The house was quiet at 5 am and Tim’s mother was asleep. Only the sound of the big freezer broke the quiet. He’d dreamt of the cave last night. The purring（轻微颤动声）of the freezer had been the sea .
Tim pulled on a sweater and put some apples into his schoolbag. It was too early for breakfast. He’d eat after he’d been through the cave, sitting on the rocks and staring at the sea.
He wished he had a proper pack. His schoolbag would have to do. What else? Sandwiches—but his mother might wake up if he started pulling out bread for sandwiches, she’d want to know why he had to leave so early. He settled for some biscuits, and left a note stuck to the table:
Gone to Michael’s. Back tonight. Tim.
The sky was high and soft and light outside, though the sun still wasn’t up. Even the highway up the hill was quiet as he made his way down the street. The wind from the sea was fresh and sweet.
The sandhills still breathed heat from yesterday’s sun, though the top of the sand was cool. He ran down to the beach impatiently, but there was no one, just dry sand dancing in the early wind and seabirds marching up and down watching the waves.
The light changed suddenly. The first rays of sunlight stretched（延伸）across the sea . The sun was pushing its way over the edge of the world.
Over the first rocks, along to the point. Tim glanced back. The beach was still empty. The sun sailed higher in the sky.
He could see the cave now, even darker in the morning light. The sand turned silver then dark gold as the water flowed away from it. He had to force himself to go closer. Why was it so much more mysterious now ? But it would be silly to go back now after so much trouble. He needn’t go in all the way …“ He settled for some biscuits ”（in Paragraph 3）means that Tim_______.
| A．had to leave the biscuits on the table |
| B．liked biscuits better than sandwiches |
| C．had to take biscuits instead of sandwiches |
| D．could only find some biscuits in the kitchen |
What made it possible for Tim to see the entry to the cave?
| A．The height of the first rocks. |
| B．The ups and downs of the waves. |
| C．The change in the position of the sun. |
| D．The vast stretch of the sunlit beach. |
Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the story?
| A．The sea looked like a piece of gold. |
| B．Seabirds flew away when Tim arrived. |
| C．Tim was the only person on the beach. |
| D．The sky got dark as Tim reached the cave. |
In the story , Tim’s mood changed from_______..
| A．loneliness to craziness | B．anxiousness to excitement |
| C．helplessness to happiness | D．eagerness to nervousness |
Some people don't believe that driving more slowly can save lives．But the truth is that driving more slowly can help a person to avoid serious accidents．
The above chart（表格） shows the distance that it takes to stop a car at a given speed．The distance is measured in feet．The shaded area（阴影部分） shows the driver's thinking distance．That's the distance it takes for the driver to react to a danger that he sees．The white area shows the car's braking distance．That's the distance it takes for the car to stop once the brakes（闸、刹车） are used．The number at the top of each bar shows the total number of feet that it takes to stop the carAccording to the chart, what is the total number of feet needed to stop a car that is traveling at 50 miles per hour?
| A．55． | B．73． | C．128． | D．183． |
What is the braking distance for a car that is travelling at 60 miles per hour?
| A．66 feet． | B．119 feet． | C．185 feet． | D．251 feet． |
Which of the following statements about braking and speed is true?
| A．The braking distance is what it takes for the driver to react to a danger that he sees． |
| B．The speed of a car has a direct effect on the distance needed to stop the car． |
| C．The braking distance increases only when a driver drives faster than 50 miles per hour. |
| D．Driving slowly can help a person to avoid all accidents |
What do you want to be when you grow up? A teacher? A doctor? How about an ice-cream taster? Yes, there really is a job where you can get paid to taste ice-cream. Just ask John Harrison, an “Official Taste Tester” for the past 21 years. Testing helps manufacturers to be sure of a product’s quality. During his career Harrison has been responsible for approving large quantities of the sweet ice cream — as well as for developing over 75 flavors (味道).
Some people think that it would be easy to do this job, after all, you just have to like ice cream, right? No — there’s more to the job than that, says Harrison, who has a degree in chemistry. He points out that a dairy or food-science degree would be very useful to someone wanting a career in this “cool” field.
In a typical morning on the job, Harrison tastes and assesses 60 ice-cream samples. He lets the ice cream warm up to about 12℉. Harrison explains, “You get more flavor from warmer ice cream, which is why some kids like to stir it, creating ice-cream soup .”While the ice cream warms up, Harrison looks over the samples and grades each one on its appearance. “Tasting begins with the eyes,” he explains. He checks to see if the ice cream is attractive and asks himself, “Does the product have the color expected from that flavor?” Next it’s time to taste!
