Although similar in appearance to hyenas(土狼), African wild dogs are nevertheless true wild canine(犬). They are a mixture of black, yellow, and white in such a wide variety of patterns that no two individuals look exactly alike. African wild dogs are widely distributed across the African plains but they do not live in jungle areas.
They are social animals, living in groups of usually from 2 to 45 individuals. A hierarchy（統(tǒng)團） exists within the group,  but the animals are friendly to one another. The young and the infirm（體弱的） are given special privileges within the group.
African wild dogs use their sense of sight, not smell, to find their prey. They can run up to 55 km/h for several kilometers. In eastern Africa, they mostly hunt Thomson's gazelles, but they will also attack calves, warthogs, zebras, impalas, and the young of large antelopes such as the gnu.
Growing human populations have decreased or degraded the African wild dog's habitat and also diminished their available prey. Road kill and human persecution（迫害） have also had a negative impact on African wild dog populations. This species is also susceptible to a variety of diseases such as distemper, which is controlled in domestic .dogs. Conservation of the African wild dog's natural habitat must have the highest priority, as these dogs suffer in habitats modified by human intrusion（干擾）．
【小題1】What does the underlined word "susceptible" mean?

A．easily affected or suffered	B．badly doubtful
C．seriously harmful	D．highly dangerous

【小題2】What factors affect the population of the wild dogs?
a. the distribution of the dogs                  b. social living
c. highly increasing human populations          d. human's killing the dogs
e. many diseases                           f. the changes of their habitats
g. domestic dogs                            h. food reduction

A．a(chǎn). b, c, d, e

B．b, c, d, e, f

C．c, d, e, f, h

D．d, e, f, g, h

【小題3】From the passage we can conclude that_______.

A．African wild dogs are completely different from domestic dogs in size, weight

B．African wild dogs are living in groups

C．African wild dogs use their eyes mostly when sleeping to guard

D．African wild dogs use their noses to find their food in most cases

【小題4】What can we know about African wild dogs?

A．In a pack there may be about 90 wild dogs and no leader.

B．There are no such wild dogs that are different.

C．African wild dogs can run at a speed of about 15 m/s for a long distance.

D．All African wild dogs kill zebras, impalas, and antelopes as their food.

【小題5】 What can we infer from the passage?

A．African wild dogs are not in danger, because there are such a wide variety of patterns.

B．African wild dogs are not in danger, because are widely distributed across the African plains.

C．African wild dogs are in danger, because human's activities have a great effect on them.

D．African wild dogs are in danger, because their habitats have been changed much.

For most people, shopping is still a matter of wandering down the street or loading a cart in a shopping mall. Soon, that will change. Electronic commerce (trade) is growing fast and will soon bring people more choices. There will, however, be a cost: protecting the consumer from being cheated will be harder. Many governments therefore want to apply street regulations to the electronic world. But politicians would be wiser to see cyberspace as a basis for a new era of corporate self-regulation.
Consumers in rich countries have grown used to the idea that the government takes responsibility for everything from the stability of the banks to the safety of the drugs or their rights to refund when goods are faulty. But governments cannot enforce national laws on businesses whose only presence is on the screen. Even in a country where a clear right to compensation exists, the on-line customer in Tokyo, say, can hardly go to New York to get a refund (退款) for a clothes purchase.
One answer is for government to cooperate more: to recognize each other’s rules. But that requires years of work and volumes of detailed rules. And plenty of countries have rules too fanciful for sober countries to accept. There is, however, another choice. Let the electronic businesses do the regulation themselves. They do, after all, have a self-interest in doing so.
In electronic commerce, a reputation for honest dealing will be a valuable competitive asset. Governments, too, may compete to be trusted. For instance, customers ordering medicines on- line may prefer to buy from the United States because they trust the rigorous screening of the Food and Drug Administration; or they may decide that the FDA’s rules are too strict, and buy from Switzerland instead.
Customers will still need to use their judgment, but precisely because the technology is new, electronic shoppers are likely for a while to be a lot more cautious than customers of the normal sort. And the new technology will also make it easier for them to complain when a company lets them down. In this way, at least, the advent(出現(xiàn)) of cyberspace may argue for fewer consumer protection laws, not more.
【小題1】In case an electronic shopper bought faulty goods from a foreign country, what could he do?

