World Footballer of the Year 2009
Football experts from the world have chosen Steven Gerrard, Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Samuel Eto'o as the top footballers in the world. Now it's up to you to vote for the player you think is the king of World Football.
THE CANDIDATES
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WHAT THE EXPERTS SAY
＊Why I'd vote for Gerrard
“Gerrard is clearly in his prime and quite rightly rated one of the finest midfield players of his generation.” says Steve Bates, chairman of the FWA.
＊Why I'd vote for Cristiano Ronaldo
Johan Cruyff points out Ronaldo is better than George Best and Denis Law, who were two brilliant and great players in the history of United.
＊Why I'd vote for Samuel Eto'o
Piers Edwards thinks the title of World footballer should go to Samuel Eto'o.
＊Why I'd vote for Messi
Messi’s individual brilliance and year-long persistence has impressed Diego Maradona.
49. The passage is mainly intended to __________.
A. invite readers to vote for the World Footballer of 2009
B. predict the results of the vote of the World Footballer of 2009
C. tell the outstanding performance of the candidates of the World Footballer of 2009
D. share with readers the experts’ opinions on the candidates of World Footballer of 2009
50.Which of the following descriptions about the footballers is RIGHT?
A. Ronaldo has primarily played as a second attacker.
B. Eto'o scored 42 goals in the 2008-2009 season altogether.
C. Diego Maradona believed that Messi could never match him in playing style.
D. Gerrard plays an important role in Liverpool’s challenge to Premier League leaders.
51. We can learn from the passage that Ballon d'Or is __________.
A. an activity about football B. an organization of football
C. a title for excellent footballers D. a team name of football
52. Diego Maradona is more likely to vote___________ to be the World Footballer of the Year.
A. Lionel Messi B. Cristiano Ronaldo
C. Samuel Eto'o D. Steven Gerrard
HOUSTON (AP) --- A 10-year-old boy fatally shot his father Friday, striking him several times as he sat in the front seat of a SUV to pick up the boy from his mother's home for a weekend visit.
The incident happened about 3pm on a cul-desac（死胡同）in the 1700 block of Cedar Cove Court, said Sgt. Williams of the Harris County Sheriff's Department.
An investigation found that Rick James Lohstroh, 41, was shot by his son, who was sitting in the back seat of the man's Toyota 4-Runner, said Sgt. Williams. The shooting took place outside the home of Lohstroh's ex-wife, where the boy lives with his mother and a 7-year-old brother.
"We're not certain of anything until we finish our investigation," Williams said. "The information we have at this time is that the 10-year-old did fire the weapon."
The mother and the 7-year-old were inside the house when the shooting occurred, said Williams.
Williams said the gun belonged to the boy's mother. After firing shots through the back seat, the boy exited the back of the vehicle and continued to fire at the car.
The man died on the way to Memorial Herman Hospital.
Lohstroh was a doctor at the University of Texas Medical Branch.
The man and woman shared custody（监护）of the children.
Williams said the mother and the boy were still in the home talking to investigators Friday night.
Neighbors described the family as being quiet and keeping to themselves.
Justin Gray, 17, was walking in the neighborhood when he heard gunshots. "We've had a suicide in this neighborhood once, but never anything like this," Gray said.The best title for the news should be __________.
A. A Boy Shot His Father
B. Shooting Kill a Father
C. An Unbelievable Tragedy
A Ten-Year-Old Boy's Cruelty Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the news?
| A．The father is not responsible for the boy. |
| B．The family don't like being linked to their neighbors. |
| C．The boy lives with Rick James Lohstroh. |
| D．The boy has no brother or sister. |
What can we infer from the text?
| A．The tragedy happened because the boy had seen too many films showing violence. |
| B．The boy killed his father because he hated it that he deserted his mother. |
| C．Such things often occurred in this neighbourhood. |
| D．The boy's parents got divorced(="separated)." |
The reason why the boy shot his father __________.
| A．is clear | B．can't be made out | C．is unknown | D．is quite simple |
The underlined word "suicide" most probably means __________.
| A．the act of killing the lives of a whole family |
| B．an instance of deliberately killing oneself |
| C．the situation of getting on smoothly with others |
| D．the peaceful surroundings |
Of all the animals in the animal kingdom, which one (aside from man) is the cleverest?
