Well, when the huge wave hit the boat, my safety belt broke and I was swept overboard. I don’t really understand how it happened, but it did. I heard someone yell out, but then my boat, Wild One, went off into the darkness and I was alone in a very rough sea. I then spent five and a half hours in the water. The place where it happened was, oh, about 50 kilometers from shore. It was likely that I wouldn’t see another day, but I always thought I’d overcome the difficulties. At first I was watching out for Wild One. The rest of the crew knew I was gone, so they were sure to come back and look for me. After a while, I saw the boat’s lights when it came looking for me. They were within about 300 meters of me, but the spotlight just missed me. The reason why they didn’t see me was because of the huge waves. You know, I started sailing when I was seven, and started ocean racing when I was about eighteen, but I’d never been overboard before. I believed I was going to survive, but it was very cold, and as the hours passed I started to get desperate——and frozen! It was around 5 am when I saw the lights of a tanker coming towards me. I figured it was probably my last chance. At first, I thought they were going to miss me, and then they made a slight turn and I yelled out “Help!” and they heard me. Then another yacht appeared. These guys were terrific. They gave me dry clothes, and then one jumped into the bunk and hung onto me. They covered us with as much dry clothing as they could, and the guy in with me stayed to transfer his body heat to me.The author of the passage was alone in the sea NOT because ______.
| A．the wind was too strong | B．the wave hit the boat |
| C．the safety belt was broken | D．his boat was in the darkness |
He was not saved by his crew because ______.
| A．he didn’t yell out “Help!” | B．300 meters was long distance |
| C．he was not found | D．he didn’t see the spotlight |
It was inferred from the passage that ______.
| A．he was swept overboard at about midnight |
| B．Wild One was the name of a crew member |
| C．he started ocean racing at about seven |
| D．he was too hopeless to take the last chance |
One of the guys who saved him jumped into the bunk in order to ______.
| A．cover him with more dry clothes |
| B．warm him with his body heat |
| C．comfort him |
| D．congratulate him |
Last year I had a wonderful experience. I went on a student exchange to Japan. It was an exciting time of my life and I learned many things about the school system in Japan. I was in Grade 11, which is second year of high school in Japan, but I was younger than most of my classmates. That’s because Japanese children enter first year of elementary school (小学) in April following their sixth b
irthday. I started school when I was still five years old.
In Japan, Children attend elementary school for six years, where they study Japanese, arithmetic, science, social studies, music, crafts, physical education, and home economics (simple cooking and sewing skills). During their three years in middle school, English is
added to this list. Most schools have access to computers and the Internet.
Uncle Tom gave little Vicki Black a birthday gift one week before her birthday. He told her not to open it until her birthday. She knew her mother wouldn’t tolerate any disrespect to the kind man who helped them out after Vicki’s father passed away. Besides, Vicki didn’t want Uncle Tom to get angry. But little Vicky didn’t want to just hold it and guess what was in it. After all, she looked forward to his coming to show her interesting things, like how to turn an old sock into a doll.
All the day, Vicki couldn’t stop thinking about the gift. While her teacher was giving a lecture¸ Vicki sat still in her seat, drawing paper dolls inside the box. When school was done, she raced home. Walking into the room, again, she shook the present, but she heard nothing. Holding her breath, she opened the box and looked inside. Seconds later, she cried. When Mrs. Black saw the box, she said angrily, “Didn’t I tell you to leave it alone?” Vicki sobbed and said, “Mommy, you don’t understand.”
“Don’t cry to me. You have missed everything now, just because you couldn’t wait,” Mrs. Black accused. “What will Uncle Tom think now?”
“Uncle Tom gave me nothing,” Vicki cried and handed the empty box to her mother. “He played a trick on me.”
Mrs. Black said doubtfully, “Uncle Tom is not like that. You must have dropped it.”
Vicki kept crying. Only a rapid knock on the door made the house quiet. It was Uncle Tom. He looked at the empty box. “You have already done it? I told you to wait for your birthday.”
“You didn’t give me a gift.” Fresh tears filled her eyes.
“I try to give you something. I know your birthday is a special day. I tell myself to give you something valuable to last your whole life. I think hard and get the idea to give you an important lesson. If you open it on birthday, I see you learn. Then I will make a big party to celebrate. Maybe next year you listen and then you will understand the gift better.
Vicki’s cheeks flushed.
