with the teenagers
D．the residents shouldn't have jumped from windows

4．What the Minister said in the last paragraph means that________.

A．he doesn't like to listen to new stories
B．he has no time to write new stories
C．teenagers often have ideas to turn into criminals
D．teenagers may do the same as others have done

     BEIJING-China will further open its financial sector in "an active and safe" way, the country's central
bank vowed on Friday.
     "China will gradually broaden the chance for the participation of foreign capital in the domestic financial
market," said the People's Bank of China in a report. "We will strengthen the connections between China's
financial market and international ones by attracting more foreign capital in Renminbi-denominated financial
products," the report said. Meanwhile, channels will also be expanded to allow Chinese investment in foreign
financial markets. The bank said it would ease restrictions on enterprises and individuals possessing and
using foreign currencies and increase the number of qualified foreign institutional investors and the value of
their investment quotas (份額). "We will make use of the financial market to achieve balanced international
payments," said the bank.
     Last year, the State Administration of Foreign Exchange (SAFE) raised the annual quota for individuals
buying foreign currency from US $ 20,000 to US $ 50,000.
     "China will work hard for a more efficient and vigorous financial market that can better serve international
needs," the bank said. The country will adjust its financial market rules so they are accepted around the world,
encourage reforms and promote more flexible, diversified ways of trading, according to the bank. China fully
opened its financial market to foreign capital on December 11 last year, ending a five-year transitional (過渡
的) period after entering WTO.

1. The passage is _____.  

A. a piece of news
B. an advertisement
C. a poster
D. an explanation

2. China is working hard to _____.  

A. reduce the interest rate of foreign currencies
B. increase the interest rate of foreign currencies
C. bring in more foreign investment by promising to further open its financial sector
D. adjust its financial markets to resist the invasion of foreign investment

3. To further open financial sector, China has taken many measures EXCEPT _____.

A. Giving more chances to the participation of foreign capital
B. Strengthening the connections between China and other countries by the leaders' paying visits to each
    other's countries
C. Broadening the quotas of enterprises and individuals possessing and using foreign currencies
D. Opening its domestic financial market step by step

4. We can draw a conclusion that _____.  

A. China's financial market will be conquered by foreign one
B. China will create a more active and various way of trading and its market will become stronger
C. China will end the transitional period of opening financial sector in five years
D. China will be blind to the foreign investment

     When I first heard that Zhang Yimou, China's leading director most well-known for Hero in the West,
a question immediately came into my mind: Would A Simple Noodle Story be directed by the good Zhang
Yimou or the bad Zhang Yimou? The answer:neither.
     Starting with his first time as a cinema-photographer on Yellow Earth right after graduating from film
school in the early 80s, everything Zhang shot was inspiring. In the late 80s and early 90s, he directed
several movies already considered classics, including the banned (禁止) To Live.
     A Simple Noodle Story is set in the late Ming Dynasty (1368~1644), follows several amusing characters
working in a restaurant in the faraway, but naturally beautiful, western province of Gansu. Zhang brought
together a group of popular comedic (喜劇的) actors led by Xiao Shenyang, who shot to fame earlier last
year because of his very funny styles. Xiao Shenyang's character, Li Si, is having an affair with his boss's
wife, who is simply called "Boss' Wife" throughout the movie.
     A Simple Noodle Story, which started national screening Friday, is already bringing in money, scoring
a total box office income of 67.1 million yuan? ($9.83 million) by Sunday morning and is expecting its first
weekend to reach 100 million yuan ($14.65 million).
     In spite of the box office success, the film has received mixed reviews. Most local media admitted Zhang's
success in entertaining the public, but writer Han Han wrote in his blog that A Simple Noodle Story is more
like a long-drawn-out TV comedy and that Zhang has made no improvement in directing since his first film.
     In his defense, Zhang said that he was just trying to have fun with the film. "I'm not a master of artistic
films. I am just trying to make a fun movie."

1. Which part of the newspaper do you think the passage choose from?

A. Sports
B. Politics
C. Entertainment
D. Economy

2. Which of the following can be the best title of the passage?

A. A Famous Film Director -Zhang Yimou
B. Good Zhang Yimou or Bad Zhang Yimou?
C. A Simple Noodle Story
D. Zhang Yimou with His New Movie Has Come Again

3. What is the meaning of the underlined phrase "box office" in paragraph 5?

A. 售票處
B. 票房成績
C. 影院包廂
D. 影院辦公室

4. From this passage we can guess what kind of film "A Simple Noodle Story" belongs to?

A. An artistic film
B. A film about photographs
C. A classic film
D. A comedic film.

    Here is the Eight O'clock News. …
    Chinese people spent about 120 billion yuan during the first three days of the May Golden Week last year.
This year it has increased to 140 billion yuan.
    The children of Beijing No.2 Middle School sang with students from Toronto in Canada to celebrate the 20th
anniversary. They had been sister schools since 1986. They spent about two weeks together in Beijing. They
visited the Great Wall and the Summer Palace. They took a lot of photos in Beihai Park.
    Have you ever got tired of heavy shopping bags? A new shopping assistant robot which was invented by a
Japanese company could be the answer. The helpful robot can follow you around and carry several bags. The
robot was tested at a shopping center in February 2006.
    About 500 people from different countries were in the 2006 "Rock Paper Scissors (剪刀)" World Match in
Canada. This event was founded in 1842. It is said that playing this game is fun, and also a good way to solve
problems among people.
    And now it's time for Morning Music.

