Facebook is now used by 30 million people in the UK, around half the population. Joanna Shields, vice president of Facebook Europe, made the announcement this morning at a media conference in London.
Globally, Facebook has more than 500 million registered （注册的） users, a milestone it hit last summer. Last July it had 26 million registered UK users. In the last eight months, it has attracted four million extra UK users, bringing the UK total to 30 million.
Facebook, the brainchild of Mark Zuckerberg while he was still studying at Harvard University, was launched in February 2004. The pace of its global growth has sped rapidly - Facebook had only 150 million registered users in January 2009.
One third of women aged between 18 to 34 check Facebook when they first wake up, before even going to the toilet, according to the research. 21% check Facebook in the middle of the night, while 42% of the same group think it is fine to post drunken photos of themselves onto the social network, a study by Oxygen Media and Lightspeed Research found.
Shields was speaking this morning at the Financial Times Digital Media and Broadcasting Conference about the power Facebook’s referrals （好友推荐）can bring to media sites, such as newspapers and TV services. She explained that the average Facebook user has 130 friends who they share links to media sites with regularly. “Media companies which take advantage of that are really seeing the benefits,” Shields said. Shields refused to be drawn on whether Facebook would develop its own mobile phone operating system and also said it was “silly” that Google had recently disabled the feature which allowed Google users to refresh their contacts with Facebook friends.Eight months ago the number of registered users of Facebook in UK was about ____.
| A．less than half of its population | B．30 million |
| C．4 million | D．500 million |
Shields talked at the Financial Times Digital Media and Broadcasting Conferences about the following EXCEPT ____.
| A．Facebook’s referrals |
| B．its plan on developing its own mobile phone operating system |
| C．its dissatisfaction with Google |
| D．its call for more media sites to take advantage of Facebook |
What does the underlined word “disabled” mean in the last paragraph?
| A．Invented | B．Strengthened |
| C．Added | D．Stopped |
What is the best title of the text?
| A．Facebook’s referrals bring benefits |
| B．Facebook: the brainchild of Mark Zuckergerg |
| C．Facebook: used by half the UK population |
| D．Facebook: women’s preference |
When many people in the west think of China, the animal that they think of is the dragon. For them, the dragon is an aggressive monster that breathes fire. Many popular legends tell how dragons have killed brave knights and eaten beautiful young girls.
For Chinese people, however, the dragon is not an evil monster. It’s a cultural and spiritual symbol for prosperity and good luck. The dragon’s main task is to create harmony and bring rain. Dragons are celebrated in art and architecture, and of course the dragon dance is a very popular ritual (仪式).
China isn’t the only country to have the dragon as its symbol. Wales in the UK, has a red dragon proudly displayed on its flag. Another country in the world with a dragon on its flag is Bhutan, a tiny country between China and India.
Almost all countries in the world have an animal symbol representing their countries. This is particularly obvious during sports. The English think lions to be brave and proud animal and the English football teams have three lions on their football shirts.
Australia is famous for kangaroos, of course. The national rugby team is more commonly known as the Wallabies, a type of small kangaroo. The South African team is known as the Springboks, a type of African antelope. Likewise the New Zealanders, whether playing sports or not, are commonly known as kiwis. A kiwi is a native New Zealand bird that can’t fly.
All countries are proud of their symbols, which they feel reflect national characteristics or the beauty and variety of their natural environments. Recently, a Shanghai professor claimed that using the dragon as a national symbol could make western countries have a negative view of China. But in an Internet survey 90% of Chinese people wanted to keep the dragon.In the opinion of the west, the dragon is ______.
| A．a terrible animal that is not popular |
| B．a cultural and spiritual symbol of good luck |
| C．a reflection of China’s national characteristics |
| D．an animal that can create harmony and bring rain |
Which of the following does NOT use the dragon as its national symbol?
| A．China. | B．Wales. | C．Bhutan. | D．India. |
According to the passage, which of the following statements is TRUE?
| A．The national rugby team from the South Africa is well known as the Wallabies. |
| B．The Australian team is known as Springboks, a type of kangaroo. |
| C．The New Zealanders are commonly known as kiwis only when playing sports. |
| D．The dragon is mentioned to have been used on the flag in two countries. |
What are you reading? (A3)
How do your reading habits compare to those of students of a similar age? We ran a poll（抽样检查） to discover what, when, where and why teens read.
