英美报刊选读 试题4

英美报刊选读1

I填空题（10%）

请在每小题的空格中填上正确答案。

1. 澳大利亚国名为澳大利亚联邦，行政区划分为个州和个区。

2．英国是一个政体的国家，是世袭的国家元首和武装部队总司令。

3．世界的三大宗教是佛教，和。

4．当代新闻周刊社会问题综合报道所常用的一种模式是：→问题→→措施→评论。

5．美国的新闻杂志主要有《美国新闻与世界报道》，和。

1．澳大利亚国家元首是，由女王任命的代表。

2．英国的最高立法机构是，它由上下两院组成，但院没有立法的实权。

3．基督教主要可分为：东正教，和。

4．传统的新闻结构是，由标题、和本文三部分组成。

5．美国主要的电视网是NBC，和。

1．澳大利亚主要有三个政党，它们是国家乡村党，和。

2．是世界上最富有的女人，在世界亿万富翁排行榜上名列第。

3．圣经由和两部分组成。

4．英国主要新闻杂志有，和《旁观者》

5．美国最有影响的三家大报是《纽约时报》，和。

II 改写标题题（10%）

6. Ex-Serbian president on trial for war crimes

7. NY building collapses after explosion, fire

8. Taiwan leader’s son-in-law charged with insider trading

9. Israel OKs Expansion; 15 Troops Killed

10. Wife admits murdering husband in divorce row

6. Australia gov’t in leadership clash

7. Koizumi: Pledge to visit shrine still valid

8. 2,660 officials punished in crackdown on illegal mining

9. Nepal dispute settled; peace talks to resume

10. 15 soldiers killed; combat expansion OK'd

6. Planes grounded as bad weather strikes Beijing

7. Vaccine ready for human testing

8. New EU rules to hit home appliance exports

9. Bush: Terror war not over yet

10. 19 injured in riot in central China

III 选择题（10%）

选择与划线部分意思最相近的单词或短语。

11 The community, however, refused to budge in Brussels last month during failed final session of GATT trade talks.

A. change opinion

B. agree

C. move

D. back

12 The question then is whether society now deems a fairy-tale marriage essential to the monarchy’s survival.

A. irrelevant

B. vital

C. unimportant

D. interesting

13 Every night, prime-time television assails children with mindless sitcoms and soap operas.

A. attracts

B. interests

C. attacks

D. influences

14 The brass bands, speeches and ticker tape are a far cry from the shame and silence that Vietnam veterans met.

A. similar to

B. far away from

C. familiar with

D. different from

15 France’s intelligence service has been most brazen about economic espionage.

A. shameless

B. ashamed

C. brave

D. familiar

16 A bipartisan drive is under way to raise or repeal the earnings limit, offsetting the potential costs with new payroll taxes on state and local government workers.

A. agreement

B. party

C. talk

D. effort

17 People do not kill their wives in such a premeditated, ingenious and theatrical way.

A. cruel

B. illegal

C. shameful

D. clever

18 The nation’s thrift industry has been going bust for a decade.

A. broke

B. better

C. fast

D. foreward

19 The plastics industry scrambled to support recycling mostly out of fear that its ubiquitous products will otherwise be banned.

A. slow

B. hurry

C. is sure

D. is sorry

20 In Februray the number of women aged 18-49 watching television during the day was a catastrophic 14%.

A. sad

B. terrible

C. disastrous

D. weak

11 History has repeatedly shown that even superior conventional forces cannot be relied upon to deter an aggressor from chancing an attack.

A. discourage

B. defend

C. deserve

D. develop

12 Would the British really relish a workday monarchy like Denmark’s?

A. realize

B. enjoy

C. regret

D. hate

13 These scandals capped a Spring and Summer of monarchial discontent.

A. content

B. satisfaction

C. unhappiness

D. love

14 The busybody and the crybaby are getting to be the most conspicuous on the American playground.

A. controversial

B. contradictory

C. ordinary

D. obvious

15 The increase has been so alarming that both the CIA and the FBI have beefed up their economic counterintelligence programs.

A. strengthened

B. weakened

C. stopped

D. began

16 The best way to help seniors bent on working may be to remove obstacles in their paths.

A. afraid to work

B. unwilling to work

C. ready to work

D. determined to work

17 The confession of the terrible crime stunned the city.

A. saddened

B. strengthened

C. weakened

D. shocked

18. The economy will suffer if the current skyrocketing oil prices continue.

A. rising

B. flying

B. diving D. falling

19 The plastics industry scrambled to support recycling mostly out of fear that its ubiquitous products will otherwise be banned.