1. The students from Canada and Beijing No. 2 Middle School didn't _____.

A. take photos
B. visit places of interest
C. sing songs
D. have a football match

2. Which of the following is NOT talked about in the news?

A. The robot can help with shopping bags.
B. A Japanese company invented the robot.
C. The robot was tested at a shopping centre.
D. There are such robots in people's homes now.

3. Which of the following is a game?

A. Shopping assistant robot.
B. May Golden Week.
C. Rock Paper Scissors.
D. A visit to the school.

     WASHINGTON(Reuters)-Federal Government Agencies in the capital region will remain closed
for a second day on Tuesday as residents trying to clean up the weekend storm that shocked the area
with two feet of snow.
     Another big winter storm was expected to hit the U.S. mid-Atlantic on Tuesday and last through
Wednesday, the National Weather Service forecast on Monday. Projected snowfall is ranged from
10 to 20 inches, it said. The new storm was expected to hit other big cities along the East Coast,
including Baltimore and Philadelphia, which is still extending into New Jersey and New York. It would
pile on to the 32 inches of snow that fell in suburban Washington in the biggest snowfall to hit the city
in decades.
     The Office of Personnel Management announced on Monday evening that Federal Government
Offices in the Washington area would be closed on Tuesday. Emergency employees were expected
to report for work in time, but non-emergency employees were excused. The Federal Government
was closed on Monday, though President Barack Obama still held meetings at the White House.
Schools and most businesses in the region also were shut.
     In the county, about 80,000 people lost power on Saturday, and some customers still had no
electricity or heat on Monday. Many schools said classes would be canceled through Tuesday, even
before the latest storm warning.
     On Monday, winter sunshine bathed the nation's capital and the surrounding region, where people
dug out their driveways and sidewalks to finally start to clear streets in some residential neighborhoods.
Bus service on Monday was limited to just a small number of routes in the Washington, D.C.
     Cold and snow blanketed much of the central United States this winter, slowing weight gain in cattle
and pigs, delaying livestock(牲畜)sales, and increasing feed costs for producers.
     The new storm might also hit the Northeast, the nation's largest market for heating fuel. The weekend
blast largely bypassed that region.

1. Which of the following can be the best title for the passage?

A. Another Big Winter Storm Hit the West Coast of the USA
B. Weather Closes Government Offices a Second Day
C. A Big Snowstorm on the Way to America
D. More Cities Govered by Snow in America

2. The underlined word "projected" in the second paragraph means"                 "

A. desired  
B. estimated
C. melting  
D. planned

3. From the passage we can infer that                    .

A. New Jersey has suffered the big snow
B. a big snow hit the capital region on Monday
C. Washington was stricken by a big snow last weekend
D. Federal Government Agencies will have a holiday on Wednesday

4. According to the National Weather Service forecast,                  .

A. the new snowfall will reach 32 inches around Washington
B. the snowstorm will hit more big cities along the West Coast
C. the snowstorm will make 80,000 people live in darkness
D. Washington hasn't suffered such a big snow for scores of years  

     GUATEMALA CITY (Reuters)-A fish that lives in mangrove swamps (紅樹沼澤) across the Americas
can live out of water for months at a time, similar to how animals adapted (適應(yīng)) to land millions of years
ago, a new study shows.
     The Magrove Rivulus, a type of small killifish, lives in small pools of water in a certain type of empty
nut or even old beer cans in the mangrove swamps of Belize, the United States and Brazil. When their living
place dries up, they live on the land in logs (圓木), said Scott Taylor, a researcher at the Brevard Endangered
Lands Program in Florida.
     The fish, whose scientific name is Rivulus marmoratus, can grow as large as three inches. They group
together in logs and breathe air through their skin until they can find water again.
     The new scientific discovery came after a trip to Belize.
     "We kicked over a log and the fish just came crowding out," Taylor told Reuters in neighboring Guatgemala
by telephone. He said he will make his study on the fish known to the public in an American magazine early
next year.
     In lab tests, Taylor said he found the fish can live up to 66 days out of water without eating.
     Some other fish can live out of water for a short period of time. The walking catfish found in Southeast
Asia can stay on land for hours at time, while lungfish found in Australia, Africa and South America can live
out of water, but only in an inactive state. But no other known fish can be out of water as long as the
Mangrove Rivulus and remain active, according to Patricia Wright, a biologist at Canada's University of Guelph. 
     Further studies of the fish may tell how animals changed over time.
     "These animals live in conditions similar to those that existed millions of years ago, when animals began
making the transition (過渡) from water onto land," Wright said.

