Some years ago, on a hot summer day in southern Florida, a little boy decided to go for a swim in the old swimming pool behind his house. In a hurry to dive into the cool water, he ran out of the back door, leaving behind clothes as he went.

    He flew into the water, not realizing that an alligator (钝吻鳄) was swimming towards him. His mother in the house was looking out of the window and saw what was happening. In great fear, she ran towards the water, while shouting to her son as loudly as she could. Hearing her voice, the little boy became alarmed and made a U-turn to swim to his mother. However, it was too late. Just as he reached her, the alligator reached him. From the bank of the swimming pool, the mother grabbed her little boy by the arms just as the alligator snatched his legs. Then began an incredible tug-of-war (拔河) between the two. The alligator was much stronger than the mother, but the mother was much too passionate to let go. Luckily, a farmer happened to drive by, and on hearing their screams, he took aim and shot the alligator.

    After several weeks in the hospital, the little boy survived. His legs were badly scarred by the attack of the animal. On his arms were deep scratches where his mother’s fingernails had dug into his flesh in her effort to hang on to her beloved son. The newspaper reporter, who interviewed the boy, asked if he would show him his scars. The boy lifted his legs. And then, with obvious pride, he said to the reporter, “But look at my arms. I have great scars on my arms, too. I have them because my mom wouldn’t let go.” Never judge another person’s scars, because you don’t know how they were made.

21. What can we learn from the second paragraph?

A. The boy’s mother knew early there was an alligator in the swimming pool.

B. The boy knew what was happening to him before he heard his mother’s voice.

C. The alligator had grabbed the boy before his mother ran to the bank.

D. The boy was saved finally with the help of the farmer.

22. Why did the boy show the scars on his arms to the reporter?

A. Because he felt pride in all his scars.

B. Because his arms were injured by the alligator.

C. Because he wanted to show all his scars to other people.

D. Because he wanted to show how great his mother was.

23. Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?

A. An alligator attacked the boy when he and his mother were bathing.

B. When the boy heard his mother’s voice, he realized what was happening.

C. The mother was much stronger than the alligator.

D. There is always an interesting story behind every scar.

24. What would be the best title for this passage?

A. Scars of love.

B. A boy saved by his mother.

C. A terrible accident.

D. An alligator leaves scars on a boy.

Your friends might be in Australia or may be just down the road, but they are all just a few clicks(点击) away. Life has changed for millions of young people across the world who now make friends online. Whether you use chat-rooms, QQ, MSN or ICQ, you are a member of this group.

“I don’t often talk with my parents or grand-parents, but I talk a lot with my old friends on QQ,” said Fox’s Shadow, the online name used by a girl student in China. “Most of my classmates use QQ after school.”

 QQ is the biggest messaging service in China. A recorder from Tencent, the company which developed QQ, shows that 4 million people used it one Saturday night in October. And probably Fox’s Shadow was one of them. “I log in(登陆) on Friday nights, and Saturdays when I feel everything around me boring. I usually spend about ten hours chatting on-line every week,” she said. “But I never talk with strangers, especially boys or men.”

Even though she likes chatting, she is careful about making friends with strangers online. “You don’t know who you’re talking to. You should always be careful about whom you believe in online.” Many people would like to meet offline when they feel they have got to know someone very well. Fox’s Shadow once met one of her online friends face to face. It was a girl who was a football fan like herself and they went to a football match together.

A 16-year-old Beijing boy, named Bart Simon online, dislikes QQ uses. “I used to chat on QQ, but I found that most people were talking about foolish things,” he said. Now he chats online in English, using MSN. “I only chat online because I’ve got friends in Japan, the US and Singapore,” he said. “I want to learn more about foreign cultures.” But he spends little time chatting on QQ as he sees it as a waste of time and money.

“If you are really addicted to it, sometimes you can’t give your mind to your lessons,” he said. “And friends in your real life are always more important than those so-called friends you meet online.”

25. People meet face to face offline when they think they _____.

A. have known each other well

B. have the same interest

C. have enough free time

D. have nothing to do

26. Fox’s Shadow thinks QQ is ______.

A. the biggest messaging service in China

B. a good place to spend her time when bored

C. a safe place to chat with strangers

D. the best place to make friends

27. From the passage, we know “they are all just a few clicks away” means ________.

A. it is wonderful to see your friends by clicking

B. it is easy and fast to get in touch with your friends

C. it is possible to live much closer to your friends

D. it is popular to make friends online

28. Which of the following sentence is TRUE according to the passage?

A. All the people on QQ are talking about foolish things.

B. Chatting online is a waste of time and money.

C. We should be careful about boys or men online.

D. We should think more of our friends on real life.

Chinese sword play

Learn Chinese swordsmanship and practice Chinese sword play under the instruction of a professional in Ditan Park every Sunday afternoon.

Fee: 60 yuan(US$ 7.2)

Time/Date: 2 pm --- 3:30 pm, October 10.

Place: Meet at the south gate of Ditan Park, across the overpass north of the Lama Temple, Chaoyang District.

Tel: 8457-2772

See Lu Xun’s former residence

Visit the museum and former residence of Lu Xun, the father of Chinese modern literature, and learn about this period of Chinese history, from 1910 to the late 1930’s.

