9、Only when they were told the date of the funeral ______________ their father had already left them.

A. realized they                                       B. they realized

C. did they realize                                    D. they did realize

8、Was it in this city __________ they visited a school with a new teaching building __________?

A. where; to build                                    B. where; to be built

C. that; to build                                         D. that; to be built

7、—How I wish I ___________ Jay Chou soon! But his concert tour has finished.

—Well, to tell the truth, had you been here earlier, you __________________ him and his band.

A. had seen; must have seen                       B. would see; would have seen

C. saw; had seen                                      D. would see; should see

6、While I was standing at the kitchen window, five-year-old Spencer, my oldest son, ran into the house ___1___, "We need a doctor out here. Hurry, Mom." "What's wrong?" I asked. Spencer anxiously told me he had found a dead bird that needed a doctor.

Dutifully(順從地), I seized a small plastic bag from the cupboard and took Spencer's hand－___2____, that's the sort of thing mothers do. While my son led me out of the door and ___3___ the bird, I explained that if the creature was indeed dead, a doctor could not ___4___. When we arrived at the ___5___ scene, it was obvious that the baby bird was dead. Spencer and I could see the nest high up in the tree. My son and I ___6___ the probable age of the baby bird, its inability to fly well, and exactly how the ___7___ had caused its death. "I think his mummy and daddy really ___8___ him," Spencer observed. I ___9___ my boy's hand and tried to reduce his ___10___ by saying that I was sure they did, and that everything would return to ___11___ because the little bird had gone to Heaven to be with God and Popo－my dead grandfather. I made Spencer believe the bird's mummy and daddy knew their little one would be ___12___ and loved. I told Spencer Popo loved little birds and that I ___13___ he was in Heaven holding and playing with the baby bird ___14___.

I picked up the little creature's body, slipped it into my plastic bag and ___15___ placed the bird in the rubbish bin. ___16___ was said about the matter for the rest of the day. Spencer went right back to play ___17___ he had never been interrupted, and I returned to my work in the kitchen.

At breakfast the next morning, Spencer mentioned it sadly to his father.

Trying to ___18___ Spencer's spirits and remind him that the little bird was really ___19___, I asked our son to tell Daddy ___20___ the baby bird was. Spencer, looking solemn-faced at his dad, stated, "In the rubbish bin with Mama's granddad, Popo."

1. A. saying               B. screaming          C. declaring           D. telling

2. A. in fact                  B. at least                     C. of course          D. after all

3. A. ahead                   B. toward                     C. over                  D. of

4. A. come                    B. save                  C. help                  D. support

5. A. accident               B. kitchen             C. danger                     D. terror

6. A. wondered             B. discussed          C. studied              D. looked

7. A. fall                    B. tree                   C. wind                 D. nest

8. A. hate               B. lose                   C. miss                 D. love

9. A. picked up              B. turned to           C. got to                D. reached for

10. A. excitement       B. regret                C. sadness             D. disappointment

11. A. normal             B. peace                C. sorrow                  D. safety

12. A. enjoyed            B. played            C. treated                  D. cared for

13. A. doubted                  B. found             C. believed             D. feared

14. A. right now            B. right then           C. from now on     D. now and then

15. A. gently                 B. loudly             C. strongly            D. firmly

16. A. Nothing else       B. Nobody else       C. Nothing           D. Something

17. A. as usual                  B. as if                  C. even though     D. though

18. A. break                  B. rise                  C. show                     D. lift

19. A. dead                   B. injured             C. OK                 D. alive

20. A. where                 B. what                 C. how                D. when

5、Without most people realizing it, there has been a revolution in office work over the last ten years. Before that time, large computers were only used by large, rich companies that could afford the investment. With the advancement of technology, small computers have come onto the market, which are capable of doing the work that used to be done by much larger and expensive computers, so now most smaller companies can use them.

The main development in small computers has been in the field of word processors (處理器) , or WPS as they are often called. 40% of British offices are now estimated to have a word processor and this percentage is growing fast.

There are many advantages in using a word processor for both secretary and manager. The secretary is freed from a lot of daily work, such as re-typing letters and storing papers. He or she can use this time to do other more interesting work for the boss. From a manager's point of view, secretarial time is being made better use of and money can be saved by doing daily jobs automatically outside office hours.