There are several ways of measuring the intelligence of animals. In one test a scientist sets three same cans on a table. While the animal watches, he puts food under one of the cans. Then he leads the animal away. Some time later, he brings it back to see if it remembers which can has the food. No smelling is allowed; the animal must go directly to the correct can or it fails.
This is called a delayed-response test. The idea is to find out how long an animal’s memory can keep information. The scientists would try showing the cans to the animal one hour later, or two hours later, or even a full day later. They discovered that chimpanzees and elephants have the best memory, and were able to remember the correct can for at least twenty hours. No other animal is close. Dogs came next, but they only remember for nine hours.
To settle the matter, the scientists designed a huge maze (迷宫) and ran the chimps and elephants through it. The maze was very difficult, with many blind paths and dead ends. It took the chimps ten minutes to find their way out. The elephants needed half an hour. Even allowing for the elephants’ slower rate of speed, the test shows that chimpanzees are the cleverest animals.
From this and other tests, the scientists drew the following conclusion: an animal’s intelligence depends on the size of its brain in proportion (比例) to the size of its body. The elephant’s brain weighs ten pounds. But this is only 1/600th of its 6,000 pounds body. A chimp’s brain weighs about one pound, or 1/120th of its total body weight. So in proportion to its body size, the chimp has four times as much brain as the elephant----more brain for less body. The chimp is the champ!Which is the best title?
| A．The Elephant’s Memory | B．The Cleverest Animal |
| C．Judging Intelligence | D．The Chimp’s Brain |
The main idea of this passage is that _____.
| A．there are several ways of measuring the intelligence of animals |
| B．chimps and elephants have the best memory |
| C．intelligence tests show that the chimp is the cleverest animal |
| D．the scientists designed a huge maze and ran the chimps and elephants through it |
The delayed-response test is designed to test an animal’s _____.
| A．eyesight | B．intelligence | C．learning ability | D．memory |
The passage tells that elephants _____.
| A．never forget things | B．are more clever than chimps |
| C．are slower-moving than chimps | D．have better memories than chimps |
According to the passage, a rhinoceros (犀牛) that weighs 2100 pounds, and has a 3-pound brain is _____.
| A．as clever as a chimp | B．more clever than an elephant |
| C．less clever than an elephant | D．as clever as an elephant |
Mark had been scolded before for touching his father’s equipment. But his curiosity was difficult to control and this new computer really puzzled him.
It was a strange-looking machine — one his dad had brought home from the laboratory where he worked. “It’s an experimental model,” his father had explained, so don’t touch it under any circumstances.” But his father’s warning only served to make Mark more curious. Without any further thought, Mark turned on the power switch. The computer burst into life and seconds later, the screen turned into colours, shifting and changing, and then two big white words appeared in the centre of the screen: “SPACE TRANSPORTER.”
“Yes!” Mark cried excitedly, “It’s a computer game. I knew it! Dad’s only been pretending to work. He’s really been playing games instead!” A new message appeared on the screen:
“ENTER NAMES
VOYAGE １
VOYAGE ２
Mark’s finger flew across the keyboard as he typed in both of their names.
“INPUT ACCEPTED.
START TRANSPORT PROGRAM.
AUTO-RETRIEVE INITIATED(自动回收程序已启动).”
The screen turned even brighter and a noise suddenly rose in volume.
“I think we’d better shut it off, Mark,” Jason yelled out in terror, reaching for the power switch. A beam(光束) of dazzling white light burst out of the computer screen, wrapping the boys in its glow(光芒)，until they themselves seemed to be glowing. Then it died down just as suddenly as it had burst into life. And the boys were no longer there. On the screen, the letters changed：
“TRANSPORT SUCCESSFUL．
DESTINATION: MARS.
