The fire in a 19-storey building south of Paris was the third fatal blaze in the Paris area in nine days. The death toll rose to 16 after a man died late Sunday in a hospital, where seven others were being treated for serious injuries, police said.
Three teenagers taken in for questioning on Sunday admitted having started the fire for fun, police said. Two of the suspects were 18-year-old, the other was 16, police said. Further details were not available.
Witnesses claimed to have seen a group of youths who lived in the building start the fire, said Patrick Seve, mayor of the town of L’HAY-LES-ROSES, near Orly airport, where the building was located.
The fire is believed to have broken out in the lobby（门厅）of the building before raging up a stairwell at least three floors. Some residents jumped from windows as the fire spread through the building’s entrance.
Authorities were investigating possible criminals in an August 26 fire that killed 14 African children and three adults in a Paris apartment building. Three days later, another fire killed seven in a building.
Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy suggested on French television on Sunday night that copycats（盲目模仿者）were at work. “Each time there is a new story, sometimes that gives ideas to people who then turn into criminals,” Sarkozy said, promising severe punishment for anyone found guilty of arson（纵火）. 20. What can we learn from the first two paragraphs？ A. Three girls were caught setting fire to a building. B. The fourth girl wasn’t present when the fire broke out. C. All the people lost their lives before police came. D. Paris was troubled by fire during that period. 21. Why did the teenagers start the fire？ A. They were interested in playing with fire. B. They wanted to make fun of their parents. C. They were not satisfied with the surroundings. D. They wanted to warm themselves.
22. From the fourth and fifth paragraphs we know that ________. A. the witnesses must have put out the fire B. the lobby of the building was covered with wood. C. the witnesses were familiar with the teenagers D. the residents shouldn’t have jumped from windows
23. What the Minister said in the last paragraph means that ________. A. he doesn’t like to listen to new stories B. he has no time to write new stories C. teenagers often have ideas to turn into criminals D. teenagers may do the same as others have done 【解题导语】
本文说明当宣传报道、电影、电视、文艺作品中出现了新的犯罪形态和行为方式、手段时，便在青少年中很快蔓延开来。实践中，很多青少年就是由于意志力不强，在对新奇事物盲目模仿中走上了犯罪道路的。 【答案与解析】
20. D 主旨大意题。第一段交代发生了火灾，第二段说明近段时间发生多少次火灾及伤亡人数等，故D符合题意。A和B只是说明一方面，C的说法不正确。
21. A 细节理解题。第三段第一句回答该题所问原因（?admitted having started the fire for fun?..）
22. C 细节理解题。第四段中?. Witnesses claimed to have seen a group of youths who lived in the building start the fire?和第五段第二句（?Some residents jumped from windows as the fire spread through the building’s entrance. ）说明该题选C最佳。 23. D 推理判断题。本句说明了青少年因模仿导致违法犯罪。Each time there is a new story, sometimes that gives ideas to people who then turn into criminals,”可以看出说明了答 第二组 阅读理解A
Few people would question the value of taking part in sports for young people．With proper training，supervision，protective equipment and techniques，and an proper emphasis on winning，sports can develop a healthy body and spirit and a life-long interest in being active and fit .Without such measures，childhood sports can lead to injuries and even paralysis or death．
Even in the best conditions，no activity can be risk—free．But most serious hazards are preventable．Cyclists and football players can reduce their risks by wearing helmets；hockey players by wearing masks；basketball and tennis players by wearing eye guards；baseball players by wearing batting helmets．
Besides，risks to individual players can often be found，and thus prevented，through a properly performed medical exam before a child plays．For accidents that may not be preventable，having an emergency plan and first-aid equipment，and someone trained to use the equipment，can be lifesaving．
Still，each year，according to the American College of Sports Medicine，more than 775,000 children under 14 are treated in emergency rooms for sports injuries，nearly half of them preventable．An estimated 300,000 athletes experience exercise—related head illnesses each year，and almost all of them should have been avoided．
Further，from half to three—fourths of sports-related concussions（脑震荡） are never even diagnosed；the injured are often sent back in to play too soon and put at risk of another more serious brain—damaging concussion．To help reduce these risks, the National Center for Sports Safety, with the National Athletic Trainers’ Association, offers a three-hour online safety course for coaches for $28 at www.SportsSafety.org.
1．Which of the following is true according to the passage? A．All the accidents can be prevented． B．All the accidents cannot be prevented．
C．Lives can be saved so long as there is proper equipment． D．Lives cannot be saved even if there is proper equipment． 2．What does the underlined word “hazards”(in paragraph 2)mean?