A．Refuse to pay for the purchase.	B．Go to the seller and ask for a refund.
C．Appeal to consumer protection law.	D．Complain about it on the Internet.

【小題2】In the author’s view, businesses would place a high emphasis on honest dealing because in the electronic world _______.

A．international cooperation would be much more frequent

B．consumers could easily seek government protection

C．a(chǎn) good reputation is a great advantage in competition

D．it would be easy for consumers to complain

【小題3】We can infer from the passage that in licensing new drugs the FDA in the United States is______.

A．very quick

B．very cautious

C．very slow

D．rather careless

【小題4】According to the author, what will be the best policy for electronic commerce?

A．Self-regulation by the business.	B．Strict Consumer protection laws.
C．Close international cooperation.	D．Government protection.

The evidence for harmony may not be obvious in some families. But it seems that four out of five young people now get on well with their parents, which is the opposite of the popularly-held image of unhappy teenagers locked in their room after endless family quarrels.
An important new study into teenage attitudes surprisingly shows that their family life is more harmonious than it had ever been in the past. “We were surprised by just how positive today’s young people seem to be about their families,” said one number of the research team. “They’re expected to be rebellious and selfish but actually they have other things on their minds: they want a car and material goods, and they worry about whether school is serving them well. There’s more negotiation and discussion between parents and children, and children expect to take part in the family decision-making process. They don’t want to rock the boat.”
So it seems that this generation of parents is much more likely than parents of 30 years ago to treat their children as friends. “My parents are happy to discuss things with me and willing to listen to me,” says 17-year-old Daniel Lazall. “I always tell them when I’m going out clubbing. As long as they know what I’m doing, they’re fine with me.” Susan Crome, who is now 21, agrees. “Looking back on the last 10 years, there was a lot of what you could call negotiation. For example, as long as I’d done all my homework, I could go out on a Saturday night. But I think my grandparents were a lot stricter with my parents than that.”
Maybe this positive view of family life should not be unexpected. It is possible that the idea of teenage rebellion is not rooted in real facts. A researcher comments, “Our surprise that teenagers say they get along well with their parents comes because of a brief period in our social history when teenagers were regarded as different beings. But that idea of rebelling and breaking away from their parents really only happened during that one time in the 1960s when everyone rebelled. The normal situation throughout history has been a smooth change from helping out with the family business to taking it over. ”
【小題1】What is the popular image of the teenagers today？

A．They worry about school.

B．They dislike living with their parents.

C．They have to be locked in to avoid troubles.

D．They quarrel a lot with other family members.

【小題2】The study shows that teenagers don’t want to __________.

A．share family responsibility

B．cause trouble in their families

C．go boating with their family

D．make family decisions

【小題3】Compared with parents of 30 years ago, today’s parents ____________.

A．go to clubs more often with their children

B．a(chǎn)re much stricter with their children

C．care less about their children’s life

D．give their children more freedom

【小題4】According to the writer, teenage rebellion __________.

A．may be a false belief

B．is common nowadays

C．existed only in the 1960s

D．resulted from changes in families

【小題5】What is the passage mainly about？

A．Negotiation in family.

B．Education in family.

C．Harmony in family.

D．Teenage trouble in family.

