Imagine，one day，getting out of bed in Beijing and being at your office in Shanghai in only a couple of hours，and then，after a full day of work，going back home to Beijing and having dinner there．
Sounds unusual，doesn't it? But it's not that unrealistic，with the development of China’s high—speed railway system．And that’s not a11．China has an even greater high—speed railway plan—to connect the country with Southeast Asia，and eventually Eastern Europe．
China is negotiating to extend its own high·-speed railway network to up to 17 countries in 1 0 to 15 years，eventually reaching London and Singapore．
China has proposed three such projects．The first would possibly connect Kunming withSingapore via Vietnam and Malaysia．Another could start in Urumqi and go through Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan，and possibly
to Germany．The third would start in the northeast and go north through Russia and then into Western Europe．
If China’s plan for the high-speed railway goes forward，people could zip over from London to Beiling in under two days．
The new system would still follow China’s high—speed railway standard．And the trains would be able to go 346 kilometers an hour，almost as fast as some airplanes．
China’s bullet train(高速客车)，the one connecting Wuhan to Guangzhou，already has the
World’s fastest average speed．It covers 1,069 kilometers in about three hours．
Of course，there are some technical challenges to overcome．There are so many issues that need to be settled，such as safety，rail gauge(轨距)，maintenance of railway tracks．So，it’s important to pay attention to every detail．
But the key issue is really money．China is already spending hundreds of billions of yuan on
domestic railway expansion．
China prefers that the other countries pay in natural resources rather than with capital
investment．Resources from those countries could stream into China to sustain development．
It’11 be a win-win project. For other countries，the railway network will definitely create more opportunities for business，tourism and so on，not to mention the better communication among those countnes．
For China，such a project would not only connect it with the rest of Asia and bring some much-needed resources，but would also help develop China’s far west．We foresee that in the coming decades，millions of people will migrate to the western regions，where the land is empty and resources unused．With high-speed trains，people will set up factories and business centers in the west once and for a11．And they’11 trade with Central Asian and Eastern European countries．
1．China’s new high-speed railway plan will be a win-win project because ____________．
A．China will get much-needed resources and develop its western regions
B．China and the countries involved will benefit from the project in various ways
C．China will develop its railway system and communication with other countries
D． the foreign countries involved will develop their railway transportation，business and tourism
2．According to the passage，the greatest challenge to the new high-speed railway plan is____________．
A．technical issues    B．safety of the system
C．financial problems  D．maintenance of railway tracks
3.Which of the following words best describes the author’s attitude towards China’s high-speed
railway plan?
A．Critical．    B．Reserved．    C．Doubtful     D. Positive．
4．Which of the following might be the best title for the passage?
A．New Railway Standards    B．Big Railway Dreams
C．High—speed Bullet Trains D．International Railway Network

D
Learning English has a powerful effect on the type of job you can get. If you don’t speak English well, you won’t find many jobs, and yes, you’ll earn much less money. Only 2% of company managers can’t speak English! Your family can also benefit from you learning English. And you can learn with them, helping each other as a family. Children have up to a 40% better chance of finishing high school if their parents speak English well. If you speak English better , you’ll find more jobs--- good jobs. Or you can get a promotion and earn more money. Learn how the Beehive can help you find the right job.
School. Children go to their parents when they need help with school. If you speak better English, you can help your child with homework and you can also talk to teachers and other parents.
Health. Most doctors and pharmacists(药剂师) in America only speak English, and if you can explain what the problem is and understand what the doctor is saying, you’ll get better sooner! On the Beehive, you can find cheap, free medical help or find important information for your family.
Education. With a little more English, you might be able to take your high school diploma (GED), go to a vocational school to learn a profession or even go to college! Find out what type of education is right for you, and how to do it. It is never too late!
Money. If you understand what people tell you at the bank, a store or a lawyer’s office, nobody will be able to cheat you! With more English, you can save more, send more money to your family and even start your own business. Don’t wait! Find an English course now! And remember, with the Beehive you can practice English and find a good job, open a bank account or find a doctor! The Beehive is written very clearly so you can make life better. Many people are doing it!
71. Learning English well can help us in the following things EXCEPT__________.
A. finding many more good jobs             B. a better chance of finishing high school
C. a promotion and earning more money       D. cheating others easily
72. How can English benefit you in America?
A. You’ll communicate with most doctors and pharmacists better.
B. You can find cheap, free medical help for your family.
C. You can find important information for your family .
D. You can take your GRE.
73. If you want to learn English well, where should you learn?
A. Most doctors and pharmacists in America.  B. A vocational school for practical English.
C. Colleges for special English.             D. The Beehive for an English course.
74. Which kind of article is this passage?
A.  A Notice.                           B. A magazine.   
C. An advertisement.                      D. A newspaper.
75. What would be the best title for the passage?
A. Learning English has a powerful effect on your job.
B. Learn more English, your life will be sweeter.
C. If you speak English better, you’ll find more jobs.
D. it is never too late to find out the right type of education!

