This is news on the Hour. Ed Wilson is reporting. The President and First Lady will visit Africa on a goodwill tour in May. They plan to visit eight African countries.

  Reports from China say the Chinese want closer ties between China and the U.S. and Western Europe. A group of top China scientists starts its ten-nation tour next month.

  Here in Milmi, the mayor is still meeting with the leaders of the teachers’ union to try to find a way to end the strike. City schools are still closed after two weeks.

  In news about health, scientists in California report findings of relationship between the drinking of coffee and the increase of heart disease among woman. According to the report in the American Medical Journal, the five-year study shows this: women who drink more than two cups of coffee a day have a greater chance of having heart disease than women who do not.

  In sports, the Chargers lost again last night. The BBS beat them one to nothing. The Wingers had better results. They beat the Rifles 7 to 3.It was their first win in their five matches.

  That the news of the Hour. And now back to more easy listening with Jan Singer.

The passage is about______

A. an official visit to Africa

B. the improvement of relationship between China and the U.S.

C. the news broadcast on the air

D. the strike led by the teachers’ union

From the last news we do not know______

A. the results of the matches

B. the number of the team which played last night

C. how many wins the BBS has had altogether

D. the Wingers had one win and four defeats

The news about health tells us that_______

A. no heart disease will be found if people don’t drink coffee

B. no one should drink more than two cups of coffee a day

C. the more coffee people drink, the more chances they will get to have disease

D. women’s heart disease has something to do with the drinking of coffee.

What is the purpose for China scientists to visit ten nations next month?

A. China expect closer ties between China and the U.S. and  Western Europe.

B. They want to travel abroad

C. They need a rest

D. They are seeking for an opportunity to work abroad.

As the new term starts, freshmen around the world are asking the same question: how can I make the best of four years at college? The New York Times received suggestions recently from PhD students and seniors at some of the top universities . Here is their advice.

“Many young people today are raised in a protective cocoon(茧)”, wrote Tim Novikoff, a PhD student at Comell. “College is a time to explore the world beyond and a chance to learn new things about yourself. Take classes in different subjects. Try lots of different clubs and activities.”

Remember also to take some time away from campus, suggested Willie Lin, a student at Washington University. “If you spend all of your time in school, then it becomes too easy to let criticism from an unkind professor or a conflict with a roommate take up large proportions.”

Try to find work assisting a researcher or a professor---this is the advice from Aman Singh Gill, a PhD student at Stony Brook University. And he also said, “With a window into the world of research, you will find yourself thinking more critically, accepting fewer states at face value and perhaps developing a brave sense of what you can accomplish.”

Many young people can’t imagine even a single day without devices such as computers and cell phones. But try to keep yourself off them, cautioned Christine Smallwood, a PhD student at Columbia University.

Start by scheduling a few Internet-free hours each day, with your phone turned off. It’s the only way you’ll be able to read anything serious. “This will also have the benefit of making you harder to reach, and thus more mysterious and fascinating to new friends and acquaintances(熟人),” she suggested.

1.The underlined sentence in Paragraph 3 means we should _________.

A．spend more time at school                B．take some time out of school

C．listen to criticism more                   D．not argue with roommates

2.Who thinks it is important to consider something critically?

A．Aman Singh Gill                         B．Christine Smallwood

C．Tim Novikoff                           D．Willlie Lin

3.As for modern information devices, the last two paragraphs mean to tell us ________.

A．to keep ourselves off them forever not to use them

B．to turn them off

C．to make a schedule to use them

D．not to use them

4.This passage is mainly about _________.

A．tips from some students for college life

B．ways to read something serious regularly

C．days without cell-phones and computers

D．chances to go to university you really like

 

Each year, road accidents kill a million people and injure millions more . The economic costs are greatest for developing countries . Earlier this year , the United Nations called for a campaign to improve road safety .

     One way to avoid accidents is better driving . Another is better roads and bridges . Engineers in the Unites States have designed ten new concrete mixtures that they think could make bridges last longer .

     Professor Paul Tikalsky leads the experiments by a team at Pennsylvania State University . He says bridges made of concrete now last about twenty-five to thirty-five years . But he says the new mixtures might extend that to seventy –five or even one-hundred years .

     Concrete is made of stone , sand , water and cement(水泥). The materials in the cement hold the concrete together . Ancient Romans built with concrete . Yet strengthened concrete bridges did not appear until the late 1800s . People keep looking for new ways to improve concrete . Professor Tikalsky says it is one of the most complex of all chemical systems .

     The new mixtures designed by his team contain industrial waste products . He says these make the concrete better able to resist damage from water and salt over time . One of the products is fly ash . This is released into the air as pollution when coal is burned .

     Professor Tikalsky says particles (颗粒)of fly ash are almost exactly the same size and chemical structure as Portland cement . This is the most costly material in concrete . So using fly ash to replace some of it would save money .

     The federal government is paying for part of the research . Engineers anywhere can use the technology . Professor Tikalsky says some of the ideas have already been put to use in China , the Philippines and other countries .

Why did the United Nations launch the campaign ?

  A. Because the United Nations wanted to reduce road accidents and economic costs

  B. Because two million people were killed in the accidents .

  C. Because engineers wanted to design ten new concrete mixtures .

  D. Because the United Nations made bridges of the new mixtures which could last for about 20 to 35

   years .

What does the underlined word “ this ” in the sixth paragraph refer to ?

  A. Fly ash      B. Portland cement      C. Sand       D. Chemical

Which of the following statements is TRUE ?

  A. Ten new concrete bridges have already been built in the United States .

  B. A new concrete bridge could last 50 more years than an ordinary concrete one .

  C. People didn’t know how to build with cement until the late 1800s .

  D. Water and salt won’t do any damage to bridges over time .

What does the passage mainly tell us ?

  A. The causes of road accidents .             B. The advantages of fly ash

  C. The measures of avoiding road accidents    D. Latest information about long-life concrete bridges

Britain Today

Food

British people like good food, and more than half of them go to a restaurant every month. Fast food is also very popular— 30% of all adults have a hamburger every three months, but 46% have fish and chips!

Sports

British people don’t do a lot of sports. Only 17% of people go swimming every week, about 9% go cycling and 8% play golf—and only 6% of people play football (but 32% go to watch it).

Cinema and TV

Films are very popular in Britain, and about 60% of people between 15 and 24 go to the cinema every month. At home, men watch TV for about three hours every day — two quarters more than women.

Holidays

British people love going on holiday, and have 56 million holidays every year. Most of these holidays aren't in the UK—27% are in Spain, 10% are in the USA, and 9% are in France. Maybe this is because the weather in Britain isn't very good!

1.Which food could be more popular among British adults, a hamburger or fish and chips?

A．A hamburger.

B．Fish and chips.

C．Both.

D．Neither.

2. Those who are interested in movies are ____.

A．men

B．women

C．old people

D．young people

3. How long do British women spend watching TV every day?

A．Three hours.	B．Three hours and a half
C．Two hours	D．Two hours and a half

4.British people's favorite country for a holiday is ____.

A．Spain

B．France

C．America

D．Australia