We've all heard the old saying，“Sticks and stones can break my bones，but words can never hurt me.” Don't you believe it？Words are powerful，and they can hurt—a lot. In fact，if you're not careful，you can even hurt yourself，by using the wrong word in your writing.
Recently a friend sent me a copy of an email she received from the customer service department of her credit card company，after she contacted them with a question about her account. She was happy with their positive response. But as I read the email，one line jumped out at me：“In lieu of good customer service...”
Did they really mean they were offering her a few extra reward points instead of good customer service？I doubt it. More likely，what the customer service department meant to say was，“Because good customer service is important to us...” followed by the details of what they were doing to make sure she remained a happy customer.
So why didn't the writer say that？I can only guess that perhaps the writer liked the phrase “in lieu of”，thought it sounded more interesting than saying “because”，and so used it—without bothering to check the true meaning.
Have you ever done that？Try to impress others with a big word，only to find out you've used the word incorrectly？It's just the opposite effect，isn't it？You may impress people all right，but it's not the impression you were going for.
When you write，remember to choose your words carefully. People may still disagree with what you say，but they won't be able to dismiss you because you made careless mistakes in how you said it.What's the writer's purpose in giving the saying?
| A．To amuse the reader. |
| B．To persuade the reader. |
| C．To support a conclusion. |
| D．To lead to the topic. |
It can be inferred that the writer's friend ______.
| A．was the manager of the customer service department |
| B．was the customer of the credit card company |
| C．emailed a company to complain |
| D．used a phrase incorrectly |
What does the phrase “in lieu of” most probably mean?
| A．Because of. | B．In honour of. |
| C．Instead of. | D．In favour of. |
According to the writer，the customer service department ______.
| A．didn't express what they really meant |
| B．didn't prefer to use familiar words to attract customers |
| C．didn't need to offer their customers extra reward points |
| D．succeeded in impressing their customers |
SAS Institute 2012 rank: 1 (2011 rank: 2)
Headquarters: Cary, N.C., USA
Software company SAS climbed to the top of the global list this year, edging up from the No. 2 spot it held last year. So what makes this company so great to work for? Well, for one thing, its leaders are certainly accessible. CEO Jim Goodnight hosts monthly “Conversations Over Coffee,” unscripted breakfast meetings that are open to all employees. These conversations are so popular that other division heads have begun to hold similar events for their employees.
Google 2012 rank: 2 (2011 rank: 4)
Headquarters: Mountain View, Calif., USA
Google moved up by two spots in this year’s ranking of global workplaces. The highly desirable tech receives 61 times as many applicants as they have existing jobs, and for good reason. Google seems to be all about coaching. The company’s “CareerGuru” program makes 43 of its senior leaders available for one-on-one, confidential career coaching sessions with other Googlers.
Engineering employees at all levels can also get advice from “EngAdvisors”, senior engineers at Google who can discuss any number of issues, like work-life balance, conflict resolution, and performance reviews.
NetApp 2012 rank: 3 (2011 rank: 3)
Headquarters: Sunnyvale, Calif., USA
All new employees at data storage provider NetApp participate in the TOAST (“Training On All Special Things”) orientation program, which introduces new arrivals to NetApp’s senior management. The meetings are held every month and are always led by the executive team.
Microsoft 2012 rank: 4 (2011 rank: 1)
Headquarters: Redmond, Wash., USA
As part of Microsoft’s commitment to promoting women in technology, the company established its DigiGirlz program in 2000. Microsoft hosts a series of DigiGirlz Day events where female high school students meet Microsoft employees and learn about careers in technology. In 2011, some 36 Microsoft locations across the world hosted more than 2,000 girls. Microsoft also holds DigiGirlz High Tech Camps, multi-day programs where participants get hands-on experience with technology during workshops and meet with tech executives. What helped make SAS climb to the top of the list in 2012?
| A．Accessible leaders. | B．Popular divisions. |
| C．Qualified employees. | D．Quality software. |
Which statement is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．Microsoft employed over 2,000 girl workers in 2011. |
| B．New engineering Googlers could get advice from senior Googlers. |
| C．All NetApp employees had to attend a special training. |
| D．All leaders in SAS had the same conversations with their employees. |
These American companies are ranked according to _________.
| A．the training program each company establishes |
| B．the wealth each company possesses now |
| C．the level of technology each of the company reaches |
| D．the number of people willing to work for the company |
Why 2012 was the best year ever
It may not feel like it, but 2012 has been the greatest year in the history of the world. Never has there been less hunger, less disease or more prosperity (繁荣). The West remains in the economic depression, but most developing countries are charging ahead, and people are being lifted out of poverty at the fastest rate ever recorded. The number of deaths caused by war and natural disasters is also mercifully low. We are living in a golden age.