Fee: 50 yuan(US$ 6)

Time/Date: 2:30 pm --- 4:30 pm, October 16

Place: Meet in front of Lu Xun’s Museum, Fuchengmennei Dajie, Xicheng District

Tel: 6432-9341

Hike on Heifengkou Great Wall

Heifengkou Great Wall is about one and a half hours’ drive north of Beijing. The hike starts from the village at the foot of the mountain where the Great Wall meanders to the top.

Fee: 150 yuan(US$ 18) for adults, 100 yuan(US$ 12) for kids under 12.

Time/Date: 8:30 am --- 5:30 pm, October 16

Pick-up: Meet at 8:30 am in front of the Big Easy, at the South Gate of Chaoyang Park, returning by 5:30 pm.

Contact Lucy at lucy @ highclub. cn,

or 6553-3920 for signing up.

Tai Chi class

This is a beginner’s level of Chen-style Tai Chi class, instructed by Paul Wang, who speaks excellent English and has a lot of experience teaching Westerners. He is the 12^th generation master of Chen-Style Tai Chi, Tai Chi Sword, and Shaolin Temple longquan.

Time/Date: 10 am --- 11:30 am, October 12, 19

Fee: 60 yuan(US$ 7.2)

Place: In front of Jintai Gallery, inside the West Gate of Chaoyang Park, Chaoyang District

Tel: 6432-9341

Contact Gina at linshujuan@chinadaily. com. cn.

29. The underline word “residence” in the second text possibly refers to ______ .

A. a work    B. a famous person     C. a park        D. a house

30. If John wants to learn Chinese sword play, he may go to _____.

A. Ditan Park at 2 pm --- 3:30 pm, October 10

B. Fuchengmennei Dajie at 2:30 pm --- 4:30 pm, October 16

C. the South Gate of Chaoyang Park at 8:30 am

D. Chaoyang Park at 10 am --- 11:30 am, October 12, 19

31. If you are free from 10:00 am --- 11:30 am, you may go to _____.

A. learn Chinese sword play

B. hike on Heifengkou Great Wall

C. visit the museum and former residence of Lu Xun

D. take the Tai Chi class　

32. In which section of the newspaper can you find the information above?

A. Sports.     B. Entertainment.     C. Advertisements.     D. Brief News.

What makes one person more intelligent than another? What makes one person a genius, like the brilliant Albert Einstein, and another person a fool? Are people born intelligent or stupid, or is intelligence the result of where and how you live? These are very old questions and the answers to them are still not clear.

We know, however, that just being born with a good mind is not enough. In some ways, the mind is like a leg or an arm muscle. It needs exercise. Mental (done with the mind) exercise is particularly important for young children. Many child psychologists (心理学家) think that parents should play with their children more often and give them problems to think about. The children are then more likely to grow up bright and intelligent. If, on the other hand, children are left alone a great deal with nothing to do, they are more likely to become dull and unintelligent.

Parents should also be careful with what they say to young children. According to some psychologists, if parents are always telling a child that he or she is a fool or an idiot, then the child is more likely to keep doing silly and foolish things. So it is probably better for parents to say very positive (helpful) things to their children, such as “That was a very clever thing you did.” or “You are such a smart child.”

33. According to the context we can guess that a genius is ____ while an idiot is ____.

A. a normal person; a funny person

B. a strong person; a weak person

C. a highly intelligent person; a foolish or weak-minded person

D. a famous person; an ordinary person　

34. It is better for parents ________.

A. to praise and encourage their children more often

B. to be hard on their children

C. to leave their children alone with nothing to do

D. to give their children as much help as possible　

35. Which of the following is NOT true according to the article?

A. Parents play an important part in their children’s growth.

B. The less you use your mind the duller you may become.

C. Intelligence is obviously the result of where and how you live.

D. What makes a person bright or stupid is still under discussion.

Easy Steps to Happier Living

Take care of your body.

Our body and mind are connected.    36    It instantly improves our mood and can even lift us out of depression. We don’t all have to run marathons - there are simple things we can do to be more active each day. We can spend time outdoors, eat healthily and get enough sleep.

Notice the world around you.

Have you ever felt there must be more to life? Good news – there is. And it’s right here in front of us.     37   . Learning to be more mindful and aware does wonders for our happiness, whether it’s on our walk to work or in the way we eat. It helps us get in tune with our feelings and stops us focusing on the past or worrying about the future.

Keep learning.

Learning affects our happiness in lots of positive ways.    38    It also gives us a sense of accomplishment. We learn new things throughout our lives, not just through formal qualifications. We can share a skill with friends, join a club, play a new sport and so much more.

    39   

Helping other people is not only good for them; it’s good for us too. It makes us happier and can help to improve our health. Giving also creates stronger connections between people and helps to build a happier society for everyone.    40   We can also give our time, ideas and energy. So if you want to feel good, do good.

These simple areas tend to make a big difference to people’s happiness and, more importantly, they are all within our control.

A. Do things for others.

B. Connect with people.

C. Helping is not all about money.

D. We just need to stop and take notice.

E. It can help us improve our physical health.

F. Being active makes us happier as well as healthier.

G. It exposes us to new ideas and helps us stay curious.