Have you ever picked a job based on the fact that you were good at it but later found it made you feel very uncomfortable over time? When you select your career, there’s a whole lot more to it than assessing your skills and matching them with a particular position. If you ignore your personality, it will get you a long-term hurt regardless of your skills or the job’s pay. There are several areas of your personality that you need to consider to help you find a good job. Here are a few of those main areas:
1) Do you prefer working alone or with other people?
There are isolating（孤立的）jobs that will drive an outgoing person crazy and also interactive jobs that will make a shy person uneasy. Most people are not extremes in either direction but do have a tendency that they prefer. There are also positions that are sometimes a combination of the two, which may be best for someone in the middle who adapts easily to either situation.
2) How do you handle change?
Most jobs these days have some elements of change to them, but some are more than others. If you need stability in your life, you may need a job where the changes don’t happen so often. Other people would be bored of the same daily routine.
3) Do you enjoy working with computers？
I do see this as a kind of personality characteristic. There are people who are happy to spend more than 40 hours a week on a computer, while there are others who need a lot of human interaction throughout the day. Again, these are extremes and you’ll likely find a lot of positions somewhere in the middle as well.
4) What type of work environment do you enjoy？
This can range from being in a large building with a lot of people you won’t know immediately to a smaller setting where you’ll get to know almost all the people there fairly quickly.
5) How do you like to get paid?
Some people are motivated by the pay they get, while others feel too stressed to be like that. The variety of payment designs in the sales industry is a typical example for this.
Anyway, these are a great starting point for you. I’ve seen it over and over again with people that they make more money over time when they do something they love. It may take you a little longer, but making a move to do what you have a passion for can change the course of your life for the better.
【小題1】What does the underlined sentence in Paragraph 1 mean?

A．You may ignore your skills when you select job.

B．Job skills are the most important things when you select job.

C．There are more important things than job skills when you select job.

D．Selecting job, you should assess your skills and match them with the position.

【小題2】Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A．Isolating jobs usually drive people mad.

B．Interactive jobs make people shy easily.

C．Extreme people tend to work with others.

D．Almost everyone has a tendency in jobs.

【小題3】What is the missing word about a job search in the following chart?

A．Design

B．Changes

C．Cooperation

D．Hobbies

【小題4】What is the best title for this passage?

A．Lifestyles and Job Pay	B．Jobs and Environment
C．Job Skills and Abilities	D．Personalities and Jobs

Because of the financial crisis in the US and UK, college students are beginning to struggle to find ways to pay their tuition fees and accommodations.

Recently, two major US student loan lenders—Citibank and JPMorgan Chase—announced they were leaving the student loan industry altogether. Because banks currently have a lack of credit(存款額), they are reluctant to offer students low­interest loans(貸款) that need a several­year wait for any return of interest.
In the US, many undergraduates top up their financial needs with a private loan, although the majority can get government­funded loans. In the 2005­2006 academic year, $17 billion in private student loans was used to finance higher education. The shortfall in private funding has yet to be covered and will hit many US students hard.
Across the Atlantic, UK students have been less troubled by the crisis. Most undergraduates in the UK cover their university expenses with government­funded loans and grants(助學(xué)金). Their biggest concern is a sudden steep increase in student rent.
Most young professionals now rent houses, since 80 percent of UK mortgage schemes(住房抵押貸款計劃) have disappeared—a direct result of the credit crisis. This has boosted the house rent market.
In large cities, UK students are paying almost 6.5 percent more in rent than the previous year. Figures from the UK organization Accommodation for Student show students in big cities such as London paying an average weekly rent of $103.
Yet, despite students' suffering, the number of this year’s university applications is expected to grow. During economic slumps, people regard further education as a way to survive tough job markets.
【小題1】According to the passage, banks are unwilling to offer students loans because ________.

A．the students are poor and sometimes they can’t pay off the debt

B．banks prefer lending the money to the young professionals

C．banks don’t have enough money left at the present time

D．they think college students are not studying hard

【小題2】The underlined phrase “top up” in Paragraph 3 probably means ________.

A．put up

B．make up

C．fill up

D．pick up

【小題3】Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?

A．UK college students have to pay more if they want to rent houses.

B．More UK students want to further their study in college.

C．It is not so easy for US students to loan money now.

D．College students' tuition fees have risen greatly.

【小題4】It can be inferred that ________.