We can learn from the text that Vicki_______.
| A．often received gifts from her father |
| B．expected Uncle Tom to give her a doll |
| C．was sad because of her father’s death |
| D．liked and respected Uncle Tom |
What do the underlined words “done it” refer to?
| A．Guessed the result |
| B．Opened the box |
| C．Realized Uncle Tom’s purpose |
| D．Known what her birthday gift was |
What kind of person is Uncle Tom?
| A．Thoughtful | B．Humorous | C．Mysterious | D．Funny |
What did Uncle Tom want to teach Vicki?
| A．How to respect others | B．The meaning of gifts |
| C．How to deal with gifts | D．The value of a promise |
Dear Economist,
My newly-wedded wife and I are deeply in love．There is, however, one issue that threatens the happiness of our marriage．I absolutely insist on shopping at Walmart．My wife, meanwhile, would rather avoid Walmart at all costs．
I have recently tried to convince her that not only does Walmart offer the lowest prices known to man, but that the chain is also a force for good―lower prices mean better standards of living for all consumers, increased global trade means a tighter-knit(紧密团结的) international community, and efficient operations translate into higher productivity growth for the economy．My wife complains about poor labour policies, the “fact” that Walmart squeezes suppliers, and that it puts local shops out of business．
Who is right? Will our marriage survive?
Brian Gee
Dear Brian,
I have to agree with you about Walmart．Jason Furman, then an economist at New York University, now an adviser to President Obama, famously argued in 2005 that Walmart was unwittingly (不知不觉地) a progressive success story．The chain’s prices don’t much affect me (I prefer Whole Foods) but Furman estimated that they benefited low-and-middle-income Americans to the sum of around $250 billion a year．
Walmart does not pay much, so it may depress wages．Then again, it may increase wages by offering jobs to the otherwise-unemployed．Either way, the benefits of low prices to Walmart shoppers far outweigh any seemingly reasonable costs to Walmart employees．And while it is true that Walmart employees tend to be poor, the same is true of Walmart shoppers．
Armed with this information you can face your wife with confidence．You are sure to win the conversation．The divorce is likely to be more argued．
EconomistWhat concerns Brian Gee so much that he wrote the letter?
| A．His wife refuses to shop at Walmart． |
| B．They are faced with a divorce． |
| C．They can’t afford the costs of shopping at Walmart． |
| D．They are in conflict about shopping at Walmart． |
Brian Gee’s wife tends to hold the opinion that _________．
| A．it is wrong for Walmart to depress its employees’ wages |
| B．consumers’ lives have improved thanks to Walmart |
| C．Walmart’s business operation increases productivity in economy |
| D．Walmart’s business increases global trade |
What can be inferred from the reply letter?
| A．Some employees accept the low pay to keep the job． |
| B．Walmart appeals to only poor consumers and poor employees． |
| C．Employees suffer from Walmart’s low prices more than consumers． |
| D．Jason Furman, a New York University economist, spoke highly of Walmart． |
To be able to motivate oneself, or self-motivate, occurs when a person has the willingness to do something and is internally(内在地) motivated to do it．
Sometimes it’s very difficult to get ourselves moving．The natural tendency is to postpone．Life just seems to get in the way! There is a job to go to, groceries to do, television to watch—whoops! I guess we get pretty good at finding excuses to escape getting started on goals like an exercise routine or reading a new book．The fact is that we are creatures of routine and habit．So what can we do to motivate ourselves to accomplish our goals?
Here are some tips on how to get moving:
Decide what you want．It’s hard to motivate an aimless mind．Set a goal and decide how you are going to go about it．Then break it down into smaller sections so it’s easier to handle and less overwhelming．（势不可挡）
Keep track of your progress．Keep a log or journal where you can measure how much you have accomplished．Looking at it can also motivate you to keep pushing ahead．
Post motivating pictures or slogans within your sight．It is always inspiring to see pictures of people who have accomplished what you’re going for．It makes it attainable and realistic．Likewise, little slogans like “go for it” or “just do it” can give you the little support you need．
Sometimes we forget what we set out to do and a little reminder is all we need to be revitalized (激活) and focus on the end result．If you remind yourself to go for the desired promotion, it will re-establish why you are doing what you’re doing．
Make it a habit．Once you have accomplished your objective, e．g．becoming an early riser, keep it up so that it’s second nature to you and you don’t have to think about it anymore．According to the author, some people fail to achieve their goals because ________．
| A．they don’t have enough desire |
| B．their life is filled with routine work |
| C．they benefit from the force of habit |
| D．they naturally put off forming new habits |
It can be inferred from the underlined sentence that ________．
| A．self-motivation needs repeated self-reminding of one’s goal |
| B．in modern society people tend to become forgetful |
| C．when we forget our goal, our life becomes meaningless |
| D．we can achieve our goal only by focusing on the end result |
To get moving on your goal, you can do the following EXCEPT ________．
| A．keep a diary to clearly judge your distance to your goal |
| B．make self-improvement your second nature |
| C．forget your aim and revitalize yourself with slogans |
| D．support yourself by hanging inspiring pictures in your house |
Which of the following is the best title for the passage?
