TOKYO-At first glance, Japanese cellphones are the young's dream: ready for Internet
and email, they double as credit cards, and even bodyfat calculators (計(jì)算器). However,
despite years of competition in overseas markets, Japan's cellphone makers have little
presence beyond the country's shores. "Japan is years ahead in any innovation. But it hasn't
been able to get business out of it," said Gerhard Fasol, president of the Tokyobased IT
consulting firm, Eurotechnology Japan.
     This year, Mr Natsuno, who developed a popular wireless Internet service called iMode,
invited some of the best minds in the field to debate how Japanese cellphones can go global.
     Yet Japan's lack of global influence is all the more surprising because its cellphones set the
pace in almost every industry innovation: email capabilities in 1999, camera phones in 2000,
thirdgeneration networks in 2001, full music downloads in 2002, electronic payments in 2004
and digital TV in 2005. "The most amazing thing about Japan is that even the average person
out there will have a superadvanced phone," said Mr Natsuno. "So we're asking, can't Japan
build on that advantage?"
     Japan has 100 million users of advanced thirdgeneration smart phones, twice the number
used in the United States, a much larger market. Many Japanese rely on their phones, not a
PC, for Internet access.
     Indeed, Japanese makers thought they had positioned themselves to dominate the age of
digital data. But Japanese cellphone makers were a little too clever. In the 1990s, they set a
standard for the secondgeneration network that was refused everywhere else. Then Japan
quickly adopted a thirdgeneration standard in 2001.  However, it made Japanese phones too
advanced for most markets.
     At a recent meeting of Mr Natsuno's group, the discussion turned to the cellphones
themselves. Despite their advanced hardware, they often have ugly interfaces (界面), some
participants said.
     "Because each cellphone model is designed with a customized user interface, development
is timeconsuming and expensive," said Tetsuzo Matsumoto, senior executive vice president.
"Japan's phones are all 'handmade' from scratch," he said. "That's_reaching_the_limit."

1. The first paragraph intends to tell us that Japanese cellphones ________.

A. are popular with the young          
B. don't sell well abroad
C. can meet daily needs              
D. will go out of the country

2. Why were Japanese cellphone makers a little too clever?

A. Because their technical standards couldn't be accepted in overseas markets.
B. Because they didn't want to improve their products.
C. Because they used secondgeneration network earlier than others.
D. Because their phones couldn't be connected to PC.

3. What's the disadvantage of Japanese cellphones?

A. Their interfaces fall behind the fashion.
B. They are too expensive.
C. They are always out of order.
D. Their hardware can't keep up with the development.

4. What does the underlined sentence in the last paragraph mean?

A. Japan's phones have too many functions.
B. Japan's phones can't continue their history any longer.
C. Japan's phones have been developed far enough.
D. Japan's phones have been out of state.

      Some strange,wi1d and wonderful stories colored the news in 2011:
      A Copenhagen(哥本哈根)bus company has put "love seats" on its vehicles for people looking
for a partner. " Even love at first sight is possible on the bus",said a spokesman to explain the two
seats on each bus that are covered in red cloth and a "love seat "sign .
     Shoppers at an international fair in Verona,Italy,found a cellphone-equipped golden coffin(棺材)
among the items on display. The phone will help" the dead" contact relatives if they have been buried
alive by mistake.
     A man in New York came up with a disarming way to set off his latest bank heist(盜竊),approaching
the clerks window  with a large bunch of flowers and handing over a hold-up note saying "give me the
money"!
     An Englishman who lost all his legs and arms in an electrical accident successfully swam across the
Channel, a challenge he had been preparing for two years. The whole cost is 400 dollars. 
     A set of artificial teeth made for British war-time prime minister Winston Churchill known as "the
teeth that saved the world "sold for nearly 18,OOO pounds(21,500 euros,24,OOO dollars)at auction. 
     A British woman caused an Internet hate campaign after she was caught on camera dumping(丟棄
)a cat in a rubbish bin. She was fined 250
pounds(280 euros,400 dollars) after admitting guilty.
     The BBC apologized completely and without any doubts after a radio presenter jokingly announced
that Queen Elizabeth II had died. 
     TWO Australian men who needed surgery after shooting each other in the bottoms during drinking
to see if it would hurt were charged 400 dollars separately.

