Sitting across from his teacher, Edgar Martinez repeated the word he couldn't quite pronounce: "situation"．The teacher, LisaMojsin, hired to help Martinez reduce his accent, said the word slowly; "Sit-chew-a-shun．" "I wish he had taught me this 20 years ago．" said Martinez, 37, who comes from Mexi
co and lives in Los Angeles．In private tutoring classes throughout the nation, immigrants are focused on sounding more American．
Accent reduction classes have been around for years, but experts say．"As our workforce becomes more and more global, these classes are becoming more and more popular．" Private tutors said they answer calls almost daily from students, when just a few years ago the phones rang only occasionally．Author Amy Gillett said that sales of her book and CD set, "Speak English Like an American", have increased three times in the last few years．Judy Ravin, President of the Accent Reduction Institute, said she has hundreds of students who follow her program, "Lose Your Accent in 28 Days"．
Though there is a general tolerance for diversity, experts said, reality has made some immigra
nts who sound different feel unwelcome．If someone speaks with an accent associated with an Asian language, they may work as engineers or computer scientists．If someone speaks with certain Spanish accents, people may think they are recent immigrants working in landscaping or the hospitality industry （招待性行业）．A French accent gives images of romance．An Australian accent brings to mind adventure and fun．
Accent reduction students said they are aware of how they sound and whether their accents limit their job opportunities or spoil their social lives．Jennie Lo, aged 43, said her accent has been an embarrassment．Sometimes people couldn't even understand her when she said her name．While in college in Oklahoma, Lo said she didn't make many friends, tearing that no one could make out her words．Lo is now taking accent reduction classes and hopes to apply for a manager position at work．"I just want to feel good about myself," she said．"If I really work hard, if I practice every day, I can't be perfect．But I can be bet
ter．"In the whole passage, the first paragraph serves as a（n） _____．
| A．introduction | B．comment |
| C．explanation | D．background |
What does the author want to express in the second paragraph?
| A．The effect that popular accent reduction classes have． |
| B．The fact that accent reduction classes become popular． |
| C．The steps how accent reduction classes become popular． |
| D．The reasons why accent reduction classes become popular． |
If someone speaks with certain Asian accents, people may think _____．
| A．they are romantic | B．they are hospitality workers |
| C．they are computer scientists | D．they love adventure and fun |
What is Jennie Lo's attitude towards her taking accent reduction classes?
| A．Confident． | B．Helpless． |
| C．Proud． | D．Anxious． |
The following is a recent survey among teenagers:
| Radio Most teenagers nowadays are not regular listeners to radio. They may occasionally tune in, but they do not try to listen to a program specifically. The main reason teenagers listen to the radio is for music, but now with online sites streaming music for free they do not bother, and users can choose the songs they want instead of listening to what the radio presenter/DJ chooses. Television Most teenagers watch television, but usually there are points in the year where they watch more than average. This is due to programs coming on in seasons, so they will watch a particular show at a certain time (as long as it lasts) but then they may watch no television for weeks. Teenagers are also watching less television because of services such as BBC iPlayer, which allows them to watch shows when they want. Whilst watching TV, adverts come on quite regularly (18 minutes of every hour) and teenagers do not want to watch these, so they switch to another channel, or do something else whilst the adverts run. Newspapers No teenager that I know of regularly reads a newspaper, as most do not have the time and cannot be bothered to read pages and pages of text while they could watch the news summarized on the Internet or on TV. Internet Every teenager has some access to the Internet, be it at school or home. Home use is mainly used for fun (such as social networking) whilst school (or library) use is for work. Most teenagers are heavily active on a combination of social networking sites. Facebook is the most common, with nearly everyone with an Internet connection registered and visiting >4 times a week. Facebook is popular as one can interact with friends on a wide scale. For searching the web, Google is the dominant figure, simply because it is well known and easy to use. Some teenagers make purchases on the Internet (on sites like eBay) but this is only used by a small percentage, as a credit card is required and most teenagers do not have credit cards. Many teenagers use YouTube to watch videos (usually anime which cannot be watched anywhere else) and some use it as a music player by having a video with the music they want to listen to playing in the background. Mobile Phones 99pc of teenagers have a mobile phone and most are q  uite capable phones. Usually, teenagers only use their phones for texting, calling. Features such as video messaging or video calling are not used—because they are expensive.Services such as instant messaging are used, but not by everyone. It usually depends whether the phone is Wi-Fi compatible, because otherwise it is very expensive to get Internet off the phone network. As most teenagers’ phones have Bluetooth support, and Bluetooth is free, they utilize this feature often. Mobile email is not used as teenagers have no need; they do not need to be connected to their inbox all the time as they don’t receive important emails. |
The survey carried out recently is mainly concerned with ______.
