It’s an image that might make Saddam Hussein proud.A frightened prisoner,head covered and dressed in rags,electrodes attached to the fingers of his out-strectched hands.He’s been forced to stand on a box and,if he falls off,his captors have told him that he’ll be electrocuted(触电致死).
The prisoner was an Iraqi and his torturers were American soldiers who were sent to the country to liberate the Iraqi people.This unpleasant image was one of a series of photographs leaked by a US soldier.He was working at a US Prisoner of War(POW) camp,which used to be Saddam’s punishment centre.Since the pictures were shown on the American news programmer “60 Minutes Ⅱ” on April 28,they have caused shock and anger in the US and abroad.Despite US President George W. Bush’s promise to punish the responsible soldiers,the country’s image in the Middle East could be damaged forever.
“The liberators are worse than the dictators,”said Abdel-Bari Atwan,editor of the Arab newspaper Al Quds Al Arabi.“They have not just lost the hearts and minds of Iraqis but of people in all developing countries.”
UN secretary-General Kofi Annan said he was “deeply disturbed” by the pictures and hoped it was a single incident.However,similar photographs have appeared in British newspapers of British soldiers torturing Iraqis.
Any kind of torture, or mistreatment of prisoners is forbidden under the Geneva Conventions.
The first agreement was signed by 16 European countries in 1864 in Geneva,Switzerland.It was intended to protect wounded soldiers on land and limit human suffering in times of armed conflict.Further rules were added to cover the treatment of soldiers at sea,and prisoners of war.The entire set was accepted in 1949 and has since been accepted by nearly 200 countries.
57.The passage is about________.
A.how American soliders treated POWs
B.America’s global image
C.photos of POW mistreatment
D.international reactions to the photos being released
58.Why might such photos make Saddam Hussein proud?
A.He could be crueler than the torturers in the photo.
B.It showed the so-called liberators were worse than him.
C.They were taken in his punishment centre.
D.They could damage the image of the US in the Middle East forever.
59.According to the article,who had a hand in the mistreatments of Iraqi soldiers?
A.Saddam Hussein. B.British soldiers.
C.American soldiers. D.Both B and C.
60.Which of the following is wrong about the Geneva Conventions?
A.Over 200 countries have accepted the Conventions so far.
B.They make sure wounded soldiers get proper treatment.
C.They were named after the place where the first agreement was signed.
D.The Conventions show that the US soldiers acted wrongly.
Long long ago, there was a small seed（种子）. Because it was only a seed, nobody noticed it. Thus, feeling inferior (低级的), the seed gave no importance to his existence. Then one day, a wind picked him up and threw him on an open field in the sun. Later, he was given rain. Years later he saw a traveler sitting by his side. "Thank you God for this. I really needed some rest," he heard the traveler say. "What are you talking about?" the seed quickly asked. He thought the man was making fun of him. No one ever spoke to him like that. "Who just spoke?" the shocked man asked. "It is me, a seed." "A seed?" the man looked at the big tree. "Are you joking? You are no seed. You are a big tree!" "Really?" "Yes! Why else do you think people come here?" "What do they come here for?" "To feel your shade (树阴)! Don’t tell me you didn’t know you had grown over time. "A moment passed. The seed thought and smiled for the first time in his life. The years of torture (磨难) by the sun and the rain finally helped him grow up. "Oh! That means I’m not a little seed anymore! I was actually born to make people feel comfortable. Wow! That’s great! "The seed didn’t realize the importance of his existence because ______.
| A．nobody looked after him |
| B．he didn’t believe in himself |
| C．he was such a small seed |
| D．he was thrown into the open air |
The traveler sat by the seed’s side to ______.
| A．escape from the rain |
| B．thank God for offering him a tree |
| C．have a rest and enjoy the shade |
| D．talk with the big tree |
The author’s purpose of writing the passage is to ____.
| A．tell us that we should help each other |
| B．praise the seed for his strength |
| C．teach us a lesson: never laugh at others |
| D．tell us that we should never lose hope |
Where does the passage most probably come from?
