When 47-year-old volunteer Susan Boyle stepped onto the stage of Britain’s Got Talent and announced she was unemployed, had never been married and “never been kissed, actually”, few in the audience would have wondered why. This Ms Boyle, looking unfashionable, from a village in Scotland, shocked the three judges and the audience with the song I dreamed a dream from the musical Les Miserables on a show of Britain’s Got Talent, one of the hottest reality shows in Britain.

She couldn’t hide the awkwardness when walking to the center of the stage in a housedress, and everyone — including the judges — seemed laughing at her when she said she wanted to be as successful as Elaine Paige. As soon as she began singing, however, everyone in the auditorium fell silent, then rose within seconds to applaud her incredible voice as the celebrity judges sat open-mouthed, and remained standing to the end.

After her performance, one of the judges Piers Morgan said, “Without doubt that was the biggest surprise I’ve had in three years of this show. When you stood there everyone was laughing at you. No one is laughing now. That was amazing.” Actress Amanda Holden followed, “I’m so thrilled because I know that we everybody were against you. I honestly think that we were all being very cynical (愤世嫉俗的) and I think that’s the biggest wake up call ever.”

Susan obviously won over the hearts of millions around the world with sensation spreading across the Atlantic. Hollywood actors Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore — who between them have nearly 1.5 million followers — speak highly of her. Kutcher posted a link to the video clip (片段). The Scottish talent made her live American debut via satellite connection on CBS’s The Early Show, doing an interview and singing live from her room. And she already accepted an invitation from talk show host Oprah Winfrey.

Now Boyle has become one of the world’s hottest celebrities. The video clip of her performance has been viewed more than 50 million times on Youtube, becoming a hit on the Internet.

1.We learn from the passage that Susan Boyle ______.

A. rose from a low social class

B. had an unhappy marriage

C. lived with a dog alone on a farm

D. won the championship in the Britain’s Got Talent show

2. At the beginning of the show, almost everybody ______.

A. looked forward to her wonderful performance

B. was attracted by her beautiful dress

C. looked down upon her

D. placed great hope on her

3. We can infer that ______ contributed most to her global popularity.

A. the judges   B. the Internet   C. the newspaper   D. the advertisement

4.The 4^th paragraph intends to tell us ______.

A. how Susan Boyle achieved her success

B. the comment made by American actor Ashton Kutcher

C. Susan Boyle’s influence in the USA

D. Oprah Winfrey’s invitation to Susan Boyle

 

My wife ______the night shift when my plane ______. That’s why no one is to meet me at the airport today.

A．is working; is arriving                    B．was working; arrived

C．will have worked; has arrived              D．will be working; arrives

 

Most American students have to say goodbye to fancy (高档的) fruits these days. In school restaurants across the country, cheaper fruits like apples and oranges have taken their place.

“People are afraid to spend now.” said Linda Morrow, who owns a shoe and handbag store. “They don’t know what the future will bring”. During the financial crisis (金融危机), several of the country’s biggest banks have been forced to sell or close. This has made lots of Americans afraid to buy expensive things.

The crisis began last year. Experts (专家) think it was because US banks lend money too easily. Last year a lot of people and companies, who borrowed money, found themselves unable to pay it back. This left the banks, as well as the people who put their money in the banks, without money. Since the banks borrowed money between themselves and even across borders (国界), the whole world was in trouble.

This month the US government agreed on a $700 billion plan to try to save the financial market. But no one is sure whether it will help or not. Last week presidents from 20 countries promised to work together to find a way out of the money trouble.

1.This passage is probably taken from ___________.

A．a story book

B．a novel

C．a newspaper

D．an advertisement

2.Why are people in the US afraid to spend?

A．Because they think it’s unnecessary

B．Because they don’t have the habit of spending money

C．Because they worry about their future

D．Because they don’t have any money

3.From the passage, we still don’t know ________.

A．when the financial crisis began

B．when the financial crisis will end

C．why some of the US banks closed

D．whether the crisis has spread to other countries

4.The best title for the passage is ___________.

