Little Brother
By Cory Doctorow, 382 pages, $19.95
In the very near future, Marcus Yallow is walking with his friends in San Francisco when a 9/11-sized terrorist attack occurs blocks away. Everyone around is secretly taken away by the Department of Homeland Security to see whether they're terrorists. However, during the investigation, one of his friends dies mysteriously. The friends try to find out the truth. If you read only one science-fiction novel this year, make it this one.
The Flying Troutmans
By Miriam Toews, 274 pages, $32
The heart of the book is a road journey in Canada made by Hattie, Thebes and Logan to find Cherkis, the kids' dad. It's rich in dialogue, sometimes funny, sometimes surprisingly sad, always character-true. Toews is an extraordinarily gifted writer, with tough-minded compassion（同情） for her characters.
Reading By Lightning
By Joan Thomas, 388 pages, $22.95
We're in 1930s Canada, where Lily's father arrived three decades earlier to be promised fertile agricultural land. But they had been cheated and thrown in the middle of Manitoba. Now William Piper and his wife farm their land and place little hope in this life.
What They Wanted
By Donna Morrissey, 325 pages,$32
A father has a heart attack; a brother and a sister leave Newfoundland and go to Alberta, Canada to work; a tragedy brings reconciliation（和解）, but also terrible loss. Primarily a novel of character, it’s also a novel of Canada, of two very specific and vividly drawn places. Donna Morrissey's characters are troubled, sensitive, quick to be moved to anger or pain, and just as quick to laughter and affection.
63.If Jim only has 20 dollars, which book could he buy?
A. The Flying Troutmans B. What They Wanted
C. Little Brother D. Reading By Lightning
64.According to the text, we know that The Flying Troutmans is_____.
A. Full of dialogue B. A sad story C. About tourism D. A real story
65.In Reading By Lightning, why did William Piper arrive in Canada?
A. To carry out his promise. B. To work in a big city.
C. To get work experience. D. To seek his fortune.
66.If you want to know about two different places of Canada, whose novel is the best choice?
A. Cory Doctorow's B. Miriam Toews's
C. Joan Thomas's D. Donna Morrissey's
When I recall my experiences of feeling heard and deeply understood by someone, I know how much the experiences helped me to cope with whatever I was dealing with at the time. Caring people who I have turned to in difficult times helped me the most by listening and asking about my feelings.
During one of my volunteer jobs at a local HIV and cancer clinic, I found the helpfulness of empathic（感情移入的） listening. As a volunteer I was providing emotional support for people with health related problems. Empathic listening really made a difference on how patients felt about their health problems. By sharing about their pain and suffering and may willingness to listen, they felt less alone.
We can make life easier for each other by becoming a better listener and encouraging each other to share our feelings. We can become a better listener by avoiding giving advice and trying to solve problems unless we are asked to do so. Pressuring others to solve their life problems--"our ways"--is not helpful. Most people intuitively(凭直觉地） know how to solve their own problems. As a listener it's important to be patient and not to interrupt the speaker. Let them know it's OK to talk about their feelings and support them in feeling their feelings.
When one neither shares nor reaches out for support, he or she can remain a lonely mystery. Life can feel lonely when one keeps everything inside. Feeling alone with life problems can be worse than the problem itself. When we let a caring person listen to our life struggle, we will no longer feel alone with our struggle. Don't be afraid to ask your loved ones to take time to hear you out. Sometimes you have to ask for it. People cannot read your mind. Confiding in others can have a positive effect on our mood.
59.What made the author comfortable in difficult times?
A. Persuading B. Sharing C. Apologizing D. Complaining
60.According to the second paragraph, we can know that ____.
A. The patients enjoyed listening to the author
B. The author found empathic listening was helpless
C. The patients didn't get on well with the author
D. The author did a good job at a cancer clinic
61.What does the underlined part "Confiding in others" in the last paragraph mean?
A. Telling others your secrets. B. Reading others' mind
C. Listening to others. D. Leaving others alone.
62.What's the main idea of this passage?
A. Listening and sharing can make you happier.
B. People know how to solve their own problems.
C. It is wrong to give advice to solve problems.
D. You should learn to believe in other people.
New train route opens from China to Germany
A container(集装箱) train left Beijing on Wednesday on its way to Hamburg, Germany. The new service was welcomed as real progress made in international rail cooperation.
