Now QQ coins are popular among Chinese teenagers. People use real money to buy Web money. Then
they buy clothes for their online characters or services for their online pets with it. And these fancy things
will cost QQ fans more in the future.
    The government will put a tax (稅) of 3% on online sales. For example, if QQ users pay 100 yuan for
110 QQ coins, they will have to spend 103 yuan in the future. The extra three yuan is tax.
    Beijing was the first city to carry out the policy (政策). Online games have to pay the tax, too. A number
of players make money by spending a lot of time on the games to gain (獲得) powers, and then selling them
online.
    Experts said that online trade grew fast. There is more than 10 billion yuan of real money in online trade
a year in China.
    However, the government's new move has become a hot topic among Internet users around the country.
In a survey by sina.com, more than 70% of about 3,000 surveyed were against it. They said that the tax is
too heavy.
    But supporters said the government's better management (管理) of the Internet would help it become
healthier. They believe the new move would help stop online identity (身份) theft.

1. We can learn from the passage that QQ coins are _____.

A. a kind of game software
B. a kind of Web money
C. some fancy clothes
D. some online pets

2. The Chinese government will put a tax of _____ on online sales.

A. 3%
B. 10%
C. 11%
D. 15%

3. Which city was the first to carry out the policy?

A. Shanghai.
B. Beijing.
C. Guangzhou.
D. Shenyang.

4. The underlined word "move" means "_____" in Chinese.

A. 移動(dòng)
B. 搬家
C. 措施
D. 遷移

5. We can learn from the passage that _____.

A. the players don't have to pay the tax
B. many Internet users think the tax is too heavy
C. only 20% of about 3,000 Internet users are against this policy
D. the new move will cause online identity theft

    To swim across the English Channel takes at least nine hours. It's hard work and it makes you short of
breath. To fly over the channel takes only twenty minutes as long as you're not held up at the airport, but
it's an expensive way to travel. You can travel by hovercraft (氣墊船) if you don't mind the noise and that
takes forty minutes. Otherwise, you can go by boat, if you remember your sea-sickness pills. All these means
of transport have their problems, and the weary (厭煩的) traveler often dreams of being able to drive to
France in his own car. "Not possible, you say. Well, wait a minute. People are once again considering the
idea of a channel tunnel or bridge." This time, the great London Council (議會(huì)) is looking into the possibility
of building a channel link straight to London. A bridge would cost far more than a tunnel, but you would be
able to by rail or by car on a bridge, yet a tunnel would provide a rail link only.
     Why is this idea being discussed again? Is Britain realizing the need for links with Europe as a result of
joining EEC (歐洲經(jīng)濟(jì)共同體)? Well, perhaps, the main reason, though, is that a tunnel or bridge would
reach the twenty square kilometers of London's discussed dockland (船塢). A link from London to the
continent would stimulate (刺激) trade and revitalize (使重新具有活力) the port, and would make London
a main trading center in Europe. With a link over the Channel, you could buy your fish and chips in England
and be able to eat them in France while they are still warm!

1. The weary traveler thinks the best way to cross the Channel is _____.

A. by swimming
B. in his own car
C. by air
D. by hovercraft

2. According to the passage, a link from London to the continent would be _____.

A. necessary for its trade
B. important for its politics
C. useful for its industry
D. helpful for its culture

3. The main idea of the passage is _____.

A. how to develop the trade of London
B. when to cross the Channel
C. how to get to Europe from London more conveniently
D. what to do in the developing of traveling

                                         Letters to the next president 
Dear Mr. President:
    I would like to personally thank you for your time and concern for our great country.
I would like to take a few minutes to address a few concerns that I have with the United
States.
    First of all, I would like to address the war. In my opinion, we should have never
been involved with Iraq to the extent that we are now. I believe we should pull our troops
out. However, I think there should be a time table that we follow but the time table should
not be released because the enemy does not need to know when we are going to pull out.
Also, the war takes out a ton of our money, which leads me to my next issue.
    The economy right now, in the opinion of many Americans is the biggest issue with which
we are facing right now. No one can predict what will happen one day or the next. The
obvious thing to do is to put 700 billion dollars in the economy, but that bill failed and
was rejected by the House of Representatives (眾議院). Instead of putting 700 billion
dollars in, I think the money should be equally distributed among Americans to pay off
their debts. I'm not sure if this would work, but I think it is a positive alternative we
could take.
    My final issue I would like to call to your attention is teacher's salaries. The high
school students of today are America's future. In a way, America's future depends greatly
on the high school teachers of America. Saying this, it is sad that teacher's salaries are
where they are. While teachers are working harder and harder every day to teach high school
students, CEO's of big companies that are driving our countries economy into the ground are
getting bonuses. I'm not saying that teacher's salaries should be the same of CEO's of
companies, but I do strongly believe that action should be taken to increase the salaries
of teachers because they have one of the most important jobs in America-preparing our
country for the future.
    Once again, thank you for your time and your effort you put in to making this great
country a better place.
                                                                        Sincerely, Walker

1. What's the author's attitude the Iraq War?

A. Supportive
B. Objective
C. Negative
D. Positive

2. What's true about the time of pulling the troops out?

A. We should pull the troops out without delay.
B. There is no need to have a time table to follow.
C. The public has the fight to know the time table.
D. We should keep the time secret from the enemy.

