His first fight was for the equal rights of black people in South Africa. Then, as the first black president he fought to unite the country and organize the government. Now Nelson Mandela has set his sights on a new enemy, AIDS.
On March 19 the 82-year-old, former president, hosted his second AIDS-awareness concert. He warned that 25 million people in Africa were already infected with the fatal disease.
Mandela was born in a small village in South Africa in 1918. He was adopted (收养) by the chief of his tribe (部族) and could have been a chief himself and lived a happy country life.
But he refused to be a chief when his people lived under racial discrimination ( 种族歧视). He decided to fight for equal rights for all the people in South Africa. Before 1990, under the country’s Racial Segregation Law (种族隔离法), colored and white people lived separately. Black people were treated unfairly even when taking a bus. Blacks had to stand at the back of the bus to make room for white people even when there were only a few of them on board.
For his opposition (反对) to the system Mandela was arrested (被捕) and spent 27 years in prison. He was freed in 1990 and become the president of the country after the first elections were held in which everyone could vote.
Mandela was not only a political fighter who attacked with speeches. He was also a trained boxer (拳击手) and fought in the ring when he was young.
“ Although I did not enjoy the violence of boxing, I was interested in how one moved one’s body to protect oneself, how one used a strategy both to attack and retreat (撤退),” he wrote in his autobiography.
As a skilful fighter, he chose music as his weapon against AIDS. He hopes to win another victory against AIDS.Nelson Mandela succeeded in doing the following except _____.
| A．winning the equal rights for the black people in South Africa |
| B．uniting South Africa |
| C．organizing a government in South Africa |
| D．controlling the spread of AIDS |
If Nelson Mandela hadn’t fought against racial discrimination, he _____.
| A．could easily have been the president of South Africa |
| B．could still have lived a happy life |
| C．could have been in a difficult situation |
| D．would have been an excellent boxer |
It can be inferred that Nelson Mandela _____.
| A．continues to help the black people with the political struggle |
| B．is taking a position in a music group |
| C．is taking on the world’s greatest fight against AIDS |
| D．is preparing for the next election of president |
Which statement can best describe the life of Nelson Mandela?
| A．Struggle is his life. | B．Sports make his fame. |
| C．Fight for equal rights. | D．Great fighter against government. |
When JetBlue captain Clayton Osbon became unpredictable, his co-pilot invented a reason for him to go back into the cabin．Once the captain was out of the cockpit （驾驶舱） , the co-pilot locked the door to keep the captain from returning．Passengers, some with law enforcement experience, calmed the captain．The flight changed course to Amarillo, Texas where the captain was hospitalized．
Incidents in which a pilot has had an in-flight psychological breakdown are rare．But how could it happen at all? Though pilots are required to have an examination at least once a year by a physician approved by the FAA, there are no formal procedures in place to test pilots for signs of psychological problems．
At most airlines, pilots are members of a union．A pilot who appears to have a psychological or an alcohol problem can be reported to a union member whose job it is to investigate．If there is a problem, the pilot is given the choice of getting treatment or being reported to management．But at airlines, such as Allegiant, JetBlue, and Virgin American where there is no union, pilots are – to say the least - unwilling to report a fellow pilot to management．
In most professions, a person experiencing emotional difficulties is free to consult a doctor．Rut an airline pilot in therapy is viewed with suspicion both by the airline and by the FAA．No pilot wants to be put under extra examination by an agency that has the power to revoke their license or end their employment．That being the case, pilots are less likely than people in other professions to seek help．
There may be no way to make sure this never happens again, but its possibility can be reduced． Tests such as the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory （ MMPI） can reliably detect depression, paranoia, schizophrenia, and other problems．The FAA could require pilots to take the MMPI or a similar test on a periodic basis．Whether such testing becomes required will depend upon the public's response to this incident and whether additional incidents take place．
Flying is remarkably safe．But incidents such as this cause concern．What does the underlined word "revoke" most probably mean?
| A．delay | B．cancel | C．interrupt | D．renew |
Why are some pilots unwilling to report a fellow pilot to management?
| A．Because they are tested for signs of psychological problems every year． |
| B．Because they are likely to be treated by physicians． |
| C．Because they are supported by the airlines． |
| D．Because they might be fired． |
What is the author' s attitude towards the incident?
| A．satisfied | B．indifferent | C．concerned | D．disapproving |
In which part of the newspaper can the passage be found?
| A．Entertainment | B．Sports | C．Business | D．Society |
Can you imagine living in a house built by recycled waste?