A. low quality

B. seen everywhere

C. environment- unfriendly

D. cheap and light

20 New Jerseyans turned out a Democratic legislature after the biggest tax boost in state history.

A. reduction

B. drop

C. hike

D. fall

11 The death sentence was decreed as an emergency measure to curtail wool production and rescue a vital export industry.

A. reduce

B. increase

C. raise

D. improve

12 But the salacious news about somebody else brought no lasting respite for the beleaguered House of Windsor.

A. believed

B. criticized

C. beloved

D. belittled

13 Three days after this bombswhell, the Sun, Britain’s raciest tabloid announced it possessed another juicy phone transcript.

A. fastest

B. most intersting

C. most exciting

D. funniest

14 It is an odd comination of ducking responsibility and telling everybody else what to do.

A. taking

B. facing

C. finding

D. avoiding

15 Women in the US armed forces must determine whether it is worth registering a complaint when a male colleague steps out of line.

A. behaves improperly

B. steps away

C. does not line up

D. behaves himself

16 The campus is far more diverse than before with thousands of students from different countries.

A. big

B. interesting

C. expensive

D. varied

17 Last week, Perot and Bush engaged in an Oppo skirmish so nasty they finally declare a truce.

A. surrender

B. victory

C. true agreement

D. agreement to stop fighting

18 All that will be left will be the ash and building-demolition debris.

A. broken pieces

B. accident

C. waste

D. rubbish

19 The plastics industry scrambled to support recycling mostly out of fear that its ubiquitous products will otherwise be banned.

A. allowed

B. forbidden

C. encouraged

D. used

20 Very low taxes at the central government level were a means of redressing inequality.

A. addressing

B. dressing

C. compensating

D. fighting

IV 阅读选标题题（10%）

A Indian state bans Coke, Pepsi

B US Rep Accuses BP Of Mkt Manipulation In Alaska Move

C Probe into air plot focuses on brothers

D CAAC tightens up security at airports

E Shanghai maglev train catches fire

21 India's Supreme Court has since asked the two companies to disclose the contents of their soft drinks. Four Indian states - Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Chattisgarh - have already imposed a ban on sale of Coke and Pepsi at colleges, schools and government offices. Several other states have said they are examining the issue.

22 HOUSTON (Dow Jones)--U.S. House Energy Committee Chairman Joe Barton, R-Texas, suggested that BP PLC's (BP) partial shutdown of its Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, oilfield could be part of a wider strategy to influence the market, according to The Financial Times.

23 LONDON - The investigation into a plot to blow up jetliners over the Atlantic zeroed in Saturday on brothers arrested in Pakistan and Britain, one named as a key al-Qaida suspect who left the family's home in England years ago and the other described as gentle and polite.

24 China's General Administration of Civil Aviation (CAAC) ordered tight airport security across the nation on Friday after British police foiled a terrorist plot to blow up aircraft between the United Kingdom and the United States.

25 A maglev train caught fire yesterday afternoon as it arrived at the terminal, but was extinguished an hour later. No deaths or injuries were reported. According to a statement from the Shanghai municipal government, a compartment caught fire at 2:40 pm as the train reached the Longyang Lu terminal from the Shanghai Pudong International Airport. Passengers were evacuated immediately.

A North Korea slams Koizumi's Tokyo war shrine visit

B Muslim groups say British policies fuel militancy

C China to introduce anti-drug law

D British terror threat may not be over

E Bomb kills 8, wounds 28 in Baghdad

21 China's legislature, the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC) will read the drafts of a new anti-drug law and a new property law during a six-day legislative session which will begin on August 22.

22 SEOUL - North Korea on Wednesday called a visit by Japan's prime minister to a Tokyo war shrine "a grave insult," in its first official reaction to the pilgrimage that enraged Seoul and Beijing.

23 British authorities arrested two dozen suspects on Thursday for allegedly plotting to use liquid explosives to blow up airliners flying from Britain to the United States. The arrests prompted the United States to raise its terror alert to the highest level ever and prompted airports to ban passengers from taking liquids, gels and creams on planes.

24 BAGHDAD, Iraq - A bomb exploded Wednesday in a crowd of day laborers in central Baghdad, killing eight people and wounding 28, police said. Dozens of gunmen attacked the provincial offices in Basra, apparently to avenge a tribal leader killed the day before.

25 LONDON - British Muslim groups said on Saturday Britain's policy on Iraq and Lebanon was fuelling militancy, as Pakistan said it had arrested a British al Qaeda member over an alleged plot to blow up transatlantic airliners.

A Sino-US talks cement mutual trust

B Sophomore wins lawsuit against university

C Terror plot probe under way in U.S.

