CHICAGO ---Call it a reward, or just “bribery(贿赂)”.
Whichever it is, many parents today readily admit to buying off their children, who get goodies(好东西) for anything from behaving in a restaurant to sleeping all night in their own beds.
That’s what worries parenting experts.
“I think that reward systems have a time and a place and work really well in certain situations,” says Marcy Safyer, director of the Adelphi University Institute for Parenting.
“But what often gets lost for people is being able to figure out how to communicate to their kids that doing the thing is rewarding enough,” Safyer says.
Parents and experts alike agree that the dynamic(动力) is partly a reflection of the world we live in. It’s unrealistic to think a parent wouldn’t reward their children with material things sometimes, says Robin Lanzi, a clinical psychologist and mother of four who’s the research director at the Center on Health and Education at Georgetown University.
“But you want to make sure that they match the behavior, so it’s not something huge for something small,” Lanzi says.
She recalls hearing about a father who offered his child a Nintendo Wii game system for scoring a couple goals in a soccer game.
Elizabeth Powell, a mother of two young daughters in Austin, Texas, knows what she means.
“You want to raise them in a way that they’re respectful and appreciate things,” Powell says of her children. “But sometimes, you wonder now if kids appreciate even a new pair of shoes. ”Parenting experts are worried that ____ .
| A．today’s children are fed up with material things |
| B．parents are rewarding their kids improperly |
| C．today’s children are more and more demanding(苛求的) |
| D．there is lack of communication between parents and children |
What Safyer says suggests that ____ .
| A．reward systems are quite limited in developing abilities |
| B．reward systems work well regardless of（不管） time and place |
| C．reward systems are still not made full use of to develop abilities |
| D．reward systems are often used at the wrong time and place |
What can we learn from what Robin Lanzi says?
| A．She holds a different opinion from other parenting experts. |
| B．She thinks children can’t behave well without being rewarded. |
| C．She holds a similar belief to Safyer and gives further explanation. |
| D．She doesn’t believe in rewarding children for good behavior. |
The father who offered his child a Nintendo Wii game system can be regarded as
_____.
| A．over-rewarding his child |
| B．giving his child proper reward |
| C．respecting and appreciating his child |
| D．giving something small for something huge |
III 阅读理解（共25小题；每小题2分，满分50分）
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的A、B、C和D项中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
It doesn't matter when or how much a person sleeps, but everyone needs some rest to stay alive. That's what all doctors thought, until they heard about Al Herpin. Al Herpin, it was said, never slept. Could this be true? The doctors decided to see this strange man themselves.
Al Herpin was 90 years old when the doctors came to his home in New Jersey. They thought for sure that he got some sleep of some kind. So they stayed with him and watched every movement he made. But they were surprised. Though they watched him hour after hour and day after day, they never saw Herpin sleeping. In fact, he did not even own a bed. He never needed one.
The only rest that Herpin sometimes got was sitting in a comfortable chair and reading newspapers. The doctors were puzzled by this strange continuous sleeplessness. They asked him many questions, hoping to find an answer. They found only one answer that might explain his condition. Herpin remembered some talk about his mother having been injured several days before he was born. But that was all. Was this the real reason? No one could be sure.
Al Herpin died at the age of 95.
41.The main idea of this passage is that _______
A. everyone needs some sleep to stay alive
B. people can live longer by trying not to sleep
C. large numbers of people do not need sleep
D. a person was found who actually didn't need any sleep
42.The doctors came to visit Herpin, expecting ______
A. to find out whether his sleeplessness was really true
B. to find out why some old people didn't need any sleep
C. to find a way to free people from the need of sleeping
D. to cure him of his sleeplessness
43. After watching him closely, the doctors came to believe that Al Herpin ____
A. needed no sleep at all B. needed some kind of sleep
C . was too old to need any sleep D .often slept in a chair
44.One reason that might explain Herpin' s sleeplessness was ______
A. his mother's injury before he was born
B. his magnificent physical condition
C. that he had gradually got rid of the sleeping habit
D. that he hadn't got a bed
45.Al Herpin' s condition could be regarded as ______
A. a common one B. very healthy C. one that could be cured D. a rare one
Who doesn’t love sitting beside a cosy fire on a cold winter’s night ? Who doesn’t love to watch flames (火苗) curling up a chimney? Fire is one of man’s greatest friends, but also one of his greatest enemies. Many big fires are caused by carelessness. A lighted cigarette thrown out of a car or train window or a broken bottle lying on dry grass can start a fire. Sometimes, though, a fire can start on its own. Wet hay (草) can begin burning by itself. This is how it happens: the hay starts to rot (腐烂) and begins to give off heat which is trapped inside it. Finally, it bursts into flames. That’s why farmers cut and store (贮存) their hay when it’s dry.
