With the support of our readers, China Today has become successful in helping¹ the world learn about China, and has built a bridge of friendship between the people of China and the rest of the world.

Every day we receive many letters from our readers expressing their admiration² for China, their appreciation³ of our work, and suggestions for improving the quality of the magazine. Some letters are published in “Postbag” while others are kept for reference⁴.

Many readers have suggested contests to develop closer contact (联系) between readers and editors. We held a History and Tourism Contest in 1995 and a China Travel Contest in 1996. We received warm responses to both.

This year, China Today is holding a Reading Contest. Questions, chosen from articles published this year, will appear every three issues⁶ (期). Entrants (参赛者) must mail their answers before January 31, 1999. Fifty entries (参加) with correct answers to all the questions will be selected as prize winners. All the winners will be named in the April 1999 issue⁵. Please address your entries to:

Mr. Kang Jing

China Today

24 Baiwanzhuang Road

Beijing, China, 100037

Fax: 0086 － 010 － 68238338

The First Three Questions:

1. What was Shanghai’s GDP in 1996?

2. How much of the Chinese population still lacks enough food and clothing?

3. When was the law on the Organization of the Villager Committees⁷ of the People’s Republic of China passed?

Please do not post your answers right away, but wait until all the questions have been published.

1. If you are going to be an entrant, how many ways can you send your entries to China Today?

A. It’s not clear. 　　　　　　　　　　B. Only one.

C. No less than two. 　　　　　　　　　 D. At least three.

2. According⁸ to the passage, we can draw a conclusion that ____.

A. fifty people who answer all the questions correctly may see their names in the April 1999 issue

B. all the people who answer the three questions correctly may see their names in the April 1999 issue

C. all the people who answer all the questions correctly must win prizes

D. all the people who answer the three questions correctly can win prizes

3. Supposing China Today is a monthly⁹, this one in which there are the first three questions can be ____

A. the January 1995 issue 　　　　　　　　　　　B. the January 1999 issue

C. the May 1997 issue 　　　　　　　　　　　　　D. the March 1998 issue

4. How did the editors deal with the letters from the readers?

A. They put some letters in a big postbag for reference.

B. They published some letters in the column¹⁰ “Postbag” and kept the rest for reference.

C. They looked up some information in the letters and then published a “Postbag”.

D. They did nothing but keep all the letters for reference.

KEY: 1－4 C A D B