D Regulations on online video mulled

E Injection kills 3, 78 others affected

21 Three people have now died, while 78 more are struggling with symptoms ranging from chest pain to anaphylactic shock, after receiving a hazardous antibiotic injection.

22 China is to issue new regulations against websites which broadcast short films without state permission, according to the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television (SARFT). The administration has listed the websites of Sina, Sohu and Netease as authorized providers of online video programs.

23 WASHINGTON - Federal investigators are pursuing leads in the United States related to the foiled plot to blow up flights from Britain but so far have found no evidence of terrorist activity, Bush administration officials said Friday.

24 Han Bing, is able to go back to campus after the court overturned an expulsion decision previously made by Shenyang Agriculture University, on August 8, according to the Huashang Morning News.

25 The Chinese and US congress members held their third meeting on Wednesday in Guilin, a resort city in South China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, with Vice-Chairman of the

Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC), Sheng Huaren, heading the Chinese representatives. The meeting had considered China-US relations, the Taiwan question, China's peaceful development, bilateral trade and other regional and international issues.

V 翻译题（20%）

将下列句子译成汉语。

26 By American standards—and those of many English-speaking Canadians—bilingual, multi-cultural, tolerant Canada has bent over backward to accomdate its minorities.

27 The problems of an aging citizenry, of labor shortages, of immigration pressures will give the world’s politicians a sufficient agenda of worries.

28 Polls show that Americans today are less willing than earlier generations to commit to marriage or stick out a bad marriage for their children’s sake.

29 Twin malformations are cropping up in the Aerican character: a nasty intolerance and a desire to blame everyone else for everything.

30 The greatest lift the nation could give its police is the promise that when they do their jobs well, it will amount to something.

26 A nation that once prided itself on a way of life superior to its neighbors’now stands in economic relation to Asia, particularly Japan, as a colony to a mother country.

27 The issue of immigration and integration of foreign citizens shared top billing with the urgent problem of rapid political change in Eastern Europe.

28 In the past decade, Hollywood ―heavies‖ have been quick to push for select causes in TV and movie scripts, including more sympathetic coverage of the environment and homosexuals.

29 It’s tough enough these days for american companies to compete with their Pacific Rim rivals, even when the playing field is level.

30 Police work on inner-city streets is a domestic Vietnam, a dangerous no-win struggle fought by confused misdirected and unappreciated troops.

26 Aggravating the crsis is cut-throat grain dumping by the US and the E. C., which both unload surplus wheat overseas at subsidized prices.

27 Despite the dramatic slow-down in population growth, demographic trends over the nest few decades promise some catastrophes and a flock of new challenges to human ingenuity.

28 Every night, prime-time television assails children with minkless sitcoms and soap opras that

present materialism and unrelenting self-gratification as the only goals worth pursuing.

29 The United States and the Soviet Union have spared no expense to ensure that the other side cannot contemplate a first strike.

30 Unless some new solution can be found, current welfare programs seem unable to break the culture of poverty and the abiding sense of victimization that handicaps many poor people.

VI 阅读理解题（40%）

A 阅读下列一则报道，用英语简要回答问题。

'Three-alls' to be trademarked by Japanese firm

The 'three-alls', which was a policy of "burn all, kill all, loot all" that Japanese invading troops implemented during World War II in China, is under application for registry as a trademark in China by Japanese company Fujian Industry Co Ltd (Fujian Chanye Zhushihuishe), the Contemporary Gold newspaper reported Thursday.

Ma, a manager at the Yujia Trademark Office in Hangzhou, east China's Zhejiang Province, was surprised to see the 'three-alls' on the list of brand applications on the Internet Wednesday morning, with the applicant being a Japanese company.

According to the law, newly applied trademarks have to go through a final stage of being displayed on a notice list for three months before they are officially registered. If there are no disputes or disagreements from others towards the brand name during this period, it would be accepted as a trademark.

"There are only 19 days until the deadline on Aug 28," Ma said. "Everyone with faintest knowledge of history knows what the 'three-alls' means. But the company is planning to use the phrase to promote 'medicine, officinal drinks and nutrients for human use'".

"Regardless of the company's motivation, it is inappropriate for a multinational company to register a controversial and unprofitable trademark," Ma added.

The Trademark Law of the PRC states any item implying discrimination towards the nation or is harmful to social morality must not be registered as a trademark. Under this law, Ma says, the

'three alls' trademark is illegal.

Now Ma has announced his opposition to the three-alls to the authorities, claiming the item might result in a bad effect on society. But he is still worried the brand might be accepted if he loses the argument against his opposition.

The company that helped the Japanese company register, told the paper Wednesday that they were just the business deputy, and the agent was eligible to apply for any brand name they wanted.