Continuing to think up new ideas, try out new flavors, and test samples from so many kinds of ice cream each day keeps Harrison busy but happy — working at one cool job. What is John Harrison’s job?
| A．An official. | B．An ice-cream taster. |
| C．A chemist. | D．An ice-cream manufacturer. |
According to John Harrison, to be qualified in the “cool field”, it is helpful to ______.
| A．keep a diary of work | B．have a degree in related subjects |
| C．have new ideas every day | D．find out new flavors each day |
What does Harrison do first when testing ice cream?
| A．He stirs the ice cream. | B．He examines the color of the ice cream. |
| C．He tastes the flavor of the ice cream. | D．He lets the ice cream warm up. |
Which of the following is probably the best title of the passage?
| A．Tasting with Eyes | B．Flavors of Ice Cream |
| C．John Harrison’s Life | D．One Cool Job |
The website YouTube was created in 2005 and became an overnight success.Google bought YouTube for more than $1,600,000 the following year.In May,YouTube announced that two billion videos were watched each day.
In June,the Guggenheim Museum in New York City announced it would hold a competition among YouTube videos.Now,the judges have chosen the top 125 videos.
The Guggenheim and YouTube launched the competition called“YouTube Play.A Biennial(两年一度)of Creative Video.”The information technology companies HP and Intel are supporting the event.23,000 videos entered the competition.They represented 91 countries and every possible style of movie making.
The rules of the competition were few.Video makers had to be eighteen years or older.They could enter only one video.It had to be no more than ten minutes long.Any language,subject,sound,and style were considered.
Eleven people are judging the videos.They include artists,musicians,and filmmakers.Laurie Anderson is all three.She says all her art starts with a story,so she looks for a story as she judges the videos.
Other judges include the filmmaker Darren Aronofsky,the band Animal Collective,and artist and filmmaker,Shirin Neshat.
New Jersey artist Dahlia Elsayed’s video is one of the finalists.She used the camera in her computer to record herself describing her daily food desires for one month.The video is simple,short,and interesting.
A frightening,but beautiful video came from Chile.The video by Niles Atallah,Joaquin Cocina Varas.and Cristobal Leon is called“Luis”.It is an animated ghostly story of a tense,angry boy.It is very dark,but impossible to stop watching.
“Mars to Jupiter”is a video from Canada by Sterling Pache.It is about a survivor of the 1994 genocide(种族屠杀)in Rwanda.The video explores how her past still haunts(萦绕) her.
Other chosen videos are from France,Spain,Taiwan,Australia,and Israel.Almost thirty countries are represented.You can see them if you link to YouTube Play from our website at voaspecialenglish.com.
People can also see the 125 videos at the Guggenheim museums in New York；Bilbao,Spain;Berlin,Germany;and Venice,Italy.
On October 21,the YouTube Play judges will announce the final twenty winning videos at a special event at the Guggenheim in New York.The Videos will be on View there until October 24.Accoding to the text,YouTube might be
.
| A．a video sharing website |
| B．a supporting company of the event |
| C．a museum in New York City |
| D．a frightening,but beautiful video |
Who were supposed to enter the contest according to the text?
| A．Video makers in English—speaking countries. |
| B．Video makers from New York City. |
| C．Video makers all over the world. |
| D．Video makers under the age of 18. |
Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the text?
| A．The rules of the competition were quite complicated. |
| B．Twenty videos will finally be picked out as the best. |
| C．The style of video was strictly limited. |
| D．Only artists can judge the competitio. |
is a simple and relaxing story about daily life.
| A．“Mars to Jupiter” | B．Niles Atallah’s video |
| C．“Luis” | D．Dahlia Elsayed’s video |
The text is mainly about .
| A．a famous wetsite | B．a famous museum |
| C．some interesting videos | D．a video competition |
BEIJING,Oct.14(Xinhua)——A total of 120 middle school students from 35 countries will attend the final of an international China language contest,to be held in southwest China’s Chongqing Municipality from Oct.16 to 30.
The candidates,aged from 15 to 20,must be from foreign countries and not native Chinese speakers,said a statement issued by the Chinese language Council (CLC),the contest’s organizer,here Thursday.
All of the candidates have passed the preliminary contests(初赛)held in their own countries.
According to the organizer,the competition will have a top prize,five second prizes,10 third prizes and a dozen prizes for special talents.The organizer will also launch an online vote for“the most liked candidate.”