Fires have destroyed whole cities. In the 17th century, a small fire which began in a baker’s shop burnt down nearly every building in London. Moscow was set on fire during the war against Napoleon. This fire continued burning for seven days. And, of course, in 64 A.D. a fire burnt Rome. Even today, in spite of modern fire-fighting methods, fire causes millions of pounds’ worthy of damage each year both in our cities and in the countryside. It has been wisely said that fire is a good servant but a bad master .
39. The writer considers it ________ to sit beside a fire on a cold winter night .
A. nice B. dangerous C. unhappy D. painful
40. Which of the following describes the way how hay begins burning on its own ?
A. wet hay ---- becomes dry ---- gives off heat ---- burns
B. dry hay ---- gets too much heat from the sun ---- gives out heat --- starts to burn
C. wet hay ---- begins to rot ---- gives out heat ---- starts to burn
D. dry hay ---- gives off heat ---- starts to rot ---- starts to burn
41. Many big fires are caused __________ .
A. by cigarette B. by their own
C. by dry grass D. by people’s carelessness
42. How many examples did the writer give to show fires can destroy the whole city ?
A. One B. Two C. Three D. Four
43. Which of the following statement is not true ?
A. Fires still cause much damage now although there are modern fire - fighting methods .
B. Fires cause less damage in the country than in the city .
C. Fire can be man’s good friend and also great enemy .
D. One should be careful not to throw a lighted cigarette everywhere .
 |
B
A sign is another kind of language. Here are some of them that you see on the roads.
Number one is a sign with the number thirty on it. When drivers see this sign, they must not go at more than thirty kilometers an hour. We see this sign when we are getting near a town. Number two is a sign that we’re near a crossing. We must drive carefully. Number three is a sign that there is a bend in the road. Again, we must drive slowly and carefully. It is not safe to go round a bend very fast. Number four is a sign that there is another road coming in from the right. There is a junction at this place. Number five is a sign that there is a hill and number six is a sign that the road gets narrow. Drivers must go slowly and carefully. Number seven has the word “SCHOOL” on it. This is a sign that there is a school at the side of the street or the road. Perhaps there are children going to or leaving school. So drivers must look carefully and go slowly. Number eight is a sign with the letter “P” on it. The letter “P” means “Parking”. At some places, there’re the signs “No parking” or “No waiting”. If a driver leaves his c
ar near one of these signs, a policeman may come and write down the number of his car.
61. At the places where you see Sign 1, ________.
A. you are already out of a town
B. you still have thirty kilometers to go
C. there must be a town thirty kilometers away
D. there must be many houses and buildings not far away
62. There stands Sign 2 near a place where________.
A. two roads cross B. people can cross the road
C. the roads get narrow D. there are no traffic lights
63. You have to drive not only slowly but also carefully when you find________.
A. each of the eight signs B. either of Signs 2 and 3
C. all of Signs 3, 5, 6 and 7 D. any of Signs 3, 5, 6 and 7
64. A driver can leave his car________.
A. near Sign 8 at any time
B. near a sign with “No parkin
g” on it
C. near a sign with “No waiting” if there’re no police there
D. near a sign with “P” on it in the daytime
65. People put these signs on the roads to________.
A. show drivers the way B. stop cars going too fast
C. make driving even safer D. learn another kind of language
第三部分：阅读理解（共20小题; 每小题2分, 满分40分）
Everyone likes to feel that he or she is special.
Unfortunately, many of us grow up believing that we’re not special at all. We wish that we could be better at sports or more attractive. We wish we had nicer clothes or more money. Like the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, or the Cowardly Lion from The Wizard of Oz (《绿野仙踪》), we believe we’re not good enough just as we are. In the movie, the Scarecrow wishes that he had a brain. The Tin Man wishes he had a heart, and the Lion wants courage. In the end, each of them realizes that he already has what he needs.