RETRIEVE DATE: 2025Why did Mark touch the computer against his father’s warning?
| A．He wanted to take a voyage. | B．He wanted to practice his skills. |
| C．He was so much attracted by it. | D．He was eager to do an experiment. |
Where did the boy’s father most likely work?
| A．In an electronic factory. | B．In a computer company. |
| C．In a scientific research center. | D．In an information processing center. |
Mark thought “SPACE TRANSPORTER” on the screen was the name of ________.
| A．a computer game | B．a company website |
| C．a software producer | D．an astronomy program |
Why did Jason want to shut off the computer?
| A．He was afraid of being scolded. |
| B．He didn’t like the loud noise and light. |
| C．He didn’t want to play games. |
| D．He was afraid something dangerous might happen. |
What happened to the boys at the end of the story?
| A．They were blown into the air. |
| B．They were sent to another planet. |
| C．They were hidden in the strong light. |
| D．They were carried away to another country. |
When I was young, I went looking for gold in California. I never found enough to make a rich strike. But I did discover a beautiful part of the country called Stanislau. Like Heaven on Earth, it had bright green hills and deep forests where soft winds touched the trees. By the time I arrived, the charming paradise had been deserted because miners’ good luck didn’t last.
Then, I realized I was not alone after all.
A man was smiling at me as he stood in front of his little house. Its front yard was full of blue and yellow flowers. White curtains hung from the windows and floated in the soft summer wind.
Still smiling, the man invited me inside. My spirit seemed to come to life again. I saw a bright rug on the shining wooden floor. And on little tables there were seashells, books and china vases full of flowers. A woman had made this house into a home. The delight in my heart showed on my face. The man read my thoughts. “All her work.” He said affectionately, “Nothing here hasn’t felt the touch of her hand.”
One picture on the wall was not hanging straight. He went to fix it. He stepped back several times to make sure the picture was straight. Then he gave it a gentle touch. “She always does that,” he explained, “It is like the finishing pat a mother gives her child’s hair after she has brushed it. I don’t know why I do it. I just do it.”
As he talked, I went to a little black-walnut shelf that held a small picture of the most beautiful creature I had ever seen. There was a sweetness and softness in the woman’s expression. The man stared at the picture. “Nineteen her last birthday. That was the day we married. When you see her...ah, just wait until you meet her!” “Where is she now?” I asked. “Oh, she is away visiting her parents. This is Wednesday,” he said slowly. “She will be back on Saturday, in the evening.”
That night, I stayed. The man told me his name was Henry.
Thursday evening we had two visitors, Tom and Joe. “We just drop over to ask when little madam is coming home. Any news from her?” “Oh yes,” the man replied. “A letter.” He took a yellowed letter out of his wallet and read it. It was full of loving messages. While reading, he glimpsed his friends and cried out, “Oh no, you are doing it again, Tom! Take your hands away and let me see your eyes. I’m going to tell her this time!” “No, you mustn’t do that, Henry,” the grey-haired miner said. “I am getting old. And any little sorrow makes me cry. Lord, we miss her so.”
Saturday finally came.
I was glad to see his two friends, Tom and Joe, with guitars, coming down the road as the sun began to set. They put the flowers they brought in vases and began to play some fast and lively songs.
Henry’s friends kept giving him glasses of whiskey. When I reached for one of the two remaining glasses, Tom stopped my arm. “Drop that! Take the other.” he whispered. I did so. Henry was served last. He had hardly swallowed his drink when the clock struck midnight. His face grew pale and paler. “Boys,” he said, “I am sick with fear. Help! I want to lie down.” Henry was asleep almost before the words were out of his mouth.
In a moment, those handy men had his clothes off and tucked him into his bed. They seemed to be getting ready to leave. So I said, “Please don’t go, gentlemen. She won’t know me. I am a stranger.” They glanced at each other. Then Joe said, “She? Poor thing, she’s been dead nineteen years!” “Dead?” I whispered. “That or worse.” he said.
“She went to see her folks half a year after she got married. On her way back, on a Saturday evening in June, when she was almost here, the Indians captured her. She’s never been heard of since. Henry went insane. But he only gets bad when that time of year comes round. Then we drop in here, three days before she’s due, to encourage him up and listen to him read the letter. Saturday we all come and get everything ready for a dance. We’ve done it for nineteen years. The first Saturday there were twenty-seven of us, but only two now. We drug him to sleep through the night. Then he’s all right for another year.”
