Hercule Poirot looked over the small gate which gave admission to Pine Crest. It was a modern nicely-built house. It was on a hill top, and the hill top was planted with a few sparse pines. It had a small neat garden and a large elderly man was watering with a big tin.
Spence’s hair was now grey all over. He had not shrunk much in girth（围长）, though. He stopped watering and looked at the visitor at the gate. Hercule Poirot stood there without moving.
“God bless my soul,” said Spence. “It must be. It can’t be but it is. Yes, it must be Hercule Poirot!”
“Aha,” said Poirot, “you remember me. I’m grateful.”
Spence abandoned the watering can and came down to the gate.
“What brings you down here?”
“What has brought me to many places in my time,” said Poirot, “and what once a good many years ago brought you to see me. Murder, Spence.”
“I’m done with murder since I retired,” said Spence, “except in the case of weeds. Killing weeds is never easy as you think, something’s always wrong. How did you know where to find me?” he asked as he opened the gate and Poirot passed through.
“You sent me a Christmas card. It had your new address on it.”
“Ah yes, so I did. I’m old-fashioned, you know, I like to send round cards at Christmas time to a few old friends. I’m an old man now.”
“We both are.”
“Not much grey in your hair,” said Spence.
“I take care of my hair with a bottle,” said Poirot. “There is no need to appear in public with grey hair unless you wish to do so. By the way, why have you come to live in Woodleigh Common?”
“As a matter of fact, I came here to join forces with a sister of mine. She lost her husband, her children are married and living abroad. So I moved in here. Pensions（退休金）don’t go far nowadays, but we do comfortably living together.”From their dialogue, we can learn about _______.
| A．their common friends | B．Spence’s sister’s characters |
| C．their relationship | D．Poirot’s recent life |
Which statement is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．Spence used to deal with murder. |
| B．Poirot didn’t care about his appearance. |
| C．Spence moved to join his sister for lack of money. |
| D．Poirot came specially to reunite with his old friend. |
From the passage we can infer that they might _______ next.
| A．meet Spence’s family | B．discuss about a murder |
| C．visit Spence’s new home | D．water the garden together |
With petroleum reserves (石油储量) decreasing，the search is on to replace gas with a cleaner，greener alternative.Though much eco－talk has centered on biofuels from corn and soybeans，the biofuel that looks more likely to replace petroleum comes from a most unlikely source：algae (藻类)．
Algae，like corn，soybeans，and other crops，grow via photosynthesis (光合作用) and can be processed into fuel oil.However，they yield 30 times more energy than land crops such as soybeans，according to the U．S.Department of Energy.Many algae species also can grow in saltwater and polluted water－while corn and soy require arable land and fresh water that will be in short supply as the world's population balloons.
“If you replaced all the diesel (柴油) in the U．S.with soy biodiesel，it would take half the land mass of the U．S.to grow those soybeans，”says Matt Caspari，chief executive of Aurora Biofuels，a Berkeley，Calif.－based private firm that specializes in algae oil technology.On the other hand，the Energy Department says that if algae fuel replaced all the petroleum fuel in the United States，it would require 15,000 square miles，which is a few thousand miles larger that Maryland (12,407 square miles)，the 42nd state in land area.
Another bonus：Because algae can be grown just about anywhere in a closed space，they 're being tested at several power plants across the nation as a carbon absorber.Smokestack emissions (烟囱排放物) can be pumped directly into the ponds，feeding the algae while keeping greenhouse gases out of the atmosphere.
Although processing technology for algae fuel—also known as “oilgae” in some environmentalist circles—is improving，it's still years away from reaching your local gas pump.“It's just a question of cost，because no large－scale facilities have been built yet，” Caspari says.The underlined word “yield” in Paragraph 2 can be replaced by “________”．
| A．control | B．require |
| C．produce | D．grow |
Compared with corn and soybeans，algae ________.
| A．may pollute water and soil |
| B．can grow in poor conditions |
| C．provide much less energy |
| D．need more special care |
According to Paragraph 3，one of the advantages of algae fuel is that ________.
| A．it can be used more widely |
| B．it is more easy to produce |
| C．it needs much less land |
| D．it costs much less money |
What do we learn about algae from Paragraph 4?
| A．Algae help protect the environment. |
| B．People can grow algae anywhere. |
| C．Fish can get more oxygen from algae. |
| D．Algae produce less waste. |
There were a thousand reasons not to stop.I was running late for a very important...well，whatever it was that I was running late for that day.Surely the Highway Patrol would be along soon，and it's their job to help stranded (搁浅) motorists，isn't it?
