1 . While English is getting more important in our schools, Chinese has become popular among foreign kids. But Chinese can be more difficult to learn. At least 16-year-old Piao Chenglong thinks so. “English is easier for me. Chinese characters (汉字) have too many strokes (笔画),” said Piao. “But I want to learn it. I want to study at Beijing University when I grow up.” Piao is from Korea. He came to China in 2008.

In Korea, there are more than 300, 000 Chinese learners like Piao. Some Korean students begin to learn to write the language on their first day at school. To help students learn Chinese, Korea holds speaking competitions for high school students every year.

Chinese isn’t just popular in Korea. People from all the world want to learn it. The Ministry of Education of China says that nearly 130 million people from 85 countries are learning Chinese. This number will be increasing to 800 million in the coming years.

In America, Chinese is the second most popular foreign language after Spanish. Some American middle schools have Chinese classes. Students learn to make jiaozi and tie Chinese knots (中国结). Some even try to write and draw in the Chinese way!

People want to learn Chinese because China is becoming such an important country. Foreign countries want to understand China better to help them with business. The Chinese government is also helping the world learn Chinese. It has sent more than 200 Chinese teachers to more than 60 countries in the world. Many more Confucius Institutes (孔子学院) will be set up in the world. These institutes will teach Chinese to foreign students.

1. Which of the following is the topic sentence for the text?

A．Chinese has become popular among foreign kids.

B．Chinese can be more difficult to learn.

C．In America, Chinese is the second most popular foreign language after Spanish.

D．Students learn to make jiaozi and tie Chinese knots.

2. Where does Piao Chenglong come from?

A．China.

B．America.

C．Korea.

D．Spain.

3. According to the text, some American middle school students learn to do the following EXCEPT ________.

A．making jiaozi

B．writing and drawing in the Chinese way

C．tying Chinese knots

D．singing Chinese songs

4. Why do foreign people want to learn Chinese?

A．Because Chinese is getting more important in their schools.

B．Because Chinese characters have too many strokes.

C．Because the number of people learning Chinese will be 800 million.

D．Because China is becoming more and more important in the world.

2 . A one-armed 13-year-old basketball player in a video moves China. He is Zhang Jiacheng, from Guangdong Province. In the video, facing a taller, stronger, and older opponent (对手), he isn’t afraid at all.

Attracted by his good skills in the video, many people even fail to know that Zhang Jiacheng has only one arm. Although the young boy lost one of his arms in an accident, he became crazy about playing basketball at 12. “Work hard or just give up,” he always says. Thus, he spent all of his free time on it without considering his body condition.

People’s attention has encouraged him to work harder towards his goal — to become a top basketball player. “I just keep practising every day to improve myself, whether at home or in the playground,” he says, “My biggest challenge (挑战) is to control the ball much better.” After only a year of hard practicing, Zhang Jiacheng has improved his skills greatly. Through patience, confidence and determination, the young basketball player is getting closer to his life goal.

His effort and courage finally caught the attention of Yi Jianlian, a Chinese professional (职业的) basketball player, who shared the video on his own Weibo.

1. Why do people fail to know the boy has only one arm?

A．Because his good skills attract people.

B．Because his life goal encourages people.

C．Because he jumps to an amazing height.

D．Because he hides the other arm carefully.

2. What is the biggest challenge for the boy?

A．Controlling the ball better.	B．Keeping his balance.
C．Making some more friends.	D．Getting closer to his family.

3. What is the boy’s goal according to the text?

A．To live a comfortable life	B．To become a top basketball player.
C．To set up a basketball team.	D．To build a large gym for his school.

4 . The cost of living in countries like the U.S., Britain, Australia or France has skyrocketed in recent years. However, if you're willing to leave your country and explore life in other areas, there are many countries boasting an extremely cheap and low cost of living. Check out the following countries when planning your next move.

