King Midas used to love gold. One day he met a fairy who allowed him to make a wish for something. The king replied at once, ‘‘I love gold. I want everything I touch to change into gold”. ‘‘Very well, tomorrow morning, everything you touch will turn into gold.” Saying this, the fairy disappeared.
The king waited excitedly till the next morning. To his joy, everything he touched changed immediately into gold. ‘‘I’m the richest man in the world now.” He shouted.
Soon Midas became hungry. He sat down at his table. All the foods and drinks turned into gold in his hand. ‘‘I’m dying of hunger.” He cried.
Just then his daughter came running in. ‘‘Why are you so sad, dad?” she asked, putting her arms around him. There and then she became a golden statue. The king loved his daughter very much .Seeing this, he began to cry. He looked up and suddenly saw the fairy before him. ‘‘Don’t you like the golden touch?” asked the fairy. ‘‘Please take it away,” begged the king, ‘‘give me back my daughter.” ‘‘Well, you have learned your lesson. Go and wash in the river. Then the golden touch will be gone.”
The king ran quickly to the nearby river.The fairy allowed the king to make a wish because
| A．She hoped to make the king the richest in the world. |
| B．She loved gold too. |
| C．She wanted to teach the king a lesson. |
| D．She wanted to turn the king’s daughter into gold. |
When the foods and drinks turned into gold the king was
A. excited B. hungry C. worried D happyThe king’s daughter became a golden statue when
| A．she saw her father |
| B．the king went to meet her |
| C．she put her arms around her father |
| D．the king loved her very much |
Which of the following might have happened afterwards?
| A．The king died in the river. |
| B．The king’s daughter changed back from gold to a lovely girl. |
| C．All the things the king had touched changed back into real ones. |
| D．Both B and C |
What do you think the story tries to tell us?
| A．Gold makes people unhappy. |
| B．More gold, more happiness. |
| C．Gold is not the thing that makes life happy. |
| D．People feel happy if they have not gold. |
It’s no surprise why Kung Fu Hustle is the top-grossing①homegrown movie in Hong Kong. Hustle’s approach to a simple good-against-evil plot is extremely cheerful.
Humor bordering on slapstick combined with exciting choreography②by Yuen Wo Ping, who masterminded③the fight scenes in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and The Matrix, make Kung Fu Hustle a lively, visual treat.
There is plenty of violence, but it’s largely cartoonish. Stephen Chow wrote, directed, produced and stars in this non-stop action movie, which is in Cantonese with English subtitles④.
Chow plays Sing, an eager young man who longs to be a member of the powerful and cruel Axe Gang. When gang members appear on the scene, sometimes dancing with their frightening axes in hand, the sky breaks out with fireworks. The sets are shocking, with classic cars lining the neon-lighted streets and gambling casinos⑤serving as the backdrop to the underworld activities. All these give off the sensation of Old West shootouts.
One neighborhood is blessedly away from the disorder. Pig Sty Alley is so poverty-stricken it holds no interest for the Axe Gang. Then in wanders the unlucky Sing, who attempts to get money there. But folks are not what they seem: The town is full of kung fu masters.
Sing tries to single out someone he can fight, but it seems as if everyone, elderly and very young alike, has a body like Charles Atlas. During the time, Sing calls upon the Axe Gang, which faces off against the people of Pig Sty Alley, led by the town’ s landlords, the powerful lady in curlers and her husband. Fans of kung fu movies will have a rip-roaring time, but even moviegoers are sure to enjoy spirited action of Kung Fu Hustle.
Notes:
① top-grossing adj. 票房收入最高的
② choreography n. 舞蹈术
③ mastermind vt. 策划
④ subtitle n. 说明对白的字幕
⑤ gambling casino 赌博场Which of the following characters does the passage mainly describe?
| A．Stephen Chow | B．Yuen Wo Ping | C．Sing | D．Charles Atlas |
Kung Fu Hustle becomes the top-grossing homegrown movie in Hong Kong because _______.
A. it is full of humor and exciting action B. it is full of cartoonish characters
B. it is mainly made up of dance D. it is a non-stop action movie Which of the following about the Axe Gang is TRUE?
| A．The Axe Gang is popular with fans of kung fu movies. |
| B．The Axe Gang is always easy do good things. |
| C．The Axe Gang doesn’t know how to use guns. |
| D．The Axe Gang often fights against its enemy using the axes. |
In which part are you likely to find it if the passage appears in the web site?
| A．Entertainment. | B．Travel. | C．News. | D．Books. |
Yao Ming edged Kobe Bryant as the top votegetter in fan balloting①for the 55th NBA All-Star game Thursday, and Shaquille O’Neal became the fifth player in league history to earn 13 consecutive②selections for the midseason showcase.
