Although the New Year is already here, the great moments of the past year are still in the memory. Let’s look back at some of them.
United States
One of the world’s largest New Year’s Eve parties was held in Times Square, New York. The festival attracted hundreds of thousands of people to watch a brightly-lit ball drop on a landmark building at the stroke (击、打) of midnight.
A great amount of confetti (五彩纸屑) was released from the sky at zero o’clock.
Britain
Painted in shinning colors, blowing whistles, 50，000 party-goers arrived in London’s Millennium Dome to dance in the New Year. The Millennium Dome came to life at midnight as 50 DJs started up, competing on five separate dance floors to warm the crowd into the party mood.
Russia
New Year is the biggest holiday in Russia. It is traditional to put up a tree for celebrations with family and friends.
On the very last day of last year, Russians with a taste for a very cold swim braved freezing temperatures to plant traditional, festival trees on the bed of the Northern Ocean and at the bottom of Lake Baikal, the world’s deepest lake.
Malaysia
Brave skydivers threw themselves off the world’s tallest building near midnight and floated towards the New Year.
The jump from the 452-metre Petronas Twin Tower was called a real leap from one year to the next since the group took off in the last second of the old year and landed a minute later in the New Year. “That was really cool,” said Roland Simpson, “over crowds of onlookers to the landing spot.”In New York the brightly-lit ball dropped ____________.
| A．form the sky onto the Times Square |
| B．into the hundreds of thousands of watchers |
| C．to welcome the arrival of Christmas |
| D．at the point between the old and the New Year |
Which of the following is NOT traditional to welcome a new year?
| A．Sharing the happiness and excitement together. |
| B．Setting up a tree for celebrations. |
| C．Planting trees on the bed of a lake. |
| D．50 DJs’ competing on five separate floors. |
People jumping from the tallest buildings _________.
| A．spent two different years in the air. |
| B．stayed in the sky for two minutes. |
| C．landed over people’s heads. |
| D．floated away to the new land |
The passage mainly shows that ________.
| A．New Year has been the starting point for people to have dreams. |
| B．people in different countries welcomed New Year in different ways. |
| C．people’s ways of celebrations are exciting. |
| D．the New Year is better than the old year. |
STUDY CENTER COURSES
| From Paragraph to essay Of particular relevance to students who wish to improve their organizational skills and who feel that their final product is never clear enough. Thursday 10:00—12:00 Kiran Singh |
| Source Material How do you gather information for a project or paper? A practical course which looks at sources of information and how to use cataloguing systems. Monday 10:00—11 :00 Kiran Singh |
| Express Yourself An advanced course suitable for students who are about to step into organizations where they may have to voice their opinions often. Monday 12:00—2:00 Dave Parrin |
| Media Use Open to all students ,this course focuses on the many ways we can benefit from the radio and television. Group projects form part of course. Tuesday 9:00—11:00 Steve Ansell |
| The Short Story A research into the w  orld of popular writers. One story is selected for adaptation into a short play and group performance. Pre-arranged groups welcome.Thursday 11:00—1:30 Mrs Owen |
| Caught for Speeding Open to all students .Simple eye exercises to help you with speed reading. How to be selective on the page . Using headings, topic sentences and paragraphs for easy access. Wednesday 11:00—1:00 Mrs Owen |
| Tense about Tenses For those who worry about their use of words—a look at tenses and other aspects of the language through poetry and song. Good voice helps but not a must. Saturday 10:00—12:00 Steve Ansell |
If a student takes the course The Short Story, he can’t take .
| A．From Paragraph to Essay | B．Tense about Tenses |
| C．Source Material | D．Media Use |
Which of the courses can develop the students’ team work?
| A．From Paragraph to Essay | B．The Short Story |
| C．Caught for Speeding | D．Express Yourself |
From where can a student read this?
| A．On the radio. | B．On television. |
| C．In a local newspaper. | D．On a school notice board. |
A passenger told an air hostess that he 
needed a cup of water to take his medicine when the plane just took off．She told him that she would bring him the water in ten minutes．
Thirty minutes later, when the passenger's ring for service sounded, the air hostess flew in a flurry．She was kept so busy that she forgot to deliver him the water．As a result, the passenger was held up to take his medicine．She hurried over to him with a cup of water, but he refused it．
In the following hours on the flight, each time the stewardess passed by the passenger she would ask him with a smile whether he needed help or not. But the passenger never paid any attention to her.
When he was going to get off the plane, the passenger asked the air hostess to hand him the passengers’ booklet (意见簿). She was very sad. She knew that he would write down sharp words, which might result in the loss of her job. But with a smile she handed it to him.
Off the plane, she opened the booklet, and cracked a smile, for the passenger put it, “On the flight, you asked me whether I need help or not for twelve times in all. How can I refuse your sincere smiles?”
That’s right! Who can refuse your twelve sincere smiles from a person?What does the underlined sentence in Paragraph 2 mean?
| A．The air hostess forgot the passenger’s need on purpose. |
| B．The air hostess suddenly realized that trouble was coming. |
| C．The passenger wasn’t angry at being ignored. |
| D．The passenger was refused to be served. |
According to the passage, which of the following is TRUE?
| A．The passenger refused to take his medicine. |
| B．The passenger set down his anger in the booklet. |
| C．The words in the booklet would never affect the air hostess. |
| D．The hostess finally moved the passenger with her smile. |
What kind of person do you think the passenger is?
| A．Forgiving. | B．Curious. | C．Sharp. | D．Enthusiastic. |
As a result, the air hostess would .
| A．get fired by her company | B．be hired by the passenger |
| C．keep her job | D．get a promotion |
Americans usually make allowance(宽容) for non-native-speakers who have some trouble understanding English. But they become annoyed when a person pretends to understand but doesn’t really and then creates problems because of misunderstanding what is said. No one wants soap when he asks for soup. So if you don’t understand what is said to you, admit it and politely ask the person to repeat or explain.