| A．A storybook. | B．A science book. |
| C．A history book. | D．A novel. |
You are watching a film in which two men are having a fight. They hit one another hard. At the start they only fight with their fists. But soon they begin hitting one another over the heads with chairs. And so it goes on until one of the men crashes through a window and falls thirty feet to the ground below. He is dead!Of course he isn't really dead. With any luck he isn't even hurt. Why? Because the men who fall out of high windows or jump from fast moving trains are professionals. They do this for a living. These men are called stuntmen. That is to say, they perform tricks. There are two sides to their work. They actually do most of the things you see on the screen. For example, they fall from a high building. However, they do not fall on to hard ground but on to empty cardboard boxes covered with a mattress (床垫). Again, when they hit one another with chairs, the chairs are made of soft wood and when they crash through windows, the glass is made of sugar! But although their work depends on trick of this sort, it also requires a high degree of skill and training. Often a stuntman' s success depends on careful timing. For example, when he is "blown up" in a battle scene, he has to jump out of the way of the explosion just at the right moment.
Naturally stuntmen are well paid for their work, but they lead dangerous lives. They often get seriously injured, and sometimes killed. A Norwegian stuntman, for example, skied over the edge of a cliff (悬崖) a thousand feet high. His parachute failed to open, and he was killed. In spite of all the risks, this is no longer a profession for men only. Men no longer dress up as women when actresses have to perform some dangerous action. For nowadays there are stuntgirls too.Stuntmen are those who ______.
| A．often dress up as actors |
| B．prefer to lead dangerous lives |
| C．often perform seemingly dangerous actions |
| D．often fight each other for their lives |
Stuntmen earn their living by ______.
| A．playing their dirty tricks |
| B．selling their special skills |
| C．jumping out of high windows |
| D．jumping from fast moving trains |
Which of the following is the main factor of a successful performance?
| A．Strength. | B．Speed. |
| C．Exactness. | D．Carefulness. |
What can be inferred from the authors example of the Norwegian stuntman?
| A．Sometimes an accident can occur to a stuntman. |
| B．The percentage of serious accidents is high. |
| C．Parachutes must be of good quality. |
| D．The cliff is too high. |
February has long been a month of romance. With the sweet smell of roses in the air, romantic films hit cinemas and love stories fill newspapers and magazines.
On the 14th day, it is a custom for a boy to take his girlfriend out to dinner, buy her flowers and chocolates, write poems, sing to her or even spell out her name with rose petals! This is what you see on Valentines Day, a day named after Valentine who was a priest in the third century Rome. When the emperor decided that single men could become better soldiers than those with wives, he didnt allow marriage.
But Valentine continued to perform marriage ceremonies for young lovers secretly. When his actions were discovered, the emperor sentenced him to death. While in prison, it is said that Valentine fell in love with the daughter of his prison guard. Before his death, he wrote her a letter, which he signed From your Valentine, an expression that is still in use today. Valentine died for what he believed in and so he was made a Saint (圣徒), as well as becoming one of history’s most romantic characters.
Nowadays, Valentine’s Day is also popular among Chinese young people. Some students are planning to make Valentine’s cards for parents, teachers and friends. Others want to hold parties at which they will exchange small gifts and eat heart-shaped cakes. The idea is to have fun and encourage people to share in the spirit of St. Valentine.On the 14th day, a boy will do the following things for his girlfriend but not _________.
| A．marry her. |
| B．buy her flowers and chocolates. |
| C．write poems, sing to her or even spelling out her name with rose petals |
| D．take her out to dinner. |
Why did the emperor in Rome not allow marriage in his country?
| A．Because he thought men without wives could be better soldiers |
| B．Because there were few women in his country at that time. |
| C．Because there wasnt enough food for so many people. |
| D．Because he wanted to control the birth rate. |
Valentine was put into prison because ______.
