Walt Disney is credited for creating such wonderful things as Donald Duck and Mickey Mouse. However, he cannot take the credit for creating other well-loved characters, such as Cinderella and Snow White. They are almost automatically associated with Disney because Disney turned old fables(寓言) into cartoon movies.
The original Cinderella varies very much from the Disney version we know today. It started off with the girl mourning her mother’s death and going to her tomb three times a day. In addition, there were only birds that helped Cinderella; there was no such thing as a fairy godmother or helpful mice, nor was there mention of a horse and carriage.
The stepsisters were cruel: they always threw Cinderella’s food into the ashes of the fire and made her sleep on the ashes on the floor, hence（因此）her name.
In the original story, the king’s ball actually lasted for three days. With the help of the birds, the girl, beautifully dressed, danced with the prince on all three nights and the prince fell in love with her. However, she broke away from him to rush back home each night. On the last night, the prince placed soothing sticky on the stairs; as Cinderella made her escape, a shoe got stuck on it.
Here now is where the story becomes unpleasant: when the prince went to the house looking for the girl whose foot fit the shoe, the wicked(邪恶的) stepmother told one of her two daughters to cut off her big toe to fit into the shoe. The daughter did as told. So the prince took her away to be his bride. But when they passed the tomb of Cinderella’s mother, the birds called out to the prince,
“Turn and peep, there’s blood in the shoe;
the shoe is too small, the true bride waits for you.”
Realizing he had been tricked, the prince returned the daughter to her mother. The other then had to cut off part of her heel in order to fit into the shoe, with the same result. Only Cinderella’s foot fit perfectly and so the prince chose to marry her. The story ends with the wedding day: as Cinderella’s two stepsisters followed her, pretending to be devoted to her so that they could enjoy the king’s riches, two birds flew by and plucked(啄) out their eyes. Because of their wickedness and falsehood, they had to spend the rest of their days blind.
The original Cinderella is so different from the Disney version. Thank goodness Disney made such changes; it indeed was a wise move. What dose the underlined word “They” in the first paragraph refer to?
| A．Such wonderful things. |
| B．Other well-loved characters. |
| C．Old fables. |
| D．Cartoon movies. |
How did Cinderella get her name?
| A．The Birds came up with it. |
| B．It was given by Disney. |
| C．It came from the word “ash”. |
| D．She got it from her mother. |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the original story?
| A．Helpful mice got Cinderella a beautiful dress. |
| B．The ball was held to celebrate the prince’s wedding. |
| C．Cinderella left her shoe on the stairs on purpose. |
| D．The birds told the prince that he had been cheated. |
What does the author think of the Disney version?
| A．Excellent. |
| B．Ordinary |
| C．Dull. |
| D．Ridiculous. |
As is known to all, colors appear in every language to express people’s feeling and thoughts．Then, what is the situation in American English?
Red is a hot color．Americans may say they are red hot about something unfair．They are red hot when they are very angry about something．The small hot-tasting peppers found in many Mexican foods are called red hot for their color and their fiery taste．Fast loud music is popular with many people．They may say the music is red hot, especially the kind called Dixieland Jazz．
Pink is a lighter kind of red．People sometimes say they are in the pink when they are in good health．The expression was first used in America at the beginning of the twentieth century．It comes from the fact that many babies are born with nice pink skin that shows that they are in good health．
The color black is often used in expressions．People describe a day on which everything goes wrong as a black day．People or things on a blacklist are connected with things illegal now．But at one time, some businesses refused to employ people who were on a blacklist for belonging to unpopular organizations．
The color green is natural for trees and grass．But it is an unnatural color for humans．A person who has a sick feeling in his stomach may say he feels a little green．A passenger on a boat who is feeling very sick from high waves may look very green．
Sometimes a person may be upset because he does not have something as nice as a friend has．That person may say he is green with envy．Some people are green with envy because a friend has more dollars or greenbacks．Dollars are called greenbacks because green is the color of the back side of the paper money．Americans use “red hot” to describe the following EXCEPT _______．
| A．something unfair |
| B．small hot-tasting peppers |
| C．the person who is very angry |
| D．popular music like Dixieland Jazz |
People use “in the pink” to express they are in good health because _______．
| A．the expression has a very long history |
| B．the color pink makes people feel happy |
| C．people think the color pink is gentler than red |
| D．healthy babies are born with nice pink skin |
When we say someone feels a little green, it means he/she _______．
| A．enjoys himself in boating | B．is hit by a high wave |
| C．has a stomachache | D．likes trees and grass |
In the writer’s eyes, what is related to a black day?
| A．Being sent a beautiful gift． |
| B．Passing a very difficult test． |
| C．Failing in an important interview． |
| D．Being invited to an exciting party． |
Office workers should know that long periods of sitting at your desk may be a killer. Scientists have shown a new threat from this lifestyle that they call “muscular inactivity (肌肉迟钝)”．
Sitting still for long periods of time leads to the buildup of substances (物质) in the blood that are harmful to health. And exercise alone won’t drive them away.