| A．Set Goals in Your Life | B．Get Yourself Motivated |
| C．Get into Good Habits | D．Do Not Postpone |
Recently, one of my best friends, whom I’ve shared just about everything with since the first day of kindergarten, spent the weekend with me．Since I moved to a new town several years ago, we’ve both always looked forward to the few times a year when we can see each other．
Over the weekend, we spent hours and hours, staying up late into the night, talking about the people she was hanging around with．She started telling me stories about her new boyfriend, about how he experimented with drugs and was into other self-destructive behavior．I was blown away! She told me how she had been lying to her parents about where she was going and even stealing out to see this guy because they didn’t want her around him．No matter how hard I tried to tell her that she deserved better, she didn’t believe me．Her self-respect seemed to have disappeared．
I tried to convince her that she was ruining her future and heading for big trouble．I felt like I was getting nowhere．I just couldn’t believe that she really thought it was acceptable to hang with a bunch of losers, especially her boyfriend．
By the time she left, I was really worried about her and exhausted by the experience．It had been so frustrating, I had come close to telling her several times during the weekend that maybe we had just grown too far apart to continue our friendship，but I didn’t．I put the power of friendship to the final test．We’d been friends for far too long．I had to hope that she valued me enough to know that I was trying to save her from hurting herself．I wanted to believe that our friendship could conquer anything．
A few days later, she called to say that she had thought long and hard about our conversation, and then she told me that she had broken up with her boyfriend．I just listened on the other end of the phone with tears of joy running down my face．It was one of the truly rewarding moments in my life．Never had I been so proud of a friend．In the writer’s opinion, her friend ________．
| A．was a girl with no self-respect |
| B．could find a better boyfriend |
| C．was brave enough to stick to her own choice |
| D．didn’t value the writer’s suggestion |
What did the writer worry about?
| A．She would lose the friendship with her． |
| B．Her friend’s parents would be worried about their daughter． |
| C．Her friend would get into great trouble with the boy． |
| D．Her friend’s boyfriend would be in great trouble． |
We may leam from Paragraph 3 that the writer ________．
| A．didn’t want to go anywhere else |
| B．hated her friend’s hanging with her boyfriend |
| C．couldn’t believe that her friend’s choice was acceptable |
| D．doubted that she could in any way help her friend |
What can be concluded from the passage?
| A．Friendship starting from childhood is not reliable． |
| B．Friendship is a cure for any injury in life． |
| C．Friendship should be everlasting once begun． |
| D．Friendship can have magical power in life． |
Many children first learn the value of money by receiving an allowance. Parents often give th
eir children an amount of money that they may spend as they wish. The purpose is to let the children learn from experience at an early age when financial mistakes are not very costly.
A child may receive an allowance ea
ch week or each month. The amount is not so important. But parents should make clear what the child is expected to pay for with the money.
At first, young children may spend all of their allowance soon after they receive it. If they do this, they will learn the hard way that spending must be done within a budget. Parents should not offer more money until the next allowance is to be given.
Older children may be responsible enough to budget larger costs like those for clothing. The object is to show young people that a budget demands choices between spending and saving.
Many people who have written on the subject say it is not a good idea to pay your child for work around the home. These jobs are a normal part of family life. Paying children to do extra work around the home, however, can be useful. It can even provide an understanding of how a business works.
Allowances give children a chance to experience three things they can do with money. They can share it in the form of gifts or giving it to organizations. They can spend it by buying things they wan
t. Or they can save it.
