4、    Although the 2008 US presidential elections are still a long way off, candidates(候選人) are already getting ready for the campaigns ahead.

   For the Democrats (民主黨人), the two leading candidates are a surprising pair. The first is Hillary Clinton, 60, the wife of former President Bill Clinton. The second is Barack Obama, 45, a Harvard educated senator (參議員).

   It is the first time that the leading presidential candidates for a political party are either a woman or black. The energetic pair has certainly gotten people's attention. But the question remains, is America ready for either one?

   It's not a simple question to answer. For the past 220 years, Americans have elected only white males to the nation's highest office. That can hardly be called a tradition of diversity. However, many people believe that 2008 will be the year that this changes.

  "The white men that have been running the country recently have done such a bad job, at home and abroad, that maybe now is the time for a change," said Dorian Cool of San Francisco, California.

   The polling(投票)numbers seem to back up his opinion: 86 percent of Americans say they would vote for a qualified woman. An impressive 93 percent say they would vote for a black man if he seemed right for the job. These numbers are much higher than they were just 20 years ago. They may suggest that Americans are ready to be led by a different type of person.

   Still, there is a lot to overcome. Although women represent 51 percent of the American population, there are only nine female governors out of 50. Out of 100 senators, only 16 are women. The numbers are significantly lower for blacks in office.

Since the American Civil War, only two blacks have been elected governor and only three have been elected to the Senate.

   Surely both candidates face difficult odds, but never before has there been so much support for either a female or a black candidate.

   As Barack Obama himself said, "There is not a black America and a white America, a Latino America and an Asian America ― there's the United States of America." If others share his vision, maybe the United States will end up with a new type of leader.

77．The author considers Hillary and Barack “a surprising pair” because they are ____.

  A. both powerful                     B. both likely to win

C. either a woman or black       D. either the wife of former President or a Harvard educated senator

78．Many people expect the 2008 US presidential elections to ____.

  A. be nothing special                             B. bring great changes to America

  C. be a common political campaign         D. change the tradition of diversity

79．Both Hillary and Barack face difficult odds mainly because ____.

  A. few women or blacks hold high official positions in American history

  B. women take up 51% of the American population

  C. they are either too young or old

  D. they lack financial support

80．We can infer from the passage that ____.

  A. Barack Obama is well educated .

  B. Hillary Clinton is less likely to win the election.

  C. the two leading candidates represent different parties.

  D. the public pay little attention to the 2008 presidential elections.

3、There are hundreds of expressions of words using “hand” in the English language. Let us examine some of the expressions that use “hand”.

We will get a hand in this way. “To get a hand in” is to begin a job, to begin to know something about it. When we learn completely, we will be able to do it hands down. If we do the job well, we may end up with the upper hand. On the other hand, if the situation gets out of hand, it is out of control.

We must consider another way of expressing phrase---- to hand it to someone. For example, I must hand it to you for understanding what we have discussed this far. You can also lend a hand to someone but without really giving up your hand. You lend a hand when you help someone. If someone is kind enough to lend us a hand then we surely do not want to bite the hand that feeds us. We do not want to repay his kindness by treating him badly.

Now, we have a free hand to continue examining other “hand” expressions. It means you are free to act without getting permission from someone else.

Maybe you can find a friend who wants to take a hand in our project. It would have to be someone who was interested in these expressions. Your friend may want to work hand in glove with us. That is good because that means he wants to work as closely with us as a glove covers the hand. Of course, there is a danger that he may look at our project and decide to take it in hand. That means he wants to tale it over. If that happens, we may throw up our hands because the situation seams hopeless. In fact, we may decide that it is time for us to end this project to wash our hands of “ hand” expressions.

69．We are ready to do a certain job, we may say; Let’s ______________.

  A. get out of hand                       B. get a hand in

  C. lend a hand                            D. take a hand in

70．Which of the following has an unpleasant meaning?

  A. Hands down                          B. bite the hand that feeds us

  C. take a hand in                        D. hand in glove

71．Something is so easy to do. So you can do it____________.

  A. hands down                          B. on the other hand

  C. the upper hand                      D. hand in glove

72．What is the writer’s purpose in writing the passage?

  A. To tell us the fact that there are many phrases with “hands”.

  B. To prove the importance of the word “ hand ”.

  C. To tell us some phrases with “ hand ”.

  D. To make us laugh.

2、Some beach creatures are wonderful ----- like dolphins, but others are dangerous. Find out more about the dangerous ones -----the blue ringed octopus, puffer fish, the Blue Bottle, and stingrays.

