A letter of reply is sometimes a most valuable thing． Here is a story telling about this common and natural human sentiment．
The busiest woman in Labrador during one bitter cold Christmas not very long ago, was an Australian nurse by the name of Kate Austen． But Nurse Austen was not too busy to acknowledge with a long, friendly letter every gift of food or clothing received for distribution to the natives in that cold and poor district of the north． Among the gifts was a box of knittings for children, knitted（编织）and sent by a woman in Toronto．
Nurse Austen was busy, exhausted and not feeling too well that winter．She could have written just ordinary routine notes of acknowledgement． But that was not her way． She sat down and wrote the woman in Toronto a real letter telling all about the village, and the names of the children who were wearing the knitted gloves and caps, and what they said, when they got them, and how they looked when they wore them．She wanted the woman who had knitted and sent all those lovely knittings "to see how much happiness and warmth she had created．" Not long after, she received the following answer from Canada．
Dear Miss Austen:
Your letter made me happy． I did not expect such a full return． I am eighty years old, and I am blind． There is little I can do except knit, and that is why I knit so many caps and sweaters and scarves．Of course I cannot write this, so my daughter-in-law is doing it for me．She also sewed the seams and made the button holes for the knitted things．
I know something of the work you are doing． At the age of nineteen I married a man who was going to China to be a missionary(传教士）． For forty years, with an occasional year at home in America, we Worked in China, and during that time our two sons and a daughter were born to us, of whom only one son survives．After forty years, my husband's health began to fail． We returned to the States where he took charge of a settlement house in Brooklyn, New York． A surprising number of the problems we faced there were similar to the problems we had met in China．When my husband died, I came to Toronto to live with my son and daughter-in-law． They are very good to me, and I pride myself that I am little trouble to them, though it is hard for a blind old lady to be sure of anything．
What I most want to say, my dear, is this． For sixty years I have been making up missionary packages of such clothing or food or medicine or books as I could collect． In various parts of the world and to various parts of the world I have sent them．Sometimes I have received a printed note of acknowledgement from the headquarters depot or mission board, sometimes nothing．Occasionally I have been informed that my contribution was planned for Syria or Armenia or the upper Yangtze．But never before in all that time have l had a personal letter picturing the village and telling me who is wearing the clothing and what they said．I did not suppose that ever in my lifetime I should receive a letter like that．
May God bless you．
Sincerely yours,
What did Nurse Austen do after receiving the gift?
| A．She wrote a letter telling all about her life. |
| B．She was too busy to write a note of acknowledgement. |
| C．She was not busy, exhausted or feeling too well that time. |
| D．She not only wrote a letter of thanks but told Laura more details. |
Which of the following is true_______________.
| A．Laura wrote the letter. |
| B．Laura made the button holes for the knitted things |
| C．Laura’s daughter-in-law sewed the seams and made the button holes for the knitted things． |
| D．Laura’s daughter-in-law knitted many caps and sweaters and scarves． |
We can learn from the passage EXCEPT that_____.
| A．For decades, Laura has been to many places of the world. |
| B．Laura sent contributions to people all over the world． |
| C．Laura was blind and brought trouble to her children. |
| D．Laura had never received such a personal letter as Miss Austen’s before. |
What would be the best title for the passage?
| A．Contributions make a big difference. |
| B．The Power of a sincere reply |
| C．The story of two women |
| D．Be grateful to others’ help |
Bernice Gallegos sat down one day this summer, as she does pretty much every day, and began listing items on eBay．She dug into a box and pulled out a baseball card．She stopped for a moment and admired the picture．“Red Stocking B．B．Club of Cincinnati,” the card read, under the reddish brown color photo of 10 men with their socks pulled up to their knees．
As a collector and seller, it's her job to spot old items that might have value today．It's what Bernice, 72, and her husband, Al Gallegos, 80, have been doing since 1974 at their California antique （古玩） store．
This card, she figured, was worth selling on eBay．She took a picture, wrote a description and put it up for auction （拍卖）．She put a $10 price tag on it, deciding against $15 because it would have cost her an extra 20 cents．Later that night she got a few odd inquiries—someone wanting to know whether the card was real, someone wanting her to end the auction and sell him the card immediately．
The card is actually 139 years old．Sports card collectors call the find "extremely rare" and estimate the card could fetch five, or perhaps, six figures at auction．
Just like that, Bernice is the least likely character ever for a rare-baseball card story．"I didn't even know baseball existed that far back," Gallegos says, "I don't think that I've ever been to a baseball game．" The theory is that the card came out of a storage space they bought a few years back．It is not uncommon in their line of work to buy the entire contents of storage units for around $200．
When she met with card trader Rick Mirigian, she found out what the card was—an 1869 advertisement with a picture of the first professional baseball team, the Cincinnati Red Stockings．
"When I came to meet her and she took it out of a sandwich bag and she was smoking a cigarette, I almost fainted," Mirigian says．"They've uncovered a piece of history that few people will ever be able to imagine．That card is history．It's like unearthing a Mona Lisa or a Picasso．"What can we conclude from Paragraph 3?