Most parents want us to be the best we can be. They sometimes try to encourage us to do better by comparing us to others. They mean well, but the message we often get is that we’re not good enough. We begin to
believe that the only way we can be special is by being better than someone else, but we are often disappointed. There will always be someone out there who is better than we are at something. There are plenty of people around who may not be as smart as we are but who are better at sports. Or they may not be as good-looking, but they have more money. It is impossible for us to be better than everyone else all the time.
Like the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, and the Cowardly Lion, we all want what we believe will make us better people. What we don’t realize is that often we already have inside us the very things that we seek. Parents sometimes forget to tell us that we are special, that we are good enough just as we are. Maybe no one told them that when they were growing up, or maybe they just forgot. Either way, it’s up to us to remind them from time to time that each of us, in our own way, is special. What we are ... is enough.
56. This passage is most likely written by a ______.
A. teenager B. parent C. teacher D. coach
57. According to the author, it seems improper for parents to ______.
A. compare their children with others now and then
B. give no pressure to their children
C. remind their children frequently they are special
D. praise their children too much
58. By discussing the characters in The Wizard of Oz, the author mainly wants to show ______.
A. we are not good enough just as we 
are
B. we already have inside us what we want
C. it is impossible for us to be better than others
D. there is always someone who is better than us
59. What does the author of this passage believe?
A. Not everyone can be special.
B. Smart people are more special than others.
C. The richer you are, the better you are.
D. We are all good enough just the way we are.
The first field season is now over at the hut village of the workmen who built the tombs in the Valley of the Kings．However，the archaeologists working on the excavation(挖掘)have found that they still have a great deal to do．The sun，the wind and tourists have left their mark on the village，originally discovered by Bernard Bruyhre in 1935．
“From our modern perspective，it is upsetting to see how the village was first excavated and then left to be destroyed．Passers-by have used the huts as rubbish dumps and restrooms，”says Jaana Toivari—Viitala，a teacher at the University of Helsinki．“Fortunately，while we still have some surface cleaning to do，conservation are off to a good start．’’
The hut viliage offers rare insight into everyday life in ancient Egypt．
“In the early twentieth century，archaeologists were only interested in the tombs of kings． The workmen’s huts they discovered were seen as a necessary evil in the quest for the real trea sures．’，
“Now several international research groups on different excavations are examining everyday life and work in the Valley of the Kings．This seems to be a trend in archaeology right now．”Toivari-Viitala says．
Her research group wants to find out why the hut village was built on the slope of a mountain，halfway between the construction site and Deir-el-Medina．They are also interested in how many workers lived in the village at a time，when they lived there，and what their role was in the construction work．
“Comparing the names found in the village and in Deir-el-Medina provides useful information．Judging from the construction methods，settlement in the village can be divided into two separate periods：the initial settlement and a later one．”
For the time being，much is up to guessing，but Toivari-Viitala believes that the coming four field seasons，three months each，will see results．
“The working conditions are not nearly as difficult as I thought they would be． The cool winds in the mountains nicely alleviate the heat．”
The research group working on the“Workmen’s huts in the Theban mountains”project is planning to return to the Valley of the Kings in October．
71．What does the passage mainly talk about?
A．The hut village in the Valley of the Kings．
B．The excavation of the tombs in the Valley．
C．The archaeologists working on the excavation．
D．Everyday life and work in the Valley of the Kings．
72．Which of the following is NOT true of the hut village according to the passage?
A．It has been damaged a lot．
B．It can tell us a lot about ancient Egypt．
C．It has attracted archaeologists’attention．
D．It has a lot of real treasures somewhere in it．
73．What’s the new trend in archaeology right now according to Toivari-Viitala?
A．Being interested in the tombs of kings．
B．Examining everyday life and work in the Valley of the Kings．
C．Using the huts as rubbish dumps and restrooms．
D．Guessing what the result will be beforehand．
74．From the passage we know that the author is one of ．
A．the workmen who built the tombs in the Valley of the Kings
B．the archaeologists working on the excavation of the village
C．those in favour of Toivari-Viitala’s ideas and plans
D．the passers-by who used the huts as dumps and restrooms
75．We can infer from the passage that
A．people know little about the hut village by now
B．the workmen’s huts were not discovered until very recently
C．the research group working on the workmen’s huts will suffer a lot
D．the hut village is much more valued by archaeologists than the tombs
第三节：阅读理解（共15小题，每小题2分，共30分）
请认真阅读下面短文，从短文后各题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项。
Strong winds, sand in the air, poor visibility (能见度), we all know the characteristics of a sandstorm. But what else do you know about them?
