The plastic identification cards carried by all Chinese citizens over 16 are to be replaced with electronic cards.

The new cards, which most people will have by 2007, contain a microchip(微芯片) on which personal information is stored. This can be checked against databases(资料库) kept by the government.

“The information will be locked into the card so that people won’t be able to use false identities.”said Ren Tianbu, a security official in Shenyang.

China’s present plastic identity cards were introduced 17 years ago, and many other countries use a similar system. However, the information shown on a card differs from nation to nation. Most ID cards show the holder’s name, sex, date of birth and photograph.

Germany, France and Spain all use ID cards, but there are some developed nations who dislike the idea. The US, Canada, New Zealand, Australia, Sweden and Britain are among those with no national ID card. However, some of the countries have ID cards for particular uses. For example, Australia and the United States use a driving license to identify people.

Identity cards are introduced for a variety of reasons. Race, politics and religion were often at the heart of older ID systems. In recent years, though, ID cards have been linked to national information databases, which form the basis of how a government manages a country.

The US, Britain and some other countries are considering a national ID system as a way of preventing terrorist attacks.

However, such plans have been met with strong resistance by those who believe identity cards work against human rights and personal information.

“ID cards make us suspects, not citizens,” said UK human rights group Liberty.

1.What is one of the differences between China’s new and present ID cards?

A．The new ones contain different personal information.

B．The present ID cards are easier to copy.

C．Even little kids can have the new ID cards.

D．The information on present ID cards isn’t in the databases kept by the government.

2.Which of the following countries does not have an ID card system?

A．France.　　　　　 B．Spain.　　　　 C．Sweden.　　　 D．Germany.

3.What is the main reason why government use ID card systems nowadays?

A．To prevent terrorist attacks.　　　　

B．To fight against crimes.

C．To support government services.　　

D．To have more control on its citizens.

4.The purpose of this passage is to ___________.

A. inform　　

B. entertain　　

C. clear up some mysteries　　

D. remove some misunderstanding

 

 [1] Ashley Power’s mother bought a computer for her when she was eight. When she was thirteen, she was surfing the Internet regularly, but she couldn’t find anywhere for teenagers to meet and talk. And one day she thought, “If I had my own website, I’d make it a really interesting site for teenagers.”

[2]So, when Ashley was sixteen, she launched her own website, called Goosehead. She had no idea how big a success it would be, but three years later, the site was the most successful teen site in the USA! It was getting 100,000 hits every day, and Ashley had about 30 employees.

[3] After a few years, the website closed down. Then Ashley, who lives in Los Angeles, was asked to write a book called The Goosehead Guide to Life. The book is about how to design a website and start a business. It begins with a section called “All About Ashley,” where Ashley tells readers what it is like to be the boss of a company when you are only sixteen. “I was so happy. But it was crazy in a lot of ways. I got very stressed. I mean, I was only sixteen — I didn’t even have a car! If you were sixteen and you had your own company, you’d be stressed, too！”

[4] In an interview Ashley gave advice to teenagers who wanted to start their own business, “Just be strong and have your dreams and work hard at them. And don’t listen when _______, because I heard ‘no’ a lot. Just keep going until you hear ‘yes’!”

56. For what purpose did Ashley create GooseHead?(no more than 10 words) 

__________________________________________________________________

57. What is the main idea of Paragraph 2？ （no more than 8words）

__________________________________________________________________

58. According to paragraph 3, what did Ashley do after GooseHead closed down?(no more than 10 words)

__________________________________________________________________

59. How did Ashley feel as a young boss of a company?(no more than 5words)

__________________________________________________________________

60. Fill in the blank in Paragraph 4 with proper words.

__________________________________________________________________

 

You might say that Barack Obama was elected President of the US because he knows how to give a good speech. In 2004, the little-known Obama gave a speech at the Democratic national Convention(民主党全国会议). It was a great speech---poetic, and inspiring. The people who heard it would remember it for a long time.
Since 2004, Obama has written and delivered thousands of speeches. These are usually praised for two reasons: he treats the audiences like intelligent adults, and he is able to express difficult ideas in a straightforward, natural way.
Before becoming President, Obama was a lawyer, a college professor, and a successful writer---his two memoirs have become best-sellers. The skills he needed to succeed in his previous jobs have also contributed to his success as a speechmaker.
As a lawyer, Obama learned how to make strong, convincing arguments. As a professor, he learned how to explain complex subjects in ways that helped students understand without boring them. As a writer, he learned how to use language to have a powerful influence on his audience.
Secret weapons of Obama 
Writing team: Obama has a team of people who write his speeches. The writers chat with Obama for hours about what he wants to say. They listen to recordings of past presidential addresses and seek advice from advisers. Obama usually edits and rewrites the drafts several times.
Make fun of the guests: Obama starts his speech by gently making fun of his guests. His opening lines attract the audiences’ attention while giving them an opportunity to relax and laugh at themselves and each other.
Making fun of himself: Obama laughs at his past mistakes and is never afraid of showing them to the public.
Obama delivers speeches to audiences large and small. He can make his audiences laugh or cry. His speeches are always thoughtful, well written, and just right for each occasion.
【小题1】.. The third and fourth paragraphs mainly talk about _____.

