1n 2007．five young people in the American state of Massachusetts developed an idea.The team knew that the world is filled with mobile phones．About eighty percent of all people are said to live within reach ofa wireless telephone signal．
The idea was to use mobile phones and the Internet to connect job seekers with employers．The young people wrote a business plan and formed a company called Assured Labor．
Assured Labor won a development competition at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
(MIT)．Three of the founders were graduate students there．
Assured Labo ris an electronic market place．It has two parts．One is for；the Unied States．That operation was launched in January in Boston．It links pe'ople with employeis offering temporary jobs．
The other arm of the business is for developing markets．That operation is
meant to help people get mbfe permanent jobs．A representative is currently building partnerships with universities，and international compaines in Central America.
Assured Labor’s presidenL David Reich，says the companies now place job advertisements on radio or in newspapers．Some even drive around in cars with loudspeakers announcing that jobs are available．He says the companies are interested．in having more modem hiring practices．
Through Assured Labpr,companies will list open positions on the Internet．People who think
they could do the job could reply by text messags or on their cellphones．
This is how the system works in Boston.
The jobs available include house cleaning．dog walking and home repai.People who want their house cleaned，for example，can look online at a list of twenty housekeepers．The list tells what services．they offer，and how much they want to be paid．People need two letters praising their work to get on the list of service providers．
The employer chooses workers they would like jto hire ,The company then sends the workers a text or e-mail message so they can respond quickly to an offer．
After a job is completed，the employer and employee rate each other, The rating is kept for future use．Assured Labor is not charging anyone，right now,but the plan is to have employers pay for the service．
61．Assured Labour is founded by
A．David Reich B．five young people in Massachusetts
C an uknown expert D．three graduate students fromMIT
62．what kinds ofjobs does Assured Labor offer?
A．Temporary jobs． B．Permanent jobs．
C.Free jobs D, BothA and B·
63
．Which is NOT one of the means for Assured。Labor to advertise jobsavailable?'
A．Radio B．Newspapers C．TV programmes D．Cars with loudspeakers
64．Which of the following is the proper procedure to seek a job through Assured Labor?
a. People can look online at a list of jobs
b．Companies will list open positions on the Internet．
c．The company sends the workers a text or e-mail message．
d．The workers can respond to an offer．
e．The employer'chooses workers they would like to hire．
A．acdbe B．baecd C．bedae D．abdea
65．What can be inferred from the passage?
A．The present hiring practices need to be improved．
B．Employers don’t need to pay Assured Labour．
C．Universities also join Assured Labor for financial help
D. Assured Labor only offers household jobs．
66．Which of the following can be the best title of the passage?
A．An Electronic MarketPlace
B. Mobile Phones and Markets
C. Getting Into Job Market by Mobile Phone
D .Job Seekers and Markets
At one time, people used to travel to foreign countries because they thought the building, the food, the national dress there would be different from home. Nowadays, however, one large city is very like another. They all have their Hilton or Sheraton Hotels which look like Hilton or Sheraton Hotels everywhere. They all have their McDonald’s, their KFCs, their Pizza Huts. Office buildings look the same everywhere, and most city centers are full of office buildings. And, of course, people are driving the same brands of Japanese or European cars, usually wearing the same kinds of clothing and watching the same American movies and TV shows. Airports are the same everywhere and the world’s airlines are all flying the same aircraft, Boeings or Airbuses.
What, therefore, is the purpose of foreign travel for people who are not on business? What do tourists hope to experience in a foreign country that they cannot experience at home? Why do they travel to foreign countries at all? The answer could be that people are very interested in the past. It is a nation’s history that is its main attraction. Most of today’s tourists travel overseas to find out what foreign countries and cultures used to be like, not what they are like today. The words “cultural tourism” are now part of the language of tourism, and it is the museums and works of art in many countries that are their main attractions.
If they are lucky many countries also usually have at least a few beautiful places for tourists to visit.
