Modern zoos are different from those built fifty years ago. Those zoos were places where people could go to see animals from many parts of the world. The animals lived in cages with iron bars. Although the zoo keepers took good care of them, many of the animals did not feel comfortable, and they often felt ill.
In modern zoos, people can see animals in more natural conditions. The animals are given more freedom 
in nature. Even the appearance of zoos has changed. Trees and grass grow in cages, and water flows through the places the animal live in. there are few bars; instead, there is often a deep ditch, filled with water, which surrounds a space where several sorts of animals live toge
ther as they world naturally. In an American zoo, the visitor can walk through a huge special cage that is filled with trees, some small animals and many birds, and large enough for birds
to live naturally. In a 
zoo in New York, with the us of special night, people can observe certain animals that are active only at night, when most zoos are closed. Some zoos have special places for visitors to watch animals that live in the desert or under water.
Modern zoos not only show animals to visitors, but also keep and save rare animals. For this reason, fifty years from now, the grandchildren of today’s visitors will still be able to enjoy watching these animalsIt seems that ______ is something most important for animals.
A eating good food B. living in cages
C. living with other animals D. living in natural co
nditionsIn modern zoos __________.
A．different kinds of animals are kept separately. |
| B．Animals are no longer taken good care of. |
| C．Animals have more freedom |
| D．visitors can walk where they live |
In modern zoos ___________ feel comfortable.
| A．the animals, the zoos keepers | B．the visitors, not the animals |
| C．neither visitors nor animals | D．both visitors and the animals |
In some zoos people can ____________.
| A．walk through huge special cages to watch all sots of animals |
| B．see animals which live in special conditions |
| C．during the day observe animals that are active at night. |
| D．Watch all rare animals that may ot be seen in the future |
The main idea of the passage is that __________.
| A．zoos are now places where animals can live naturally |
| B．zoos are places where people can see animals from all over the world |
| C．there should be old and modern zoos alike |
| D．rare animals may soon die out |
More and more people are annoyed at the continually rising house prices. They want to know who is to blame for it. Local governments, developers and speculators share a vested interest in it. People who are really in need of homes are most likely to suffer heavy losses.
Many local governments depend on selling land to keep its normal operation. The higher land prices, the more money. Therefore, developers back the local governments by buying land at high prices. In return, the governments make favorable policies to help the developers. For example, drive all the possible home buyers to this nasty market. They even encourage large numbers of speculators to catch more people.
Rising house prices have already become the fence which divides the Chinese society. It has caused widespread dissatisfaction. The government will lose the support of the common people if leaving house prices out of control. Besides, rising house prices willstop us building the new country side as the present policy actually forbid people to flow freely from cities to the countryside.
Collecting taxes on houses can fundamentally solve this problem. On one hand, it will discourage the speculators. On the other hand, it will offer a stable tax resource apart from reducing the sales cost of the developers. Secondly, stop the developers selling the houses before completion. If so, the developers will certainly try their best to sell all their houses once completed. And this will also lower speculators' expectation of price rising, which will decrease speculations.The only victims of rising house prices are __________.
| A．governments |
| B．real home buyers |
| C．developers |
| D．speculators |
The local governments reward the developers by __________.
| A．offering enough land |
| B．allowing sales in advance |
| C．providing enough buyers |
| D．making favorable policies |
We can infer from the passage that continually rising house. prices will __________.
| A．benefit the government |
| B．draw more home buyers |
| C．help the housing industry develop soundly |
| D．affect the sound development of the Chinese society |
Collecting taxes on houses has all the following effects except __________.
| A．making the developers do their best to sell their houses |
| B．cutting down speculations |
| C．supplying a stable tax resource for the government |
| D．decreasing the sales cost |
In my profession as an educator and health care provider, I have worked with numerous children infected with the virus that causes AIDS. The relationships that I have had with these special kids have been gifts in my life. They have taught me so many things, but I have especially learned that great courage can be found in the smallest of packages. Let me tell you about Tyler.
Tyler was born infected with HIV: his mother was also infected. From the very beginning of his life, he was dependent on medications to enable him to survive. When he was five, he had a tube surgically inserted in a vein in his chest. This tube was connected to a pump, which he carried in a small backpack on his back. Medications were hooked up to this pump and were continuously supplied through this tube to his bloodstream. At times, he also needed supplemented oxygen to support his breathing.
