1 . National Zoo Stays Open Later for Zoo Lights Exhibit
Winter is the perfect time to see Washington in a different light. The crowds have thinned, and those humid 95-degree days are long gone. And the National Zoo is a different experience because of 500,000 bulbs that illuminate（照亮）the annual Zoo Lights celebration.
Eco-friendly twinkly lights will decorate zoo walkways, trees and buildings. Sculptures featuring popular zoo residents, including elephants and giant pandas, light up in time to music.
If walking and watching isn’t enough excitement, head to Lion & Tiger Hill, home to a 150-foot-long snowless tubing run. Rides on the trackless train and the carousel（欢闹）also will be available.
Don’t forget to visit a few of the zoo’s real animals. The Kids’ Farm, Reptile Discovery Center, Small Mammal House, Think Tank (orangutans) and Great Cats exhibit will be open in the evening. There’s no guarantee, however, that the animals will be as lively as the humans in attendance.
When: November to January 1 (except December 24-25), 5 to 9 p.m.
Where: 3001 Connecticut Ave. NW. Washington, D.C.
How much: Admission is free; limited parking is $22. Charges for tubing, train rides and carousel rides.
For more information: A parent can visit nationalzoo si.edu/events/zoolights.
More Zoo lights celebrations: For those outside of the D.C. area, here are some links to other zoos with similar events (not all are free):
Columbus Zoo, Ohio: Through January 1.
Detroit Zoo, Michigan: Through December 31.
Denver Zoo, Colorado: December 2 - January 1.
Houston Zoo, Texas: Through January 15.
1. When can you enjoy the annual Zoo Lights celebration in Washington best?| A．On December 12th | B．On January 3rd. |
| C．On December 24th. | D．On October 1st. |
| A．At the Kids’ Farm. | B．At Reptile Discovery Center. |
| C．At Small Mammal House. | D．At Lion & Tiger Hill. |
| A．Columbus Zoo | B．Detroit Zoo |
| C．Denver Zoo | D．National Zoo |
| A．Students. | B．Tourists. |
| C．Parents. | D．Zoo keepers. |
此题要求改正所给短文中的错误。对标有题号的每一行做出判断∶
如无错误,在该行右边横线上画一个勾(√);如有错误(每行只有一个错误), 则按下列情况改正∶
该行多一个词∶把多余的词用斜线（\）划掉, 在该行右边横线上写出该词,并也用斜线划掉。
该行缺一个词∶在缺词处加一个漏字符号(∧),在该行右边横线上写出该加的词。
该行错一个词∶在错的词下划一横线,在该行右边横线上写出改正后的词。
注意∶原行没有错的不要改。
Get a good education is more important today than
ever before. In Canada mostly children attend public
schools. Public schools are mainly found by governments
through tax income. Students in Canada taught in
English and in French. The rests of Canadian children
attend private schools, that are supported mainly by fees
paying by parents. By law, the children must attend
the school from age 5 to 16. There are several different
levels in the Canadian education system .The first was
called Elementary Schools, which include kindergartens
through grade 7 or 8.
3 . A serious problem for today’s society is who should be responsible for our elderly and how to improve their lives. It is not only a financial problem but also a question of the system we want for our society. I would like to suggest several possible solutions to this problem.
First, employers should take the responsibility for their retired employees. To make this possible, a percentage of profits should be set aside for this purpose. But when a company must take life-long responsibility for its employees, it may softer from a commercial disadvantage due to higher employee costs.
Another way of solving the problem is to return the responsibility to the individual. This means each person must save during his working years to pay for his years of retirement. This does not seem a very fair model since some people have enough trouble paying for their daily life without trying to earn extra to cover their retirement years. This means the government might have to step in to care for the poor.
In addition, the government could take responsibility for the care of the elderly. This could be financed through government taxes to increase the level of pensions. Furthermore, some institution should be created for senior citizens, which can help provide a comfortable life for them. Unfortunately, as the present situation in our country shows, this is not a truly viable answer. The government can seldom afford to care for the elderly, particularly when it is busy trying to care for the young.
One further solution is that the government or social organizations establish some working places especially for the elderly where they are independent.
To sum up, all these options have advantages and disadvantages. Therefore, it is reasonable to expect that some combination of these options may be needed to provide the care we hope to give to our elderly generations.
1. What is the passage mainly about?| A．The problems faced by the old in society. |
| B．Why we should take responsibility for the old. |
| C．How we can improve the lives of the old. |
| D．Where the old can go to get their pensions. |
| A．Set aside some profits to help people with problems after they retire. |
| B．Increase savings levels of people during their working years. |
| C．Increase the discounts for food and transport for the old. |
| D．Make available pensions for those who have retired. |
| A．impossible | B．practical |
| C．useful | D．successful |
| A．Taking care of the old is mainly an issue of money. |
| B．Employers should allow their workers to retire at a later age. |
| C．Becoming independent should be the goal of most old people. |
| D．There is no single solution to the problems of the old. |
| A．To point out the need for government supped for old people. |
| B．To make general readers aware of the problems of retired people. |
| C．To discuss some possible solutions to an important social problem. |
| D．To instruct retired people on how they can have a happier life. |
I walked to the door and knocked. “Just a minute,” answered a weak, elderly voice.
After a long pause, the door opened. A small woman in her eighties stood before me. By her side was a small suitcase.
I took the suitcase to the car, and then returned to help the woman. She took my arm and we walked slowly toward the car.
She kept thanking me for my kindness. “It’s nothing,” I told her. “I just try to treat my passengers the way I would want my mother treated.”
“Oh, you’re such a good man,” she said. When we got into the taxi, she gave me an address, and then asked, “Could you drive through downtown?”
“It’s not the shortest way,” I answered quickly.
“Oh, I’m in no hurry,” she said. “I’m on my way to a hospice (临终医院). I don’t have any family left. The doctor says I don’t have very long.”
I quietly reached over and shut off the meter (计价器).
For the next two hours, we drove through the city. She showed me the building where she had once worked, the neighborhood where she had lived, and the furniture shop that had once been a ballroom where she had gone dancing as a girl.
Sometimes she’d ask me to slow down in front of a particular building and would sit staring into the darkness, saying nothing.
At dawn, she suddenly said, “I’m tired. Let’s go now.”
We drove in silence to the address she had given me.
“How much do I owe you?” she asked.
“Nothing,” I said.
“You have to make a living,” she answered. “Oh, there are other passengers,” I answered.
Almost without thinking, I bent and gave her a hug. She held onto me tightly. Our hug ended with her remark, “You gave an old woman a little moment of joy.”
1. The old woman chose to ride through the city in order to ________.
| A．show she was familiar with the city |
| B．see some places for the last time |
| C．let the driver earn more money |
| D．reach the destination on time |
| A．wanted to do her a favor |
| B．shut off the meter by mistake |
| C．had received her payment in advance |
| D．was in a hurry to take other passengers |
| A．Giving is always a pleasure. |
| B．People should respect each other. |
| C．An act of kindness can bring people great joy. |
| D．People should learn to appreciate others’ concern. |
