【推荐1】NEW YORK — On a quiet weekend at the box office, “Ralph Breaks the Internet” was No.1 for the third straight week, while the upcoming DC Comics superhero film “Aquaman” made a huge splash in Chinese theaters.

With no new wide releases, Disney’s “Ralph” again led in domestic (国内的) ticket sales with an estimated $16.1 million. The animated sequel has grossed more than $140 million in three weeks.

Another holdover, “The Grinch”, with Benedict Cumberbatch as the voice of Dr.Seuss’ title character, trailed in second with $15.2 million in its fifth weekend.

But the weekend’s biggest new arrival was in China, where “Aquaman” debuted with $93.6 million in ticket sales. That marked a new record for a DC title in China and ranks fourth all-time for superhero films.

Rounding out the top five: “Creed Ⅱ”, the latest in the “Rocky” series, starring Michael B. Jordan as Adonis Creed, finished third with $16.8 million. J.K. Rowling’s “Harry Potter” prequel “Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald” held in fourth with $11.2 million, while Queen biopic “Bohemian Rhapsody” was fifth with $8.1 million.

1. What is the total earning of “Ralph Breaks the Internet” for the first three weeks?

A．Over $16.1 million.	B．Over $140 million.
C．Over $15.2 million.	D．Over $93.6 million.

2. Which film is a DC superhero film in the passage?

A．The Grinch.

B．Fantastic Beasts.

C．Aquaman.

D．Creed Ⅱ.

3. The top five films are ranked (排名) based on their earnings during ______.

A．a weekend

B．a week

C．three weeks

D．a month

【推荐2】Have you got any wonderful plans for your coming winter vacation? Here are some wonderful films for you to kill time.

Away We Go With a baby on his way, a young couple, Burt and Verona, look at their lives and are puzzled about what they really want. So they hit the road and seek a place to call home. On their journey, they visit a handful of characters and learned a lot. It’s about taking the scenic route in life, preparing for the hope and excitement and fear of new beginnings, while never forgetting to look out of the window.

Orphan Easther, a bright and well-behaved child, however, is not as innocent as she appears. Soon after being taken home, the peace of her adoptive family is completely changed… You want a good horror film about a child from hell? Then you got one! Do not, in any cases, take children to see it.

500 Days of Summer Tom is in love with Summer from the moment he sees her. Can he accept that she simply likes him for now, not for forever? The movie is about Tom wrestling with that reality. Tom remembers his love, Summer, as a series of joys and bafflements(阻碍,迷惑). But Summer is just herself and he cannot have her. Here is a rare movie that begins by telling us how it will end and is about how the hero has no idea why.

2012 The director Roland Emmerich successfully dresses a corny story with an old Mayan prediction, which is believed by many to happen in the coming 2012 and as a result, attracts millions of people into the cinema. It’s just an entertaining Hollywood blockbuster(大片) with plenty of jokes, instead of a description of what the end of the world is really like. Don’t take it too seriously!

1. This passage aims to __________.

A．make comments on films for a cinema	B．introduce films for a film corporation
C．recommend several films for fun	D．advertise several films for a website

2. If you bring your seven-year-old sister to the cinema, which of the following film should you avoid?

A．Away We Go.

B．Orphan.

C．2012.

D．500 Days of Summer.

3. Among all the characters mentioned in the passage, who directed films in Hollywood?

A．Roland Emmerich.

B．Tom and Summer.

C．Burt and Verona.

D．Esther.

4. Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?

A．Orphan is a comedy about Esther adopted by a kind family.

B．500 Days of Summer is a romance with a happy ending.

C．Away We Go shows beautiful scenery on the young couple’s journey.

D．The ancient Mayan prediction is going to happen in 2012.

【推荐1】Speeding off in a stolen car, the thief thinks he has got a great catch. But he is in for an unwelcome surprise. The car is filled with a remote immobilizer and a radio signal from a control center miles away will ensure that once the thief switches the engine off, he will not be able to start it again.

