Facebook is now used by 30 million people in the UK, around half the population. Joanna Shields, vice president of Facebook Europe, made the announcement this morning at a media conference in London.
Globally, Facebook has more than 500 million registered （注冊的） users, a milestone it hit last summer. Last July it had 26 million registered UK users. In the last eight months, it has attracted four million extra UK users, bringing the UK total to 30 million.
Facebook, the brainchild of Mark Zuckerberg while he was still studying at Harvard University, was launched in February 2004. The pace of its global growth has sped rapidly - Facebook had only 150 million registered users in January 2009.
One third of women aged between 18 to 34 check Facebook when they first wake up, before even going to the toilet, according to the research. 21% check Facebook in the middle of the night, while 42% of the same group think it is fine to post drunken photos of themselves onto the social network, a study by Oxygen Media and Lightspeed Research found.
Shields was speaking this morning at the Financial Times Digital Media and Broadcasting Conference about the power Facebook’s referrals （好友推薦）can bring to media sites, such as newspapers and TV services. She explained that the average Facebook user has 130 friends who they share links to media sites with regularly. “Media companies which take advantage of that are really seeing the benefits,” Shields said. Shields refused to be drawn on whether Facebook would develop its own mobile phone operating system and also said it was “silly” that Google had recently disabled the feature which allowed Google users to refresh their contacts with Facebook friends.
【小題1】Eight months ago the number of registered users of Facebook in UK was about ____.

A．less than half of its population	B．30 million
C．4 million	D．500 million

【小題2】Shields talked at the Financial Times Digital Media and Broadcasting Conferences about the following EXCEPT ____.

A．Facebook’s referrals

B．its plan on developing its own mobile phone operating system

C．its dissatisfaction with Google

D．its call for more media sites to take advantage of Facebook

【小題3】What does the underlined word “disabled” mean in the last paragraph?

A．Invented	B．Strengthened
C．Added	D．Stopped

【小題4】What is the best title of the text?

A．Facebook’s referrals bring benefits

B．Facebook: the brainchild of Mark Zuckergerg

C．Facebook: used by half the UK population

D．Facebook: women’s preference

After a week-long vacation, U.S. President Barack Obama will focus on proposals to strengthen the still-recovering American economy. The agenda includes the reform of the nation’s health care system.
The Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare as some call it, expands federal health care programs for the needy and encourages Americans of all income groups to purchase private health care insurance.
“If you do not have insurance, beginning on October 1st, private plans will actually compete for your business. You can comparison--shop in an online marketplace, just like you would for cell phone plans or plane tickets. You may be eligible for new tax credits to help you afford the plan that’s right for you. And if you are in the up to half of all Americans who have been sick or have a preexisting condition, this law means that beginning January 1st, insurance companies have to cover you," Obama said.
Health-care spending accounts for one-seventh of U.S. economic activity, and is projected to increase to one-fifth in coming years. The cost has a direct bearing on America’s economic and financial well--being. Drawn up in 2010, the Affordable Care Act aims to control costs and expand access to health care. The effort is a big failure, according to Republican law makers like Tim Griffin and Todd Young.
“Republicans will continue to do everything we can to protect all Americans from the president's top-down, one-size-fits-all, Washington-knows-best approach to health care that is driving up costs and hurting our economy," said Griffin. “The sooner we can delay, oppose and cancel the president's health-care law, the sooner we can get people back to work and focus on expanding opportunity for everyone.”
The president accuses Republicans of putting partisanship(黨派偏見) ahead of Americans’ health-care needs. “A lot of Republicans seem to believe that if they can gum up the works and make this law fail, they will somehow be sticking it to me. But they would just be sticking it to you. Your health insurance is not something to play politics with. Our economy is not something to play politics with," he said.
As a matter of fact，the success or failure of Obamacare could shape the president’s legacy long after he leaves office.
【小題1】It is implied in Obama’s words in Paragraph 3 that      .