The train will travel about 9,800 kilometers through six countries, including China, Mongolia, Russia, Belarus, Poland and Germany. The trip has gained support from those in customs declaration and clearance.
Zhang Mingli, chairman of China Conainer Transportation Co., said, “This can be seen as a breakthrough in our cooperation. Today , railway officials from six countries are here to witness this event. This is very important to the development of the Asia-Europe Continental Bridge. This means of transportation has great potential for the countries involved.”
Cargo on board includes electronic products, textiles and shoes. The trip to Hamburg, Germany will take 18 days. The same trip would take at least 40 days by container ship.
Tomasl Palaszewski, vice president of Polish Natiional Railway, said, “There is big potential for container transportation to Europe. The ceremony today shows that it will bring big benefits to all of us. So we hope that it will not only be a pilot train, but a permanent connection between China and Europe.”
Railway officials from the six countries will discuss detailed measures to advance container transportation.
Experts expect that the new land route will take a big slice of the pie of Chinese-EU trade. But improvements in Chinese railway networks will still matter. China has plans to invest huge amounts of money to build up 18 railway container terminals in the coming five years.
63. The purpose of this passage is to _______.
A. tell us about a new train route from China to Germany
B. promote the relationships between China and Europe
C. introduce a newly-developed container train
D. improve Chinese railway conditions
64.The new train route from China to Germany will______.
A. be opened in the coming five years B. strengthen the Chinese-EU trade
C. make it convenient for us to visit Germany D. take the place of container ships
65.From this passage, we know that_____.
A. it was China alone that built the new train route
B. not all of the countries along the new train route will support the event
C. one of the problems in railway cooperation between countries is customs declaration and clearance
D. the train mainly carries grains from China to Europe
66.The underlined word “pilot” most probably means ______.
A. guide B. beginning C. cooperative D. cargo
67. From this passage, we can safely conclude that ______
A. there will be more and more railway cooperation between China and Europe
B. more and more Chinese will have better chances to visit Europe
C. Europeans enjoy Chinese electronic products
D. China-EU trade will depend on this newly-developed cargo train
The key to learning English well is to overcome your shyness and fear , said taxi driver Zhang, who is attending the English training program run by the West Lake Taxi Company. “Out teacher Mrs.Yang encourages us many times to open our mouths and speak English out loudly in her class ,” said Zhang.
Chen Zhong, another fluent(流利的) English speaker, shared his opinion. “I didn’t think English was important to us at the beginning since many foreign passengers could speak some Chinese to me. But when I did speak some English, the foreigners were always pleased and said I was the first taxi driver they had met who could speak English.
Chen said he found studying English extremely interesting. The 160 minutes’ study per week was simply not enough for him. He bought books , tapes and VCDs to learn English on his own.. “Though it cost me a lot of time and energy , I did find it is useful in the long term” he said.
The reward of learning English is more than Chen has expected. Now he has made several foreign friends who book his taxi when they need. Some foreign passengers even give him tips (小费when he communicates with them in English.
To facilitate their studies, the company developed a bilingual(双语的) tape which includes the most frequently used sentences for taxi drivers and the names of major streets and buildings in Shenzhen.
“It has helped me out, ” said Chen. “Once I failed to express ‘Chinese Folk Culture Villages’ in English when I was asked to go there by a foreigner, I played the tape and got its meaning.”
59. What difficulty did Mr.Zhang have learning English at first?
A. He had no time to study English
B. His company didn’t allow them to study English
C. He had no courage to speak out.
D. He had no chance to speak English.
60. Which of the following is NOT the benefit Chen gets from learning English?
A. He gets some good advice on learning English from foreigners.
B. He earns more money from some regular foreign customers.
C. He has to spend both money and effort learning English.
D. He gets great fun and encouragement in learning English.
61. We can infer from the passage that _____.
A. the company is the first to encourage its drivers to learn English
B. all the drivers have made money after learning English
C. the company has developed and English tape for its drivers
D. the tape is welcomed by the drivers learning English
62. What is the probable meaning of the underlined word “facilitate” in the fifth paragraph?
A. To make easy B. To increase C. To encourage D. To check
IV 阅读理解（共 20小题；每小题 2分，满分 40分）
阅读下列短文，然后从各题所给的四个选项（A、B、C 和 D）中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
We all know, especially for me who like travelling very much, travelling can be a way to gain life experiences, especially during Spring Break----a week long school vacation in the United States. But what if you’re a student and don’t have enough money for a trip? Don’t worry. Here are some useful suggestions.