The two old men opened the door and disappeared into the darkness of Stanislau.You can sense the existence of a woman from the following sentences EXCEPT “______”.
| A．Soft winds touched the trees in Stanislau. |
| B．There was a bright rug on the shining wooden floor. |
| C．There were seashells, books and china vases full of flowers. |
| D．A little black shelf held a small picture of a woman. |
Tom cried when Henry read the yellowed letter, because ______.
| A．he was getting older and older |
| B．he was moved by the loving messages in the letter |
| C．he felt sad at the thought of Henry’s wife |
| D．he was disappointed that Henry’s wife would arrive so late |
Tom stopped my reaching for whiskey because ______.
| A．there was not enough whiskey for Henry | B．he didn’t want me to get drunk |
| C．that glass of whiskey was drugged | D．it was for Henry’s wife |
The underlined word “insane” probably means “______”.
| A．depressed | B．disappointed | C．mad | D．sick |
It can be inferred from the passage that ______.
| A．Henry’s wife was 38 when she was last seen |
| B．Tom and Joe have heard the letter many times |
| C．the author stayed in Henry’s house because he was lost |
| D．the two miners came on Saturday to share past memories |
The story is mainly about ______.
| A．ever-lasting love | B．lifelong friendship |
| C．an unforgettable experience | D．charming Stanislau |
SAN FRANCISCO—A phone app (应用程序) in San Francisco gives information about open parking spots. City officials in San Francisco introduced the app to try to reduce traffic jams in the city, but some say it raises safety concerns.
In this city, drivers searching for parking spots lead to 30 percent of all downtown jams, city officials think. Now San Francisco has found a solution—a phone app for spot-seekers that displays information about areas with available spaces. The system, introduced last month, relies on wireless sensors (感应器) fixed in streets and city garages that can tell within seconds if a spot has opened up.
Monique Soltani, a TV reporter, said she and her sister spent 25 minutes on Friday trying to park. “We were praying to the parking god that we’d find a spot,” she said. “If we had the app, we would not have to pray to the parking god.” But the system could come with serious consequences.
Some people say that drivers searching for parking could end up focusing on their phones, not the road. “It could be really distracting (使分心的),” said Daniel Simons, a professor of psychology at the University of Illinois.
City officials acknowledge the potential problem. They are urging drivers to pull over before they use the city’s iPhone app, or to do so before they leave home. Nathaniel Ford, executive director of the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, said safety could actually improve if drivers quickly found a spot instead of circling and getting frustrated.
San Francisco has put sensors into 7,000 parking spots and 12,250 spots in city garages. If spaces in an area open up, the sensors communicate wirelessly with computers that in turn make the information available to app users within a minute, said Mr. Ford, of the transportation agency. On the app, a map shows which blocks have lots of places (blue) and which are full (red).
More than 12,000 people have downloaded San Francisco’s app, which is available now only for the iPhone but which city officials say they hope to bring to all similar devices.
When it is started up, the city’s parking app warns drivers not to use the system while in motion. But safety advocates said that might not be sufficient. After all, they say, texting while driving is illegal in California and in many states, but a number of surveys, including one by the Pew Research Center, show that many Americans do it anyway.
Elizabeth Stampe, executive director of Walk San Francisco, a pedestrian advocacy group, said she hoped the new parking app would lead to fewer accidents.
“It’s an innovative idea,” she said. “The safe way for people to use the device is for them to pull over, which they know they should do. The question is whether they will.”
But Ms. Soltani, the TV reporter, said using the app would probably join the group of activities already performed by drivers.
“We’re already looking at Google Maps and Facebook on the phone while we drive,” she said. “Aren’t we always looking at something on our phone, or changing the radio, or drinking coffee? You’re always slightly distracted when you’re driving.”What is the phone app mentioned in the text mainly aimed at?
| A．Making full use of the parking spots. |
| B．Making the traffic flow smoothly. |
| C．Preventing traffic accidents. |
| D．Benefiting iPhone users. |
According to the text, San Francisco city officials ______.
| A．don’t consider the app distracting |
| B．advise drivers to park cars slowly |
| C．are aware of the app’s disadvantages |
| D．believe more parking spots are needed |
How do drivers locate the parking spots?
| A．Sensors"computers"app. | B．App"computers"sensors. |
| C．Sensors"app"computers. | D．Computers"app"sensors. |
The phone app mentioned in the text ______.
| A．is a bit slow in reacting |
| B．hasn’t been put into service |
| C．was introduced several years ago |
| D．can’t be downloaded to all phones |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the text?
| A．Daniel Simons thinks the app convenient. |
| B．San Francisco will put more sensors into use. |
| C．Most drivers open the app once they start their cars. |
| D．Nathaniel Ford doesn’t doubt the practical use of the app. |
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