A．health care insurance will be of great benefit to Americans

B．health care insurance will help recover American economy

C．insurance companies don’t expect him to carry out the law

D．insurance companies will cover Americans in all aspects

【小題2】According to Tim Griffin，Obama’s health-care law      .

A．will be strongly opposed to by the Republicans

B．will cause fewer economic problems in America

C．will be cancelled sooner or later by the government

D．will never work without the help of the Republicans.

【小題3】What does Obama accuse Republicans of according to the passage?

A．They don’t know what Americans are in need of.

B．They tend to put their own benefit ahead of Americans’.

C．They know nothing about health insurance and economy.

D．They like to play politics with economy and health insurance

【小題4】What is the author’s tone in this passage?

A．Subjective

B．Critical

C．Unconcerned

D．Objective

England will play Italy, Uruguay and Costa Rica in a tough Group D at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. Roy Hodgson's men open their campaign against Italy in the Amazonian city of Manaus on 15 June in the only World Cup game which kicks off at 02:00 BST. England take on Uruguay on 19 June and play Costa Rica five days later.
Hosts Brazil are in Group A with Cameroon, Mexico and Croatia while the World Cup holders Spain open with a repeat of the 2010 final against Netherlands.
England will have to travel 1,777 miles from their chosen base in Rio for their first match in the tropical heat of Manaus.
Earlier this week Hodgson described Manaus as "the place to avoid" because of the climate—temperatures reach 30C and humidity is about 80%—although after the draw the England boss took comfort from the fact his team face a fellow European side.
"The conditions in the north will be tough, so we will both be in same boat," he said. "If we'd had three games up in the north, it would have been difficult."
Following Hodgson's initial comments, the mayor of Manaus, Arthur Virgilio, said England would not be welcome in the city.
England takes on two-time champions Uruguay in Sao Paulo and they play Costa Rica in Belo Horizonte—both cities are within 225 miles of their base.
England have never previously beaten Italy or Uruguay at a major tournament(錦標(biāo)賽), while they have never faced Costa Rica.
Uruguay, who reached the semi-finals in 2010, and Italy, who knocked Hodgson's men out of Euro 2012, are ranked sixth and seventh respectively in the Fifa rankings while Costa Rica are 31st in the world - 18 places below England.
【小題1】When and where will England play its third group stage match?

A．On 24 June; in Manaus

B．On 24 June; in Belo Horizonte

C．On 19 June; in Manaus

D．On 19 June; in Sao Paulo

【小題2】Which of the following can England take comfort from?

A．The place where its first match in the group stage is held.

B．The distance from its base to where its first match is held.

C．The fact that two of its group stage games are not in the north.

D．The fact that it is 7 places below Uruguay in the Fifa rankings.

【小題3】Which of the following is true according to the news report?  

A．Roy Hodgson is the coach of Brazil national football team.

B．Netherlands took the second place in the last World Cup.

C．The mayor of Manaus is a fan of the British soccer team.

D．England has never played against Uruguay in the history.

He’s not just a pretty face! Famous actor Josh Duhamel leads a group of youngsters in a two-mile charity beach run. He may be an attractive movie star, but there’s more to Josh Duhamel than a pretty face. The 40-year-old actor led a youth charity fun run for the third year running on Sunday, in aid of the Red Cross giving a hand to countries and places suffering natural disasters.
Josh sported the charity’s T-shirt and black baseball cap with black jogging bottoms as he joined a group of youngsters in the two-mile effort on Santa Monica Beach. Josh was clearly enjoying himself today, sprinting across the finish line raising both arms in a victory salute.
In March last year and January of 2010, Josh led thousands of runners and raised over $200,000 for both Japanese and Haitian earthquake relief efforts. And donations collected at this year’s Youth Run will go towards the American Red Cross PrepareSoCal campaign which helps Southern Californians get ready for disasters.
“I do the youth run because I feel that younger people may not be able to donate a lot of money but that doesn’t mean that they can’t contribute and make a difference,” Josh told the Red Cross website. “Bringing students of L. A. together for these events not only raises a lot of money, but also raises the spirits of those affected by any disaster and helps everyone young and old.”
Duhamel had won the title of Male Model of the Year in an International Modeling and Talent Association competition in 1997. Duhamel began his acting career as an extra in the music videos for Donna Summer’s song, “I Will Go With You” in 1998. Later that year, he won the role of Leo Pres on the ABC soap opera “All My Children”. He then began appearing in films, and his acting in the film “Transformers” as well as its sequels was so successful that he became a pop film star.
【小題1】Josh Duhamel led the beach run to help the Red Cross ________.

