1 . Computer programmer David Jones earned ￡35,000 a year designing new computer games,yet he cannot find a bank prepared to let him have a check card.Instead,he has been told to wait another two years until he is 18.

He works for a small firm in Liverpool,where most young people of his age are finding jobs.David’s biggest headache is what to do with his money.Though he has high payment,he cannot drive a car,or get credit cards(信用卡).

David got his job four months ago,a year after leaving school with six O-levels(普通成绩) and working for a time in a computer shop.“I got the job because the people who run the firm knew I had already written some programs,”he said.

“I suppose ￡35,000 sounds a lot but I hope it will come to more than that this year.”He spends some of his money on records and clothes,and gives his mother ￡20 a week as he lives with his parents.But most of his spare time is spent working.

“Unfortunately,computing was not part of our studies at school,”he said.“But I had been studying it in books and magazines for four years in my spare time.I knew what I wanted to do and never considered staying on at school.Most people in this business are fairly young,anyway.I would like to earn a million and I suppose early retirement(退休) is a possibility.You never know when the market might disappear.”

1. Why is David so different from other young people of his age?

A．He earns an extremely high payment.	B．He has got a job.
C．He lives at home with his parents.	D．He does not go out much.

2. David’s greatest problem is that 　　　.

A．he can’t be treated as an adult

B．he doesn’t make as many games as he wishes

C．he doesn’t know what to buy with the money

D．he is too young to drive a car

3. He was employed by the company because 　　　.

A．he had worked in a computer shop

B．he had written some computer programs

C．he is clever and works hard at his lessons

D．he had learnt to use computers at school

4. He left school after taking six O-levels because 　　　.

A．he was afraid of getting too old to start computing

B．he did not enjoy school

C．he wanted to work with computers

D．he wanted to earn a lot of money

5. Why does David think he might retire early?

A．He thinks computer games might not always sell so well.

B．He wants to stop working when he is a millionaire.

C．One has to be young to write computer programs.

D．He thinks his firm might close down.

2 . It was already dark when an old man came to a small town.He found an inn and wanted to stay there for the night.After he had gone to his room,the owner said to his wife,“Look at his bag,dear.I’m sure there are lots of valuable things in it.I want to steal it when he is asleep.”

“No,no,” said the woman.“He must look for his bag tomorrow morning.Then he’ll take you before the judge.”They thought and at last the woman had an idea.“We have forgetful grass,” said the woman,“Why not put some into his food?If he has the food,he will forget to take his bag away.”“How clever you are!” said the owner,“Don’t forget it when you prepare supper for him.”

The old man had the food with the forgetful grass and went to bed.The next morning,when the owner got up,he found the door was open and the old man had left with his bag.He woke his wife up and said angrily,“What a fool!Your forgetful grass isn’t useful at all.”

“No,no,” said the woman.“I don’t think so.He must forget something.”

“Oh,I’ve remembered!”The owner cried out suddenly,“He forgot...”

1. The old man came to the inn 　　　.

A．in the morning	B．in the afternoon
C．in the evening	D．at night

2. The owner and his wife wanted to 　　　.

A．get the man’s bag	B．steal the man’s money
C．make the man pay them more	D．hide the man’s bag

3. The owner and his wife put the forgetful grass into the food because 　　　.

A．the old man always forgot something

B．they wanted to make the food better

C．they hoped the old man would leave the bag in the inn

D．they wanted to know if the grass was useful

4. According to the passage the old man forgot 　　　.

A．to take his bag away	B．to tell the owner when he left
C．to close the door when he went to sleep	D．to pay them the inn money

5. Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?

A．Both the owner and his wife were clever.

B．The owner of the inn got nothing from the old man.

C．The old man left the inn without his bag.

D．The woman forgot to put the forgetful grass into the food.

3 . There is a very special wolf that lives in Africa.They are actually called the African wild dogs,or painted dogs.

These animals live in open woodlands, or in the plains of Africa. Today, however, most of the animals can be found in eastern or southern Africa. These animals are beautiful. They have rounded ears instead of pointed like most dogs, and they have four toes on each of their four feet, also a unique characteristic because other dogs have five. Their fur is always different from each other. The fur is usually a combination of black, brown, red and white, and sometimes even yellow. No wonder they’re called the painted dogs.