Did you know, for example, that the first sandstorm of 2009 hit north China’s Inner Mongolia autonomous region late February?
Sandstorms are today a feature of life in northern China because of desertification (沙漠化) and the retreat (退化) of the northern grasslands. They usually occur between February and May.
Fortunately, sandstorms this year should be fewer than in past years in north China, according to the National Meteorological Center (中央气象台).
And the chances of sandstorms hitting Beijing are small, because recent rain has stopped drought and reduced dry dirt and dust. Tree planting, and other measures taken by the government, has also helped decrease the chance of sandstorms in the city.
Sandstorms can be dangerous. However, there are measures you can take to protect yourself from harm.
﹡Wear a mask. Cover your nose and mouth with a mask that can keep out sand, or use a damp handkerchief.
﹡If you are driving and the storm is at a distance, it may be possible to outrun (超过) it. If it looks like you will be caught in the storm, stop and wait it out.
﹡Take a cover. If there is no shelter, then lie down. Keep eyes, nose and mouth covered. Cover your head with your arms or a backpack to protect yourself against flying objects.
If you are caught in a desert sandstorm, take the following actions.
﹡Mark your direction before lying down. It is easy to get lost in a desert.
﹡Keep plenty of water at hand. If you get lost, you need water to survive until you find your way or help arrives.
﹡Stay together if traveling in a group. Lock arms if caught in a sandstorm. The most useful measure would actually be to make sandstorms disappear forever. To make this goal come true, people should plant trees, and stop desertification.
Today, the straight-line distance between Tiananmen Square and a desert called Tianmo in Hebei province is only about 80km. If desertification is not stopped, environmental protection experts say, it will probably not be long before Beijingers can catch a camel to work.
56.According to the passage, which of the following statements is true?
A. So far in 2009 no sandstorm has happened.
B. Sandstorms usually happen in spring.
C. Sandstorms are a feature of life in China.
D. In sandstorms in cities, what you need to protect yourself from is just the sand in the air.
57.Which may not be the right action to take to protect yourself from harm in a sandstorm?
A. Finding a shelter.
B. Covering your head with a bag.
C. Lying down.
D. When driving, speed up and rush through the sandstorm.
58.What can we infer from the passage ?
A. North China has been suffering from sandstorms for several years.
B. The distance between Beijing and the desert has made the chances of sandstorms hitting Beijing small this year.
C. Planting trees can help make sandstorms disappear.
D. It is more dangerous to be caught in sandstorms in cities because there are more flying objects.
59.What’s the best title of the passage?
A. The realities of sandstorm B. The cause of sandstorm.
C. The influences of sandstorm D. The future of sandstorm.
I realized that I was getting cold, and felt it was probably time to go back to the apartment, so I put my collar up against the wind and began to walk back up the cold street. I managed to get some food from a vendor（小贩）, and walked on.
About twenty-five minutes later I knew that something was wrong. It was getting very, very cold, there were no streetlights, and the hill I was hoping to see on my right was nowhere in sight. There was almost no light except for mysterious red crosses shining from the tops of churches, and I was beginning to get worried. To cut a long story short, I had walked the wrong way from a crossroads, and had wandered miles in the wrong direction. My head was aching from the cold, and I couldn’t think straight. Turing around, I started back, and a long time later was outside the house I had set off from. It was at about that time I realized that I had a gate key but no house key. How happy I was when I found that the front door was open—my only piece of good luck that day. My apartment was of course locked, my head felt like it was about to explode, and my hands and feet were freezing.
I tried turning the handle. No luck. I tried another key from England. I wanted to avoid waking the family downstairs, so despite the fear of an early death from cold, I couldn’t break the door down. What would my hosts think? I pulled an ATM card from my pocket and forced it alongside the inside of the lock. I didn’t think it would work, but after fifteen minutes of trying, I heard a click. Another couple of minutes later the door was open. Relieved, I took off my clothes in the dark and got into bed. The purpose of the passage is mainly to .
| A．tell us how difficult it is living abroad |
| B．show us how terrible the weather was |
| C．tell us an unusual experience abroad |
| D．show us how afraid the author was |
What made the author find he had walked the wrong way?
| A．He didn’t see the house. |
| B．A vendor reminded him. |
| C．The street name reminded him. |
| D．He didn’t see the hill. |
What can we learn from the passage?
| A．The front door was closed. |
| B．The house had many locks. |
| C．The author woke the hosts. |
| D．The author came from England. |
From the passage we can infer that the author was .
| A．careful | B．careless | C．excited | D．annoying |
Diamonds may be forever. But what’s a girl to do when she gets dumped (失恋) or divorced (离婚) and those rings, necklace and love gifts lose their emotional (情感) sense?