| A．how teenagers consume media |
| B．what electric devices teenagers favor |
| C．which new trend teenagers are following |
| D．how teenagers contact others and make their social net |
As is mentioned in the survey, the reason why teenagers watch less TV mainly lies in that ______.
| A．teenagers do not watch regular programs |
| B．all the TV programs are on for only a few weeks |
| C．teenagers may turn to other devices to watch their favorite |
| D．the TV adverts coming on every channel are just the same |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the survey?
| A．Radio presenter or DJ used to invite the listeners to choose the songs they want. |
| B．The main source for teenagers to get news is Internet as well as newspapers. |
| C．Google is the most common social networking sites due to its convenience. |
| D．Some features of modern mobile phones are not widely used by teenagers. |
John and Bobby joined a wholesale company together just after graduation from college the same year. Both worked very hard. After several years, however, the boss promoted Bobby to the position of manager but John remained an ordinary employee. John could not take it any more, tendered his resignation to the boss and complained the boss did not know how to delegate and did not value hard-working staff, but only promoted those who flattered him.
The boss knew that John worked very hard for the years. He thought a moment and said, “Thank you for your criticism, but I have a request. I hope you will do one more thing for our company before you leave. Perhaps you will change your decision and take back your resignation.”
John agreed. The boss asked him to go and 
find out anyone selling watermelon in the market. John went and returned soon. He said he had found out a man selling watermelon. The boss asked how much per kg. John shook his head and went back to the market to ask and returned to inform the boss $1.2 per kg.
Boss told John to wait a second, and he called Bobby to come to his office. He asked Bobby to go and find anyone selling watermelon in the market. Bobby went, returned and said, “Boss, only one person selling watermelon. $1.2 per kg, $10 for 10kg, he has inventory (清单) of 340 melons. On the table 58 melons, bought from the South two days ago, they are fresh and red, good quality.”
John was very impressed and realized the difference between himself and Bobby. He decided not to resign but to learn from Bobby.
Chances exist in
the daily details. For the same matter, a more successful person sees more and farther so that he can find out an opportunity and catch it to realize his aim. If a person sees one year ahead, while another sees only tomorrow. Then the difference between a year and a day is 365 times! Why did John decide to hand in his resignation to the boss?
| A．Because he couldn’t stand being an ordinary employee. |
| B．Because Bobby would take John’s former position. |
| C．Because the boss was not flattered by his hard work. |
| D．Because Bobby instead of him was promoted. |
What did the boss ask John to do?
| A．To go to market and find out whether there is someone selling watermelons. |
B．T o make a complete mar keting research on the various prices of watermelons. |
| C．To search for much information about the effective ways to sell watermelons. |
| D．To make a comparison on the prices of different types of watermelons. |
What sort of following information about watermelons was NOT brought by Bobby?
| A．The price. | B．The quality. |
| C．The quantity. | D．The weight. |
From the difference of John and Bobby, we may infer that a more successful person is more _____.
A. alert, sensitive and passionate
B. observant, thoughtful and exploratory
C. considerate, modest and satisfied
confident, noble and tolerant
Some teens believe drugs will help them think better, and be more popular. These days, drugs can be found everywhere. Many teens are tempted(诱惑) by the excitement or escape from reality that drugs seem to offer.
Drugs are chemicals that change the way our bodies work. When you put them into your body, drugs find their way in your blood and are taken to parts of your body, such as your brain.
The effects of drugs can be different depending on the kind of drug taken, how much is taken, how often it is used, how quickly it gets to the brain, and what other drugs or food are taken at the same time. Although drugs can make you feel good at first, they can finally do a lot of harm to the body.
There are many kinds of drugs available, and there are many reasons for trying them regularly. People take drugs just for pleasure they believe they can bring. Often it’s because someone told them that drugs would make them feel good or that they’d have a better time if they took them.
Many teens use drugs because they’re unhappy or think drugs will help them escape their problems. The truth is that drugs don’t solve problems—they simply hide feelings and problems. When a drug wears off, the feelings and problems remain, or became worse. Drugs can ruin every aspect of a person’s life.The main idea of the second paragraph is probably _________.
| A．how drugs work |
| B．what drugs are made of |
| C．that drugs can reduce physical pain |
| D．that drugs dull your senses |
People take drugs regularly _________.
| A．just for good health |
| B．because they can have a better life |
| C．just for pleasure |
| D．because they need them |
__________ cause teens to take drugs.
| A．Physical pain, escaping and fear |
| B．Escaping, excitement and unhappiness |
| C．Curiosity, fear and escaping |
| D．Excitement, unhappiness and their physical pain |
Which of the following is NOT true ?
| A．Drugs may be tempting to teens. |
| B．Drugs do harm to the body. |
| C．Drugs can solve people’s problems. |
| D．Drugs can make people happy. |
Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?
| A．Drugs: the Killer of People |
| B．Drugs: the Favorite of Teens |
| C．Drugs: What You Should Take |
| D．Drugs: What You Should Know |
Laptop（便携式电脑） computers are popular all over the world. People use them on trains and airplanes, in airports and hotels. These laptops connect people to their workplace. In the United States today, laptops also connect students to their classrooms.