The African wild dog is a very social animal. They live in groups and have numbers from five to about twenty. The members of a group are always very close to one another. They communicate in their own language or body language. When someone is very old or sick, the others will help, and they are willing to share the food with the elders and with those who are weak, which is what we should learn from.

The family does everything together, from raising young, to sleeping together, to hunting. When they hunt, they will work together using team work to kill animals that are larger than them.

They sometimes hunt farm animals. This is unfortunate, because both poachers, and people who own farms shoot the painted dogs who are just trying to survive.

Before, there used to be many large groups throughout the land, but now the African wild dog is very rare. They are also losing their population because of their own loss of habitat thanks to human’ s farming and forest cutting.

1. From the passage we learn that the African wild dog 　　　.

A．lives in the north of Africa	B．has sixteen toes altogether
C．has pointed ears like most dogs	D．lives in forests in groups

2. Why do African wild dogs get the name “painted dogs”?

A．They all have colorful fur.

B．The dogs in the same group are of different colors.

C．Artists love to paint them in different colors.

D．None of them has the same color.

3. According to the author, what should we learn from African wild dogs?

A．They always do everything together.

B．They help the sick, the elderly and the weak.

C．They are always very close to one another.

D．They communicate in their own language.

4. Which of the following is NOT the reason why African wild dogs are becoming very rare?

A．Poachers kill some of them.	B．They are short of food sometimes.
C．They are losing their habitat.	D．Farmers shoot some of them.

5. Where could this passage probably be found?

A．The Travelers.	B．Fashion Weekly.
C．Animal World.	D．Star Magazine.

4 . China dropped its decades-long, one-child policy several years ago to allow each family to have two children. This change has put 270 million married women of childbearing age in the position of choosing between family and work. The employers also face big challenges as more female workers will have two maternity leaves(产假）for a total of seven to eight months.

In a survey published by classified advertising website Ganji.com, career women who might be considering having a second child were asked what kinds of pressure they might expect. More than 76 percent of the women who were questioned mentioned concerns about the financial burden of raising two children, while more than 71 percent said it would be difficult to balance career and family. In addition, nearly 56 percent said that having a second child would definitely have a negative effect on their career.

Another survey conducted by Chongging-based human resources website job.cg.qq.com found that over 70 percent of job seekers believe that having a second child would make females less popular in the job market, although two-thirds of the employers said the policy will make no difference in their employment of staff.

Feng Lijuan, a senior expert on human resources at 51 job. com, a leading Chinese job finding platform, said she would not say “there is prejudice against career women”. Feng said Chinese women shoulder more family responsibility. “It is not only about maternity leave; a female employee might only fully get back to work after three to five years after having her first child.”

Wang Yixin, a senior employment adviser, said the positive side is that more companies are trying to attract more talents by providing support to career women: “Different from before, it is not only employers choosing employees. Many talents, including professional career women, also choose employers,” said Wang. “According to our survey, many large companies are very open to their employees’ choice of. having a second child.”

1. In Paragraph 1, the end of one-child policy has great effect on ________.

A．women	B．women and families
C．bosses	D．women and employers

2. According to the second survey, most people think having a second child would ________.

A．have no effect on career women

B．have a positive effect on women's career

C．have a negative effect on women's career

D．have both positive and negative effects on career women

3. Which of the following sentences agrees with Feng Lijuan?

A．There isn't prejudice against career women.

B．The effect is only limited to maternity leave.

C．There is much more prejudice against career women.

D．Women can't fully come back to work for a long period.

4. Which is the best title for the passage?

A．Responsibilities of Career Women

B．Effects of Two-child Policy on Women

C．Disadvantages of Raising Two Children

D．Different Attitudes of Employers to Women

5 . That the Leaning Tower of Pisa no longer leans quite so much after a ￡20 million project to save it has proved to be a great success.The tower,which was on the edge of collapse,has been straightened by 18 inches,returning it to its 1838 position.

“It has straightened a little bit more than we expected,but very little helps,”said Prof.John Burland,the only British member of the rescue committee.“The tower is still very slightly moving towards being upright.”

The tower,which has been leaning almost since building work first began in 1173,was closed to the public in 1990 because of safety fears.The 183-foot tower was nearly 15 feet off vertical and its structure was found to have been weakened by centuries of strain(作用力).

Prof.Burland said it could have collapsed “at any moment”.However,it took nine years of quarrelling before any work was done.The last attempt at straightening the tower was carried out.Concrete(混凝土) was poured into the foundations,but the result was that the tower sank further into the soil.