Yao and Tracy McGrady give the host Houston Rockets two starters in the Feb.19 game. They were joined on the Western Conference squad by Bryant, San Antonio’s Tim Duncan and reigning MVP Steve Nash of Phoenix — who will be a first-time All-Star starter.
Yao edged Bryant by 71,107 votes for the top overall spot in the balloting, despite missing 21 games following surgery to clean out an infection③ in his left big toe. It’s the fourth All-Star trip for the 7-foot-6 center from China and the eighth for Bryant, who leads the NBA in scoring and had an 81-point effort — the second-biggest night in NBA history — last month in the Los Angeles Lakers’ win over Toronto.
Yao finished with 2,342,738 votes; Bryant had 2,271,631 in the closest finish among the top two players in All-Star balloting since Vince Carter, then of Toronto, edged Miami’s Alonzo Mourning by 33,385 votes in 2000.
Notes:
① ballot vi. 投票
② consecutive adj. 连续的
③ infection n. 传染，感染Yao Ming’s got _______ Kobe Bryant in fan balloting for the 55th NBA All-Star game Thursday.
| A．the same votes as | B．more votes than |
| C．less votes than | D．no more than |
Yao Ming and _______ belong to the Houston Rockets.
| A．Kobe Bryant | B．Tracy McGrady |
| C．Shaquille O’Neal | D．Steve Nash |
Which of the following is not wrong according to this passage?
| A．Yao Ming edged Kobe Bryant as the top votegetter in fan balloting for the 54th NBA All-Star game. |
| B．Yao edged Tracy McGrady by 71,107 votes for the top overall spot in the balloting. |
| C．It’s the fourth All-Star trip for Yao Ming from China. |
| D．Yao finished with 2,271,631 votes; Bryant had2,342,738 in the closest finish among the top two players in All-Star balloting. |
BEIJING, Nov. 25, 2005（Reuters）— China’s home-grown human bird flu vaccine① is at least a year away from hitting the market but tests on humans have been approved by the government, head of the research drug company said on Friday.
Development of the vaccine started last year after bird flu outbreaks in Thailand and Vietnam and animal trials have already been completed, said Yin Wei-dong, managing director of Sinovac Biotech.
“It is not a virus that is spreading from human to human，so we are very optimistic②,” Yin told Reuters in an interview.
The deadly H5N1 made its first known jump to humans in Hong Kong in 1997, killing six people. The virus appeared again in late 2003 and is known to have infected 130 people in several parts of Asia, killing 68 of them.
“It is not decided yet when the human trials will begin. We just got approval on November 22 by the State Food and Drug Administration,” Yin said.
Oregon, Nov. 26, 2005（AP）— The deadly strain of bird flu that appeared in Asia and has already spread to other parts of the world has not affected the Oregon poultry③ industry or consumers, according to Oregon State University researchers.
There are many strains of bird flu that do not usually infect humans. But one strain, called H5N1, has jumped from chickens to humans and is blamed for more than 60 deaths in Asia.
International disease control experts are worried about a worldwide outbreak of bird flu, raising concerns such as whether it is safe to eat poultry.
But Oregon State University researchers say there is no proof that the virus can jump to humans by eating cooked poultry products.
“Consumers needn’t be overly concerned about bird flu,” said Jim Hermes, OSU Extension Service poultry specialist. But he urged consumers to follow standard food safety practices in preparing poultry —including washing hands while preparing food, and proper cooking of poultry meat and eggs.
He noted that a 2003 outbreak of bird virus caused much damage to commercial poultry operations in California but did not get into Oregon because of industry safeguards.
Notes:
vaccine n. 疫苗
optimistic adj. 乐观的
poultry n. 家禽
Choose the best answers according to the above: Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the first news report?
| A．Human trials have already started but not yet successful. |
| B．Bird flu killed 68 Asian people in its second outbreak. |
| C．The bird flu virus is not one that spreads from human to human. |
| D．The government has agreed to have the vaccine tried on humans. |
What does the first news report mainly talk about?
| A．The new outbreak of the bird flu. |
| B．How the development of the bird flu vaccine is going on. |
| C．How many people died of bird flu. |
| D．What measures the government has taken to stop the spreading of bird flu. |
What does the underlined word “strains” probably mean?
| A．signs. | B．symbols. | C．kinds. | D．diseases. |
What can we know from the second news report?
| A．Because of the safety guards, Oregon poultry industry didn’t suffer any loss in the 2003 outbreak of bird flu. |
| B．People in Oregon are not concerned about bird flu. |
| C．People will develop bird flu even if they eat well-cooked poultry products. |
| D．H5N1 has caused more than 60 deaths worldwide. |
CAIRO, Egypt (Reuters) April 24, 2006—Three explosions shook the Egyptian Sinai resort of Dahab on Monday, killing 23 people and wounding dozens of others, rescue and security officials said.
