Less educated and less poised（沉著的）than his brother William, Britain’s Prince Harry has occasionally found himself on the front pages of some tabloid (小報) for the wrong reason. Harry has admitted drinking underage and smoking marijuana（大麻）in the past. In January 2006, he apologized after being pictured at a costume party dressed as a Nazi. But one thing he has been serious about is going to Iraq to fight with his fellow soldiers. After completing training last year, he demanded a chance to serve.

As a child he collected military toys and his bedroom walls were covered with posters of helicopters and tanks. Despite his youth, the army has always held a special place in his heart.

 “There’s no way I am going to sit back home while my boys are out fighting for their country,” he said in an interview to mark his 21st birthday. “That may sound patriotic（愛國的）, but it’s true.” Perhaps this shows new strength in him.

Britain’s Defense Ministry announced last week that the 22-year-old Harry would serve a six-month tour of duty in southern Iraq.

Harry said he was “over the moon” and has insisted he wants to be treated the same as any ordinary soldiers.

In Britain, British Prime Minister Tony Blair described Harry’s decision as in keeping with his character. But in Baghdad, Iraqis described it as a public relations move.

Harry has been the focus of attention in the past few years probably because of________.

A. the identity as a prince of the UK

B. his bad habits and wrong behavior

C. his devotion to his country

D. his preference to the army

By saying “Perhaps this shows new strength in him.”, the author means that Prince Harry changed his image by_______.

A. taking an interest in military   

B. apologizing for a Nazi uniform  

C. being willing to serve in the army in Iraq 

D. defending Britain against attack

The underlined word “over the moon” in the Paragraph 5 means_____.

A. very pleased   B. very sad    C. very frightened   D. very calm

Which of the followings is NOT the reason why he insisted on serving in Iraq?

A. He was more or less affected by his childhood’s interest

B. He has grown up and felt a sense of duty to his country

C. His strong character contributes to his decision

D. He wants to make up for his wrong actions

In Iraqis’ eyes, Harry’s decision to serve in Iraq is_______.

A. patriotic     B. political          C. friendly          D. personal

Less educated and less poised（沉著的）than his brother William, Britain’s Prince Harry has occasionally found himself on the front pages of some tabloid (小報) for the wrong reason. Harry has admitted drinking underage and smoking marijuana（大麻）in the past. In January 2006, he apologized after being pictured at a costume party dressed as a Nazi. But one thing he has been serious about is going to Iraq to fight with his fellow soldiers. After completing training last year, he demanded a chance to serve.
As a child he collected military toys and his bedroom walls were covered with posters of helicopters and tanks. Despite his youth, the army has always held a special place in his heart.
“There’s no way I am going to sit back home while my boys are out fighting for their country,” he said in an interview to mark his 21st birthday. “That may sound patriotic（愛國的）, but it’s true.” Perhaps this shows new strength in him.
Britain’s Defense Ministry announced last week that the 22-year-old Harry would serve a six-month tour of duty in southern Iraq.
Harry said he was “over the moon” and has insisted he wants to be treated the same as any ordinary soldiers.
In Britain, British Prime Minister Tony Blair described Harry’s decision as in keeping with his character. But in Baghdad, Iraqis described it as a public relations move

1. 1.

   Harry has been the focus of attention in the past few years probably because of________

   1. A.
      the identity as a prince of the UK
   2. B.
      his bad habits and wrong behavior
   3. C.
      his devotion to his country
   4. D.
      his preference to the army
2. 2.

   By saying “Perhaps this shows new strength in him.”, the author means that Prince Harry changed his image by_______

   1. A.
      taking an interest in military
   2. B.
      apologizing for a Nazi uniform
   3. C.
      being willing to serve in the army in Iraq
   4. D.
      defending Britain against attack
3. 3.

   The underlined word “over the moon” in the Paragraph 5 means_____

   1. A.
      very pleased
   2. B.
      very sad
   3. C.
      very frightened
   4. D.
      very calm
4. 4.

   Which of the followings is NOT the reason why he insisted on serving in Iraq?

   1. A.
      He was more or less affected by his childhood’s interest
   2. B.
      He has grown up and felt a sense of duty to his country
   3. C.
      His strong character contributes to his decision
   4. D.
      He wants to make up for his wrong actions
5. 5.

   In Iraqis’ eyes, Harry’s decision to serve in Iraq is_______

   1. A.
      patriotic
   2. B.
      political
   3. C.
      friendly
   4. D.
      personal

    Excused from recycling(回收利用) because you live in a high rise with a rubbish chute (垃圾道)? You won't be for long. Miami's Mark Shantzis has made it simple for those living in tall buildings to use the chute and recycle too .

　　In Shantzis' Hi-Rise Recycling System, a chute leads to a pie-shaped container with six boxes that can turn around when operated. The system , which fits in the same space as the chute and container now in use, enables glass , plastic , paper , metal , and other rubbish to go into separate boxes .