An anonymous official with the Trademark Association of China believes the 'three-alls' would have been an ordinary trademark if it had been applied for by a company from another country instead of Japan.

All citizens interviewed on the streets by the paper were against the 'three-alls' being registered.

A man surnamed Yang said he was happy that the application has been questioned, because most people had no way to be informed about the notice list.

Another woman was doubtful of the company's motivation in using such a trademark. "Everyone knows the meanings of the expression," she said. "All Chinese people will fight against it."

The 'three-alls' policy was used by Japanese troops when they invaded Northern China starting in October of 1938. Under the policy, 3.2 million people were killed, 50 million livestock were slaughtered, and 89.5 million homes were burned to the ground from 1938 and 1945 in Northern China alone, according to incomplete statistics.

31 What is the ―three-alls‖ policy?

32 What has the Japanese company done with the ―three-alls‖?

33 According to the law, what kind of trademark can not be registered?

34 How did the Chinese public react to the incident?

35 When was the ―three-alls‖ policy first used?

A 阅读下列一则报道，用英语简要回答问题。

17 nabbed in airplane terror plot

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - Pakistani intelligence agents have arrested as many as 17 people, some of them British nationals and at least one with alleged ties to al-Qaida, in the plot to blow up jetliners flying from Britain to the United States.

Britain hailed Pakistan's help in thwarting the planned attack, but the arrests on Pakistani soil showed that despite its successes against al-Qaida, the country remains a fertile ground for Islamic militancy.

British authorities arrested 24 people Thursday in what they said was a scheme to bring down as many as 10 jetliners in a nearly simultaneous strike. The suspects were believed to be mainly British Muslims, at least some of Pakistani ancestry.

The Foreign Ministry said that acting on information received from Britain, Pakistan had made arrests that triggered the arrests in Britain. It named British national Rashid Rauf as a "key person" who had been nabbed in Pakistan.

Interior Minister Aftab Khan Sherpao alleged that Rauf has ties with the al-Qaida terror network.

"We arrested him from the border area and on his disclosure we shared the information with British authorities, which led to further arrests in Britain," the interior minister told The Associated Press.

Foreign Minister Khursheed Kasuri, in an interview with CNN, confirmed the arrests of seven suspects in Pakistan, including Britons. He said the suspects "had been monitored for quite some time" before they were arrested.

Another senior government official said they included two Britons of Pakistani origin who were arrested about a week ago, and five Pakistanis detained in the eastern city of Lahore and the southern city of Karachi. The Pakistanis were arrested on suspicion that they served as the Britons' local facilitators, the official said.

A Pakistani intelligence official said 10 Pakistanis were arrested Friday in Bhawalpur district, 300 miles southwest of Islamabad, in connection with the terror plot. A second intelligence official confirmed there were arrests in Bhawalpur, but did not know how many. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because of the secretive nature of their jobs.

A Foreign Ministry statement said the arrests in Pakistan underscored "the very important role that has been played by Pakistan in breaking this international terrorist network.

Pakistan, a key ally of Britain and the U.S. in the war on terrorism, has been long been regarded as a center of Islamic militancy, much of it linked to events in Afghanistan. Since the Sept. 11 attacks on the United State, Pakistan has captured hundreds of al-Qaida fighters and arrested key figures in Osama bin Laden's terror network.

Talat Masood, a former Pakistani general, said the developments show that officials are cooperating in the war on terror, but also send another message. "It has pluses and minus. The minuses are that it shows many active terrorists have links with Pakistan and people are visiting Pakistan for this purpose," Masood said.

31 Why have Pakistani intelligence agents arrested as many as 17 people?

32 What was the Britain’s reaction toward the arrests?

33 According to a Foreign Ministry statement, why are the arrests very significant?

34 Since September. 11, what has Pakistan done to fight terrorism?

35 According to Masood, what is the negative point about the arrests?

A 阅读下列一则报道，用英语简要回答问题。

Battles rage on eve of U.N. truce

The fate of a mother and her three children was not immediately clear after they were buried under the rubble of a house struck near the southern city of Tyre, the sources said. Raids in the area destroyed eight petrol stations. Similar strikes in north Lebanon destroyed three bridges.

Artillery pounded Hizbollah-held areas in south Lebanon. Hundreds of rounds crashed into the Hizbollah stronghold of Khiam, residents said.

Hizbollah reported fierce fighting in several parts of the border area and said its guerrillas destroyed at least two tanks and one bulldozer. It said guerrillas were clashing with an Israeli unit trying to reach the wreckage of the downed helicopter to retrieve the bodies of the five soldiers.