A．raise money for places suffering from disasters

B．raise money for people suffering from diseases

C．find more young volunteers especially teenagers

D．build up a fame of having the spirit of entertainment

【小題2】How did Josh Duhamel feel about his joining in the beach run?

A．He felt it the best way to kill time especially on weekends.

B．He disliked it when there were reporters coming here.

C．He thought it a best chance to make himself famous.

D．He found it enjoyable and exciting to be a member.

【小題3】What will the received donations of this year be used for?

A．Helping Japanese and Haitian defeat earthquakes.

B．Helping Southern Californians get ready for disasters.

C．Helping Northern Californians get ready for disasters.

D．Helping relieve Southern Californians defeat earthquakes.

【小題4】What is the aim of the youth run of L. A.?
A. To persuade more young people to keep the earth green.
B. To make the young realize the influence of famous people.
C. To inspire those affected by disasters and give them a hand.
D. To raise as much money as possible to help the old and young.
【小題5】What is the main idea of the last paragraph?

A．The importance of the youth run started by the Red Cross.

B．The methods to join in the youth run led by Josh Duhamel.

C．The reason why Josh Duhamel leads the youth run.

D．The experiences and achievements of Josh Duhamel.

A pair of giant pandas from southwest China’s Sichuan Province arrived at their new home in Belgium’s Pairi Daiza zoo, some 60km southwest of downtown Brussels, at around 15:00 local time (1400GMT) on February 23, 2014.
About 2,500 people, many of them excited children waving national flags of China and Belgium as well as panda-decorated flags or wearing costume of Panda greeted the pandas along the road to the zoo.
Visitors today can only observe the pandas through a closed-circuit television system in the reception.
Officials said they wanted the pandas fully adapted to their new home before making public debut in April.
The pandas, Xing Hui, the male and Hao Hao, the female, are both 4 years old and are on lease from a breeding center in southwest China’s Sichuan Province.
The lease term is 15 years, according to officials with the China Conservation and Research Center for Giant Pandas, the world’s largest research base for the species.
“It’s a good thing for Belgium.” Nicole Duflot, a grandmother coming to the zoo with her husband and her grandson told Xinhua, “We can’t see the Panda today but it’s a great thing for us to come here.”
The Pandas will be living in a panda hall of 5,300 square meters within the zoo.
“I hope Xing Hui and Hao Hao will enhance friendship between Belgium and China.” Liao Liqiang, the Chinese ambassador to Belgium, said during an interview with Xinhua.
【小題1】What was the main purpose of China leasing pandas to Belgium?

A．We were supposed to make money from Belgium.

B．We meant to improve the relationship between China and Belgium.

C．We expected to amuse the Belgian children.

D．We wanted to make the pandas adapt to the environment abroad.

【小題2】The underlined word “debut” probably means ___________.

A．first appearance

B．ceremony

C．a(chǎn)nnouncement

D．a(chǎn)rgument

【小題3】According to the passage, which statement is right?

A．Xing Hui and Hao Hao will live in the city centre of Brussels.

B．Xing Hui and Hao Hao were very popular with the elders in Belgium.

C．Xing Hui and Hao Hao will come back to China in 2029.

D．Xing Hui and Hao Hao were born in 2008 in Sichuan Province.

【小題4】On the first day of the pandas’ arrival, visitors could ___________.

