2012 is the Year of the Dragon in China. It began on January 23 but not on January 1st. The dragon is a symbol* of power and wealth in Chinese culture. And it is also the sign of the Emperor of China. People born in the Year of the Dragon are active-minded. They show a strong interest in the world around them, and will try their best to make their dreams come true all their lives.

    Dragon people are talented while these people enjoy being the center of attention. They will stop at nothing to get what they want. Dragon people are very friendly and if their friends face a problem, they will be there to offer help at once. There are some famous people who were born in the Year of the Dragon, such as the premier* of the Russian Putin and the famous Argentine soccer player Messi. In China, the CEO of Alibaba Group Mayun and movie star Zhouxun are dragon, too.

    There are some big events in the Year of the Dragon. In China, the 11th National People's Congress (NPC) * will be held in Beijing in March. The 9th National University Games in Tianjin will happen in September. And soccer fans, they can meet at the 2012 European Cup in June in Poland. And In Britain, the 30th Olympic Games is being held in London on July 27.

1.What does “Dragon” stand for in Chinese culture?

  A. power    B. wealth   C. the emperor   D. all of the above

2.When does the Year of Dragon begin?

  A. January 1^st.   B. January 23^rd    C. January 2^nd.   D. January 22^nd.

3.What will happen in July in London?

  A. National People's Congress    B. National University Games  

C. 2012 European Cup          D. the Olympic Games

4.Which of the following is NOT TRUE acorrding to the passage?

A. People born in the Year of the Dragon are active-minded.

B. People born in the Year of the Dragon enjoy being the center of attention.

C. If they face a problem, People born in the Year of the Dragon will give up.

D. If their friends face a problem, people born in the Year of the Dragon will offer help at once.

 

The Internet, mobile phones and iPads are part of our lives now. Technology is greatly affecting all ways of our lives, from the ways we work to the ways we play. And it even causes a number of social problems such as cloning humans.

We have had lots of technology and it has changed our lives a lot. There is no doubt that humans will continue to use more and more technology. Here are some examples of modern technology that will change our ideas and will affect our lives greatly.

Global Positioning System (GPS) (全球定位系统)

It’s a system that uses radio signals from satellites to show exact (精确的) information. It tells you where the user is on the earth in all weather conditions. It’s made up of three parts: satellites, control equipments (设备) on land and receivers.

Space Technology

Russian and American scientists have worked together for the International Space Station (ISS) for a long time. They hope the ISS will provide a long-lasting lab. Such a lab will bring humans limitless (无限的) advantages. It’s even hoped that one day space technology will take humans to their new houses in space.

Underwater Robot

Hercules is a kind of underwater robot with some high technology equipments. It will be used to search for ancient ships which were destroyed into the deep sea during their journey long ago.

The world is changing so quickly that it’s hard for us to catch up with all the new inventions because they seem to come out every month. It’s important for us to learn about new technology and the role that it plays in our lives. So we should be willing to accept modern technology, or we will fall behind the times.

1.                   can tell you where the user is on the earth exactly.

A. Satellites                       B. Receivers

C. Global Positioning System            D. Underwater Robot

2.According to the passage, which is NOT true about the ISS?

A. It has carried people to other planets.

B. It will provide a long-lasting lab for us.

C. Russia and America are working for it.

D. Humans will get a lot of advantages from it.

3.Hercules is used to                   .

A. save lives in the sea

B. take pictures in the sea

C. repair the broken ships 

D. look for the ancient ships in the sea

4.From the passage, we know that                   .

A. the use of GPS is affected by the weather conditions

B. it’s very important for us to learn about new technology

C. it’s easy for us to catch up with all the new inventions

D. technology brings us many advantages such as cloning humans

5.What is the purpose of the passage?

A. To help us study some new technology.

B. To tell us technology is changing the world.

C. To help solve the problems that technology causes.

D. To remind us the advantages of technology are limitless.

 

    Tolstoy, the greatest Russian writer, liked to walk about in a railway station near his home. One day when he was walking up and down as ___1___, looking at people getting on and off the trains, he heard a lady __2___ after him, “Hey, you old man, go and bring back my handbag I left in the __3___ room.”
Tolstoy went there. He picked the bag up and walked quickly along the platform (站台). At the same time the lady was waiting beside the carriage (车厢), looking __4___. When at last the old man gave the bag back to her, she opened it to make sure nothing was __5___. “ Good, old man,” said the woman. “ You are just as quick as I can __6___. Here you are. ” She gave a coin to him. Tolstoy __7__ the coin and put it into his pocket with a smile.
The woman was very _8__ when she heard he was Tolstoy, the writer of the great novel War and Peace. She returned to Tolstoy and said, “ Oh, excuse me ….. Oh, how silly I was to __9__ you as a porter (搬运工). Please throw back that coin if you forgive me.”
“Oh, madam, why? You have nothing wrong,” Tolstoy laughed and said, “ The coin is given for my work, so I’ll __10___ it. Thank you, madam! ”

【小题1】

A．possible B．often C．usual D．well

【小题2】

A．talking B．speaking C．telling D．shouting

【小题3】

A．reading B．meeting C．waiting D．dining

【小题4】

A．happy B．back C．well D．worried

【小题5】

A．there B．inside C．missing D．wrong

【小题6】

A．expect B．run C．do D．like

【小题7】

A．showed B．watched C．accepted D．picked

【小题8】

A．angry B．surprised C．happy D．sad

【小题9】

A．see B．treat C．have D．look

【小题10】

A．throw B．put C．keep D．stay

Samaranch (born 17 July 1920 – 21 April 2010) was a Spanish(西班牙) sports official who served as the 7th President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) from 1980 to 2001.Samaranch was born into a rich family in Barcelona, he studied business at IESE Business School in Barcelona. He was good at Spanish, French, English, Russian and German. Because of his father’s influence, he became interested in sports. He was fond of football, boxing, roller skating and ice hockey（冰球）in particular. Later, he became an ice hockey player, after that he served as Spain's national ice hockey coach. He was selected to be the president of the IOC at the 83rd of the IOC plenary session(全会)in Moscow in 1980. Samaranch's greatest wish before retirement is to hope the Olympics will be held in China. Beijing succeeded in hosting the 2008 Summer Olympics on July 13, 2001. Three days later, he officially retired at the IOC in Moscow. Then he was awarded the Olympic gold medal, and accepted the "International Olympic Committee Honorary Life President" title. In the opening plenary session, Russian President Vladimir Putin awarded Samaranch "Medal of Honor." Though he passed away , we Chinese people will remember him forever.

1. Where was Samaranch born?  He was born in         .

A．Spain	B．France
C．England	D．Russia

2. He became interested in sports because of         .

A．his coach	B．his mother
C．his father	D．his teacher

3.He used to be a(n)          after he left IESE Business School.

A．businessman	B．football player
C．roller skating coach	D．ice hockey coach

4.When did Samaranch retire as the president of the IOC ?______.

A．On July 17,1920	B．On July 13, 2001
C．On July 16, 2001	D．On April 21,2010

5. What does the underlined phrase “passed away” mean in Chinese?

A．经过

B．传递

C．通过

D．去世