But is it all good? If a lot of daily secretarial work can be done automatically, surely this will mean that fewer secretaries will be needed. Another worry is the increasing medical problems related to work with visual display units (顯示器). The case of a slow loss of sight among people using word processors seems to have risen greatly. It is also feared that if a woman works at a VDU for long hours, the unborn child in her body might be killed. Safety screens to put over a VDU have been invented but few companies in England bother to buy them.

Whatever the arguments for and against word processor are, they are a key feature (特征) of this revolution in office practice.

1. Ten years ago, smaller companies did not use large computers because_________.

A. these companies had not enough money to buy such expensive computers

B. these computers could not do the work that small computers can do today

C. these computers did not come onto the market

D. these companies did not need to use this new technology

2. According to the writer, the main feature of the revolution in office work over the last ten years is __________.

A. the saving of time and money

B. the use of computers in small companies

C. the wide use of word processors 

D. the decreasing number of secretaries

3. It is implied but not directly stated in the passage that with the use of word processors __________.

A. some secretaries will lose their jobs  

B. the British companies will make less money

C. daily jobs can be done automatically outside office hours

D. medical problems related to work with a VDU have increased greatly

4. Which of the following statements is NOT true?

A. There are both advantages and disadvantages in using a word processor.

B. The British companies care much for the health of the people using word processors.

C. The technology in the field of computers has been greatly advanced over the last ten years.

D. Using word processors, secretaries can get more time to do more interesting work for their bosses.

5. It can be concluded from the passage that __________.

A. safety screens are of poor quality

B. working at a VDU for a long time is good for one's health

C. more and more British offices will use word processors

D. British companies will need fewer and fewer managers

4、Language learning begins with listening. Children are greatly different in the amount of listening they do before they start speaking, and later starters are often long listeners. Most children will "obey" spoken instructions some time before they can speak, though the word "obey" is hardly accurate as a description of the eager and delighted cooperation that is usually shown by the child .Before they can speak, many children will also ask questions by gesture and by making questioning noises.

Any attempt to study the development from the noises babies make to their first spoken words leads to considerable difficulties. It is agreed that they enjoy making noises, and that during the first few months one or two noises sort themselves as particularly expressive as delight, pain, friendliness, and so on. But since these can't be said to show the baby's intention to communicate, they can hardly be regarded as early forms of language.

It is agreed, too, that from about three months they play with sounds for enjoyment, and that by six months they are able to add new words to their store This self-imitation leads on to deliberate imitation of sounds made or words spoken to them by other people. The problem then arises as to the point at which one can say that these imitations can be considered as speech. It is a problem we need to get our teeth into (認(rèn)真對(duì)待) .

The meaning of a word depends on what a word a particular person means by it in a particular situation; and it is clear that what a child means by a word will change as he gains more experience of the world .Thus the use, at seven months, of "mama" as a greeting for his mother cannot be dismissed as a meaningless sound simply because he also uses it at another times for his father, his dog, or anything else he likes. Playful and meaningless imitation of what other people say continues after the child has begun to speak for himself. I doubt, however whether anything is gained when parents take advantage of this ability in an attempt to teach new sounds.

1. Before children start speaking __________.

A. they need equal amount of listening

B. they need different amounts of listening

C. they are all eager to cooperate with the adults by obeying spoken instructions

D. they can't understand and obey the adult's oral instructions

2. Children who start speaking late __________.

A. may have problems with their listening 

B. probably do not hear enough language spoken around them

C. usually pay close attention to what they hear

D. often take a long time in learning to listen properly

3. A baby's first noises are __________.

A. an expression of his moods and feelings

B. an early form of language

C. a sign that he means to tell you something

D. An imitation of the speech of adults.

4. The problem of deciding at what point a baby' imitations can be considered as speech __________.

A. is important because words have different meanings for different people

B. is not especially important because the changeover takes place gradually

C. is one that should be properly understood because the meaning of words changes with age.

D. is one that should be completely ignored because children's use of words is often      meaningless.

5. The speaker implies __________.

A. parents can never hope to teach their children new sounds.

B. children no longer imitate people after they begin to speak

C. Children who are good at imitating learn new words more quickly

D. even after they have learnt to speak, children still enjoy imitating

3、A teenage girl is fighting for her life today after being struck by lightning as severe thunderstorms swept across Britain. The girl was one of four teenage girls from London who were hit by lightning in the Parade Ground area of Hyde Park during a storm. Earlier, Joseph Wharton, 14, died as he was struck by lightning while camping in his friend's backyard in the West Midlands.