Help is just a click away on new Web sites that provide an outlet for selling jewelry(珠宝) from past relationships, sharing break-up stories and helping broken hearts heal (愈合).
“You go through a divorce. What do you do with that ring? Maybe you have a child you can pass it on to. Maybe you don’t. It just sits there, ” said Megahn Perry, who with her stepmother (继母) Marie Perry runs www.exboyfriendjewelry.com.
Three months after its start with the slogan(口号) “You Don’t Want It. He Can’t Have It Back,” the web site has 3,000 registered users and more than 600 postings of rings, bracelets and earrings for sale—all with a personal tale attached.
As one woman posting a diamond ring for $3,500 wrote:
“Beautiful ring came with a wrong man. Decided to sell to regain the money that I spent finishing payments on the ring that my ex didn’t.”
The idea was born when Megahn Perry, a Los Angeles actress and writer, was looking for a safe place to sell a wedding set after a divorce and realized others might have former boyfriends’ jewelry with memories(记忆) that make them too painful to wear.
The local pawn shop(当铺) proved an unattractive choice. So she teamed up with her stepmother Marie, researched the market and found a gap in it. The passage is mainly about _____.
| A．how a web site is set up | B．how sad the love stories are |
| C．How much a website can make | D．How many people like the web site |
How long is it since the start of this website?
| A．Less than three months. | B．At least three months. |
| C．Less than one month. | D．Not known. |
How many people have registered on this website within three months?
| A．About 600. | B．About 3,000. | C．About 3,500. | D．Not know. |
Who set up this website?
| A．Megahn herself alone. | B．Megahn and her best friend. |
| C．Megahn and her stepmother. | D．Megahn and her exboyfriend. |
What’s the meaning of the underlined word “gap” in the last sentence?
| A．Gulf between two people. | B．Misunderstandings among each other. |
| C．Differences from a pawn shop. | D．A market worth developing. |
Poverty exists because our society is an unequal one, and there are plenty of political pressures to keep it that way. Any attempt to redistribute wealth and income in the United States will be opposed by powerful middle and upper class interests. People can be relatively rich only if others are relatively poor, and since power is concentrated in the hands of the rich, public policies will continue to reflect their interests rather than those of the poor.
As Herbert Gans has pointed out, poverty is actually functional form from the point of view of the non-poor. Poverty ensures that ‘dirty’ work gets done. If there were no poor people to clean floors and empty dustbins, these jobs would have to be rewarded with high incomes before anyone would touch them. Poverty creates jobs for many of the non-poor, such as police officers, welfare workers, and government officials. Poverty makes life easier for the rich by providing them with cooks, gardeners and other workers to perform basic work while their employers enjoy more pleasurable activities. Poverty provides a market for low-level goods and services, such as day-old bread, rundown automobiles. Poverty legitimizes (make legal) middle-class values. To the middle class, the fate of the poor---who are supposed to lack honesty, and a taste of hard work---only confirms the desirability of qualities the poor are thought to lack. Poverty also provides a group that can be made to absorb the costs of change. For example, the poor bear the pressure of unemployment and it’s their homes, not those of the wealthy, that are destroyed when a route has to be found for a new highway. It cannot be said that the wealthy keep the poor in poverty. It is just that poverty is an outcome of the American economic system, which the poor are politically powerless to influence or change. The best title is ________________________.
| A．Functions of Poverty | B．Political Power in Poverty |
| C．The Fate of the Poor | D．An Unequal Society |
Poverty exists in American society because ____________.
| A．the wealthy work hard and are glad to keep it |
| B．the majority of the non-poor are totally indifferent (not paying much attention) to it |
| C．the rich are politically powerful while the poor are politically powerless |
| D．the poor like the jobs that they’re supplied by the wealthy. |
The poor take on ‘dirty work’ ___________________.
| A．under political pressure | B．for the high pay offered |
| C．as they are reasonably paid | D．though ill-paid |
The author thinks that _____________________.
| A．the poor lack such desirable qualities as honesty | |
| B．the poor are not supposed to work hard | |
| C．the poor are willing to bear the costs of change | D．none of the above |
Why is setting goals important? Because goals can help you do and experience everything you want in life. Instead of just letting life happen to you, goals allow yourself to make your life happen.
