I have had just about enough of being treated like a second-class citizen, simply because I happen to be that unfairly treated member of society --- a customer. The more I go into shops and hotels, banks and post offices, railway stations, airports and the like, the more I am convinced the things are being run solely to suit the firm, the system, or the union. There seems to be a deceptive (欺骗的) new motto for so-called “service” organizations --- Staff Before Service.
How often, for example, have you queued for what seems like hours at the Post Office or the supermarket because there were not enough staff on duty to man all the service grilles or checkout counters? Surely in these days of high unemployment it must be possible to hire cashiers and counter staff. Yet supermarkets, hinting darkly at higher prices, claim that uncovering all their cash registers at any one time would increase operating costs. And the Post Office says we cannot expect all their service grilles to be occupied “at times when demand is low”.
It is the same with hotels. Because waiters and kitchen staff must finish when it suits them, dining rooms close earlier or menu choice is cut short. As for us guests, we just have to put up with it. There is also the nonsense of so many friendly hotel night porters having been thrown out of their jobs in the interests of “efficiency” and replaced by coin-eating machines which offer everything from lager to laxatives (从贮藏啤酒到通便剂). Not to mention the tea-making kit in your room: a kettle with a mixed collection of tea bags, plastic milk boxes and lump sugar. Who wants to wake up to a raw teabag? I do not, especially when I am paying for “service”.
Can it be stopped, this worsening of service, this growing attitude that the customer is always a bore? I angrily hope so because it is happening, sadly, in all walks of life.
Our only hope is to hammer home our anger whenever and wherever we can and, if all else fails, bring back into practice that other, older slogan --- Take Our Deal Elsewhere.The writer feels that nowadays customers __________.
| A．deserve the lowest status in society |
| B．are unworthy of proper consideration |
| C．have received high quality service |
| D．have become victims of modern organizations |
The writer argues that the quality of service is changing because __________.
| A．customers’ demands have greatly changed |
| B．the staff receive more consideration than customers |
| C．customers’ needs have become more complex |
| D．staff members are less considerate than their employers |
According to the writer, long queues at counters are caused by __________.
| A．not having enough male staff on duty |
| B．difficulties in hiring more efficient staff |
C．lack of coop eration between staff members |
| D．not providing enough staff on purpose to reduce budget |
The writer suggests that a customer __________.
| A．be patient when queuing before checkout counters |
B．put up with the rude man ners of the staff |
| C．try to control his temper when ill-treated |
| D．go to other places where good service is available |
As Internet users become more dependent on the Internet to store information, are people remembering less? If you know your computer will save information, why store it in your own personal memory, your brain? Experts are wondering if the Internet is changing what we remember and how.
In a recent study, Professor Betsy Sparrow conducted some experiments. She and her research team wanted to know the Internet is changing memory. In the first experiment, they gave people 40 unimportant facts to type into a computer. The first group of people understood that the computer would save the information. The second group understood that the computer would not save it. Later, the second group remembered the information better. People in the first group knew they could find the information again, so they did not try to remember it.
In another experiment, the researchers gave people facts to remember, and told them where to find the information on the computer. The information was in a specific computer folder (文件夹). Surprisingly, people later remember the folder location (位置) better than the facts. When people use the Internet, they do not remember the information. Rather, they remember how to find it. This is called "transactive memory (交互记忆)"
According to Sparrow, we are not becoming people with poor memories as a result of the Internet. Instead, computer users are developing stronger transactive memories; that is, people are learning how to organize huge quantities of information so that they are able to access(获取) it at a later date. This doesn't mean we are becoming either more or less intelligent, but there is no doubt that the way we use memory is changing.The passage begins with two questions to ______.
| A．introduce the main topic |
| B．show the author's altitude |
| C．describe how to use the Interne. |
| D．explain how to store information |
What can we learn about the first experiment?
| A．Sparrow's team typed the information into a computer. |
| B．The two groups remembered the information equally well. |
| C．The first group did not try to remember the formation. |
| D．The second group did not understand the information. |
In transactive memory, people ______.
| A．keep the information in mind |
| B．change the quantity of information |
| C．remember how to find the information |
| D．organize information like a computer |
What is the effect of the Internet according to Sparrow's research?
| A．We are becoming more intelligent. |
| B．We are using memory differently. |
| C．We have poorer memories than before. |
| D．We need a better way to get information. |
Kids Wall Art
Large wall posters for kids. Your kids will love these cool posters by artist Carla Daly. Your kids will enjoy decorating their bedroom walls with these posters and their friends will think they are the coolest!