Almost 30,000 Israeli troops are operating in south Lebanon, Israel's Army Radio said.

At least 1,067 people in Lebanon and 143 Israelis, including 104 soldiers, have been killed in the war, triggered on July 12 when Hizbollah guerrillas captured two Israeli soldiers in a cross-border raid.

LEBANON, HIZBOLLAH AGREE TRUCE

Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora said his government unanimously approved the U.N. resolution on Saturday, and Hizbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said his fighters would abide by the ceasefire once Israeli forces also adhered to it.

"I am very happy to announce (Olmert and Siniora) have agreed that the cessation of hostilities and the end of the fighting will enter into force on 14 August at 0500 hours GMT," Annan said in a statement in New York.

"Preferably, the fighting should stop now to respect the spirit and intent of the Security Council decision, the object of which was to save civilian lives, to spare the pain and suffering that the civilians on both sides are living through."

Nasrallah said Hizbollah would abide by the U.N. resolution and cooperate with the U.N. and Lebanese troops, but would carry on confronting any Israeli soldiers on Lebanese soil.

"As long as there is Israeli military movement, Israeli field aggression and Israeli soldiers occupying our land ... it is our natural right to confront them, fight them and defend our land, our homes, and ourselves," Nasrallah said.

France is widely expected to lead the U.N. force, which will expand the existing U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) but have a stronger mandate.

French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy made clear in an interview with Le Monde newspaper the mission of the new force would not include disarming Hizbollah by force.

A senior Israeli commander, Major General Udi Adam, said some Israeli forces had reached as far as the Litani river in Lebanon. The river is a few kilometres (miles) from the border at some points but about 20 km (13 miles) away at others.

31 What triggered the fighting between Israel and Hizbollah?

32 How many people have been killed since the beginning of the war?

33 When will the cessation of hostilities and the end of the fighting take effect?

34 What is the object of the Security Council decision?

35 Which country will lead the U.N. force in Lebanon?

B 阅读下列新闻报道后选择最佳答案。

I

Your Life as an Open Book

Privacy advocates and search industry watchers have long warned that the vast and valuable stores of data collected by search engine companies could be vulnerable to thieves, rogue employees, mishaps or even government subpoenas.

Four major search companies were served with government subpoenas for their search data last year, and now once again, privacy advocates can say, ―We told you so.‖

AOL’s misstep last week in briefly p osting some 19 million Internet search queries made by more than 600,000 of its unwitting customers has reminded many Americans that their private searches — for solutions to debt or bunions or loneliness — are not entirely their own.

Most of the major search engines like Google, Yahoo and MSN collect and store information on what terms are searched, when they were queried and what computer and browser was used. And to the extent that the information can be used to match historic search behavior emanating from a specific computer, it is a hot commodity.

As it stands now, little with regard to search queries is private. No laws clearly place search requests off-limits to advertisers, law enforcement agencies or academic researchers, beyond the terms that companies set themselves.

Mr. Bankston’s group, which is spearheading a class-action lawsuit against AT&T for sharing consumer phone records with the National Security Agency, issued an alert this week calling the AOL incident a ―Data Valdez,‖ asserting that it may be in violation of the Electronic Communications and Privacy Act, which regulates some forms of online communications.

―I am very skeptical of any claims that the monetary worth of this information to these companies is worth the privacy trade-off to millions of people,‖ Mr. Bankston said.

That is not to say that marketers are not keenly interested in being able to push ads to a particular computer based on the types of searches coming from that address over time. For users who register as members with some search engines, including Yahoo, this is already happening —although consumers are unlikely to realize it.

Which is why privacy advocates question whether such advertising models are appropriate in the first place.

―In many contexts, consumer s already have the expectation that information about their cultural consumption will not be sold,‖ said Chris Jay Hoofnagle, a senior researcher at Boalt Hall School of Law at the University of California, Berkeley. ―They understand that the library items that they check out, the specific television shows that they watch, the videos that they rent are protected information.‖

Indeed, legislation like the Cable TV Privacy Act of 1984 and the Video Privacy Protection Act of 1988 were tailored to keep the specific choices consumers make in their daily diet of cultural ephemera off limits.

There are exceptions: video ―genre preferences,‖ for instance, may be disclosed for marketing purposes.

And of course, such fare as magazine subscription lists and club membership information are bought and sold for marketing purposes all the time.

But how to characterize a search engine’s vast catalog, not of what an individual bought, rented or subscribed to, but merely what he or she was curious about — perhaps only for a moment in time — for reasons that are impossible to know?

36 Privacy advocates and search industry watchers have warned that the data collected by search engine companies could be .