That made 1,004 reasons not to stop.And here was 1,005：I was the world's worst auto mechanic.The first time I tried to change my car's oil myself I did fine—until I forgot to put the new oil in.The boys down at the garage had a big laugh over that.
I'm not sure how much it would have helped that lady who was stranded by the side of the freeway if I had pulled over.So I drove on by，just like hundreds of other drivers on the freeway that day.Then suddenly I turned off at the next exit and made my way back to see if I could at least give her a lift or something.But by the time I got back to her，a Hispanic (西班牙的) gentleman had pulled in behind her，and was tinkering (修补) with her car's engine.
“Is there anything I can do to help？” I asked.
“No，thank you，”the lady replied.“This nice man says he can fix it.” After the man repaired it，the woman tried to give him some money，but he declined and waved as she drove off.It wasn't until we started walking toward our cars that I noticed he had five more reasons not to stop than I did；his family was sitting in the station wagon，waiting patiently.“Do you stop and help people like this often？”I asked.
“Somebody has to，”he said.“What's she going to do if nobody helps？”And for him，that was enough.By telling the story，the author intends to tell us ________.
| A．we must help someone in trouble even if we have every reason not to do so |
| B．if we don't have the necessary skills or knowledge，we can't help a person much |
| C．what the person in trouble needs most is kindness rather than practical skills |
| D．we much thank the person who has helped us when we are in trouble |
What can we learn from the first two paragraphs?
| A．The author once helped a person who was in trouble but was laughed at by a boy. |
| B．The author just wanted to find an excuse to stop to help the stranded lady. |
| C．The author doubted whether he had the ability to give the lady some necessary help. |
| D．What the author was running late for made him very angry. |
Why did the author make his way back at the next exit?
| A．Because he wanted to see if anybody else had helped the lady out. |
| B．Because he felt guilty about not helping the lady. |
| C．Because he wanted to help the Hispanic gentleman fix the lady's car. |
| D．Because he had thought of a way to help the lady. |
Money Matters for Students
GETTING A GRANT(补助)
Who pays?
The local education authority (LEA) for the area in which the student is living.
Who can get this money?
Anyone who gets a place on a first degree course，although a student who has already attended a course of advanced further education may not.Students must also have been resident in the UK for at least three years，which can exclude (排除) some students from overseas. SPECIAL CASES
If a student has worked before going to college：
A student who is 26 or more before the course starts and who has worked for at least three of the previous six years will get extra money—￡ 155 a year if 26，increasing to a maximum of ￡ 615 at 29 or more.
If a student is handicapped：
LEAs will give up to ￡ 500 to help meet extra expenses—such as buying a tape recorder for a blind student，extra heating or special food.
Banking：
Most of the big banks offer special services to students who open accounts (in the hope that they will stay with the bank when they become rich officials)．A student won't usually have to pay bank charges as long as the account stays in credit.Some banks allow students to overdraw by ￡ 100 or so，and still don't make charges (though they do charge interest)．A student from Japan who has been staying in England for a year and intends to go to college in a few months will ________.
| A．get money if he is taking a first degree course |
| B．be unable to get money from any LEA |
| C．get money from any LEA when he has finished his course |
| D．have to open a bank account before he gets any money |
A 31 year old nurse wishes to qualify as a doctor at a university.She has worked since she was 25.How much extra money will she get a year?
| A．None. | B．￡ 155. |
| C．￡ 615. | D．￡ 515. |
A student who cannot walk has to buy a wheelchair costing ￡ 750 to go to classes.How much of the cost will he have to pay himself?
| A．￡ 150. | B．￡ 250. |
| C．￡ 500. | D．￡ 750. |
You are a new student.Why may a bank welcome you as a customer?
| A．They know you receive money regularly. |
| B．They charge students extra. |
| C．They hope you will be rich in the future. |
| D．They need students accounts in term－time. |
When people think of the unique characteristics of Beijing the hutong style always comes to mind.It is no exaggeration(夸张) to say within hutong lives the city's history.