1. Love seats put on each bus are intended for_________.

A. those who are expecting their love      
B. passengers who need help
C. young passengers                    
D. special couples

2. What is special about the coffin in the second news?

A. It is golden.            
B. It has many items. 
C. It has a cell phone.      
D. It can hold a person alive.

3. Who has to pay 400 dollars for his or her illegal act? 

A. An Englishman who crossed the Channel without legs and arms. 
B. The person who bought Winston Churchi1ls artificial teeth. 
C. A British Woman who dumped a cat in a rubbish bin.
D. Two Australian men who needed surgery.

4. The strange,wild and wonderful stories took place in_______ countries.

A. 4          
B. 5            
C. 6            
D. 7

     CBS News-Veteran(資深的)broadcast journalist Mike Wallace died at 93 on April 7, 2012. He 
 had been in declining health in recent years but the cause of death has yet to be released.
"It is with enormous sadness that we mark the passing of Mike Wallace," CBS president and CEO
Leslie said in a statement.  "His extraordinary contribution as a broadcaster is immeasurable. His loss
will be felt by all of us at CBS. "
     Wallace was a correspondent(記者)on the CBS News program"60 Minutes"from 1968 where
he earned a fame as one of the toughest interviewers in the business. He spent 38 seasons with the
program befor e announcing his retirement in 2006.
     "He loved being Mike Wallace,"CBS News chairman Jeff Fager said. "if he showed up for an
interview, it made people nervous. "He knew that he was going to get to the truth. And that's what
motivated him. "
     Over the years, Wallace sat down with seven U.S. presidents as well as other world leaders,
celebrities(名人),sports stars and controversial figures such as Malcom X and Dr. Jack Kevorkian.
Wallace also made his name as a war correspondent in the 1960s, covering Vietnam. He began his
journalism career in the 1940s as a radio broadcaster for Chicago Sun. He joined CBS News in
1951 and later returned to the network in 1963 after leaving in 1955. Wallace also appeared on
one-on-one interview show"Night Beat,"which later aired on ABC. During his remarkable career,
he won more 20 Emmy Awards and several other honors.
     News colleagues remembered Wallace fondly for his form and sharp reporting. "Mike's tough
questioning inspired generations of journalists. "ABC News President Ben Sherwood said in a
statement.

1. Which program was Wallace best known for?

A. Chicago Sun news.
B. ABC news.
C. 60 Minutes.
D. Night Beat.

2. The underlines word"that"in paragraph 4 refers to           .

A. winning Emmy Awards or other honors
B. making people he interviewed nervous
C. challenging people to reach the truth
D. loving showing up for an interview

3. Wallace didn't work for CBS News in the          .

A. 1970s
B. 1960s
C. 1950s
D. 1940s

4. What can be conclude from the comments on Mike Wallace in the passage?

A. His co-workers admires him for his sharp questions.
B. He loved to show off the truth got from the interviewees.
C. It was pleasant for people he interviewed to answer his questions.
D. He is best respected by his remarkable contribution in the war.