A．gently feel the pandas along the road to the zoo

B．get into the panda hall of 5,300 square meters

C．take pictures with the pandas freely

D．watch the pandas through the TV system in the zoo

【小題5】From the passage, we can predict that______________.

A．Belgium’s Pairi Daiza Zoo will make much money soon

B．Xing Hui and Hao Hao will be very well treated in their new home

C．Belgium’s Pairi Daiza Zoo will serve the Chinese visitors with free admission

D．pandas will be best-sellers in Belgium

Dining in a completely dark room, unaware what’s on your plate while sitting next to a complete stranger may not sound like an ideal restaurant experience but it’s certainly an intriguing way to spend a rainy night in London.
Dans le Noir, close to London’s financial district, is a restaurant full of blind waiters and waitresses who become your eyes around the restaurant, whose original Paris branch opened in 2004.
In the bar with the light, you choose whether you want the fish, meat or vegetable, but the dishes themselves remain a secret, as do the ingredients of the “surprise” cocktails. Bags, coats and devices(設(shè)備)that light up, including watches and mobile phones, are kept in the bar. Placing your hand on the shoulder of your guide, you are led to a table in a black dining room that sets up to 60 people. And it is dark.
The waiters tell you when the food is being placed down in front of you, then the fun begins, trying to get food into your mouth, then identifying just what it is that’s on your plate, and finally whether you have missed any of it.
It’s also a great chance to break social convention and eat using your fingers. Those same fingers are also the only way you can tell how much wine you’re pouring into your glass.
The happy atmosphere in the dining room also made the night memorable. You can’t really avoid talking to the person next to you at the long tables and guessing what the dishes are certainly provides adequate fuel for the conversations.
All will be revealed at the end of the meal when you are led back out into the lit bar. Not only do you finally get to see what you’ve just been eating but also who you’ ve been talking to for the last 90 minutes.
【小題1】What does the underlined word “intriguing.” in the first paragraph mean?
A terrible   B. interesting   C. expensive   D. new
【小題2】According to the text, “ Dans le Noir”__________.
A is far from London’s financial district
B has its first branch opened in Britain
C is very popular among blind customers
D has a dining room which can seat up to 60 people
【小題3】We know from the text that the customers in “Dans le Noir”_________.

A．a(chǎn)re forbidden to eat with their fingers

B．can talk to the strangers at table

C．will book the menu in a dark bar

D．can take their mobile phones into the dining room

【小題4】What’s the main purpose of the text?

A．To help blind people find a job in restaurants.

B．To show how to open a restaurant with a new idea.

C．To show how to enjoy the time in a dark restaurant.

D．To introduce and attract customers to “Dans le Noir ”.

The Norwegian Government is doing its best to keep the oil industry under control. A new law limits exploration to an area south of the southern end of the long coastline; production limits have been laid down (though these have already been raised); and oil companies have not been allowed to employ more than a limited number of foreign workers. But the oil industry has a way of getting over such problems, and few people believe that the Government will be able to hold things back for long. As one Norwegian politician said last week: “ We will soon be changed beyond all recognition.”
Ever since the war, the Government has been carrying out a program of development in the area north of the Arctic Circle. During the past few years this program has had a great deal of success. Tromso has been built up into a local capital with a university, a large hospital and a healthy industry. But the oil industry has already started to draw people south, and within a few years the whole northern policy could be in ruins.
The effects of the oil industry would not be limited to the north, however. With nearly 100 percent employment, everyone can see a situation developing in which the service industries and the tourist industry will lose more of their workers to the oil industry. Some smaller industries might even disappear altogether when it becomes cheaper to buy goods from abroad.
The real argument over oil is its threat to the Norwegian way of life. Farmers and fishermen do not make up most of the population, but they are an important part of it, because Norwegians see in them many of the qualities that they regard with pride as essentially Norwegian. And it is the farmers and the fishermen who are most critical of the oil industry because of the damage that it might cause to the countryside and to the sea.
【小題1】The Norwegian Government would prefer the oil industry to ______.

