The White House Correspondents’ Dinner is an annual event, and a highlight of the evening is the President’s comedy routine. This year, President Obama decided to make a good-natured hit at Michelle’s expense. You might remember the “bangs”(刘海) that the First Lady introduced to the world several months ago! Oh yes he did! Obama bangs joke shows how, with professional helps, presidents are now just as funny as the comedian hosts.
For his second term, President Obama will be making big changes! He kicked off his White House Correspondents’ Dinner speech at the Washington Hilton on Saturday, Apr. 27 by joking, “Second term, baby!” “I recognize that this job can take an attack on you. I understand that second term you need a burst of new energy and try some new things,” Obama, 51, said. “My team and I talked about it and we’re willing to try anything, so we borrowed one of Michelle’s tricks.” He then presented a slideshow of funny photoshopped images of himself sporting his wife’s famous new bangs, a photo of himself and the first lady side by side, both with bangs. “I think this looked pretty good.”
After Obama’s speech, Conan O’Brien took the stage and kept the jokes coming. The late night host made a joke about the President’s focus on job creation. “Since he was reelected,” he said, “ the number of popes(教皇) has doubled and the number of Tonight Show hosts had three times.”President Obama made a good-natured hit at Michelle’s expense to ________.
| A．laugh at Michelle |
| B．show his humor |
| C．remember the “bangs” |
| D．make big changes |
What is the closest meaning of the phrase “kicked off” in the second paragraph ________.
| A．enjoyed |
| B．expressed |
| C．started |
| D．cancelled |
One of Michelle’s tricks that Obama borrowed is her ________.
| A．bangs |
| B．slideshow |
| C．photoshopped images |
| D．speech |
We may learn from the last paragraph that ________
| A．President wants to be as funny as a comedian hosts. |
| B．the first lady made bangs jokes with professional help. |
| C．Michelle is sure to be angry with president. |
| D．President will focus on job creation in his second term. |
Long bus rides are like television shows. They have a beginning, a middle, and an end with commercials thrown in every three or four minutes. The commercials are unavoidable. They happen whether you want them or not. Every couple of minutes a billboard glides by outside the bus window. "Buy Super Clean Toothpaste.” Drink Good Wet Root Beer.” Fill up with Pacific Gas.” Only if you sleep, which is equal to turning the television set off, are you spared the unending cry of "You Need It! Buy It Now!"
The beginning of the ride is comfortable and somewhat exciting, even if you’ve traveled that way before. Usually some things have changed new houses, new buildings, sometimes even a new road. The bus driver has a style of driving and it’s fun to try to figure it out the first hour or so. If the driver is particularly reckless （鲁莽的） or daring, the ride can be as thrilling （惊心动魄的） as a suspense story. Will the driver pass the truck in time? Will the driver move into the rightor the lefthand lane? After a while, of course, the excitement dies down. Sleeping for a while helps pass the middle hours of the ride. Food always makes bus rides more interesting. But you’ve got to be careful of what kind of food you eat. Too much salty food can make you very thirsty between stops.
The end of the ride is somewhat like the beginning. You know it will soon be over and there’s a kind of expectation and excitement in that. The seat of course, has become harder as the hours have passed. By now you’ve sat with your legs crossed, with your hands in your lap, with your hands on the armrests even with your hands crossed behind your head. The end comes just at no more ways to sit.According to the passage, what do the passengers usually see when they are on a long bus trip?
| A．Buses on the road. | B．Films on television. |
| C．Advertisements on the billboards. | D．Gas stations. |
What is the purpose of this passage?
| A．To give the writer’s opinion about long bus trips. |
| B．To persuade you to take a long bus trip. |
| C．To explain how bus trips and television shows differ. |
| D．To describe the billboards along the road. |
The writer of this passage would probably favor .
| A．bus drivers who aren’t reckless | B．driving alone |
| C．a television set on the bus | D．no billboards along the road |
The writer feels long bus rides are like TV shows because .
A．the commercials both on TV shows and on billboards along the road are fun |
| B．they both have a beginning, a middle, and an end, with commercials in between |
| C．the drivers are always reckless on TV shows just as they are on buses |
| D．both traveling and watching TV are not exciting. |
The writer thinks that the end of the ride is somewhat like the beginning because both are .
| A．exciting | B．comfortable | C．tiring | D．boring |
Ever since news of widespread food recalls caused by a carcinogenic dye（颜料） broke, there has been confusion over possible links to the country of the same name, but Sudan officials say there is no connection whatever.
Sudan1 is a red industrial dye that has been found in some chilli powder, but was banned in food products across the European Union (EU) in July 2003.
Since the ban was put in place, EU officials have been striving to remove some food products from the shelves. So far 580 products have been recalled.