| A．Bernice had to pay some fees for her card on eBay． |
| B．Bernice wanted to end the auction that night． |
| C．Bernice decided to sell the card for $15． |
| D．eBay charged her 20 cents for the card． |
The underlined word "fetch" in Paragraph 4 most probably means "____"．
| A．go and bring | B．add up to | C．go down to | D．be sold for |
From the passage, we may learn that ____．
| A．Bernice is a baseball fan |
| B．Bernice is the last person to purchase the rare-baseball card |
| C．Bernice unexpectedly became the owner of the rare-baseball card |
| D．Bernice didn't realize the value of the card until she put it up for auction |
What would be the best title for the passage?
| A．A Surprisingly Valuable Discovery | B．Be mice Gallegos—A Lucky Collector |
| C．Sports Card Collectors | D．The History of the Baseball Card |
The Couch Surfing network is an online community stretching across the globe with over one and a half million members．The basic concept is to provide a platform for travelers to contact people who are willing to put them up free of charge．Travelers connect with potential hosts online and, if they like each other, exchange details to make further arrangements．
Basil is one traveler from Switzerland who is currently couch surfing with a Chinese host in Beijing．"I thought staying in hostel is nice but you mostly meet foreigners and speak English．If you use Couch Surfing you have chance to meet people living here and really get a chance to know the life of the place you visit．" Basil was speaking during a regular meeting of the Beijing network of Couch Surfing with a membership of almost 2,000．
Although some people may have concerns about meeting complete strangers and giving them full access to your house, Beijing group member Fred Sharp from California says that the Couch Surfing community is one that generally attracts trustworthy people．
"I have never had a problem with guests．I'd say that this Couch Surfing community worldwide is a fairly trustworthy community．Like I say, always be cautious, make sure that you read everyone's profile that you're considering hosting, and if it doesn't feel right just say 'no', it's ok．"
Originally launched in the US as a non-profit organization in 2004, Couch Surfing is growing fast across the world．China is no exception with around 30,000 members and hundreds more signing up each week．One of them is Beijing resident Hai Yan who joined in November 2009．She says the first time she hosted a guest was a very positive experience．"My first guest was from Italy．He was very kind and helpful．He bought me a present from Italy, a handbag．It's a famous brand!"
As the organization grows from strength to strength, hotel owners across the world will be watching very closely and possibly thinking twice about raising their prices too high．The Couch Surfing network is intended to ____．
| A．give reliable information about hotels |
| B．provide people with a platform to contact each other |
| C．find potential hosts who want to supply travelers with couches |
| D．offer travelers convenience to find suitable hosts for free accommodations |
According to Fred Sharp, ____．
| A．couch surfers can fully rely on Couch Surfing community |
| B．Couch Surfing community enables you to meet different people |
| C．Couch Surfing community is trusted by all couch surfers |
| D．couch surfers may form a judgment on hosts and make a final decision |
We can infer from the passage that ____．
| A．Couch Surfing has a long history |
| B．Hai Yan is satisfied with her host |
| C．Couch Surfing is getting popular in China |
| D．Basil works at the Beijing Network |
The last paragraph suggests that hotels will ____．
| A．be replaced by the organization | B．probably not charge too much |
| C．not consider raising their prices | D．show no concern about the organization |
Why People Get Tattoos
Jack lay, quiet and unmoving, for thirty minutes while a stranger repeatedly stabbed （刺） him with sharp needles, causing blood to pour steadily out of his leg．Jack was getting a tattoo．His friend Tony had recently gotten a tattoo, and Jack was so impressed by it that he decided to get one too．Peer pressure, media influence, and personal expression are some of the common reasons for wearing tattoos today．
The desire to be accepted by one’s friends or peers can have a great influence on what a person does．Sometimes, wearing a tattoo can be a sign that you belong to a certain group．Gangs often use special clothes and tattoos to identify their particular group．Some of these groups wear only brand – name clothes．Others wear tattoos．When a person’s friends are all doing something, that person is more likely to do the same thing．
The media is another big influence behind the popularity of tattoos in North America．A wide variety of media images show tattoos－people appearing in commercials selling expensive cars, famous sports heroes with tattoos in magazines, fashion models wearing designer clothes that show their bodies tattooed with detailed and colorful patterns．These media images link tattoos to ideas of wealth, success, and status．As a result, many people decide to get a tattoo for its fashion and status value．
Many people decide to wear tattoos in order to express their artistic nature, their beliefs, or their feelings－in other words, to show their individuality（个性）．A musician in a rock band may get a tattoo of a guitar on the arm．Some environmentalists may tattoo pictures of endangered animals on their shoulders．A tattoo can be a public sign to show what is important in a person's life．
As you can see, there are many reasons why young North Americans get tattoos．A tattoo can be part of a group's uniform, a sign of fashion, or an expression of individuality．The decision to get a tattoo is most often a result of the influence of friends or media or the desire to express oneself．For Jack, it was a mixture of all three．Jack has got tattoos in order to ．
| A．show his great bravery | B．gain a special experience |
| C．make himself more healthy | D．be different from others |
According to the passage, media images are linked to ．
| A．traditional lifestyle | B．social position |
| C．cultural background | D．public interest |
We can infer from the passage that ．
| A．some people get tattoos out of pressure | B．tattoo is related to religious belief |
| C．getting tattoos costs a lot of money | D．most people with tattoos are artists |
Which of the following shows the structure of the passage?