Finally there is perhaps a nation’s greatest attraction: its people. A nation is not just its historical buildings, its works of art or beautiful places, and it is also the people who live in it. This is why a country such as Thailand attracts millions of people every year. They come mainly because of the friendliness of the Thai people, and it is why the Pacific Islands are also so popular. There may not be much to see or do in Fiji, but there are lots of friendly, smiling people to make visitors feel welcome.The passage is mainly about __________.
| A．the importance of tourism | B．different foreign cultures |
| C．how to plan an overseas trip | D．why people travel to foreign countries |
The writer thinks that large cities in foreign countries __________.
| A．are similar to one another | B．share the same aircraft |
| C．do not have good hotels | D．do not offer a warm service to foreigners |
The writer believes that many tourists are interested in foreign ________.
| A．hotels | B．history | C．cars | D．programs |
Catherine Destivelle is a rock star. She loves rock, but she can’t sing or play the guitar! She is a rock climber and a big star in France and Italy. She is the most famous woman climber in the world because she often climbs without ropes. She climbs in many countries but most often in the French Alps near Chamonix, where she lives. She started climbing near her home in Paris when she was five. Then, at fourteen, she joined the French Alpine Club to learn more, but immediately she climbed better and more quickly than the older members of the club. She won her first competition in Italy in 1995.
Three years ago she found a new route up the Dru Mountain near Chamonix. The climb took eleven days and for four days the snow was so heavy that she could not move. Last year other climbers tried to follow the new Destivelle Route, but they failed. They are going to try again this year.
People always ask her about her climbing. She says, “I climb because I’m in love with mountains. I like touching the rock and reading the face of the rock. I like it a lot. I felt at home on the side of a mountain. I prepare well before I go, so I’m never worried.”
Catherine chooses new mountains from books—like buying from a shopping catalogue(目录)! “I see a nice mountain and I go to climb it!” Her next mountain is in Pakistan. She is going there next month. “It’s much bigger than the Dru, so it’s going to take longer to climb. An American climber, Jeff Lowe, is coming with me to help.”Catherine Destivelle is called ‘a star’ because ________.
| A．she won a competition in 1995 | B．she loves rocks |
| C．she’s a famous woman climber | D．she found a new route up to the Dru Mountain |
She had great trouble finding a new route up the Dru Mountain because _______.
| A．she lost her way | B．the climb took 11 days |
| C．she needed help from an American climber | D．there was heavy snow |
On the side of a mountain she feels _______.
| A．independent | B．easy and happy | C．energetic and challenged | D．nervous |
We can infer from the passage people often ask her “________”.
| A．Why do you like climbing? | B．Are you in love with an American climber? |
| C．Do you enjoy reading books on mountains? | D．What do you do before you go climbing? |
Britain’s oldest man made his first visit to London yesterday at the age of 101. Mr John Evans, who spent 60 years working as a miner in South Wales, had never found the time or money to make the trip from his home in Forest–fach, near Swansea. “There was a trip to the White City, but it was ten shillings’ return from Swansea—too much I thought. All my money went to the family then,” he said. But when British Rail offered him an all–expense–paid birthday gift to the capital, he just could not refuse.
He arrived at Paddington Station in his best suit, favorite Panama hat and a red rose in his buttonhole. “It’s very exciting. There’s no doubt about it,” he said.
Until yesterday he had never been far from home. “But I’ve been on the seas to that faraway land called Fracombe 21 miles from home,” he joked. During the next two days Mr Evans will be taken on a short tour of London to see the sights. Top of his list is a visit to the House of Parliament.
The only arrangement he does not like is the wheelchair provided for him if he gets tired. “I don’t like the chair—people will think I am getting old,” he said. His secret for a long and healthy life has been well publicized—no wine, no tobacco and no anger.
Before setting off from Swansea with his 76–year–old son, he said jokingly, “I’m glad to see they’ve given me a return ticket.”Mr. Evans didn’t go to see the world because he .
| A．had already been on the seas to Fracombe | B．was too busy to go too far away from home |
| C．couldn’t afford both the time and money | D．believed “East or west, home is the best” |
Mr Evans didn’t like the wheelchair because .
| A．he was not used to traveling in it |
| B．the wheelchair was not easy to operate |
| C．he preferred walking to sitting in it at home |
| D．he thought he was still young enough to manage the trip |
The probable explanation to Mr Evans’ long life lies in .
| A．his good living habits | B．his hard working for the family |
| C．his sticking to his hometown | D．his living conditions near the Swansea |
In the US and Britain, the slogan around colleges was “Save water. Shower with a friend.” Now, Wuhan University has come up with another system for the campus bathhouse. It charges students for the amount of time in a shower. Before entering the bathhouse, students pay for the amount of time they want in the shower with cash or their student ID card. The clock starts ticking the minute the tape is turned on. It pauses when a button is pressed for soap. An integrated circuit (IC) card reader at each tap shows the time. No money, no water. The benefits of the new system can be seen with the old system, which charged 1 Yuan for each person regardless of time in the shower. The university used about 320 tons of water daily under the old system, but only 160 tons now.
