TAIBEI － Increasing numbers of Taiwanese students are joining the island’s “China rush”, seeking education on the Chinese mainland．

     According to official Chinese figures, the number of Taiwanese students admitted into college and postgraduate（研究生）programs on the mainland totaled 461 in 1996, 928 in 1997 and 839 in 1998．Although no latest official numbers were available,” Netbig. Com Said this number had risen between 30 to 50 percent annually in the past two years with well over 1000 entering mainland campuses last year.

     The Internet site, based in the Chinese city of Shenzhen, provides education service and information on Chinese mainland college and universities. “Many Taiwanese believe a Chinese education giving more knowledge about the people and culture in the mainland will increase their chances in the Chinese job market, Net. Com vice-president Ingrid Huang said．“I believe it will give me hands-on experience in the business field in the Chinese mainland and a better understanding of the Chinese mainland people,” said Lydia Chang, a 19-year-old majoring in journalism at Shih Shin University. Chang plans to go on to get a master’s degree in business administration in Shanghai, which she says offers the best environment for such studies.

     A journalism graduate student, surnamed Lin, at the National Taiwan University said he would like to study law on the Chinese mainland since “there will be better career prospects now that more Taiwanese companies are going there”. “They hope the children could build up connections which could later become useful in their business operations,” said Yang Ching-yao, professor of the Chinese mainland studies. A Netbig. Com survey showed the campuses favored by Taiwan students included Beijing, Qinghua and Renmin universities in Beijing, and Jinan and Zhongshan universities in Guangzhou. The most popular studies were law, business and Chinese medicine.

     At present, Chinese Taibei doesn’t recognize diplomas earned in the Chinese mainland nor help with any inquiries about studying there. But recognizing the trend, education authorities are giving a final form to a policy accepting certificates（證書）from selected universities.

More Taiwanese students study on the Chinese mainland because ___________.

      A．Taiwan will reunite with the mainland sooner or later

      B．the fees asked for are lower than those of Taiwan

      C．what they have learned on the mainland will bring them a bright future

      D．there are many famous universities for them to choose

Some business executives were sending their children to study in the Chinese mainland so that their children ___________.

      A．could receive better education      B．could learn more about the policy there

      C．could do well in the business operations   D．could make more friends there

The underlined word “it” in the third paragraph refers to __________.

A．Netbig. Com                      B．a(chǎn) Chinese education on the mainland

C．the Chinese job market                 D．the university

The author wrote the article to tell us ______________.

      A．more Taiwanese students are studying on the mainland

      B．the number of Taiwanese students going to universities on the mainland had been increasing year after year

      C．education on the mainland is more attractive compared with that of Taiwan

      D．Taiwan and the mainland should cooperate with each other in every field.

Which is true according to the passage?

      A．Chinese Taibei recognizes diplomas earned on the Chinese mainland

      B．The number of Taiwanese students going to study on the mainland will surely be increasing in the next few years.

      C．Chinese Taibei doesn’t help with any inquiries about Taiwanese studying in the mainland

      D．Education of Taiwan is far behind the mainland.

Nick Petrels is a doctor in Montreal. He works 60 hours a week. He takes care of 159 patients a week in the hospital and at his office. He’s been a doctor for ten years.

Dr. Petrels gives his patients good medical advice. But he doesn’t just tell his patients what to do. He also sings to them on television! Dr. Petrels has his own TV show. The show is in Italian, English and French. The doctor starts the show with a song and then gives medical advice. He explains a medical problem or disease in simple language. After that, he sings another song.

Dr. Petrels produces and performs in his own show every week. The program is very popular with his patients and with people who enjoy his singing. His dream is to perform(表演) in Las Vegas. His favorite songs are love songs, and he has a compact disk of love songs that he wrote. Dr. Petrels says, “I always loved to sing. All my problems are gone when I sing.” But when Dr. Petrels was young, his father didn’t want him to be a singer, so he went to medical school.

Some people tell Dr. Petrels he can help people more as a doctor. But Dr. Petrels says he helps people when he sings, too. “I like to make people smile. Sometimes it’s difficult to make a sick person smile. Medicine and entertainment(娛樂) both try to do the same thing. They try to make people feel good.”

Dr. Petrels works 60 hours a week, because he _______.

A. gives his patients medical advice

B. takes care of 159 patients a week

C. sings on television

D. has his own TV show

Dr. Petrels _______, so he is called a singing doctor.　　　　　　　　　