Last week Sudan’s Embassy in the United Kingdom asked the Food Standards Agency (FSA) for clarification of the origin of the dye’s name.
Omaima Mahmoud Al Sharief, a press official at Sudan’s Embassy in China, explained the purpose of the inquiry was to clear up any misunderstanding over links between the country and the poisonous dye.
"We want to keep an eye on every detail and avoid any misunderstanding there," she said. "Our embassy to Britain asked them how the dye got that name and whether the dye had something to do with our country. But they told us there was no relationship."
The FSA, an independent food security watchdog in Britain, received a letter from the Sudanese embassy last week.
"They asked us why the dye is named Sudan, however, we also do not know how it got the name," she said. "People found the dye in 1883 and gave it the name. Nobody knows the reason, and we cannot give any explanation before we find out."
Sudan dyes, which include Sudan1 to 4, are red dyes used for colouring solvents（溶剂）, oils, waxes, petrol, and shoe and floor polishes. They are classified as carcinogens by the International Agency for Research on Cancer. What does the underlined word mean in paragraph one?
| A．Causing cancer. | B．Having side effect. | C．Containing poison. | D．Poisonous. |
How did the Sudan1 get its name?
| A．The dye is often produced in Sudan. |
B．The dye has something to do with  the country named Sudan. |
| C．Nobody is sure of the origin of the name. |
| D．Many foods produced in Sudan contain the dye. |
We can infer from the passage that .
| A．the Sudan government is paying much attention to the food safety |
| B．Sudan1 is often used to be added to the food |
| C．people didn’t realize the danger of Sudan1 until 2003 |
| D．many food shops will be closed down |
Which of the following is the best title?
| A．Keep away from Sudan1 |
| B．No Sudan1 dye links to the country |
| C．How Sudan1 dye got its name? |
| D．Pay attention to the food safety |
BEIJING — After a night of wining and dining with 50 of China’s richest people, Warren Buffet and Bill Gates told the journalists on Thursday that the biggest difference between eating with Chinese tycoons(企业界大亨) and Western ones was the food.
“I was amazed last night, really, at how similar the questions and discussions and all that were to
those in the dinners we had in the U.S.,” said Mr. Buffett.
Mr. Buffett and Mr. Gates, two o
f the best known Westerners here, announced in September, 2010 that they planned to invite 50 wealthy Chinese tycoons to dinner in Beijing to encourage philanthropy(慈善事业) among China’s new rich.
On Thursday, the two men pronounced the dinner a great success, saying that two-thirds of those invited had shown up, and that more than half of them had offered their own ideas on how Chinese philanthropy should work.
The guest list wasn’t made public, but the Chinese news media reported that it included Jet Li, the movie star; Niu Gensheng, the founder of a Chinese dairy business; and Pan Shiyi and Zhang Xin, who control the SOHO China real estate(房地产) empire.
As with four earlier dinners held in the United States, Mr. Buffett and Mr. Gates said, no one at the Beijing event was asked to donate money or to promise to engage in charity. “Bill and I won’t be calling anybody. What happens in China will depend on what the Chinese people feel about a project of this sort,” said Mr. Buffett.
China is widely reported to be second only to the United States in the number of dollar billionaires. Mr. Gates and Mr. Buffett said the nation was unique because its wealthy class had arisen almost wholly in the past 30 years, so the philanthropic practices established among European and American dynasties are new here, and open to change.
The two said the dinner wasn’t a long planned matter, but an offshoot of a trip that Mr. Buffett had already scheduled to Guangdong and Hunan Provinces, where BYD Company, a maker of clean-energy automobiles, has factories. Mr. Buffett’s company, Berkshire Hathaway, holds a 10% stake(股金) in the company.
But Mr. Gates suggested that their philan
thropic trip wasn’t yet over. “We may do an event in India,” he said.What is the text mainly about?
A．A brief analysis of future phil anthropy. |
| B．The development of Chinese philanthropy. |
| C．An introduction on Mr. Buffett and Mr. Gates’ trip in China. |
| D．A charity dinner held in Beijing by Mr. Buffett and Mr. Gates. |
According to the first two paragraphs, Mr Buffett really wanted to say that ________.
| A．the dinner was quite a success |
| B．the food in the dinner was very delicious |
| C．Chinese tycoons are similar to Western ones |
| D．it was pleasing to discuss with Chinese tycoons |
We can learn from the text that __________.
| A．China has the largest number of dollar billionaires in Asia |
| B．many people have promised to donate money at dinner |
| C．Beijing will be the last stop of their philanthropic trip |
D．the Chinese news media published the co mplete guest list of the dinner |
The underlined words “an offshoot” in Paragraph 8 can probably be replaced by “________”.
| A．a report | B．an addition | C．a beginning | D．an end |
Many people have been talking about the way in which the world will come to an end in 2012. Everybody wants to find out if December 21, 2012 is the last day of the earth. The rumor has already been spreading for a very long time. The Mayan’s prediction can acc
ount for the rumor. According to the rumor, the earth will experience dramatic changes in 2012 and the changes will be disastrous to all of the living creatures on earth. It is widely assumed that a Planet X will return to orbit the solar system. The return of Planet X will have a destructive effect on the solar system as well as on some planets including the Neptune, the Jupiter and the earth. Planet X will cross into their orbits. There’s a possibility that Jupiter will change into a little sun at this time, so folks will be well placed to see two suns in the sky in 2012.
