【推荐1】Take a trip to one of London’s theme parks. From thrilling rides through history, to wild animals —both imaginary and real — London’s theme parks offer great entertainment for families and groups.

KidZania

Set your imagination free at KidZania at Westfield London—the new role-playing park for children that’s taking the world by storm. A child-size city complete with shops and locations including a fire station, a bank and a theatre stage where children can role-play around 60 different jobs and professions, KidZania aims to teach life skills such as teamwork and independence.

London Dungeon

Take a scary but humorous 90-minute journey through 1,000 years of London’s history at the ever-popular London Dungeon. There are 18 interactive shows (互动表演) with 20 live theatre actors and 2 rides to guide you through the city’s dishonest past.

London Bridge Experience

See, hear and even smell what one of the world’s most famous bridges was like throughout the ages. Led by a team of live actors at the London Bridge Experience, you’ll go from Roman times to the Great Fire of London and beyond. This is an interactive experience with a focus on the more horrible side of history.

Warner Bros Studio Tour

It takes you behind the scenes, where you’ll be most amazed to see loads of costumes (服装) and sets from the beloved Harry Potter films. Led by tour guides, many of whom worked on the films themselves, this is your chance to climb aboard Hagrid’s Motorcycle, ride on a broomstick, and walk through the Great Hall at Hogwarts.

1. Where can a teenager experience the firefighter’s role?

A．In London Dungeon.	B．In KidZania.
C．In London Bridge Experience.	D．In Warner Bros Studio Tour.

2. What do London Dungeon and London Bridge Experience have in common?

A．Business practice.	B．Interesting rides.
C．Live actors.	D．Role plays.

3. What can we learn about Warner Bros Studio Tour?

A．It’s where the Harry Potter films were made.

B．It focuses on teamwork and independence.

C．It’s a magic journey through the film history.

D．It sells costumes from the Harry Potter films.

【推荐2】Embassy Suites by Hilton Santa Ana Orange County Airport

Neighborhood: John Wayne Airport(SNA),Orange County,1325 East Dyer Road, Santa Ana, CA

OVERALL GUEST SCORE

Hotel Description

Being close to the airport and freeway access make the Embassy Suites a top choice for our guests in the area. The 300-room Embassy Suites offers homey comforts for those on business and vacation alike-suites with separate living and sleeping areas, refrigerators, microwaves, coffeemakers, Wi-Fi access and two TVs. Wake up to a free cooked-to-order breakfast and enjoy the indoor pool and fitness center. A two-hour evening reception offers drinks and snacks and the on-site restaurant serves American favorites. The property also has a business center with copy and fax services. Parking is available for an additional fee. Less than two miles from I-405,the Embassy Suites is within a half-mile of various restaurants and just three miles from John Wayne Airport. Our guests say the Embassy Suites 'location, "brilliant" breakfast and "friendly" staff make it one of their favorite Santa Ana properties.

Guest Ratings

Good                                                         Feb 8,2017 By: Harold Pros: Loved the breakfast and the friendly, helpful staff. Spacious accommodations made this a very good value. Cons: Didn't love the heating/AC system; room was too cold for comfort. Also was not aware of the parking fee until we checked in. The parking fee was $ 17 a night.

Good                                                         Jan 24,2017 By: Micaela Pros: Breakfast was amazing with a variety of choices and the staff were helpful. Cons: The room had a very strange old smell when we first got there. I had to open the door to air it out. Very Good                                               Jan 5,2017 By: Bruce Pros: The location was very good for us and the included breakfast was a plus. Cons: The room was not cleaned properly when we got there. The heating system was not working for the hotel as well.

1. What makes the Embassy Suites a top choice for its guests in the area?

A．The business center.	B．The friendly staff.
C．The convenient location.	D．Wi-Fi access.

