Because of the stress and strains of modern life folks today would rather watch television than get together with neighbors. Their behavior doesn't mirror TV soaps like Coronation Street and East Enders.
The Street's Ashley Peacock and Toyah Battersby know all their neighbors. But the Royal Mail survey shows that real-life under35s wouldn't dream of popping next door for a chat or to borrow a cup of sugar.
Three out of ten say they wouldn't know their neighbors if they saw them in the street. The same proportion would only offer to help neighbors if absolutely necessary, while thirty-onepercent don't want to get to know them better. Twenty-six percent rarely or never speak to the person next door. Thirty-five percent only talk to neighbors occasionally, and six percent actively dislike them. The older generation are still sociable, with seventy percent of over55s taking time to chat to people next door. The report says: “In the past, the British tradition of village green gossip（闲聊）between neighbors was celebrated worldwide. But there's been a clear shift away from local links by the young generation.” Londoners are least likely to be neighbors, with a third rarely or never chatting over the garden fence. People in the Midlands—where 65 percent often speak to their neighbors are most friendly.
Sociologist Jane Blakeman said: “People are working longer hours than ever before, and are traveling further to work. It leaves them far less time at home.”Almost a third of young people_______.
| A．know their neighbours quite well |
| B．have no idea who lives next door to them |
| C．talk to their neighbours when they want to borrow something |
| D．spend time chatting with neighbours like their parents |
It can be inferred that Ashley Peacock and Toyah Battersby are both_______.
| A．important roles in a popular TV series |
| B．famous stars in TV programmes |
| C．old soap operas |
| D．members of royal family |
Gossip among neighbours is still common among_______.
| A．people under35s | B．people between 35 and 55 |
| C．people over55s | D．people of different ages |
There is a difference between London and the rest of Britain mainly in that non-Londoners
_______.
| A．would help their neighbours only when necessary |
| B．are less likely to have good relations with their neighbours |
| C．wouldn't travel far and find more time to chat with neighbours |
| D．are more likely to keep up the old British tradition of having a chat over garden fence |
Ladies and Gentlemen, some strange, wild and wonderful stories colored the news in 2010, you may like them.
● A Copenhagen bus company has put "love seats" on 103 of its buses for people looking for a partner. "Even love at first sight is possible on the bus," said a spokesman for the company to explain the two seats on each bus that are covered in red cloth and a "love seat" sign.
● Shoppers at an international luxury fair in Italy, found a cell-phone-equipped golden coffin（棺材）among the items on display. The phones will help "the dead" contact relatives if they have been buried alive by mistake.
● A man in New York came up with a disarming（手无寸铁的）way to perform his latest bank robbery, approaching the clerk’s window with a large bunch of flowers and handing over a note saying “give me the money!”
● An Englishman who lost all his legs and arms in an electrical accident successfully swam across the Channel, a challenge he had been preparing for two years. The whole cost is 400 dollars.
● A set of artificial teeth made for Britain's war-time prime minister Winston Churchill known as "the teeth that saved the world" sold for nearly 18,000 pounds (21,500 euros, 24,000 dollars) at auction（拍卖）.
● A British woman caused an Internet hate campaign after she was caught on camera dumping（抛弃）a cat in a rubbish bin. She was fined 250 pounds (400 dollars, 280 euros) after pleading guilty.
● The BBC apologized completely and without any doubts after a radio presenter jokingly announced that Queen Elizabeth II had died.
● Two Australian men needed surgery after shooting each other in the bottoms during a drinking session to see if it would hurt and they were charged 400 dollars separately.
● A Kuwaiti MP(议员) suggested state-aid for male citizens to take second wives, in an effort to reduce the large number of unmarried women in the oil-rich state.What is special about the coffin in the second news?
| A．It is golden. | B．It has a cell phone. |
| C．It is new. | D．It has many items. |
Who has to spend 400 dollars to do the surgery?
| A．An Australian man who was shot in bottom to test the hurt. |
| B．One who bought Winston Churchill’s artificial teeth. |
| C．A British woman who dumped a cat in a rubbish bin. |
| D．An Englishman crossing the Channel without legs and arms. |
Which of the following is true according the news above?
| A．The love seats on the buses are only for married couples. |
| B．The man in New York robbed the bank with a gun. |
| C．Winston Churchill’s set of artificial teeth is worth a lot. |
| D．A British woman dumped the cat because she hated it. |
From the last news we can infer that _________.
| A．in Kuwait many men are eager to get married |
| B．a lot of rich single men lived in Kuwait |
| C．there are quantities of oil in Kuwait |
| D．there are many single women in Kuwait |
We are not rich by what we possess but rather by what we can do without.
