President Coolidge’s statement, “The business of America is business,” still points to a very important truth today — that business organizations have more prestige (威望) in American society than any other kind of organization, including the government. Why do business institutions still possess this great prestige?
One reason is that Americans view business as being more firmly based on the idea of competition than other organizations in society. Since competition is seen as the main source of progress and development by most Americans, competitive business organizations are respected. Competition is not only good in itself; it is the means by which other basic American values, such as individual freedom, equality of opportunity, and hard work are protected.
Competition protects the individual freedom by making sure that there is no monopoly (垄断) of power. Compared with one and all-powerful government, many businesses compete against each other for benefit. If one business tries to take unfair advantage of its customers, it will lose to the competing business which treats its customers more fairly. Since there are many businesses competing for the customers’ dollars, they cannot afford to treat them unfairly and the customers would lose nothing.A contrast is often made between business, which is competitive, and government, which is a monopoly. Because business is competitive, many Americans believe that it gives more support for freedom than government, even though government leaders are elected by the people while business leaders are not. Many Americans believe that competition is as important, or even more important, as democracy in protecting freedom.
Competition in business is also believed to strengthen the idea of equal opportunities. Competition is seen as an open and fair race where success goes to any person regardless of his or her social class background. Competitive success is commonly seen as the American choice of the higher social position which is not based on one’s family background. Business is therefore viewed as an expression of the idea of equal opportunities.Which of the following is discussed as the main topic in the passage?
| A．Competition in America’s business. | B．Freedom in America’s business. |
| C．Americans’ different values. | D．Business against government. |
Americans believe that they can realize their personal values ______.
| A．when given equal opportunities |
| B．through doing business |
| C．by protecting their individual freedom |
| D．by means of competition |
Who can benefit from business competition?
| A．Businessmen who compete. |
| B．Customers of those businesses. |
| C．People with the idea of equality and freedom. |
| D．Both business organizations and government. |
It could be inferred from the passage that the author believes ______.
| A．business in other countries are not as competitive as those in the USA |
| B．business problems are very important to the American government |
| C．the competition in business plays a very important role in America |
| D．American business is the most powerful one in the whole world |
Shoppers throughout the West, wary(警惕的) of a double-dip recession（经济衰退）, are still pinching their pennies. However, Chinese consumers are opening their wallets—big time. According to McKinsey, shop sales in China have grown by 25 percent annually from 2007 to 2009. Consumer confidence is now at its highest point since 2007 and female shoppers are leading the way.
Chinese women saved just 24 percent of their income, compared with 55 percent in 2006, according to a recent study in Women of China Magazine. What’s more, three quarters of Chinese women say that they’re the ones who control the family purse strings .That means the nation’s 650 million women are an “emerging powerhouse within the powerhouse” of China.
In the 1950s women contributed just 20 percent of household income. That rose to about 40 percent in the 1990s and then reached 50 percent last year.
In a recent study of Chinese consumer behavior, McKinsey found that women tend to shop more frequently than men, and spend more on personal-care products and food. Men, by contrast, tend to spend more of their income on gadgets(小玩意) , drinks and alcohol, dining out, and socializing. They also tend to save for the bigger-ticket items, like cars and houses.
Chinese women make up an ever-growing small part of the market—up from 20 percent a decade ago to 50 percent last year. It’s estimated that in the next five years women will account for 55 percent of the $9 billion market. “The future is female,” concludes a January HSBC(汇丰银行) report on luxury goods(奢侈品) in China.
The Chinese Market Research Group recently found that women younger than 35 are the most optimistic segment(群体) in China. A very large 80 percent of the 3,500 women surveyed saying they’ll spend more in the second half of 2010 than they did in the first half. With trends like these, Chinese women may bring new meaning to the term “the power of the purse.”According to the passage, Chinese women _________.
| A．save more of their income than before |
| B．save less of their income than before |
| C．make as much money as men in the 1990s |
| D．spend half of their income on luxury goods |
The fourth paragraph mainly tells us that _________.
| A．women go shopping more frequently than men |
| B．women spent more on personal care products than men |
| C．men tend to save for the bigger-ticket items than women |
| D．Chinese women and men have different consuming behavior |
The underlined phrase in the first paragraph probably means_________.
| A．making more money in a careful way |
| B．wasting their money without hesitation |
| C．spending their money in a careful way |
| D．recovering the economy at a fast speed |
Which of the following might be the best title of the passage?
| A．Chinese Men Go Socializing | B．Chinese Women Go shopping |
| C．The Future Is Female | D．The Purse Is Powerful |
Why would an animal kill itself? It seems a strange question, and yet it is one that has made some scientists curious for a long time. For there is a kind of animal called lemming（旅鼠）, that periodically killed themselves together, and no one knows just why!
