More than half a century ago, there were 4, 000 drive­in movie theaters in the United States, and watching a movie from your car was a popular way to spend an evening. But with the number of drive­ins reduced to just a few hundred, outdoor movie has been popping up across the nation. Going to an open­air theater has become a modern summer pastime for an increasing number of movie fans.

In recent years, outdoor movie screenings have come up in parks, vacant lots and shopping malls around the nation. On average, about 1,000 people attend each movie night. It attracts a lot of young professionals, young workers and residents nearby. For some, the outdoor movies bring back the memories of the drive­in theaters of their youths. But for the majorities, they think it is comparable to the atmosphere of drive­ins, as they can bring friends, food, good wine, and watch the movie together.

The returning of Americans' love affair with outdoor movies makes Stephen Bastas ever busier. His seven­member crew sets up screens in various locations mostly in the Washington area every day throughout the summer. They are doing pretty well and they hope to continue the trend. And it looks like they are going to. That's because many fans say there is nothing like watching a movie on a breezy summer evening under the stars.

1.In the first paragraph, the author tries to tell us ________.

A．outdoor movies attracts more movie­lovers

B．summer brings back more drive­in movie fans

C．drive­in movie theaters have already disappeared

D．watching a movie from your car is becoming more popular

2.Most people choose to go to an outdoor movie mainly because they can ________.

A．have snacks before the movie

B．cheer up with young friends

C．bring back good old days

D．enjoy the casual atmosphere

3.From the text, we can learn that Stephen Bastas is most probably ________.

A．a movie maker

B．an outdoor movie fan

C．a movie director

D．an open­air theater operator

4.How does stephen Bastas feel about the future of outdoor movies？________.

A．Optimistic B．Amazed

C．Worried D．Disappointed

While the presence of rats in homes may cause anxiety and annoyance, they rarely result in driving out the residents. But that is exactly what happened to the inhabitants of the 10­square­mile Hawadax Island off the coast of Alaska, almost 230 years ago. Now thanks to a five­year effort by scientists, the terribly silent “Rat Island” as it had been called for many years has been returned to its rightful owners ——birds!

Hawadax Island is part of a chain of volcanic islands in the Bering Sea called the Aleutian Islands. The rats that arrived there in 1780, when a Japanese ship carrying them broke down nearby, completely destroyed the native population because the environment of the island was not built to defend its animals from these predators. There isn't any tree on the Island, which meant that the birds were accustomed to building their nests low in the ground, giving the rodents(啮齿动物) easy access to both eggs and baby chicks. As years passed, the birds that had called the island home for thousands of years became endangered and eventually, disappeared completely.

In 2007, the U．S. FWS (Fish and Wildlife Service) started a serious plan to rid the island of the rats and try bringing back the beautiful birds that had once called it home. Given that there were an estimated 10,000 rodents inhabiting “Rat Island” and the fact that they re­produce rapidly, it was not an easy task. But by 2009, the Island was officially declared rat free!

Then slowly but surely, the birds began to return. Unfortunately, some of the pioneers were unintentionally killed from the leavings of the raticide, a poison that had been used to wipe out the rodents. But now it seems things are becoming more stable and the Island is starting to increasingly look like its former self. Before the transformation, “Hawadax”， also known as “Rat Island”， was a silent and ghostly place with bird bones, snail remains and rocks covered in rat feces(粪便)．

Today, birds' singing and flying in and out is a common sight. Tufted puffins and song sparrows, which had long disappeared, are gradually making their way back. Scientists have also been observing an increase in ground nesting and shorebirds. Though the Island is still not back to its full glory, the signs are encouraging and things can only get better, as time passes.

1.The underlined word “that”in Para.1 probably refers to ________.

A．the presence of rats

B．birds' being driven out

C．birds' returning to the island

D．residents' worrying about rats

2.Birds on Hawadax Island became an easy target because ________.

A．this island was treeless

B．they nested randomly

C．they reproduced too rapidly

D．their chicks were extremely weak

3.From the passage, we can know the plan of US FWS ______.

A．has helped the island fully recovered

B．cost little but benefited greatly

C．involved poisoning the rats on a large scale

D．accomplished its goal after exactly 24 months

4.Which would be the best title for the passage?

A．FWS Help Get Rare Birds Back to Alaska Island

B．Japanese Changed a Bird Paradise into Rat Island

C．FWS Plan to Drive Rats Out Of Rat Island

D．Alaska's Rat Island Returns to a Bird Paradise

My father and I disagreed about curfew (晚间在家的时间). He'd say I was to be in by 9：30 on weekdays, and 11：00 on weekends, no exceptions without my first asking. I told him it made me ____ like a junior­high kid. He explained that while a curfew ____ sound like a restriction, it's really about people looking out for one another.

