Jan. 7, 2008-French President Nicolas Sarkozy would marry his girlfriend, former supermodel Carla
Bruni on Feb. 8 or 9, media reported Monday. The report said that in December---less than a month after
Sarkozy met Bruni-he gave her a heart-shaped diamond engagement ring.
     Carla Bruni, Italian singer, former model and girlfriend of France's President Nicolas Sarkozy, holds the
hand of her son Aurelien while wearing a pink heart-shaped ring during a visit to the ancient Jordanian ruins
of Petra Jan. 5, 2008. French newspapers reported that Sarkozy would marry her early in February.
     Sarkozy and his wife of 11 years, Cecilia, divorced in October. Their marital (婚姻) problems became
well known in May 2005 when she appeared in public at the side of event organizer Richard Attias.
     A marriage to Bruni, a one-time star of the catwalks who is now a singer, would be Sarkozy's third: He
divorced his first wife, Marie, in the late 80s-after he had met and befriended Cecilia. Political analyst
Dominique Moisi said that a Sarkozy proposal to Bruni could be part of his desire to head off any future
arguments, and the speed of their visit to the ancient Jordanian ruins of Petra Jan. 5, 2008 would fit with
his personality as a busy man in a hurry.
     "Apparently, he's going to marry her, so the problem will be behind him," Moisi said. "He will increase
the opportunities to travel with her, and to say to the French, 'You see, I must remarry… You need a first
lady.'"
     Bruni, an Italian-born French citizen, has dated famous men including Mick Jagger and Donald Trump.
She has also reportedly been linked to singer Eric Clapton and actor Vincent Perez.

1. What is the correct order of Sarkozy's marital history?
a. Long marriage to Cecilia
b. Visiting ruins with Bruni
c. Getting divorced from Marie
d. Giving Bruni a diamond ring
e. To marry the former supermodel

A. c-a-b-d-e
B. e-d-c-a-b
C. c-a-d-b-e
D. a-c-d-b-e

2. What did Moisi really intend to inform the readers?

A. The president will spend more time staying with Bruni
B. Sarkozy is good at balancing state and personal affairs
C. It is not easy for President Sarkozy to seek a new love
D. It is a doubt whether the marriage would have a bright future

3. The possible purpose of the last paragraph is to _______ .

A. provide some unknown stories about Bruni's love affairs
B. show uncertainty about the former supermodel's loyalty
C. imply that past experiences have little effect on a person
D. prove Bruni one of the most popular and attractive females

4. Which would be the best title for the news?

A. Bruni, France's first lady
B. A third marriage to fail
C. France to have first lady
D. President's new girl friend

     Since the 1970s, scientists have been searching for ways to link the brain with computers. Brain-computer
interface (BCI) technology could help people with disabilities send commands to machines.
     Recently, two researchers, Jose Milan and Michele Tavella from the Federal Polytechnic school in Lausanne,
Switzerland, demonstrated (展示) a small robotic wheelchair directed by a person's thoughts.
     In the laboratory, Tavella operated the wheelchair just by thinking about moving his left or right band. He
could even talk as he watched the vehicle and guided it with his thoughts.
     "Our brain has billions of nerve cells. These send signals through the spinal cord (脊髓) to the muscles to
give us the ability to move. But spinal cord injuries or other conditions can prevent these weak electrical signals
from reaching the muscles," Tavella says. "Our system allows disabled people to communicate with external
world and also to control devices."
     The researchers designed a special cap for the user. This head cover picks up the signals from the scalp
(頭皮) and sends them to a computer. The computer interprets the signals and commands the motorized
wheelchair. The wheelchair also has two cameras that identify objects in its path. They help the computer react
to commands from the brain.
     Prof. Milan, the team leader, says scientists keep improving the computer software that interprets brain
signals and turns them into simple commands. "The practical possibilities that BCI technology offers to disabled
people can be grouped in two categories: communication, and controlling devices. One example is this
wheelchair."
     He says his team has set two goals. One is testing with real patients, so as to prove that this is a technology
they can benefit from. And the other is to guarantee that they can use the technology over long periods of
time.

