Greece today is a small country in southeastern Europe. The population is about nine million, and the capital city is Athens. High mountains with rich, fertile land between them cover northern Greece. The hilly southern part is a peninsula called the Peloponnesus. Hundreds of islands surround the mainland. The largest island is Crete. No part of the nation is far from water. The Ionian Sea and the Aegean Sea _ deep bays and gulfs into the long coastline. Greece has been a seafaring nation for centuries, and Greece is very well known for its shipping industry. More than three thousand years ago, the Greek people developed a very sophisticated society. They have a great civilization, one of the greatest that the Western would have ever seen. Greek architecture, thinking and art influenced other languages, including English. For example, the English words alphabet, democracy, and arithmetic come from Greek. Today Greece is one of the most popular nations with the tourists who visit Europe. Thousands of people are attracted to the country because of its beautiful scenery, magnificent ancient buildings, and its excellent summer weather. We may conclude that most of the food is grown in the   _  . A) north B) east C) south D) west
A


When people think of the unique characteristics of Beijing the hutong style always comes to mind.It is no exaggeration  to say within hutong lives the city's history. The word hutong was borrowed from the Mongolian word to mean "water well" about 700 years ago.Later it referred to a place where people live.Hutong we see today are made up of small lanes formed by walls of siheyuan.They were built during the Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties. When the People's Republic of China was founded in 1949, there were more than 3,000 hutong.Most of the city's population lived in this traditional housing.But with the modernization of the city in the 1980s and early 1990s, many hutong were pulled down to build roads, skyscrapers and modern houses. The government has recognized the importance of hutong to Chinese cultural heritage .In 2002, Beijing listed 40 protected historical zones and increased its efforts to restore some key relics and older streets in the city.Nearly 500 hutong have survived. Hutong that still exist are like oases  of calm surrounded by the noisy city.Walking through them, it's common to see groups of elderly citizens sitting together playing cards, mahjong or Chinese chess.In the early mornings and evenings, they gather to practice traditional forms of exercise such as taijiquan as well as dancing and singing folk songs or Peking Opera.Hutong have become a museum of Beijing's folk customs and history. What is the original meaning of the word hutong? A) Small lanes. B) Water well. C) Siheyuan. D) A traditional house.
B


Q: The fictional Chinese-American detective Charlie Chan was the subject of popular books and movies for many decades. In recent years, however, the character has been criticized as an ill image of Asian-Americans. Yunte Huang, an English professor at the University of California, says that's not the case. He has been exploring the character and real-life policeman who inspired him. Charlie Chan has been a familiar character to readers and film-goers, beginning in the 1920s. The detective solved crimes around the world in more than 40 films through the 1940s, and with the invention of television, found a new audience in the 1950s and 1960s. Huang discovered Charlie Chan through books by American author Earl Derr Biggers, who created the character. "One day, I happened to find two Charlie Chan novels. At that point I thought I knew that he was a negative character against Asians, but when I read the book," he says, "I was immediately attracted. Ever since then, I've been a fan of Charlie Chan." As a fan of the books and films, Huang was surprised to learn that Charlie Chan was based on a real detective named Chang Apana, who was born to Chinese parents in Hawaii around 1871. Apana worked as a cowboy, and joined the Honolulu police force in 1898. "He almost immediately became a local legend because as a former cowboy," says Huang, "he would walk the most dangerous areas in Chinatown carrying a bullwhip instead of a gun. He didn't need that." Although some say the image of Charlie Chan, with his broken English, is embarrassing for Asian-Americans, Huang believes Chan's broken English and unusual ancient sayings were part of his charm . "Let me just quote a few - 'Actions speak louder than French,' or 'Mind like parachute  . Only function when open.' Charlie Chan always owes these instructive sayings to Confucius' eastern wisdom. For Huang, the fictional Charlie Chan is highly entertaining, while the real-life policeman, Chang Apana, is a Chinese-American success, whose story is worth telling. It can be inferred from the passage that   _  . A) American author Earl Derr Biggers gave an ill picture of Asian-Americans B) Yunte Huang believes Charlie Chan represents Asian wisdom in some way C) Chan's story was more popular with TV audience than readers and film-goers D) Charlie Chan became an ill image of Asian-Americans when it first appeared.
A: B


What kind of life do you want? And what would you do if you were born with an illness like Cystic Fibrosis  ?Charley was such a man.He was born with Cystic Fibrosis, a serious disease of the muscles.Without properly functioning muscles, eventually you're unable to breathe.However, Charley was fortunate to have many care- givers, including his wife who helped him a lot.He became an engineer and helped plan structures that would allow streets and buildings to give better access to the disabled.Charley couldn't live without a wheelchair, and could only use one hand to move it.His speech was also difficult to understand.However, Charley had a sharp mind.He could see, hear, use a few fingers and think, and that was enough to allow him to make an important contribution to his city.He made those around him more aware of their physical health. In the movie JackandJillvs.theWorld, Jill is a 25-year-old girl who has just arrived in New York City.She has Cystic Fibrosis, but she doesn't let it control her life.She's happy, in fact! She meets a young man, Jack, and changes his life forever.One day she has to tell him about her illness.He's angry and disappointed, but later he realizes that it's their relationship that matters.They decide to be together, and live as happily as possible. Charley's story is true.Jack and Jill's story is made up.How do you want to live your life? Use your imagination, and enjoy your life and all its wonders.Create your picture of a happy life. From the passage, we can infer that   _  . A) health is the origin of happiness B) the attitude to life decides your happiness C) Cystic Fibrosis a serious disease of the muscles D) Charley's story is made up

B