Dae Jang Geum 《大长今》 is a hot new Korean TV series. Because of this series, my personal status (地位) and living standard have been greatly     . My girlfriend used to cook every evening. Well, now she does nothing but        in front of the TV when she’s not       , and orders me, “You --- go and make some instant noodles. Come and watch the play and just imagine we are enjoying Korean        .”

         She once swore (发誓) to        all Korean dishes in Dae Jang Geum. So she ordered me to        the TV and record any details of Jang Geum’s cooking. But when she presented her version of Korean food, it was like the dog-meal. “You can        get things done if you find the right tool,” my girlfriend blamed her terrible kitchen performances on        . So I decided to       her a new kitchen knife. In a store, she became unusually         when making her selection. She finally picked one that was        Jang Geum’s. To prove that her slow knife skill was because of the blunt (钝的) knife, she         her cutting. As a result, she hurt her fingers three times. Fortunately the knife was not         the salesman boasted (吹嘘).

         My girlfriend is a fan of Jang Geum’s Korean        . Not only did she talk about the dress every day, she also threatened to change my tie into a  butterfly knot(蝴蝶结) like the one on Jang Geum’s dress. Finally, I lost my patience and took her to a maternity (孕妇装) shop where I recommended one suit to her, “Do you think it looks like a(n)       dress?”  Coincidently(巧合地)   , her parents just happened to be shopping at the time. They were         when they saw what we were doing.

         The Dae Jang Geum series         encouraging the youth to realize their ambition(雄心,抱负). However, it fails to realize my girlfriend’s.         being engaged in her work or study, she simply sits on the sofa every night, staring at       , a bag of chips in her hand. This situation has          even though the series is now over.

1.A. increased                    B. degraded                         C. risen                                 D. raised

2.A. stand                    B. lay                                     C. seat                                   D. sit

3.A. at work                         B. at table                    C. on leave                           D. on business

4.A. fruits                    B. vegetables                       C. dishes                               D. cakes

5.A. eat                                 B. learn                                 C. cook                                  D. perform

6.A. stand for             B. go by                                 C. pass by                    D. stand by

7.A. easily                   B. hardly                               C. difficultly                          D. carefully

8.A. her fork                        B. her spoon                        C. her knife                          D. her pan

9.A. buy                       B. borrow                    C. lend                                  D. fetch

10.A. careless                      B. angry                                C. patient                              D. modest(谦虚)

11.A. better than                B. the closest shape of       C. sharper than          D. taken from

12.A. speeded up               B. slowed down                   C. brought down                 D. improved

13.A. as fast as           B. as dull as                          C. as slow as                         D. as sharp as

14.A. diet style           B. dish flavor                        C. dressing style                  D. cooking style

15.A. Chinese        B. Korean            C. English            D. American

16.A. quite encouraged    B. pretty satisfied                C. very pleased          D. pretty shocked

17.A. shoots at           B. aims at                     C. directs at                          D. works at

18.A. In spite of                   B. Because of                       C. Instead of                         D. In case of

19.A. me            B. herself            C. the TV             D. nothing

20.A. changed little   B. turned a lot                     C. developed a little          D. improved a lot

In earliest times, men considered lightning to be one of the great mysteries of nature. Some ancient people believed that lightning and thunder were the weapons of the gods.
In reality, lightning is a flow of electricity formed high above the earth. A single flash of lightning 1.6 kilometres long has enough electricity to light one million light bulbs .
The American scientist and statesman, Benjamin Franklin, was the first to show the connection between electricity and lightning in 1752. In the same year he also built the first lightning rod (避雷针). This device protects buildings from being damaged by lightning.
Modern science has discovered that one stroke of lightning has a voltage (电压) of more than 15 million volts (伏特). A flash of lightning between a cloud and the earth may be as long as 13 kilometers, and travel at a speed of 30 million meters per second.
Scientists judge that there are about 2,000 million flashes of lightning per year. Lightning hits the Empire State Building in New York City 30 to 48 times a year. In the United States alone it kills an average of one person every day.
The safest place to be in case of an electrical storm is in a closed car. Outside, one should go to low ground and not get under tress. Also on,e should stay out of water and away from metal fences. Inside a house, people should avoid open doorways and windows and not touch wires or metal things.
With lightning, it is better to be safe than sorry.
【小题1】People once thought lightning came from ________.

The U.S. official said North Korea --- and Iran --- should follow in the steps of Libya, which last December said it would work______ to allow international weapons inspectors to do their work.

1. A.
   unconditionally
2. B.
   unwillingly
3. C.
   unfortunately
4. D.
   uncomfortably

From the first use of the rocket to carry satellites into space to the setting up of space stations, human beings have been putting great effort into space research. And so far, we have achieved many successes. But there are still numerous tasks in front of us and we should not stop trying to progress.
The international space station (ISS) is an important step we should take in space exploration. It is not only helpful but also essential. It provides a proper space environment for many experiments that we have wanted to do for a long time. It is also a base for the observations of the earth and the universe. It could also be an important base for later travel to the moon and Mars. In a word, if we want to explore space more, the first thing we should do is to set up a space station.
As the space station costs a lot of money, it is hard for one country alone to establish one. The USA seems to be the only country that has the ability to build a space station alone，and it has tried to do so, but not very successful. So it aggregated many other countries to work on it together. Though it is still extremely expensive, it is much cheaper than doing it alone. It is really a job that needs everyone’s effort and will benefit everyone.
Led by the U.S. and Russia, the ISS is a joint project between six space agencies involving 16 countries. Called the greatest achievement in human cooperation, the ISS has come to the end of a ten-year’s hard work in construction. China has applied for participation in (taking part in) the project many times. Unfortunately all the applications were rejected, which drove China onto the path of independent development. As the Long March Ⅱ-F/T1 carrier rocket blasted off (leave the ground) and successfully carried the Tiangong-1 into space on September 29, 2011, China takes a big step toward its Space Station Era.
Some West media suggested that the successful launch of Tiangong-1 would disturb the balance of global space power, raising concerns (关注) about “China threat”. China’s space project is not designed for military (军事的) purpose but for developing space technology to explore space resources and make use of them for mankind’s well-being.
【小题1】From Paragraph 2 we learn that ________.

The invention of the electric telegraph gave birth to the communications industry.Although Samuel B．Morse succeeded in making the invention useful in 1837，it was not until 1843 that the first important telegraph line was constructed.By 1860 more than 50,000 miles of lines connected people east of the Rockies.The following year，San Francisco was added to the network.
The national telegraph network strengthened the ties between East and West and contributed to the rapid expansion of the railroads by providing an efficient means to monitor schedules and routes.Furthermore，the extension of the telegraph，combined with the invention of the steam－driven rotary printing press by Richard
M．Hoe in 1846，revolutionized the world of journalism.Where the business of news gathering had been dependent upon the mail and on hand－operated presses，the telegraph expanded the amount of information a newspaper could supply and allowed for more timely reporting.The creating of the Associated Press as a central wire service in 1846 marked the arrival of a new era (纪元) in journalism.
【小题1】The main topic of the passage is ________.