3. According to the author, the 700 billion dollars ______.

A. is the biggest issue with which we are facing right now
B. has been accepted by the House of Representatives
C. should be equally shared among Americans
D. should be put in the economy

4. When talking about high school teachers, the author thinks that ______.

A. the teachers' salaries are not high enough
B. teacher's salaries should be as high as CEO's
C. the teachers work harder than CEO's of companies
D. teaching is more important than any other job in America

5. Which of the topics is NOT included in the letter?

A. Election
B. International affair
C. Finance
D. Education

    The biggest safety threat facing airlines today may not be a terrorist (恐布分子) with
a gun, but the man with the portable computer in business class. In the last 15 years,
pilots have reported well over 100 incidents that could have been caused by electromagnetic
(電磁) interference (干擾). The source of this interference remains unconfirmed, but
increasingly, experts are pointing the blame at portable electronic device such as portable
computers, radio and cassette players and mobile telephones.
    RTCA, an organization which advises the aviation (航空) industry, has recommended that
all airlines ban (禁止) such devices from being used during "critical" stages of flight,
particularly take-off and landing. Some experts have gone further, calling for a total ban
during all flights. Currently, rules on using these devices are left up to individual
airlines. And although some airlines prohibit (禁止) passengers from using such equipment
during take-off and landing, most are reluctant to enforce a total ban, given that many
passengers want to work during flights.
    The difficulty is prediction how electromagnetic fields might affect an aircraft's
computers. Experts know that portable device emit radiation which affects those wavelengths
which aircraft use for navigation and communication. But, because they have not been able
to reproduce these effects in a laboratory, they have no way of knowing whether the
interference might be dangerous or not.
    The fact that aircraft may be vulnerable (易受損的) to interference raises the risk
that terrorists may use radio systems in order to damage navigation equipment. As worrying,
though, is the passenger who can't hear the instructions to turn off his radio because the
music is too loud.

1. The passage is mainly about _____.

A. effective safety measure of aircraft crashes
B. a possible cause for air flight accidents
C. the defects (缺點(diǎn)) of electronic devices
D. a new regulation for all airlines

2. What is said about the over 100 aircraft incidents in the past 15 years?

A. They may have taken place during take-off and landing.
B. They may have been caused by the damage to the radio systems.
C. They were suspected to have resulted from electromagnetic interference.
D. They were proved to have been caused by the passengers' portable computers.

3. Few airlines want to impose (強(qiáng)加) a total ban on their passengers using electronic
   devices because _____.

A. they have other effective safety measures to fall back on
B. they don't believe there is such a danger as radio interference
C. the harmful effect of electromagnetic interference is yet to be proved
D. most passengers refuse to take a plane which bans the use of radio and cassette players

4. Why is it difficult to predict the possible effects of electromagnetic fields on an
   airplane's computers?

A. Because experts lack adequate equipment to d such research.
B. Because it is extremely dangerous to conduct such research on an airplane.
C. Because it remains a mystery what wavelengths are liable to e interfered with.
D. Because research scientists have not been able to produce the same effects in labs.

5. It can be inferred from the passage that the author _____.

A. hasn't formed his own pinion on this problem
B. has overestimated the danger of electromagnetic interference
C. thinks it is unreasonable to exercise a total ban during flight
D. is in favor of prohibiting passengers' use of electronic devices completely

    According to a recent survey on money and relationships, 36% of people are keeping
a bank account from their partner. While this financial unfaithfulness may appear as
distrust in a relationship, in truth it may just be a form of financial protection. With
almost half of all marriages ending in divorce, men and women are realizing they need to
be financially savvy, regardless of whether they are in a relationship.
    The financial hardship on individuals after a divorce can be extremely difficult,
even more so when children are involved. The lack of permanency in relationships, job and
family life may be the cause of a growing trend to keep a secret bank account hidden from
a partner, in other words, an "escape fund".
    Margaret's story is far from unique. She is a representative of a growing number of
women in long-term relationships who are becoming protective of their own earnings. Every
month on pay day, she banks hundreds of dollars into a savings account she keeps from her
husband. She has been doing this throughout their six-year marriage and has built a nest
egg worth an incredible $100,000. Margaret says if her husband found about her secret
savings he'd be hurt and would take this as a sign that she wasn't sure of the marriage.
"He'd think it was my escape fund so that financially I could afford to get out of the
relationship if it went wrong. I know you should approach marriage as being forever and
I hope ours is, but you can never be sure." Like many of her fellow secret savers,
Margaret was hurt in a former relationship and has since been very guarded about her own
money.
    Coming clean to your partner about being a secret saver may not be all that bad. Taken
Colleen for example, who had been saving secretly for a few years before she confessed to
her partner. "I decided to open a savings account and start building a nest egg of my own.
I wanted to prove to myself that I could put money in the bank and leave it there for a
rainy day."

1. The trend to keep a secret bank account is growing because _____.

A. "escape fund" helps one through rainy days
B. days are getting harder and harder
C. women are money sensitive
D. financial conflicts often occur

2. The word "savvy" (Line4, Para1) probably means _____.

A. suspicious
B. secure
C. wise
D. simple

3. Which inference can we make about Margaret?

A. She is a unique woman.
B. She was once divorced.
C. She is going to retire.
D. She has many children.

4. The author mentions Colleen's example to show _____.

A. any couple can avoid marriage conflicts
B. privacy within marriage should be respected
C. everyone can save a fortune with a happy marriage
D. financial disclosure is not necessarily bad

5. Which of the following is the best summary of this passage?

A. Secret Savers
B. Love Is What It's Worth
C. Banking Honesty
D. Once Bitten, Twice Shy 65.