2. According to the guest ratings, all the guests are satisfied with its       .

A．heating system	B．free airport shuttle
C．parking fee	D．breakfast

3. This advertisement is made more believable by        

A．using guests' comments	B．interviewing the guests
C．offering competitive prices	D．providing the exact address

【推荐3】If you’ve never heard of a biophilic city (亲自然城市) before, you probably will soon — there’s a growing movement emerging globally.

A biophilic city is a city where the planning and design largely integrate the natural world into the daily lives of residents. It’s based on the idea that humans have a deep love for nature and desire to connect with nature.

“We describe the vision of biophilic cities as immersive (沉浸式的) nature — nature is not just something to be found in a park here and there that you have to walk to, but rather we need to reimagine the city as a park, or as a forest,” says Tim Beatley, a professor of sustainable communities. “There is a renewed (更新的) appreciation for how essential nature is in cities and how it can help to make them more beautiful places,” Beatley says. “We know, for instance, that cities face great pressures from climate change — a key response must be nature and nature-based solutions, such as cooling cities with trees and urban forests.”

Beatley’s colleague, Peter Newman, a professor of sustainability, says he has devoted nearly 50 years to activism, research and teaching how to make cities more sustainable. He made a film with Beatley, called “Singapore: Biophilic City”.

Singapore is seen as an exceptional biophilic city. “In our film we show how biophilic values began with the first Prime Minister of Singapore saying that the environment in the city was as important as the economy,” says Newman, who got the idea of making the film after he spent some time in Singapore teaching a course. “Singapore is one of the best examples in showing that you can accommodate city development and population growth and also actually protect nature as well,” says Newman. Greenery is woven throughout the city, not only in many parks, but integrated even into the design of tall buildings.

“Singapore has now officially changed its motto from ‘Singapore, Garden City’ to ‘Singapore, a City in a Garden’,” says Beatley.

1. What does the author intend to do in Paragraph 2?

A．To explain a concept.	B．To put forward an idea.
C．To provide an example.	D．To introduce a general rule.

2. What can we infer from Beatley’s words in Paragraph 3?

A．Parks in cities need to be renewed.

B．Biophilic cities face many problems.

C．It is difficult to imagine a city as a park.

D．Nature should be a key factor in city planning.

3. What does Newman’s film mainly focus on?

A．The unforgettable experience in Singapore.

B．The rise of tall green buildings in Singapore.

C．Why Singapore chooses to be a biophilic city.

D．How Singapore balances the economy and the environment.

4. What might be the best title for the text?

A．Singapore: a garden city	B．Turning cities into gardens
C．The future of biophilic cities	D．Nature: a solution to climate change

【推荐1】We usually think of archaeology as lots of painstaking work by brave explorers. But today, long-hidden cities are being revealed (显露) from the air, where modern archaeologists use laser pulses (激光脉冲) to discover the sign of ancient life buried below thick surface.   

Lidar, short for “light detection and ranging”, needs directing rapid laser pulses at the ground from an airplane. Software catches the time and wavelength of the pulses reflected from the surface and connects it with GPS and other data to produce a precise 3D map of the landscape below.

In recent years, lidar exposed an ancient city in western Mexico called Angamuco. The discovery of this long-lost Mexican metropolis (大都) is especially meaningful.

“To think that this large city existed in the heartland of Mexico for all this time and nobody knew it was there is kind of amazing,” says Chris Fisher, an archaeologist at Colorado State University who led the expedition.

The city extended over ten square miles. “That is a huge area with a lot of people,” says Fisher. “You are talking about 40. 000 building foundations, which is about the same number of building foundations that are on the island of Manhattan.” Archaeologists were surprised when they saw Angamuco’s city plan. The monuments (纪念碑) were largely concentrated in eight zones around the edges rather than being located in one large center.