The straightening work involved digging out around 70 tonnes of earth from the northern side of the tower,causing it to sink on that side.Before the digging started,the tower was fixed with steel ropes and 600 tonnes of lead weights.

However,halfway through the project,concerns at the ugliness of the lead weights led to their removal and the tower leaned greatly.The weights were hurriedly reattached.One night,the tower moved more than it had averaged in an entire year.The tower’s stonework has also been restored.

The Italian government stepped in after a tower collapsed in Pavia in 1989,killing four people.Experts suddenly realized that the tower at Pisa,which was similarly built and on the same sort of earth,could do the same.

1. What would be the best title for the passage?

A．The Building of the Leaning Tower of Pisa

B．Saving the Leaning Tower of Pisa

C．The Collapse of the Leaning Tower of Pisa

D．The History of the Leaning Tower of Pisa

2. According to the passage,the Leaning Tower of Pisa 　　　.

A．closed for the straightening work in 1990

B．began to lean more than 800 years ago

C．has a history of more than 1,000 years

D．has become vertical

3. What drove the Italian government to save the Leaning Tower of Pisa?

A．The development of new technology.	B．The advice of Prof.John Burland.
C．The expectation of the rescue committee.	D．The collapse of a tower in Pavia.

4. What most probably played the most important part in straightening the tower?

A．The lead weights fixed to the tower.

B．Restoring the stonework.

C．Pouring concrete into the foundations.

D．Digging earth from the southern side of the tower.

5. Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?

A．The position of the tower has been restored to what it was 182 years ago.

B．Hundreds of years of strain has weakened the tower’s structure.

C．The tower doesn’t lean any more after the straightening work finished.

D．People spent nine years in discussing about the straightening work.

6 . A thief who dropped a winning lottery ticket at the scene of his crime has been given a lesson in honesty.His victim,who picked up the ticket and then claimed the $25,000 prize,managed to trace him,and handed over the cash.The robbery happened when maths professor Vinicio Sabbatucci,58,was changing a tire on an Italian motorway.Another motorist,who stopped “to help”,stole a suitcase from his car and drove off.The professor found the dropped ticket and put it in his pocket before driving home to Ascoli in eastern Italy.

Next day,he saw the lottery results on TV and,taking out the ticket,realized it was a winner.He claimed the 60 million lire(里拉) prize.Then he began a battle with his conscience.Finally,he decided he could not keep the money despite having been robbed.He advertised in newspapers and on the radio,saying,“I’m trying to find the man who robbed me.I have 60 million lire for him—a lottery win.Please meet me.Anonymity(匿名) guaranteed.”

Professor Sabbatucci received hundreds of calls from people hoping to trick him into handing them the cash.But there was one voice he recognized and he arranged to meet the man in a park.The robber,a 35-year-old unemployed father of two,gave back the suitcase and burst into tears.He could not believe what was happening.“Why didn’t you keep the money?”he asked.The professor replied,“I couldn’t because it’s not mine.”Then he walked off,spurning the thief’s offer of a reward.

1. The underlined sentence “Then he began a battle with his conscience.” in Paragraph 2 implies all of the following except that 　　　.

A．he knew what he should do as soon as he saw the lottery results

B．he hesitated about keeping the money for sometime

C．he thought for a moment of avenging himself on the robber

D．he came to realize that honesty is more important than money

2. Hundreds of people phoned Professor Sabbatucci because they 　　　.

A．wanted to make fun of him	B．hoped to get the money
C．knew who the robber was	D．lost the lottery ticket

3. How did the robber feel when the victim wanted to find him?

A．Excited.	B．Frightened.
C．Ashamed.	D．Incredible.

4. The underlined word “spurning” in the last sentence can be replaced by 　　　.

A．accepting	B．claiming
C．rejecting	D．cancelling

5. If the story appears in a newspaper,the best title might be 　　　.

A．A Thief’s Lucky Day	B．A Popular Maths Professor
C．A Magic Lottery	D．A Reward of Honesty

7 . I’ve spent over a year in India,and in those 365 plus days,I’ve learned a lot about getting around Indian cities.My biggest lessons have been learned through being cheated,particularly by taxi and rickshaw(人力车) drivers,but that doesn’t mean those are bad ways to travel,as long as you know what you’re doing.Below are the best ways to get around the city of Delhi,India,and tips for how to keep from being the victim of scams(欺诈).