Successful and happy people have a vision of how their life should be and they set lots of goals to help them reach their vision. By setting goals you are taking control of your life. It’s like having a map to show you where you want to go. Think of it this way. There are two drivers. One has a destination in mind which is laid out for her on a map. She can drive straight there without any wasted time or wrong turns. The other driver has no goal or destination or map. She starts off at the same time from the same place as the first driver, just using up gas and oil. Which driver do you want to be?
Winners in life set goals and follow through on them. Winners decide what they want in life and then get there by making plans and setting goals. Unsuccessful people just let life happen by accident. Goals aren’t difficult to set, and they aren’t difficult to reach. It’s up to you to find out what your goals, ideals and visions really are. You are the one who must decide what to pursue and in what direction to aim your life.
Research tells us when we write a goal down, we are more likely to achieve it. Written goals can be reviewed regularly, and have more power. Like a contract with yourself, they are harder to neglect or forget.
Also when you write your goals in a particular fashion, you are able to stimulate yourself to be continuously alert to situations that will further your goals. The example of the two drivers is given to show_____________.
| A．the importance of having a map and right direction |
| B．the significance of setting goals |
| C．the foolishness of the second driver |
| D．the foolishness of the first driver |
If people want to reach their goals, they should _______________.
| A．note down their goals | B．discuss with others and ask for their help |
| C．face the difficulties in front of them | D．sign a contract with other people |
What is the main idea of this passage?
| A．Failure always accompanies the people who gives up easily. |
| B．Whenever you set goals, you will succeed. |
| C．Winners never stop their efforts for success. |
| D．Success is possible only when a person has set his or her goal clearly. |
Habits, whether good or bad, are gradually formed. When a person does a certain thing again, he is driven by some unseen force to do the same thing repeatedly, then a habit is formed. Once a habit is formed, it is difficult, and sometimes impossible, to get rid of. It is therefore so important that we should pay great attention to the formation of habits. Children often form bad habits, some of which remain with them as long as they live. Older persons also form bad habits lasting as long as they live, and sometimes become ruined by bad habits.
There are other habits which, when formed in early life, are of great help. Many successful men say that much of their success has something to do with certain habits in early life, such as early rising, honesty and so on.
Among the habits which children should not form are laziness, lying, stealing and so on. These are all easily formed habits. Unfortunately older persons often form habits which could have been avoided.
We should keep away from all these bad habits, and try to form such habits as will be good for ourselves and others. are formed little by little.
| A．Only good habits | B．Only bad habits |
| C．Both good habits and bad habits | D．Either good habits or bad habits |
The underlined word “them” in the first paragraph refers to .
| A．bad habits | B．good habits | C．children | D．other persons |
Why should we pay much attention to the formation of habits?
| A．Because habits are of great help to every one of us. |
| B．Because a man can never get rid of a habit. |
| C．Because it’s hard and sometimes even impossible to throw away bad habits. |
| D．Because we are forced to do them again and again. |
According to the passage, early rising .
| A．has something to do with success | B．is an easily formed habit |
| C．is such a habit as should have been avoided | D．is such a beneficial habit as will be kept |
In ancient Japan, if you saved someone’s life, they would make it their duty to spend the rest of their life serving you. Nowadays, if you rescue someone’s story, he or she will feel the same kind of gratitude (感激).
It happens all the time. Someone in a group is telling a story and, just before their big point, BOOM! There’s an interruption. Someone new joins the group, a waiter with a plate of biscuits comes over, or a baby starts crying. Suddenly everyone’s attention turns to the new arrival, the food on the plate, or the “charming” little child. Nobody is aware of the interruption — except the speaker. They forget all about the fact that the speaker hasn’t made his or her point.
Or you’re all sitting around the living room and someone is telling a joke. Suddenly, just before their big punch line (妙语), little Johnny drops a dish or the phone rings. After the crash, everyone talks about little Johnny’s carelessness. After the call, the subject turns to the upcoming marriage or medical operation of the caller. Nobody remembers the great punch line got unfinished — except the joke teller. When it’s you entertaining everyone at a restaurant, have you ever noticed how you can almost set your clock by the waiter coming to take everyone’s order just before your funny punch line?