——Immauel Kant
Many times my friend June would say, “If I ever get rich, I’m getting a completely new wardrobe （大衣柜）and moving into a bigger apartment.” I thought of her words and her chances of being rich are about as good as mine. But, to everyone’s surprise, a few years ago June did come to large inheritance（遗产）.
At first June said very little about the money. As the initial shock disappeared, she became excited, June is a great believer in making lists, so I was surprised to find her writing down all the ways she would spend her new wealth.
As time went on, she started revising the list. What had been midway down the list was now at the top. At last, I said to her, “You know, it isn’t necessary to spend all your inheritance at once. Take come time; think about it.” “I know, I know,” she answered with a little bit anger.
Then one morning June called, “I’ve decided how I want to use my new inheritance. I want to see what you think,” she said. This wasn’t something I looked forward to, but we had been friends so long.
As we sat, June spread a sheet of paper on the table. To my great surprise, she had written only two words: Charities, and Grandchildren-in that order. Though I had promised to keep quiet, I couldn’t keep from asking how she came to this decision.
“Well,” she said, “I took your advice and thought about it.” She added, “Helping others means a lot to me, so I’m hoping this gift will help people in need.”
I interrupted, “But what about this big apartment you most hope to have?”
“At first it was hard, but it doesn’t seem as important any more”, she answered with a smile.
Then June moved her hand, and I could see a few words written in tiny letters at the bottom of the page. After having a look at the small print, I burst into laughter. June had written: AND one new wardrobe.From the passage we can learn that the writer at first .
| A．was richer than her friend June |
| B．was no richer than her friend June |
| C．was poorer than her friend June |
| D．was interested in money as June |
When making a list of how to deal with her inheritance, June .
| A．didn’t change it at all |
| B．had a quarrel with the writer |
| C．kept it secret from the writer |
| D．made some changes to it |
When June called the writer to talk about her new decision, the writer .
| A．felt that June would do something meaningful |
| B．refused the invitation at first, but changed her mind later |
| C．had decided not to make any comments on June’s list |
| D．was eager to learn more about the new list |
What did the writer think of her friend’s new decision?
| A．She found it funny and wrong. |
| B．She found it unacceptable and unbelievable. |
| C．She found it surprising and meaningful. |
| D．She found it difficult and meaningless. |
“Choo, Choo!” Here comes the Chunnel train. Get aboard if you want to learn more about this underground transportation system. This is an unusual form of transportation, because it is a tunnel that trains travel through and not an actual form of transportation.
The Chunnel is actually the English nickname for the Channel Tunnel. In French, it is called le tunnel sous la Manche. It is a rail tunnel beneath the English Channel at the Straits of Dover. It connects Cheriton in Kent, England with Sangatte in northern France. It is the second longest rail tunnel in the world.
Did you know that the British and the French had a race whi1e they were building the Chunnel? The race was to see who could get to the middle of the tunnel first. The British won by a little bit. It took 15,000 workers over seven years to dig the tunnel. The tunnel was finished in 1994.
The completed Chunnel cost about $ 21 billion. But it all paid off, because it became very popular, very quick. Millions of people use it. Now it is getting even more popular.
There are three complete tunnels in the Chunnel. The two outside ones are the passenger trains. The small inner one is a guidance train. The guidance train is not used for transportation. Each track is exactly parallel to each other.
There are four different train systems in the Chunnel. The Eurostar is a high speed passenger service that connects London, Paris, Brussels, and Lille. The Eurotunnel shuttle is a rail ferry service. These shuttles carry cars. These are railcars that allow drivers to drive their vehicles on and off. There are also two Eurotunnel goods service trains.
Now you know more about the Chunnel. Everybody off, this is the last stop.The Channel Tunnel links ______ with _______.
| A．Dover; Kent | B．London; Paris |
| C．Lille; Brussels | D．Cheriton; Sangatte |
Which of the following shows the structure of the tunnels in the Chunnel?
