Forget Twitter and Facebook, Google and the Kindle. Television is still the most influential medium around. Indeed ,for many of the poorest regions of the world, it remains the next big thing——finally becomes globally available. And that is a good thing, because the TV revolution is changing lives for the better.

Across the developing world, around 45% of families had a TV in 1995; by 2005 the number had climbed above 60%. That is some way behind the U.S. , where are more TVs than people, and where people now easily get access to the Internet. Five million more families in sub-Saharan Africa will get a TV over the next five years. In 2005 , after the fall of the Taliban（塔利班）,which had outlawed TV, 1 in 5 Afghans had one. The global total is another 150 million by 2013——pushing the numbers to well beyond two thirds of families.

Television’s most powerful effect will be on the lives of women. In India, researchers Robert Jensen and Emily Oster found that when TVs reached villages, women were more likely to go to the market without their husbands’ approval and less likely to want a boy rather than a girl. They were more likely to make decisions over child health care. TV is also a powerful medium for adult education. In the Indian state of Gujarat, Chitrageet is a popular show that plays Bollywood songs with words in Gujarati on the screen. Within six months, viewers had made a small but significant improvement in their reading skills.

Too much TV has been associated with violence, overweight and loneliness. However, TV is having a positive influence on the lives of billions worldwide. _K^S*5U.C

The underlined word “outlawed” in paragraph 2 probably means “            ”.

A. allowed          B. forbidden        C. offered            D. refused

Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A. Americans used to get access to the Internet easily.

B. The world’s TV sets will total 150 million by 2013.

C.45% of families in the developing countries had a TV in 2005.

D. Over two thirds of families in the world will have a TV by 2013.

The author intends to             .

A. stress the advantages of TV to people’s lives

B. persuade women to become more independent

C. encourage people to improve their reading skills

D. introduce the readers some websites such as Google

What would be the best title for the passage? 

A.TV Will Rule the World                  B.TV Will Disturb the World

C.TV Will Better the World                 D.TV Will Remain in World

From the passage, we know _______________.

A. It is impossible for women in India to get access to TVs now.

B. Robert Jensen and Emily Oster are Indian women.

C. Women in India are more likely to want a girl than a boy because of the arrival of TV.

D. Viewers of a popular TV show can improve their reading skills greatly in half a year.

Perhaps every older generation since ancient times has complained about young people, and today is no different. Isn’t it obvious that kids these days are self-absorbed social network addicts?

However, this summer, my impression of today’s kids has been restored by the story of Rachel Beckwith. She could teach my generation a great deal about maturity (成熟) and unselfishness — even though she’s just 9 years old, or was when she died on July 23.

At age 5, Rachel had her long hair cut off and sent to Locks of Love, which uses hair donations to make artificial hair for children who have lost their own hair because of cancer or other diseases. After that, Rachel announced that she would grow her hair long again and donate it again. And that’s what she did.

Then when she was 8 years old, her church began raising money to build wells in Africa through an organization called “charity: water”. Rachel was astonished when she learned that other children had no clean water, so she skipped her ninth birthday party. Rachel set up a birthday page on the charity: water website with a target of $300. Instead of presents, she asked her friends to donate $9 each to charity: water. Finally Rachel raised only $220 — which had left her just a bit disappointed.

Then, on July 20, a serious traffic accident left Rachel critically injured. Church members and friends, seeking some way of showing support, began donating on Rachel’s birthday page — charitywater.org/Rachel — and donations reached her $300 goal, and kept rising.

When it was clear that Rachel would never regain consciousness, the family decided to remove the life-support machine. Her parents donated her hair for the final time to Locks of Love, and her organs to other children.

Word spread about Rachel’s last fund-raiser (募捐行动). Contributions poured in, often they donated $9. The total donations soon topped $100,000, then $300,000.

This is a story not just of one girl, but of a young generation of outstanding problem-solvers working creatively.

1.Which of the following is TRUE of Rachel?

A．She died at the age of 8.	B．She was a cancer patient.
C．She was a warm-hearted girl.	D．She founded Locks of Love.

2.The underlined word “skipped” in Paragraph 4 probably means “      ”.

A．put off

B．gave up

C．expected

D．planned

3.According to the text, Rachel set up the birthday page to       .

A．make more new friends

B．call on people to donate hair

C．ask her friends to send her gifts

D．raise money to help African children

4.How does the author feel about the young generation now?

A．Worried

B．Critical.

C．Appreciative.

D．Doubtful

5.What would be the best title for the text?

A．Rachel’s last fund-raiser

B．Rachel and her birthday page

C．Kids are addicted to social networks.

D．What’s wrong with the young generation?

 

Is the collection going to be divided up or sold          ?

A.in general

B.on the whole

C.as a whole

D.in total

The motor vehicle has killed and disabled more people in its brief history than any bomb or weapon ever invented. Much of the blood on the street flows essentially from uncivil behavior of drivers who refuse to respect the legal and moral rights of others. So the massacre (大屠杀) on the road may be regarded as a social problem .

