People around the world used their computers to buy goods, communicate with others, listen to music, see pictures and learn about different places and ideas. In 2006, more people around the world used new ways to communicate and connect with each other through the Internet.
The blog is one form of communication that enjoys growing popularity. Blog is a short way of saying Web log. Through these personal websites, people can share their experiences, ideas and opinions with anyone on the Internet.
People of all ages have their own blogs. For young people, they are a way to show their writings and other forms of self-expression.
Many websites offer free services to create personal Web pages and fill them with writings and pictures. These sites include "MySpace" used mainly by teenagers and young adults. My Space is an online community that lets people share messages and pictures with an increasing number of friends. It is the most popular social networking site on the Web.
YouTube is another Internet site that became more popular this year. This website lets anyone create, share and watch short videos. People can watch almost anything on YouTube: news, sports and entertainment events. There are music videos, and videos made by people in their own homes. These include videos of people singing or dancing, or animals doing funny things. Three young men created YouTube almost two years ago as a personal video sharing service. They recently sold it to Google for more than one and one half billion dollars.
Games and entertainment also became a larger part of the Internet this year. One Internet social site is called Second Life. It is an online world in which computer users create a new self and live a different life. They get married, build homes, operate businesses, buy and sell goods, work, play and attend school.People all around the world use blogs to __________.
| A．buy goods | B．express themselves |
| C．listen to music | D．watch videos |
Blogs are popular with young people because they can __________.
| A．share ideas with their friends there |
| B．download videos or music there |
| C．make lots of money there |
| D．live a new life there |
MySpace is one of the most popular __________ on the Internet.
| A．Web pages | B．blogs |
| C．space stations | D．websites |
People visit YouTube and __________ there.
| A．create and share videos |
| B．sing and dance to music |
| C．get personal information |
| D．raise animals |
Over the past 20 years, AIDS and war have claimed the parents of 2．4 million Ugandan children．When Alexis Hefley first visited the country,, in 1993, she saw the children’s sorrow, but the former Texas banker also spotted "a world of possibility"．She watched as they danced for tourists to earn money, and she had a thought: If people in America could see them perform, they’d support them too．
The children’s passion and talent inspired Hefley to work with the kids at an orphanage（孤儿院）in Kampala, the capital city of Uganda, to organize a traveling dance troupe（团）．The goals: to give the problems in Uganda a human face, to raise awareness and to raise money．
The first tour touched down at six American cities in 1994．Today, the 22-member troupe, known as the Spirit of Uganda, travels across America every two years．The young performers bring their energy and joy to audiences across the U．S．and help support hundreds of Ugandan orphans back home．Among the young dancers, some earn scholarships to attend the U．S．colleges, and then return to their country to help rebuild it．
Photojournalist Douglas Menuez first photographed the troupe in 2006 -?a project that led to his new book, Transcendent Spirit, from which these images are drawn．At each performance, the dancers’ faces show pure joy, quite an achievement given the hardships they’ve faced．"They look to the future, not the past," explains Menuez．"They embrace beauty and good in the world．" As one dancer puts it, "People think we have lost our parents．We’ve had so many problems．But then they see us perform．They see our smiles．And they learn that life goes on．"What are the first two paragraphs mainly about?
| A．How miserable Ugandan orphans’ life is． |
| B．How the dance troupe was set up． |
| C．How the young dancers earned money． |
| D．How the orphans lost their parents．| |
What do we learn about the Spirit of Uganda?
| A．It was started by a journalist． |
| B．It travels across the U．S．annually． |
| C．It consists of two dozen performers． |
| D．Its dancers have chances to study in the U．S． |
In the eyes of Menuez, the young performers are_____．
| A．beautiful | B．talented | C．optimistic | D．humorous |
What might be the most suitable title for the passage?