| Name: ABC Wall Art Size: 44×72cm (17.5″×28″) Time: 9:00 am every day Prices: $ 6.8/piece Colorful ABC art for your kids’ bedroom and playroom. A fun, educational art piece that all kids will enjoy. Kids and babies will love learning their animals and the ABC at the same time! |
| Name: Kids World Map Size: 45×75cm (17.5″×29.5″) Time: 2:00 pm on Wednesday Prices: $ 7.2/piece A colorful, large print by artist Carla Daly. Your kids will love this world map showing the lands, oceans and the fun animals that live in them. An educational map that will keep your kids happy for hours! |
| Name: Skateboard Park Size: 44×60cm (17.5″×23.5″) Time: 9:00 am on weekends Prices: $ 8.8/piece Fun zebra children’s wall art! Children and kids will love these fun animals enjoying this popular kids’ sport. Boys and girls will enjoy decorating their bedroom walls with this colorful bedroom wall art. |
| Name: City Slickers(城市佬) Size: 44×55cm(17.5″×23.5″) Time: 2:00 pm every day except Friday Prices: $ 6.5/piece Cute kids wall art of two cool giraffes taking a drive through the city, unusual, fun style for kids’ walls! Your kids will love this fun giraffe wall art. Boys and girls will have fun decorating their bedroom walls with this colorful bedroom wall art. |
Jane, who would like to buy a poster with the size of 45×75cm, will probably buy ________.
| A．ABC Wall Art | B．Kids World Map |
| C．Skateboard Park | D．City Slickers |
David plans to buy two posters. He should at least take ________ with him.
| A．$ 15.3. | B．$ 14. | C．$ 12. | D．$ 13.3. |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．Kids can find two cool giraffes on Skateboard Park. |
| B．Kids can just learn some English letters on ABC Wall Art. |
| C．Kids can enjoy fun zebra children’s wall art on City Slickers. |
| D．Kids can get some geography knowledge on Kids World Map. |
I’m a TV show host.One Sunday, I took my7-year-old daughter by the sea for lunch. On arriving at the beach, I saw JoJo, a wealthy man in the hotel business.We sat down to chat in an open air cafe while I watched my daughter enjoy herself on the swings in front of us.Our conversation varied from business to entertainment to the economy.
Suddenly our conversation was interrupted by a stranger, who politely asked permission to speak to me.Often people want to tell me something about my controversial TV show,whenI’m out on the streets.
He asked to speak to me privately, so we stood a bit away from my table.He said, “I’m James, 35 years old, father of a 7-year-old girl, who’s very sick. She needs treatment abroad.The doctors said that if she was treated in the UK, she would probably survive.But I’m poor, so can you please help me?”
Speechless, I stared in the man’s eyes full of tears and asked how I could help.After we talked for a while, I went to sit back at the table. JoJo asked me, “What’s wrong with you?Your
face changed.”I told him and he was very sorry for this family and said I had the means through the media to help him. Later we headed off to our destinations(目的地).
All weekend I thought about James, his daughter and his family.I even considered doing a special TV show to raise money for this sick child.
On Monday morning I was at the office after I finished presenting my show,when my secretary said a man needed to speak to me. It was JoJo. He walked into my office.Actually JoJo is so busy with his hotel business that I never imagined he had time to come and see me at the studios.
“Please, call the man with the sick child and tell him that I’ll pay all expenses for his sick daughter’s treatment.”JoJo said, with a check in his hand.“I’ve been married for 35 years. I wasn’t lucky enough to have a child. I want to help this child now.”I picked up the phone to call James.
Now James’ daughter is well and living a normal life, so James and his wife are the happiest couple on earth. JoJo often visits her. I’m so happy that there are so many good people on this earth.The writer went to the beach to ______________.
| A．meet JoJo on purpose |
| B．make a TV show. |
| C．have lunch with his daughter |
| D．help James. |
James asked to speak privately to the writer rather than JoJo probably because __________.
| A．He didn’t know that JoJo was wealthy. |
| B．He thought a TV show host could help him through the media. |
| C．He believed that rich people were seldom willing to help others. |
| D．He knew that the writer was a warm-hearted TV show host. |
The writer was ________ when he heard that JoJo came to his office to see him.
| A．excited | B．disappointed |
| C．surprised | D．annoyed |
Which is True according to the story?