     Washington (Reuters)-People who drink two or more sweetened soft drinks a week have a
much higher risk of pancreatic cancer (胰腺癌),an unusual but deadly cancer,researchers reported
on Monday.
     People who drank mostly fruit juice instead of sodas did not have the same risk,the study of
60,000 people in Singapore found.
     Sugar may be to blame but people who drink sweetened sodas regularly often have other poor
health habits,said Mark Pereira of the University of Minnesota,who led the study.
     "The high levels of sugar in soft drinks may be increasing  the level of insulin (胰島素) in the body,
which we think contributes to pancreatic cancer cell growth," Pereira said in a statement.
     Writing in the journal Cancer Epidemiology,Biomarkers & Prevention,Pereira  and his colleagues 
 said  they  followed 60,524 men and women in the Singapore Chinese Health Study for 14 years.
     Over that time,140 of the volunteers developed pancreatic cancer.Those who drank two or more
sweetened soft drinks a week had an 87 percent higher risk of being among those who got pancreatic
cancer.
     Pereira said he believed the findings would apply elsewhere.
     "Singapore is a wealthy country with excellent healthcare.Favorite pastimes (消遣) are eating and
shopping,so the findings should apply to other Western countries," he said.
     But Susan Mayne of the Yale Cancer Center at Yale University in Connecticut was cautious.
     "Although this study found a risk,the finding was based on a relatively small number of cases and it
remains unclear whether it is a causal (因果的) connection or not," said Mayne,who serves on the board
of the journal,which is published by the American Association for Cancer Research.
     Pancreatic cancer is one of the deadliest forms of cancer,with 230,000 cases globally.In the United
States,37,680 people are diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in a year and 34,290 die of it.

1．According to the text,who is in control of the health study?

A．Mark Pereira.  
B．Scientists from Singapore.
C．Researchers in Yale.  
D．Susan Mayne.

2．We can infer from Pereira's words that________.

A．the healthcare in Singapore should be greatly improved
B．2 soft drinks a day are considered harmful to health
C．87 out of 140 volunteers developed pancreatic cancer
D．sugar might not be the only cause of pancreatic cancer

3．How does Susan seem to feel about the findings of the study?

A．Satisfied.  
B．Doubtful.  
C．Worried.  
D．Hopeful.

4．The best title of the text might be________.

A．The Deadliest Forms of Cancer
B．Drink Fruit Juice Instead of Sodas
C．A Study in University of Minnesota
D．Sugary Soft Drinks Lead to Cancer

     LONDON: What could possibly be wrong with planting trees? The benefits are obvious; they
firm the soil, take in extra water and take carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere. However, it now
turns out that planting trees could add to global warming.
     Tree roots do a great job of keeping soil firmly on the ground and out of the wind's power. The
problem is that some of those dust clouds play an important part in soaking up carbon dioxide.
     Huge dust storms blow out over the oceans from dry parts of North Africa and central Asia.
Tons of dust are lifted as a thin film over the oceans surface. The dust fuels oceanic life.
     Dust from China is carried east and left in the Pacific Ocean. If a tree-planting program there is
successful and the dust supply reduced, the net result may be that less carbon dioxide gets locked
away in the ocean.
      Andy Ridgwell, an environmental scientist from the University of East Anglia, has spent the past
few years studying dust and says his work "shows clearly the complexity of the system and the
importance of not tinkering (粗劣地修補(bǔ)) with it without understanding the results. For this reason
the need is to focus on cutting carbon dioxide giving off rather than monkeying (瞎弄) about with the
land surface."
     An American scientist, Robert Jackson, has shown that when native grassland areas are invaded
(侵入) by trees, carbon is lost from the soil. "We are studying why the soil carbon disappears, but
one theory is that trees do a lot more of their growing above ground compared to grasses, so less
carbon goes directly into the soil from trees." says Jackson.
      In wet areas of the world, the gain from trees absorbing carbon dioxide above ground seems to
be outweighed by the loss of carbon from the soil below ground. Countries that plan to combat global
warming by planting trees may have to think again.
     Solutions to environmental problems are often more complex than they first appear, and
understanding the Earth's climate is a very great challenge.

1. According to this report, dust from storms can do the following except ________.

A. harm the earth's climate    
B. take in carbon dioxide  
C. feed the life in the ocean    
D. keep carbon dioxide locked in the ocean

2. Andy Ridgwell believes that _____________.

A. dust plays a more important part than trees
B. trees shouldn't have been planted in the past
C. carbon dioxide is harmful to everything on the earth
D. environmental problems are far less simple than expected

3. Robert Jackson's experiment proves that ____________.

A. grassland areas should be covered by forests
B. carbon can turn grass into dust
C. trees hold more carbon than grasses
D. less carbon can make trees grow faster