| A．Ugandan orphans turn tragedy into dance |
| B．Transcendent Spirit: A close look at Uganda |
| C．AIDS and war are claiming people’s lives |
| D．Lots of people are helping Ugandan orphans |
As a palace, the Tower of London．was a great place to live．As a prison, it, wasn’t so nice ——especially since so many prisoners lost their heads．Today tourists can explore 5the Tower in the
United Kingdom．Here are some reasons why the Tower was and still is a cool place．
Ravens（渡鸦） are like superheroes．
Well, sort of．Legend says if the ravens that live on the Tower grounds ever leave, the Tower will fall apart．No one knows when the ravens first showed up, but Charles II took the legend so seriously that in the 1670s he gave an official order that six ravens be kept there all the time．Today
there are still always six．
You might have lived at a zoo．
In 1204, King John kept a collection of animals, including lions and elephants．About 50 years later, King Henry III received a polar bear．the bear was kept on a piece of rope so it could fish from the Thames River that flows by the Tower．
If you lived at the Tower today, your mom or dad might be in charge．
The 35 Yeoman Warders（伦敦塔卫士）and their families are among the few still allowed to live at the Tower．Established in 1509 a;? bodyguards! for the king, today they give tours and manage the day-to-day details of the Tower．They’re called "beefeaters," possibly because their job once allowed them to eat beef from the king’s; table．
You need a secret password at night．
Called the "Word," the password changes every 24 hours and is a must-have to enter the Tower
after hours．It’s written on a piece of paper and delivered to the Yeoman on duty for, the night．
You could find buried gold．
In 1662, a goldsmith（金匠） named John Barfcstead supposedly hid more than $40,000 worth of stolen gold somewhere on．the Tower grounds．Many have searched for the gold, but it has never
been found．Charles II decided to keep six ravens in the Tower probably because ____,． ;
| A．he loved animals a lot |
| B．he believed ravens helped protect the Tower |
| C．he wanted to train the ravens to watch the prisoners |
| D．he thought the Tower was a cool place for the ravens to live |
According to the passage, the Yeoman Warders ______．
| A．have to part from their families to work at the Tower |
| B．are currently working as bodyguards for the king |
| C．sometimes serve as tour guides |
| D．are fond of eating beef |
Which of the following is TRUE about the Tower of London?
| A．King Henry III kept lions and elephants in it． |
| B．It stands on the bank of the Thames River． |
| C．Nobody is allowed to enter it at night． |
| D．It is also used as a prison nowadays． |
The year is 2094．It has been announced that a comet (彗星) is heading towards the Earth．Most of it will miss our planet , but two pieces will probably hit the southern half of the Earth．
On 17 July , a piece four kilometers wide enters the Earth’s atmosphere (大气层) with a massive explosion．About half of the piece is destroyed , but the remaining part hits the South Atlantic at 200 times the speed of sound．The sea boils and a huge hole is made in the sea bed．Huge waves are created and spread outwards from the hole．The wall of water , a kilometer high , rushes towards southern Africa at 800 kilometers an hour．Cities on the African coast are totally destroyed and millions of people re drowned．
Before the waves reach South America , the second piece of the comet lands in Argentina．Earthquakes and volcanoes are set off in the Andes Mountains．The shock waves move north into California and all around the Pacific Ocean．The cities of Los Angeles , San Francisco and Tokyo are completely destroyed by earthquakes．Millions of people in the southern half of the earth are already dead, but the north won’t escape for long．Because of the explosions , the sun is hidden by clouds of dust , temperatures around the world fall to almost zero．Crops are ruined．The sun won’t be seen again for many years．Wars break out as countries fight for food．A year later , no more than 10 million people remain alive．
Could it really happen ? In fact , it has already happened more than once in the history of the Earth．The dinosaurs were on the Earth for over 160 million years．Then 65 million years ago they suddenly disappeared．Many scientists believe that the Earth was hit by a piece of object in space．The dinosaurs couldn’t live through the cold climate that followed and they died out．Will we meet the same and ?What is mainly described in the passage ?
| A．A historic discovery． | B．An event of imagination |
| C．A research on space． | D．A scientific adventure． |
When the first piece hits the South Atlantic , it causes ．
| A．an earthquake | B．damages to cities |
| C．an Earth explosion | D．huge waves |
Why can’t the northern half of the earth escape for long ?
