“ I’d like to be at a healthier weight ,...

CHOOSE YOUR VIRGINIA

Rock House Museum

Take a journey through history with a visit to the exciting museum and historic sites of Wytheville . The Rock House Museum offers glimpses into daily life in the 19th century . The museum is part of the 50 structures featured in Wytheville’s Historic Walking Tour . 540/233-3330 .

Grand Caverns

Grand Caverns is America’s oldest cave . Beautiful and massive formations . Union troops visited the caverns . Thomas Jefferson visited—you should , too ! Open weekends in March , daily April—October , 9 a.m.—5 p.m. Hour tours leave every 30 minutes . 703/249-5705 .

The News Museum

The News Museum in Arlington is the world’s only interactive（互动）museum of news . Visitors can be reporters or television newscasters , see today’s news as it happens on a block-long video news wall , and be taken behind the scenes to see how news is made . The News museum is open Wednesday through Sunday from 10 a. m.—5 p. m. You can visit www. News museum .Org .

Kenmore Plantation & Gardens

Kenmore Plantation & Gardens has over two hundred years of history from the Revolutionary War , Civil War and into the 21st century . Home of Betty Washington , George Washington’s only sister , and Patriot Col. Fielding Lewis . Explore this historic building and city block of restored gardens . Tea and ginger cookies served . 540/373-3381 .

Virginia Beach

Virginia Beach offers 11 000 hotel / motel rooms , plus cottages and campgrounds . Enjoy miles of clean beaches and a variety of family attractions . Fine restaurants , various shopping areas , exciting nightlife , and special events are offered throughout the year . 800/822-3224 .

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

2. In what way is The News Museum different from Rock House Museum ?

3.If you want to enjoy yourself in the evening , you may go to       .

4.Which of the following places is NOT open in the winter months ?

5.Which of the following is NOT a fact when tourists are visiting the Virginia Beach ?

As computers become more popular in China , Chinese people are increasingly relying on computer keyboards to input Chinese characters . But if they use the computer too much , they may end up forgetting the exact strokes（笔画）of each Chinese character when writing on paper . Experts suggest people , especially students , write by hand more .

Do you write by hand more or type more ? In Beijing , students start using a computer as early as primary school . And computer dependence is more widespread among university students . Almost all their assignments and essays are typed on a computer .

All the students interviewed say they usually use a computer .

It’s faster and easier to correct if using a computer . And that’s why computers are being applied more and more often to modern education . But when people are taking stock in computers increasingly , problems appear .

“ When I’m writing with a pen , I find I often can’t remember how to write a character , though I feel I’m familiar with it .”

“ I’m not in the mood to write when faced with a pen and paper .”

Many students don’t feel this is something to worry about . Now that it’s more convenient and efficient to write on a computer , why bother to handwrite ?

Many educators think differently . Shi Liwei , the headmaster of a famous primary school in the capital said “ Chinese characters enjoy both practical and aesthetic（审美的）value . But those characters typed with computer keyboards only maintain their practical value . All the artistic beauty of the characters is lost . And handwriting contains the writer’s emotion . Through one’s handwriting , people can get to know one’s thinking and personality . Beautiful writing will give people a better first impression of them .”

To encourage students to handwrite more , many primary schools in Beijing have made writing classes compulsory（必修的）and in universities , some professors are asking students to turn in their homework and essays written by hand .

1.Which of the following can best serve as the title of the passage ?

2.The students interviewed prefer to write using a computer mainly because       .

3. Which of the following statements is NOT true of the advantages of handwriting ?

4. The underlined expression “ taking stock in ” ( Paragraph 4 ) probably means       .

5. We can draw the conclusion from the passage that       .

Have you ever dreamed about sending a letter to yourself or your friends in the future ? While express mail representing efficiency and speed is prevalent（盛行的）in China , there is another type of mail appearing as a new business : “ Future Mail ” . “ Future Mail ” service can make people slow down and let them understand the meaning of “ time ” in another way . And “ Future Mail ” letters are “ reminders of affection , friendship and love ”.

Lin Xiao fan , a senior high school student in Hefei , wrote a letter to her mother in advance to express her love to her mother for next Mother’s Day . Feng Xiao , a youth who feels pressure despite of some achievements in her career decided to write a letter to herself on her 25th birthday and have it delivered five years later on her 30th birthday through a “ Future Mail ” . She expressed her thoughts about her present life and her expectations for the future to encourage herself to face up to the challenges of her life with courage .

While “ Future Mail ” is gaining popularity , some people are concerned about what happens if the postal address of the receiver changes or if the company goes broke before letters are delivered . Actually , customers required to complete an acceptance form and make an assessment so they can be  compensated if their letters or goods are lost or damaged .

Most of the business’s customers are college students and young white-collar workers . Psychologists said young Chinese might be given a vent（发泄）to their negative feelings through the service . Most people put their hopes and wishes in the letters so they can experience the connection between “ past ” and “ present ” while they receive the letters . It can help people reunderstand the meaning of “ time ” .

1.The underlined word in Para . 3 probably means       .

2.Which of the following is NOT true ?

3.You can read this article in newspaper’s       part .

4.Which is NOT the purpose of Feng Xiao’s letter ?

5.The best title of this article should be       .

It was one of those cold winter nights in the Haight-Ashbury district of San Francisco . I was driving an eyesore（丑陋的东西）that could only be  36  as a “ car ” by someone who was either a shameless liar or a good friend .

It was  37  to drive the car because you had to keep your fingers and toes crossed to keep the engine running . I tried to imagine I was driving a huge clumsy  38  ; that way I didn’t  39  the slow speed .

That night I must have uncrossed my fingers to scratch something . The car  40  in the middle of a four-lane stretch of Oak Street . I  41  for a place to turn off（拐弯）, but the street was lined with parked cars .

There I sat , in  42  traffic , as tons of vehicles screamed by . In my rearview mirror（后视镜）I saw a car  43  behind me . I knew what was coming . Soon the horn would start and someone would be  44  at me . But I was  45  .

A stranger got out of the car and came to my  46  . He asked , “ Do you want a  47  ?”

I was surprised but  48  . And then he  49  to his car and two teens piled out to help push my car . When I was  50  delivered to a side street , they got back into their car and rejoined the sea of  51  . I didn’t get to  52  them .

Over the years I’ve realized something about the  53  who stopped to help . I’ve noticed that every time I’m in  54  , he appears . The one true thing in this world is an unasked  55  provided by a stranger .

Unsatisfied       with the payment , he took the job just to get some work experience .