Millions of people spend their days between car，office desk and the sofa in front of the TV. While the bad influences are well rocognized，it has been thought that they can be changed by regular trips to the gym or swimming pool.
Now researchers say that is not enough. In addition to regular exercise，office workers need to keep moving while they work，by making regular trips to the printer，coffee machine or to chat with workmates.
Elin EkblomBak，an expert on health，says research shows long periods of sitting and lack (缺乏) of “whole body muscular movement” are strongly linked to obesity，heart disease and cancer，and a higher risk of death，regardless of (不管) whether they take enough exercise.
“Everyone knows about the health benefits of regular exercise. But what we haven’t realized before is that longperiod sitting down carries an extra risk that cannot be dealt with by taking exercise，” Dr EkblomBak said，adding that sitting still should be recognized as a risk to health.
“It is important to have a fiveminute break from desk work every 45 minutes. Don’t email workmates—walk across the office to give them the message. Take a coffee break or put the printer in the next room. I am a desk worker and I try to do it. It is not difficult but sometimes you get lost in your work and you forget about it.”
However，more studies are needed to confirm the ill effects of sitting for too long and ways of fighting them. But at present they conclude that “keep moving” should be added to the advice to “keep exercising.”Nowadays，many office workers wrongly think that________.
| A．long periods of sitting has bad influences on them |
| B．regular exercise benefits them after long periods of sitting |
| C．they are living a lifestyle called “muscular inactivity” |
| D．it’s unfair for them to sit in the office for too long |
What does the author suggest office workers should do?
| A．Chat with workmates often. |
| B．Send emails instead of chatting. |
| C．Keep moving in the office regularly. |
| D．Take more exercise after work. |
The last paragraph suggests that the result of the study is________.
| A．scientific | B．uncertain | C．unbelievable | D．convincing |
What would be the best title for the passage?
| A．A new threat ：longperiod sitting |
| B．Office workers should keep exercising |
| C．Taking exercise benefits a lot |
| D．Keep moving，it could save your life |
Three quarters of Britain’s parents are too busy to read bedtime stories to their children，according to a study. The study was carried out by CITV to start their new children’s show Bookaboo，which is designed to encourage anyone to pick up a book and read with their children at any time of the day.
Worryingly，the study showed that only three percent of fathers now find the time to read to the kids compared to 89 percent of mothers. Lucy Goodman，creator of Bookaboo，said，“It’s important for young boys to be able to share a book with dads，granddads or male carers and it can be fun and rewarding，too.” Of the dads who said they didn’t read to their kids,87 percent blamed work while more than a third said they were too tired. While 89 percent of mums said they did read to their children，more than half of them said cleaning distracted (使分心) them and 49 percent were distracted by other household things.
Researchers also found parents are now relying heavily on other people to lend a hand with reading to their children with grandparents doing the most，followed by sisters and brothers，aunts and uncles. While 95 percent of parents read to their children at some point，only five percent read to their children during the day. More than one in ten said they read every couple of weeks or less，and five percent could not remember the last time they shared a book.
The study found parents also seem content with allowing their children to immerse (使沉浸) themselves in TV programs or playing computer games rather than reading.
Exgoalkeeper David Seaman，who is a dad of two，has been a guest in Bookaboo.He says，“I think it’s important that fathers do read to their children because it’s a special time. Sometimes my two children will come to listen to the same book—it’s a magical moment and I advise fathers just to try it.”We can know from the passage that Bookaboo________.
| A．is a daily show | B．is an adults’ show |
| C．is a popular show | D．aims to encourage people to read to their children |
According to the study，fathers don’t read to their kids mainly because________.
| A．they are too busy with work |
| B．they don’t think it necessary to do so |
| C．they are distracted by household things |
| D．they like to play computer games in their free time |
Which group of people helped parents read to the kids the most?
| A．Aunts and uncles. | B．Grandparents. |
| C．Children’s carers. | D．Children’s sisters and brothers. |
According to the last paragraph，David Seaman________.
| A．is a goalkeeper now | B．has only one child |
| C．is the creator of Bookaboo | D．thinks it is great to read to children |
AAAGH! The Generation 90s is coming!