| A．Because the land is covered with water |
| B．Because the light and heat from the sun can not reach the earth． |
| C．Because people there can not live at the temperature of zero． |
| D．Because wars break out among countries． |
By giving the example of dinosaurs , the author tries to prove ．
| A．animals could not live in the cold climate |
| B．what happened 65 million years ago was an invented story |
| C．the human beings will die out in 2094 |
| D．the Earth could be hit by other objects in space |
How would you like an easy way to earn 2,500 dollars? All you have to do is to sit around and wait for your meals．There’s catch, however．You have to stay in a chicken cage with a stranger for a whole week．There are no books or television or radio for amusement．You can’t leave until the week is up．And a camera will be recording your every move．
Two people actually took the job．The idea came from Rob Thompson, a video artist．He wanted to make a film about the way animals are treated．His goal was to raise people’s awareness of the living conditions of animals that are raised for food．He decided to pay $ 5000 out of his own savings to two people who were willing to lie like chicken for a week．
To Rob’s surprise, quite a few people answered his advertisement．He had interviews and selected Eric, a 24-year-old restaurant worker, and Pam, a 27-year-old chemist．The plan was for them to spend seven days together in a chicken cage that was six feet long and three feet wide．A camera would record their experience, which would take place in an art museum．
The week was long and difficult．They slept on a hard wooden floor．They couldn’t stand up without banging（重击）their heads．They ate vegetarian mash（土豆泥）and drank water from a garden hosepipe（水龙头软管）．Their only privacy was a toilet surrounded by a curtain．There were no sinks, mirrors, or toothbrushes in the cage．Their only inspiration was the two framed checks that hung on the wall outside the cage．Visitors who came here were warned, “Do not food the humans．”
Finally it was over, Pam and Eric emerged from their cage．They had survived the week, and they each had a $2,500 check in their hands．When Rob Thompson opened the cage, Eric came out, changed into clean clothes, and ate a chocolate bar right away．“It’s great to be able to stand up,” he said．Pam just changed her clothes and left．After a week of visitors and reporters watching her, she didn’t want to talk to anyone．What kind of person is Rob Thompson?
| A．He is curious about people’s personal life． |
| B．He is kind-hearted to animals． |
| C．He hates people around． |
| D．He likes to help poor people． |
What made it most difficult for the two to stay in the cage?
| A．They didn’t know each other． |
| B．They couldn’t lie down to sleep in the cage． |
| C．They didn’t have meat to eat． |
| D．They had to do almost everything under others’ eyes． |
Rob offered the money because he wanted________．
| A．to see if there were any people who would like to live in a cage |
| B．to show the public how bitter animals’ life could be |
| C．to make more money by publishing the recorded video tapes |
| D．to improve housing conditions of working people like Eric |
Which of the following would be the best title for this passage?
| A．Easy Way to Earn $ 2 500． | B．Do Not Feed the Humans． |
| C．Living Like a Chicken． | D．Getting Along Well Anyway． |
A university graduate described as a “respectable and intelligent” woman is seeking professional help after being convicted of （证明有……罪）shoplifting for the second time in six months．
Ana Luz, recently studying for her PhD, has been told she could end up behind bars unless she can control the desire to steal from shops．
Luz ,who lives with her partner in Fitzwilliam Road ,Cambridge ,admitted stealing clothes worth ￡9．95 from John Lewis in Oxford Street ,London ,on March 9．
Phillip Lemoyne ,prosecuting（起诉）,said Luz selected some clothes from a display and took them to the ladies’ toilet in the store．When she came out again she was wearing one of the skirts she had selected ,having taken off the anti-theft security alarms（防盗警报装置）．
She was stopped and caught after leaving the store without paying ,Mr Lemoyne said．
He added that she was upset on her arrest and apologized for her actions．
Luz,28, was said to have been convicted of shoplifting by Cambridge judges last October ,but Morag Duff, defending ,said she had never been in trouble with the police before that．
“She is ashamed and embarrassed but doesn’t really have any explanation why she did this ,” Miss Duff said．“She didn’t intend to steal when she went into the store．She is at a loss to explain it．She is otherwise a very respectable and intelligent young lady．She went to her doctor and asked for advice because she wants to know if there is anything in particular that caused her to do this．”
Judge David Azan fined Luz ￡ 50, and warned : “You’ve got a criminal record．If you carry on like this ,you will end up in prison ,which will ruin your bright future you may have．”
Luz achieved a degree in design at university in her native Spain ,went on to a famous university in Berlin , Germany for her master’s degree and is now studying for a PhD at Cambridge University ,UK．What is Ana Luz’s nationality?
| A．American． | B．British． | C．Spanish． | D．German． |
What does the underlined sentence “She is at a loss to explain it” mean?
| A．In her opinion it was a loss to the clothes shops where she stole things． |
| B．She doesn’t have any idea why she has the desire to steal from shops． |
| C．She thinks it is a loss for her to explain why she stole things from shops． |
| D．Personally she feels ashamed and embarrassed for her shoplifting actions． |
Which of the following best explains the meaning of the word “shoplifting” used in the passage?
| A．Carrying goods in a lift for a shop． |
| B．Taking goods to the ladies’ toilet． |
| C．Selecting some goods from a display． |
| D．Taking goods from a shop without paying． |
From the passage we can learn that ．
| A．Ana Luz is already got her PhD at Cambridge University ,UK |
| B．Ana Luz is ashamed and embarrassed and knows why she often did so |
| C．the university graduate will be put in prison if she steals in shops once more |
| D．Phillip Lemoyne is the “respectable and intelligent” woman’s defense lawyer |
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