In fact, the enemies of society on wheels are rather harmless people just ordinary people acting carelessly, you might say. But it is a principle both of law and common morality that carelessness is no excuse when one’s actions could bring death or damage to others. A minority of the killers go even beyond carelessness to total negligence (疏忽).

Researchers have pointed out that as many as 80 percent of all automobile accidents can result from the psychological condition of the driver. Emotional upsets can affect drivers’ reactions, slow their judgment, and blind them to dangers that might otherwise be clear. The experts warn that it is important for every driver to make a conscious effort to keep one’s emotion under control.

Yet the irresponsibility that accounts for much of the problem is not only caused by drivers. Street walkers regularly go against traffic rules, they are to blame in most vehicle walker accidents , and many cyclists even believe that they don’t obey the basic rules of the road.

Significant legal advances have been made towards safer driving in the past few years. Safety standards for vehicle have been raised both at the point of manufacture (制造业) and through regular road-worthiness inspections (车辆上路安检). In addition, speed limits have been lowered. Due to these measures, the accident rate has decreased. But the accident experts still worry because there has been little or no improvement in the way drivers behave. The only real and lasting solution, say the experts, is to convince people that driving is a skilled task requiring constant care and concentration. Those who fail to do all these things present a threat to those with whom they share the road.

The following is mentioned as being responsible for the road accidents except        .

A. careless bicycle riders      B. people walking in the street

C. irresponsible drivers        D. irresponsible manufacturers of automobiles

Why does the author mention the psychological condition of the driver in Paragraph 3?

A. To give an example of the various reasons for road accidents.

B. To show how important it is for drivers to be emotionally healthy.

C. To show some of the inaccurate statements by researchers.

D. To show the hidden tensions in the course of driving

What is the author’s main purpose in writing this passage?

A. To show that the motor vehicle is a very dangerous invention.

B. To promote understanding between careless drivers and street walkers.

C. To discuss traffic problems and suggest possible solutions.

D. To warn drivers of the importance of safe driving.

Which of the following best reflects the author’s attitude toward a future without traffic accident problems?

A. Doubtful yet still longing for.   B. Happy and rather confident.

C. Surprised and very pleased.      D. Disappointed and not concerned.

四、阅读理解。（共20小题：每小题2分，满分40分）

阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项。

GUANGZHOU: The successful Guangdong International Tourism and Culture Festival has become a perfect stage to showcase the popularity of Guangdong and Pan Pearl River Delta (PPRD) region as a tourism destination, said Tang Bingquan, vice-governor of Guangdong Province.

According to the provincial tourism administration of Guangdong, more than 40,000 people attended the opening ceremony of the festival. More than 1, 000 high-ranking officials from the central government and Guangdong provincial government, World Tourism Organization, consulates (领事馆) of various countries in Guangzhou, and other provinces of China, also showed up in the ceremony. The activities in the past few days attracted a large number of visitors from home and abroad.

In the past 30 years, Guangdong Province has been one of the leaders in the nation in terms of economic development. Its average annual economic growth maintained a rate of 13.8 percent, according to Tang.

Last year, Guangdong’s gross domestic product (GDP) hit 330 billion, accounting for one-eighth of the total of the country. The province’s import and export volume hit 527.2 billion, accounting for one-third of the country’s total foreign trade volume.

Guangdong Governor Huang Huahua earlier predicted that the province’s GDP will surpass that of Taiwan by the end of this year.

“Guangdong is also leading the development of the whole country’s tourism industry,” Tang said.

Last year, Guangdong’s tourism revenue (年收入) hit 212.5 billion, occupying one-fourth of the country’s total tourism income. The net profit of the province’s tourism industry was 7.5 billion, which was one fifth of the nation’s total.

Tang noted that the tourism festival will give a further boost (促进) to the tourism development of Guangdong and the entire PPRD region.

The closing ceremony of the festival will take place tonight in Foshan, a city in Guangdong Province.                                          （China Daily Nov. 30, 2007）

56. What would be the best title for the passage?

A. Event to boost Guangdong’s tourism industry.

B. Guangdong -- China’s leading city in economy.

C. The increase in Guangdong’s tourism revenue.

D. The development of Guangdong’s tourism industry.

57. Which of the following is NOT true?

A. The past 30 years have seen Guangdong’s fast development in economy.

B. Guangdong is one of the leading provinces in national tourism industry.

C. Guangdong’s GDP makes up almost 13% of the total country last year.

D. Guangzhou will be the host city for the closing ceremony of the festival.

58. Which of the following word is the closest to the underlined word in the text?

A. replace       B. survive       C. overtake     D. succeed

59. What is the writer’s attitude towards the event?

A. indifferent  B. neutral            C. opposed          D. supportive