Archacologists discovered signs of the buried city in 2007 and attempted to explore it using a traditional way. But the team soon realized that it would take at least ten years to outline the whole metropolis. In 2011, they began using lidar to map nearly 14 square miles. Researchers now believe that more than 100. 000 people lived in Angamuco from about AD 1000 to AD 1350. That makes it the biggest city in western Mexico at the time or at least the biggest city we know about so far.

“Everywhere you point the lidar instrument, you find something new.” says Fisher. “Right now. every textbook has to be rewritten. and two years from now. they’re going to have to be rewritten again.”

1. Where is the text probably taken from?

A．A textbook

B．A magazine

C．A guidebook

D．A diary.

2. How does lidar work to reveal buried ancient life?

A．By producing a precise 3D landscape.	B．By connecting laser pulses with software
C．By catching images of the ground surface	D．By detecting the ground with laser pulses.

3. What can we know about Angamuco?

A．It existed in Mexico for a short time.	B．It covered an area as large as Manhattan.
C．It had monuments located in the city center.	D．It was a metropolis with a large population.

4. What is the main idea of the passage?

A．Lidar uses light waves to peel back the layers of time.

B．A Mexico city is unearthed and presented to the world.

C．Laser pulses show fascinating facts about modern cities.

D．Archacologists uncover ancient cities to rewrite textbooks.

【推荐2】Do you sleep well? Some people get off to sleep as soon as the head hits the pillow, but many others are not so lucky．In fact，the lack of quality sleep has become a public health issue around the world．According to the World Association of Sleep Medicine，45 percent of the world’s population suffer from sleep problems．One in eight people don’t sleep well and are easily woken．7．6 percent sleep less than 3 hours each night．Some even can not fall asleep for several days in a row．
As a basic bodily and mental need，sleep is essential for our survival．It helps us to fight diseases，strengthen our memory, perform better in work and school and improve our quality of life．Lack of sleep is known to have a significant negative influence on health，both in the short and long term．Poor sleep has been associated with obesity, weakened immune systems and even some cancers，as well as depression and anxiety．
The World Sleep Day, held on the third Friday of March，is an annual celebration of sleep to lighten the burden of sleep problems through better prevention and management of sleep disorders．
Unhealthy lifestyle may be the first to blame for sleeplessness．More and more people use cellphones and computers in bed，with many staying up until midnight．Modern technology does make our life convenient，but abuse of it ruins our health．Environmental conditions，such as temperature，noise，light，bed comfort also play an important role in one’s ability to get proper sleep．Besides，improper evening diet，like a full or an empty stomach，coffee and alcohol all contribute to sleep problems．Of course，when it comes to causing poor sleep stress from finances，family or work should never be ignored．
However, those who suffer from sleep disorders don’t necessarily have to continue to do so—most sleep problems can be solved．
1. What can be inferred from Paragraph 1 ？

A．Nobody can stay awake for several days．

B．All people are going through sleep problems．

C．Sleep problems have become a worldwide concern．

D．The majority of the world’s population can’t sleep well．

2. What does Paragraph 4 mainly tell us?

A．The influences of lack of sleep．

B．The possible causes of poor sleep．

C．Poor sleep is associated with illness．

D．Good sleep helps us to perform better．

3. What will be discussed in the paragraph that follows?

A．The harm of sleep problems．

B．Activities on the World Sleep Day．

C．Interviews of poor sleep sufferers．

D．Measures against sleep problems．

【推荐3】Your eyes pick up colour using a type of cell called cones (视锥) in your retina (视网膜). The same is true for dogs, though our cones aren’t exactly the same.

Humans have three types of cones, which enables us to see different shades of red, blue violet (蓝紫色), and green. Dogs have two types of cones that pick up blue-violet and yellow shades. This means that dogs see in a similar way to humans who are red-green colour blind.

“They don’t see red or green and they see everything in shades of blue and yellow,” says Jay Neitz, PhD, a researcher and professor at the University of Washington.