The idea goes like this. A control box fitted to the car contains a mini-cellphone, a micro-processor and memory, and a GPS satellite positioning receiver. If the car is stolen, a coded cellphone signal will tell the control center to block the vehicle’s engine management system and prevent the engine being restarted.

In the UK, a set of technical fixes is already making life harder for car thieves. “The pattern of vehicle crime has changed,” says Martyn Randall, a security expert. He says it would only take him a few minutes to teach a person how to steal a car, using a minimum of tools, but only if the car is more than 10 years old.

Modern cars are far tougher to steal, as their engine management computer won’t allow them to start unless they receive a unique ID code beamed out by the ignition(点火) key. In the UK, technologies like this have helped achieve a 31% drop in vehicle-related crime since 1997.

But determined criminals are still managing to find other ways to steal cars, often by getting hold of the owner’s keys. And key theft is responsible for 40% of the thefts of vehicles fitted with a tracking system.

If the car travels 100 meters without the driver confirming their ID, the system will send a signal to an operation center that it has been stolen. The hundred meters minimum avoids false alarms due to inaccuracies in the GPS signal.

Staff at the center will then contact the owner to confirm that the car really is missing and keep police informed of the vehicle’s movements via the car’s GPS unit.

1. What’s the function of the remote immobilizer fitted to the car?

A．To help the police make a surprise attack on the car.

B．To order the car to lock automatically when stolen.

C．To prevent the car thief from restarting it once it stops.

D．To send a radio signal to inform the car owner of the thief.

2. By saying “The pattern of vehicle crime has changed”, Martyn Randall suggests that _____.

A．it takes less time for the car thief to do the stealing

B．many self-prepared tools can be used for car theft

C．the theft becomes more difficult because of modern technology

D．the thief has lost interest in stealing cars over 10 years old

3. What is essential in making a modern car tougher to steal?

A．A micro-professor.	B．A unique ID code
C．A special cell phone	D．A GPS satellite positioning receiver.

4. Why does the tracking system set a 100-meter minimum before sending an alarm to the operation center?

A．To leave time for the operation center to give an alarm.

B．To keep police informed of the car’s movement.

C．To give the driver time to contact the operation center.

D．To allow for possible errors in the GPS system.

5. What will the operation center do first after receiving an alarm?

A．Start the tracking system.	B．Stop the engine.
C．Contact the owner.	D．Locate the missing car.

【推荐2】What will come to your mind when you think about YouTube? A girl singing beautiful songs or dancing? This time is a “girl” showing her cooking skills. The 106 year old “girl” is famous recently.

Watch her cooking on YouTube. In her traditional dress, Mastanamma looks lovely while cooking. You can’t imagine her cooking style without going through the video. You will find the granny preparing traditional recipes (食谱) like fried eggs, lamb curry (咖喱), duck curry, and the Watermelon Chicken. With lots of wrinkles on her face, she looks like a goddess of patience. The Watermelon Chicken was especially a great hit which received tens of thousands of viewers. Even The Huf fington Post reported that it had first meant to post videos of bachelors’ cooking their own food but later decided to post the videos of Mastanamma’s cooking. This was loved greatly and appreciation to her style of cooking was everywhere.

Her grandson Laxman is the man behind her YouTube Channel’s management. Laxman secretly shot videos of her and uploaded them to social media. But the granny was unaware of what it was meant for. However, later she liked it when she understood what it was for. She has her Country Foods Channel where she teaches cooking to millions of people and her versions of recipes have become popular.

Mastanamma comes from Gudivada, Andhra Pradesh. At this age, she doesn’t let anyone do her daily routine tasks. Though short and thin, she is a person with strong will and courage. There is a video shared on YouTube where she is celebrating her birthday and enjoying herself, She keeps her birthday card as well. She shares her experiences. She once told a story that once a man touched her hand and she pushed him into the water.