A. has been a doctor for ten years

B. always loved to sing

C. is popular with his patients

D. also sings to his patients on TV

In his TV show, Dr. Petrel _______.

A. sings and gives medical advice

B. sings about different diseases

C. starts to explain diseases with a song

D. sings love songs he wrote

Dr. Petrels’ show is popular _______.

A. in Las Vegas.                                 B. at medical school　

C. with people who like his singing      D. with patients in Montreal　　

Dr. Petrels says he likes to _______.

A. help people sing                      B. make people feel better

C. do the same thing                    D. make difficult people smile

Greece declared a national state of emergency on Saturday as scores of forest fires that have killed at least 46 people continued to burn out of control, leaving some villages trapped within walls of flames, cut off from firefighters.

Although most of the fires have been on the Peloponnesian Peninsula, some broke out on the outskirts of Athens on Saturday, forcing the evacuation of homes and closing a major road linking the capital to the main airport for several hours. The national fire brigade said that by evening it had brought those blazes under control, including one that came within about six miles of the city.

The country has been helpless to fire this summer because of drought and three consecutive heat waves that sent temperatures high over 100 degrees. More than 3,000 forest fires have destroyed thousands of acres of wooded areas since June; the earlier fires killed nine people. The latest wave of fires on the peninsula started Friday. Strong, hot winds have spread the flames.

Firefighters expect the death toll to rise, because they have not yet been able to search some areas that had been overrun by flames.

Hardest hit by the fires were a dozen small villages around the town of Zaharo in the western peninsula, where at least 12 people, including some who may have been trying to flee by car, were killed. Scores of other residents, including elderly and disabled people, remained trapped in their homes, phoning into local television and radio stations, crying for help.

Late Saturday, Mr. Karamanlis, Prime Minister of Greece appeared on national television and declared that he was mobilizing all of the country’s resources to control the fire. Mr. Karamanlis also suggested that the recent fires might have been purposely set. “So many fires sparked at the same time in so many regions is no coincidence,” he said, “We will get to the bottom of this and punish those responsible.”

The overstretched national fire services are being helped by an estimated 6,000 soldiers mobilized for the operation. A fleet of water-dumping aircraft was expected from France, Germany and Norway, after Greece appealed to the European Union for “urgent assistance.”

The writer mainly wants to tell us that ______ in the passage.

A. firefighters battles fearlessly in Greece to control the fire

B. constant fires in Greece have caused great life and wealth lose

C. Greece is facing great danger as forest fires continue to break out

D. Greek government is investigating the cause of recent forest fires

According to the passage, which of the following might not contribute to the recent forest fires in Greek?

A. Storm thunders in summer                           B. Lack of rainfall

C. Extremely hot weather this summer            D. Hot and strong wind

We can learn from the passage that ______.

A. now the fire crisis in Greece has come to an end

B. assistance from EU members is expected to come to help Greece

C. firefighters in Greece so far can still manage the situation

D. the number of people who die in the fire is expected not to rise any more

Mr. Karamanlis believes the forest fires in Greece _______.

A. is a happening by chance                    B. is a natural disaster

C. might be caused by human on purpose   D. is a punishment of nature

Stepfamilies are commonplace in the United States and their number continues to grow. While stepfamilies differ widely in their make-up， they all consist of a parenting couple and children， one or more of whom is of a previous union. Such combinations of his kids， her kids， and then， possibly， kids of the new union make for complicated and often trying difficulties， more challenging than those of traditional families.

Since stepfamilies involve more people and， consequently， more potential problems from the start than do childless new marriage， it is wise for the couple to do some careful planning prior to (＝before) marriage. Not only do the prospective(預(yù)期的) marital partners need agreement about their own carriers， life goals， finance and special interests， they must also prepare for new relationship with their children and attempt to accommodate their individual needs and feelings. Furthermore， there are often the rights of other relatives to consider.

As for any family， the basic ingredient(成分) of a successful stepfamily are affection， kindness and mutual(相互的) respect. However， love alone is not enough. Certainly love is the cornerstone upon which the foundation of any family is built， but there are also many other important ingredients involved in building a successful stepfamily.

Surveys reveal that successful families regard the ability to communicate openly as the most important factor in their success. Communication is what keeps families on track and functioning as a unit. Although healthy communication is easier for some people than for others， this skill can be learned and improved. Healthy communication involves speaking clearly and listening carefully.