A. stolen

B. sold

C. searched

D. served

37 Most of the major search engines like Google, Yahoo and MSN collect and store information on all the following aspects EXCEPT .

A. what historical search behavior are used

B. what terms are searched

C. when they were queried

D. what computer and browser was used

38 Mr. Bankston’s group is spearheading a class-action lawsuit against AT&T for .

A. recording consumer phone calls

B. sharing consumer phone records with NSA

C. regulating online communications

D. calling the AOL incident a ―Data Valdez‖

39 Marketers are interested in being able to push ads to a particular computer based on .

A. membership

B. addresses

C. the types of searches

D. search engines

40 The information that can be disclosed for marketing purposes is .

A. the library items that they check out

B. the specific television shows that they watch

C. the videos that they rent

D. the video ―genre preferences‖

II

Two charged in British royal snooping probe

LONDON - British police charged two men on Wednesday as part of a probe into suspected eavesdropping on the telephone voicemail messages of the royal family.

In a statement, police said one of the men was 48-year-old Clive Goodman, the royal correspondent for the country's biggest selling newspaper The News of the World.

They charged him and a 35-year-old named as Glen Mulcaire with illegally accessing voicemail messages on eight occasions between January 3 and May 30 this year, and with conspiracy to intercept communications.

"They have been released on police bail to appear (before magistrates) on Wednesday, August 16," the statement said.

Police launched their investigation after members of staff working for heir to the British throne Prince Charles said they thought someone was listening to their phones.

One police source told Reuters on Wednesday that officers were now working with phone companies to check whether other rich and powerful people had been snooped on.

"We don't know the full scale of it yet," the source said, asking not to be named. "We're looking at numbers: what other public figures might have been subject to the interception."

Goodman and Mulcaire were charged under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000, which makes it a crime to intercept communication on public telecoms systems - including e-mail and voicemail - without proper authority.

Police say the men tapped into mobile phone voicemail messages.

The case has intrigued a public used to the tactics of hungry tabloids desperate for scoops. It recalls the "Squidgygate" and "Camillagate" scandals of the early 1990s, when newspapers obtained phone conversations of Prince Charles and of his late wife Diana.

Back then, Diana was taped talking to her lover James Gilbey, who called her "Squidgy". Charles was recorded memorably telling his then mistress - now wife - Camilla Parker Bowles that he wanted to be reincarnated as her tampon.

Tabloids have since sent undercover reporters to get jobs as palace servants. A Daily Mirror reporter hired as a palace footman in 2003 revealed, among other things, that Queen Elizabeth ate breakfast cereal served in a plastic bowl.

Other newspaper reporters have since been arrested trying to repeat the stunt.

Veterans of Fleet Street - the collective name given to British newspapers which used to be located on that "street of shame" in central London - say there is nothing unexpected about journalists being accused of eavesdropping.

"It's been around I would say for the best part of the last 80 years," said James Whitaker, veteran royal correspondent of the Daily Mirror, who said he has received tip-offs from sources that had access to intercepted radio communications.

"Phone tapping. Bugging. Whatever you call it. It's not just the royals. Ministers, famous people," he said. "But if you get caught, you get into trouble."

41 British police charged two men because .

A. they eavesdropped on the royal family

B. they broke into the palace

C. they suspected the royal family

D. they telephoned the royal family

42 Police launched their investigation after ,

A. they listened to the Prince Charles phones

B. Prince Charles’ staff reported to them

C. Prince Charles complained to them

D. they worked with Prince Charles

43 Under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000, it is a crime to do the following EXCEPT .

A. intercept communication on public telecoms systems

B. receive tip-offs from sources

C. tap into mobile phone voicemail messages

D. eavesdrop on the telephone voicemail messages

44 The reaction of the British public toward the case is .

A. indifferent

B. angry

C. interested

D. desperate

45 It can be inferred from the report that eavesdropping by journalists in Britain is .

A. unexpected

B. unusual

C. legal

D. common

III

WB: China's economy likely to slow down

The country's economy is likely to slow down slightly during the rest of the year, the World Bank said yesterday, pointing to the central government's moves to rein in growth.

Gross domestic product (GDP) may grow 10.4 per cent for the whole of 2006 as recent macroeconomic control measures are likely to slow down the sizzling economy to under 10 per cent in the second half of the year, the bank said in its latest quarterly report.

The economy grew at a decade-high 11.3 per cent in the second quarter, the fastest since 1996, raising fears among economists that the economy is overheating and prompting the government to take a slew of macro control measures. GDP expanded by 10.9 per cent in the first half.

But despite the tightening measures, the World Bank said that investment growth, which grew 31 per cent in the second quarter, would remain strong in the second half.