Saving helps children understand that costly goals require sacrifice: you have to cut costs and plan for the future. Requiring children to save part of their allowance can also open the doo
r to future saving and investing. Many banks offer free savings accounts for young people with small amounts of money.The functions of allowances given to children are the following EXCEPT ______.
| A．they can save more money for their future business |
| B．they can give them to charities |
| C．they may spend them on what they like |
| D．they can learn to deal with money |
The underlined word "sacrifice" in the last paragraph means "_____".
| A．牺牲 | B．计划 | C．选择 | D．放弃 |
What's the main idea of the passage?
| A．Children should save part of their allowance. |
B．Don’t pay your chi ld for work around the home. |
| C．Allowance helps teach children early about money. |
D． Parents should allow children to spend money as they wish. |
How many advantages of saving has the passage mentioned?
| A．2 | B．3 | C．4 | D．5 |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A．Children are advised  to buy anything they wish to with the allowance. |
| B．Parents should offer children more money if they spend all of their allowance soon after they get it. |
| C．It can be useful to pay children to do extra work around the home. |
| D．It is unnecessary for the children to save part of the allowance. |
Too much TV-watching can harm children’s ability to learn and even reduce their chances of getting a college degree, new studies suggest in the latest effort to examine the effects of television on children.
One of the studies looked at nearly 400 northern California third-graders. Those with TVs in their bedrooms scored about eight points lower on math and language arts tests than children without bedrooms TVs.
A second study, looking at nearly 1,000 grown-ups in New Zealand, found lower education levels among 26-year-olds who had watched lots of TV during childhood. But the results don’t prove that TV is the cause and don’t rule out that already poorly motivated youngsters(年轻人)may watch lots of TV.
Their study measured the TV habits of 26-year-olds between ages 5 and 15. Those with college degrees had watched an average of less than two hours of TV per weeknight during childhood, compared with an average of more than 2½ hours for those who had no education beyond high school.
In the California study, children with TVs in their rooms but no computer at home scored the lowest, while those with no bedroom TV but who had home computers scored the highest.
While this study does not prove that bedroom TV sets caused the lower scores, it adds to accumulating findings that children shouldn’t have TVs in their bedrooms.
According to the California study, the low-scoring group might____________.
| A．have watched a lot of TV |
| B．not be interested in math |
| C．be unable to go to college |
| D．have had computers in their bedrooms |
What is the researchers’ understanding of the New Zealand study results?
| A．Poorly motivated 26-year-olds watch more TV. |
| B．Habits of TV watching reduce learning interest. |
| C．TV watching leads to lower education levels of the 15-year-olds. |
| D．The connection between TV and education levels is difficult to explain. |
What can we learn from the last two paragraphs?
| A．More time should be spent on computers. |
| B．Children should be forbidden from watching TV. |
| C．TV sets shouldn’t be allowed in children’s bedrooms. |
| D．Further studies on high-achieving students should be done. |
What would be the best title for this text?
| A．Computers or Television |
| B．Effects of Television on Children |
| C．Studies on TV and College Education |
| D．Television and Children’s Learning Habits |
He wishes the holiday season would end already. His back aches, his red suit feels like a spacesuit , his cheeks have gone tight from smiling for 12 hours —and still the kids keep coming and coming , like ants at a picnic . As Christmas becomes more commercialized (商业化) across the U. S. and Canada, so must Santas. As the holiday begins earlier each year, so must its spokesmen .
The questions from children these days are harder than ever. Now, with thousands of children expecting a father or mother serving in Iraq or Afghanistan, the questions are as heart-breaking as they are unanswerable. For example, “Can you please bring Daddy home from the war in time for Christmas morning?”
Santas also have a pretty good chance of getting sued (指控). A professional Santa Claus in Canada told a story: A Santa had a girl on his knee, and he commented, “You have nice eyes and nice hair.” The girl later said it was sexual harassment (骚扰) . When a Santa feels anxious, he often shows it in the same ways ordinary people do: The Santas were always seen to hang around at the dinner table when the show ended. Many of them just sleep in bed for several days and don’t see other children again.In the first paragraph, “spokesmen” refers to .
| A．businessmen | B．political leaders |
| C．organizers of the activities | D．Santa Clauses |
The passage implies that the job of Santa Claus is .
| A．well-paid | B．very hard | C．worth doing | D．dangerous |
According to the third paragraph, Santas may sometimes be bl
amed(责备) for .
| A．doing something against the law | B．hanging around the dinner table |
| C．being lazy and sleeping in bed for days | D．not playing their roles as expected |
What would be the best title for the passage ?