By their very nature， stepfamilies often are complicated by past events that give rise to ambivalent(矛盾的) loyalties， lingering(持久的) hurts， fears， feelings of guilt and unrealistic dreams. The difficulties that arise within the stepfamilies are human and understandable. However， there are ways to confront(面臨) and resolve them. For example， support groups and professional counselors(法律顧問) are available in most communities to provide help and guidance when communications stopped and problems seem overwhelming(壓倒性的).

Planning and building a stepfamily is not a responsibility to take lightly. It can be a very trying and， at times， seemingly impossible effort. Many potential troubles can arise and threaten to destroy the stepfamily. Nevertheless， meeting and mastering these special challenges can bring unexpected satisfactions and rewarding depths of family closeness and affection.

According to the passage， there are 　　　　 in the United States.

A.no stepfamilies

B.more stepfamilies than ever before

C.fewer stepfamilies than ever before

D.fewer stepfamilies than traditional ones

Which of the following can help avoid the potential problems arising in a stepfamily？

A.The pursuit of the same careers.

B.Professional interventions(干涉).

C.The development of special interests.

D.Careful planning before the marriage.

Many people believe that 　　　　 contributes most to the building of a successful stepfamily.

A.everlasting loyalties

B.open communication

C.kindness and mutual respect

D.persistent(持久穩(wěn)固的) affection

It is natural for a stepfamily to be 　　　　.

A.unrealistic

B.complicated

C.ambivalent

D.guilty

According to the author， planning and building a stepfamily is 　　　　.

A.impossible         

B.satisfying and rewarding

C.discouraging and frustrating

D.a difficult and trying experience

假如你叫李華，在暑假里，王林邀請你到她海邊的家里度假。其間，王林一家對你都很好，不僅陪你玩，還給你買了許多好吃的，這給你留下了深刻的印象。開學(xué)后，你為了表達(dá)謝意，給王林一家寄去了一封感謝信。

     注意：1.感謝信的內(nèi)容，除要求的內(nèi)容外還可以適當(dāng)發(fā)揮；

           2.詞數(shù)100左右。

     參考詞匯：impression印象  appreciation感激

Mind your ______; thank your friend when you leave the party.

   A. advice  B. ways        C. manners    D. manner

John was cleaning the window and          Mary was watching TV.

A. at the meantime       B. when            C. meanwhile          D. while

______this difficulty is overcome, other problems will be easy to solve.

   A. For           B. Whether          C. Once           D. Though

---- Drunk driving, which was once __________ occurrence, is now under control.

       ---- I agree with you．Actually no one is.

       A. general   B. frequent            C. normal          D. particular

Before I started school, people felt that I was not going to be successful．At the age of four I started speech lessons because basically I could not speak well enough for anyone to understand me．The story goes downhill from here．

    The first grade was a struggle．I not only had difficulty speaking, but also felt nervous about the fact that I was expected to learn to read and I just couldn't do it．The second grade was not much better．I still struggled with the inability to read．It was in the third grade that the school district built a new school close to my home．I remember going there with my parents and helping to get the school ready so that we could move to the new one．However, things were still not much better as far as my schooling was concerned and did not get better for the next two years．

       It was in the fifth grade．Mrs．Wakefield was my teacher, and if ever there was a teacher that deserved a gold star, it was her．She did not make me feel defeated．On the contrary, she did her best to let me know that I could be whatever I wanted to be．And that is just what I did．

       For the past 22 years, I have been a fifth grade teacher．Because of Mrs．Wakefield's influence on my life, I am now encouraging students who have had difficulties in their lives to believe that they can overcome any difficulty and become someone．I have won numerous awards up to now, such as Teacher of the Year．I owe it all to one fifth grade teacher who believed in me and challenged me to be all that I could be．

The writer ______ when he was in the third grade．

  A. did better in reading                   B. began speech lessons

  C. went to a new school                     D. received a high award

We can learn from the passage that the writer ______．

  A. is a very successful teacher now        

B. thinks teaching is a challenging job

  C, has solved problems with his own effort  

D. works in the same school with Mrs. Wakefield

What is the writer's purpose in writing the passage?

  A. To express his devotion to his work．    

B. To show his respect to a special teacher．

  C. To share his leaching experience with us．

D. To tell us his story of overcoming difficulties．