Many students use the new system but opinions on it are divided. Some students say it is bad because bathing had become a sort of race. Many people using it for the first time are not sure how long they need to shower. Some might be embarrassed if their time is up and they’re still covered in soap. They have to ask the bathhouse worker to help them buy extra time.
“It’s a flaw in the system that you can not buy extra time on the ID card,” said Ren, a freshman in Wuhan University. The university is also considering some students’ suggestions that they be allowed to pay after they’ve finished the shower. Not surprisingly, some are complaining about losing the hour shower. But many students say the move helps them develop a water-saving sense.
Without the time limits, most students tended to shower for 30 to an hour in the bathhouse.
Some even used the hot water to wash their clothes. “In my experience, 10—20 minutes is enough,” said Dai Zhihua, a third-year student who usually takes 8 minutes.
A similar system has been installed in other universities. Shanghai Normal University introduced it at its Fengxiang Campus in September. The bathing fee there is 0.2 Yuan per minute. One male student responded by setting a record with a two-minute shower.According to the passage, which of the following is NOT true?
| A．Students pay for the amount of time they want in the shower. |
| B．The clock times all through while the student is bathing except when the bather paused for soap. |
| C．If money runs out, there will be no water. |
| D．Having finished bathing, the student has to pay for it. |
The underline word “flaw” (Paragraph 3) most probably means __________.
| A．fault | B．advantage | C．pity | D．perfection |
Since the new system has performed, __________ of water can be saved.
| A．a quarter | B．one third | C．one half | D．two thirds |
It can be inferred from the passage that __________.
| A．The new operation can raise students’ environmental awareness. |
| B．the new operation can solve the water crisis. |
| C．a similar operation has been set in other universities. |
| D．The university has saved a lot of water by using the new system. |
In which column can you find this passage?
| A．People. | B．Society. | C．Campus Life. | D．Lifestyle. |
Five years ago, David Smith wore an expensive suit to work every day. “I was a clothes addict,” he jokes. “I used to carry a fresh suit to work with me so I could change if my clothes got wrinkled.” Today David wears casual clothes—khaki pants and sports shirt—to the office. He hardly ever wears a necktie. “I’m working harder than ever,” David says, “and I need to feel comfortable.”
More and more companies are allowing their office workers to wear casual clothes to work. In the United States, the change from formal to casual office wear has been gradual. In the early 1990s, many companies allowed their employees to wear casual clothes on Friday, but only on Friday. This became known as “dress-down Friday” or “casual Friday”. “What started out as an extra one-day-a-week benefit for employees has really become an everyday thing.” said business consultant Maisly Jones.
Why have so many companies started allowing their employees to wear casual clothes? One reason is that it’s easier for a company to attract new employees if it has a casual dress code. “A lot of young people don’t want to dress up for work,” says the owner of a software company, “so it’s hard to hire people if you have a conservative dress code.” Another reason is that people seem happier and more productive when they are wearing comfortable clothes. In a study conducted by Levi Strauss Company, 85 percent of employers said that they believe that casual dress improves employee morale（士气）. Only 4 percent of employers said that casual dress has a negative effecton productivity. Supporters of casual office wear also argue that a casual dress code helps them save money. “Suits are expensive, if you have to wear one every day,” one person said. “For the same amount of money, you can buy a lot more casual clothes.”David Smith refers to himself as having been “a clothes addict,” because _____
| A．he often wore khaki pants and a sports shirt |
| B．he couldn’t stand a clean appearance |
| C．he wanted his clothes to look neat all the time |
| D．he didn’t want to spend much money on clothes |
David Smith wears casual clothes now, because __________.
| A．they make him feel at ease when working |
| B．he cannot afford to buy expensive clothes |
| C．he looks handsome in casual clothes |
| D．he no longer works for any company |
According to this passage, which of the following statements is FALSE?
| A．Many employees don’t like a conservative dress code. |
| B．Comfortable clothes make employees more productive. |
| C．A casual clothes code is welcomed by young employees. |
| D．All the employers in the U.S. are for casual office wear. |
According to this passage, which of the following statements is TRUE?
| A．Company workers started to dress down about twenty years ago. |
| B．Dress-down has become an everyday phenomenon since the early 1990s. |
| C．“Dress-down Friday” was first given as a favor from employers. |
| D．Many workers want to wear casual clothes to impress people. |
In this passage, the following advantages of casual office wear are mentioned except
| A．saving employees’ money | B．making employees more attractive |
| C．improving employees’ motivation | D．making employees happier |
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