Humans may have the advantage in colour vision but dogs definitely have us beaten in the area of night vision. This is because dogs’ eyes have more light-gathering power than ours. A dog’s retina is largely composed (由……组成) of cells called rods which can sense light, even in very low-light conditions.

Dogs are especially good at sensing movement. “The increased number of rods in the dog’s retina also increases their ability to discover movement,” Sypniewski says. This ability can help them discover small animals like squirrels.

Dogs have a wider field of vision than humans. Dogs’ eyes are set slightly farther apart than humans’ eyes, so they can see further to the side in each direction.

Dogs have trouble seeing things very close up. Dogs can see objects clearly if they’re at least 13 to 20 inches away from their eyes, “but if the object is closer, the image may be blurry,” Sypniewski says. Humans can see objects slightly closer—about 10 inches away from the eye.

Dogs may recognize you by your shape and movement. “If your dog recognizes you from a distance (远处), it is not because it can see the details of your face like a human would, but rather because of your shape or the way you move.” Neitz says.

1. What conclusion can we draw from paragraph 2?

A．Dogs are red-green colour blind.	B．Dogs have three types of cones.
C．Dogs can only see blue colour clearly.	D．Dogs are similar to humans in many ways.

2. What feature contributes to dogs’ catching small animals?

A．Dogs can see things very close up.	B．Dogs are skilled at sensing movement.
C．Dogs have the advantage in colour vision.	D．Dogs can see everything in shades of yellow.

3. What does the underlined word “blurry” in paragraph 7 mean?

A．Wrong.

B．Big.

C．Unclear.

D．Moving.

4. How does your dog recognize you from a distance?

A．By your face.

B．By your smell.

C．By your voice.

D．By the way your walk.

【推荐1】Benin-born musician Angelique Kidjo has won a major human rights award, along with three African youth activist movements. The groups are Y’en a marre (Fed Up), le Balai Citoyen (The Citizen’s Broom), and Lutte pour Changement (LUCHA).

The organization Amnesty International announced the winners on Wednesday. It praised Kidjo and the groups for their work in Africa and around the world. Amnesty says the award honors those who have shown unusual courage in standing up to unfair. It says winners also influence others to act the same.

The Amnesty International honor is called the Ambassador of Conscience Award. Past winners include leaders Nelson Mandela and Aung San Suu Kyi. Artists who have been honored including U2 band leader Bono and singer Joan Baez.

Angelique Kidjo fled Benin in the 1980s after being pressured to perform for the country’s repressive government. She has since gained worldwide fame both for her music and her activism(行动主义). She has worked to support free expression, education for young women and birth certificates for children. She has lived in New York City for many years. She has also won a Grammy award for her music. She said, “Music helps her spread her messages of freedom and human dignity. I can’t be in everyone’s home physically but my music will be there. And that’s the power of an artist, compared to a politician. Because no one can give a speech as brilliant as what we can put on a CD. I have hope that African nations struggling with corruption can solve their problems through democratic(民主的) methods.” Kidjo said the honor will help her stay active in human rights issues.

1. What can we learn from the first paragraph?

A．Angelique Kidjo belongs to the group Y’en a marre (Fed Up).

B．Angelique Kidjo is a singer born in Benin.

C．Angelique Kidjo is a natural musician.

D．Angelique Kidjo is the organizer of Lutte pour Changement (LUCHA).

2. What’s the meaning of the underlined word “repressive” in Paragraph 4 ?

A．Cruel.	B．Humorous.
C．Peaceful.	D．Uncontrolled.

3. What is mainly talked about in the passage?

A．The most world famous musician-Angelique Kidjo.

B．The only human rights fighter-Angelique Kidjo.

C．The winner of the Grammy award-Angelique Kidjo.

D．The winner of the Ambassador of Conscience Award-Angelique Kidjo.

【推荐2】I moved to the Phoenix area in my early twenties, and to expand my social life I joined a young adult group at a church. Because I love music, I started singing in the choir (合唱队), where I met Lisa. We were about the same age. Finding people with similar interests helped reduce my feelings of loneliness after moving to a new city.