Domestic consumer spending "should continue to benefit from rising incomes, particularly in urban areas," the bank said.

The Washington-based international financial organization also projected "a gradual slowdown in exports to continue."

"This scenario would imply a slight slowdown in GDP growth to under 10 per cent in the second half, resulting in growth of 10.4 per cent for the year as a whole and 9.3 per cent in 2007."

The central bank raised the one-year benchmark lending rate by 27 base points to 5.85 per cent on April 27 and has since increased banks' required reserves ratio twice, with the latest taking effect yesterday.

In addition, the government has also recently taken a string of administrative measures against some sectors, such as imposing restrictions on land use and foreigners buying property in the country, in a bid to cool the housing market.

Urban property prices rose 5.7 per cent last month from a year earlier a touch below the 5.8 per cent in June according to official figures released yesterday.

The World Bank, however, played down concerns of an overheating economy. "The outlook for China's economy remains favourable. With production capacity continuing to expand in line with demand, inflation low, and the current account in surplus, the main policy concern is not general overheating," the bank said.

"There is no generalized overheating at the moment," said Bert Hofman, the World Bank's lead economist for China. "What we are concerned about is the efficiency of a lot of this investment. If it's not efficient, it will lead to overcapacity in some sectors and an increase in non-performing loans in banks."

46 The China’s Gross domestic product (GDP) may grow for the whole of 2006.

A. 10.4 per cent

B. 11.3 per cent

C. 10.9 per cent

D. 9.3 per cent

47 According to some economists, the fast growth rate may result in the fact that .

A. the economy is slowing down

B. the economy is overheating

C. the economy is under control

D. the economy is still strong

48 The World Bank’s attitude toward the outlook of the China’s economy is .

A. concerned

B. negative

C. optimistic

D. pessimistic

49 The World Bank played down concerns of an overheating economy for the following reasons EXCEPT .

A. production capacity in line with demand

B. low inflation

C. the fast growth rate

D. the current account in surplus

50 In a bid to cool the housing market, the Chinese government .

A. has taken a string of administrative measures against some sectors

B. has imposed restrictions on land use

C. has imposed restrictions on foreigners buying property in the country

D. has done all the above

IV

Ongoing drought challenge China's energy, water supply

CHONGQING -- Scorching weather and the worst drought to hit parts of China in 50 years are challenging the country's power and water supply networks, said reports from several provinces and municipalities.

Hangzhou, capital of rich eastern Zhejiang Province, was forced to resort to a blackout Tuesday, the first for this summer, to avoid the breakdown of a power transmission line in the eastern part

of the city, the local power supply administration confirmed on Wednesday.

With temperatures nudging 38 degrees Celsius on Monday and Tuesday, the city's electricity consumption reached a record 5.91 million kilowatt-hours, up 23 percent over the same period last year.

The Hangzhou power grid is facing a power shortage of 250,000 kilowatts and has little chance of buying electricity from neighboring provinces that are struggling to provide for themselves.

In Chongqing Municipality, where the temperature exceeded 40 degrees Celsius on Wednesday, many businesses have been told to suspend production in the afternoon and at night to ease pressure on the power supply network.

The scorching weather and drought will continue in most parts of central and southwestern China with meteorologists forecasting little rainfall over the next three days.

In Changsha, central China's Hunan Province, temperatures topped 39 degrees Celsius on Tuesday, the central meteorological station reported.

Searing heat and drought have created problems for the supply of drinking water in Chongqing and Hunan Province, leaving about 7.8 million people thirsty.

More than 7.5 million people in 40 counties in Chongqing have been panting for drinking water since severe drought started in mid May.

"This is the worst drought to hit Chongqing in 50 years," said He Lingyun, a disaster relief official with the municipal government. "Two-thirds of the local rivers and lakes have dried up and more than 200 reservoirs are stagnant."

The water level in the Chongqing section of the Yangtze River, China's longest waterway, dropped to 3.5 meters on August 12, an all-time low since Yangtze hydrological data became available in 1892.

Drinking water shortages have affected another 270,000 people in central China's Hunan Province, where the mercury has been flirting with 40 degrees Celsius over the past few days.

Public health authorities in Nanjing, capital city of east China's Jiangsu Province, said on Tuesday that a 30-year old tourist had died of heliosis on Monday after emergency treatment failed.

The man, from northwest Qinghai Province, fell ill on the train and was rushed to a hospital when the train arrived in Nanjing.

With temperatures hovering around 36 degrees Celsius, despite occasional thundershowers, the city's meteorological department has urged citizens to take precautions during the heatwave.