1. BCI is a technology that can _____.

A. help to update computer systems
B. link the human brain with computers
C. help the disabled to recover
D. control a person's thoughts

2. How did Tavella operate the wheelchair in the laboratory?

A. By controlling his muscles.
B. By talking to the machine.
C. By moving his hand.
D. By using his mind.

3. Which of the following shows the path of the signals described in Paragraph 5?

A. scalp→computer→cap→wheelchair
B. computer→cap→scalp→wheelchair
C. scalp→cap→computer→wheelchair
D. cap→computer→scalp→wheelchair

4. The team will test with real patients to _____.

A. make profits from them
B. prove the technology useful to them
C. make them live longer
D. learn about their physical condition

5. Which of the following would be the best title for the text?

A. Switzerland, the BCI Research Center
B. New Findings About How the Human Brain Works
C. BCI Could Mean More Freedom for the Disabled
D. Robotic Vehicles Could Help to Cure Brain Injuries

                                          Brave Frenchman Found Half-way Around the World
     (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 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 dive 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. In an
instant,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 cookers. Duret caught a train with his girlfriend
shortly after.
     The rescue happened on the day before he left for France. Duret said he didn't realize his tale of heroism
he was leaving the next morning. "I don't really think I'm a hero," said Duret. "Anyone would do the same ting."

1. Why was Duret in New York? 

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

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

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

3. Who divide 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. When was duet most probably found to be the very hero? 

A. The day when he was leaving for home.
B. A couple of days after the girl was rescued.
C. The first day when he was in New York.
D. The same day when he was interviewed.

     PITTSBURGH-For most people, snakes seem unpleasant or even threatening. But Howie Choset
sees in their delicate movements a way to save lives.
     The 37-year-old Carnegie Mellon University professor has spent years developing snake-like robots
he hopes will eventually slide through fallen buildings in search of victims trapped after natural disasters
or other emergencies.
     Dan Kara is president of Robotics Trends, a Northboro, Mass.-based company that publishes an
online industry magazine and runs robotics trade shows. He said there are other snake-like robots being
developed, mainly at universities, but didn't know of one that could climb pipes.
     The Carnegie Mellon machines are designed to carry cameras and electronic sensors and can be
controlled with a joystick (操縱桿). They move smoothly with the help of small electric motors, or servos,
commonly used by hobbyists in model airplanes.
     Built from lightweight materials, the robots are about the size of a human arm or smaller. They can
sense which way is up, but are only as good as their human operators, Choset added.
     Sam Stover, a search term manager with the Federal Emergency Management Agency based in Indiana,
said snake-type robots would offer greater mobility than equipment currently available, such as cameras
attached to extendable roles.
     "It just allows us to do something we've not been able to do before," Stover said,"We needed them
yesterday."
     He said sniffer dogs are still the best search tool for rescue workers, but that they can only be used
effectively when workers have access to damaged building.
     Stover, among the rescue workers who handled the aftermath (后果) of Hurricane Katrina, said snake
robots would have helped rescuers search flooded houses in that disaster.
     Choset said the robots may not be ready for use for another five to ten years, depending on funding.

1. Which institution is responsible for the development of Choset's robots?

A. Robotics Trends.
B. Pittsburgh City Council.
C. Carnegie Mellon University.
D. Federal Emergency Management Agency.

2. Choset believes that his invention ______.

A. can be attached to an electronic arm
B. can be used by hobbyists in model airplanes
C. can find victims more quickly than a sniffer dog
D. can sense its way no better than its operators

3. By saying "We needed them yesterday" (paragraph 7), Stover means that snake-like robots _____.

A. could help handle the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina
B. would have been put to use in past rescue work
C. helped rescuers search flooded houses yesterday
D. were in greater need yesterday than today

4. What is the text mainly about?

A. Snake-like robots used in industries.
B. Snake-like robots made to aid in rescues.
C. The development of snake-like robots.
D. The working principles of snake-like robots.

                                 Old Computers Make for Unhappy Workers－Survey
     LONDON (Reuters)－Dealing with the dissatisfaction of ageing and unreliable office computers leads to
workers' unhappiness and more sick-leave, a survey (調(diào)查) showed on Wednesday.
     A survey carried out by care4free. net of over 2,700 European office workers from the UK, France and
Germany found that workplace dissatisfaction increased greatly with the age of computer equipment.
     "We do know that job satisfaction is falling in Britain and in most advanced nations," said Stephen White,
a researcher from the Work Foundation. "The actual reasons for this are the subject of very heated discussion.
It's certainly one interesting theory that technology may be the cause of this in some way," White added.
     A quarter of those using outdated computers in Britain said they were "quite" or "very dissatisfied" with
their everyday job compared to 16 percent of those who had enjoyed an advantage from up-to-date technology.
     The survey also said that among workers dealing with outdated equipment, there was a 35 percent greater
probability they would take six or more days of sick-leave per year compared with the average worker. In
France, where more workers use older computers, the probability jumped to 55 percent.
     Results also showed that women in the three countries were more likely to be using outdated equipment.
In the UK, where more workers have up-to-date computers than in the other countries surveyed, the number
of women using old equipment doubled that of men.
     White pointed out that there were two sides to this problem, saying that continually having to deal with
new technology and new equipment can also be a source of worry. "Old and faulty equipment is a major cause
of office dissatisfaction, there's no question about it. But you also have to say that the frequent change of
equipment is also, or could be, a main cause of dissatisfaction."