“Are you going to go on the retreat (静修)?” Lisa asked. Once or twice a year, the young adult group put on a retreat. I hesitated. I had little experience with retreats and I still felt like an outsider. “Come on,” Lisa said. “Everyone goes.” “Okay.” I agreed. After all, some cute guys were in the group. As the retreat weekend approached, I learned that the theme was forgiveness.

In my twenties, the world revolved(旋转)around me and what I wanted. And, as most people do, I learned how to be pleasant enough without giving in and having to apologize any more than necessary. In short, the forgiveness theme made me uncomfortable. I would attend the retreat, but I planned to sit quietly in the background and watch.

The retreat was held at a camp in Prescott, Arizona. The first night we gathered in the common room where we also ate our meals. According to the plan, I found a spot in the back where I could watch, unnoticed. The leader got up and spoke about the healing power of forgiveness. His words were touching. “Now comes the hard part,” he said. “I want to invite you to look into your hearts and if you feel moved to do so, go to a person here in the room and ask to be forgiven for something you’ve done.”

At the beginning, there was total silence. Was he kidding? Then Lisa stood up and made her way through the crowd toward me. Lisa planted her feet firmly in front of me. “Kathleen, I’d like to ask your forgiveness.” I shook my head. Then nodded, not sure how to respond. I felt the heat rise into my cheeks. I could hardly breathe knowing that everyone could hear and see all this. I had no idea what I was forgiving her for. I wanted her to just go away.

“I have been angry at how easily you joined our group. Even though you became my friend when we worked on music together, I still thought you were doing it for yourself. I’ve held that against you and I’m sorry.” “It’s okay,” I choked out. Stunned, I stood up, gave her an awkward hug and then sat back down. Lisa turned and went back to her seat. Lisa’s bravery broke the ice and everyone started to ask forgiveness for various injuries, some big, some small.

The world began to change for me. I learned empathy the day that Lisa asked my forgiveness. I had read To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee several times. But I realized that I had never understood the message Atticus Finch taught his children: “You never really know a man until you stand in his shoes and walk around in them.” Through the years my friendships were better, stronger and deeper. I apologized and forgave quickly. Lisa allowed me the gift of friendship because her example taught me to forgive.

1. The author joined the adult group because she wanted to         .

A．have a better social life	B．practice singing with her friends
C．learn the importance of forgiveness	D．get to know more about her neighbors

2. Which of the following can describe the writer before she attended the retreat?

A．Self-confident.	B．Dishonest.
C．Responsible.	D．Self-centered.

3. Which of the following statements is TRUE?

A．The writer didn’t want to join the retreat at first.

B．The writer thought Lisa should say sorry to her.

C．The writer thought the leader of the retreat was funny.

D．The writer knew Lisa before she moved to the new city.

4. According to Paragraph 5, how did the writer feel when Lisa asked for forgiveness?

A．Scared.	B．Curious.
C．Stressed.	D．Satisfied.

5. What did Lisa apologize to the writer for?

A．That she made the writer feel lonely.

B．That she was envious of the writer.

C．That she once took advantage of the writer.

D．That she refused to make friends with the writer.

6. What does the underlined phrase “stand in his shoes” probably mean in the last paragraph?

A．try to apologize and forgive others	B．get to know people’s true face
C．value the friendship with others	D．place oneself in others’ position

【推荐3】To help you plan your trip, here are my favorite hotels in Chicago.

Freehand Chicago

It’s housed in a historic building from 1927. Its design with tons of character of its own attracts tourists greatly. Freehand is worth the price if you feel like treating yourself. The common areas are laid back. Like other hotels mentioned here, it’s located in the center of the city.

●Female-only dorms for added privacy and security

●Bed for $45 USD a night, room for $173.