In the future your automobile will run on water instead of gas! You will be able to buy a supercomputer that fits in your pocket! You might even drive a flying car!
For each prediction that has come true today, several others have missed by a mile. Many of these predictions didn’t consider how people would want to use the technology, or if people really needed it in their lives or not. Let’s look at some predictions from the not-too-distant past.
Robot Helpers
Where’s the robot in my kitchen? Nowhere, of course. And he’s probably not coming anytime soon. Robots do exist today, but mostly in factories and other manufacturing environments.
Back in the 1950s, however, people said that by now personal robots would be in most people’s homes.
So why hasn’t it happened?  Probably because robots are still too expensive and clumsy. And maybe the idea of robots cooking our dinners and washing our clothes is just too weird. At home we seem to be doing fine without them.
Telephones of Tomorrow
In 1964 an American company introduced the video telephone. They said by the year 2000 most people would have a video phone in their homes. But of course the idea hasn’t caught on yet.
Why? The technology worked fine, but it over—looked something obvious: people’s desire for privacy. Would you want to have a video phone conversation with someone after you just step out of the shower?  Probably not---it could be embarrassing! Just because a technology available doesn’t always mean people will want to use it.
And finally, how about that crazy prediction of the flying car? It’s not so crazy anymore! But a flying car remains one of the most fascinating technology ideas to capture our imagination. Keep watching the news, or perhaps the sky outside your window, to see what the future will bring.
【小题1】 The whole passage is mainly about ________________.

British researchers are looking for volunteers willing to eat a piece of chocolate daily for a year in the name of science. The trial(实验) will explore whether flavonoids (类黄酮) found in chocolate and other foods can reduce the risk of heart disease.
“We are looking at a high risk group first,” said Aedin Cassidy, a biochemist who will lead the study.
Previous studies have suggested dark chocolate is rich in the beneficial flavonoids linked with heart health, but experts note the high sugar and fat content of most commercially available chocolate might cancel out some of the advantages. Other research has also shown dark chocolate appears to lower blood pressure, improve the function of blood vessels (血管)and reduce the risk of heart attack.
This has encouraged companies to market specific products containing dark chocolate. Mars Inc has introduced Cocoa Via, a line of dark and premium chocolates that plays up such health advantages.
Cassidy said her team will also publish findings in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition showing that flavonoids found in soy and cocoa appear to have the strongest effects of reducing risk of heart disease.
The next step will organize 150 women volunteers with a specific illness. The researchers will look at whether flavonoids help reduce blood pressure, cut cholesterol levels and improve the condition of blood vessels.
Half the women in the year-long study will eat chocolate containing 30 grams of flavonoids found in soy, cocoa and other fruits and vegetables. The others will get chocolate without the active flavonoids.
“This could help doctors give advice to patients on the type and amount of foods to eat to reduce heart disease risk—and it does not necessarily need to be chocolate,” Cassidy said. “If this trial works we will be able to advise on a whole range of foods. People won't have to go around eating specially designed chocolate.”
1. What is the best title for the passage?
A. Volunteers wanted for chocolate study.           B. Chocolate is good for health.
C. A new research on heart attacks.                 D. Flavonoids found in chocolate.
2. What’s the purpose of the trial?
A. To test the advantages of a new kind of chocolate.
B. To find cures for heart disease.
C. To discover how to control blood pressure.
D. To explore the advantages of flavonoids.
3. From Paragraph 3 we can infer that __________.
A. Cassidy’s team has done several studies on chocolate
B. dark chocolate has proved beneficial to health
C. people should eat much chocolate with high sugar and fat
D. most commercially available chocolate doesn’t contain flavonoids
4. Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?
A. All the volunteers will eat the same chocolate.
B. CocoaVia is a company that produces dark chocolate.
C. People who want to take part in the trial should be healthy.
D. Soy, cocoa, some fruit and vegetables contain flavonoids.

   Probably many of you know the idiom “an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth”. But do you believe a tooth for an eye? That’s something a little bit different.
This strange exchange is neither a form of retribution(报应) nor an unexpected gift from the Tooth Fairy --- it’s actually a very generous gift from a young Irishman, Robert McNichol, 23, to his formerly blind father, 57-year-old Bob McNichol.
In 2005, Bob McNichol’s sight was destroyed in an accident when his eyes were doused(溅在……上面)with liquid aluminum(铝). Doctors predicted that he would never be able to see again.
But McNichol never liked to take no for an answer: when he heard about a unique operation called Osteo-Odonto-Keratoprosthesis, he knew he had to give it a shot, even though the success rate was a mere 65 percent.
In the technique, the eye socket(眼窝) is rebuilt and implanted(植入) with a human tooth and part of the jawbone, to provide support for an artificial cornea(角膜). Luckily for McNichol, Robert was willing to sacrifice one of his teeth to help his father regain his sight.
The technique isn’t simple: McNichol’s first stint on the operating table lasted ten hours, with a five hour follow-up session at a later date. But thanks to his son’s gift, he’s already seeing astonishing results.
“Now I have enough sight for me to get around and I can watch television. I have come out from complete darkness.” he told his friends.
【小题1】Bob McNichol lost his sight ____ .