Tyler wasn't willing to give up one single moment of his childhood to this deadly disease. It was not unusual to find him playing and racing around his backyard, wearing his medicine-laden backpack and dragging his tank of oxygen behind him in his little wagon. All of us who knew Tyler marveled at his pure joy in being alive and the energy it gave him. Tyler's mom often teased him by telling him that he moved so fast that she needed to dress him in red. That way, when she peered through the window to check on him playing in the yard, she could quickly spot him.
This dreaded disease eventually wore down even the likes of a little dynamo like Tyler. He grew quite ill and, unfortunately, so did his HIV-infected mother. When it became apparent that he wasn't going to survive, Tyler's mom talked to him about death. She comforted him by telling Tyler that she was dying too, and that she would be with him soon in heaven.
A few days before his death, Tyler beckoned me over to his hospital bed and whispered, "l might die soon. I'm not scared. When I die, please dress me in red. Mom promised she's coming to heaven, too. I'll be playing when she gets there, and I want to make sure she can find me."What is the boy Tyler's attitude towards death?
| A．Pessimistic. |
| B．Optimistic. |
| C．Sorrowful. |
| D．Fearful. |
Tyler requested the writer to dress him in red when he died simply because __________.
| A．red is a lucky color |
| B．red might help to cure him |
| C．his mom could spot him easily |
| D．he could find more mates by wearing red |
Which of the following might serve as a possible title for this passage?
| A．My Unusual Profession |
| B．A Caring Mother |
| C．Mother and Son |
| D．Dying in Red |
The underlined word "dynamo" in the fourth paragraph here means "__________".
| A．a promising and helpful youth |
| B．an extremely energetic person |
| C．a rare and beautiful flower |
| D．a magic and understanding superstar |
Students are being forced to take additional exams to get into leading universities because good A-levels do not always indicate the brightest candidates. Sixth formers applying to courses such as medicine and law are being asked to sit American-style aptitude (智能) tests, which are designed to assess (评价) thinking skills, among fears that too many A-level candidates are getting top grades. Last year, almost one in six students applying to universities such as Oxford and Cambridge from independent schools had to sit additional tests to secure a place.
Head teachers criticized the move, which they said would pile more pressure on schools and students. But universities insisted that the reforms were unavoidable, because A-level exams were no longer an accurate barometer (标准) of ability.
In 1986, 40 percent of students starting at Oxford achieved straight As at A-level. Mike Nicholson, its admissions director, said that this year almost every candidate offered a place would get perfect grades. It meant the university had to stage additional tests to identify the most able candidates. "The ability to achieve three A grades is no longer the end-point in the admissions process," he said. "The potential to achieve three A grades will allow them to enter the race for a place."
Oxford is not the only university turning to aptitude tests. At Cambridge, the number of students taking the university's Thinking Skills Assessment shot up 26 percent to more than 3, 000. A survey of 16, 830 sixth formers applying to higher education from private schools last year showed that 2, 860 had to sit at least one exam.
Earlier this year, the National Foundation for Educational Research recommended that most sixth formers should sit SAT tests —a standard reasoning exam widely used in American colleges—to make iteasier to pick out the best candidates.What is the attitude of head teachers to the reform?
| A．Approving. |
| B．Doubtful. |
| C．Opposed. |
| D．Neutral (中立的) |
Which British university first started to use aptitude tests to pick out the best candidates?
| A．Harvard. |
| B．Oxford. |
| C．Cambridge. |
| D．Washington |
What can we know about the A-level system?
| A．It can indicate the brightest candidates. |
| B．It was designed to assess students' thinking abilities. |
| C．It is longer an accurate way to assess students' abilities. |
| D．It was recommended by the National Foundation for Educational Research. |
What can we infer from the passage?
| A．The reform is more popular in American colleges than in British ones. |
| B．The reform will be applied by all universities in the future. |
| C．Universities used to depend on the A-level system to choose the best students. |
| D．Passing additional tests will allow the student to enter Oxford, regardless of whether he or she gets As. |
What is the passage mainly about?
| A．How to get into leading universities. |
| B．The disadvantages of the A-level system. |
| C．Different ways to identify students' abilities. |
| D．Universities using extra exams to choose students. |
Choose Your Virginia
Rock House Museum
Rock House Museum. Take a journey through history with a visit to the exciting museum and historic sites of Wytheville. The Rock House Museum offers glimpses into daily life in the 19th century. The museum is part of the 50 structures featured in Wytheville's Historic Walking Tour. 540/223-3330.