Take global poverty as an example. In 1990, the UN announced Millennium Development Goals, the first of which was to halve the number of people in extreme poverty by 2015. It turned out this year that the target was met in 2008.
The doom-mongers (末世论者) will tell you that we cannot maintain worldwide economic growth without ruining our environment. But while the rich world’s economies grew by 6 per cent over the last seven years, fossil fuel (矿物燃料) consumption in those countries fell by 4 per cent. This remarkable achievement has nothing to do with green taxes or wind-farms. It is down to consumer demand for more efficient cars.
Advances in medicine and technology mean that people across the world are living longer. The average life span in Africa reached 55 this year. Ten years ago, it was 50. The number of people dying from Aids has been in decline for the last eight years. Deaths from malaria have fallen by a fifth in half a decade.
War has historically been human’s biggest killer. But in most of the world today, a generation is growing up that knows little of it. The Peace Research Institute in Oslo says there have been fewer war deaths in the last decade than any time in the last century.
Fifty years ago, the world was breathing a sigh of relief after the Cuban missile crisis. Young couples would discuss whether it was responsible to have children when the future seemed so dark. But now, it’s worth remembering that, in spite of all our problems, the forces of peace, progress and prosperity are prevailing (占优势).What has caused the decrease in the fossil fuel consumption?
| A．People have to pay heavier taxes on fossil fuel. |
| B．There are more and more renewable resources now. |
| C．There is a sharp decline in the number of cars. |
| D．People are purchasing more energy-saving cars. |
Which of the following statements is TRUE?
| A．People don’t suffer from malaria any more. |
| B．There were many more war deaths in the last century. |
| C．The young generation shows little interest in war. |
| D．The number of Aids-affected people is declining. |
Which one does NOT help prove that 2012 was the best year ever?
| A．Fewer natural disasters occurred. | B．Global poverty relieved. |
| C．Cuban missile crisis ended. | D．Technology and medicine advanced. |
The author tries to inform people that _______.
| A．2012 witnessed more advances in developed countries |
| B．2012 brought us less starvation and more prosperity |
| C．2012 saw economic growth as well as environmental destruction |
| D．2012 provided us with a peaceful world free from conflicts |
The argument over a Philadelphia school district accused of secretly spying on pupils through laptop cameras became fiercer today after it acknowledged obtaining more than 56,000 images of its students, many of them in their homes.
When the scandal (丑闻) first broke, it was believed that only a few pictures had been taken of one pupil, Blake Robbins. But court papers released this week showed that thousands of images were taken of Robbins and other students.
Robbins and his parents have filed an action against the school district. Court papers from the Robbins’s lawyers said that at first it was thought that the laptops’ technology had produced a few images but they found more than 400 of Robbins, including images “showing him partially undressed and sleeping”.
Robbins said he did not know why the spying device was activated (激活) as his laptop had not been reported stolen or missing. Other students whose pictures were taken said their laptops had not been reported stolen or missing either.
An administrator at the school, one of the few with authority to track the laptops, remained silent, refusing to answer questions.
The Philadelphia Inquirer reported that 38,500 of the images came from six laptops that had been reported missing from the Harriton gym in September 2008. These apparently helped the police catch a suspect. Another set of images were from cameras in laptops which employees responsible for tracking failed or forgot to turn off.
The court papers, filed by Robbins’ lawyers, said that the technology was activated between 20 October and 4 November last year, with most of the 400 shots of him while he was in his home, and included his family. “There were additional webcam pictures and screen shots taken of Blake Robbins which, up to now, have not been recovered because the evidence was deleted by the IT department,” the court papers say.
One of Robbins’ lawyers is trying to obtain access to the administrator’s home computer to confirm whether she downloaded any of the pictures. The court papers indicate she may be a voyeur (窥隐私者) though it has not been proved. We can learn from the passage that _________.
| A．Robbins’ parents remained calm over the scandal |
| B．Robbins had his laptop stolen before the scandal |
| C．the laptops’ technology produced some images |
| D．the private rights of the students were offended |
What did The Philadelphia Inquirer say about the case?
| A．The police had found some evidence. |
| B．Most of the laptops in Harriton gym were missing. |
| C．Employees in charge of tracking deliberately left the laptops on. |
| D．There was obviously more than one suspect related to the case. |
According to the court papers, the administrator _________.