The very next Friday after that pretty heated ___， my dad and I had tickets to see our town's professional football game. On that day he was ____ to a nearby city to meet with some major clients and ____ me that his getting home and our leaving for the game would be tight.

To make sure we could ____ off the moment he walked in, I got everything prepared. When a half hour had passed from the time he said he'd be home, I understood that he was a little ____. But then, nearly a whole hour passed. I was getting ____. We were going to miss the kick­off! And why hadn't he ____ me and let me know he was going to be really late? As I anxiously ____ the floor, another half hour passed. That's when I got really angry. How inconsiderate of my father! Now we were going to ____ the whole game! When yet another half hour passed, my anger turned to ____. What if something terrible had happened to my dad, like he had a heart attack or had been in an accident, or something? I began to really ____. I'd already called his cellphone about ten times, but no ____.

I was beside myself, assuming the worst had happened.

Finally, the phone rang, and my dad said ____， “Son, I'm so sorry about the game, but…there was a terrible accident…on the freeway coming home, and I ____ to help… and ended up going to the hospital. I ____ my cellphone in the car, so I couldn't call until now.”

I was so relieved to hear from my father and to ____ that he was safe that I actually cried. That was ____ I “got” the importance of a curfew: Checking in! It's about knowing that someone you love is ____. It was one more proof of my father's loving me as much as he does.

1.A.go B．feel

C．turn D．grow

2.A.might B．must

C．needed D．should

3.A.speech B．match

C．description D．exchange

4.．A.cycling B．driving

C．flying D．walking

5.A.allowed B．advised

C．informed D．ordered

6.A.pay B．hold

C．cut D．move

7.A.late B．lazy

C．forgetful D．careless

8.A.upset B．sorry

C．rude D．puzzled

9.A.warned B．signalled

C．phoned D．showed

10.A.hit B．paced

C．cleared D．measured

11.A.play B．watch

C．miss D．start

12.A.sadness B．surprise

C．doubt D．fear

13.．A.envy B．worry

C．regret D．cry

14.A.excuse B．way

C．time D．answer

15.A.strangely B．casually

C．breathlessly D．angrily

16.A.stopped B．forgot

C．failed D．refused

17.A.left B．lost

C．saw D．got

18.A.wonder B．guess

C．expect D．learn

19.A.what B．when

C．whether D．why

20.A.confident B．great

C．safe D．honest

Directions: After reading the passages below, fill in the blanks to make the passages coherent and grammatically correct. For the blanks with a given word, fill in each blank with the proper form of the given word; for the other blanks, use ONE word that best fits each blank.

Science can't explain the power of pets, but many studies have shown that the company of pets 1. _________ help lower blood pressure and raise chances of recovering from a heart attack, reduce loneliness and spread all-round good cheer.

Any owner will tell you 2. _________ a comfortable life they live with a pet. For some, an animal provides more comfort than a husband/wife. A 2002 study by Karen Allen of the State University of New York measured stress levels and blood pressure in people - half of them pet owners –while they performed 5 minutes of mental arithmetic (算术) or held a hand in ice water. Subjects completed the tasks alone, with a husband/wife, a close friend or with a pet. People with pets did it 3. _________ (well).Those tested with their animal friends had the smallest change in blood pressure and returned most quickly to baseline heart rates. 4._________ pets in the room, people also made fewer math mistakes than when doing in front of other companions. It seems that people feel more5. _________ (relax) around pets, says Allen, 6._________ thinks it may be because pets don't judge.

A study reported last fall suggests that having a pet dog not only 7._________ (raise) your spirits but may also have an effect on your eating habits. Researchers at Northwestern Memorial Hospital spent a year 8. _________ (study) 36 fat people and their equally fat dogs on diet-and-exercise programs; a separate group of 56 people without pets were put on a diet program. On average, people lost about 11 pounds, or 5% of their body weight. Their dogs did even better, losing an average of 12 pounds, more than 15% of their body weight. Researchers say dog owners didn't lose any more weight than those without dogs, 9._________ they got more exercise overall-mostly with their dogs - and found it worth doing.

Directions: Complete the following passage by using the words in the box. Each word can only be used once. Note that there is one word more than you need.

How do successful people think? What drives them? Interviews and investigations __1.__ that there are several keys to success that successful people share.