The Eurotunnel shuttle is intended to carry _________.
| A．passengers | B．drivers and their vehicles |
| C．goods | D．staff members of the Chunnel |
The text can most probably be __________.
| A．found in a textbook |
| B．read in a magazine |
| C．broadcast on a train |
| D．heard in a railway station |
Expensive and new gloves allow chatterboxes（话匣子）to take the term “handsfree” to a new level—by talking into them as they make a call. The gloves are known as “Talk to the Hand” and cost £1,000 a pair. They fixed a speaker unit into the thumb and a microphone into the little finger that can be connected to any mobile handset using Bluetooth.
Artist Sean Miles designed the new gloves that double as a phone in part of his project that shows the possibilities of gadget(小装置，小机械) recycling. He uses outdated gloves and combines them with parts from mobile handsets recycled through O2, which commissioned（承担）the project. Mobile phone users will be able to keep their hands warm while they chat without taking their phones out of their pockets or handbags.
Mr Miles designed two pairs of the new gloves—one in pink and the other in brown and yellow. They will appear in an exhibition this July and visitors will be able to win the gloves. If demand is high, they will then be produced on a larger scale. O2 Recycle, which backed the project, estimates that there are already 70 million unused mobile handsets in the UK. The service pays up to £260 to those who recycle gadgets including phones, handheld consoles, MP3 players and digital cameras.
Designer Sean Miles hopes his work will get people thinking about recycling. The 41-year-old said, “I hope that my ‘Talk to the Hand’ project will get people to think again about the waste created by not recycling gadgets. If a few more people recycle their gadgets rather than send them to trash, I think this project will have fulfilled its aim.”
Bill Eyres, head of O2 Recycle, urges people to recycle their phone responsibly. He said, “There’s a pressing need for all of us to look at outdated handsets, and all the gadgets that we move on from or upgrade each year. Whether they are consoles or cameras, we should think of them as a resource that we need to recycle responsibly rather than throw them away.”
The underlined word “O2” in Paragraph 2 is probably the name of ______.
| A．an artist | B．a company |
| C．a mobile | D．an exhibition |
Consumers can buy the “Talk to the Hand” gloves ______.
| A．in the exhibition |
| B．from Mr Miles |
| C．when they are mass produced |
| D．after they recycle the gadgets |
The purpose of the project is to _______.
| A．promote the technology of IT |
| B．enable people to talk to their hands |
| C．raise people’s awareness of recycling |
| D．attract visitors’ attention in the exhibition |
What is the passage mainly about?
| A．New mobiles that are fashionable. |
| B．Outdated handsets that are upgraded. |
| C．Outdated gadgets that can be used for recycling. |
| D．New gloves that can be used for making phone calls. |
Rules for the University Entrance Examination
You must be at the examination center ten minutes before the examination starts．If you are more than ten minutes late, you may not enter the examination center．The examination takes place at the same time in different states．
You must have proof of your name and grade as well as official examination number．Show these when you come to the examination center．
Depending on which examination you are taking you may bring certain items into the examination center．Mathematics examinations may allow you to use electronic calculators（计算器）．Other subjects may allow you to use dictionaries and other reference material．Please read the notes sent with your time table carefully．
You must bring your own pencils．None will be provided for you．The following items are not allowed in the examination center: walkmans and radios, head sets, any food or drink, school bags, electronic equipment （unless specifically permitted for various subjects）, and mobile phones．
Once in the center, you must sit at the desk with your examination number on it．When you sit down, place your examination number at the to corner of your desk．You must remain silent during the examination．You must not disturb other people who are taking the test．
If you need a drink or toilet break, you should raise your hand and wait for the supervisor（监督者） to speak to you．You will be given water or the supervisor will take you to the bathroom．You are not allowed to talk with anyone during the break．
You must write your answers in the official answer sheet．Your supervisor will provide extra paper if you wish to make notes．
You may leave the examination room at any time if you do not plan to return, If you finish early and want to leave well away from the examination center．
The supervisor will warn you fifteen minutes, five minutes and one minute before the end of the examination．When the supervisor says that the time is up you must put down your pencil and wait at your desk until your paper is collected．What kind of examination are these rules probably for?
| A．A local exam． | B．A final exam． |
| C．A college exam． | D．A national exam． |
What are you allowed to have with you when you take mathematics examination?
| A．Related material． | B．Proof of yourself． |
| C．A cell phone． | D．A dictionary． |
What should you do if you finish the test early and want to get a better result?
| A．Take some notes carefully． |
| B．Leave the room immediately． |
| C．Remain in your seat and check again． |
| D．Raise your hand to inform your teacher． |
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