1. The underlined word "this" (paragraph 3) refers to ______.

A. workplace dissatisfaction
B. computer use in most jobs
C. the ageing of office computers
D. the survey by care4free.net

2. How many office workers using old computers in Britain expressed their dissatisfaction?

A. 16%
B. 25%
C. 35%
D. 55%

3. According to White, why were the women surveyed more likely to use old computers?

A. Most office workers use old computers.
B. They do some of their work with computers.
C. Dealing with new equipment can cause anxiety.
D. They are easier to be satisfied with new technology.

4. What is the subject of this news story?

A. Poor working conditions in offices.
B. Research work of the Work Foundation.
C. Influence of technology in the workplace.
D. different attitudes to old computers.

     SYDNEY: As they sat sharing sweets beside a swimming pool in 1999, Shane Gould and Jessicah
Schipper were simply getting along well, chatting about sport, life and " anything else that came up."
     Yet in Sydney next month, they will meet again by the pool, and for a short time the friends will race
against each other in the 50-meter butterfly (蝶泳) in the Australian championships at Homebush Bay.
     Gould, now a 47-year-old mother of four, has announced she will be making a return to elite
competition (頂級(jí)賽事) to swim the one event, having set a qualifying (合格的) time of 30.32 seconds
in winning gold at last year's United States Masters championships. Her comeback comes 32 years after
she won three golds at the Munich Olympics. Schipper, now a 17-year-old from Brisbane with a bright
future of going to Athens for her first Olympics, yesterday recalled (回憶) her time with Gould fie years
us train, " Schipper explained." It seemed as if we had long been god friends. I don't know why. We just
started talking and it went from there."
     " She had a lot to share with all of us at that camp. She told us stories about what it was like at big
meets like the Olympics and what it's like to be on an Australian team. It was really interesting."
     Next time, things will be more serious. " I will still be swimming in the 50m butterfly at the nationals,
so there is a chance that I could actually be competing against Shane Gould," said Schipper, who burst onto
the scene at last year's national championships with second places in the 100m and 200m butterfly.

1. What is the passage mainly about?

A. Stories happening in swimming competitions.
B. Two women swimmers winning Olympic golds.
C. Lessons learned from international swimming championships.
D. Friendship and competition between two swimmers.

2. Gould and Schipper are going to _____.

A. talk about sport and life
B. go back to elite competition
C. set a qualifying time and win gold
D. take part in the same sports event

3. Gould won her three Olympic golds when she was _____.

A. 15
B. 17
C. 22
D. 30

4. The underlined word" it" in the fifth paragraph probably refers to _____.

A. the Olympics
B. the youth camp
C. the friendship
D. the Australian team

5. What Schipper said showed that she _____.

A. was no longer Gould's friend
B. had learned a lot from Gould
C. was not interested in Gould's stories
D. would not like to compete against Gould

     LONDON (Reuters)-Organic fruit, dalivered right to the doorstep. That is what Gabriel Gold prefers,
and he is willing to pay for it. If this is not possible, the 26 year-old computer technician will spend the
extra money at the supermarket to buy organic food.
      "Organic produce is always better," Gold said,"The food is free of pesticides (農(nóng)藥), and you are
generally supporting family farms instend of large farms. And more often than not it is locally(本地)
grown and seasonal, so it is more tasty." Gold is one of a growing number of shoppers buying into the
organic trend, and supermarkets across Britain are counting on more like him as they grow their organic
food business. But how many shoppers really know what they are getting, and why are they willing to pay
a higher price for organic produce? Market research shows that Gold and others who buy organic food can
generally give clear reasons for their preferences-but their knowledge of organic food is far from complete.
For example, small amounts of pesticides can be used on organic products. And about three quarters of
organic food in Britain is not local but imported (進(jìn)口) to meet growing demand ."The demand for organic
food is increasing by about one third every year, so it is a very fast-growing market," said Sue Flock, a
specialist in this line of business.

1. More and more people in Britain are buying organic food because _____.

A. they are getting richer
B. they can get the food anywhere
C. they consider the food free of pollution
D. they like home-grown fruit

2. Which of the following statements is true to the facts about most organic produce sold in Britain?

A. It grows indoors all year round.
B. It is produced outside Britain.
C. It is grown on family farms.
D. It is preduced on large farms.

