1 .    Five years ago, David Smith wore an expensive suit to work every day. “I was a clothes addict.” he jokes. “I used to carry a fresh suit to work with me so I could change if my clothes got wrinkled.” Today David wears casual clothes—khaki pants and a sports shirt—to the office. He hardly ever wears a necktie. “I am working harder than ever.” David says, “and I need to feel comfortable.”

More and more companies are allowing their office workers to wear casual clothes to work. In the United States, the change from formal to casual office wear has been gradual. In the early 1990s, many companies allowed their employees to wear casual clothes on Friday (but only on Friday). This became known as “dress-down Friday” or “casual Friday”. “What started out as an extra one-day-a-week benefit for employees has really become an everyday thing.” said business consultant Maisly Jones.

Why have so many companies started allowing their employees to wear casual clothes? One reason is that it’s easier for a company to attract new employees if it has a casual dress code.” “A lot of young people don’t want to dress up for work,” says the owner of a software company, “so it’s hard to hire people if you have a conservative(保守的)dress code.” Another reason is that people seem happier and more productive when they are wearing comfortable clothes. In a study conducted by Levi Strauss and Company, 85 percent of employers said that they believe that casual dress improves employee morale(心境，士气). Only 4 percent of employers said that casual dress has a negative influence on productivity. Supporters of casual office wear also argue that a casual dress code helps them save money. “Suits are expensive, if you have to wear one every day,” one person said. “For the same amount of money, you can buy a lot more casual clothes.”

1. David Smith refers to himself as having been “a clothes addict,” because     .

A．he often wore khaki pants and a sports shirt

B．he couldn’t stand a clean appearance

C．he wanted his clothes to look neat all the time

D．he didn’t want to spend much money on clothes

2. David Smith wears casual clothes now, because     .

A．they make him feel at ease when working

B．he cannot afford to buy expensive clothes

C．he looks handsome in casual clothes

D．he no longer works for any company

3. According to this passage, which of the following statements is FALSE?

A．Many employees don’t like a conservative dress code.

B．Comfortable clothes make employees more productive.

C．A casual clothes code is welcomed by young employees.

D．All the employers in the U. S. are for casual office wear.

4. According to this passage, which of the following statements is TRUE?

A．Company workers started to dress down about fifty years ago.

B．Dress-down has become an everyday phenomenon since the early 90s.

C．“Dress-down Friday” was first given as a favor from employers.

D．Many workers want to wear casual clothes to impress people.

5. In this passage, the following advantages of casual office wear are mentioned EXCEPT     .

A．saving employees’ money

B．making employees more attractive

C．improving employees’ motivation

D．making employees happier

2 . Parents are a child’s first teachers. But some parents never learned from good examples. In New York City, a nonprofit agency called Covenant House tries to help homeless young mothers become good parents.
The twelve or so teenagers who live at the shelter attend parenting classes four days a week. The class is called Mommy and Me. Teacher Delores Clemens is a mother of five and a grandmother. She teaches basic skills, like how to give a baby a bath and how to dress a baby depending on the season.
She remembers one student who learned from her mother not to pick up a crying baby. The mother said that would only make the child needy and overly demanding. Delores Clemens says, “that's not true. You have to hold your baby! He is crying for a reason. If you never pick him up, he's going to keep crying. Pick your baby up. Cuddle your baby. Hug him! And she started to do that. They just want a little cuddling and a little love. And it works!”
Delores Clemens says her students also learn how to be good mothers by letting themselves be mothered. Around three hundred fifty teenage mothers graduate from Covenant House's Mommy and Me class every year.
In class, with her baby son is Natasha. She lived on the streets. She is glad not only for the warmth and shelter of Covenant House. As she told reporter Adam Phillips, she is also glad for the help they offer in seeking a more secure life.
The World Health Organization says the United States has forty-one births for every one thousand girls age fifteen to nineteen. That is higher than other developed countries, as well as some developing ones. By comparison, northern neighbor Canada has fourteen births and southern neighbor Mexico has eighty-two.
1. What is the text mainly about?

