FRANCE has destroyed the hopes of those who had planned to take refuge（避难）in one of the few places on Earth which some believe will be spared when the world ends on December 21 ．Local officials banned access to the Pic de Bugarach，a mountain in the southwest where rumor has it that the hilltop will open on the last day and aliens will appear with spaceships to save nearby humans.
Eric Freysselinard，the state’s top representative in the area，said he was blocking access to the mountain for public safety reasons to avoid a rush of New Age fanatics(盲信者），sight-seers and media crews. Believers say the world will end on December 21，2012，the end date of the ancient Mayan calendar，and they see Bugarach as one of a few sacred mountains sheltered from the cataclysm(大灾难）．
Mr Freysselinard said the 100 police and firefighters will also control approaches to the tiny village of the same name at the foot of the mountain，and if too many people turn up，they will block access there too.“We are expecting a few people who believe in this end of the world，but in extremely limited numbers，” he said in the. nearby city of Carcassonne.“We are expecting greater numbers of people who are just curious，but in numbers we cannot determine. Above all，we are expecting lots of journalists，”he said.
Films，documentaries and websites have promoted the idea that the ancient Mayan calendar predicts that doomsday is on December 21．The culture ministry in Guatemala-where half the population are of Mayan descent-is hosting a massive event in the capital just in case the world actually does end，while tour groups are promoting doomsday-themed getaways.
1.Many people plan to go to Pic de Bugarach mainly because ．
A．they want to take refuge on December 21，2012
B．they want to meet aliens with spaceships to save humans
C．they want to visit the scenery of the mountain
D．they want to make profits by attracting tourists
2.Eric Freysselinard was blocking access to the mountain for ．
A．forbidding the rumour spreading B．improving environmental protection
C．protecting public safety D．avoiding destroying natural sources
3.What kinds of people would come to Pic de Bugarach？
a. Tourists. b. Journalists. c. Local officials. d. Visionaries. e. The Mayans.
A．a. b. e. B．a. b. c. C．a. b. d. D．b. d. e.
4.Which of the following would be the best title for the text?
A．The World Ends on December 21 B．The Ancient Mayan Calendar Ends
C．A Massive Event in The Capital D．French Say‘No’to The Refugee
Switzerland is the best place to be born in the world in 2013，and the US is just 16th. A new study made by the Economist Intelligence Unit says American babies will have a dimmer（暗淡）future than those born in Hong Kong，Ireland and even Canada. The EIU，a sister company of The Economist，tried to measure how well countries will provide the best opportunities for a healthy，safe and prosperous life in years to come.
People born in Switzerland will tend to be the happiest and have the best quality of life in terms of wealth，health and trust in public institutions，according to the analysis. The Scandinavian countries of Norway，Sweden and Denmark also all make the top five in a‘quality-of-lif e’index(指数）where it is best to be born next year.
One of the most important factors is being rich，but other factors come into play including crime，trust in public institutions and the health of family life. In total，the index takes into account 11 factors. These include fixed factors such as geography，others that change slowly over time such as demography (人口学) social and cultural characteristics, and the state of the world economy. The index also looks at income per head in 2030，which is roughly when children born in 2013 will reach adulthood. Small economies take up the top 10 countries，with Australia coming second and New Zealand and the Netherlands not too far behind.
Half of the top 10 countries are European，but only one，the Netherlands，is from the eurozone. The crisis-ridden south of Europe，including Greece，Portugal and Spain，falls behind despite the advantage of a favourable climate. Interestingly，the largest European economies-Germany，France and Britain-do not do particularly well. Nigeria has the unenviable(不值得羡慕的)title of being the worst country for a baby to enter the world in 2013.
1.According to the passage，the happiest people live in ·
A．Denmark B．Switzerland C．Germany D．Nigeria
2.The factors of telling the best place to be born don’t include ．
A．economy B．geography
C．trust in public institutions D．pollution
3.Which of the following is TRUE according to the text？
A．The Economist Intelligence Unit is a company.