51 China has not seen this worst drought since .

A. 1956

B. 1965

C. 1892

D. 1982

52 More than people in Chongqing have been panting for drinking water since severe drought started in mid May

A. 7.8 million

B. 7.5 million

C. 270,000

D. 5.91 million

53 According to the report, the highest temperature these days in China is .

A. 36 degrees Celsius

B. 39 degrees Celsius

C. 40 degrees Celsius

D. 38 degrees Celsius

54 Public health authorities in Nanjing said on Tuesday that a 30-year old tourist had died of .

A. emergency treatment

B. falling

C. train accident

D. heatwave

55 In order to avoid the breakdown of a power transmission line in the eastern part of the city Hangzhou had to .

A. produce more electricity

B. buy electricity from neighboring provinces

C. stop the water supply

D. stop the power supply

B 阅读下列新闻报道后选择最佳答案。

I

UN adopts resolution to end Lebanon war

UNITED NATIONS -- The U.N. Security Council unanimously passed a resolution on Friday that calls for an end to bloodshed in Lebanon and Israel and authorizes up to 15,000 U.N. troops to help enforce it.

The 15-0 vote, after weeks of nonstop negotiations, is the first concrete attempt to end to a month of fighting between Israel and Lebanon's Hizbollah militia that has killed some 1,000 Lebanese and 121 Israelis.

The resolution calls for a "full cessation of hostilities" and tells Hizbollah to stop all attacks immediately and Israel to end "all offensive operations."

Once fighting subsides, Israel is expected to undertake a phased withdrawal from Lebanon as the Lebanese army and an expanded U.N. peacekeeping force of up to 15,000 troops deploys in southern Lebanon, now controlled by Hizbollah.

But Secretary-General Kofi Annan, in a lengthy address to the council, chastised it for not acting sooner when civilians on both sides "have suffered such terrible, unnecessary pain and loss."

"All members of this council must be aware that this inability to act sooner has badly shaken the world's faith in its authority and integrity," Annan said. "War is not politics by other means."

Despite the escalating fighting, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said the Lebanese cabinet would consider the resolution on Saturday and the Israeli cabinet on Sunday. Both nations have indicated acceptance.

Rice cautioned that no one could expect the resolution to end all violence, saying, "the conditions of a lasting peace must be nurtured over time."

In addition to Rice, Beckett and Sheikh Hamad, foreign ministers from France, Denmark and Greece -- countries with seats on the council -- raised their hands for the vote in the meeting chaired by Ghana's foreign minister, Nana Akufo-Addo.

The resolution empowers new troops in the U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon, known as UNIFIL, to "take all necessary action" needed to perform their duties.

At the insistence of Lebanon the text deletes mention of Chapter 7 of the U.N. Charter but uses language from that provision that allows robust enforcement.

Annan, however, warned that the 2,000-member UNIFIL, now in Lebanon would have to withdraw if a cease-fire did not hold.

The resolution imposes an arms embargo on Lebanon on the delivery of weapons or military

equipment to "any entity or individual," excluding the Lebanese army and U.N. troops.

But only the preamble of the resolution, which carries less weight, calls for the unconditional release of Israeli soldiers abducted by Hizbollah on August 12 in a cross-border raid that started the conflict. Israel then attacked Lebanon and Hizbollah guerrillas rained rockets on northern Israel.

36 The U.N. Security Council unanimously passed a resolution on Friday to .

A. end the fighting between Lebanon and Israel

B. send troops to help Lebanon

C. take part in the fighting

D. send troops to stop all attacks

37 The fighting between Israel and Lebanon's Hizbollah militia resulted in killing people.

A. 1121

B. 1000

C. 121

D. 15,000

38 Once fighting stops, the following may happen EXCEPT .

A. Israel is expected to undertake a phased withdrawal from Lebanon

B. Hizbollah will give up the control of southern Lebanon

C. Lebanese army deploys in southern Lebanon

D. An expanded U.N. peacekeeping force of up to 15,000 troops deploys in southern Lebanon

39 Secretary-General Kofi Annan criticized the Security Council because .

A. it deploys troops in southern Lebanon

B. it calls for a "full cessation of hostilities"

C. it should have acted sooner

D. it have suffered such terrible, unnecessary pain and loss

40 The fighting started because .

A. Israel attacked Lebanon

B. Hizbollah guerrillas rained rockets on northern Israel

C. UN withdrew troops from Lebanon

D. Hizbollah abducted Israeli soldiers on August 12 in a cross-border raid

II

Rising gender imbalance may leave millions wifeless

BEIJING -- China's unbalanced sex ratio may cause serious consequences as millions of men will be unlikely to find their spouses around 2020, said a Chinese demographer.