The solar flares (耀斑) that occur in a 11-year cycle will reach their highest point in 2012. The powerful solar flares will affect the magnetic field of the earth and cause disasters. On December 21, 2012, the sun and the earth will line up in the same line at the equator(赤道). The winter solstice(冬至) only occurs once every 25,800 years. The events in the universe are signals that the world will come to an end. As a result of the solar flares, lots of disasters will happen that will destroy the face of the whole earth. Scientists are making the guess primarily based on the Mayan Long Count Calendar.
Many films have been made about the end of the world including End Game by Alex Jones and End Clock: Nostradamus 2012. The former provides insights about the way the world will become one state. After the world government is in place, it’s going to be easy to exterminate 80% of the people in the world. The rest will continue to live with assistance from advanced technology.
No one knows whether the world will end on December 21, 2012: There is no clear answer until the day arrives. Just as the Mayans claim, it will not be the time for the world to end. Instead, it will be the dawn of a fresh start.What is the passage mainly about?
| A．Information about end-of-the-world predictions. |
| B．Different opinions about end-of-the-world predictions. |
| C．Some doubts about end-of-the-world predictions. |
| D．Destructive effects of the end of the world. |
Which of the following things will NOT happen if the end of the world really happens?
| A．Humans will see two suns at the same time. |
| B．The earth will look completely different. |
| C．The earth and the moon will line up in the same line. |
| D．The solar flares will become stronger than before. |
The underlined word “exterminate” in Paragraph 3 probably means “__________”.
| A．save | B．kill | C．help | D．rule |
What is the author’s attitude to the rumor that the world will end?
| A．Optimistic . | B．Sad. | C．Unconcerned. | D．Scared. |
When I spent Christmas away from home in Europe for the first time, I was only 14 and it was absolutely horrific. I am now married and live in the US. So there is little possibility for me to go home for Christmas. Now I am able to get through Christmas with some moments of joy:
First, you are advised to search you area for stores that carry items from your home country or town. Buy food, candles and some other things that mean something to you.
Hold on to the traditions from your home that you think are important even if other people think they are stupid. But keep in mind to be open for new traditions from wherever you might be, because those traditions are as important to those people around you as yours are to you. For me that includes celebrating Christmas on the 24th.
Call, write Christmas cards, buy gifts and mail them to loved ones, just as if you were there. If you try to pretend as if the holiday doesn’t exist, you are just going to make it worse.
Introduce your traditions to your loved ones, especially your kids. It will only enrich their celebration of the holiday to have some unique traditions in their home. Little by little it will become their tradition and it’s fun for them to try something new.
Find clubs, churches or organizations that are from your home country. Chances are that they will have some celebration with some of your traditions which you can join in.
Food is one of the most important factors in any kind of tradition. Find the recipe of that cake your grandmother used and make it your tradition to bake that particular cake.
Call up your parents and get them to send you some of your favorite childhood ornaments (装饰品) for your tree.
Embrace new traditions, talk to your family about which ones you want to make your own and stick with them.
If you are far away from home, Christmas can never be the same as you experienced it before, but it is important to remember these traditions while appreciating the new ones. Keep an open mind and find a compromise between old and new traditons.The author spent his 14th Christmas ___________.
| A．unpleasantly in the US | B．joyfully in the US |
| C．unpleasantly in Europe | D．joyfully in Europe |
Why does the author advise people to hunt in some special stores?
| A．Because people can buy some discounted goods there. |
| B．Because people can feel less homesick there. |
| C．Because it’s an old Christmas tradition. |
| D．Because they offer goods from the hometown of the people. |
Which of the following statements does the author agree with?
| A．It’s great for children to have some unique traditions. |
| B．People should join in all kinds of clubs to celebrate Christmas. |
| C．People should give up traditions which are stupid in other people’s eyes. |
| D．It is popular to celebrate Christmas on the 24th around the world. |
The author suggests giving a call to parents on Christmas mainly to __________.
| A．express love to them | B．follow the tradition |
| C．ask for some ornaments | D．set an example for children |
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