B．The Economist attempted to measure the best place to live.
C．The Scandinavian countries are hardly at the top of the list.
D．Half of the top 10 countries are from the eurozone.
4.The purpose of the text is to show people ．
A．the best place to be born in 2013
B．a new study made by the EIU
C．the worst country to be born in 2013
D．the factors of measuring the best place to be born
假设你是红星中学高三年级一班的学生李华，近日你班同学参加了世界自然基金会WWF组办的“我为哥本哈根减斤碳”活动，大家开始在日常生活中减少能源、纸张等的消耗。请根据以下四幅图提供的信息，给某英文杂志写一篇以“Low-carbon Living”为题的英文稿件，介绍你们参加此次活动第一天的具体做法并谈自己的看法。
字数100-120字
阅读下面短文，并根据题目要求用英语回答问题（请注意问题后的字数要求）。
［1］Five years ago, David Smith wore an expensive suit to work every day. “I was a clothes addict”. He jokes. “I used to carry a fresh suit to work with me so I could change if my clothes got wrinkled”. Today David wears casual clothes—khaki pants and sports shirt to the office. He hardly ever wears a necktie. “I’m working harder than ever”. David says, “And I need to feel comfortable”.
[ 2 ]More and more companies are allowing their office workers to in the United States. The change from formal to casual office wear has been gradual. In the early 1990s, many companies allowed their employees to wear casual clothes on Friday. This became known as “dress-down Friday” or “casual Friday”. “What started out as an extra one-day-a-week benefit for employees has really become an everyday thing.” said business consultant Maisly Jones.
[ 3 ]Why have so many companies started allowing their employees to wear casual clothes? One reason is that it’s easier for a company to attract new employees if it has a casual dress code. “Many young people don’t want to dress up for work”, says the owner of a software company, “So it’s hard to hire people if you have a conservative dress code”. Another reason is that people seem happier and more productive when they are wearing comfortable clothes. In a study 85 percent of employers said that they believe that casual dress improves employees’ motivation. Only 4 percent of employers said that casual dress has a negative influence on productivity. Supporters of casual office wear also argue that a casual dress code helps them save money. “Suits are expensive, if you have to wear one every day”, one person said, “For the same amount of money, you can buy a lot more casual clothes”.
1.Why does David Smith wear casual clothes now? (no more than 8 words)
_______________________________________________________________________________
2.List three advantages of casual office wear according to the text? (no more than 10 words)
①______________________________________________________________________________
②______________________________________________________________________________
③______________________________________________________________________________
3.Fill in the blank in Paragraph 2 with proper words. (no more than 6 words)
_______________________________________________________________________________
4.What does it mean by a conservative dress code? (no more than 10 words)
_______________________________________________________________________________
5.What’s the main idea of Paragraph 3? (no more than 18 words)
_______________________________________________________________________________
Human beings are the most intelligent of all animals because we are gifted with the ability to think and reason logically. Scientists and even common people with special intelligence have made a lot of inventions and contributions to modern lifestyle in the past. “Houses” have been the most popular area for discoveries and inventions in the past and even now.
Many household items have been the result of inventions of people who desired better functioning of the existent products. Every individual has intelligence and if it is used properly for the right purpose it leads to invention of a new tool or device. Many new household inventions are made almost every day and there are specific companies, which particularly keep a record of all these inventions.
A lot of inventions have been made recently in the household field. These products are patented(专利的)and have trade mark licenses(许可). The patented sliding cinch is a very simple but effective method to prevent shoulder stress and injury for those who work before computers all day long. Vanity PC is a type of computer furniture that specifically hides all the computer wires and keeps a clean and good look. All the outdoor dust, mud and snow can be kept out of the house by installing(安装)the dirt drain(排水管)at the entrance of the door. Another important invention is the automatic toilet night-light, in which a small light starts when the lid of the toilet seat is opened and closes as soon as the lid is closed.