| A．he killed one of the soldiers |
| B．he stole a lot of food |
| C．he didnt obey the emperors order |
| D．he didnt want to be a soldier |
The last paragraph mainly tells us ______.
| A．students in China send cards to their teachers |
| B．it is a good idea to celebrate Valentine’s Day in China |
| C．it is interesting to celebrate Valentine’s Day in China |
| D．Valentine’s Day is also popular in China now |
The kings of ancient Egypt built strong tombs to keep their bodies safe after death and to hold their treasures. The Great Pyramid was built thousands of years ago for a king called Khufu. It is located on the west bank of Nile River not far from Cairo. In fact all the pyramids along the Nile are on its west bank. The ancient Egyptians compared the rising of the sun to the beginning of life and the setting of the sun to the end of life. This is why their dead bodies were buried on the west bank of the Nile. The people of Mexico also built pyramids. They did not build the pyramids for tombs. They used to build a pyramid and then a temple on top of it. The pyramids of Mexico are not as high as the pyramids of Egypt, but they are big. Each of the pyramids has a wide stairway that goes from the bottom to the top.
The biggest pyramid in Mexico is almost 2000 years old. Scientists think it took 10,000 men more than ten yeas to build it. On the top they build a temple of the sun. The temple is no longer there but people still called it the Pyramid of the Sun.Near it is another huge pyramid, the Pyramid
of the Moon.In ancient Egypt pyramids were built __________.
| A．for visitors to see | B．for kings to live in |
| C．for king Khufu | D．as the kings’ tombs |
All the pyramids along the Nile are on its west bank, because in ancient Egypt people thought __________.
| A．they died in the west |
| B．the sun sets in the west |
| C．the end of their lives was like the setting of the sun |
| D．they would go to the west after death |
The Pyramid of the Sun was built_________.
A. in 100 B. in the second century
C. 100 years B.C D. before the first centuryWhich of the following is wrong?
| A．The kings of ancient Egypt built strong tombs only to hold treasures. |
| B．The ancient Egyptians compared the rising of the sun to the beginning of life and the setting of the sun to the end of life. |
| C．The biggest pyramid in Mexico is nearly 2000 years old. |
| D．Near the Pyramid of the Sun, there is the Pyramid of the Moon. |
B
Good afternoon, and welcome to England. We hope that your visit here will be a pleasant one. Today, I would draw your attention to a few of our laws.
The first one is drinking. Now, you may not buy wine in this country if you are under 18 years of age, nor may your friends buy it for you.
Secondly, noise. Enjoy yourselves by all means, but please don’t make unnecessary noise, particularly at night. We ask you to respect other people who may wish to be quiet.
Thirdly, crossing the road. Be careful, the traffic moves on the left side of the road in this country. Use pedestrian crossing and don’t take any chance when crossing the road.
My next point is about rubbish. It isn’t lawful to drop rubbish in the street. When you have something to throw away, please put it in your pocket and take it home, or put it in a dustbin.
Finally, as regards smoking, it is against law to buy cigarettes or tobacco if you are under 16 years of age.
Ilike to finish by saying that if you require any sort of help or assistance, you should contact the police, who will be pleased to help you. You can call, write or directly go to ask any policeman.Who do you think is most likely to make the speech?
| A．A teacher | B．A person who makes the law |
| C．A guide | D．An English officer |
How many laws are there discussed in the speech?
| A．Three | B．Four | C．Five | D．Six |
The main purpose of this speech is to _________ .
| A．tell people those above 18 can smoke and drink there |
| B．give advice to travelers to the country |
| C．declare the different laws of England |
| D．warn people against going to the country |
From the speech we have learnt that _________.
| A．in the country, if you are 18 years of age, you may not buy wine, but your friends can buy it for you |
| B．you may not buy cigarettes or tobacco unless you are above 16 years of age |
| C．because the traffic moves on the left side of the road, you must use pedestrian when crossing the road |
| D．you can’t make a noise except at night |
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