A．mistakes B．diseases C．dangers D．situations 3．It is implied in the passage that ．
A．prevention of injuries is not paid enough attention to B．children under 14 are more easily hurt in sports C．most head illnesses are related with exercise D．none of the head illnesses should have happened 4．What can coaches mainly learn from the online safety course? A．How to cure brain-damaging concussion． B．How to diagnose brain-damaging concussion． C．How to predict the possibility of brain damage． D．How to deal with the injured properly．
【解题导语】本文谈的是人们在体育锻炼的同时所存在的安全隐患问题及相互的保护措施。 【答案与解析】
1．答案：B 正误判断题。根据文章第二段第一句可排除A而得出B正确；根据文章第三段内容可知道C、D两项说法太极端。 2．答案：C 词义猜测题。根据划线词所在句的意思及后面的preventable可推知答案。 3．答案：A 推理判断题。根据文中列举例子推知答案。
4．答案：D 细节理解题。根据最后一段所谈内容可知此课程的目的是怎样正确救助（处理）受伤者。 阅读理解B
Students are being forced to take additional exams to get into leading universities because good A-levels do not always indicate the brightest candidates.
Sixth-formers applying to courses such as medicine and law are being asked to sit American-style aptitude（智能）tests, which are designed to assess（评价）thinking skills, among fears that too many A-level candidates are getting top grades. Last year, almost one in six students applying to universities such as Oxford and Cambridge from independent schools had to sit additional test to secure a place.
Head teachers criticized the move, which they said would pile more pressure on schools and students. But universities insisted that the reforms were unavoidable, because A-level exams were no longer an accurate barometer（标准）of ability. In 1986, 40 percent of students starting at Oxford achieved straight. As at A-level, Mike Nicholson, its admissions director, said that this year almost every candidate offered a place would get perfect grades. It meant the university had to stage additional test to identify the most able candidates. “The ability to achieve three A grades is no longer the end-point in the admissions process,” he said. “The potential to achieved three A grades will allow them to enter the race for a place.”
Oxford is not the only university turning to aptitude tests. At Cambridge, the number of students taking the university’s Thinking Skills Assessment shot up 26 percent to more than 3,000. A survey of 16,830 sixth formers applying to higher education from private schools last year showed that 2,860 had to sit at least one exam.
Earlier this year, the National Foundation for Educational Research recommended that most sixth formers should sit SAT tests — a standard reasoning exam widely used in American colleges —to make it easier to pick out the best candidates. 5．What is the attitude of head teachers to the reform?
A. Approving. B. Doubtful. C. Opposed. D. Neutral（中立的）
6．Which British university first started to use aptitude tests to pick out the best candidates? A. Harvard. B. Oxford. C. Cambridge. D. Washington D.C. 7．What can we know about the A-level system? A. It can indicate the brightest candidates. B. It was designed to assess students’ thinking abilities. C. It is longer an accurate way to assess students’ abilities.
D. It was recommended by the National Foundation for Educational Research. 8．What can we infer from the passage? A. The reform is more popular in American colleges than in British ones. B. The reform will be applied by all universities in the future. C. Universities used to depend on the A-level system to choose the best students.
D. Passing additional tests will allow the student to enter Oxford, regardless of whether he or she gets As. 9．What is the passage mainly about?
A. How to get into leading universities. B. The disadvantages of the A-level system. C. Different ways to identify students’ abilities. D. Universities using extra exams to choose students.
【解题导语】
现在的成绩为A不再是学生进入大学的唯一评判标准，得到分数A的学生太多啦，A-level不能再准确地区分出最好的学生。学生们需要参加额外的考试才能进入大学。 【答案与简析】
5．A 细节理解题。根据第三段“Head teachers criticized the move, which they said would pile more pressure on schools and students.”得出答案。
6．B 细节理解题。根据第五段的第一句“Oxford is not the only university turning to aptitude tests.”可推知答案为B。
7．C 细节理解题。文章第一段就提出了“good A-levels do not always indicate the brightest candidates”，结合后面的内容可知答案为C。
8．C 推理判断题。根据第三段中的“But universities insisted that the reforms were unavoidable, because A-level??..”可知答案为C。
9．D 主旨大意题。文章开头就指出学生必须通过额外的考试才能进入一流大学，接下来分析了原因：现在得到分数A的学生太多了，A-level不能再准确地区分出最好的学生，故选D为最佳。 阅读理解C
Ten Romantic New Year’s Resolutions to Improve Your Relationship.