A．there are no private student loan lenders in the UK

B．loans for US college students will be increased next year

C．private funding falls a little because of higher­interest loans in the US

D．private loans play a very important role in financing US students’ education

【小題5】The passage mainly tells us ________.

A．college students in the US and UK are faced with their financial crisis

B．it is the duty of the governments to solve college students' financial crisis

C．private student loan is a good way for college students to overcome the difficulties

D．further education is a good way for college students to survive tough job markets

Is it necessary for a young man to have an apartment as a prerequisite（先決條件） for marriage? Housing has become a major obstacle（障礙） for Chinese young men hoping to start a family. China may breed a new group of bachelors, men caught in the trap of unaffordable houses.
Since early 2009, the housing market has once again become a hot pot at boiling point. Even with allowance（津貼） and special government policies, home prices in China's first-tier cities such as Beijing and Shanghai are riding the crest（波峰）of a rising wave. According to the "2010 China Marital Status Report" released on Dec 15, 2010, about 70 percent of women interviewed said that housing, a stable income and some savings were the main requirements for marriage.
From the report, we can see that housing is given top priority（優(yōu)先權(quán)） and that women see an apartment as essential(必不可少的) to show that the man is responsible and can provide for his family.
Personality and morals lay outside the top three matrimonial （婚姻的）requirements. Some women and their families hold the traditional position and take it for granted that the home issue should be the man's responsibility, which doesn’t agree with the contemporary independent spirit of women and gender equality. These marriage values reflect the fact that many women consider marriage another form of "social welfare".
Things may be different overseas. Social housing, provided by European authorities, offer the less wealthy people their own piece of real estate. Such housing is usually apartments in tall buildings with 10 or more floors on the outskirts of town, whose main advantage is the low rents.
For many Americans, houses don't pose an obstacle to getting married. They often buy a house after the wedding, because more and more people are reconsidering their real estate worship, and going back to a more rational(理性的) mode of consumption.
In Japan, renting is the custom for newly married young couples. Few young couples can afford to purchase property. Up to 67.1 percent of young couples choose to rent. Generally speaking, renters account for most people younger than 40 in Japan.
Young people should be free to enjoy being young, without the huge pressure of trying to buy property. Society should help create an environment for them to grow up. Don't let the poor bachelor group become a suffering layer（層） of our society.
【小題1】Which of the following is Not True according to the text?

A．Home prices have been extremely high since early 2009.

B．In the modern society, women don’t want to be independent.

C．Chinese government has already done something to control home prices.

D．Lots of Chinese young men couldn’t get married because of their economic capability.

【小題2】What does the underlined word “outskirts” probably mean?

A．urban areas	B．rural areas（鄉(xiāng)下）
C．suburbs	D．downtown areas

【小題3】Why do many women take housing as one of the main requirements for marriage?

A．Because they can’t afford a house.

B．Because they enjoy their social welfare.

C．Because their families want them to marry men with houses.

D．Because they think it’s a symbol of the men’s sense of responsibility.

【小題4】The author uses the examples of European countries, America and Japan to show that __________?

A．new couples in those countries like to rent houses

B．the situation is different in some foreign countries

C．it’s better to live in those countries than live in China

D．their governments have done more than Chinese government

【小題5】The last paragraph is mainly about the author’s hope that __________?