A spokesman for Scotland Yard said the girl remained in serious condition at St. Mary's Hospital in Paddington. She had stopped breathing by the time the first paramedic (護(hù)理人員) arrived on the scene just two minutes after the strike at 5: 40 p.m. yesterday.

The other three girls hit by the bolt all had injuries, and were taken to University College Hospital. Their conditions were not serious, the spokesman added.

The strike lifted the girls into the air and then dropped them to the ground, a witness reported.

A spokesman for the London Ambulance Service said paramedics risked their lives to treat the girls. "The storm was still overhead and lightning was still coming down while they were treating the patients," he said. "All staff involved acted very professionally in providing fast treatment to these patients in very difficult circumstances." Scotland Yard said the incident was being looked into by officers from the Royal Parks' Operational Command Unit.

Joseph Wharton of Byland Way, Bloxwich, was hit during the extended thunderstorm which struck the region yesterday morning. He was pronounced dead at Walsall Manor Hospital.

He had been sleeping in a tent while staying with school friend Michael Lees at a house on nearby Cresswell Crescent.

West Midlands Ambulance Service said paramedics were called at 7:50 a.m. and unsuccessful attempts were made to revive（使蘇醒）the sports-mad teenager. A spokesman for the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents said four or five people die each year as a result of lightning strikes in the UK.

1. All four girls __________.

A. were killed by the lightning

B. were seriously injured

C. were being treated at the same hospital

D. were lifted up and dropped to the ground

2. The underlined word "bolt" probably means "________".

A. thunder          B. rain                  C. storm                      D. lightning

3. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A. The boy was killed after the four girls had been hit.

B. The paramedics began to treat the girls after taking them to the hospital.

C. First-aid was given to the girls during the storm.

D. The boy was hit by lightning in the Parade Ground area of Hyde Park.

4. It can be inferred from the passage that __________.

A. many British people die from lightning strikes every year

B. the writer blames the government for the accident

C. the paramedics could also have been hit by lightning while aiding the girls

D. Joseph had been playing in the open air before the strike

5. This passage is probably taken from a __________.

 A. magazine  B. newspaper   C. science fiction    D. weather report

2、Do you know about a series of books that say they are "for dummies"? These American self-help books have been translated into more than thirty-nine languages including Chinese, Arabic, Russian, French, German, Greek and Spanish.

"Dummy" is a word for a stupid person. The dummies books are not really for stupid people. They are designed to show people how to do something they may never have tried before, like painting a house or learning a language. The books all say in a funny way that they are for dummies, such as World History for Dummies, Rabbits for Dummies, Chinese Cooking for Dummies, and Wedding Planning for Dummies. The first such book, DOS for Dummies, was published in 1991. It helped people learn how to use the DOS operating system for computers. Since then, more than one hundred fifty million dummies books have been sold.

The dummies.com website explains the idea behind the books. It says that they show that people can be taught to do anything. First they can make fun of ideas that are difficult to understand. Then they show how the information can be interesting and easy. The publishers say that the books do not provide more information than necessary. They give readers just enough information to do what they want. They say that the dummies books give the best and easiest way to do something. And the books use simple and easy language.

There are more than one thousand different dummies books. A report in New York Times says that the top-selling dummies books are those that explain technology and personal finance.

The publishers say that the best-selling dummies books are those providing information many people need-like information about diseases, education and cooking. People interested in opera, car repair and wine can also find dummies books to help them. And there are even more dummies books to come. The publishers say that they publish about two hundred new dummies books every year.

1. Which of the following can be the best title of the passage?

A. Books for Dummies            B. The Easiest, the Best

C. Self-Help Books               D. New Ideas behind the Books

2. According to the dummies.com website, people can __________ with the help of dummies books.

A. simplify some personal things       B. do anything they want

C. become expert in any field          D. learn any foreign language

3. The dummies books have been popular because __________.

A. they provide just what is needed and are easy to understand

B. they provide abundant information on the concerning subject

C. people can learn to do anything with just one copy

D. people can save lots of money through self-teaching

4. According to New York Times, we know that books on __________ sell best.

A. technology and personal finance      B. opera and car repairing

C. diseases and education              D. cooking and world history

5. What can we learn from the passage?     

A. The first dummies book was on Chinese cooking.

B. The dummies books will continue to be popular.

C. Fifty million different dummies books have been published.

D. The simple language was intended for child readers.