RomanceStuck.com, an online resource for romance and relationships, offers 10 New Year’s resolutions for improving your relationship in 2008. Resolutions are usually about improving yourself as an individual. They're not often geared towards improving your relationship. This year, why not set a few romantic resolutions? 10 Romantic New Year's Resolutions to Improve your Relationship:
1. Set a monthly 'date night' and stick to it. Even if it's just dinner and a movie or a candle-lit dinner together at home, resolve to make time for each other this year.
2. Say \that your partner knows you love and appreciate them every single day. 3. Put your love in writing. Nothing makes you feel warm like receiving a simple love note or a passionate love letter. Vow this year to put pen to paper and write your sweetie love notes, love poems, and love letters. 4. Bring back the spontaneity（惊喜）in your relationship! Try sending her flowers \his favorite sport -- and go with him! Vow to surprise your partner at least once a month. 5. Get away from it all with a weekend get-away. Head to a cabin in the mountains or a relaxing SPA. It doesn't really matter where you go, as long as you go together and leave the interruptions behind. 6. Show your love each and every day. Give your partner compliments, hold hands, open doors, and engage in public displays of affection. It's the little things you do to show your love that always mean the most. 7. Shake up your romantic life with a little creativity. Create your own love coupon book with one coupon for your partner to redeem each week of the year. These little coupons can be as romantic, sexy, or practical as you want. 8. Have fun together! Take up a new hobby together this year. Join a softball team together, take cooking lessons, golf lessons, or dancing lessons. You'll not only learn something new, but you'll have fun with your partner at the same time! 9. Don't forget the little things. Make him lunch. Paint her toenails. Wash and wax his car. Do her weekly chores. It's the most practical way to show your love!
10. Get to know your partner better. Whether you're dating, just married, or celebrating your 25th anniversary, there is always more to learn about your partner -- and you can have fun doing it! 10．If you want to express your love in words, you’d better ________.
A. say “I love you”. B. have a candle-dinner. C. give him/her a coupon. D. put pen to paper. 11．How many the most practical ways are there to show your love?
A. 4. B. 6. C. 8. D. 10.
12．Why had the lovers better have a weekend get-away?
A. They lover nature. B. Fresh air is good for their health. C. They have to get away. D. They need relax and romance.
13．What do you think the purpose is that the Romance stuck..com gave the advice? A. To have fun. B. To be creative.C. To improve relationships. D. To encourage people date. 【解题导语】
爱情与情感网站RomanceStuck.com日前公布了2008年改善情感关系的“十大新年决心”。下决心通常是人们用来勉励自己的，一般不用于改善个人的情感关系。可新年已至，为何不表几个浪漫的“爱情决心”呢？ 【答案及简析】
10．D 细节理解题。结合第三条建议可知答案。 12．A 细节理解题。由倒数第二段得出答案。 12．D 细节理解题。结合第五条建议可得出答案。
13．C 主旨大意题。由全文可知，结合文章第一段内容可推出答案。 阅读理解D
Many children first learn the value of money by receiving an allowance. The purpose is to let children learn from experience at an age when financial mistakes are not very costly. The amount of money that parents give to their children to spend as they wish differs from family to family. Timing is another consideration. Some children get a weekly allowance. Others get a monthly allowance. In any case, parents should make clear what, if anything, the child is expected to pay for with the money. At first, young children may spend all of their allowance soon after they receive it. If they do this, they will learn the hard way that spending must be done within a budget. Parents are usually advised not to offer more money until the next allowance. The object is to show young people that a budget demands choices between spending and saving. Older children may be responsible enough to save money for larger costs, like clothing or electronics. Many people think it is not a good idea to pay your child for work around the home. These jobs are a normal part of family life. Paying children to do extra work around the house, however, can be useful. It can even provide an understanding of how a business works.
Allowances give children a chance to experience the three things they can do with money. They can share it in the form of gifts or giving to a good cause. They can spend it by buying things they want. Or they can save it. Saving helps children understand that costly goals require sacrifice: you have to cut costs and plan for the future. Requiring children to save part of their allowance can also open the door to future saving. A saving account is an excellent way to learn about the power of compound interest. Compounding works by paying interest on interest. So, for example, one dollar invested at two percent interest for two years will earn two cents in the first year. The second year, the money will earn two percent of one dollar and two cents, and so on. That may not seem like a lot. But over time it adds up. 14. Many parents give children an allowance regularly to ______. A. meet children’s basic need for life B. give control over their children C. see whether they have financial mistakes D. help children learn how to manage money 15. For Children who receive allowances, they’d better not ________. A. waste money to buy gifts for their parents or friends B. buy their favorite clothing or electronics for themselves C. save money like their parents or other adults D. ask for the next allowance before the decided date.
16. If children are required to save their allowance, they ______.