| A．The writer was cold-hearted and refused to give help. |
| B．It was very impolite of James to ask the writer for help. |
| C．Both James and the writer were bad-tempered.. |
| D．JoJo was full of love and was willing to help the James. |
Frank Lloyd Wright is often called the father of American modern architecture．He designed buildings and homes across the United States for more than 70 years．He created most of his works from 1900 through the 1950s，but his open-living spaces and imaginative designs still appear very modern today．
Last week，the United States nominated(提名)10 of his buildings for the UN Educational，Scientific，and Cultural Organization—or UNESCO—the World Heritage List．The World Heritage List recognizes the most，important cultural and natural sites worldwide．
The 10 buildings，titled．“Key Works of Modern Architecture by Frank Lloyd Wright，”were built between 1906 and 1969．They include several of his personal homes and studios，churches，government buildings，private residences，and one very famous museum—New York City’s Guggenheim Museum．
The Solomon R．Guggenheim Museum is one of the most visited sites in New York City．About one million people visit it every year．Frank Lloyd Wright worked on it from 1943 to 1959．It was designed to create a new type of space for new types of art．The museum remains an international symbol of modern architecture that represents Wright’s unique design．
Many of Mr．Wright’s modern buildings and homes in the U．S．Midwest have also become symbols of modern American architecture．Richard Longstreth is the president of the Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy．He calls Mr．Wrisht“the father of modern architecture，fundamentally redefining the nature of form and space during the early 20th century that would have enduring impacts of modern architecture worldwide．”
The UNESCO World Heritage Committee will announce its decision in mid-2016．If Frank Lloyd Wright’s 10 buildings were chosen for the list，they would be the first World Heritage listings for modem U．S．architecture．The World Heritage List already includes 22 other American sites，including the Grand Canyon，Yellowstone National Park and the Statue of Liberty．We can learn from the passage that_____．
| A．Mr．Wright’s designs are out of style today |
| B．Mr．Wright’s designs have been widely recognized |
| C．Mr．Wright’s designs on modern buildings and homes are a failure |
| D．Mr．Wright is the owner of ten buildings |
Which of the following statements about Guggenheim Museum is true?
| A．It is a masterpiece showing Mr．Wright’s unique design. |
| B．It is a good example of traditional design． |
| C．It is the most famous site in New York City. |
| D．It is the symbol of New York City． |
In which section of the newspaper can you probably find this article?
| A．News | B．Science | C．Biography | D．Economy |
What’s the best title of the passage?
| A．Frank Lloyd Wright—the Father of American Modern Architecture |
| B．The World Heritage List—Cultural Collection Worldwide |
| C．Guggenheim Museum—International Symbol of modern Architecture |
| D．Frank Lloyd Wright’Buildings—On the way to World Heritage List |
Clive Roberts．a director at ELS Educational Services，says English tests are changing greatly in response to the global growth in the use of English as a lingua franca—the common language used among people with I different native languages．For that reason，a lot of new tests are being developed while old tests are being improved to meet the needs of universities and employers worldwide.
Changes in language testing
“A lot of tests are now delivered online，all four skills are being tested，in some cases，by computer，in particular speaking and writing skills，which are the most difficult to assess on a computer environment，”says Mr.Roberts.
Computer testing will reduce the length of time required for testing，because the tests adjust to the test-taker’s ability．These computer-adaptive tests also increase accuracy in scoring．Computer-a- daptive tests change depending on the test-taker’s responses．They can become more or less difficult during the testing session．For this reason，the set of correct answers will be different for each test-taker．
Cultural sensitivity
Another change to language testing relates to cultural sensitivity．The term refers to material on a test that is based on a certain culture or is hard for test-takers from different cultures to understand．
Mr．Roberts says test development companies are now hiring people with intercultural communication backgrounds to review test items．The companies want to make sure the test does not upset test-takers．
Proficiency(精通程度)in language
Changes to English proficiency tests make them better at measuring the learners’ability．However，Mr．Roberts says the changes may mean the tests are more difficult for some students．
“The tests have become more proficiency-oriented．The items are being designed in such a way that they test real-world proficiency and not simply sort of an artificial environment or a specific set of skills that are taught in a classroom．So a lot of authentic texts，a lot of authentic listening passages are being used．”
The changes mean students have to be able to understand English the way it is used in everyday life，not just in textbooks．Which of the following can best replace the underlined words“a lingua franca”in Paragraph l?
| A．a universal language | B．a second language |
| C．a native language | D．a mother tongue |
Which of the following is true about online English tests?
| A．Listening is more difficult to be tested online than speaking． |
| B．Online English tests need more time． |
| C．Online English tests make scoring more accurate． |
| D．Online English tests are more difficult． |
Why is proficiency stressed in language testing?
| A．To make the test more difficult． |
| B．To get learners to learn textbooks well． |
| C．To test learners’speaking ability． |
| D．To test learners’real ability to use the language． |
which words can best describe the new English tests?
| A．More accurate but easier． |
| B．Less practical but harder． |
| C．Better but harder． |
| D．Less popular but easier． |
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