CP: Central Point P: Point SP: Sub-Point C: Conclusion
If you know exactly what you want, the best way to get a job is to get specialized training．A recent report shows that companies like graduates in such fields as business and health care who can go to work immediately with very little on-the-job training．
That’s especially true of booming fields that are challenging for workers．At Cornell's School of Hotel Administration, for example, bachelor's degree graduates get an average of four or five job offers with salaries ranging from the high teens to the low 20s and plenty of chances for rapid advancement．Large companies especially like a background of formal education coupled with work experience．But in the long run, too much specialization does not pay off．Business, which has been flooded with MBAs, no longer considers the degree an automatic stamp of approval．The MBA may open doors and command a higher salary initially, but the impact of a degree washes out after five years．
As further evidence of the corporate faith in specialized degrees, Michigan State’s Scheetz cites a pattern in corporate hiring practices．Although companies tend to take on specialists as new hires, they often seek out generalists for middle and upper-level management．This sounds like a formal statement that you approve of the liberal-arts（文科） graduate．Time and again labor-market analysts mention a need for talents that liberal-arts majors are assumed to have: writing and communication skills, organizational skills, open-mindedness and adaptability, and the ability to analyze and solve problems．David Birch, manager of the Boston Red Sox, says that he does not hire anybody with an MBA or an engineering degree．“I hire only liberal-arts people because they have a less-than-canned way of doing things,” says Birch．
For a liberal – arts degree, students focus on some basic courses that include literature history, mathematics, economics, science, human behavior and a computer course or two．With these useful and important courses, you can feel free to specialize, “A liberal-arts degree coupled with an MBA or some other technical training is a very good combination in the marketplace,” says Scheetz．The job market is in great need of people with ．
| A．special training in special fields | B．a bachelor’s degree in education |
| C．formal schooling and work experience | D．an MBA degree from top universities |
The underlined sentence in Paragraph 2 means ．
| A．an MBA degree does not help in future promotion |
| B．MBA programs will not be as popular as they are now |
| C．people will not forget the degree the MBA graduates have got |
| D．most MBA programs fail to provide students with a foundation |
David Birch says that he only hires liberal – arts people because ．
| A．they will follow others’ ways of solving problems |
| B．they can do better in handling changing situations |
| C．they are well trained in a variety of specialized fields |
| D．they have attended special programs in management |
The author supports the idea that ．
| A．on – the – job training is less costly in the long run |
| B．formal schooling is less important than job training |
| C．specialists are more expensive to hire than generalists |
| D．generalists will do better than specialists in management |
On any weekend throughout the year one can spend hours browsing through neighborhood flea （跳蚤） markets．These are very popular for those who are in search of bargains and who have a keen eye for picking through what others have discarded．They hunt and search for something they can reuse．Americans love secondhand merchandise （商品） which can be bought cheaply and restored to its original use．In many cases the condition and the quality are still good, though the style might be outdated．
For some people searching through flea markets is a hobby which reaps rewards．They look for possible antiques among the items for sale or for old furniture which can be restored with a little care and used again．Many wise collectors often find rare items worth much more than their bargained price．Since prices are usually not fixed, if one is persistent a bargain can easily be struck．The owner may be selling a rare collectable and may not even be aware of its value．One of the great pleasures of shopping at such markets is the chance to bargain with the shop owner and settle for a price which one can afford and is willing to pay．
Perhaps even more enjoyable than flea markets are the weekend outdoor garage sales which have now become very much a part of American culture．These are held usually in the spring and fall when the weather is still good．Usually a homeowner, having decided that he would like to clear his residence of accumulated items which are no longer useful to him, advertises in a local paper that he is holding a garage sale．More than likely the goods on display are in good condition and great buys can be found if one has the time and patience to search carefully．The home owner places items for sale on display along the driveway leading to his garage or on his front lawn and waits for people to look at what he has to sell．Old magazines, books, paintings, bicycles, ice-skates, items of clothing and electrical appliances of every sort appear on a regular basis．If the owner is in a position where he must sell his home or plans to move soon, then he may be forced to practically give things away at a price far below their true worth．What do you usually do before holding a garage sale?
| A．Put on an advertisement in a local newspaper． |
| B．Display your goods in front of the garage． |
| C．Find rare items and fix their prices． |
| D．Clear your garage and front lawn． |
The underlined word “discarded” in Paragraph 1 probably means ________．
| A．distributed | B．rejected |
| C．discovered | D．stored |
When people shop at a flea market, how can they settle on a price?
| A．They can bargain on a price acceptable to both． |
| B．They can question their value． |
| C．They can expect a 50% discount． |
| D．They can compare with the other sellers． |
What do we know about the garage sale?
| A．It is only held in the spring of the year． |
| B．The goods on display are totally useless． |
| C．Garage sales are popular with Americans． |
| D．All the goods are selling far below their real value． |
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