A．Parents who are a child’s first teachers.

B．A class where teens learn mothering and are mothered.

C．A nonprofit agency that offers a more secure life.

D．A kind teacher who help homeless young mothers.

2. Covenant Houses’ Mommy and Me class is intended to _____.

A．help homeless young mothers become good parents

B．provide homeless young mothers with a warm shelter

C．help mothers in New York be good parents

D．teach some parents how to love their children

3. What can we know about Delores Clemens from the text?

A．She has a mother of five and a grandmother.

B．She thinks a crying baby should be picked up and hugged.

C．She teaches advanced skills on how to be good mothers.

D．She is very glad for the warmth and shelter of Covenant House.

4. According to the World Health Organization, which country has the highest births for girls age fifteen to nineteen?

A．Canada	B．the United States of America
C．Mexico	D．Britain

3 . A serious problem for today’s society is who should be responsible for our elderly and how to improve their lives. It is not only a financial problem but also a question of the system we want for our society. I would like to suggest several possible solutions to this problem.

First, employers should take the responsibility for their retired employees. To make this possible, a percentage of profits should be set aside for this purpose. But when a company must take life-long responsibility for its employees, it may softer from a commercial disadvantage due to higher employee costs.

Another way of solving the problem is to return the responsibility to the individual. This means each person must save during his working years to pay for his years of retirement. This does not seem a very fair model since some people have enough trouble paying for their daily life without trying to earn extra to cover their retirement years. This means the government might have to step in to care for the poor.

In addition, the government could take responsibility for the care of the elderly. This could be financed through government taxes to increase the level of pensions. Furthermore, some institution should be created for senior citizens, which can help provide a comfortable life for them. Unfortunately, as the present situation in our country shows, this is not a truly viable answer. The government can seldom afford to care for the elderly, particularly when it is busy trying to care for the young.

One further solution is that the government or social organizations establish some working places especially for the elderly where they are independent.

To sum up, all these options have advantages and disadvantages. Therefore, it is reasonable to expect that some combination of these options may be needed to provide the care we hope to give to our elderly generations.

1. What is the passage mainly about?

A．The problems faced by the old in society.

B．Why we should take responsibility for the old.

C．How we can improve the lives of the old.

D．Where the old can go to get their pensions.

2. According to the passage, how can the government help to improve the lives of retired people?

A．Set aside some profits to help people with problems after they retire.

B．Increase savings levels of people during their working years.

C．Increase the discounts for food and transport for the old.

D．Make available pensions for those who have retired.

3. The underlined word “viable” most probably means “           ”.

A．impossible	B．practical
C．useful	D．successful

4. What can be concluded from the passage?

A．Taking care of the old is mainly an issue of money.

B．Employers should allow their workers to retire at a later age.

C．Becoming independent should be the goal of most old people.

D．There is no single solution to the problems of the old.

5. What is the writer’s main purpose in writing this article?

A．To point out the need for government supped for old people.

B．To make general readers aware of the problems of retired people.

C．To discuss some possible solutions to an important social problem.

D．To instruct retired people on how they can have a happier life.

4 . Banks view online banking as a powerful “value-added” tool to attract and keep new customers while helping to eliminate costly paper handling or teller(出纳员)interactions in an increasingly competitive banking environment .

Today, most large national banks, many local banks and credit unions offer some form of online banking, variously known as PC banking, home banking, electronic banking or Internet banking. Online banks are sometimes referred to as “brick-to-click” banks, both to tell them from “brick-to-mortar” banks that haven’t yet offered online banking, as well as from “virtual”(虚拟)banks that have no physical branches or tellers whatsoever.

The challenge(挑战)for the banking industry has been to design this new service channel in such a way that its customers will readily learn to use and trust it. Most of the large banks can now offer fully safe, fully functional(功能的)online banking for free or for a small cost. As more banks succeed online and more customers use their sites, fully functional online banking will likely become as commonplace as automated teller machines (ATM).