She even has made her style of KFC and French fries as well. Just watch the great scene of Mastanamma’s cooking. Try your luck and see whether you can get the magic of her hand or not.

1. What has made Mastanamma famous recently?

A．Her special cooking style.

B．Looking like a goddess of patience.

C．Her strong will and courage.

D．Insisting on cooking on her own.

2. The author mentioned The Huf fington Post in the passage to show Mastanamma ________.

A．appealed to world-wide media

B．was widely recognized

C．did better than bachelors in cooking

D．was famous for her traditional recipes

3. According to the passage, we can learn that Mastanamma is ________.

A．generous and considerate	B．independent and creative
C．enthusiastic and outgoing	D．patient and modest

4. What could be inferred from the last paragraph?

A．People speak highly of Mastanamma’s cooking.

B．Mastanamma works for KFC.

C．It is lucky to touch Mastanamma’s hand.

D．Mastanamma’s cooking is done by magic.

【推荐3】For thousands of years, people have been fascinated by dolphins. Dolphins have developed a number of similar personality qualities to humans’, such as curiosity and sociability, despite having developed in vastly different environments, researchers have found. Recently, a British research team finished an eight-year study of Indo-Pacific dolphins off the coast of Western Australia. These dolphins can use different tools to search for food. The researchers found that these dolphins are more willing to walk with partners that like the same tool. Other parts, like family closeness or sex, have no impact on this relationship.

“It suggests that dolphins form social relationship based on shared interests,” UK biologist Simon said. Apart from dolphins, elephants, horses and bats are also known to form friendships. Are friendships only limited to the same species? Of course not.

In 2015, a goat Timur was originally left in the tiger Amur’s enclosure (围场) as a meal. But instead of eating Timur, Amur likes to play with Timur. Scientists said it’s not unusual among captive (圈禁的) animals. That’s because in captivity, animals don’t need to spend much time and energy marking their kingdom or looking for mates the way they would in the wild. They are actually more likely to feel bored. In this particular situation, the animal’s love to engage socially and playfully may be higher than eating.

1. What does the author want to show by telling dolphin’s characters?

A．Dolphins prefer to hunt for food in groups.

B．Dolphins tend to make friends like humans.

C．Dolphins are more curious than human beings.

D．Dolphins make friends based on family closeness.

2. What is the last paragraph mainly about?

A．Showing captive animals are friendlier than others.

B．Explaining why captive animals can form friendship.

C．Describing how different animals get along with one another.

D．Comparing differences between a goat and a tiger’s friendship.

【推荐1】Looking for somewhere to go during the months of December, January and February? From snow-capped ski resorts to sunny islands, these are the hottest travel destinations to visit this winter.

St. Lucia

Longing for a tropical （热带的）getaway? Set your sights on St. Lucia. With Kayak reporting a 197 percent surge （激增）in interest, this Eastern Caribbean island nation is on the verge of blowing up.　Which shouldn't be a shock given that it delivers a mix of volcanic coastline, lush rainforests, dramatic mountains, coral reefs, and high-end resorts. Simply put： whether you're seeking romance or adventure, you'll find it in St. Lucia.

Mexico City, Mexico

With mouth-watering food, fashionable hotels, superb shopping, and tons of historic sites, Mexico City is definitely one to add to your list for the upcoming winter season. Since it's a major international airport, you can usually score flight deals.

New York City

While there's no bad month to experience the Big Apple, the frosty season is particularly magical. Guess that's why New York City ranks among the most searched winter travel destinations, according to Expedia. The most cherished attractions? The ice skating rink（溜冰场）at Rockefeller Center and sledding in Central Park.

Paris

“Many people frequent Paris in spring and summer,” reveals Hudson. “The trade-off for picture-perfect weather? Long lines at museums, plus a Metro chock-full of map-toting tourists. ” Based on Expedia data, the cheapest month to go to Paris is February. Our advice? Pack your most fashionable raincoat and let the winter sadness fade away in the City of Light.

