Obama Still Smokes in Secret
US President Barack Obama has just made life more difficult for cigarette makers．He has just signed a law that will set tough new rules for the tobacco industry．The new law gives the US Food and Drug Administration the power to strictly limit the making and marketing of tobacco products．
At a White House signing ceremony Monday, Obama said that he was among the nearly 90% of smokers who took up the habit before their 18 th birthday．
Obama, who has publicly struggled to give up smoking, said he still hadn’t completely kicked the habit．Every now and then he still smokes in secret．
“As a former smoker I struggle with it all the time．Do I still smoke sometimes? Yes．Am I a daily smoker, a constant smoker? No．” Obama said at a news conference．
“I don' t do it in front of my lads．I don’t do it in front of my family．I would say that I am 95% cured, but there are times when I mess up, " he said．
"Once you go down this path, it' s something you continually struggle with, which is exactly why the law is so important．The new law is not about me, it' s about the next generation of kids coming up．What we don ' t want is kids going down that path," he said．
Nearly 20% of Americans smoke and tobacco use kills about 440,000 people a year in the United States due to cancer, heart disease, and other serious diseases．
【小题1】The new law makes life difficult for             ．

A．Obama	B．tobacco industry
C．White House	D．US Food and Drug Administration

【小题2】What do we know about Obama?

A．He no longer smokes．

B．He still smokes as usual．

C．He began to smoke at eighteen．

D．He is trying hard to give up smoking．

【小题3】According to the passage, Obama is most concerned about           ．

A．children

B．officials

C．his family

D．businessmen

Talking on a mobile phone is expensive, so a lot of people send text messages. Text messages are much cheaper than talking on a mobile phone, and you can make it cheaper by making the words shorter. You can do this by taking out “unimportant” letters in the words and using numbers instead of words (2 =" to," 3 =" free," 4 =" for," 8 =" ate," so h8 =" hate," etc.). You can also keep away from using punctuation (标点). Here is an example: Do U wnt 2 g 2 th cnma tnite (Do you want to go to the cinema tonight?)

What do you think these text messages mean?

Whr hv U bn? Iv bn wtng hrs fr a cll.

Im hm nw, why nt gv me a cll.

I gt a txt mssge frm my frnd. Shes hvng a prty on Strdy.

Mobile phone users have developed a group of symbols (符号) to show how they feel. They are called emoticons, and there are some examples below. To read an emoticon, you have to look at it sideways. For example, if you say something in a text message that is a joke, you can follow it with a smiling face. Like this: Why didt u call me? I’m so sad.   (

Here are some others. Can you think of text messages where you could use them?

) laughing     ( sad    ＜ really sad

Ⅴ shouting    |·| asleep   ：0 shocked

8·| surprised    \·o bored

1.Why are text messages popular?

A．Because they are expensive.	B．Because they are cheap.
C．Because they are hard to write.	D．Because they are not important.

2.The first paragraph tells us that we can make the text messages shorter in             ways.

A．one

B．two

C．three

D．four

3. What does this text message “Do U wnt 2 cm?” mean? It means “                   ?”.

A．Do you want to come	B．Do you wear two caps
C．Do you want two cakes	D．Do you go home early

4.Why do people use emoticons?

A．Because they can show how users feel.	B．Because the symbols are beautiful.
C．Because text messages are short.	D．Because the users can’t make the words shorter.

 

Obama Still Smokes in Secret
US President Barack Obama has just made life more difficult for cigarette makers. He has just signed a law that will set tough new rules for the tobacco industry. The new law gives the US Food and Drug Administration the power to strictly limit the making and marketing of tobacco products.
At a White House signing ceremony Monday, Obama said that he was among the nearly 90% of smokers who took up the habit before their 18 th birthday.
Obama, who has publicly struggled to give up smoking, said he still hadn’t completely kicked the habit. Every now and then he still smokes in secret.
“As a former smoker I struggle with it all the time. Do I still smoke sometimes? Yes. Am I a daily smoker, a constant smoker? No.” Obama said at a news conference.
“I don' t do it in front of my lads．I don ?t do it in front of my family．I would say that I am 95% cured, but there are times when I mess up, " he said．
"Once you go down this path, it' s something you continually struggle with, which is exactly why the law is so important．The new law is not about me, it' s about the next generation of kids coming up．What we don ' t want is kids going down that path," he said．
Nearly 20% of Americans smoke and tobacco use kills about 440,000 people a year in the United States due to cancer, heart disease, and other serious diseases．
【小题1】The new law makes life difficult for             .

A．Obama

B．tobacco industry

C．White House

D．US Food and Drug Administration

【小题2】What do we know about Obama?