| A．Christmas: Not a Good Festival for Santas | B．Is Santa Claus Really Alive? |
| C．A Christmas Story | D．What Does Santa Claus Do for Children? |
I am a person who does not like to wait．I don' t like lines, being put on hold when making a phone call, arriving at an appointment to find that my companion will be delayed and of course, I don * t like waiting rooms．
However, I realize that my agony(痛苦） will not be good for me, as an increasingly, crowded world can only mean one thing—more waiting．
Owing to this, I have taken a measure and decided to turn my disappointment to productive ends．In short, I am looking for what I call "waiting in line books"．
These are books that contain material designed for being read in shortened words, so there is no extended story line to lose track of．Another requirement is that they be small enough to slip neatly into my back pocket．
The other day I went to the supermarket．Convinced that the rain would keep most people away, I was surprised to see that the place was crowded with shoppers．Every checkout was open—and jammed! But I could take out my pocket book and go to work．
The more the world demands that I wait, the more I learn from my waiting library．Look at these titles: One Hundred Things Every American Should Know; The Poetry of Robert Frost; Living Thoughts of Leading Thinkers; Still More Toasts．I have learned interesting and enriching things and much knowledge from these books．
On a recent visit to the general store, I placed my order at the counter along with six or seven other people．The one female employee seemed to have her hands full as she rushed about．"Just be patient," she said to me．
No problem．I quietly opened my dictionary of prose （散文） and poetical quotations． Perhaps the other customers regarded me as a bookish, lonely soul．But little did they realize that I was enjoying the company of Shakespeare, Thoreau, Homer and Ben Johnson．According to the passage, the world ______．
| A．needs to produce many materials to use | B．is becoming more and more crowded |
| C．loses tracks of story line increasingly | D．is crowded with shoppers everywhere |
How did the author overcome his agony of waiting?
| A．By reading books designed to be read in shortened words． |
| B．By arriving early for an appointment． |
| C．By taking measures to produce some books for readers． |
| D．By keeping most people away from the supermarket for some reasons． |
Which of the following can't be carried in the author's pocket?
| A．One Hundred Things Every American Should Know |
| B．The Poetry of Robert Frost |
| C．Living Thoughts of Leading Thinkers |
| D．Homer and Ben Johnson |
Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?
| A．The author succeeded in changing his agony into fun． |
| B．The author was a bookish and lonely soul. |
| C．Six or seven employees in the store were busy in rushing about． |
| D．There were fewer customers in the supermarket on rainy days． |
When you are little, it’s not hard to believe you can change the world. I remember my enthusiasm when, at the age of 12, I addressed（向……演讲） the people at the Rio Earth Summit. “ I 
am only a child,” I told them.” Yet I know that if all the money spent on war was spent on ending poverty and finding environmental answers, what a wonderful place this world would be. At school you teach us not to fight with others, to work things out, to respect others, to clean up our mess, not to hurt other creatures, to share, not to be greedy. Then why do you go out and do the things you tell us not to do. You grown-ups say you love us, but I challenge you, please, to make your actions reflect your words.”
I spoke for six minutes and received a standing ovation. Some of the people even cried. I thought that maybe I had reached some of them, that my speech might actually spur（刺激）action. Now, ten years from Rio, after I’ve sat through many more conferences, I’m not sure what has been achieved. My confidence in the people in power and in the power of an individual’s voice to reach them has been deeply shaken.
When I was little, the world was simple. But as a young adult, I’m learning that as we have to make choices—educa-tion, career, lifestyle—life gets more and more complicated. We are beginning to feel pressure to produce and be successful. We are taught that economic growth is progress, but we aren’t taught how to seek a happy, healthy way of living. And we are learning that what we wanted for the future when we were 12 was idealistic and naive（天真的）.
Today I’m no longer a child, but I’m worried about what kind of environment my children will grow up in. I know change is possible, because I am changing, still figuring out what I think. I am still deciding how to live my life. The challenges are great, but if we accept individual responsibility and make choices, we will rise to the challenges, and we will become part of the positive tide of the change. I hope this goal will be met through our common efforts. Thank you all.The purpose of what the speaker said at the age of 12 was to .
| A．end poverty and make schools beautiful |
| B．find environmental answers and show off |
| C．focus people’s attention on some social problems |
| D．find a wonderful place and clean it up |
What does the underlined word “ovation”in the second paragraph refer to?
| A．A long period of laughing. | B．A cold and unfriendly welcome. |
| C．An expression used for greeting. | |
| D．Great applause or cheering. |
The information in the text is presented mainly through .