The word hutong was borrowed from the Mongolian word to mean “water well” about 700 years ago.Later it referred to a place where people live.Hutong we see today are made up of small lanes formed by walls of siheyuan.They were built during the Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties.
When the People's Republic of China was founded in 1949, there were more than 3,000 hutong.Most of the city's population lived in this traditional housing.But with the modernization of the city in the 1980s and early 1990s, many hutong were pulled down to build roads, skyscrapers and modern houses.
The government has recognized the importance of hutong to Chinese cultural heritage(文化遗产)．In 2002, Beijing listed 40 protected historical zones and increased its efforts to restore some key relics and older streets in the city.Nearly 500 hutong have survived.
Hutong that still exist are like oases(绿洲) of calm surrounded by the noisy city.Walking through them, it's common to see groups of elderly citizens sitting together playing cards, mahjong or Chinese chess.In the early mornings and evenings, they gather to practice traditional forms of exercise such as taijiquan as well as dancing and singing folk songs or Peking Opera.Hutong have become a museum of Beijing's folk customs and history.What is the original meaning of the word hutong?
| A．Small lanes. | B．Water well. |
| C．Siheyuan. | D．A traditional house. |
What does the phrase “pull down” mean in Paragraph 3?
| A．Replace. | B．Destroy. |
| C．Restore. | D．Establish. |
According to the author, what is the importance of hutong to Chinese cultural heritage?
| A．It is a traditional housing style of Beijing. |
| B．Hutong have become a museum of Beijing's folk customs and history. |
| C．It is a good place for the elderly citizens to play cards, mahjong or Chinese chess. |
| D．Hutong are like oases of calm of Beijing. |
According to the passage, which of the following is FALSE?
| A．Hutong style is one of the unique characteristics of Beijing. |
| B．In 2002, Beijing listed 40 protected historical zones. |
| C．Beijing decreased its efforts to restore some key relics and older streets in the city. |
| D．Hutong have become a museum of Beijing's folk customs and history. |
As researchers learn more about how children's intelligence develops, they are increasingly surprised by the power of parents.The power of the school has been replaced by the home.To begin with, all the factors which are part of intelligence—the child's understanding of language，learning patterns, curiosity—are established well before the child enters school at the age of six.Study after study has shown that even after school begins, children's achievements have been far more influenced by parents than by teachers.This is particularly true about learning that is languagerelated.The school rather than the home is given credit for variations in achievement in subjects such as science.
In view of their power, it's sad to see so many parents not making the most of their child's intelligence.Until recently parents had been warned by educators who asked them not to educate their children.Many teachers now realize that children cannot be educated only at school and parents are being asked to contribute both before and after the child enters school.
Parents have been particularly afraid to teach reading at home.Of course，children shouldn't be pushed to read by their parents, but educators have discovered that reading is best taught individually—and the easiest place to do this is at home.Many fourand fiveyearolds who have been shown a few letters and taught their sounds will compose single words of their own with them even before they have been taught to read.What have researchers found out about the influence of parents and the school on children's intelligence?
| A．Parents have greater influence than the school. |
| B．The school plays a greater role than parents. |
| C．Parents and the school have the equal power. |
| D．Neither parents nor the school has any influence. |
Researchers conclude that________.
| A．it is with the help of the teachers that children have an understanding of language |
| B．curiosity is formed after the children enter school |
| C．children's learning patterns are developed at the early age |
| D．only the school can give children the opportunity to make achievements |
According to the text, in which area may school play a more important role?
| A．Moral education. | B．Language education. |
| C．Physical education. | D．Science education. |
Many parents fail to make the most of their children's intelligence because
________.
| A．they usually push the children to read at home |
| B．they only teach them after they enter school |
| C．they teach them in a wrong way at home |
| D．they were told by educators not to teach their children |
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