A．the society can develop rapidly

B．young people can lead a happy life

C．a(chǎn)ll the young people can afford houses

D．the poor bachelors can become rich and enjoy their life

There are many fun, free activities that you can do as a family. All that is required is a bit of imagination and some time. And the best part is that these are the kind of fun, family memories a child will remember for a lifetime.
Family Game Night
Kids often get games for Christmas or birthdays, and would love to have a chance to play with their family. Or, make up some games of their own. Charades（字謎游戲）is a fun game that will challenge children to use their imagination. Divide the family into teams and let each team come up with words and the other has to act out.
Family Art Time
Pick some time for the family to sit down and come up with their own art. It doesn’t need to be just a drawing－take some old magazines, let the kids cut out pictures and paste them into their own shape. Or let them use leaves, branches and whatever else they can find to make something from their imagination.
Family Picnic
Taking the family for a picnic is a great way for some fun that doesn’t cost any money. If the weather is nice, take them to a park or playground and let them have a day of playing.
Family Field Trip
A family field trip doesn’t have to cost a cent. Ask a nearby farm if you can bring your kids out for a tour and to see some of the animals. Or take them to a park to find certain items from nature. Ask a local business if you could bring the family for a tour to see how things work－you might be surprised at the number of people who would be excited to share what they do with others, and it could be an interesting lesson for kids.
【小題1】When playing the game charades, kids are supposed to ______.

A．prepare some cakes for each other

B．sing a song for each other in turn

C．connect actions with certain words

D．be quick to follow others’ actions

【小題2】Which activities in the passage depend much on the kids imagination?

A．Family Game Night ＆ Family Art Time

B．Family Game Night ＆ Family Picnic

C．Family Picnic ＆ Family Field Trip

D．Family Field Trip ＆ Family Game Night

【小題3】It can be inferred from the last paragraph that ______.

A．you may share your own experience with workers

B．It costs a lot to visit a park for a family

C．a(chǎn)ll the people will be excited to share what they have with you

D．you should ask for permission from the farm owner

【小題4】The passage is mainly intended for ______.

A．teachers

B．teenagers

C．tourists

D．parents

Chinese Dinner Table
Of course, the main difference on the Chinese dinner table is chopsticks instead of knife and fork, but that’s only superficial. Besides, in decent restaurants, you can always ask for a pair of knife and fork, if you find the chopsticks not helpful enough. The real difference is that in the West, you have your own plate of food, while in China the dishes are placed on the table and everyone shares. If you are being treated to a formal dinner and particularly if the host thinks you’re in the country for the first time, he will do the best to give you a taste of many different types of dishes.
The meal usually begins with a set of at least four cold dishes, to be followed by the main courses of hot meat and vegetable dishes. Soup then will be served (unless in Guangdong style restaurants) to be followed by staple food ranging from rice, noodles to dumplings. If you wish to have your rice to go with other dishes, you should say so in good time, for most of the Chinese choose to have the staple food at last or have none of them at all.
Perhaps one of the things that surprise a western visitor most is that some of the Chinese hosts like to put food into the plates of their guests. In formal dinners, there are always “public” chopsticks and spoons for this purpose, but some hosts may use their own chopsticks. This is a sign of genuine friendship and politeness. It is always polite to eat the food. If you do not eat it, just leave the food in the plate.
People in China tend to over-order food, for they will find it embarrassing if all the food is consumed. When you have had enough, just say so. Or you will always overeat!
【小題1】The real difference on dinner table between China and West is that___________.

A．You’re treated to a formal dinner for the first time.

B．On Chinese dinner table, chopsticks replace knife and fork.

C．The host will do the best to give you a taste of many different types of dishes.

D．You have your own plate of food in West while in China everyone shares the dishes.

【小題2】If you have a dinner in a Chinese home, in which order will the food be served?
a. serving soup.
b.a set of four cold dishes.
c. staple food such as rice, noodle or dumplings.
d. the main courses of hot meat and vegetable dishes.

A．badc

B．cabd

C．bdac

D．cdab

【小題3】The “public chopsticks and spoons” are used to ______.

A．taste different dishes

B．consume the food in the plate

C．show the friendship and politeness

D．put food into the plates of their guests

【小題4】According to the message, the author’s attitude towards Chinese dinner table is______

A．critical

B．objective

C．negative

D．positive

Comment on CRI
Here are the comments on CRI (China Radio International) given by people from different countries on the Internet.