Taking taxis is a great way to get around the city of Delhi and chances are,if you arrive in Delhi by plane,as soon as you make it through customs,you’ll be swarmed by Indian taxi drivers.At the Delhi airport,be sure to arrange for a taxi to your hotel at one of the two Delhi Traffic Police Taxi Booths.One is inside the airport,and the other is outside.The key is to make sure to go to a booth run by the police,rather than by independent taxi drivers.

Rickshaws are one of my favourite ways to get around Indian cities,in part because it’s how the locals often travel.Auto-rickshaws are more common,but bicycle rickshaws are still used in Old Delhi.If you do have a chance to take a bicycle rickshaw,you should do it at least once for a unique experience that should only set you back about 15 rupees.Auto-rickshaw rates around Delhi range between 30 and 80 rupees,depending on the distance.

If you really want to travel around Delhi like the locals,take a public bus.Indian buses become very crowded and most do not have air conditioning.They are,however,very cheap.A bus trip won’t set you back any more than 15 rupees,as long as you stay within the city limits.Since Indian buses get so crowded,try to board the bus at the start of the route so you can get a seat.

The train is a great way to get around within the city of Delhi.Fares are reasonable,between 6 and 22 rupees.All departure announcements are in both Hindi and English,and tokens can be purchased for between 6 and 22 rupees.

1. The author is trying to 　　　 in Delhi through this text.

A．give some advice of travelling	B．expect us to travel around
C．show his/her experiences	D．explain the difficulties of travelling

2. To avoid being cheated,you ought to 　　　 if you want to take a taxi at the Delhi airport.

A．pay more to the drivers to keep safe	B．show your ticket to the driver
C．go to a police-run booth	D．go out of the airport

3. The author suggests taking a rickshaw in order to 　　　.

A．save some money	B．enjoy the comfortable trip
C．gain a unique experience	D．help the local rickshaw drivers

4. What can we infer from the passage?

A．You won’t have to pay much if you travel around by bus in India.

B．It will be difficult for you to get a seat if you get on the bus halfway.

C．A rickshaw driver only charges whatever amount you give him.

D．You’ll have to speak English if you travel around in India.

5. Which may be the topic that follows?

A．Hotel recommendations in Delhi	B．Weather conditions in Delhi
C．Food and drink in Delhi	D．Car rentals in Delhi

8 . The South American country of Bolivia has a highly varied climate which ranges from hot and moist in the east to high and cool in the west.In fact,the one missing element is a sea breeze,since Bolivia has no coastline.

The population of Bolivia is about three and a half million.Three-fourths of the people live in the mountainous regions,where the altitude varies from 8,000 to over 13,000 feet.The highest mountains are over 21,000 feet high.

About one-tenth of the total population is white.Some of these white citizens are descendants of the Spanish conquerors who came to South America with Pizarro in the sixteenth century.Others white citizens migrated to Bolivia from Europe and the United States because of their interest in trade.The white people in Bolivia control the government and the industries.

About one-fourth of the Bolivians are mixed Indian and white.They usually work as shopkeepers or government employees.More than half of the Bolivians are full-blooded Indians.They are the descendants of the people who made up the Inca Empire.The Inca rulers claimed that they come from a mythical race living on an island in Lake Titicaca.This lake is the largest in South America and one of the highest lakes in the world.

When the Spanish soldiers conquered the Incas,they imposed their own government on the country.They also tried to force the people to practice Roman Catholicism and to speak Spanish.However,even today,most of the Indians still speak their own languages.

1. Which of the following statements is true according to Paragraph 1?

A．West of Bolivia is the Pacific Ocean.	B．East of Bolivia is the Atlantic Ocean.
C．North of Bolivia is the Arctic Ocean.	D．There is no ocean around Bolivia.

2. 　　　 Bolivians live in the mountainous regions.

A．2,625,000

B．3,500,000

C．1,750,000

D．875,000

3. The Indians were forced to speak 　　　.

A．English	B．French
C．Spanish	D．their own language

4. The underlined word “descendants” in Paragraph 3 means 　　　.

A．forefathers	B．offspring
C．ancestors	D．grandfathers

5. Paragraph 4 mainly tells us 　　　.

A．about 875,000 Bolivians are mixed Indian andwhite

B．some Bolivians serve as shopkeepers or government employees

C．Lake Titicaca is one of the highest lakes in the world

D．the blood relation of Bolivians

9 . Is there something strange high up in the world’s tallest mountains? If so, is it a big bear? Is it a monkey? Or is it a kind of man?