A．Ways to Save Money

B．Financial Crisis facing the World

C．Banks in the USA

D．The USA Becoming Poor

 

Are you fond of tomatoes? Bunol, a town in Spain, held its yearly tomato festival on the last Wednesday of August. Thousands and thousands of people made their way from all corners of the world to fight in it, the world’s biggest food fight. Tons of fully-grown tomatoes were thrown in the streets.

No one knows exactly how this event started. Maybe it came from a local food fight between friends, or a joke that was played on a bad musician.

On Wednesday, at 11am, the fight began. A cannon(大炮) shot was fired to start the fight. At first, people fought one another, but slowly they began to fight in groups. After exactly one hour, the fight ended when the cannon shot was fired once more. At this point, no more tomatoes could be thrown.

Those who attend this event are encouraged to wear protective glasses. And they must press the tomatoes before throwing so that they won’t hurt others. Another rule is that no one is allowed to take anything — such as a glass bottle — into the fight. Although it is forbidden to tear(扯破) another person’s clothing, the crowd seems to tear the shirt of any clothed person, whether they are men or women.

Fire trucks are used to clean the streets after the fight with water provided from a Roman channel (海峡). The government seems more concerned with cleaning up the town than the visitors, and people go to the Bunol River for a wash.

1.What do we know about the tomato fight?

A．Nobody knows how it really started.

B．Only people from Spain can take part in it.

C．It is held on the first Wednesday of August.

D．Green tomatoes can be used in the fight.

2.When the cannon shot is fired the second time, ____.

A．people start to throw tomatoes

B．people start to fight in groups

C．the whole tomato fight is over

D．the fight has lasted for two hours

3.Which is NOT one of the rules of the tomato fight?

A．People can’t use glass bottles.

B．People must wear protective glasses.

C．It isn’t allowed to tear other people’s clothes.

D．Tomatoes should be pressed before they are thrown.

4.After the tomato fight, the town government ____.

A．provides water to the people

B．cleans up the streets with fire trucks

C．takes people to the Bunol River

D．holds other activities about tomatoes

 

The gray-haired lady can’t wait to leave the building to search for her dad .Unless watched ,she will walk in the streets in an effort to find her father ,who died 30 years ago.

Not all cases of Alzheimer’s disease look like this ,but Alzheimer’s is a serious disease that is said to be the fourth or fifth leading cause of death for people over age 75.

It is said that about three percent of the U.S. population over age 65 have Alzheimer’s .In the early stages ,people may exhibit short term memory loss. Some may experience changes in personality , easy to be angry .As the disease progresses ,patients might lose the ability to move and may be unable to speak or move at all. This progressive disease generally lasts 8 to 10 years before death occurs.

While no one is certain what causes these changes in the brain’s nerve fibers （神经纤维）,their effect is certain .Alzheimer’s destroys not only the patients ,but also spouses（配偶）,friends and families.

What should you do if you notice progressive memory loss in yourself or a loved one? Have the person examined by a doctor who is a specialist in the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease.

Though many reasons other than Alzheimer’s disease may cause memory loss ,its

early diagnosis（诊断）and treatment may delay some of the most serious effects.

What feeling will you likely experience should a loved one suffer from Alzheimer’ s disease? A person will often go through the various stages of sadness, shock ,anger ,and so on. If the spouse develops the disease ,you may experience hurt and disappointment when he or she doesn’t remember you are married.

Life for the Alzheimer’s patients and their loved ones will never be the same as the disease progresses ,bringing a deep sorrow ,loss and even anger towards God .No matter what feelings are present ,facing them honestly will serve one better than burying them.

1.

What can be inferred from the passage about the gray-haired day?

 A．She has been living with her father.

 B．She was sad about the death of her father.

 C．She can’t search for her father without being watched.

 D．She suffers from Alzheimer’s disease.

2.

．When people suffer from Alzheimer’s disease , ________.

A．their families and friends will suffer from the same disease

 B．their families and friends will experience mental sufferings

C．they will certainly die in 8 to 10 years

 D．they will forget everybody but their spouses

3.

．Memory loss occurs ________.

 A．from Alzheimer’s disease and nothing else

 B．from sadness ,shock ,anger ,and so on

 C．for a number of reasons 

D．with changes in personality