Online banking has a lot of advantages. Unlike your corner bank, online banking sites never close; they’re at hand 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and they’re a mouse click away. If you’re out of state or even out of the country when a money problem appears, you can log on instantly to your online bank and take care of business. Online bank sites generally carry out and confirm (确认)deals at or quicker than ATM processing speeds. Many online banking sites now offer fashionable tools to help you manage all of your valuable items more effectively.

1. The word “eliminate” in the first paragraph probably means “         ”.

A．keep

B．remove

C．reduce

D．improve

2. What is the challenge for the banking industry according to the text ?

A．To make online banking attractive.	B．To open new services all over the world.
C．To offer online banking for free.	D．To take care of business 24 hours a day.

3. From the text we can conclude that           .

A．“brick-to-click” banks are in fact another kind of physical banks

B．the function of a “brick-to-click” bank is as common as that of an ATM

C．a “brick-to-mortar” bank is no better than a virtual one

D．customers can deal with their banking by a mouse click

4. What would be the best title for this text ?

A．Banking of Various Forms	B．Improvement of Banking Industry
C．Development of Online Banking	D．Functions of the “Brick-to-Click” Bank

5 . In the United States, when one becomes rich, he wants people to know it. And even if he does not become very rich, he wants people to think that he is. That is what “keeping up with the Joneses” is about. It is the story of someone who tried to look as rich as his neighbors.

The expression was first used in 1913 by a young American called Arthur Momand. He told this story about himself. He began earning $ 125 a week at the age of 23. That was a lot of money in those days. He got married and moved with his wife to a very wealthy neighborhood outside New York City. When he saw that rich people rode horses, Momand went horseback riding every day. When he saw that rich people had servants, Momand and his wife also hired a servant and gave big parties for their new neighbors.

It was like a race, but one could never finish his race because one was always trying to keep up. The race ended for Momand and his wife when they could no longer pay for their new way of life. They moved back to an apartment in New York City.

Momand looked around him and noticed that many people do things just to keep up with rich lifestyle of their neighbors. He saw the funny side of it and started to write a series of short stories. He called it “Keeping up with the Joneses” because “Jones” is a very common name in the United States. “Keeping up with the Joneses” came to mean keeping up with rich lifestyle of the people around you. Momand’s series appeared in different newspapers across the country for over 28 years.

People never seem to get tired of keeping up with the Joneses. And there are “Joneses” in every city of the world. But one must get tired of trying to keep up with the Joneses because no matter what one does, Mr. Jones always seems to be ahead.

1. Some people want to keep up with the Joneses because they ________.

A．want to be as rich as their neighbors

B．want to be happy

C．don’t want others to know they are rich

D．want others to know or to think that they are rich

2. It can be inferred from the story that rich people like to _________.

A．live in New York City	B．live outside New York City
C．live in apartments	D．have many neighbors

3. Arthur Momand used the name “Jones” in his series of short stories because “Jones” is _____.

A．an important name

B．a popular name in the United States

C．his neighbor’s name

D．not a good name

4. According to the writer, it is ________ to keep up with the Joneses.

A．impossible	B．interesting
C．correct	D．good

6 . As has been all too apparent in recent days at Balcombe, few issues cause greater concern than energy policy. Many village communities feel their countryside is being ruined by the power-producing machines of wind farms; yet they never take “ direct action”, even though the planning laws put them at a severe disadvantage. And the generous subsidies(财政补贴),which encourage the expansion of wind power, are not favorable to the village communities and set landowners in conflict with other residents.

Those who disagree with the rapid expansion of wind farms state that the damage they cause is out of proportion to the benefits they bring, because their energy output cannot match that of the carbon-based power stations they are supposed to replace. Supporters insist that wind must be part of a mix of renewables, nuclear and carbon, and that the country is committed to meeting EU(European Union) targets for non-carbon energy generation.