No one knows. This mystery (谜) has puzzled the world for years.

In 1887, a mountain climber found large footprints (脚印) in the snow. They looked like the footprints of a very large man. But men don’t walk without shoes in the snow!

In 1906, other climbers saw more than footprints. Far away they saw a very large animal standing on two legs. As they watched, it ran very quickly.

Fifteen years later, newspapers had new stories about the “something”. A mountain climber said he had seen the “snowman” walk slowly across the snow, far below him.He said it looked like a very large man.

From then on, more and more people had stories to tell. But not until 1951 did a mountain climber bring back pictures of large footprints. His pictures showed clearly that the snowman walked on two legs, so it was not a bear or a monkey. Could it be an ape (猿) man? The mystery grew! And the mystery keeps growing. Some day we may find out just what it is that makes the large footprints.

1. Why were people interested in the footprints?

A．They were footprints of a large bear.

B．They looked like the footprints of a large man.

C．They were found in the snow.

D．They were found in the world’s tallest mountains.

2. The pictures of large footprints were taken by a mountain climber in 　　　.

A．1887

B．1906

C．1921

D．1951

3. Why did the mystery grow when a mountain climber brought back pictures of the large footprints?

A．They were footprints of an ape man.

B．They were footprints of a snowman.

C．The pictures showed clearly how the snowman walked.

D．The pictures showed clearly how an ape man walked on two legs.

4. Since a mountain climber first found the large footprints in the snow, the mystery of the snowman has puzzled the world for 　　 years.

A．over one hundred

B．ninety-five

C．eighty

D．fifty

5. The passage is about 　　　.

A．some mountain climbers	B．some strange animals
C．some large footprints	D．the mystery of the snowman

10 . One night in 1966, Michael Chapman rushed into a folk-music club in Cornwall, England to get out of the rain, and soon found himself onstage playing the guitar.

“They offered me a job to play for the rest of the summer. And I’ve been playing ever since,” Chapman says. “I’ve told that story so many times, but it’s absolutely true. If it hadn’t been raining that night, I wouldn’t be talking to you.”

The British guitar player has spent the 50 years since then on the road. He released some praised albums in the 1970s, but his health went downhill in the 80s and 90s. Like a lot of British artists in the 1960s, Chapman taught himself to play the guitar by listening to American jazz and blues records.

Chapman actually taught photography, but quit when he was 26 to play music full time. When he was starting out, he was often compared to other British acoustic guitar heroes of the time, like John Martyn and Bert Jansch.

“The fascinating thing about Michael Chapman is that he doesn’t fit in with those guys of his generation,” says Andrew Male, a music journalist. “He’s always been an outsider. He never moved to London. ”

And while he never became part of the London music scene, Chapman was noticed by those musicians. “The 70s caught up with him in the 80s,” Male says. “He had a huge heart attack at the end of the 80s that nearly finished him off. When he made his way back into the world in the early 90s, people had forgotten about him.” But not everyone. A younger generation of musicians in America, including Thurston Moore of Sonic Youth and a younger singer and guitarist named Steve Gunn, recently rediscovered Chapman.

“We wanted to capture Michael’s voice and character where he is now. You know, it’s a little road-weary, but he still has it,” Gunn says. “For me, it was really important to get that right.” “He’s the right old musician for present times,” Male says. “I think the music he makes seems quite in tune with where we’re at.”

1. Which can best describe Michael Chapman’s first involvement in music?

A．Untrue.

B．Accidental.

C．Unfortunate.

D．Reasonable.

2. What can we learn about Michael Chapman from the text?

A．He has taught photography for 26 years.

B．He taught himself to play the guitar and did far better than John Martyn.

C．To some degree, he is not accepted by other people of his generation.

D．He is one of the best guitar players in the early 90s.

3. Why did Michael Chapman quit his music career once?

A．He lost his special voice.	B．He suffered from a severe heart attack.
C．He got tired of competing with others.	D．He was almost forgotten by everyone.

4. Which of the following can be the best title for the text?

A．The Rise and Fall of Guitar Music	B．The Sad Story of a Guitar Musician
C．A New Generation Helps an Old Guitar Musician	D．A Brief Introduction to a Guitar Musician