Wrigley Hotel

It’s for any traveler looking to enjoy the city’s nightlife. There’s an outdoor place with a BBQ, where you can grill burgers with friends, and the hotel organizes paid walking tours. Here it’s easy to learn about the local culture from friendly locals and it offers many latest books, too. The staff are awesome.

●Free breakfast

●Bed for $36 USD a night, room for $141.

HI Chicago

HI Hotels know exactly what the travelers whose money is tight want: affordable accommodations. HI Chicago is no exception. It organizes a free walking tour, the common areas are spacious, and there’s a fully equipped kitchen. It offers free breakfast.

●Social atmosphere makes it easy to meet local people

●Bed for $32 USD a night, room for $85.

Parthenon Hotel

It has a large common room with a huge TV and lots of books. The staff can help you organize tours, and there’s free breakfast. The dorms aren’t huge, and the beds aren’t anything special, but they’re clean and safe. It has all the makings of your classic backpacker hotel.

●Female-only dorms for added privacy and security

●Bed for $34 USD a night, room for $90.

1. What is special about Freehand Chicago?

A．It has the oldest history of the four.	B．It lies in the center of Chicago.
C．It only caters to female travelers.	D．It is uniquely designed.

2. What activity can you attend if you stay in Wrigley Hotel?

A．A barbecue party.	B．A reading discussion.
C．A free walking tour.	D．A fellowship party with locals.

3. Which hotel is the most suitable for those who travel on a budget?

A．Parthenon Hotel.

B．Wrigley Hotel.

C．HI Chicago.

D．Freehand Chicago.

【推荐1】A computer program that could help catch and ever translates from aliens in outer space has been started by a British scientist.

If aliens are discovered one day, scientists fear their language may make it possible to understand them. But John Elliott of needs Metropolitan University in Britain has come up with a program that can figure out the structure(结构)of their language. He thinks that’s the first step in understanding what they are saying.

Dr.Elliott’s program would compare an alien language to a database(数据库)of 60 different languages in the world to look for a similar structure. He believes that even an alien language will have its own structure.Language has to be structured in a certain way, or it will be harder to use,he told New Scientist magazine.

Research had shown that it is possible to know if a signal(信号)carries a language rather than a picture or music. Dr.Elliott has gone a step further by finding a way to pick out what might be words and sentences. Because languages have different word orders, Dr.Elliott has set up a library of the sentence structures of 60 human languages.

If a message is received from outer space, it could be compared against this database. Scientist would then be able to see if it’s similar to any human language, or a mix of the language.

However, Dr.Elliott also said that in order to translate what the aliens are actually saying, it may still be necessary to have a code book.

1. Why did Dr.Elliott come up with the program?

A．To learn more about outer space.

B．To develop a new language.

C．To help translate the messages for aliens.

D．To compare an alien language to human languages.

2. According to Dr.Elliott, what’s the first step of understanding an alien language?

A．Coming up with a program.	B．Knowing a structure.
C．Understanding aliens.	D．Discovering aliens.

3. What does paragraph 4 mainly tell us?

A．Some necessary conditions for making the program work.

B．Dr.Elliott’s findings about different kinds of languages.

C．Three important functions of the program.

D．The number of sentence structures of human languages.

4. How does the program work when it receives a message from aliens?

A．Mix the message with 60 human languages.

B．Translate the message and send it to the database.

C．Pick out the sentence structure and translate it.

D．Compare the message to the database of 60 human languages.

5. What can we infer from the story?

A．Not all languages have their own structure.

B．The structure of alien languages is similar to that of human languages.

C．To translate alien languages, there is much work to do..

D．Alien languages are signals carrying pictures and music.

【推荐2】A few years after Mom died, Dad showed up for lunch wearing the soft smile that took over his face whenever he was thinking about her. “I’ve found these,” he said, handing me a bag. “She would have wanted you to have them.”