First of all, successful people never blame someone or something outside of themselves for their _2.__ to go ahead. They realize that their future lies in their own hands. They understand that they cannot __3.__ things in life, such as nature, the past and other people. But in the meantime, they are well aware that they can control their own thoughts and actions. They take __4._ for their life and regard this as one of the most empowering things they can do. Perhaps what most __5.__ successful people from others is that they live a life “on purpose” ---- they are doing what they believe they are put here to do. In their opinion, having a purpose in their life is the most important __6.__ that enables them to become fully functioning people. They _7._ that when they live their life on purpose, their main concern is to do the job right. They love what they do ---- and it shows. People want to do business with them because of their commitment (责任心). To live their life on purpose, successful people find a cause they believe in and create a business around it. Besides, they never easily give up. Once they have set up goals in their life, they are __8.__ to do whatever it takes to achieve their goals. Rather than seeing it _9.__ or upset they use the knowledge to encourage themselves on and go after what they want energetically and passionately.

The cultures of the East and the West really distinguish each other a lot. This is because the culture systems are two ______ systems on the whole.

The ______ of the eastern cultures is mainly from two countries: China and India. Both of the two cultures are gestated by rivers. In China, the mother river is the Yellow River _____ the Indian one is the Hindu River. These two cultures were developed for several thousand years and formed their own _____. Then in Dang Dynasty of China, the Chinese culture _____ went overseas to Japan, _____ into the Japanese society and shaped the Japanese culture nowadays. Though a bit different from the Chinese one, it belongs to the same ______.

When the two mother rivers gave birth to the eastern culture, another famous culture was ______ on the Mesopotamian Plain ---- the Mesopotamian Civilization. This civilization later on developed into the cultures of the Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome. And these two are well-known ______ the base of the European culture. Like the Chinese culture, the European one also ______ waters. When the colonists(殖民者) of England _____ in America, their culture went with them over the Atlantic Ocean. So the American culture doesn't _______ from the European one a lot.

At the same time, the difference of the language systems _______ the cultural differences. In the East, most languages belong to the pictographic language while the Western languages are mostly based on the Latin system, for example, the one I’m using to write this paper.

Other factors like human race difference counts as well. But what’s more, ______ the far distance and the steep areas between the East and West, the two cultures seldom communicate until recent centuries. So they grew up totally in their own ways with almost no _____ with the other.

1.A. connectedB. separateC. ancientD. remote

2.A. preservationB. developmentC. resourceD. origin

3.A. ifB. untilC. whileD. as

4.A. stylesB. habitsC. waysD. means

5.A. hurriedlyB. graduallyC. unfortunatelyD. suddenly

6.A. madeB. emergedC. mixedD. applied

7.A. cultureB. nationC. influenceD. system

8.A. brought upB. brought outC. brought aboutD. brought along

9.A. afterB. asC. forD. of

10.A. crossedB. drunkC. swamD. plunged

11.A. touched down B. put downC. got downD. settled down

12.A. evolveB. judgeC. distinguishD. rise

13.A. adds to B. results to C. turns toD. takes to

14.A. as toB. as forC. as a result of D. in spite of

15.A. impact B. difference C. connectionD. familiarity

When a child is told he is "uncool", it can be very painful. He may say he doesn't care, and even act in ways that are opposite of cool on purpose. But ultimately, these are simply ways to handle sadness by pretending it's not there.

Helping a child feel better in school had to be careful. If you say, "Why are you worried about what other children think about you? It doesn't matter!" children know that it does matter. Instead, an active way may be best. You could say, "I'm going to do a couple of things for you to help you feel better in school."

If a boy is having trouble making friends, the teacher can help him. The teacher can arrange things so that he has chances to use his abilities to contribute to class projects. This is how the other children learn how to value his good qualities and to like him. A teacher can also raise a child's popularity in the group by showing that he values that child. It even helps to put him in a seat next to a very popular child, or let him be a partner with that child in activities, etc.

There are things that parents can do at home, too. Be friendly when your child brings others home to play. Encourage him to invite friends to meals and then serve the dishes they consider "super". When you plan trips, picnics, movies, and other shows, invite another child with whom your child wants to be friends.

What you can do is to give him a chance to join a group that may be shutting him out. Then, if he has good qualities, he can start to build real friendship of his own.

1.A child who has been informed of being "uncool" may _____.
A.care nothing about it

B.develop a sense of anger
C.do something uncool purposely

D.pretend to get hurt very much

2.A teacher can help an unpopular child by _____.
A.seeing the child as the teacher's favourite
B.asking the child to do something for partners
C.forcing other children to make friends with the child
D.offering the child chances to show his good qualities

3.How can parents help their child fit in better?
A.By cooking delicious food for him.

