The United Nations says forty million people or so around the world went hungry in 2008, mainly because of higher food prices. Early estimates from the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) show that 963 million people did not get enough to eat.
World food prices have dropped since early 2008. Prices of major crops have decreased by more than half from their height earlier last year. But they remain high compared to earlier years.
But FAO official Hafez Ghana says lower prices have failed to end the food crisis（危机）in many poor countries. "For millions in developing countries," he says, "getting enough food every day to live an active and healthy life is a distant dream.”
The FAO says food shortage is a threat to people's health. Today, two-thirds of the world's undernourished people live in just a few countries. These are India, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Pakistan, Ethiopia and so on.
A report on food insecurity warns that the current economic crisis could send even more people into hunger and poverty.
In sub-Saharan Africa, the percentage of the people who continually go hungry fell from 34% in 1997 to 30% in 2008. But the FAO says Ghana is the only country that has reached two sets of hunger reduction targets. These were set by the 1996 World Food Summit and the Millennium Development Goals. The main reason is the growth in agricultural production in Ghana.
The FAO says some countries in Southeast Asia like Thailand and Vietnam have made progress in hunger reduction goals. But South Asia and Central Asia haven't, and North Korea is still in hot water.
1. What FAO official Hafez Ghana says implies _________.
A. it's easy but takes long to provide people with enough food
B. enough food can make people more active and healthier
C. there is difficulty solving the food shortage in a short time
D. people in developing countries will never get enough food
2.Ghana has reached the targets of hunger reduction mainly because of ________.
A. the still high food prices B. the donation of developed countries
C. the two targets of hunger reduction D. the growth in agricultural production
3. The underlined word “undernourished” in Para. 4 probably means _________.
A. hungry and unhappy B. unhealthy for lack of food
C. not fat because of poverty D. undeveloped and poor
4. Which country has not made progress in hunger reduction?
A. North Korea B. Thailand C. Vietnam D. Ghana
5.What is the best title of this passage?
A. The food production of the world B. The hunger reduction target of the FAO
C. The food shortage around the world D. The solution to the global food shortage
“The Lord of the Rings”, one of the best sellers in the new millennium(千年), was made up of three parts—“The Fellow Ship of the Ring”, “Two Towers”, and “The Return of the King”. Millions upon millions of people have read it in over 25 different languages, but fewer know about the author and the history of the composition of the creative masterwork.
John Ronald Refuel Tolkien was born in South Africa in 1892. His parents died when he was a child. Living in England with his aunt, Tolkien and his cousins made up play languages, a hobby that led to Tolkien’s becoming skilled in Welsh, Greek, Gothic, Old Norse and Anglo—Saxon.
After graduating from Oxford, Tolkien served in World War I. In 1917, while recovering from trench fever he began composing the mythology for The Rings. As a professor of Anglo-Saxon in the 1930s at Oxford, Tolkien was part of an informal discussion group called the Inklings, which included several writers. The group was soon 1istening to chapters of Tolkien’s imaginative work “The Hobbit”.
Hobbit was a name Tolkien created for people that could best be described as half-sized members of the English rural(乡村的)class. Hobbits live in hillside holes. One of them，Bilbo Baggins, looks for treasures with a group of dwarves(侏儒). On the way, he meets the twisted, pitiful creature Gollum, from whom he sees a golden ring that makes the holder invisible.
One of Tolkien’s students persuaded her employer, publisher Allen & Unwind, to look at a draft (草稿). The chairman of the firm, Stanley Unwind, thought that the best judge for a Children’s book would be his ten-year-old son. The boy earned a shilling for reporting back that the adventure was exciting, and “The Hobbit” was published in 1937.
It sold so well that Unwind asked for a continuation. Over a dozen years later, in 1954, Tolkien produced “The Lord of the Rings”, a series of books so creative that they hold readers both new and old -- after their publication.
1.What can we learn from the text?
A. “The Lord of the Rings” didn't sell well in the last millennium.
B. People know better about Tolkien himself than about his works.
C. Tolkien was quite familiar with Old English.
D. Tolkien knew very well about different kinds of local languages in Africa.
2.What can we learn about "Hobbit" that Tolkien created in his works?
A. Hobbit was a race living in English downtown areas.
B. Hobbit was a local people who were very tall and strong.
C. Hobbit was a social group of people who lived in old castles.
D. Hobbit was a group of people who were mostly dwarves.
3. Which of the following helped most in making “The Hobbit” published?
A. One of Tolkien's students. B. Stanley Unwind's son.
C. Allen & Unwind. D. Bilbo Baggins.
4.What is mainly discussed in the text?
A. “The Lord of the Rings” and its writer.
B. A completely new masterwork in the new millennium.
C. A famous professor at Oxford University.
D. The power of the magic ring.
5. Which of the following shows the right order of Mr. Tolkien's life experience?
a. He had his “The Hobbit” published.
b. He became a member of the Inklings.
c. He served in World War I.
d. He became an undergraduate at Oxford.
e. His work “The Lord of the Rings” came to the world.
f. He moved to England to live with his aunt.
A. f-d-b-c-a-e B. f-d-c-b-a-e
C. f-c-d-b-e-a D.d-f-c-a-b-e
Soon Tommy’s parents, who had recently separated, would arrive for a conference on his failing schoolwork and bad behavior. Neither parent knew that I had called the other.