The small creatures which live in the Scandinavian mountains, feed on a diet of roots and special insects and live in nests they dig underground. When their food supply is large, the lemmings live a normal and undisturbed life.
However, when the lemmings’ food supply becomes too low to support the population, a singular migration（迁徙）begins. The lemmings leave their nests in groups. Great numbers of them begin to travel across the Scandinavian plains, a journey that may last weeks. The lemmings eat everything in their path, continuing their long march until they reach the sea.
The reason for what follows remains unbelievable to naturalists. Upon reaching the coast, the lemmings do not stop but swim by the thousands into the sea. Most stay afloat only a short time before they tire, sink and drown.
A common theory for this mass self-killing is that the lemmings do not realize that the ocean is such a huge body of water in their cross-country journey, the animals must cross many smaller bodies of water, such as rivers and small lakes. They may think that the sea is just another such swimmable path to go through. But no final answer has been found to the strange happening. The passage is mainly about______.
| A．how lemmings find food |
| B．why animals kill themselves |
| C．the lemmings’ self-killing |
| D．the food supply in the Scandinavian mountains |
A reason for the lemmings’ self-killing might be that they______.
| A．go mad from a lack of food |
| B．hope to find fish for food |
| C．decide to reduce the population |
| D．think they can cross the sea |
Why are scientists curious about the lemmings’ behavior?
| A．Because they are the only animals that live in Scandinavia. |
| B．Because it is very unusual for animals to kill themselves. |
| C．Because of the amount of food they can eat on their march to the sea. |
| D．Because they can gather together in such huge numbers. |
The underlined word “singular” means______.
| A．unusual | B．single | C．wonderful | D．common |
Cheating is nothing new. But today, education and administrations are finding that examples of academic dishonesty on the part of students have become more frequent--- and are less likely to be punished---than in the
past. Cheating appears to have gained acceptance among good and poor students alike.
Why is student cheating on the rise? No one really knows. Some blame the trend on a general loosening of moral values among today’s youth. Others have attributed(归因于) increased cheating to the fact that today’s youth are far more practical than their idealistic ancestors. Whereas in the late sixties and early seventies, students were filled with visions about changing the word, today’s students feel great pressure to survive and succeed. In interviews with students at high schools and colleges around the country, both young men and women said that cheating had become easy. Some suggested they did it out of hate for teachers they didn’t respect. Others looked at it as a game. Only if they were caught, some said, would they feel guilty. “People are competitive,” said a second-year college student named Anna, from Chicago. “There is an potential fear. If you don’t do well, your life is going to be ruined. The pressure is not only from parents and friends but from yourself. To achieve. To succeed. It’s almost as though we have to surpass people to achieve our own goals.
Edward Wynne, editor of a magazine blames the rise in academic dishonesty in the schools. He claims that administrators and teachers have been too hesitant to take action. Dwight Huber, chairman of the English Department at Amarillo sees the matter differently, blaming the rise in cheating on the way students evaluated. “I would cheat if I felt I was being cheated,” Mr. Huber said. He feels that as long as teachers give short-answer tests rather than essay questions and rate students by the number of facts they can memorize rather than by how well they can combine and process information, students will try to beat the system. “ The concept of cheating is based on the false belief that the system is legal and there is something wrong with the individual who’re doing it,” he said, “That’s too easy an answer. We’ve got to start looking at the system.” Educators are finding that students who cheat________.
| A．have poor academic records |
| B．use the information in late years |
| C．can be academically weak or strong |
| D．are more likely to be punished than before |
Which of the following statements reflects the information in the passage?
| A．The pressure students faced with is partly the reason causing the student cheating. |
| B．Only the educational system and administrators are to blame for the rise in the cheating. |
| C．The 1960s vision of changing the world helped students never make mistakes. |
| D．Punishment for cheaters has always been severe in this country. |
The phrase “the individuals” in Line 8, Para 3 refers to _________.
| A．students who practice cheating |
| B．parents who put pressure on their children. |
| C．school administrators who approve of short-answer tests. |
| D．teachers who are too hesitant to take actions against cheating. |
The author probably would agree with the point of view that _________.
| A．students who cheat should be driven out of school |
| B．parents alone must take responsibility for the rise in student cheating |
| C．the educational system is sound, and students must follow every rule |
| D．the educational system in this country would benefit from a thorough evaluation |
It's not about how much money you make, and it's not about who your daddy is. We're talking about being attractive in general, whether it's on a job interview or just gaining the respect of your colleagues . . .