A．provide more jobs for foreign workers

B．slow down the rate of its development

C．sell the oil it is producing abroad

D．develop more quickly than at present

【小題2】The Norwegian Government has tried to ______.

A．encourage the oil companies to discover new oil sources

B．prevent oil companies employing people from northern Norway

C．help the oil companies solve many of their problems

D．keep the oil industry to something near its present size

【小題3】According to the passage, the oil industry might lead northern Norway to ______.

A．the development of industry

B．a(chǎn) growth in population

C．the failure of the development program

D．the development of new towns

【小題4】In the south, one effect to the development of the oil industry might be ______.

A．a(chǎn) large reduction on unemployment

B．a(chǎn) growth in the tourist industry

C．a(chǎn) reduction in the number of existing industries

D．the development of a number of service industries

【小題5】Norwegian farmers and fishermen have an important influence because ______.

A．they form such a large part of Norwegian ideal

B．their lives and values represent the Norwegian ideal

C．their work is so useful to the rest of Norwegian society

D．they regard oil as a threat to the Norwegian way of life

Beijing—（13, July） China sent up a new data relay satellite（數(shù)據(jù)中繼衛(wèi)星）, Tianlian I-02, on Monday at the Xichang Satellite Launch Centre in South-western Sichuan province．The new satellite will promote the country's satellite communication network for space docking（對接）．
The satellite was launched on a Long-March-3C carrier rocket at 11:41 p．m．, sources at the centre told Xinhua News Agency．The satellite separated from the rocket 26 minutes after its launch and was then successfully delivered into a geostationary transfer orbit （地球同步轉(zhuǎn)移軌道）．
Developed by the China Academy of Space Technology under the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, the satellite is the country's second data relay satellite．The first, Tianlian I-01, was launched on April 25．2008．
The two satellites will form a network to improve communications between China's spacecraft and bases on Earth, according to the centre．They will also be used to help the nation's first space docking, scheduled for the second half of this year．
As planned, China will launch space module Tiangong-I, which was designed as a platform that will dock with an unmanned spaceship, Shenzhou, for the county's first space-docking mission this year．
Two more Shenzhou spaceships will dock with Tiangong-I next year, and one will be manned by two or three astronauts, according to China Manned Space Engineering Office, which was the main user of the Tianlian I series data relay satellites．
“The new satellite can cover a greater area to track and command the country’s space vehicles in low-Earth orbits, such as manned spacecraft and remote sensing satellites, from a higher position in outer space．Only three satellites of this kind are needed to form a global communication network, and China has two now．” Pang Zhihao, a researcher and deputy editor-in-chief of Space International, said．
The satellite could also equip astronauts with real-time communications, which will benefit the country's future manned space flights, he said．
【小題1】What is the main purpose to send up Tianlian I-02 ?

A．To test the function of a Long-March-SC carrier rocket．

B．To carry some astronauts into space to do some research．

C．To send more information and clearer pictures to mobile phones on the earth．

D．To promote the country's satellite communication network for space docking．

【小題2】From the passage we know           ．

A．one more such satellite is needed to form a global communication network

B．the satellite was developed by China Manned Space Engineering Office

C．it was less than three years since China launched its first date relay satellite of this kind

D．the satellite could help track and command space vehicles in orbits because it's lower in position

【小題3】Which of the following is TRUE according to the news report?