These are some of the new household inventions invented mostly by common people. Thus, a variety of new household items are invented every day, which helps in a better functioning of household chores and in a more useful manner.
1.The first paragraph tells us the importance of _________.
A．the particular changes in houses
B．human beings’ role in making inventions
C．the advantages of modern lifestyle
D．the difference between human beings and animals Zxxk
2.What plays the most important role in causing people to invent new things?
A．To earn more money and gain awards.
B．To be recorded by some special companies.
C．To improve the present living conditions.
D．To meet the new demands of new science.
3.It can be inferred that the sliding cinch is used to _________.
A．prevent your shoulder from being over-pressured
B．keep your shoulder safe and sound when you are in an accident or an operation
C．help you practice your shoulder more often and reduce shoulder pains
D．cover your shoulder and make it stronger to resist the outside strike
4.Common people can also make good inventions because __________.
A．wisdom and inspiration sometimes come from everyday life
B．some inventions are easy to be made and can be mastered by common people
C．common people have a strong desire to do something for science research
D．success is often connected with hardship and bitter experience of common people
5.The passage is mainly talking about _________.
A．the correct use of household facilities
B．different ideas about household inventions
C．the history of household inventions
D．household inventions and their influence
As we have seen, the focus of medical care in our society has been shifting from curing disease to preventing disease—especially in terms of changing our many unhealthy behaviors, such as poor eating habits, smoking, and failure to exercise. The line of thought involved in this shift can be pursued further. Imagine a person who is about the right weight, but does not eat very nutritious (有营养的) foods, who feels OK but exercises only occasionally, who goes to work every day, but is not an outstanding worker, who drinks a few beers at home most nights but does not drive while drunk, and who has no chest pains or abnormal blood counts, but sleeps a lot and often feels tired. This person is not ill. He may not even be at risk for any particular disease. But we can imagine that this person could be a lot healthier.
The field of medicine has not traditionally distinguished between someone who is merely “not ill” and someone who is in excellent health and pays attention to the body’s special needs. Both types have simply been called “well”. In recent years, however, some health specialists have begun to apply the terms “well” and “wellness” only to those who are actively striving to maintain and improve their health. People who are well are concerned with nutrition and exercise, and they make a point of monitoring their body’s condition. Most important, perhaps, people who are well take active responsibility for all matters related to their health. Even people who have a physical disease or handicap (缺陷) may be “well” in this new sense, if they make an effort to maintain the best possible health they can in the face of their physical limitations. “Wellness” may perhaps best be viewed not as a state that people can achieve, but as an ideal that people can strive for. People who are well are likely to be better able to resist disease and to fight disease when it strikes. And by focusing attention on healthy ways of living, the concept of wellness can have a beneficial impact on the ways in which people face the challenges of daily life.
1.Today medical care is placing more stress on ________.
A．keeping people in a healthy physical condition
B．monitoring patients’ body functions
C．removing people’s bad living habits
D．ensuring people’s psychological well-being
2.In the first paragraph, people are reminded that ________.
A．good health is more than not being ill
B．drinking, even if not to excess, could be harmful
C．regular health checks are essential to keeping fit
D．prevention is more difficult than cure
3.Traditionally, a person is considered “well” if he ________.
A．does not have any unhealthy living habits
B．does not have any physical handicaps
C．is able to handle his daily routines
D．is free from any kind of disease
4.According to the author, the true meaning of “wellness” is for people ________.
A．to best satisfy their body’s special needs
B．to strive to maintain the best possible health
C．to meet the strictest standards of bodily health
D．to keep a proper balance between work and leisure
5.According to what the author advocates, which of the following groups of people would be considered healthy?
A．People who have strong muscles as well as slim figures.
B．People who are not presently experiencing any symptoms of disease.
C．People who try to be as possible, regardless of their limitations.
D．People who can recover from illness even without seeking medical care.