1. Where will you go if you long for a risky trip?

A．St. Lucia.	B．Mexico City, Mexico.
C．New York City.	D．Paris.

2. What is special about Mexico City?

A．Its weather is always great.

B．It often offers discounted air tickets.

C．It provides magical experience in winter.

D．It is the most searched winter travel destination.

3. What can we learn about Paris?

A．It is a fashionable city.

B．Its climate is quite perfect.

C．Its winter sports are attractive.

D．It is a popular tourist destination in spring.

【推荐2】Teaching assistant
Hours: Part time
Salary : ￡11.12p/h

A teaching assistant is needed to start on 3rd August 2013. He or she will provide the students and teachers with appropriate support in the classroom. Secondary school experience preferred.

For further details please telephone Mrs. Caryl Lewis, Headteacher on 736524 or email her at cl@ recruitment.com.

Lunchtime assistant
Hours: Part time
Salary: ￡9.28p/h

We’re looking for someone to assist with the lunchtime routine, take care of pre-school children at mealtimes, and get the room ready for afternoon activities.

Anybody interested in this position please call Joanne Walton on 734229 or email her at stmarks@lapetiteecole.com.

Days per week: 5(Monday-Friday)

Working hours: 10:30am-2pm

Food section manager
Hours: Full time
Salary: Negotiable

Marks and Spencer needs a food section manager to start immediately. The ideal candidate must have experience within the food business, excellent communication and organisational skills coupled with the ability to manage the staff. Duties will include responsibilities for opening and closing the store, and providing the customers with up-to-date knowledge of products and services, Benefits include staff discount card.

You can contact Linda Hodgson by sending an email to lindahodgson@sandpiperci.com.

Shop assistant
Hours: Part time
Salary: Negotiable

The ideal candidate must have excellent customer service skills, be friendly and outgoing and have an eye for details.

Previous experience is an advantage, however, full training will be provided. Able to work as a member of a team. Must be able to speak and understand English.

You can apply for this position by emailing Sue Milroy at paris@jacksclothing.com.

Days per week: 5(Monday to Saturday with one day off during the week)

1. If you want to work in a nursery school, you should contact ______.

A．Linda Hodgson	B．Caryl Lewis
C．Joanne Walton	D．Sue Milroy

2. Marks and Spencer is looking for a person who ______.

A．can take great care of kids	B．has an eye for details
C．has secondary school experience	D．can manage the staff members

3. What do the four positions have in common?

A．One can get in contact by e-mail.	B．One has to work five days a week.
C．They require fluent English.	D．They are paid by the hour.

【推荐3】There is an unforgettable beauty to the Karoo, a vast semi-desert, that seems empty save for the stars overhead and sheep eating grass below. Economic opportunities here are few.

But the Karoo’s clear skies also draw some of the world's best scientists. A radio telescope project called the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) is under construction, with the latest group of 64 giant antennae（天线）due to be completed late next year. When finished, it will be the biggest radio telescope in the world and should allow scientists to peer into the origins of the universe.

Still, some sheep farmers are complaining. Because of the sensitivity of the telescope, the surrounding area must be kept free from radio interference（干扰）caused by everything from mobile phones to microwave ovens and some car engines. The SKA is buying up more farms than originally expected to ensure radio silence over an area of some 130,000 hectares. There will be no mobile phone signals allowed, except in the few towns in the area. Save the Karoo, an advocacy group, isn’t convinced by the bright future of groundbreaking astronomical discoveries. Its members fear the restrictions will make the Karoo “a cut-off and backward region”, and warn that people serving farms near the SKA site could face financial ruin. “I don't care about a black hole siting somewhere out in space,” says Eric Torr, an organiser with the group. “It does not put food on the table.”