4. The underlined word "combat" in the last but one paragraph means ________________.

A. learn about      
B. live with        
C. fight against        
D. give up

      (NEW YORK)  A French tourist highly praised for rescuing a two-year-old girl in Manhattan said he didn't think twice before diving into the freezing East River.
     Tuesday's Daily News said 29-year-old Julien Duret from France was the man who left the spot
quickly after the rescue last Saturday.
     He lifted the little girl out of the water after she fell off the bank at the South Street Seaport museum. He handed the girl to her father, David Anderson, who had dived in after him.
     "I didn't think at all," Duret told the Daily News. "It happened very fast. I reacted very fast."
     Duret, an engineer on vacation, was walking with his girlfriend along the pier(碼頭) when he saw
something falling into the water. He thought it was a doll, but realized it was a child when he approached
the river. Immediately, he took off his coat and jumped into the water.
     When he reached the girl, she appeared lifeless, he said. Fortunately, when she was out of the water,
she opened her eyes.
     Anderson said his daughter slipped off the bank when he was adjusting his camera. An ambulance
came later for her, said Duret, who was handed dry clothes from onlookers. Duret caught a taxi with his
girlfriend shortly after.
     The rescue happened on the day before he left for France. Duret said he didn't realize his story of
heroism had greatly moved New York until he was leaving the city the next morning.
     "I don't really think I'm a hero," said Duret. "Anyone would do the same thing."

1. Why was Duret in New York? 

A. To meet his girlfriend.          
B. To spend his holiday.
C. To work as an engineer.        
D. To visit the Andersons.

2. What did Duret do shortly after the ambulance came?

A. He was interviewed by a newspaper.
B. He went to the hospital in the ambulance.
C. He disappeared from the spot quickly.
D. He asked his girlfriend for his dry clothes.

3. Who dived after Duret into the river to save the little girl?

A. David Anderson    
B. A passer-by  
C. His girlfriend    
D. A taxi driver

4. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage? 

A. Duret thought twice before he jumped into the cold water.
B. Duret dived into the water before the girl's father.
C. The rescue happened on the day Duret left for France.
D. Duret didn't think he was brave enough to be a hero.

5. What is probably the headline of this news report? 

A. A Careless Father            
B. A Poor Girl 
C. Warm-hearted Onlookers      
D. Brave Frenchman Found

                              Special Bridges Help Animals Cross the Road
                                                            - Reported by Sheila Carrick
     Why did the chicken cross the road? To get to the other side.
     Most people know this joke. But recently, some people have been much more worried
about how the grizzly bear(灰熊) and mountain lion can cross the road.
     "Millions of animals die each year on US roads," the Federal Highway Administration
reports. In fact,only about 80 ocelots, an endangered wild cat, exist in the US today. The
main reason? Road kill.
     "Ecopassages (生態(tài)通道)" may help animals cross the road without being hit by cars.
They are paths both over and under roads. "These ecopassages can be extremely useful, so
that wildlife can avoid road accidents," said Jodi Hilty of the Wildlife Protection Society.
     But do animals actually use the ecopassages? The answer is yes. Paul Beier of Northern
Arizona University found foot marks left by mountain lions on an ecopassage that went under
a highway. This showed that the lions used the passage.
     Builders of ecopassages try to make them look like a natural part of an area by planting
trees on and around them. Animals seem to be catching on. Animals as different as
salamanders(火蜥蜴) and grizzly bears are using the bridges and underpasses.
     The next time you visit a park or drive through an area with a lot of wildlife, look around.
You might see an animal overpass!