　　The system is controlled from a board next to the chute door. The board has a button for each class of recycling materials (as well as for unrecyclables). At the press of a button, a microcomputer locks all other floors' chute door and sets the recycling container turning until the right box comes under the chute. The computer also counts the loads and gives a signal by phone when the box is full. And a particular piece of equipment breaks up the nonrecyclables

　　Sorting(分類) recyclables before they are collected saves the use of expensive materials recovery equipment which otherwise has to do the sorting . Such equipment often makes recycled materials very expensive, so expensive that tons of recyclables remain wasted . Shantzis believes his system could help recycled materials become more cost-effective.

The purpose in writing this text is _________.

　A．to encourage people to recycle their rubbish

　B．to introduce a recycling system for high rises

　C．to describe the use of computer technology in recycling

　D．to explain the need for rubbish collection in high rises

When he says "You won't be for long" the writer means that _______.

　A．you'll soon be living in a cleaner building

　B．rubbish chutes will become out of date before long

　C．you won't wait long for your turn to recycle rubbish

　D．it won't be long before you'll have to recycle your rubbish

Before dropping rubbish into the chute you have to ___________

　A．lock the other floors' chute doors      B．check if the container is full

　C．press the correct button              D．break up the rubbish

The biggest advantage of this new system is that _________

　A．it reduces the cost of recycling    　  B．it saves time and space

　C．it saves money for people living in high rises

　D．it makes better use of the existing recovery equipment

       To err is human．To blame the other guy is even more human．

       Common sense is not all that common．

       Why tell the truth when you can come up with a good excuse?

       These three popular misquotes （戲謔的引語） are meant to be jokes, and yet they tell us a lot about human nature．To err, or to make mistakes, is indeed a part of being human, but it seems that most people don’t want to accept the responsibility for the problem．Perhaps it is the natural thing to do．The original quote about human nature went like this, “ To err is human, to forgive, divine（神圣的）．” This saying mirrors an ideal: people should be forgiving of others’ mistakes．Instead, we tend to do the opposite --- find someone else to pass the blame on to．However, taking responsibility for something that went wrong is a making of great maturity．

       Common sense is what we call clear thought．Having common sense means having a good general plan that will make things work well, and it also means staying with the plan．Common sense tells you that you take an umbrella out into a rainstorm, but you leave the umbrella home when you hear a weather forecast for sunshine．Common sense does not seem to be common for large organizations, because there are so many things going on that one person cannot be in charge of everything．People say that in a large company, “the right hand does not know what the left hand is doing．”

       And what is wrong with a society that thinks that making up a good excuse is like creating a work of art? One of the common problems with making excuses is that people, especially young people, get the idea that it’s okay not to be totally honest all the time．There is a corollary（直接推論）to that: if good excuse is “good” even if it isn’t honest, then where is the place of the truth?

According to the author, what is a sign of a man’s maturity?

       A．Doing things his own way．

       B．Bearing responsibility for his mistakes．

       C．Making as few mistakes as possible．

       D．Thinking seriously about his wrongdoing．

Which of the following is N0T based on common sense?

       A．A man tries to take charge of everything in a large company．

       B．A student goes out with an umbrella in stormy weather．

       C．A company’s next move follows a good plan．

       D．A lawyer acts on fine judgments．

What is the author’s opinion about a good excuse?

       A．Making a good excuse is sometimes a better policy．

       B．Inventing a good excuse needs creative ideas．

       C．A good excuse is as rewarding as honesty．

       D．Bitter truth is better than a good excuse．

What would be the best title for his passage?

       A．A Mirror of Human Nature     B．To Blame or to Forgive

       C．A Mark of Maturity         D．Truth or Excuse

Mark Twain is a name not usually connected with Broadway(百老匯), but now his play “Is He Dead” will receive its first public performance on November 29.

“Is He Dead” was written by Mark Twain in 1898 but was never performed. It was rediscovered in 2002 by Shelley Fisher Fishkin, an English professor and director of the American Studies Program at Stanford University. It was published the following year by the University of California Press.

The story is about a group of poor artists who fake the death of their friend in order to increase the value of his work.

“Is He Dead” is set in France in the 1840s and centers on the French painter Jean-Francois Millet. “Millet was probably the most popular European painter in the United States in Twain’s lifetime,” Fishkin said in a telephone interview. “Americans greatly admired him because he focused on the life of the common man and the common woman.”

According to Fishkin, “Is He Dead” is a satire(諷刺) about how value is created in the art world. Twain wrote the play when he was coming out of the hardest time of his life.

1.What’s “Is He Dead” about?

A．The death of a poor artist in the 1840s.

B．A trick played by a group of poor artists.

C．A story about the French painter Jean-Francois Millet.

D．An experience Mark Twain had gone through.

2.From the second paragraph we learn that ______.

A．the play was one of Mark Twain’s early works

B．no one knew the play until 2002

C．Fishkin is an expert on Mark Twain’s works

D．the play was published in 2002

3.According to Fishkin, Jean-Francois Millet was admired by Americans because ____.

A．he was a famous French painter at that time

B．he focused on the life of ordinary Americans

C．his works showed respect for ordinary people

D．Mark Twain agreed on his thoughts

4.We can infer from the passage that Mark Twain ______.

A．had experienced several difficult times for no money

B．was a good novelist but a bad playwright(劇作家)

C．was a writer who only cared about ordinary people’s life

D．was dissatisfied with some methods of creating the value of art work