Sky-high expectations in this down-at-heel area are also a problem. An SKA official complains that the locals expect the telescope to solve all their problems. Some jobs have been created, but few locals have the skills to find out the secrets of distant galaxies. Until recently the high school in Carnarvon, a nearby town, didn’t even have a maths and science teacher. The SKA organisation hired one, and is also offering scholarship to college students. Perhaps if the next generation's horizons are raised, they will be able to take advantage of the radio telescopes in their own backyard.

1. The project SKA is aimed at ______.

A．creating jobs for locals	B．exploring the universe
C．protecting the sheep	D．saving the Karoo

2. What most disturbs the locals’ life?

A．The shrinking of their farmlands.	B．Restrictions of radio signals.
C．The construction of the project.	D．Noises of car engines.

3. What can be inferred from Eric’s words?

A．Food should be put on the table.	B．Eric faces financial difficulty.
C．The black hole is nowhere to be found.	D．The project makes no sense to Eric.

4. What can be a suitable title for the text?

A．Telescope in the Backyard	B．Expectations of the Locals
C．Biggest Radio Telescope	D．Great Astronomical Discovery

【推荐1】Amanda Seyfried didn’t grow up with dogs. With her busy work schedule, she didn’t think she could take care of a dog. In fact, she wasn’t looking for a furry friend at all.

But then she met Finn. Today, the 34-year-old actress, who’s known for films Mamma Mia, is a dog owner and a spokeswoman at the welfare organization Best Friends Animal Society.

“I can’t imagine my life without him,” Seyfried says of 6.5-year-old Australian shepherd Finn, who is allowed on her U.S. set. If for some reason he can’t join Seyfried on location --- like on a recent trip when she traveled from France to China, Seyfried requests from her dog sitter twice — daily videos of him.

Now with a new video for Best Friends Animal Society, she calls herself Finn’s “stage mother.”

Seyfried and Finn shot an 80s-themed video for the 9000StepsChallenge, which asks animal owners to walk 9,000 steps with their pets on the ninth day of the month to raise awareness to the fact that more than 9,000 dogs and cats are euthanized (安乐死) in shelters each day because there’s not enough room.

As for the video shoot, in which Seyfried and Finn walked the 9,000 steps --- it was more exhausting than a long walk. Seyfried was Finn’s trainer on the shoot. She believes that instead of being Finn’s cp-star, she’ll go back to being BFFs.

1. Why did Seyfried originally refuse a pet dog?

A．She wasn’t not yet a spokeswoman.

B．She wasn’t used to being with a dog.

C．She was too busy to care for a dog.

D．She had not enough room for a dog.

2. Who does the underlined word “him” in paragraph 3 refer to?

A．Finn.	B．Seyfried.
C．The dog sitter.	D．Finn’s best friend.

3. Why did Seyfried shoot the video together with Finn?

A．To show how deep she loves Finn.

B．To train Finn to have a long walk.

C．To take part in an animal cp-star show.

D．To call on public attention to pets’ life.

4. Which section of a newspaper is this text most likely from?

A．News	B．Life
C．Education	D．Sports

【推荐2】

Did you know that the Chinese built the largest canal in the world? Its length of 1,104 miles easily compares with a route linking New York and Florida. Connecting five river systems and four provinces, it ends at Beijing in the North and Hangzhou in the south. For this reason, it is officially called the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal.

In 486 B.C., the leader of the State of Wu, to transport goods to the northern areas of China, constructed a man-made channel using already existing waterways to link the Yangtze and Huai rivers. It was this channel that laid the foundation for the future longer Grand Canal. More than 1000 years later, Emperor Yang of Sui Dynasty had the old canals rebuilt and connected to form what we know today as the Grand Canal.

Then in 1403,Emperor Yongle of the Ming Dynasty transferred his capital from Nanjing to Beijing. In order to feed all those moving North, he had to transport grain from the south along the Grand Canal. To restore the Canal, more than 47,000 men were employed.