Ask lots of questions
If you come across as a know-it-all (even if you really do know it all!), it really pushes people away. Rather, asking lots and lots of questions makes people feel like you care, you can be trusted.
Great body language
Your body language says a lot about you - it says whether you have confidence, or simply if you really care. Talking physically, it is one of the most important physical characteristics you need!
Stay busy
Always have something to do. Have you ever seen someone just sitting around, doing nothing? How unattractive. Always be busy with something, even if for some reason you have to make something up.
Show your pearly whites (or just smile)
Smile more, no matter how ugly your teeth are. I'm not kidding about this one. It's not all about the teeth. If you are smiling genuinely, you can draw everyone for 100 meters around to you.
Wear what fits
Wear clothing that fits you. For women, wearing tight pants or shirts is not attractive. Things that just fit you and your shape are the best but not tight. Wear things that fit you nicely, please . . . And for goodness sake, both sexes, stay away from logos and printed shirts! Most people you may ask do not find this attractive. Stop being some company's billboard(广告牌).
Be interested in other man
Be interested in the other person. Don't talk about. If you are truly interested in the person, it will come across. And if you want to talk about yourself, you'll find that putting the other person first actually opens him up to return the favor and ask you questions. See how fun this is?It is your ________ that makes you attractive.
| A．your family background |
| B．fashionable tight clothes |
| C．your appearance and your wealth |
| D．proper body language and behavior |
According to the author, if you ________, you can be trusted.
| A．always smile and show your pearly teeth |
| B．keep asking lots of questions |
| C．are interested in other people’s personal affairs |
| D．always wear clothes that fit you |
The purpose of staying busy is to ________.
| A．gain praises from your boss and colleagues |
| B．look attractive among people |
| C．show that you are interested in your job |
| D．get promoted in your company |
If you are going to a job interview, which of the following is a proper behavior?
| A．Wearing a shirt with printed logos |
| B．Keeping talking about your own experiences and talents |
| C．Staying still, not making any body language |
| D．Smiling truly toward the people you will meet |
Chinese writer Mo Yan has won the 2012 Nobel Prize in Literature, announced the Swedish Academy in Stockholm on Thursday．The win makes Mo Yan the first Chinese citizen to win the Nobel in its 111-year history．Informed of his win today, the author, who was having dinner at home, was “overjoyed and scared"．
Born in 1955 to parents who were farmers, Mo Yan－a pen name for Guan Moye, grew up in Gaomi in Shandong province in eastern China． At the age of 12, he left school to work, first in agriculture, later in a factory. In 1976, he joined the army and during this time began to study literature and writing．
He published his first book in 1981, but found literary success in 1987 with Hong Gaoliang Jiazu, which was successfully filmed in the same year, directed by famous Chinese director Zhang Yimou. In his writing, Mo Yan draws on his youthful experiences and on settings in the province of his birth and his works show the life of Chinese people as well as the country's unique culture and folk customs．Mo Yan is known as a prolific（多产的）writer．In addition to his novels, he has published many short stories and essays on various topics. Despite his social criticism, he is seen in his homeland as one of the most famous contemporary authors．Dozens of his works have been translated into English, French, Japanese and many other languages．
The awarding ceremony will be held on December 10．The winner will win a medal, a personal diploma and a cash award of about $l million．Mo Yan developed his ability for writing when he was _ .
| A．on a farm | B．in a factory | C．in the army | D．in a school |
One of Mo Yan's characteristics of writing is that he ________.
| A．explains difficult matters in simple words |
| B．focuses on social problems in the country |
| C．describes his characters in a unique way |
| D．writes about topics he is familiar with |
What's the best title for this passage?
| A．How Mo Yan Gets Nobel Prize |
| B．Mo Yan Wins Nobel Prize in Literature |
| C．An Introduction to Nobel Prize |
| D．A World Famous Writer, Mo Yan |
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