1. The Mangrove Rivulus is a type of fish that ____.

A. likes eating nuts
B. prefers living in dry places
C. is the longest living fish on earth
D. can stay alive for two months out of water

2. The Mangrove Rivulus is a type of fish that ____.

A. likes eating nuts
B. prefers living in dry places
C. is the longest living fish on earth
D. can stay alive for two months out of water

3. According to the text, lungfish can ____.

A. breathe through its skin
B. move freely on dry land
C. remain alive out of water
D. be as active on land as in water

4. What can we say about the discovery of Mangrove Rivulus?

A. It was made quite by accident
B. It was based on a lab test of sea life
C. It was supported by an American magazine
D. It was helped by Patricia Wright

     WASHINGTON-Thanks to strong economic growth and a growing middle class, China has surpassed
India for the first time this decade to become the country that sends the most students to the United States,
according to the annual report the Institute of International Education (IIE) released (發(fā)布) on Monday.
     The number of Chinese students in the US has increased by 30 percent during the 2009-2010 academic
year to about 128,000, or 18.3 percent of the total international student population in the country, the report
said.
     "The Chinese economy is booming. The growing middle class are able to send their children abroad for
higher education as many families have only one child and they use all their resources on that child." said
Peggy Blumenthal, executive vice-president of IIE.
     Another reason is that many Chinese parents are attracted by the US higher education system. "American
undergraduate education is really appealing Chinese parents who are thinking about what is needed for China
in the future and how their son or daughter can be employable," Blumenthal said.
     Chinese overseas study agencies expect more Chinese students to go to the US next year, partly due to
the weakened US dollar and more flexible visa policies.
     The study and living costs for an undergraduate Chinese student in the US every year are roughly about
250,000 yuan ($37,000), and the depreciation of the US dollar may save about 10 percent of the cost, said
Liu Qingsheng, a senior manager with Shinyway International, a Beijing-based overseas study consulting
company.
     A more flexible visa policy, which the US started to adopt in 2008, is another major attraction, he said.

1. According to the passage, we know during the 2009-2010 academic year, _____.

A. the number of India students in the US has increased
B. as many as 128,000 international students study in the US
C. the number of the Chinese students in the US make first
D. more than 18.3 percent of Chinese students study abroad

2. More Chinese students go to US universities because of the following reasons except _____.

A. a more flexible visa policy
B. the US higher education system
C. a proving middle class in China
D. strong economic growth in the US

3. Which of the following can best replace deprecation in the passage?

A. rise in quantity
B. decrease in quality
C. fall in value
D. increase in weight

                                                              Making them sweeter
         JAPANESE scientists have developed a special kind of tomato.  It can change an eater's sense of
taste,says a report in Science News.  For about an hour after a person eats one of the tomatoes,sour foods taste sweet.
         Say you eat one of the tomatoes before lunch.  Then you take a bite of a lemon (檸檬).  You will
find that the lemon tastes like super-sweet lemonade.
           How magical is that !  The key ingredient in the taste-changing tomatoes is " miraculin (非洲奇果蛋白 ) ". Miraculin is found in berries that grow in West Africa.  These fruits are sometimes sold as "
Miracle(奇跡)  Fruit"  berries.
        People have long known about the ability of miracle berries to change taste.  In some countries,the
berries are used  as a way to help people lose weight:  For example,a dieter can eat a berry and then eat
low-calorie sour foods that will
taste wonderfully sweet.
      Scientists found miraculin in the miracle berry in 1968. Since then,people have wondered how to
manufacture it. One way could be to harvest the berries.  The problem was that if demand got too large,
the berry plants could be driven to extinction.
      That's where the Japanese scientists came in.  Professor Kazuhisa Kato and his team at the University of Tsukuba studied the DNA of the miracle berry.  They found a gene(基因)  that contained the
instructions for how to make miraculin.
       Kato and other researchers put the gene for miraculin into the DNA of a tomato. As a result,the
tomatoes started to make miraculin. Those tomatoes had just as much miraculin as miracle berries do.
These "miracle" tomatoes could be grown in large numbers.  If scientists can grow other foods with
miraculin inside,then there won't be any need to harvest all the miracle berries.
      The researchers don't know yet how the tomato-based miraculin can be used. Perhaps it could be sold as a dieting food,to be taken before meals.

1. The tomato is special in that___.

A. it tums all tastes sweet      
B. it can only be eaten before lunch
C.  it changes a sour taste to a sweet one    
D. it has a magical ingredient

2. According to the article,the Japanese scientists____.    

A. found a gene that contained instructions for making miraculin
B. discovered the secrets of miracle fruit berries in 1968
C.  have planted miracle tomatoes in large numbers
D. invented the miraculin gene and put it into the tomato=

3.  According to the article,which of the following statements is TRUE?   

A. It was a latest discovery that miracle berries could change taste.
B. The tomato is a low-calorie fruit that tastes wonderfully sweet.
C. Scientists have already found many uses for mariculin.
D. The tomato-based miraculin might help people lose weight,so it might be used as a dieting food.