Natural Bridge of Virginia
Natural Bridge of Virginia, one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World. Caverns of Natural Bridge, guided tours of underground wonders; Natural Bridge Inn & Conference Center, Indoor Heated Pool, largest Gift & Souvenir Shop in the East. Information 800/533-1410.
Grand Caverns
Grand Caverns is America's oldest showcave. Beautiful and massive formations. Union troops visited the caverns. Thomas Jefferson visited—you should too! Open weekends in March, daily April～October, 9 am～5 pm. Hour tours leave every 30 minutes. 703/249-5705.
The News Museum
The News Museum in Arlington, the world's only interactive (互动) museum of news. Visitors can be reporters or television newscasters, see today's news as it happens on a block-long video news wall, and be takenbehind the scenes to see how news is made. The news museum is open Wednesday through Sunday from 10 am～5 pm. 888/NEWSEUM.www.Newsmuseum. Org
Kenmore Plantation & Gardens
Kenmore Plantation & Gardens, visit over two hundred years of history from the Revolutionary War, Civil War and into the 21st century. Home of Betty Washington, George Washington's only sister, and Patriot Col, Fielding Lewis. Explore this historic building and city block of restored gardens. Tea and ginger cookies served.540/373-3381.
Virginia Beach
Virginia Beach offers 11，000 hotel/motel rooms, plus cottages and campgrounds. Enjoy miles of clean beaches and a variety of family attractions. Fine restaurants, various shopping areas, exciting nightlife, and special events are offered throughout the year. 800/ 822-3224.What is the author's purpose in writing this passage?
| A．To attract tourists to Virginia. |
| B．To encourage people to settle in Virginia. |
| C．To introduce historic sites in Virginia. |
| D．To give people a general description of Virginia. |
What way is the News Museum different from Rock House Museum?
| A．It is larger. |
| B．It is more exciting. |
| C．Visitors can act in it. |
| D．Visitors can see more in it. |
If you want to enjoy yourself in the evening, you may go to __________.
| A．The News Museum |
| B．Kenmore Plantation & Gardens |
| C．Grand Caverns |
| D．Virginia Beach |
Which of the following places is not open in the winter months?
| A．Natural Bridge of Virginia. |
| B．Grand Caverns. |
| C．Virginia Beach. |
| D．Kenmore Plantation & Gardens. |
Which of the following is NOT true about Virginia Beach?
| A．Tourists can camp in the open air. |
| B．Tourists can enjoy some special events there. |
| C．Tourists can not go there in their own cars. |
| D．Tourists can enjoy themselves on the clean beach. |
"Our aim is to take our art to the world and make people understand what it is to move," said David Belle, the founder of parkour (跑酷).
Do you love running? It is a good exercise, yet many people find it boring. But what if making your morning jog a creative one? Like jumping from walls and over gaps, and ground rolls? Just like the James Bond in the movie Casino Royale, Bond jumps down from a roof to a windowsill and then runs several blocks over obstacles on the way. It is just because of Bond's wonderful performances that the sport has become popular worldwide.
Yes, that's parkour, an extreme street sport aimed at moving from one point to another as quickly as possible, getting over all the obstacles in the path using only the abilities of the human body. Parkour isconsidered an extreme sport. As its participants dash around a city, they may jump over fences, run up walls and even move from rooftop to rooftop.
Parkour can be just as exciting and charming as it sounds, but its participants see parkour much more than that.
Overcoming all the obstacles on the course and in life is part of the philosophy (理念) behind parkour. This is the same as life. You must determine your destination, go straight, jump over all the barriers as if in parkour and never fall back from them in your life, to reach the destination successfully. A parkour lover said, "I love parkour because its philosophy has become my life, my way to do everything."
Another philosophy we've learnt from parkour is freedom. It can be done by anyone, at any time, anywhere in the world. It is a kind of expression of trust in yourself that you earn energy and confidence.Parkour has become popular throughout the world because of __________.
| A．its founder, David Belle |
| B．the film Casino Royale |
| C．its risks and tricks |
| D．the varieties of participants |
The underlined word "obstacles" in Paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to "__________".
| A．streets |
| B．objects |
| C．barriers |
| D．roofs |
Which of the following is true of parkour?
| A．It challenges human abilities. |
| B．It is a good but boring sport. |
| C．It needs special training. |
| D．It is a team sport. |
As its participants move around a city, __________.
| A．they can ask for help |
| B．they may choose to escape |
| C．they should run to extremes |
| D．they must learn to survive |
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