1. The writer uses the example of "ocelots" to show that ________.

A. wild animals have become more dangerous
B. the driving conditions have improved greatly
C. the measure for projecting wildlife fails to work
D. an increasing number of animals are killed in road accidents

2. From the news story, we know an ecopassage is ________.

A. an underground path for cars
B. a fence built for the safety of the area
C. a bridge for animals to get over a river
D. a path for animals to cross the road

3. When the writer says that "Animals seem to be catching on", he means ________.

A. animals begin to realize the dangers on the road
B. animals begin to learn to use ecopassages
C. animals are crossing the road in groups
D. animals are increasing in number

4. The writer asks visitors and drivers to look around when traveling because________

A. wild animals may attack cars
B. wild animals may jam the road
C. they may see wild animals in the park
D. they may see wild animals on ecopassages

     TOKYO-A child-like robot that combines the roles of nurse,companion and security guard
is to go on the market to help the growing ranks of elderly Japanese with no one to look after
them.
      The "Wakamaru" robot can walk around a house 24 hours a day,warning family,hospitals
and security firms if it perceives(notices)a problem.It will,for example,call relatives if the owner
fails to get out of the bath.
     Cameras implanted in the "eye-brows" of the robot enable it to "see" as it walks around an
apartment.The images can be sent to the latest cell phones,which display the pictures.
      Mitsubishi Heavy Industries which developed Wakamaru plans to start selling the meter-high
robots for about $15 000.
     Wakamaru,which speaks with either the voice of a boy or girl,is also designed to provide
companionship,greeting its "papa" when he comes home.
     It is the first household robot able to hold simple conversations,based on a vocabulary of
around 10 000 words.It cannot only speak but can understand answers and react accordingly.
     It will ask "Are you all right?" if its owner does not move for some time.If the answer is no,
or there is no answer,it will telephone preset numbers,transmitting images and functioning as a
speakerphone.
     Wakamaru will inform a security firm if there is a loud bang or if an unknown person enters
the house while the owner is out or asleep.It can recognize up to 10 faces . But like most robots
it cannot climb stairs.
     It can be set to remind forgetful people when it is time to take medicine,eat and sleep.
      Mitsubishi adapted Wakamaru from robots which already makes to go around nuclear power
facilities(設(shè)施).The idea to use the technology in the home came from a company employee.
     The project chief said:"Looking at the ageing of society and the falling birth rate we decide that
this could work as a business.We want to offer Wakamaru as a product that helps society.
     The technology has gained nation-wide publicity in Japan among increasing concern over how
to look after the ever-growing number of old people.The life expectancy of Japanese women has
shot up to almost 85,the highest in the world.
      At the same time,extended families are being replaced by nuclear families.This has left many
Japanese anxious about their elderly parents,whom they rarely see because of their long hours at
the office.

1.Which of the following is TRUE about the Robot?

A.It is used in some nuclear power facilities.
B.It cannot speak but can understand answers.
C.It can go up and down the stairs easily.
D.It can recognize as many as 10 faces.

2.The purpose of this passage is __________.

A.to introduce a new product
B.to solve the ageing problems
C.to tell people how to use the robot
D.to show the rapid development of technology

3.What can we infer from the passage

A.The robot can dial proper numbers for help.
B.The robot is likely to have a promising market.
C.The robot has given the Japanese a chance to live longer.
D.The nuclear families have left many elderly Japanese anxious.

4.What is the best title of this passage

A.The Latest Development of Robot Technology
B.Japanese Robot and the Ageing Society
C.Vast Market of the New Robot
D.Japanese-built Robot to Help the Old

      BEIJING-Pharmacologist Tu Youyou has become the first scientist on the mainland to win America's
respected Lasker Award for her discovery of a new approach to malaria (瘧疾) treatment.
     The 81yearold was presented with the medical prize by the Albert and Mary Lasker Foundation on
September 23, 2011 in New York.
     Tu, a scientist at the China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences in Beijing, was praised by the jury (評(píng)判委員會(huì)) for her "drug therapy (治療) for malaria that has saved millions of lives across the globe,
especially in the developing world," according to a statement on the foundation's website.
     In early 1969, Tu was appointed head of a government project that aimed to eradicate(消滅) malaria, and it was then that she began applying modern techniques with Chinese traditional medicine to find drug
therapy for malaria.
     After detecting (檢測(cè)) 380 extracts (提取物) made from 2,000 candidate recipes, Tu and her
colleagues obtained a pure substance called "Qinghaosu", which became known as artemisinin in 1972.
     An artemisininbased drug combination is now the standard regimen (養(yǎng)生法) for malaria, and the
World Health Organization lists artemisinin and related agents in its catalog of "Essential Medicines", said a statement from the foundation.
     The Lasker Awards are given annually to people who have made major advances in the understanding, diagnosis, treatment, cure and prevention of human diseases since 1945.
     Lasker Awards are known as "America's Nobels" for their knack (熟練技術(shù)) of gaining future
recognition by the Nobel committee. In the last two decades, 28 Lasker laureates (得獎(jiǎng)?wù)? have gone on to receive the Nobel Prize, and 80 since 1945.