B.By being kind to his schoolmates.
C.By forcing him to invite friends home.

D.By taking him to have picnics in the park.

4.Which of the following is TRUE?
A.Children don't care about others' comments on them.
B.It's only a teacher's work to make children popular.
C.Parents should take their children out for picnic and shows more often.
D.Inviting children's friends to family activities is good for them to make friends.

Opening week specials at Munchies Food Hall

At the corner of Green and Brown Streets in the city

Monday 7th of January until Sunday, 13th of January 2008

Feast until you’re full ! Come down to Munchies this week to enjoy the special dishes on offer at all of our food outlets. Order from the following:

·Succulent chicken rice ·Spicy satay beef

·Delicious noodle dishes ·Plump park chops

·Seafood specialties ·Crunchy vegetables

·Sweet tropical fruit

Halal food is available at the stall Malay Food Heaven

Win Prizes and Gifts !

·Spend $ 20.00 or more and win instant prizes from our lucky draw box.

·Collect a free party balloon and whistle for each young diner.

·Enjoy a free meal if you are the first customer of the day at any of our stalls.

·Win a holiday to Western Australia. A free raffle ticket is given with every receipt. Just fill in your information and place your entry in the box provided.

Winner to be announced in The Straits Times on the 15th of January.

Join in the Fun !

Between 7:00 pm and 8:00 pm each evening until the 10th of January, your favorite Channel 3 television actors and singers will entertain you:

·May Lee ·Jackie Chen

·Kim Yap ·Kamal

Autograph sessions will follow each performance ! And who will be our extra special mystery star? Come down on Saturday at noon to find out.

1.The prices at Munchies are__________.

A．lower than usual

B．bargain prices for the opening

C．lower for two people

D．lower if you spend $ 21.00

2.Everyone who eats at Munchies will receive a _________.

A．free raffle ticket

B．lucky draw coupon

C．free meal

D．balloon and whistle

3.I will find out who has won the trip to Western Australia when I _________.

A．watch Channel 3 television

B．come down to Munchies at noon

C．read The Straits Times on the 15th of January

D．attend the lucky draw at Munchies Food Hall

In modern society there is a great deal of argument about competition. Some value it highly, believing that it is responsible for social progress and prosperity; others say that competition is bad; that it sets one person against another; that it leads to unfriendly relationship between people.

I have taught many children who held the belief that their self-worth relied on how well they performed at tennis and other skills. For them, playing well and winning are often life-and-death affairs. In their single-minded pursuit of success, the development of many other human qualities is sadly forgotten.

However, while some seem to be lost in the desire to succeed, others take an opposite attitude. In a culture which values only the winner and pays no attention to the ordinary players, they strongly blame competition. Among the most vocal are youngsters who have suffered under competitive pressures from their parents or society. Teaching these young people, I often observe in them a desire to fail. They seem to seek failure by not trying to win or achieve success. By not trying, they always have an excuse: “I may have lost, but it doesn’t matter because I really didn’t try.” What is not usually admitted by themselves is the belief that if they had really tried and lost, that would mean a lot. Such a loss would be a measure of their worth. Clearly, this belief is the same as that of the true competitors who try to prove themselves. Both are based on the mistaken belief that one’s self-respect relies on how well one performs in comparison with others. Both are afraid of not being valued. Only as this basic and often troublesome fear begins to dissolve can we discover a new meaning in competition.

1.What does this passage mainly talk about?

A.Competition helps to set up self-respect.

B.Opinions about competition are different among people.

C.Competition is harmful to personal quality development.

D.Failures are necessary experiences in competition

2.Why do some people favor competition according to the passage?

A.It pushes society forward.

B.It builds up a sense of duty.

C.It improves personal abilities.

D.It encourages individual efforts.

3.What is the similar belief of the true competitors and those with a desire to fail ?

A.One’s worth lies in his performance compared with others.

B.One’s success in competition needs great efforts.

C.One’s achievement is determined by his particular skills.

D.One’s success is based on how hard he has tried.

4.Which point of view may the author agree to?

A.Every effort should be paid back.

B.Competition should be encouraged.

C.Winning should be a life-and-death matter.

D.Fear of failure should be removed in competition.

Directions: Translate the following sentences into English, using the words given in the brackets.

1.据估计，这项工程将持续三年。（estimate）

2.一到达机场，他就乘出租车去医院了。（On）

3.由于害怕失去工作，他没有向警察说出真相。（分词作状语）

4.我尊重他，但在如何处理业务上我和他有分歧。（disagree）

5.政府会采取措施来禁止一些对孩子有不良影响的的广告。（ban）