Wearing earphones, using complex Net language and constantly text messaging friends, the Gen-90s following the Gen-80s begin to make their world debut （初次登台）．
Each generation or age group has its own symbols and lifestyle．Read on and judge for yourselves if you fit the Gen-90s group．
Earphones
These little devices seem to grow on the heads of the Gen-90s．They might lead to MP3, MP4 or MP101 players, giving these young people a plugged-in, cool and perhaps self-addicted look, of course, life is not always music to the ears．
Martian language
They have created their own code-like online language．It’s a mixture of English, Japanese and Chinese that perhaps only Martians can understand．This is an imaginative generation, though they need to be careful to keep it out of their term papers．
Self-Portrait
Saying “cheese” to their own digital cameras is usual for this generation．A little bit of narcissism （自恋） never hurts anyone．It helps them reflect a little on their own lives．But be aware of the risks of posting private photos online．
Text-messaging
They can type their mobile phones as fast as they can speak．This is a generation that respects efficiency．However, oral communication is important and will never go out of style．According to the text, the writer will choose ______ as a good example to the Gen-90．
| A．Li Hua likes music and always wearing ipod |
| B．Zhang Chao is not only an imaginative boy but do everything efficiently． |
| C．Lily is a shy girl and she doesn’t like making friends． |
| D．Fangfang likes being taken photos and often posting them on line． |
According to this passage, which is FALSE?
| A．Not all teens are cautious about posting photos． |
| B．They type their mobile phones so fast that it can catch the speed of speaking． |
| C．The Gen-90s have a preference for some music players, and even regard them as a necessary part of life． |
| D．They don’t use the cool and complex online language in formal writing． |
The main idea of the passage is about________．
| A．the Gen-90s’ happy life |
| B．the difference between the Gen-80s and the Gen-90s |
| C．the Gen-90s’ unique lifestyle and some practical warnings |
| D．the similarities between the Gen-80s and the Gen-90s |
A few years ago, I moved into a new house in Los Angeles. Soon after, a family moved in next door. It wasn’t the best of times for me. I had just divorced(离婚) from my second wife, and I wasn’t working. I’d come home each day and sit by myself in the backyard. One night, I heard someone from the yard next door, “Tom ! How are you, Tom? ”
I couldn’t see anybody through the trees, but I answered, “I’ m good.”
“Good!” said the voice.
“What’s your name?” I asked.
“Eric.” Then I heard someone say, “Eric, don’t bother him.”
“Okay!” Eric said. “Talk to you tomorrow!”
Months later, on Halloween, we finally met face to face. Eric came to the door dressed like a rap star. We became friends. We’d hang out in our yards, and Eric, who was almost 17 at the time and look liked a 13-year-old, would tell me his ideas and dreams. Eric’s dad, Alec Gores, is a billionaire(亿万富翁), the head of Gores Technology Group.
One day, Alec called me and said, “I know you are an actor. My son’s an actor, too. And he’s very good. I want you to write a movie for him. He wants to do something like True lies.” That’s the movie I made in 1994. His father has given Eric the great gif of confidence. He believes he can do anything he wants. He also offered to fund the movie. And that’s how The Kid & I, which opens in November, began.
Well, I really have to say that opportunity(机会)lies anywhere.What do we learn about the writer when he had just moved into his new house in Los Angele?
| A．He often came back very late. |
| B．He was working in the city at that time. |
| C．He and his second wife had just gotten divorced. |
| D．He often talks with others in the backyard. |
The writer of this passage is a(an) .
| A．teacher | B．actor | C．singer | D．doctor |
What do we learn about Eric from the passage?
| A．He lives alone with his father. | B．He has a very rich father |
| C．He often feels very lonely. | D．He is a rap star. |
The second last paragraph(倒数第二段)mainly tells us .
| A．how The Kid & I began | B．the roles in The Kid & I |
| C．how the writer met Eric’s father | D．what The Kid & I is about |
From his experience in Los Angeles, the writer learnt that .
| A．where there is a will, there is a way. |
| B．one should always learn from the past. |
| C．one can find opportunity anywhere. |
| D．life can always be better. |
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