1. Which of the following statements about Tu Youyou is FALSE?

A. She is the first scientist on the mainland to win America's respected Lasker Award.
B. She is a scientist at the China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences in Beijing.
C. She is the first scientist in the world to win America's respected Lasker Award.
D. She began applying modern techniques with Chinese traditional medicine to find drug therapy for
malaria in 1969.

2. Lasker Award is awarded by ________.

A. New York Foundation
B. the Albert and Mary Lasker Foundation
C. Chinese Medical Sciences
D. Albert and Mary

3. What's the influence about Tu Youyou's "drug therapy for malaria"?

A. It has surprised the people in the world.
B. It has reduced malaria.
C. It applied modern techniques with Chinese traditional medicine.
D. It has saved millions of lives across the globe, especially in the developing world.

4. What can we learn from the last paragraph?

A. Lasker laureates can not receive the Nobel Prize at the same time.
B. Lasker laureates can receive the Nobel Prize at the same time.
C. Lasker Award is the Nobel Prize.
D. Lasker Awards are known as "America's Nobels"．

5. What's the main idea of the passage?

A. Tu Youyou won Lasker Award for malarial drug discovery.
B. An American won Lasker Award for malarial drug discovery.
C. Americans founded the Lasker Foundation.
D. Tu Youyou discovered artemisinin.

     The World Trade Center was built from 1969 to 1973 at a cost of ＄750 million. The
two 110-story towers had been the tallest buildings until the Sears Tower in Chicago was
completed in 1974 at 1450.
     The World Trade Center was hit by two planes and it fell in a short time later on
September 11 th, 2001.
     America and United airlines both said two of their planes had been hijacked(劫持)and
crashed.
     America said its planes were carrying a total of 156 people. One was a Boston-Los
Angeles. An FBI man said the former, a Boeing 767, hit one of the Trade Center towers;
the later, a Boeing 757, hit the pentagon(五角大樓).
     Two United airliners with a total of 110 aboard also crashed -a Boeing 757 outside
Pittsburgh, the other, a Boeing 767, into the Trade Center.
     The crash in Pennsylvania was a New York-San Francisco fight. It rushed into the
ground in a field about 85 miles from Pittsburgh. US officials said it was possible the
plane had been on a course for the presidential house at Camp David.
     The police received a phone call at 9:58 am. It came from a man who said he was a
passenger locked in the bathroom of United Flight 93.
     " We are being hijacked. We are being hijacked! It is going down quickly. I can see
some white smoke coming from the front and hear some terrible noise. What's happening?
My God!"

1 .Which statement is true according to the passage?______

A. The World Trade Center has been the highest building since 1973.
B. The World Trade Center was hit by three planes.
C. The Sears Tower in Chicago is taller than the World Trade Center.
D. The World Trade Center was 1450 feet high.

2. What kind of planes hit the World Trade Center?_____

A. A Boeing 757 and a Boeing 767.
B. Two planes of Boeing 757.
C. Two planes of Boeing 767.
D. Tow planes from New York.

3. From the passage we can know another hitting target which the hijackers wanted
but failed to hit is ________.

A. San Franciso
B. the Pentagon
C. Pittsburgh
D. Camp David

4. What can we infer from the phone call?______

A. The man was in the bathroom.
B. The plane was in great danger.
C. A fire broke out the plane
D. The man who made the phone call was a pilot.