A．why Obama’s speeches are praised

B．how Obama acquired his speaking ability

C．what subjects Obama’s speeches about

D．Obama’s success as a writer and a lawyer

【小题2】. When delivering a speech, Obama ______.

A．usually starts with some famous sayings	B．sometimes turns his speech into a song
C．sometimes shares a joke with the audience	D．is very strict most of the time

【小题3】. What is the main idea of the passage?

A．Obama won the election campaign.	B．Obama is a brilliant speechmaker
C．Obama had taken a couple of jobs.	D．Obama is good at writing.

My teenage son Karl became withdrawn after his father died. As a single parent, I tried to do my best to talk to him, but the more I tried, the more he pulled away. When his report card （成绩报告单）arrived during his junior year, it said that he had been absent 95 times from classes and had six failing grades for the year. At this rate he would never graduate. I sent him to the school adviser, and I even begged him. Nothing worked.

One night I felt so powerless that I got down on my knees and pleaded for help. “Please God, I can’t do anything more for my son. I’m at the end of my rope. I'm giving the whole thing up to you.” Just then, I got a phone call. A man introduced himself as the headmaster, “I want to talk to you about Karl’s absences.” Before he could say another word, all my disappointment and sadness over Karl came pouring out into the ears of this stranger. “I love my son but I just don’t know what to do. I’ve tried everything to get Karl to go back to school and nothing has worked. It’s out of my hands.” For a moment there was silence on the other end of the line. The headmaster seriously said, “Thank you for your time” and hung up.

Karl’s next report card showed a great improvement in his grades. Finally, he even made the honor roll（光荣榜）. In his fourth year, I attended a parent-­teacher meeting with Karl. I noticed that his teachers were astonished at the way he had turned himself around. On our way home，he said, “Mum，remember that call from the headmaster last year?” I nodded. “That was me. I thought I’d play a joke but when I heard what you said, it really hit me how much I was hurting you. That’s when I knew I had to make you proud.”

1.By saying “Karl became withdrawn” the author means that the boy changed entirely and ________.

A．he preferred to stay at school

B．he stayed at home all day

C．he refused to talk to his mother

D．he began to like his life

2.There was silence on the other end of the line because ________.

A．the speaker was too moved to say anything to his mother

B．the speaker waited for the mother to finish speaking

C．the speaker didn't want the mother to recognize his voice

D．the speaker didn’t want to interrupt the mother

3.What is the main idea of this passage?

A．Children in single-­parent families often have mental problems.

B．Mother’s love plays an important role in teenagers’ life.

C．Being understood by parents is not necessary to teenagers.

D．School education is a failure.

4. Which is not true according to the article?

A．Karl changed a lot after his father died.

B．What Karl did at school showed that he didn’t love his mother.

C．Karl’s mother tried many ways to help him.

D．Karl’s teachers were surprised at his change.

 

In Canada and the United States, there is a new group of children called “satellite kids”, who live in one place but whose parents live in another place.

Asians are immigrating (移民) to Canada and the United States in larger numbers than ever before. Most Asians immigrate because they believe that they can give their children a better education in the West. In Asia, especially in China, Japan, and Korea, it is difficult to go to university. Students must first pass the strict national examination. However, in Canada and the United States, it is easy to go to university, and anyone who wants to go can go. As a result, Asian parents decide to leave their countries so that their children can go to university.

The problem is that when Asians arrive, they discover that finding a job and making money are more difficult in the West than in the East. Also, they find that they are very lonely, and that they miss their homes. For these two reasons, most Asian parents decide to go back to work while their children study in the West. Therefore, these children become “satellite kids”, and most of their parents do not know how sad it is to be a “satellite kid”.

Only until now are Canadians and Americans discovering the “satellite kid” problem. Because these children do not speak English and because their parents are not there to take care of them, they are often absent from school. To be a “satellite kid” means to grow up in a country where you know you are different and where you cannot make friends because you do not speak English well. Also, it means to grow up lonely, because your parents are elsewhere. What these “satellite kids” will probably say to their parents is that it’s better to have parents around than to have a university education.

1.Some Asian parents send their kids abroad because ________.

A．they hope their children may easily find a job there

B．all foreign universities are better than the ones in their own countries

C．the kids may not be accepted by universities in their own countries

D．the kids want to improve their English and make foreign friends

2.“Satellite kids” refer to Asian kids ________.

A．without parents                        B．speaking no English

C．with university education                 D．living abroad alone

3.Some Asian immigrant children become “satellite kids” because their parents ________.

A．want to leave their own country            B．want them to go to university

C．return to their countries to work            D．want them to be independent

4.What is the main idea of the passage?

A．Parents want better education for their kids.

B．Parents feel lonely and miss their families.

C．Kids in foreign countries alone are badly in need of care from family.

D．Canadians and Americans begin to notice the “satellite kids” problem.