I opened the bag to find dozens of shells, each one bearing Mom’s handwritten words: Stone Harbor, N. J. — 8-98. They were pretty common, but to Mom, they were evidence of her endlessly magical life.

She was 61 when she collected these shells, already showing signs of the lung disease that would kill her the next year. Mom needed an adventure. She loved seashore. So we decided to take her to Jersey Shore.

As soon as I said “Jersey Shore”, she started to shout over and over again— “I can’t believe I’m going to New Jersey!”

Once we got to Stone Harbor, Mom acted like the town mayor, greeting everyone as if they were loyal constituents. And she spent hours collecting shells on the beach. The morning we left, I found her photographing every corner of her bedroom. “I don’t even want to forget this,” she said.

For a long time, Mom’s shells stayed buried in a drawer. Last month, I rediscovered them. I put them where I can easily to see them. One by one, the shells are finding a new place in my home. They remind me to live a life like my mother — who never lost her sense of passion.

1. The underlined word “them” in Paragraph 1 refers to             .

A．the bag the author’s dad found	B．the photos the author’s mom took
C．the shells the author’s mom collected	D．the words the author’s mom wrote

2. Why did the author’s mom greet everyone in the Stone Harbor?

A．She knew them very well.	B．She was very excited.
C．She wanted to make friends with them.	D．She was popular among the people there.

3. What do we know about the author’s mom?

A．She had a sense of adventure.	B．She passed away at the age of 61.
C．She was brought up in New Jersey.	D．She showed great enthusiasm for life.

4. We can infer from the last paragraph that the shells         .

A．remind the author of her mom’s attitude towards life

B．make the author think of her mom’s death

C．were taken out of the drawer for the purpose of decorating the house

D．were hidden in a drawer because they are very precious

【推荐3】Wearing ties was originally the mark of Britain's most powerful classes, which made the tie itself a symbol of power and respect. And that led it to be adopted by a much larger tribe—the business tribe.

You cannot wear a tie if you work with machinery. So wearing a tie became a sign that you were a man who     used your brain to make a living, rather than your hands. It showed you were serious. It showed you were a          professional. It meant that everyone who wanted a job in business had to wear one. It was just impossible to take   seriously a man who didn't wear a piece of colored silk around his neck. This is how millions of people came to be wearing ties across the world. They are part of the uniform of business.

“Ties offer a point of indifference,” says John Milne, head of the British Guide of Tie Makers. “They give a chance to say something about their own personality.”

So if you happen to meet a man with a very brightly colored tie, there is a good chance that he is the office joker. There is also a good chance that he will be wearing brightly colored socks.

Is there a future for ties? The signs are not promising. Tie wearing seems to be rare among the new bread of   entrepreneurs(企业家) in the Internet and new technology industries. Many political leaders, including British Prime Minister Tony Blair, now go without ties. This shows they are men of the people—but not the people wearing ties.

Up until around 1960, it was common for men across the Western world to wear hats as part of their business   uniform. That changed with the election of John F. Kennedy to the presidency of the United States. Kennedy never wore a hat in fact his nickname was “hatless Jack”. Seeing that the most powerful man in the world did not have to wear a hat, millions of other men decided that they did not have to, either. Hats simply vanished across the Western world. Perhaps “tieless Tony” (UK Prime Minister Tony Blair) will have the same effect as “hatless Jack”．

1. In Britain, ties were first used as a sign to show a person’s ________.

A．Personality	B．job
C．social position	D．favorite hobby

2. In the business world, wearing a tie was necessary because________.

A．it showed you were a brain worker

B．it showed you got a good salary

C．it showed you were an employer

D．it showed you were well-trained

3. The writer may hold the opinion that________.

A．Blair is the best leader in the world

B．Kennedy is the best leader in the world

C．millions of people will go to work without a tie

D．people will wear hats instead of ties

4. The underlined word “vanished” in the last paragraph may mean________.

A．Sold	B．washed
C．Disappeared	D．appeared