How often do you read a newspaper? About 10 million people read every day in the UK. The most popular newspapers are the tabloids(小报), which are full of celebrity(名人) news and how did these papers get their stories?
Simple! Some have been breaking the law! They’ve been doing this by hacking into people’s mobile phones and stealing private information. Police found out about this back in 2005. At the time, reporters working on The News of The World were accused of hacking the phones of the royal family and other famous people.
But it soon became clear that other celebrities were also victims. They include author J.K. Rowling, actor Hugh Grant and actress Sienna Miller. As a result of the scandal(丑闻), Murdoch(the owner of The News of The World) was forced to close down The News of The World, and David Cameron(the former British Prime Minister) announced that there would be an inquiry(调查) into the press.
Lord Justice Leveson(a leading English judge) was appointed to lead the inquiry. On opening the first session Leveson said, “The press provides an essential check on all aspects of public life. That’s why any failure within the media affects all of us. At the heart of this inquiry, therefore may be one simple question: who guards the guardians?” The inquiry is focusing on three major areas: the relationship between the press and 1. ...the public. 2. ...the police. 3. ...politics.
The big question is, what changes are going to be made as a result of the inquiry? Defenders of freedom of the press are worried that journalists won’t be allowed to investigate freely, and that new laws will be introduced to limit what they can and can’t do. At present, journalists often use undercover techniques to get a story, especially if it’s in the public interest.
1.How do the tabloids get news about celebrities?
A.They all have to break the law to get the private news.
B.Some use illegal ways to get private information.
C.They get celebrities’ private information by phoning.
D.They steal private information by using a mobile phone.
2.What is Leveson’s attitude to the press?
A.He has pity on the press.
B.He is against the press.
C.He will punish the press.
D.He will be good to the press.
3.What does the underlined word refer to in the fourth paragraph?
A.Lord Justice. B.The press. C.The common people. D.The police.
4.What is the best title of the article?
A.Journalists in trouble. B.The law in trouble.
C.Celebrities in trouble. D.Lord Justice in trouble.
A way to Turn Plastic Waste into $78 Million of Biofuel
16-year-old Egyptian student Azza Abdel Hamid Faiad, meanwhile, was at work finding a way to make use of waste plastic. The young scientist discovered a catalyst(催化剂) that could turn Egypt’s one million tons of annually waste plastic into a $78 million worth of biofuel each year. She hopes that the development could “provide an economically efficient method for production of hydrocarbon(碳氢化合物) fuel,” and many appear to agree; Faiad has been awarded the European Fusion Development Agreement Award at the 23rd European Union Contest for Young Scientists, and is seeking patents for her discovery.
A Pee(尿)-Powered Energy Generator(发电机) Created by Four Nigerian Teenagers
Four Nigerian teenage girls amazed visitors to the Maker Faire Africa with their pee-powered energy generator. Able to source an impressive six hours of power from just one liter of urine(尿)， the 14-and15-year-olds’ renewable energy generator holds interesting possibilities for providing electricity in remote areas or in disaster zones.
Turning Banana Peels(皮) into Bioplastics
16-year-old Turkish student Elif Bilgin developed her very own technique for turning the ordinary banana peel into bioplastics, a discovery which she hopes could reduce dependence on petrol chemicals and make use of some of the 200 tons of banana peel thrown away daily in Thailand alone. Her development relies on the properties of the starches(淀粉) and cellulose(纤维) found in the outer layer of banana peels, which through a chemical process developed by Bilgin herself, can be transformed into a non-decaying(不腐烂的) bioplastics.
1.What do we know from the first invention?
A.The young student was working in a factory though she is young.
B.The young student’s invention will surely solve the energy problem.
C.The young Egyptian student’s invention is very environmentally friendly.
D.People seemed to have different opinions on the young student’s invention.
2.What is the purpose of Elif Bilgin’s invention?
A.To increase the dependence on nature.
B.To make use of petro chemicals resources.
C.To throw away unnecessary banana peels.
D.To be less dependent on petrol chemicals.
3.What do the three inventions have in common?
A.They all make full use of nature resources.
B.They all try to save a lot of energy.
C.They are unique inventions by the young.
D.They all can be put into use easily.
For many teenagers who are growing up in cities, the first things that catch their eyes when they come to the countryside are the animals, farm tools and above all, the rural scenery that is very different from that in cities.
But when Wang Zhicheng, a 17-year-old boy from Qingdao No. 2 High School went to his mother’s hometown for the first time during Spring Festival, he was shocked by the terrible condition of the roads.
Roads in the small village in Heze, Shangdong province were muddy and bumpy(崎岖的). “Complaining doesn’t solve any problems. I wondered what I could do to help rebuild the roads,” Wang said.
He talked to villagers and learned that a lack of money had been the major problem that had gotten in the way of the rebuilding project. Wang decided to donate 3,000 yuan of his gift money he had received for Chinese Lunar Ney Year over the past three years. But it was really only a drop in the ocean. What else could he do?
Then he realized he could use the Internet. Wang said he remembered the reports he had read on social networking sites about crowd funding helping cancer patients and other charity projects. So why not try Internet crowd funding for the village road?
Wang released the information on the Internet on Feb 22. “I was not sure whether I had expected too much from the Internet, but it was worth trying,” he said. Much to his surprise, he achieved that goal in just 10 days. Money continued to be transferred(转入)into the account and up to now, a total of 50,000 yuan has been collected.
The new road will hopefully be ready by the end of this year. “I had thought charity was just showing off, but I came to realize that it is a systematic project. It not only helps those in need, but also highlights the positive side of life for all the people involved.”
1.What do city children usually find in the countryside?
A.The environment is awfully terrible.
B.There are wild animals everywhere.
C.Different farm tools are used in farming.
D.The roads there are both muddy and bumpy.
2.What is Wang Zhicheng’s reaction to the terrible road condition he witnessed?
A.He complained to his parents angrily.
B.He thought it was natural and beautiful.
C.He was completely absorbed by the scenery.
D.The road is totally beyond his imagination.
3.What made Wang Zhicheng think of the Internet to solve the problem?
A.The reports about the crowd funding.
B.The charity projects he got through.
C.The social network he took part in.
D.His helping with cancer patients before.
4.What can we infer from the article?
A.Wang is good at building roads using the Internet.
B.Wang had expected too much from the Internet.
C.Charity was just showing off in Wang’s opinion.
D.Wang is effective at putting thought into action.
听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1.Where is the speaker from?
A.England. B.India. C.America.
2.Why did the speaker get a job?
A.To buy books. B.To support his family. C.To pay for a living.
3.Where did the speaker work?
A.At the school canteen. B.At a law company. C.In a fast food restaurant.
4.What might the speaker do after becoming a lawyer?
A.Drop out of school. B.Help immigrant people. C.Fight with English people.
听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1.Who did the woman just meet?
A.A psychologist. B.Her doctor. C.One of his friends.
2.What might cause the woman’s sleeping problem?
A.Anxiety. B.Too much work. C.The pills she takes.
3.What does the man suggest?
A.Exercising outdoors. B.Taking sleeping pills. C.Using computers before sleeping.
4.When does the man usually fall asleep?
A.At 8:00 p.m. B.At 9:00 p.m. C.At 10:00 p.m.
听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1.What’s Peter’s problem?
A.He can’t understand Chinese program.
B.He can’t talk with Chinese people.
C.He can’t understand Chinese grammar.
2.How long has Peter been learning Chinese?
A.3 years. B.4 years. C.5 years.
3.What can we learn from the conversation?
A.Peter speaks Chinese a lot.
B.Peter is happy to learn driving.
C.Peter needs a lot of practice.