Ecuador

Ecuador is similar to the United States in many ways, and as a result has become a popular American getaway. They even use the U.S. Dollar for their currency. In this country, it's cheaper to eat out every day than cook for yourself on a budget in the U.S. You can even buy a property for around $50,000 and hire someone to tend to it while you're away.

Mexico

Although the country is known for its poverty-ridden streets, there are many wealthier areas that provide every facility you might need. You can live off a mere $700 to $800 a month in Mexico, and this includes rent for a nice place, facilities, food, and any sightseeing.

Argentina

Argentina has been a popular tourist destination for many years. It has great restaurants, a rich history, and many places to explore. Not to mention, it's not very expensive to live here. A decent sized home can cost around $139,000, which is relatively cheap in relation to homes in the United States.

Vietnam

Vietnam has also become a popular tourist destination in recent years. There are many million-dollar luxury homes by the beach, but you can find a modest flat or small home for around $25,000 to $50,000 if you search in the right areas.

1. Why has Ecuador become a holiday destination for Americans?

A．Because housing is very cheap.

B．Because it has a low cost of living.

C．Because it is similar to America in many ways.

D．Because it has lots of nice places for sightseeing.

2. What do all of the four countries have in common?

A．All of them have great restaurants.

B．All of them have a low cost of living.

C．All of them are poor developing countries.

D．The middle-sized homes are a little expensive.

3. In which country is the U.S. dollar used for its currency?

A．Ecuador.

B．Mexico.

C．Argentina.

D．Vietnam.

5 . Dick lived in England. One day in January he said to his wife, "I'm going to fly to New York next week because I've got some work there." "Where are you going to stay there?" his wife asked. "I don't know yet." Dick answered. "Please send me your address from there in a telegram," his wife said. "All right," Dick answered.    He flew to New York on January 31st and found a nice hotel in the center of the city. He put his things in his room and then he sent his wife a telegram. He put the address of his hotel in it.    In the evening he didn't have any work, so he went to a cinema. He came out at nine o'clock and said, "Now I should return to my hotel and have a nice dinner."    He found a taxi and the driver said, "Where do you want to go?" But Dick didn't remember the name and address of his hotel.    "Which hotel are my things in?" he said, "And what am I going to do tonight?" But the driver of the taxi did not know. So Dick got out and went into a post office. There he sent his wife another telegram, and in it he wrote, "_________"

1. The underlined word “return” in the passage most probably means ________.

A．go back

B．give back

C．come back

D．pay back

2. Dick flew to New York because ________.

A．he went there for a holiday	B．he had work there
C．his home was there	D．he went to school

3. Why did his wife want a telegram from him?

A．Because she didn’t know his address.

B．Because she wanted to go to New York, too.

C．Because she couldn’t leave her husband by himself in New York.

D．Because she wanted to know when he came back.

4. Which of the following is NOT TRUE?

A．Dick stayed at a nice hotel in the center of the city.

B．Dick didn’t work on the first night of his arrival.

C．Dick forgot to send his wife a telegram.

D．Dick flew to New York on January 31st

5. “________” can be the missing sentence in the passage.

A．I will have a nice dinner with you, dear.

B．Please send me my address at this post office.

C．Look after yourself well at home

D．I will be back soon.

6 . Goog morning, Ladies and gentleman. My topic is “________”.

Now in the 21st century, advertising is more and more important for people. Why? I think it is because through advertising, people, especially the businessmen, can introduce their products to the people all over the world. Because of this, many companies spend a lot of money on advertising. As we all know, there are many advertisements which are very interesting and popular. For example, Michael Jordan made an interesting advertisement for Nike. From this you can see how the companies make their products known to the world.   

People can make a lot of money through advertising. It is known that many famous singers and movie stars make money in this way. However, I don’t think this is a good way for them to make money, because they are not the professional advertisers, especially those who advertise in medicine advertisements.