Second, it is quite rude to talk with a friend in your native language and leave your American friends standing there feeling stupid because they can’t understand the conversation. The Americans may also feel that you are talking about them or saying something you don’t want them to hear. If you must turn to your native language to explain something to a non-English-speaking friend, at least translate for your American friends so they don’t feel left out.
Learn just a few more polite English expressions, and you’ll be ready to face the world of Americans with confidence. The polite answer to a compliment(赞扬) about your looks or your works is “Thank you.” (A smile and a nod is not enough.) T
he response to “Thank you.” is, of course, “You’re welcome,” if someone asks “How are you?” don’t give your medical history. Just say “Fine, thanks. How are you?” Finally, what should you say when someone sneezes(打喷嚏)? It may not seem logical, but the correct response is “God bless you.” That’s about all there is to it. Now that you’ve learned this general knowledge of manners, in the U. S. A., you’ve ready to be polite in English. Let’s hope your American friends will be just as polite.In the first paragraph, the underlined word “annoyed” means .
| A．rather angry | B．very impolite | C．quite unfriendly |
D．fairly pleased |
The passage is mainly about in the U. S. A.
A. the importance of good manners B. the general knowledge of English
C. the skill in daily conversations D. the good manners in communication When you talk with someone in your native language, your American friend may feel .
| A．he should learn the language | B．you try to keep some secrets from him |
| C．you are angry with him | D．he becomes a fool |
Mobile phones have become a problem for middle schools. Some middle schools in Australia have prevented students from carrying mobile phone during school hours.
Mobile phone use among children has become a problem for the school this year. Several children have got mobile phones as Christmas gifts, and more students will want them.
Mary Bluett, an official, said mobile phone use is a distraction(伤心的事) to students d
uring school hours and it also gives teachers so much trouble in their classrooms. Teachers were also saying that sometimes students might use phone messages to cheat during exams.
She said some schools had tried not to let students use mobile phones at school. Some parents felt unhappy because they couldn’t get in touch with their children.
Many teachers said students should not have mobile phones at school, but if there was a good reason, they could leave their phones at school offices. They also said there were many reasons why the students should not have mobile phones at school. They were easy to lose and were a distraction from studies.
Many people say that they understood why parents would want their children to have mobile phones, but they think schools should let the students know when they can use their mobile phones.Middle schools are prevented from carrying mobile phones .
| A．because they often talk with their friends | B．when they are free from homework |
| C．when they are at school | D．because they cheat in exams |
Some children get mobile phones .
| A．by telling lies to their parents | B．by making trouble in class |
| C．from their parents and friends | D．from some mobile phone users |
Which of the following statements is true?
| A．No school in Australia has done anything about the mobile phone use among students. |
| B．Teachers don’t allow the students to leave their mobile phones at school offices. |
| C．Some students had their mobile phones stolen at school. |
| D．Parents give their children mobile phones for no good reason. |
It is implied（暗含） in the passage that .
| A．students shouldn’t have mobile phones at school except for some special reasons |
| B．it is impossible to stop students from using mobile phone at school |
| C．some parents felt unhappy because they couldn’t use their phones at school |
D．parents should teach their children how to use mobile phones during school hours |
One day, Wilson was walking quietly along the road when someone hit him hard on the back of his neck. He looked behind him, and saw a young man whom he had never seen before.
“How dare you hit me like that?” shouted Wilson.
The young man said he had mistaken Wilson for a friend of hi
s and that he thought Wilson was making a lot of noise about nothing.
This insult(侮辱) made Wilson even angrier, of course, and he at once decided to bring the young man before a judge.
Now , the judge who heard the case was a friend of the young man’s father’s, and, although he pretended to be quite fair, he was thinking about what he could do to protect the yo
ung man from being punished while at the same time not to be appearing unfair.
Finally he said to Wilson, “I understand your feelings in this matter very well. Would you be satisfied if I let you hit the young man as he hit you?”
Wilson said he would not be. The young man had insulted him and should be properly punished.
“Well, then,” said the judge to the young man, “I order you to pay ten coins to Wilson.”
Ten coins was very little for such a crime, but the young man did not have it with him, so the judge allowed him to go and get it.
Wilson waited for him to return with the money. He waited an hour, and then two hours, while the judge took care of other business.
When it was nearly time for the court to close, Wilson chose a moment when the judge was especially busy, came up quietly and hit him hard on the back of the neck. Then he said to him, “I am sorry, but I can’t wait any longer. When the young man comes back, tell him that I have passed my right to the ten coins on to you.”Why did the young man hit Wilson from behind?
| A．Wilson had hit him before. | B．He had mistaken Wilson for a friend of his. |
| C．Wilson was a stranger there. | D．Wilson made a lot of noise when he was walking. |
The judge thought about how to protect the young man because .
| A．he thought it a small matter | B．as a judge, he should be fair |
| C．he thought the man too young to be punished | D．the young man was his friend’s son |
According to the passage, while of the following is TRUE?
A．The young man was or dered to hit himself as hard as he had done on Wilson . |
| B．Wilson was allowed to hit the young man as hard as he had done. |
| C．Wilson was allowed to do more insulting on the young man. |
| D．The young man was ordered to hand a lot of money to Wilson. |
The judge allowed the young man to go home, hoping .
| A．he would not return any more | B．he could escape from there |
| C．he would return in two hours | D．he would get the money |
The be
st title for this passage is .
| A．I’ve passed my right on to you | B．The judge and Wilson |
| C．Wilson and the young man | D．The young man was set free |
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