In certain countries of the world，the king or queen is still the head country。The UK is one of these countries。So that does the British royal family(皇室) represent for the British people today? Well，a large number of things。The royal family are of course a part of British history and tradition。They still have an important and meaning for many people today。It just wouldn’t feel the same if there were no royal family。In addition to that，the queen has important formal duties：
●as head of the state，the Queen represents the UK on visits other would leaders to visit the UK.
●as head of the armed force，only the Queen can declare when the UK is at war or when the war is over。
●as head of the Church of England。
Not just the Queen，the royal family spend a great deal of their time traveling up and there should be royal family。Sometimes the press and media criticize（批评）the royal family as well。One criticism is that the British people should not have to pay for the royal through their taxes。Another is that the Buckingham Palace should be open to the public more often，in order to pay for the building repairs that are necessary。
【小题1】Today，the British royal still represents ____of the UK。

A．the honor and pride	B．history and tradition
C．function and law	D．politics and culture

【小题2】Which is one of the Queen’s formal duties？

A．Visiting foreign countries.

B．Fighting in wars.

C．Writing government documents.

D．Repairing the church.

【小题3】Why are royal family criticized by the press and media？

A．Because the royal don’t do anything for the country.

B．Because more people want to visit Buckingham Palace.

C．Because some people don’t want their taxes to be used for the royal family.

D．Because the Queen is too meet busy to meet with her people.

Tigers are the largest wild cats in the world. They usually go out to hunt for food when it is dark. When a tiger sees an animal, it moves quickly and then jumps on the animals to kill it. Sometimes it can take the tiger several days to finish eating its food. When the tiger is full, it will cover the dead animal with leaves. Later, when the tiger is hungry again, it comes back to eat some more.
Tigers are different from others in the cat family: they like water and often jump into rivers to swim. Some tigers live in very cold places in North Korea, Russia and China. Other tigers live in warmer places—in India and parts of Southeast Asia.
But now all tigers are in danger. Some people kill tigers to use their skins for clothes, and their bodies for medicine. There is also less and less land for tigers to live in.
根据短文内容，选择正确答案。
【小题1】The  is the largest wild cat in the world.

A．lion

B．tiger

C．panda

D．bear

【小题2】Tigers like  , which is different from others in the cat family.

A．eating meat	B．drinking water
C．swimming	D．climbing trees

【小题3】Tigers mainly live in  .

A．Asia

B．Europe

C．Africa

D．America

【小题4】Tigers are in danger now because  .

A．some people kill them

B．the weather becomes warmer

C．they have less land to live in

D．both A and C

【小题5】Which of the following is NOT true?

A．Tigers usually go out to look for food at night.

B．The tiger can kill a big animal very quickly.

C．The tiger covers the dead animal with leaves if it can’t eat it up.

D．Tigers like to hunt for food in small groups.

Comfort is comforting, but it might narrow our experience at work — and beyond.
In our modern world, discomfort is considered a terrible thing. If not terrible, it’s at least a thing of the past. Dishwashers, washing machines, computers, remote controls—yes, they add convenience, but also a level of comfort our forefathers did not enjoy.
As pain of any kind discourages happiness, we tend to reason anything that prevents us to feel good must be bad. And that’s also particularly true for our careers. Success makes us feel great, not terrible. Such a view, however, is a matter of personal opinion. And it may blind us to hidden opportunities.
Artists throughout history have tried to experience suffering, instinctively(本能地) if not consciously(有意识地), to produce works that explore the darker hidden sides of the human condition. This was done, in part, because pain is a reality of life for everybody in some form at some time. Pain is something everybody can relate to. And pain makes a person very real. For such artists, to deny pain would be to block the creative thinking, which drives them to explore and express. In fact, Germans have a term(术语) for this, “Weltschmerz”, which means “suffering from the world.” Writers, from Lord Byron to Kurt Vonnegut, have used the term to describe the psychological pain along life’s roller-coaster journey. It was not to be avoided; it was to be understood and employed.
So I believe that discomfort is good for us. Or, put another way, it tells us that something needs to be attended to. It develops us by forcing us to view our circumstances(环境) through a wholly different view. Because we’re attracted by safety and security, we do our best to create pleasant comfort zones for ourselves and our loved ones through the cars we drive, the houses we live in, and the places we work. But by resisting discomfort, we deny ourselves an important opportunity: the chance to shake ourselves out of our predictable perspectives(视角) and allow ourselves to make knowledgeable observations that we could not possibly have made before. Discomfort gives us fresh eyes.
【小题1】Which of the following is NOT a reason why artists throughout history have been exploring sufferings?

A．Pain is a mirror that can reflect the life of everybody.

B．Pain is something that no one can escape from.

C．Pain can strengthen the feeling of existence of a person.

D．Pain can help them to avoid the creative thinking.

【小题2】The term “Weltschmerz” couldn’t be used to describe something like __________.