   Nowadays, advertising not only means making the products known, but also means make ourselves known to people around us. Living today, we have to make people believe in us if we want to do important jobs. But how can this be done? We should first let other people know our good side: the good habits and abilities we have. In short, we should always remember to advertise ourselves to others. As I said before, advertising is not only important for companies but also for everyone, for all human beings. This is the most interesting thing about advertising.

1. The best topic to fill in the line in the first paragraph is “________”.

A．The Importance of Advertising	B．Making Money through Advertising
C．Advertising Ourselves	D．Advice on Advertisements

2. This passage may be a (an) ________.

A．advertisement

B．story

C．speech

D．report

3. According to the passage, which of the following is not right?

A．Many companies are willing to spend money on advertising.

B．Advertising can make some people rich.

C．People can introduce their products through advertisements.

D．Advertising is not necessary for anyone.

7 . Guide to Stockholm University Library

Our library offers different types of studying places and provides a good studying environment.

Zones

The library is divided into different zones. The upper floor is a quiet zone with over a thousand places for silent reading, and places where you can sit and work with your own computer. The reading places consist mostly of tables and chairs. The ground floor is the zone where you can talk. Here you can find sofas and armchairs for group work.

Computers

You can use your own computer to connect to the Wi-Fi specially prepared for notebook computers, you can also use library computers, which contain the most commonly used applications, such as Microsoft Office. They are situated in the area known as the Experimental Field on the ground floor.

Group-study places

If you want to discuss freely without disturbing others, you can book a study room or sit at a table on the ground floor. Some study rooms are for 2-3 people and others can hold up to 6-8 people. All rooms are marked on the library maps.

There are 40 group-study rooms that must be booked via the website. To book, you need an active University account and a valid University card. You can use a room three hours per day, nine hours at most per week.

Storage of Study Material

The library has lockers for students to store course literature, When you have obtained at least 40 credits(学分),you may rent a locker and pay 400 SEK for a year’s rental period.

Rules to be Followed

Mobile phone conversations are not permitted anywhere in the library. Keep your phone on silent as if you were in a lecture and exit the library if you need to receive calls.

Please note that food and fruit are forbidden in the library, but you are allowed to have drinks and sweets with you.

1. The library’s upper floor is mainly for students to          .

A．read in a quiet place	B．have group discussions
C．take comfortable seats	D．get their computers fixed

2. A student can rent a locker in the library if he ___________.

A．can afford the rental fee	B．attends certain courses
C．has nowhere to put his books	D．has earned the required credits

3. What should NOT be brought into the library?

A．Mobile phones	B．Sandwiches
C．Candy	D．Orange juice

8 . When I was 16 years old，I made my first visit to the United States. It wasn’t the first time I had been abroad. Like most English children，I learned French at school and I had often been to France，so I was used to speaking a foreign language to people who didn’t understand English. But when I went to America I was really looking forward to having a nice easy holiday without any language problems.

How wrong I was! The misunderstanding began at the airport. I was looking for a public telephone to give my friend Danny a ring and tell her that I had arrived. A friendly old man saw me looking like being lost and asked if he could help me.

“Yes，” I said.“I want to give my friend a ring.”

“Well，that’s nice，” he said.“Are you getting married? But aren’t you a bit young？”

“Who is talking about marriage？” I replied.“I just want to give my friend a ring to tell her I’ve arrived. Can you tell me where there’s a phone box？”

“Oh！” he said.“There’s a phone downstairs.”

When at last we did meet up，Danny explained the misunderstanding to me.

“Don’t worry，” she said to me.“I had many difficulties at first. There are lots of words which the Americans use differently in meaning from us British. You’ll soon get used to all the funny things they say. But most of the time British and American people can understand each other！”

1. Where was the writer from?

A．He was from America.

B．He was from France.

C．He was from England.

D．He was from China.