Literary（文学） greats（A4-7）
People have been telling stories for centuries. We profile（扼要描写） eight authors, whose work has made a great contribution both to literature and the world as a whole. Have you read any of their books?
Teen reading（A8-10）
Not all books are written by adults for adults. The market for books aimed at young adults is very strong and many new titles are published each year. Some of them are even written by teenagers.
Science fiction (A11)
Have you ever thought what it would be like to travel in space or meet aliens? Jules Verne and Douglas Adams did. It’s time to explore the world of science fiction, where anything and everything can happen.
Horror（A12）
You’ll want to sleep with the light on after reading a story by Edgar Allan Poe or Stephen King. They are two of the finest fiction writers. Get ready for unpleasant deaths and frightening ghosts（鬼）.
_____（A13）
Don’t have time to read a whole book? Then why not spend a few minutes with a book of poetry? We have selected some poems that celebrate the winter season—white snow, cold weather and Christmas.
Past and present（A14）
Over the centuries, stories have been written on all kinds of things. Find out about the development of paper and printing——and what books will look like in the future.
Join in the fun（A15—16）
Reading is enjoyed by almost everyone. Here are some activities you can do to make it even more fun. You can also try our special literature quiz.The text is most probably taken from _____.
| A．a book | B．a literature works |
| C．a newspaper | D．a fiction |
What does the underlined word “aliens” mean?
| A．Persons from another place. |
| B．Astronauts from another country. |
| C．Visitors into space. |
| D．Science fiction writers. |
Which of the following can be put into the blank before（A13）?
| A．Winter poems |
| B．Christmas is coming |
| C．A book of poetry |
| D．The winter season |
Which of the following statements is TRUE?
| A．Articles about Shakespeare or Charles Dickens can be found in A12. |
| B．An introduction of the book Journey to the Center of the Earth may possibly appear in A11. |
| C．A section named “BESTSELLERS” can be found in A16. |
| D．An article about Harry Potter may possibly appear in A14. |
If you want fully enjoy your vacation, you’d better check the Durban City Tours! This is actually one of the best choices in South Africa today.
There is nothing more relaxing than to think about that there is a place to go and relax, right? City life is strained, but you can escape this situation and be in the place where there is nothing but relaxation. Here in Durban you will get to see all the amazing tourist attractions. If you love animals and want to see some elephants wandering around the streets, then Durban is the place to go. You can even get to ride one if you want!
Here you will also get to taste all the delicious South African food. You can choose from Italian cooking to its native dishes. Durban is a great place to tour with your friends and family. You will learn a lot about its history through the landmarks you will see down the streets. Tourists and even the local villagers just can’t get enough of these treats!
However, it is important that you make the necessary arrangements. There are actually lots of tour guides that will help you as you make your journey along the streets of Durban. But if you prefer the best tour guides here in Durban, then you’d better choose the Street Scene Tours. Their staff are all well-trained and professional. They will certainly make your stay here an unforgettable one. No wonder tourists prefer the Street Scene Tours when it comes to Durban City Tours.The underlined word “strained” in Para. 2 means ______.
| A．easy | B．stressful |
| C．relaxing | D．wonderful |
What is the main idea of Paragraph 2?
| A．Durban is a relaxing city. |
| B．People don’t like city life. |
| C．It is good to have a place to relax. |
| D．One can have fun riding elephants. |
If you walk in the streets of Durban, what will impress you most?