People	Comments
Yingtian Hu Guangzhou, China	This is the first time that I participate in CRI. And I like it very much. I hope its website will become the most excellent one with the foreign languages. And I choose the important news which I think has a great influence on our society and our lives. In the end, I hope that more and more persons join in CRI and make it perfect!
SujanParajuli, Select city, Nepal	I am both a regular listener of CRI and visitor of its wonderful Website. First of all, I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks to CRI for its great efforts to keep the listeners up-to-date during the year 2008. We, the listeners, are greatly grateful to CRI for its praise-worthy efforts to quench the thirst of its dear listeners. During the Year 2008, I found all of your programs quite interesting, informative and educational.  Once again, thanks a lot for offering bonanza of information, news, entertainment and many items which have indeed broaden the horizons of our knowledge and understanding as well.
Ibrahim Rustamov, Tajikistan	With CRI, I was impressed by China’s rapid development in all spheres. But I felt so sorry to get to know about the snowstorms in China and Wenchuan earthquake. CRI and CCTV play a great role in introducing China to the world! Kudos! My friends and I wish CRI all the best!
Mike Thatcher, London	My family and I are all keen on Chinese Culture, especially the beautiful Chinese folk music. Various interesting programs by CRI just open a window for us foreigners, through which we can know more about China and have a better understanding of the Chinese culture. Best wishes to CRI! Best wishes to China!

【小題1】Which of the following benefits of CRI is NOT mentioned above?

A．CRI helps to keep its listeners up-to-date.

B．CRI helps its listeners to better understand China.

C．CRI helps its listeners to practice and improve foreign languages.

D．CRI helps its listeners broaden their knowledge with its rich contents.

【小題2】The underlined phrase “quench the thirst” refers to _____.

A．satisfy one’s need	B．supply drinks
C．take care of	D．keep in touch with

【小題3】What can be concluded from the four comments?

A．CRI has a great influence on our society and lives.

B．Wonderful though CRI is, there are still many weaknesses.

C．CRI plays an important role in introducing the world to China.

D．CRI has made great efforts to make itself better and gained popularity.

After students come home from a tiring day at school, they tend to worry a lot about their homework.
Whether students are working on English or chemistry homework, they are simply working on the assignment in order to get it done, attempting to memorize the concepts for the time being and do not absorb any of the information afterward. Students are wasting their time on insignificant assignments rather than effectively using that time to achieve other accomplishments. According to www.dailymail.com, many parents are concerned that homework is being assigned rather than being used to integrate (整合) what teachers are covering in the classroom. In their eyes, if less homework is assigned, students would have much less stress and could focus more on their passions and hobbies.
Homework gets in the way of participating in community service events as well as opportunities for getting a job or being a part of an extra-curricular activity. These responsibilities are important for teenagers to take on because they prepare the teenagers for the "real world." Without the proper exposure to work that is not school related, students will find themselves lost after they graduate. If homework were no longer given, students would have a lot more time to mature in other fields rather than being educated only on academics.
In spite of the fact that teachers want students to do better on tests and absorb the material that they are teaching, homework is not accomplishing its purpose. Because school is becoming increasingly more competitive and challenging, homework is becoming a setback rather than extra practice. Its removal would benefit the well being of teenagers as well as encourage them to get out in the "real world" and discover themselves instead of staring at a pile of assignments.
【小題1】Students are wasting their time on insignificant homework because

A．they are working on it carelessly and hurriedly

B．they attempt to get only part of the information memorized

C．they spend too much time doing it without understanding

D．they fail to take in the information after finishing it

【小題2】Many parents think that teachers should ______.

A．help students integrate the homework

B．simplify what they teach in the classroom

C．reduce homework to develop students' own interests

D．a(chǎn)ssign more effective homework for students

【小題3】From the third paragraph, we can infer that homework might ______.

A．leave students lack of job opportunities

B．make students lose the sense of responsibilities

C．weaken students' social adaptation ability

D．cause students to feel lost after graduation

【小題4】The author insists that homework should be ______.

A．made simpler and easier

B．completely cancelled

C．connected with social activities

D．switched over to subject competitions