Witnesses said smoke billowed①up from the town’s tourist bazaar, and residents said they saw body parts and debris②on the street after an explosion at a restaurant.
People in the small beach and diving resort, which is popular with backpackers, described scenes of carnage③and chaos④.
A cafe worker who was about 200 meters (yards) from the scene said: “We saw many dead people. People were screaming. People were being taken to hospital. Egyptians went to give blood. There were body parts. There’s police everywhere.”
“There are ambulances and cars taking people to hospital,” said another resident, who also did not want to be named.
The explosions took place at the Nelson Restaurant, the Aladdin Cafeteria and the Ghazala Supermarket, the Interior Ministry said.
The explosions took place in quick succession at about 7.15 p.m. (1715 GMT). “There is smoke coming from the area and there are people running everywhere,” said one witness, who heard the blasts.
An official with the local ambulance service said many of the dead appeared to be foreigners.
Israeli divers often stay in the resort but with the Passover holiday over it is unlikely many were there. The Israeli ambassador in Cairo and Israeli authorities said they did not know of any Israeli casualties⑤.
One visitor said police were stopping cars and buses leaving the resort and had imposed restrictions on movements in and out of backpacker camps in the area.
It was the third set of three explosions on the eastern coast of the Sinai peninsula since October 2004, when a group attacked the Hilton hotel in the border resort of Taba and two other resorts on the northeast coast, killing 34 people.
Notes:
① billow v. 翻腾
② debris n. 残骸
③ carnage n. 残杀，流血
④ chaos n. 混乱
⑤ casualty n. （人员）伤亡 What’s the result of the explosions in Dahab?
| A．34 people were killed. |
| B．There were many Israeli casualties. |
| C．23 people were killed and dozens of others were injured. |
| D．Many houses were burned to the ground. |
How many places did the explosions take place in?
| A．Two | B．Three | C．Six | D．Eight |
What does the underlined word “resort” mean?
| A．popular holiday centre | B．hotel or guest-house for holidaymakers |
| C．visiting some place | D．Making use of something for help |
Which of the following statements is right?
| A．Many of the dead appeared to be residents. |
| B．The first set of three explosions took place in October 2004. |
| C．Police couldn’t know what to do. |
| D．Israeli divers stayed in the resort with the Passover holiday over. |
Every human being has a unique① arrangement of the skin on his fingers and this arrangement is unchangeable. Scientists and experts have proved the uniqueness of finger-prints and discovered that no exactly similar pattern is passed on from parents to children, though nobody knows why this is the case.
The ridge structure on a person’s fingers does not change with growth and is not affected by surface injuries. Burns, cuts and other damage to the outer part of the skin will be replaced in time by new one, which bears a reproduction of the original② pattern. It is only when the inner skin is injured that the arrangement will be destroyed. Some criminals make use of this fact to remove their own finger-prints but this is a dangerous and rare step to take.
Finger-prints can be made very easily with printer’s ink. They can by recorded easily. With special methods, identification③ can be achieved successfully within a short time. Because of the simplicity and economy of this system, finger-prints have often been used as a method of solving criminal case. A suspected man may deny a charge but this may be in vain. His finger-prints can prove who he is even if his appearance has been changed by age or accident.
When a suspect leaves finger-prints behind at the scene of a crime, they are difficult to detect with the naked eye. Special techniques are used to “develop” them. Some of the marks found are incomplete but identification is possible if a print of a quarter of an inch square can be obtained.
Notes:
① unique adj. 唯一的，独特的
② original adj. 最初的，原始的
③ identification n. 辩认，鉴定 Scientists and experts have proved that the pattern of a human being’s finger skin ________.
| A．is similar to his mother’s |
| B．is valuable to himself only |
| C．is like that of others with the same type of blood |
| D．is different from that of all others |
If your fingers are wounded by knife, fire or other means, the structure of skin will ________.
| A．be changed partly | B．be replaced by a different one |
| C．be the same when the wound is recovered | D．become ugly |
Some criminals remove their own finger-prints by ________.
| A．using printer’s ink | B．injuring the inner skin |
| C．damaging the outer skin | D．damaging the colour |
Finger-prints have often been used as a method of solving criminal case because it ________.
| A．is complicated but reliable | B．is simple and not expensive |
| C．is expensive but easy to do | D．can bring a lot of money |
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