Westlake College in Virginia will start a laptop computer program that allows students to do schoolwork anywhere they want. Within five years, each of the 1500 students at the college will receive a laptop. The laptops are part of a ＄10 million computer program at Westlake, a 110-year-old college. The students with laptops will also have access to the Internet. In addition, they will be able to use e-mail to “speak ” with their teachers, their classmates, and their families. however, the most important part of the laptop program is that students will be able to use computers without going to computer labs. They can work with it at home, in a fast-food restaurant or under the trees----anywhere at all!
Because of the many changes in computer technology, laptop use in higher education, such as colleges and universities, is workable. As laptops become more powerful, they become more similar to desktop computers. In addition, the portable （手提式）computers can connect students to not only the Internet, but also libraries and other resources. State higher-education officials are studying how laptops can help students. State officials are also testing laptop programs at other universities, too.
At Westlake College, more than 60 percent of the staff use computers. The laptops will allow all teachers to use computers in their lessons. As one Westlake teacher said, “Here we are in the middle of Virginia and were giving students a window on the world. They can see everything and do everything. The main purpose of the laptop program is to give each student a laptop to _______.
| A．use for their schoolwork | B．access the Internet |
| C．work at home | D．connect them to libraries |
Why is the word “speak ” in the second paragraph in quotation marks(引号)?
| A．They don’t really talk. | B．They use the computer language. |
| C．Laptops have speakers. | D．None of the above reasons is correct. |
Which of the following is True about Westlake College?
| A．All teachers use computers. | B．1,500 students have laptops. |
| C．It is an old college in America. | D．Students there can do everything. |
“A window on the world” in the last paragraph means that students can _______.
| A．attend lectures on information technology |
| B．travel around the world |
| C．get information from around the world |
| D．have free laptops |
What can we infer from the passage?
| A．The program is successful. | B．The program is not workable. |
| C．The program is too expensive. | D．We don’t know the result yet. |
Malaria, the world's most widespread parasitic (寄生虫引起的)disease, kills as many as three million people every year ---- almost all of whom are under five, very poor, and African. In most years, more than five hundred million cases of illness result from the disease, although exact numbers ar
e difficult to assess because many people don't (or can't) seek care. It is not unusual for a family earning less than two hundred dollars a year to spend a quarter of its income on malaria treatment, and what they often get no longer works. In countries like Tanzania, Mozambique, and the Gambia, no family, village, hospital, or workplace can remain unaffected for long.
Malaria starts suddenly, with violent chills, which are soon followed by an intense fever and, often, headaches. As the parasites multiply, they take over the entire body. Malaria parasites live by eating the red blood cells they infect (感染) .They can also attach themselves to blood vessels in the brain. If it doesn't kill you, malaria can happen again and again for years. The disease is passed on to humans by female mosquitoes infected with one of four species of a parasite. Together, the mosquito and the parasite are the most deadly couple in the history of the earth and one of the most successful. Malaria has five thousand genes, and its ability to change rapidly to defend itself and resist new drugs has made it nearly impossible to control. Studies show that mosquitoes are passing on the virus more frequently, and there are more outbreaks in cities with large populations. Some of the disease's spread is due to global warming.
For decades, the first-choice treatment for malaria parasites in Africa has been chloroquine, a chemical which is very cheap and easy to make. Unfortunately, in most parts of the world, malaria parasites have become resistant to it. Successful alternatives that help prevent resistance are already available, but they have been in short supply and are very expensive. If these drugs should fail, nobody knows what would come next. According to paragraph 1, many people don't seek care because ___________.
| A．they are too poor |
| B．it is unusual to seek care |
| C．they can remain unaffected for long |
| D．there are too many people suffering from the disease |
People suffering from malaria _____________.
| A．have to kill female mosquitoes | B．have ability to defend parasites |
| C．have their red blood cells infected | D．have sudden fever, followed by chills |
Which of the following may be the reason for the wide spread of the disease?
| A．Its resistance to global warming. |
| B．Its ability to pass on the virus frequently. |
| C．Its outbreaks in cities with large populations. |
| D．Its ability to defend itself and resist new drugs. |
It can be inferred from the passage that _____________.
| A．no drugs have been found to treat the disease |
| B．the alternative treatment is not easily available to most people |
| C．malaria has developed its ability to resist parasites |
| D．nobody knows what will be the drug to treat the disease |
Which of the following questions has NOT been discussed in the passage?
| A．How can we know one is suffering from malaria? |
| B．How many people are killed by malaria each year? |
| C．Why are there so many people suffering from malaria? |
| D．What has been done to keep people unaffected for long? |
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