Against this background, the fact that there is an argument within the Government over whether to publish an official report on wind farms impact on the countryside becomes even more extraordinary. The two parties in the coalition government are in disagreement over what it should say.

We have some advice for the two parties :publish the report ,and let the country be the judge. Even if it contains evidence that wind farms are harmful, it will hardly be a pleasant surprise to people who do not like them. Equally, supporters must argue their case by acknowledging the concerns and explaining why they are either misplaced or worthy of much attention.

The suggestion that further negotiations are to take place to produce an “acceptable” report suggests that the politics of coalition government are doing the country harm in a certain way. Given the sensitivities involved ,all the information should be available so that people can reach their own conclusions, rather than being left with the suspicion that facts are being replaced by political beliefs.

1. We call learn from the first paragraph that________.

A．energy policy catches much attention of the public

B．the residents are in favor of the expansion of wind farms

C．many village communities are satisfied with the subsidies

D．the planning laws offer great benefits to the residents

2. Supporters think that the expansion of wind power_____.

A．is more rapid than that of carbon-based power

B．guarantees an increase in energy output

C．is expected to be much better than that of nuclear Dower

D．agrees with EU targets for non-carbon energy generation

3. It can be inferred from the passage that_________.

A．an official report will settle the energy problem

B．the two parties are divided over the issue of wind farms

C．the two parties have agreed on a further negotiation

D．political beliefs concerning energy issue go against facts

4. Which of the following reflects the author’s opinion?

A．Increase political impact on energy policy.

B．Release a statement of supporters on wind farms.

C．Let the nation judge the facts about wind power.

D．Leave the two parties to reach their own conclusions.

7 . There are times when people are so tired that they fall asleep almost anywhere. We can see there is a lot of sleeping on the bus or train on the ______ home from work in the evenings. A man will be _______ the newspaper, and seconds later it     _____as if he is trying to ______ it.Or he will fall asleep on the shoulder of the stranger ______ next to   him. ______ place where unplanned short sleep ______ is in the lecture hall where a student will start snoring(打鼾)so ______ that the professor has to ask another student to ______ the sleeper awake. A more embarrassing(尴尬)situation occurs when a student starts falling into sleep and the ______ of the head pushes the arm off the ______ ,and the movement carries the ______ of the body along. The student wakes up on the floor with no ______ of getting there. The worst time to fall asleep is when ______ . Police reports are full of ______ that occur when people fall into sleep and go ______ the road. If the drivers are ______ , they are not seriously hurt. One woman's car, _______ , went into the river. She woke up in four feet of ______ and thought it was raining. When people are really ______ , nothing will stop them from falling asleep-no matter where they are.

1.

A．way

B．track

C．path

D．road

2.

A．buying

B．folding

C．delivering

D．reading

3.

A．acts

B．shows

C．appears

D．sounds

4.

A．open

B．eat

C．find

D．finish

5.

A．lying

B．waiting

C．talking

D．sitting

6.

A．Next

B．Every

C．Another

D．One

7.

A．goes on

B．ends up

C．lasts

D．returns

8.

A．bravely

B．happily

C．loudly

D．carelessly

9.

A．leave

B．shake

C．keep

D．watch

10.

A．size

B．shape

C．weight

D．strength

11.

A．cushion

B．desk

C．shoulder

D．book

12.

A．action

B．position

C．rest

D．side

13.

A．memory

B．reason

C．question

D．purpose

14.

A．thinking

B．working

C．walking

D．driving

15.

A．changes

B．events

C．ideas

D．accidents

16.

A．up

B．off

C．along

D．down

17.

A．lucky

B．awake

C．calm

D．strong

18.

A．in time

B．at first

C．as usual

D．for example

19.

A．dust

B．water

C．grass

D．bush

20.

A．tired

B．drunk

C．lonely

D．lazy