| A．may have spied her students on purpose |
| B．may have broken into Robbin’s house |
| C．has downloaded many students’ pictures |
| D．has removed evidence from computers |
What does the passage mainly talk about?
| A．Modern technology has negative effects on our lives. |
| B．Students in Philadelphia are accustomed to being spied on secretly. |
| C．A Philadelphia school is charged with spying students through laptop cameras. |
| D．The American government should take measures to improve teachers’ qualities. |
| Answering the Community Needs of Our City The Silver City Council recognizes that citizens have certain needs. To better meet your needs, we have made several changes to community facilities in 2004. This chart shows how we have tried to make your life better. |
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| Transport |
☆Some facilities at Station Street Hospital have been upgraded. |
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| ☆Three stations for the suburbs have been added to the western train service. ☆20 new buses for the southern line were purchased in January. ☆50 percent of city bus-stops have been upgraded. ☆Buses to the eastern suburbs will run every 15 minutes. |
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| Education |
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| ☆Textbooks will be free to all primary students in 2004 ! ☆Rental for private schools has been reduced. ☆Teachers report that the 'no hat - no play' rule has been successful. |
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| Communication |
Protection and Security |
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| ☆Broadband cable is now available to all parts of the city. ☆All of the new Government buildings are ' smart'-wired for better computer service! |
☆Extra police now patrol (巡逻 ) the tourist areas. ☆50 new police officers graduated in July and have taken up duties in the city area. |
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| Medical Facilities |
Entertainment / Recreation |
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| ☆The new state-of-the-art Nightingale Hospital was opened in June. ☆To overcome a shortage of trained medical staff at Dover Hospital, 10 doctors have been employed from overseas. |
☆The John Street basketball courts have been re-surfaced ! ☆The new Central Community Building opened in May. ☆5,000 new fiction books were bought for the Silver City Library. |
The public notice is from _________.
| A．the community | B．the local government |
| C．the citizens | D．a travel agency |
The notice is mainly about _________.
| A．the work carried out by the people of Silver City |
| B．the facilities available in Silver City |
| C．some improvements in Silver City |
| D．information for interested tourists |
All the following are true EXCEPT that ___________.
| A．both residents and tourists can enjoy more security now |
| B．Station Street Hospital had out-dated facilities before 2004 |
| C．primary students had to pay for their textbooks in 2003 |
| D．Dover Hospital is still short of trained medical staff |
Which of the following changes would tourists to Silver City be most happy with?
| A．Travel books are provided in the new library. |
| B．Traveling by train is more convenient in Silver City. |
| C．Free medical treatment is available at Station Street Hospital. |
| D．There are more police officers on duty now. |
At a few minutes past five, Dave noted that the blanket of darkness was lifting. He was just able to make out the heavier masses that eventually appeared as the familiar trees that lined the road at the base of the hill. The upper reaches of the sky showed lighter shades of gray.
Dave got out of bed quietly and dressed quickly. He mixed a spoonful of instant chocolate into a glass of cold water, and his impatience forced him to finish the drink in gulps.
As he walked down toward the lake, Dave paused to reach for the fishing pole and gear box on the bench where he had left them the night before.
By the time where he reached the small boat, a thick white mist（雾气）had spread over the surface of the water. He stepped into the boat, sat down, and rowed out of the weed beds that lined the edge of the shore.
The outer fringe（边缘）of the lake disappeared as the boat moved forward noiselessly. All he could see was the enveloping whiteness. He could not tell where the boat and the surrounding air met the surface of the lake.
Dave rowed steadily ahead, relying on a mental picture of the surroundings. Then the mist began to rise, slowly. It soon rested inches above the still surface of the lake. The heavy silence was now being broken by the fish breaking through the surface as they leaped out of the water for low-flying insects.
The magic time had arrived. Dave raised his pole. Dawn was broken. He was excited with expectancy.Dave got up early in the morning to .
| A．enjoy the scene of the lake | B．seek adventure at the lake |
| C．go fishing in the lake | D．take a walk by the lake |
According to the story, which of the following is TRUE?
| A．Dave broke the quietness of the lake. |
| B．Dave was familiar with the surroundings. |
| C．Dave took a picture of the lake with him. |
| D．Dave forgot the fishing pole at the beginning. |
The underlined word “It” in Paragraph 6 refers to .
| A．fish | B．boat | C．silence | D．mist |
What can we learn from the end of the story?
| A．Dave was hopeful of catching a lot of fish. |
| B．Dave wished the weather would be better. |
| C．Dave was happy that dawn was broken. |
| D．Dave expected someone else would come. |
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