Tommy, an only child, had always been happy, cooperative and an excellent student. How could I convince his father and mother that his recent failing grades represented a broken-hearted child’s reaction to his parents’ separation and pending (即将发生的) divorce?
Tommy’s mother entered and took one of the chairs. Soon the father arrived. Good! At least they were concerned enough to be here in time. They ignored each other.
As I gave a detailed account of Tommy’s behavior and schoolwork, I prayed for the right words to bring these two together to help them see what they were doing to their son. But somehow the words wouldn’t come. Perhaps if they saw one of his dirty, carelessly done papers?
I found a sheet in the back of his desk. Writing covered both sides: not the assignment, but a single sentence scribbled (潦草地写) over and over.
Silently I gave it to Tommy’s mother. She read it and then handed it to her husband. Then his face softened.
At last he folded the paper carefully, placed it in his pocket, and reached for his wife’s hand. She wiped the tears from her eyes and smiled up at him. He helped her with her coat and they left together.
In his own way God had given me the words to reunite that family. He had guided me to the sheet of yellow copy paper covered with the pain out pouring of a small boy’s troubled heart.
The words are “Dear Mom…Dear Daddy… I love you…”
1.The author called Tommy’s parents in order to ________.
A. solve the couple’s problem
B. scold them for their divorce
C. help them realize their influence on Tommy
D. blame Tommy for his failing grades
2.This passage is most probably written by _________.
A. a teacher B. a journalist C. a lawyer D. a doctor
3.How did Tommy’s parents feel after seeing the words?
A. Satisfied. B. Troubled. C. Depressed D. Moved
4. We can learn from the passage that _______.
A. the author knew Tommy often wrote to his parents
B. the author said a lot to make Tommy’s parents reunite
C. Tommy hated his parents divorcing
D. Tommy was greatly influenced by his parents
5. What would be the best title for this passage?
A. A separate family B. Tommy’s essay
C. Never divorce D. A good teacher
阅读下面短文，按照句子结构的语法性和上下文连贯的要求，在空格处填入一个适当的词或使用括号中词语的正确形式填空
It’s really hard for any of us to be faster than Liu Xiang, but still we can do our share during the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Since the first modern Olympics, volunteers 1. (become) an important and insuperable part of the great event. There were 900 people 2. (work) for free at the first modern games and 3. number of volunteers increased since then.
4. has been estimated that around 100,000 volunteers will be needed for the Beijing Olympic and Paralympics Games. It might be the 5. (big) volunteer recruitment in the history of modern Olympics.
There are many kinds of volunteers. “Towards Olympics” volunteers refer to those 6. help the whole nation preparing for the games when the final day comes closer. “Games-time” volunteers refer to volunteers recruited directly by BOCOG. They perform post-specific 7. (responsible) during the Games, work at the times and places designed by BOCOG and serve at the Beijing Olympic Games 8. pay. High school students are welcomed to become city volunteers. They will have 9. (fix) or specially assigned working positions during the Games. Anyone can be a social volunteer, 10. jobs are spreading Olympic concepts and culture, maintaining social orders, optimizing city environment and advocating civilized behavior.
My best friend is Cocoa, and I live in a senior-citizen apartment. Cocoa is a ten-year-old dog and I am a sixty-nine-year-old lady, so you can see we both qualify as 1 citizens.
He is a 2 companion. He does many amusing things that make me 3 , and when that happens, he is so delighted 4 he just keeps it up.
But one afternoon, Cocoa started acting strangely. I was sitting on the floor playing with him, 5 he started pawing and smelling at the right side of my 6 . He had never done anything like this ever before, and I told him, “No.” To Cocoa, one “no” is usually 7 , but not that day. He stopped briefly, and then 8 ran toward me, throwing his entire weight at the right side of my chest. He crashed into me and I cried in 9 , falling down to the floor. Soon after this, I felt a lump (肿块). I went to my doctors, and after X-rays 10 and lab work were done, they told me I had cancer.
When cancer starts, a 11 of calcium (钙) builds. Then the lump or cancer attaches itself to this wall. When Cocoa jumped on me, the force of the impact broke the lump away from the wall. This made it possible for me to 12 the lump.
I had a complete mastectomy (乳房切除术) and the cancer has not 13 to any other part of my body. The doctors told me if the cancer had gone undetected even six more months, it would have been too 14 .
Was Cocoa 15 of just what he was doing? I’ll never really know. What I do know is that Cocoa not only shares his life with me, he has also made sure that I will be around to share my life with him!
1.A. good B. standard C. senior D. great
2. A. wonderful B. tiring C. hungry D. bad
3. A. leave B. cry C. laugh D. jump
4.A. as B. when C. and D. that
5.A. when B. then C. though D. as
6. A. chest B. body C. shoulder D. arm
7. A. right B. good C. enough D. unexpected
8. A. hurriedly B. rudely C. slowly D.suddenly
9. A. pain B. surprise C. trouble D.danger
10. A. experiments B. researches C. tests D.papers
11. A. wall B. cancer C. body D. number
12. A. watch B. have C. get D. notice
13. A. ran B. kept C. entered D. spread
14. A. common B. late C. much D. early
15. A. ashamed B. aware C. afraid D. tired
Listen! Some person calling for you at the gate.
A. are B. is C. was D. will be