A．He no longer smokes．

B．He still smokes as usual．

C．He began to smoke at eighteen．

D．He is trying hard to give up smoking．

【小题3】According to the passage, Obama is most concerned about           ．

A．children

B．officials

C．his family

D．Businessmen

 

Madame Tussauds—London Welcome to Madame Tussauds—a 125-year-old museum loved by visitors for its life-like waxworks of famous folk from the past and present, plus interactive exhibits. The following are three ticket options we’d like to recommend to you. Option 1: All Inclusive Open Dated Ticket Why not treat your friends and family to our All Inclusive Tickets? Ticket is valid for one visit with all of the following fantastic features: * Valid for one year from date of purchase—perfect for a gift! * Priority Access admission in true celebrity style. * Your very own hand made of wax (蜡). With your ticket you can enjoy the heroic new experience in three floors of multisensory fun featuring a mix of interactive themed areas, realistic wax figures and an ALL NEW Marvel Super Heroes 4D film adventure. Online ticket purchase Adult: £42.50 Child: £38.50 Option 2: Late Saver 50% off If you book online in advance and arrive at Madame Tussauds later in the day, your tickets can cost as little as £14.00. That’s 50% off the standard on-the-day price! The last admission into Madame Tussauds is 5:30 pm in off-peak periods and 6 pm in peak periods. This gives you loads of time to fully enjoy the attraction. This ticket is available for online purchase only. Tickets are subject to availability at all times and only a limited amount are available each day, so be quick! Online ticket purchase Adult: £14.00 Child: £14.00 Option 3: Top 3 London Attractions Combine your visit to Madame Tussauds with a flight on the World famous London Eye and SEA LIFE London Aquarium, and save 25% on your adult and child tickets, or 33% on your family ticket when you book your tickets at least the day in advance!   Online advanced price Online on the day price Adult £47.50 £54.00 Child £34.50 £39.00 Save 25% 15% Family £146.00 £164.00 Save 33% 25% Please note: Child ages are 4—15. Under 4s are free. A family ticket consists of 2 adults and 2 children, or 1 adult and 3 children. Please note: Your combined ticket only gives priority admission to Madame Tussauds and Sea Life London Aquarium—all others are general queue flights. For more ticket options, please visit our website at: www.madame-tussauds.com

1.With an All Inclusive Ticket, you can do all of the following EXCEPT that ______.

A．you will have priority access to Madame Tussauds

B．you will have a chance of having your hand made in wax

C．you can visit Madame Tussauds as many times as you like

D．you can see a 4D film in the cinema of Madame Tussauds

2.Mr. and Mrs. Johnson want to join in the Top 3 Attractions trip with their children, one is 15and the other 3. How much should they pay if they book the tickets in advance online?

A．£129.5.

B．£146.

C．£164.

D．£97.82.

3. If you book a ticket for Top 3 London Attractions, ______.

A．you can always enjoy a price 33% off

B．a visit to the World famous London Eye will be free

C．Madame Tussauds will be included in priority admission

D．you will be given priority to enter at least three attractions

 

“Racism (种族歧视) is a grown-up disease,” declares the saying on Ruby Bridge’s website along with a photo of Mrs. Bridge today, a 6-year-old girl four decades ago. In the photo, she is walking up the steps of the William Frantz Public School in New Orleans, a little black girl accompanied by two officers who protect her on her way to school.

       Her name then was Ruby Nell. It was Nov. 14, 1960. She was the first black child to enroll at this all-white elementary school according to the court order to desegregate in New Orleans schools. Her story is moving -- she was a very courageous child -- and remains a significant proof against intolerance (不宽容) of all kinds. Ruby’s photo brings out another powerful image on her website: Norman Rockwells symbolic painting for Look magazine on Jan. 14, 1964, “The Problem We All Live With.”

       Rockwell was an illustrator of exceptional skill and charm. He produced a vast number of unforgettable images over a long career, many of them involving children. His American kids are innocent and appealing, but often, at the same time, decidedly naughty. His method was to photograph his models, and the resulting paintings were photographic． But it is revealing to see how the artist slightly changed facial expressions from photo to oil painting in order to make his paintings communicate with the viewer. Communication, even persuasion, lay at the back of his work; this was art for effect.

       “The Problem We All Live With” belongs to Rockwell’s later work, when he began openly showing his strong belief in liberty. This is a highly persuasive image. Before he arrived at the final copy, one sketch (草图) shows the little girl closer to the two officers following her than to those in front. In the finished picture, the girl seems more determined, independent, and untouched． The unfriendly tomatoes thrown on the wall are behind her now, and she, is completely unaffected．

Ruby Nell was protected by officers on her way to school, because    .

       A．she was a little fighter against racism

       B．she was very young, short and timid

       C．she was the first black to study in an all-white school

D．she was chosen by the com t0be’wi’th white children

According to the passage, “The Problem We All Live With” is a(n)      .

       A．social program for American children

       B．famous painting by Norman Rockwell

       C．photo displayed on Ruby Bridges’ website

       D．exhibition at the Norman Rockwell Museum

The word “desegregate” in paragraph 2 probably means“    ”.

       A．fight against the white B．end racial separation

       C．struggle for freedom D．stop the black-white conflict

The main topic of this passage is    .

       A．how Rockwell encouraged Ruby to fight against racism

       B．how Ruby won her fight to go to an all-white school

       C．how Rockwell expressed his protest in .Iris work

       D．how persuasive Rockwell’s earlier work of art is