Texas home builder Dan Phillips transforms trash into artful treasures, creating beautiful floors with wood pieces, kitchen counters from ivory -colored bones and roofs out of license plates （牌照）．
The fantastic houses which spring from his imagination are made almost entirely of materials which would otherwise have ended up in a garbage area．
" People have been doing this for hundreds of thousands of years; using whatever is available to build shelter, " Phillips said．"If you think about carefully what could be used, then building materials are everywhere．
The thirteen homes he has built so far would fit better in an art museum than the residential streets of Huntsville, a conservative town of about 35 ,000 people．
Living in these houses is a bit like living in a roadside attraction．"Almost every day, somebody knocks on the door and says ' Is there any way that we could see?' "said Edie Wells, an artist who rents a room in the Bone House．Her home features a stairway made of bones, floors covered in wine corks （软木塞） and beer bottle caps．Wells said visitors are most impressed when they see a bathroom with its walls, floor and ceiling entirely covered with broken mirror pieces．
In addition, each house is highly energy efficient with plenty insulation （隔热材料） , an on-demand solar hot water heater and a system that can collect and recycle rainwater to clean the toilet and wash clothes．
Phillips founded Phoenix Commotion 12 years ago with the aim of creating a new model for sustainable housing．For as little as $ 10,000 it builds affordable homes for single parents, low-income families and artists．
The company has used hundreds of tons of construction waste by recycling the materials into habitable buildings．
Phillips tries to spread his recycled-house idea by speaking at events across the United States, and by using the Internet to reach out to like-minded individuals．Phillips said: "I'm not going to be saving the world anytime soon．But there needs to be at least some visibility for this model in this century．Which of the following is NOT the advantage of the homes built by Phillips?
| A．environmentally-friendly | B．energy efficient |
| C．convenient | D．cheap |
What do we know about Dan Phillips?
| A．He is serious and hard-working． |
| B．He is full of imagination and intelligence． |
| C．It didn't take him long to build the houses． |
| D．He didn't give speeches in the United States． |
According to the passage, the houses are like artful treasures because they are .
| A．made of bones | B．museums |
| C．admired by people | D．made of various trash |
Which of the following might be the best title for the passage?
| A．Home Builder Dan Phillips |
| B．Green Homes |
| C．Home Builder Dan Phillips Tunis Trash into Green Homes |
| D．A Home Builder' s Life |
Some years ago on a hot summer day in south Florida a little boy decided to go for a swim in the old swimming hole behind his house．In a hurry to dive into the cool water, he ran out of the back door, leaving behind shoes, socks, and shirt as he went．
He flew into the water, not realizing that as he swam toward the middle of the lake, a crocodile was swimming toward him．His mother in the house was looking out of the window and saw the two．In great fear, she ran toward the water, shouting to her son as loudly as she could．Hearing her voice, the little boy became alarmed and made a U-turn to swim to his mother．It was too late．Just as he reached her, the crocodile reached him．From the shore, the mother grabbed her little boy by the arms just as the crocodile snatched his legs．That began an incredible tug-of-war between the two．The crocodile was much stronger than the mother, but the mother was much too passionate to let go．A farmer happened to drive by, heard their screams, raced from his truck, took aim and shot the crocodile．
Remarkably, after weeks and weeks in the hospital, the little boy survived．His legs were extremely scarred by the attack of the animal．And, on his arms, were deep scratches where his mother’s fingernails dug into his flesh in her effort to hang on to the son she loved．
The newspaper reporter, who interviewed the boy, asked if he would show him his scars．The boy lifted his legs．And then, with obvious pride, he said to the reporter, “But look at my arms．I have great scars on my arms, too．I have them because my Mom wouldn’t let go．”
Never judge another person’s scars, because you don’t know how they were made．By saying “But look at my arms．I have great scars on my arms, too” in paragraph 4,the boy really wants to show__________．
| A．how deep the scars made by the crocodile were |
| B．what a brave and courageous boy he was |
| C．how many scars and scratches he had |
| D．how great and beloved his mother was |
Hearing Mother’s shouts, the boy______．
| A．remained in the middle at a loss |
| B．didn’t stop swimming forwards |
| C．swam back towards the shore |
| D．was ready to fight the crocodile |
Which of the following statements is true according to the text?
| A．A crocodile attacked him when the boy and his mother were swimming． |
| B．The crocodile bit the arms of the boy when it reached him． |
| C．There is always an interesting story behind every scar． |
| D．It was the farmer who shot the crocodile． |
Which of the following will be the best title for the text?
| A．Scars of Love | B．Women Hold up Half the Sky |
| C．A Terrible Experience | D．Don’t Judge by Appearances |
What’s your idea of a good time? What about dancing in a rainy field with one hundred and fifty thousand other people while a famous rock band plays on a stage so far away that the performers look like ants?