3. What is the meaning of "the organic trend" as the words are used in the text?

A. growing interest in organic food.
B. better quality of organic food
C. rising market for organic food.
D. higher prices of organic food

4. What is the best title for this news story?

A. Organic food-healthy, or just for the wealthy?
B. The making of organic food in Britain.
C. Organic food-to import or not?
D. Good qualities of organic food

     Airplanes are polluters. They're as noisy as a rock concert, and send out poisons into the air as well as
dump millions of pounds of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere every year. By 2050, emissions (排放)
from planes are expected to become one of the largest contributors to global warming. 
     That's why researchers at MIT are designing a completely new type of airplane for NASA that will
enable greener airplanes to take flight before 2050.
     The 180-passenger D"double bubble" series was designed to replace the Boeing 737 class aircraft, the
most popular jetliner in the world right now. The design is called a "double bubble" because it uses two
partial cylinders (氣缸) placed side by side. Those two cylinders create a wider structure that looks like two
soap bubbles joined together.
     In today's commercial airplanes, air flows directly into the engines located on the plane's wings. That
high-speed air flow drags on the plane, and requires more fuel to overcome the design inefficiency.
     MIT's design changes all that. By moving the engines to the plane's tail, they take in slower moving air
present in the wake of the fuselage (機(jī)艙). Less drag means less fuel is needed to get the plane the same
distance.
     Burning less fuel can help passengers' wallet as well as the environment. The environmental implications
of saving energy are as just as clear: the fewer emissions that planes spout into the atmosphere, the healthier
our planet.
     But for passengers, we still have a couple decades to wait before any of these planes make it onto the
runway. NASA's goal is to make sure the planes that MIT has designed can take off by 2035.

1. The best feature of the double bubble flight is that _____.

A. it will make no noise
B. it will hold more passengers
C. it is designed to save fuel
D. it needs no runways to take off

2. Which of the following is NOT true according to the text?

A. Emission from planes are contributing the most to the global warming
B. Airplanes are very noisy for the environment
C. MIT's new design will save passengers' money
D. It's expected that NASA's goal will be realize by the year 2035.

3. What's the main idea of the text?

A. Here is Boeing 733's terminal
B. Researchers are designing greener aircraft
C. Passengers will enjoy lower prices
D. Airlines attract passengers with new planes

4. The passage will come from a ____. 

A. News report
B. Science fiction
C. Travel diary
D. Business magazine

     Beldon and Canfield are two seashore towns, not far apart. Both towns have many hotels, and in summer
the hotels are full of holiday-makers and other tourists.
     Last August there was a fire at the Seabreeze Hotel in Beldon. The next day, this news appeared on page
two of the town's newspaper. The Beldon Post:
     FIRE AT SEABREEZE
     Late last night firemen hurried to the Seabreeze Hotel and quickly put out a small fire in a bedroom. The
hotel manager said that a cigarette started the fire. We say again to all our visitors: "Please don't smoke
cigarettes in bed." This was Beldon's first hotel fire for five years.
     The Canfield Times gave the news in these words on page one:
     ANOTHER BELDON HOTEL CATCHES FIRE
     Last night Beldon firemen arrived just too late to save clothing, bedclothes and some furniture at the
Seabreeze Hotel. An angry holiday-maker said, "An electric lamp probably started the fire. The bedroom lamps
are very old at some of these hotels. When I put my bedside light on, I heard a funny noise from the lamp." We
are glad to tell our readers that this sort of adventure does not happen in Canfield.
     What are the facts, then? It is never easy to find out the exact truth about an accident. There was a fire at
the Seabreeze Hotel last August: that is one fact. Do we know anything else? Yes, we know that firemen went
to the hotel.
     Now what do you think of the rest of the "news"?

1. Which of the following best gives the main idea of this text?

A. Beldon and Canfield are both good places for tourists in summer.
B. A fire broke out night in Seabreeze Hotel last summer.
C. It was not easy to find out exact truth from newspapers.
D. Two newspapers gave reports on the same matter.

2. Which of the following are probably facts? 
a. The fire broke out in a bedroom at the hotel.
b. A cigarette started the fire.
c. An old lamp started the fire.
d. The fire broke out at night.
e. There has never been a fire in Canfield.

A. b and c
B. a and d
C. c and e
D. a and c

3. The Canfield Times used the headline like this in order to make its readers think ______.

A. hotels in Beldon often catch fire
B. hotels in Beldon don't often catch fire
C. this was the second fire at the Seabreeze Hotel
D. Beldon was a good place except that hotels there are not quite safe

4. The Canfield newspaper gave a report just the opposite to the Beldon Post by saying that ______.

A. the bedroom lamps were very old at the Seabreeze Hotel
B. the bedroom lights made funny noise when the fire took place
C. the firemen failed to save clothing, bedclothes and other things
D. such accidents never happened in Canfield for the past 5 years