2. The writer wanted         .

A．to buy a ring for his friend

B．to make a call to his friend

C．to go to the telephone company

D．his friend to see him off

3. From the passage we can see that “give somebody a ring” _____________.

A．means the same in America as in England

B．means “call somebody” to the old man

C．means “be going to get married”

D．has different meanings in America and in England

9 . As a first-aid responder, you never know what type of situation you might walk into, or who you’ll meet along the way. That’s definitely been the case for Jeffrey Lanenberg, a 51-year-old first-aid responder since 1984.

Ten years into the job, Jeffrey received a call that reported that a man in his early 30s had fallen down in the Mall of America. When Jeffrey and his partner arrived at the scene, they found the young male face down on the ground. He had gone unconscious, making weak attempts to breathe. His wife stood beside him holding their small son in horror. They quickly rushed to calm the man to keep him under control and offer necessary first aid. After Jeffrey dropped the patient off at the neighboring hospital, he thought about the man and his family for a long time.

Jeffrey thought he had experienced everything under the sun until one random visit to Office Max three years ago, where he met a man repeatedly walk back and forth while staring at him. As it turned out, the man was the patient he had saved 20 years earlier.

“You gave me 20 years more than I ever thought I’d have,” the man said. He thanked Jeffrey repeatedly and told him he had someone he wanted him to meet. He stepped around the corner and reappeared with a 20-something-year-old man. Jeffrey instantly knew that it was the son he had seen standing by his mother all those years ago.

“That day changed my life,” Jeffrey said. “Before that, everything was about work…When I talk to my beginner-training class, I tell them you never know the impact you can have on someone’s life.”

1. What did Jeffrey do with the young man?

A．He cured the man at the scene.	B．He took care of the man’s wife and son.
C．He only sent the man to hospital.	D．He did what was needed.

2. What did Jeffrey think of the encounter with the man at Office Max?

A．It was a common routine..	B．It was troublesome.
C．It was unbelievable	D．It was a dangerous situation.

3. Why was the man thankful to Jeffrey?

A．Jeffrey helped bring up his little son.

B．Jeffrey donated to support his family.

C．Jeffrey gave him the present happy life.

D．Jeffrey taught his son to be a new doctor.

4. How did the meeting change Jeffrey’s life?

A．He was rewarded with much money.

B．He changed his attitude to his job.

C．He got a promotion to be a team leader.

D．He took up teaching work to train newcomers.

10 . Four Useful Products for Your Life

Electric Wine Opener

Cost: $19.89

Once you've tried this tool, you'll never go back to the old fashioned kind. This electric wine opener will remove the cork (瓶塞) easily within seconds, and can open up to 30 bottles with a single charge.

Fantastic Ice Cream Spoon

Cost: $14. 99

It’s always disappointing when you're really in the mood for ice cream, but have to wait forever for the ice cream to get to just the right softness. Well, this heated ice cream spoon exactly conducts heat from your hands, and will help soften the ice cream to make it ready to eat right away.

Express Baker

Cost: $58. 99

Making your own bread seems like a quite difficult job. But this baker makes it easier—within an hour. It has 12 different bread settings, and three different crust settings, so you can make bread, pizza and more. A quick look through the reviews shows that customers are pretty happy with it, too.

Corn Stripper

Cost: $7.99

There's no denying that corn on the cob (棒) is delicious But eating corn on the cob and dealing with all the little bits that get stuck in your teeth afterwards is a painful experience. This little device takes all the corns from the cob, by letting you strip (剥) your corn easily, without making a total mess.

1. What can people do with Express Baker?

A．Make some food.	B．Soften food.
C．Classify food.	D．Keep food fresh.

2. Which of the following applies the theory of heat conduction?

A．Electric Wine Opener.	B．Fantastic Ice Cream Spoon.
C．Express Baker.	D．Corn Stripper.

3. What do the four products have in common?

A．They are of the same price.

B．They are difficult to operate.

C．They make food more delicious to eat.

D．They make people's life easier.