It may sound strange but that is what many hundreds of thousands of young people in the UK do every summer．Why? Because summer is the time for outdoor music festivals．
Held on a farm, the Glastonbury Festival is the most well-known and popular festival in the UK．It began in 1970 and the first festival was attended by one thousand five hundred people each paying an admission price of ￡1 — the ticket included free milk from the farm．
Since then the Glastonbury Festival has gone from strength to strength — in 2004 one hundred and fifty thousand fans attended, paying ￡112 each for a ticket to the three-day event．Tickets for the event sold out within three hours．Performers included superstars, such as Paul McCartney and James Brown, as well as new talent, like Franz Ferdinand and Joss Stone．
Although many summer festivals are run on a profit-making basis, Glastonbury is a charity event, donating millions of pounds to local and international charities．
Glastonbury is not unique(独特的) in using live music to raise money to fight global poverty．In July of this year, the Live 8 concerts were held simultaneously （同时） in London, Paris, Rome and Berlin．Superstars such as Madonna, Sir Elton John and Stevie Wonder performed in order to highlight international poverty and debt． What does the author mean by saying “the Glastonbury Festival has gone from strength to strength”?
| A．The festival has achieved growing success． |
| B．Great efforts have been made to hold the festival． |
| C．The festival has brought in a large amount of money． |
| D．There have been thousands of fans attending the festival． |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．The Glastonbury Festival is run on a profit-making basis． |
| B．Tickets for the 2004 Glastonbury Festival were in great demand despite the high price． |
| C．Both James Brown and Joss Stone were born in poor families． |
| D．In the 1970 Glastonbury Festival, one could have lunch on the farm for free． |
We can learn from the last paragraph that _____．
| A．the Glastonbury Festival is not so popular as the Live 8 concerts |
| B．the Live 8 concerts are held every year in London |
| C．London, Paris, Rome and Berlin are famous for outdoor music festivals |
| D．some superstars are concerned about global poverty |
What is the best title for the passage?
| A．How to have a good time |
| B．Charity events around the world |
| C．The Glastonbury Festival |
| D．Superstars’ performances in charity events |
I sat at my seat waiting for the school paper to be passed around. I waited anxiously, knowing that once I received it I would know how good a writer I really am.
When the paper arrived at my classroom, I nearly knocked down five of my classmates to get to the first paper. With a school paper in my hands, I returned to my seat. About a month earlier, I had handed in one of, what I believed to be, my best stories. I named it Symbol of Success. The head of the English Department at my school, Professor Cullen had said that she would include some reviews of students’ stories in the latest school paper. Professor Cullen was known for her rough criticism. Impressing her was very hard but I wanted to be the first to do so.
I sat at the edge of my seat as I read through the other story reviews. There wasn’t one story that got more than three stars .I became calm and wasn’t anxious to know my review. It was long after that I heard someone shout out “Five stars?! Seriously !” from behind me. I turned around and saw the shocked expression of Gene’s face, “Peter, your story got five stars!” I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. I turned my attention back to my story and saw the five stars at the end of the review that I had not read yet. I looked through the review written by Professor Cullen. She wrote that I had a gift for story writing.
I was proud that I achieved what I thought was impossible .For so long I believed I wasn’t as good as I thought I was and that my talent was not enough to cover up my lack of wring skills .But this review proved that I was truly a good writer and that there was a future ahead of me in the field of fiction writing. The review and the five stars meant the world of me. Those five stars became the symbol of my success.How did the writer get the school paper?
| A．His teacher gave it to him first |
| B．The publisher sent it to him first |
| C．His friend helped him get the first one. |
| D．He rushed ahead to get the first one by himself. |
What can we learn about Professor Cullen?
| A．She was very gentle to everyone |
| B．She seldom praised her students. |
| C．She was very cold to her students. |
| D．She was respected by her students. |
We can learn from this text that Peter_______.
| A．had thought his story was better than those of others |
| B．was always anxious to know the review about him |
| C．didn’t know he got five stars until others told him |
| D．looked through a few stories that had got four stars |
What did Professor Cullen think of Peter’s story?
| A．She thought highly of it |
| B．She thought it was just so-so |
| C．She thought it was extremely bad |
| D．She doubted if it was written by him. |
Why did the review and the five stars mean the world to Peter?
| A．Because they helped him learn writing skills |
| B．Because they made him happy for some time |
| C．Because they helped him enter a key university |
| D．Because they made him see his writing talents. |
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