| A．Tourists from all over the world. |
| B．The buildings and many kinds of animals. |
| C．The streets and some wandering elephants. |
| D．The friendly local people and the scenery. |
The author wrote the last paragraph mainly to ______.
| A．attract tourists to Durban |
| B．help readers make arrangements |
| C．introduce the tour guides |
| D．persuade tourists to choose the Street Scene Tours |
If you want to get the most out of the study of a language, you must also read for pleasure: novels, plays, travel books, and so on. And in reading books of this kind the important thing is to get on with reading; to try to grasp what the writer is going to tell you in the book as a whole. This is impossible if you stop and think over the meaning of every single word which happens to be unfamiliar. You can not enjoy a story if you stop half a dozen times on every page in order to look up words in the dictionary. You may even prevent yourself from understanding the story as a whole by doing this.
When you are reading books of this kind, therefore, you will usually have to rely mainly on the context to help you. If you meet an unfamiliar word, do not let it take too much of your attention from the main thread(主线) of the story. In all probability you will meet the same word again a few pages later on in a slightly different context, and each time you see it that your understanding of it will become more exact.The phrase “to get on with reading” in the passage has the same meaning as “_________”.
| A．to try to grasp the meaning of every sentence in the book |
| B．to try to catch the meaning of every word in the book |
| C．to try to understand all the writer is going to tell you |
| D．to try to understand the main idea of the book |
When you meet new words in reading such kinds of books, you’d better _________.
| A．stop and look them up in a dictionary |
| B．stop and think them over |
| C．try to guess their meanings from the context |
| D．have none of them |
From the passage the best way to read novels, plays and travel books is _____.
| A．to read very slowly |
| B．to read quickly and not too carefully |
| C．to read very carefully |
| D．to read very seriously |
The best title for this passage is “___________”.
| A．Read for Pleasure |
| B．Get on with the Books |
| C．Reading Skills |
| D．The Importance of Reading |
QINGDAO—Water and power supplies have been restored in the East Chinese city of Qingdao, the site of an oil pipeline explosion on Friday, the local government said on Monday.
Crude oil began leaking(泄漏)from the pipeline at 3：00 a．m. Friday in Qingdao in Shandong province. The valves(阀门)of the Huangdao oil warehouse were shut about 15 minutes later.The oil spill(泄漏的石油)then flowed into the city's rainwater pipe network, which empties into Jiaozhou Bay. Explosions occurred at two locations around 10：30 a．m. Friday when workers were clearing the spill.
According to the local government, about 85 percent of public heating and 90 percent of the gas supply were also brought back to normal as of Monday.
Residents who have been taken to the temporary settlements are receiving bottled water and bread.
Many schools and kindergartens have reopened classes after Friday's oil pipeline explosion. No injuries and deaths of students or teachers have been reported following the explosions at an underground pipeline operated by Sinopec. The school buildings of one middle school in the district were seriously damaged during the explosions. Education authorities have arranged psychological help for students and teaching staff. All other 18 schools and kindergartens in the district reopened classes on Monday.
As of Monday noon, the death toll from the explosion had risen to 55, with 9 people still missing and 136 hospitalized. According to local police, 49 bodies have been identified so far, and 42 of them were male victims. As of Monday morning, the blood supply in Qingdao was enough for the injured after more than 950 people in the city donated more than 340,000 ml of blood in the wake of the incident.The underlined word “restored” in the first paragraph probably means “________”．
| A．cut | B．recovered |
| C．destroyed | D．repaired |
We can learn that by Monday noon the deaths in the explosion reached at least ________.
| A．64 | B．49 |
| C．42 | D．55 |
We can learn from the passage that ________.
| A．everything was brought back to normal right after the explosion |
| B．no measures were taken to help the suffering people out of trouble |
| C．all the 19 schools in the district were affected by the explosion |
| D．no more dead body was found after Monday noon |
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