A．social inequality

B．great achievements

C．racial discrimination(歧视)

D．mass killings

【小题3】The author believes that by challenging discomfort, one may _________.

A．lose an important chance to make a big fortune

B．feel upset and fail to think calmly

C．control the situation properly when things go wrong

D．judge and think about the world in a new particular way

【小题4】By writing this passage, the author tries to __________.

A．explain why discomfort is good for us

B．criticize(批评) a world full of comfort

C．persuade people to lead a life full of discomfort

D．blame those who enjoy an easy life

   Some authors have made some predictions (预测) about what our modern life could become. Here are four books that, somehow, managed to predict the future.

They Shoot Horses, Don’t They?

This novel was published in 1935. It’s about a dance marathon competition. Competitors who last the longest can get prize money. It’s just like reality TV shows. In reality shows, people voluntarily do things that are physically and mentally tiring or embarrassing.

Neuromancer

William Gibson’s 1984 novel, Neuromancer, not only gave birth to the cyberpunk genre, but it also predicted cyberspace (网络空间) and the Internet. In 1984, there was already a network, but only several universities used it. Gibson predicted the rise of technological addiction and people’s need to be online.

Earth

In 1990, Brin published the novel where the story takes place in the year 2038. A black hole has fallen into the Earth’s core. Scientists have a year to fix it, or the earth may be destroyed. And Brin correctly predicted the World Wide Web (Web) that was invented a year after the book was published. In Earth, the characters don’t think they would find any Earth-like planets. In reality, we have found several Earth-like planets.

Childhood’s End

Childhood’s End is about an invasion (入侵) of Earth by aliens called the Overlords. They help advance human technology. One of those technologies they introduce is a type of virtual reality that is like a movie. The author also predicted that in the early 2000s, people might watch TV for three hours a day.

【小题1】Which of the following books predicts a new kind of TV shows?

A．They Shoot Horses, Don’t They?	B．Childhood’s End
C．Neuromancer	D．Earth

【小题2】What was predicted by Neuromancer?

A．A special way of communication.	B．People’s eagerness for new things.
C．People’s need for the Internet.	D．The invention of the computer.

【小题3】What do we know about the novel Earth?

A．It is about the exploration of the Earth-like planets.

B．One opinion of its characters has been proven wrong.

C．Only it made predictions about aliens.

D．It was written after the Web was invented.

Growing Pains 104

Act One
Mom, Dad and Mike are busy in the kitchen. Carol is writing something upstairs.
Maggie: Mike, would you get your sister, please？
Mike: Yeah. Fido, dinner.
Carol: I'll be right down. Tell Mom, I'm just gonna finish this paragraph.
Mike: Hey, Mom, Fido's gonna finish her paragraph.
Maggie: Thank you. I heard. And frankly, Mike, I don't think it's funny or proper for you to call your sister Fido.
Mike: You are right. It's a boy's name.
Jason: Is she still working on that article？She's taking the school paper very seriously.
Mike: Come on. This is one of the greatest papers in the world. It's nice and soft.
Maggie: Mike, this is very important to Carol. Try to stop your bad comments（评论）.
Act Two
All the family are siting at table.
Jason: You're working very hard, sweetheart.
Carol: Yeah, I just wanna get it right, you know, so it's like a best article they've ever got.
Mike: I don't think so. Mom says Mike can make three more comments on you during dinner.
Jason: Probably that was the last one. Right, Mike?
Mike: Why? Yes, Father.
Carol: Anyway, tomorrow is the moment of truth.
Tomorrow, Mr. Simmonds reads all the articles, and decides who gets the job.
Jason: Oh, no, no, not Simmonds.
Maggie: Why? Who's Simmonds?
Jason: That's the teacher who locked the kid in the closet for not finishing the homework.
Maggie: I don't think there's anything to worry about.
Just do the best you can. I'm sure he'll be impressed.
Carol: This is so exciting. Maybe I get the job. Maybe I don't. But I'll never find out unless I try my best and give it my all. Mom, do you think you can read my article tonight and tell me what you think?
Maggie: Well, I'll be happy to, honey.
Carol: You'll be honest?
Maggie: Very honest.
Carol: Well, I know. I am probably just worrying too much. But have you ever wanted something so much that you could feel it with your entire body?
【小题1】Fido is the other name of ________.

A．Maggie	B．Mike
C．Jason	D．Carol

【小题2】From the dialogue we can learn that Mike________.

A．makes no comments on his sister's paper

B．thinks highly of his sister's paper

C．is laughing at his sister

D．is praising his sister

【小题3】Why doesn't Jason like Simmonds?

A．Because Simmonds is not good at teaching.

B．Because Simmonds is hard on students.

C．Because Jason does not know the teacher.

D．Because Jason is not honest.

【小题4】Carol asks her mother to read her article to ________.

A．make an honest comment

B．learn what the activity for Mike

C．set a good example for Mike

D．make the teacher impressed