| A．question and answer | B．a personal lecture |
| C．cause and effect | D．listing steps in a process |
Which of the following best describes the speaker?
| A．He is an experienced educator. |
| B．He is an impolite man. |
| C．He is a man of great worries. |
| D．He is a man of social responsibility. |
If you’re networking（建立人际关系）and nothing is happening，you might need to evaluate how you’re doing it．Maybe you show up at each event and still feel challenged by the process．You aggressively talk to people，give out your cards，call endlessly to schedule an appointment but have no real success from your efforts．To help you gain a different future，here are eight habits you should avoid.（避免）
Ineffective networkers：
1．Lack patience．They expect immediate results and want business now, not tomorrow．
2．Constantly“selling”something．They see dollar signs every time they shake hands with someone．
3．Too many choices．If they offer a variety of products，they might try too hard to tell about all of them．Offering too much infomation sends a confusing message making it difficult for people to send references．Opportunities are all around us but when you’ re networking j only focus on one．
4．Change positions too often．If they move from company to company or do something totally different，it might be difficult for people to keep up with them．
5. Lack manners and respect．They interrupt others，talk with food in their mouth，aren’t very polite and appear unprofessional．They call people during dinner or on the weekends without thinking whether the occasion is suitable．
6. Focus on themselves. Too much self-promotion can leave the other person to feel unappreciated. Every sentence begins with“I”and is all about their business．
7．“Taking”instead of“giving”．They don’t realize what other people sense when they are being very selfish．Others may think that they are being taken advantage of．
8．Poor communication and interpersonal skills．They have trouble speaking effectively，building relationships and following up．
Networking is a process that is an investment of time and money．If you find you’re doing any of these habits，consider learning how to improve on these and maximize your results while networking．You’ll start to get better at connecting with people and obtain more opportunit
ies．According to the text，some people didn’t succeed in networking because .
| A．they didn’t make efforts | B．they didn’t behave effectively |
| C．they didn’t pay enough money | D．they didn’t spend enough time |
According to the second habit，we shouldn’t when we are networking．
| A．make friends | B．talk about dollars |
| C．shake hands with everyone | D．pay attention to money only |
When talking with others，you should .
| A．give out your cards every now and then |
| B．talk about the quality of your product as much as possible |
| C．1et other people express themselves completely |
| D．interrupt others when they make a mistake |
Which of the follo
wing is not suitable for a salesman’s behavior?
| A．He offers too much self-promotion during the conversation． |
| B．He considers when he can get what he expects carefully． |
| C．He only focuses on one opportunity when networking． |
| D．He keeps his promises and doesn’t expect too much from others． |
A few years ago I was shopping with a friend and his 12-year-old daughter in downtown San Francisco．A street musician，whom my friend happened to know from his own musician day，was playing the saxophone on a street corner．His name was Clifford，and he had attracted a large crowd with his performance．After he finished，my friend introduced him to me and his daughter．Clifford asked her if she played any instrument．When she replied that she was taking trumpet (小号) lessons and played in her junior high school band，he said，“That’s fine，little lady．Learn your instrument well and you can play anything．”Somehow these simple yet wise words struck me as suitable not only for a trumpet player but also for a reader．If you learn to read well，you can read anything you want—not just newspapers and magazines，but more difficult material like philosophy，film criticism，military history—whatever interests you as your confidence grows．You would not be limited in any way．If you have the vocabulary –or at least a good dictionary near at hand—you can pick up a book，concentrate on it, and make sense of the writer’s words．
In the United States，reading instruction often ends at elementary school，so students sometimes have difficulty as they progress through school．They must take their assignments，armed only with their elementary，school reading skills．The result，too often，is frustration (挫折) and loss of confidence．And the assigned reading in your college courses will be even greater than they were in high school．Developing Reading Skills is designed to accomplish several tasks：to show you the skills that will enable you to read with greater comprehension，to help you deal with reading assignment with confidence，and to teach you to become an active reader．The talk between the girl and Clifford serves as an introduction to ．
| A．the importance of reading |
| B．the connection between playing instruments and reading |
| C．the necessity of learning to play an instrument |
| D．the variety of reading material |
It can be inferred from the story that ．
| A．Clifford was good at playing the saxophone |
| B．the writer’s friend was once a street musician |
| C．the 12-year-old girl played the trumpet very poorly |