It was the third year China has held the contest.
“The competition not only tests the proficiency of Chinese language but also the candidates capability to communicate across different cultures.”the statement said.
All the candidates in the final will receive scholarships from the Chinese goverment.said Hu Hangyu,an official with the Education Bureau o
f the Chonqing Municipality,jointly organizing the contest.
They will also meet local Chinese students and live with Chinese families,Hu said.
“The competition is to meet the increasing demand for Chicese learning by foreign youngsters.”said Xu Lin.the CLC director.
The CLC has also hosted similar contest for foreign college students since 2002.
China has been working to promote Chinese language learning abroad over the past few years.According to the CLC,the.country had 282 Confucius Institutes and 272“Confucius Classrooms”in 88 countries and regions 
as of 2009 since the first one was established in 2004.The text is intended to .
| A．show the popularity of Chinese language learning in the world |
| B．introduce an international Chinese language learning test system |
| C．make readers aware of the importance of Chinese language learning |
| D．report an international Chinese language contest to be held |
The candidates must be .
| A．foreign college students | B．non—native middle school students |
| C．native Chinese students | D．students from Confucius Institutes |
According to the text,the competition is .
| A．organized by the Chongqing Municipality government |
| B．mainly to test the candidates’Chinese language competence |
| C．held every three years in Chongqing Municipality |
| D．to provide foreign students with a chance to know China |
What has China been doing to promote Chinese language learning abroad according to the text?
| A．Thousands of Chinese teacher are sent abroad to teach the language. |
| B．282 Confucius Institutes are established in China to teach Chinese. |
| C．The Chinese language contests for foreign students are regularly held. |
| D．Many Chinese students are sent abroad for culture exchanges every year. |
In which part of the newspaper is the text most likely to be found?
| A．Education | B．Advertisement | C．Business | D．Entertainment |
“Dr.Papaderos,what is the meaning of life?”
The usual laughter followed,and people stirred(骚动)to go.Papaderos held up his hand and stilled the room and looked at me for a long time,asking with his eyes if I was serious and seeing from my eyes that I was.
“I will,answer your question.”
Taking his wallet out of his hip pocket,he fished into a leather billfold and brought out a very small round mirror,about the size of a quarter.And what he said went like this:
“When I was a small child,during the war,we were very poor and we lived in a remote village.One day,on the road,I found the broken pieces of a mirror.A German motorcycle had been wrecked in that place.
I tried to find all the pieces and put them together,but it was not possible,so I kept only the largest piece.This one,and,by scratching it on a stone.I made it round. I began to play with it as a toy and became fascinated by the fact that I could reflect light into dark places where the sun would never shine——
in deep holes and crevices(裂缝)and dark closets. It became a game for me to get light into the most inaccessible places I could find.
I kept the little mirror,and,as I went about my growing up,I would take it out in idle moments and continue the challenge of the game.As I became a man,I grew to understand that this was not just a child’s game but a metaphor for what I might do with my life.I came to understand that I am not the light or the source of light.But light——truth,understanding,knowledge——is there,and it will shine in many dark places only if I reflect it.
I am a fragment(碎片)of a mirror whose whole design and shape l do not know.Nevertheless,with what I have I can reflect light into the dark places of this world——into the black places in the hearts of men—and change some things in some people.Perhaps others may see and do likewise.This is what I am about.This is the meaning of my life.”On hearing the author’s question,Dr.Papedotes at first.
| A．laughed at his foolishness | B．wasn’t sure of the answer |
| C．doubted his seriousness | D．wasn’t interested at all |
How did Dr.Papaderos get the small round mirror when he was a child?
| A．He found it on the road and made it round. |
| B．A dying German soldier gave him as a present. |
| C．He chanced to find it in the street while playing. |
| D．He put the broken pieces together and made it. |
Why did Dr.Papaderos like the small round mirror so much as a child?
| A．Because he was too poor to afford other toys. |
| B．Because it could shine the places where tke sun couldn’t reach. |
| C．Because he believed it would bring good luck to him. |
| D．Because it tofd him a lot about what life really meant to him. |
The underlined“metaphor”in the 7th paragraph most probably means .
| A．symbol | B．source | C．light | D．purpose |
Which of the following might be the best title for the passage?
| A．A Special Game in the Childhood | B．A Broken Piece of Mirror |
| C．Dr.Papaderos’Experience | D．The Meaning of Life |
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