Save: this probably is the most important preparation for travelling. Cut expenses to fatten your wallet so you’ll have more choices about where to go and how to get there.
Plant ahead: Don’t wait until the last minute to plan your trip. Tickets may cost more when bought on short notice. Giving yourself several months to get ready can mean security(安全) and saving.
Do your homework : No matter where you go, research the places you will visit. Decide what to see. Travel books will provide information on the cheapest hotels and restaurants.
Plan sensibly, Write down what you expect to spend for food and hotels. Stick to your plan or you may not have enough money to cover everything.
Travel in groups: Find someone who is interested in visiting the same places. By traveling with others you can share costs and experiences.
Work as you go: Need more money to support your trip? Look for work in the places you visit.
Go off the beaten path: Tourist cities may be expensive. You may want to rethink your trip and go to a lesser-known area. Smaller towns can have many interesting act ivies and sights.
Pack necessary things: The most important things to take are not always clothes: Remember to take medicine in case you get sick and snacks in case you cannot find a cheap restaurant.
Use the Internet: The Net can help to save money. Some useful websites include www.Travelocity.com. www.bargains-lowestfare.cm and www.Ecoomictravel.co
By planning sensibly, even students can enjoy the travel. Your travel experiences will be remembered for a lifetime.
56.This passage is about______.
A. how to plan your travel B. how to travel with enough money
C. how to make your travel interesting D. how to get life experience
57. Before your trip , the first thing you should do is ____.
A. to make a plan for the route B. to get information in the Internet
C. to save money by spending less D. to buy tickets in advance
58.During your trip,_______.
A. you need more shoes than clothes B. you shouldn’t look for work all the way
C. you can gain valuable life experience D. you should forget to do your homework
III.完形填空（共20小题;每小题1.5分,满分30分）
阅读下面短文, 掌握其大意, 然后从36~55各题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中,选出最佳选项
I recently worked with some other Chinese professors to carry out a survey in the neighborhood in the US. It’s about the parents taking care of the children. And through the survey we know that in the past, most American mothers were at home to take care of their children during the day. Now, _36____,, many mothers are working. More than half of the American women____37_young children have ___38_outside their homes.
American families settle the child care___39_ in different ways. Some parents permit____40_children to stay at home alone after school. The parents___41_ be sure that the children, usually not younger than 10 years old, understand the ___42_rules and can deal with emergencies (紧急情况). Other parents say they will ____43_ permit their children to be at home alone. They usually ___44_ someone to take care of the ___45_.
Some parents in the US find their own way to ____46_ the cost of child care. They join child care___47_. Each person in the group ___48_ for the children of other group __49_at different times. Some parents ask local___50_, schools and social organizations to help ___51_ activities to the children. These child care choices often cost___52_ or no money. Many American parents , however, still ___53__with the problem of ___54 _ good child care at a ___55_price.
36. A. therefore B. otherwise C. thus D. however
37.A. like B. as C. with D. from
38.A. children B. jobs C. houses D. money
39.A. problem B. question C. chance D. choice
40.A．older B. younger C. sticker D. happier
41.A. can B. must C. may D. ought
42.A. dangerous B. safety C. funny D. true
43.A. rather B. certainly C. always D. never
44.A. send B. stop C. pay D. invite
45.A. houses B. neighbors C. old D. children
46.A. protect B. end C. reduce D. increase
47.A. schools B. groups C. clubs D. hospitals
48.A. cares B. sends C. asks D. pays
49.A. strangers B. members C. officials D. teachers
50.A.shops B. markets C. churches D. restaurants
51.A.equip B. offer C. play D. join
52.A.much B. little C. enough D. more
53.A.enjoy B. discuss C. quarrel D. struggle
54.A.taking B. finding C. losing D. suffering
55.A.high B. low C. reasonable D. real