A．Shenzhou Ⅷ is a manned spaceship．

B．Tiangong-I will dock with three Shenzhou spaceships next year．

C．the satellite is of great importance to China's space exploration．

D．china’s first space docking will be done in the second half of next year．

【小題4】The best title of the passage could be___________．

A．China Launched a New Space Shuttle

B．China's Plan for Space Exploration

C．China’s Progress in China's Space Exploration

D．New Satellite Helps China's Space Exploration

A father with Parkinson's disease was arrested as he watched the Olympic cycling road race because he failed to smile or look as if he was enjoying himself.
Mark Worsfold, a martial arts trainer and former soldier, claims that he was thrown to the floor and handcuffed just as cyclists passed by. His worried wife Nicola only found out he was being held after she reported him missing when he did not turn up for their daughter's ninth birthday party. The 54­year­old man had his fingerprints, DNA and mugshot taken before being questioned about why he did not appear to be enjoying the event on July 28. Police said Mr. Worsfold, who was held for over five hours, was arrested because of his manner，his state of dress and his being too near to the course. A spokesman added that the arrest was necessary to avoid a breach(破壞) of the peace because he was standing near a group of protesters(抗議者)．
But Mr. Worsfold, who was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 2010, said that one of the symptoms of the disease is muscle rigidity, which can cause his face to become expressionless. “I was sitting minding my own business”， he told a local newspaper. “Before I knew anything the police grabbed me off this seven­foot wall, threw me to the floor and handcuffed me, so all I saw of the cycle race was between the feet of people from the pavement. It could have been done better. I was arrested for not smiling. I have Parkinson's disease.”
Mr. Worsfold has since asked for a letter of not being guilty from police. The officers who made the arrest have apologized to him.
【小題1】Which word can be used to replace the underlined word “mugshot” in the second paragraph?

A．Clothes.

B．Photos.

C．Measures.

D．Tools.

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

A．Worsfold's wife was immediately informed of his being arrested by the police.

B．Worsfold was arrested because he was extremely dangerous.

C．Worsfold enjoyed the cycle race though he saw it between the feet of people from the pavement.

D．Worsfold was arrested because of his clothes as well as his facial expression.

【小題3】What can we infer from the passage?

A．The officers must have been punished for Worsfold's arrest.

B．Worsfold has an expressionless face and probably looks strong.

C．The officers apologized to Worsfold after one day's arrest.

D．Worsfold was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease four years ago.

STARBUCKS China yesterday renamed a newly­opened outlet near one of Buddhism's most famous temples after a wave of controversy over what critics called a “cultural invasion”．
The coffee shop in Hangzhou had opened as the Lingyin Temple Starbucks, leading some people to believe it was located inside the renowned temple.
However, the company said in a statement yesterday that the coffee shop was actually in the Lingyin scenic area, about 20 minutes' walk from the temple's entrance.It was said the outlet would now be known as the Lingyin Starbucks.
Wang Shan, deputy director of the Lingyin office of the West Lake Administration in Hangzhou, capital of Zhejiang Province, said, “Actually, the coffee house is a long distance from the temple.It is located in the tourist service area on Lingyin Road outside of the temple, as part of the supporting facilities.”
The temple's administration urged the cafe to change its name to make it clear that it was not located inside the temple.
In a heated online debate, critics said the U．S.chain's commercial style would spoil the serenity that an oriental Buddhism temple should embrace.
Supporters, however, said that the talk of an “invasion” was misplaced as the outlet was not inside the temple but on a nearby commercial street where a KFC restaurant and a shopping mall had been open for more than six months.
The incident follows calls in 2009 to stop an earlier “cultural invasion” when the Seattle­based coffee chain had to move its outlet out of Beijing's Forbidden City seven years after it opened.
Critics urged closure of the outlet, which they said was a “humiliation” for a culture exemplified by the ancient buildings.
【小題1】Why did the temple's administration urge the cafe to change its name?

A．To attract the tourists.

B．To tell the public the coffee outlet doesn't lie inside the temple.

C．To obey the government.

D．To do something to protect the temple.

【小題2】Why did the Seattle­based coffee chain have to move its outlet out of Beijing's Forbidden City?

A．Because the Seattle­based coffee chain was thought as an earlier “cultural invasion”．

B．Because it changed Chinese culture.

C．Because the Seattle­based coffee chain earned much more money than the temples.

D．Because the Seattle­based coffee chain closed the shops by itself.

【小題3】What's the best title of this passage?

A．Coffee shop's new outlet deletes the word “temple”．

B．Cultural invasion.

C．Starbucks chain invasion.

D．Seattle­based coffee chain's invasion.