The blue ringed octopus

The blue ringed octopus is not a very big creature but it is very dangerous. These octopuses are found all around Australian coast. They often lie in rock pools close to shore. The blue ringed octopus is usually a dull color but it shows its bright blue rings when it is in danger. If it is taken out of the water, it is able to bite a person and poison them. If this creature bites someone, they will feel numbness (麻木) around the mouth, face and neck.

Puffer Fish

Puffer Fish are found in all Australian seas. They are very easy to catch but must not be eaten because their flesh and internal organs contain a poison. Anyone who does eat the flesh can become sick very quickly. They may even stop breathing.

The Blue Bottle

The Blue Bottle is found in most Australian waters. Blue Bottles float lightly on the surface of the water but their tentacles (觸須) can be as long as 10 metres. Blue Bottles are much less dangerous than some other jellyfish but they can give a swimmer a bad sting (刺) if the swimmer accidentally touches them.

Stingrays

     There are many different kinds of stingrays in Australian waters. They usually swim and feed on the bottom of the sea. Accidents can happen if people stand on them or try to pick them up. Stingrays have a sting on their tail. These stings have poison on them. If someone is stung the wound can easily become infected.       

65．If you swim in the Australian waters, you will probably _____.

   A. be bitten by the blue ringed octopus       B. stop breathing because of Puffer Fish

   C. get a bad sting by the Blue Bottle           D. be poisoned by stingrays

66．Which of the following is less aggressive according to the passage?

   A. The blue ringed octopus                       B. Puffer Fish

   C. The Blue Bottle                                    D. Stingrays

67．Which is TRUE according to the passage?

   A. All creatures along the coast of Australia are dangerous.

   B. Poisonous creatures change the body color when in danger.

   C. No accident will happen unless people touch these creatures.

   D. If people stand on the beach, accidents can happen because of the creatures.

68．The passage is mainly about _____.

   A. dangerous creatures in the sea                B. interesting creatures in the ocean

   C. pleasant creatures in Australia                 D. big creatures in Australian waters

1、There once was a king who offered a prize to the artist who would paint the best picture of  peace. Many artists tried. The king looked at all the pictures, but there were only two he really liked and he had to choose between them.

     One picture was of a calm lake. The lake was a perfect mirror, for peaceful towering mountains were all around it. Over head was a blue sky with white clouds. All who saw this picture thought it was a perfect picture of peace.

     The other picture has mountains too. But these were rough and bare. Above was an angry sky from which rain fell and in which lightening played. Down the side of mountain ran a waterfall. This did not look peaceful at all. But when the king looked, he saw behind the waterfall a tiny bush growing in a crack in the rock. In the bush a mother bird had built her nest. There, in the midst of the rush of angry water, sat the mother bird on her nest… perfect peace.

     Which picture do you think won prize?

      The king chose the second picture. Do you know why? “ Because ,” explained the king, “ peace does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble, or hard work. Peace means to be in the midst of all those things and still be calm in your heart. That is the real meaning of peace.

61．The first picture gives us a feeling of ___________.

   A. silence    B. beautiful     C. deep impression    D. attractiveness

62．Why did the second picture win over the other?

   A. Because there were natural movements in the picture.

   B. Because it happened to be the kind of picture the king liked most.

   C. Because the artist created a peaceful place set in the rough situation.

   D. Because there was a lovely bird in the picture which made the picture more attractive.

63．The underlined word “crack” in the third paragraph probably has the same meaning as ______.

   A. cave     B. narrow opening    C. tunnel      D. space

64．The king’s words suggested that ________.

   A. silence means peace.

   B. real peace means keeping calm in a wild situation.

   C. real peace means struggling against difficult situations.

   D. Peace only exists in your heart.

35、I can’t leave. She told me that I _____ stay here until she comes back

   A. can           B. must             C. will        D. may

34、---- Do you mind my opening the window? It’s a bit hot in here

---- ______, as a matter of fact.

      A. Go ahead               B. Yes, my pleasure

C. Yes, I do                D. Come on

33、On the one hand, the lady _____ the poor children; on the other hand, she never values money.

   A. show little mercy to                  B. show many mercies to

   C. has mercy on                           D. is at the mercy of

32、_____ where to stand, and I’ll move the world.

   A. Given           B. If given         C. Give me       D. Giving me

31、 There is nothing he could do about this matter, so he ____ as well go about his life as usual.

   A. shall            B. will             C. must          D. might

30、--- Sorry, I overslept. I forgot to set the alarm.

--- Your clock ____ . Perhaps you should buy a new one.

   A. never worked                                  B. never works

   C. had never worked                             D. is never working