Most joke and story tellers are too shy to say, after the interruption, “Now, as I was saying …” Instead, they’ll spend the rest of the evening feeling bad they didn’t get to finish. Here’s where you come in. Rescue them with the technique I call “Lend a Helping Tongue.”
Watch the gratitude in the storyteller’s eyes as he stabilizes where his story sunk and he sails off again toward the center of attention. His expression and the appreciation of your consideration by the rest of the group are often reward enough. You are even more fortunate if you can rescue the story of someone who can hire you, promote you, buy from you, or otherwise lift your life. Big winners have excellent memories. When you do them subtle favors like Lend a Helping Tongue, they find a way to pay you back.
53. Very often, a storyteller cannot make his point because _________.
A. people are more interested in food than his story
B. many guests bring their babies to the party
C. he is interrupted by something unexpected
D. his story is easily forgotten by the listeners
54. From Paragraph 3, we know that when someone is telling a joke, _________.
A. something bad will surely happen just before their punch line
B. listeners’ attention is often drawn to something else
C. the only person really interested in the joke is the joke teller
D. the waiter knows when to take everyone’s order
55. How can we help the joke and story tellers when they are interrupted?
A. By giving them a chance to finish.
B. By comforting them to make them happy.
C. By going on telling the story for them.
D. By teaching them some useful techniques.
56. What is the text mainly about?
A. People should learn how to take turns in a conversation.
B. We can win someone’s heart by getting him back to his story.
C. Telling jokes will make you the center of attention.
D. It is impolite to cut in on someone’s talk.
Several years ago, I read a book Your Money or Your Life, written by Joe Domingguez and Vicki Robin. The major theme of the book is the idea that if you want to cut your spending, you’ll have to begin by stopping trying to impress other people.
The authors divide people into two groups : people whose opinions you care about, and people whose opinions you don’t care about one way or another. It’s easy to stop caring about people whose opinions you don’t care about. Who cares what they think ? As long as you’re not doing something truly immoral —— something that might potentially create a negative reputation for you —— it doesn’t matter what they think.
But shouldn’t you impress other people whose opinions you do care about ? Anyway, they are people you want to meet : customers, friends and family.
The answer is that you don’t need to impress those people with expensive, shiny things. The relationship you’ve built with them —— or you’re going to build with them —— is based on you, not on the material items. They’ll either like you for you or they won’t.
To put it simply, take care of the basics. Keep yourself clean. Keep your weight under control. Wear reasonable clothing. Work on your communication skills. If you have them covered, you don’t need to invest time and money in impressing other people.
Coming to this realization is incredibly valuable. It drops your clothing budget. It drops your automobile budget. It drops your electronics budget. It drops your housing budget. You don’t need a shiny car, an iPhone, or a＄50 haircut.
Yes , you may actually still want one or two of these things, but the impetus(动力) comes from what your personal values 
are, not what other people around you seem to value or what marketing messages you receive.
For some people, it seems impossible. Their social cues come from advertising-laden media and from friends who also get their cues from advertising-laden media.They believe they need a slick cellphone and ＄100 casual clothes. Their self-worth revolves around that little burst they get from impressing others.
People should learn to break through that situation. In short, don’t play socially by the tiring old rules that revolve around needing to impress people. Instead, spend your time on things that bring real value to you and give real value to others.
66. Which of the following behaviours is “immoral”according to the second paragraph ?
A. Caring about other people’s opinion. B. Dropping your clothing budget.
C. Copying existing works. D. Obeying the tra
ffic rule. 67. To build relationship with others, you should pay attention to the following EXEPT _______.
A. dressing casually B. learning about weight control
C. improving communication skills D. being a tidy person
68. As for people we care about, what does the author advise us to do ?
A. To impress them in a proper way. B. To buy them special gifts.
C. To spare more time to be with them. D. To impress them with shiny things.
69. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage ?
A. An iPhone is totally unnecessary in our life.
B. Your family members’opinions are always worth caring about.
C. Learning how to impress others helps people save money.
D. You should always be aware of what other people around you seem to value.
70. What is the best title for the passage ?
A. Whose opinions do you care about ? B. Two different groups of people.
C. My favorite book : Your Money or Your Life D. Stop trying to impress other people.
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 to low 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 erosion of 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.
67. 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
68. 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
69. 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 bundling changing situations
C. they are well trained in a variety of specialized fields
D. they have attended special programs in management
70. 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
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