The canal soon became the economic lifeline of the empire. Grain was not the only trade goods transported North on the waterways. Salt was another, as well as wine and tea. Goods traded from the North included cotton, wool, coal, flour, precious stones, and dried meat. At times, more than 120,000 soldiers and officers were needed to operate the almost 12,000 ships that annually travelled the Grand Canal.

With the expansion of the railway system in the mid-1800s, the Grand Canal became less and less important to traders. Today, few goods are transported along its waterways. Still, the current South-North Water Transfer Project proves that the Chinese government still sees the Grand Canal important to the welfare of China. The aim of this costly project is to divert huge amounts of water every year from the Yangtze River to the drier regions in the north.

1. What is special about the Grand Canal?

A．It can date back to the Sui Dynasty.

B．It has a history of less than1, 000 years.

C．It runs from New York to Florida.

D．It is the longest canal across the world.

2. What can we learn about the function of the Grand Canal?

A．It was first constructed to convey officers.

B．It was employed for wars by Emperor Yongle.

C．It used to transport goods between south and north.

D．It is now carrying more goods than the railway system.

3. What does the underlined word “divert” in the last paragraph refer to?

A．Transfer.

B．Recycle.

C．Conserve.

D．Clarify.

4. Where is the text most likely from?

A．A diary.

B．A magazine.

C．A novel.

D．A biography.

【推荐3】A teenage girl is fighting for her life today after being struck by lightning as severe thunderstorms swept across Britain. The girl was one of four teenage girls from London who were hit by lightning in the Parade Ground area of Hyde Park during a storm. Earlier, Joseph Wharton, 14, died as he was struck by lightning while camping in his friend’s backyard in the West Midlands.

A spokesman for Scotland Yard said the girl remained in serious condition at St. Mary’s Hospital in Paddington. She had stopped breathing by the time the first paramedic(护理人员) arrived on the scene just two minutes after the strike at 5:40 p.m. yesterday.

The other three girls hit by the bolt all had injuries, and were taken to University College Hospital. Their conditions were not serious, the spokesman added.

The strike lifted the girls into the air and then dropped them to the ground, a witness reported.

A spokesman for the London Ambulance Service said paramedics risked their lives to treat the girls. “The storm was still overhead and lightning was still coming down while they were treating the patients,” he said. “All staff involved acted very professionally in providing fast treatment to these patients in very difficult circumstances.” Scotland Yard said the incident was being looked into by officers from the Royal Parks’ Operational Command Unit.

Joseph Wharton of Byland Way, Bloxwich, was hit during the extended thunderstorm which struck the region yesterday morning. He was pronounced dead at Walsall Manor Hospital.

He had been sleeping in a tent while staying with school friend Michael Lees at a house on nearby Cresswell Crescent.

West Midlands Ambulance Service said paramedics were called at 7:50 a.m. and unsuccessful attempts were made to revive(使苏醒) the sports-mad teenager. A spokesman for the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents said four or five people die each year as a result of lightning strikes in the UK.

1. All four girls________.

A．were killed by the lightning	B．were seriously injured
C．were being treated at the same hospital	D．were lifted up and dropped to the ground

2. The underlined word “bolt” probably means “________”.

A．thunder	B．rain
C．storm	D．lightning

3. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A．The boy was killed after the four girls had been hit.

B．The paramedics began to treat the girls after taking them to the hospital.

C．First-aid was given to the girls during the storm.

D．The boy was hit by lightning in the Parade Ground area of Hyde Park.

4. It can be inferred from the passage that ________.

A．many British people die from lightning strikes every year

B．the writer blames the government for the accident

C．the paramedics could also have been hit by lightning while aiding the girls

D．Joseph had been playing in the open air before the strike

5. This passage is probably taken from a ________.

A．magazine	B．newspaper
C．science fiction	D．weather report