| D．Clifford was a good music teacher |
We can infer from the last paragraph that Developing Reading Skills ．
| A．is directed to elementary school students | B．centers around vocabulary building skills |
| C．aims at helping students read better | D．offers elementary reading skills |
With good reading skills，you can ．
| A．understand anything you read without difficulty |
| B．work out the writer’s meaning if only you concentrate on the book |
| C．understand what you read with the help of a good dictionary |
| D．Concentrate on whatever you read |
They are among the 250, 000 people under the age of 25 who are out of work in the Netherlands, a group that makes up 40 percent of
the nation’s unemployed．A storm of anger boils up at the government-sponsored （政府资助的） youth center, even among those who ar
e continuing their studies．
“We study for jobs that don’t exist,” Nicollets Steggerda, 23, said．
After thirty years of prosperity, unemployment among 10 member nations of the European Community has reached as much as 11 percent, affecting a total of 12．3 million people, and the number is climbing．
The bitter disappointment long expressed by British youths is spreading across the Continent．The title of a rock song “No Future” can now be seen written on the brick walls of closed factories in Belgium and France．
One form of protest（抗议） tends to put the responsibility for a country’s economic troubles on the large numbers of “guest workers” from Third World nations, people welcomed in Western Europe in the years of prosperity．
Young Europeans, brought up in an extended period of economic success and general stability, seem to be similar to Americans more than they do their own parents．Material enjoyment has given them a sense of expectation, even the right to a standard of living that they see around them．
“And so we pass the days at the discos, or meet people at the café, and sit and stare,” said Isabella Cault．"There is usually not much conversation．You look for happiness．Sometimes you even find it．”Unemployment in the Netherlands has affected _______
| A．one million people | B．250,000 people |
| C．1ess than half of the population | D．about 0.6 million people |
What Nicollete Steggerda said （Para．2） means that ________．
| A．the students cannot get work after graduation |
| B．what the students learn is more than necessary |
| C．the students’ aim in study is not clear |
| D．school education is not sufficient |
The underlined word ‘‘it” in the last paragraph most probably refers to ________．
| A．material enjoyment | B．a sense of expectation |
| C．happiness | D．a job |
Shopping in the United States changes a lot．About ninety years ago most people shopped in small stores that were owned by one person or a family．Women went from the bakery to the butcher’s to the grocer and on to the fruit and vegetable seller in order to get their food for the week．Then, about sixty years ago, supermarkets were born．In a supermarket, people could
get all the different kinds of food they needed without going to different stores．
The next big change in shopping in the United States was the shopping mall．A shopping mall is a group of stores under one roof．Because malls allowed people to shop without worrying about the weather, they soon became very popular．The mall became a place for people to socialize in addition to shopping．If you walk through a mall, you will see older people sitting, chatting and drinking coffee．Malls are places for teenagers to hang out．Many teens will often just “go to the mall” and spend time with their friends．
The recent change in American shopping was the superstore．Large chain stores such as Wal-Mart, Office Depot and Toys “R” Us have been built all across the United States．Because they are so large, they can buy goods at a great discount and sell them much cheaper than smaller stores．Sometimes, when they are built near small towns, many of the small town stores have to close．They just cannot compete with their giant neighbors．
And now, online shopping is becoming more and more popular all over the States．People are too busy to go to the physical stores, so they go shopping over the Internet．Online shopping has lots of advantages．For instance, online stores are usually available 24 hours a day．Searching or browsing online shops can be faster than browsing the physical stores．While, online shopping also has its disadvantages．People are at higher risk of being cheated on the part of the merchant than in a physical store．And privacy of personal information may be let out．Which of the following shows the right order of shopping development in the United States?
①small stores ②superstores ③shopping malls ④shopping online ⑤supermarkets
| A．①②③④⑤ | B．①⑤③②④ | C．②③④①⑤ | D．①⑤②③④ |
Which is the place for people to spend time with others according to the passage?
| A．Small stores． | B．Supermarkets． | C．Shopping malls | D．Superstores． |
Why can the superstores sell products at much lower prices?
| A．Because they can buy goods at a reduction in price． |
| B．Because they are across the United States． |
| C．Because they sell all kinds of products people need． |
| D．Because they are built near small towns． |
What’s the disadvantage of online shopping according to the passage?
| A．Wasting time． | B．Fixed prices． |
| C．No chance to do physical activities. | D．Leaking personal information． |
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