1 . Two enterprising graduates are selling advertising space on their faces to pay off a combined student debt of almost ￡50,000. Faced with a challenging job market, former Cambridge students Ed Moyse and Ross Harper are painting different company logos on to their faces.

Anyone can buy the advertising space, from businesses to individuals or groups, on a day-to-day basis. The logos — which can be viewed at www.buymyface.co.uk — are then seen by everyone they pass as they go about their daily business.

The graduates, who met on their first day at Selwyn College, Cambridge, started the business on October 1 and said they made ￡3,500 in the first 10 days. The boys said they are “armed only with massive student debt and a firm grasp of the principles of viral advertising” as they attempt to survive for a year merely on income earned by transforming themselves into walking advertisements.

Mr. Harper, 21, from Greenwich, south London, who studied neuroscience, said, “It’s our untraditional way of paying off our student debt. The graduate job market is incredibly unfriendly, and so we thought we’d try and go through it altogether. We’ve seen so many students unsuccessfully applying for jobs, only to eventually settle in a career that they never really wanted. It’s just something a bit different and has taken off quite nicely.”

Mr. Moyse, 22, from Poole, Dorset, said, “It is well beyond our expectations, but we always knew it had value and is novel and crazy.”

“So far, one of the main contributors has been online betting agency, Paddy Power,” Mr. Harper said.

Mr. Moyse, who studied economics, and Mr. Harper came up with the idea after graduating in the summer as a scheme that would not require much investment.

1. The two graduates set up a business of selling advertising space on their faces because ________.

A．they both have handsome faces	B．they have gained best education
C．they have student loan to repay	D．they can possibly find no jobs

2. The job they engage in now has ________.

A．earned them a lot of money	B．helped them to pay off the debt
C．increased their exposure	D．met their wildest expectations

3. Paddy Power might be the boys’ ________.

A．customer

B．debtor

C．investor

D．designer

4. The word novel here in the passage means ________.

A．fictional

B．meaningful

C．unusual

D．critical

4 . Direction: After reading the passage below, fill in the blanks to make the passage coherent an grammatically correct. For the blanks with a given word, fill in each blank with the proper form the given word; for the other blanks, use one word that best fits each blank.

Couponing for Charity

Feeding 5,000 people every month is a tall order. For Lauren Puryear — single mother, full-time mental health therapist, and founder of the nonprofit For the Love of Others — the secret ingredient is coupons. Lots and lots of coupons(优惠券).

The meals themselves are often quite impressive. 29-year-old Puryear prides     1     on preparing and serving dishes to the poor and homeless. She feeds them several weekends a month, in a number of cities.       

Still, she manages to do it all for nothing,       2     the menu depends entirely on that week’s bargains. “The best way to get     3    (low) cost is to match the coupon when the item is on sale.’’ she explains. Her brilliant talents save between $250 and $1,000 per grocery trip.

Puryear inherited her passion     4     culinary (烹饪的)giving from her grandmother Marison Smith. When Smith saw beggars on the streets of Paterson, New Jersey, she would offer to buy them food instead of giving them money.

Puryear got into the act when she was ten. If there were leftovers from dinner, Smith would put them in a container,     5    (rely) on her granddaughter to give them to the homeless man on the street.

When Puryear founded her nonprofit, she chose the name For the Love of Others to honor her grandmother, who passed away in 2012. “Love was just the central core of her being,’’ Puryear says.

Mrs. Smith would certainly be proud of her granddaughter’s efforts and her impact. At one meal in Baltimore, three boys asked     6    they could take extra sandwiches. ‘‘We’ll eat this today, but we’ll be hungry tomorrow,” one said.   Puryear let them take five each. The boy’s     7    (cry) mother thanked Puiyear, explaining how she uses her entire paycheck for the hotel room     8    they live. They never know what they     9    (eat) day to day.

“Stories like that, that’s why we do what we do,” Puryear says. “Something as simple as couponing,     10    takes a couple of hours out of my day, can help somebody eat for three or four days - that’s amazing to me.”

5 . If I have a goal in life, it isn’t to be driving a Rolls-Royce. It’s to be giving away more than $1,000,000 a year and having an impact on people’s lives. I have the success today because I always had to work for what I wanted. I grew up accustomed to risks and disappointments, so I was used to moving forward, no matter what.

In 2008, I went to Los Angeles where I tried to get hired as an agent, an analyst and a financial broker. Unfortunately, all these doors slammed in my face. The world’s economy was in a bad state, so I knew I would have to do a little spinning of my own.

Youth involves a certain innocence but also perseverance. The word “can’t” wasn’t in my vocabulary. I partnered with a friend buying distressed multifamily properties around Houston. Even though we were enthusiastic and backed with start-up sums, I didn’t make a deal work. My friend moved on to other projects. Alone, I put all my money into the next real-estate project. I put the time in, I dreamed it, but once again the deal fell through. Two months later, though, the deal came back around. That was when the path opened, luck changed, and I was ready to form my own company. I haven’t looked back. Only ahead.

I’m now able to give back to communities and causes. I donate about $500,000 a year, much of that going to research to cure rare diseases. We also support a lot of services for disadvantaged children in Houston and other places.

I have always been someone who can see the big picture and have never been distracted by things that get in the way. There are lessons to be learned, and the biggest of those is to keep going. You may have to change the path, but always keep that vision in front of you.

1. Which of the following about the author is true?

A．He donated a lot of money to improve his company’s image.

B．He often encountered difficulties in the process of growing up.

C．He started his own company together with a friend.

D．He changed jobs several times while in Los Angeles.

2. By saying “do a little spinning of my own” in the second paragraph, the author probably means he would_____________.

A．look for a part-time job independently	B．make his contributions to the economy
C．give in to the disappointing reality	D．be self-employed to develop his career

3. Which quality of the author is not shown in the passage?

A．Perseverance.

B．Optimism.

C．Innocence.

D．Kindness.

4. Which one is probably the best title of the passage?

A．Saying No to “Turning Back”	B．Tips for a Successful Business
C．Jumping over Economic Downturns	D．A Life-time Pursuit of Dream

6 . During recent years legends have grown up among people who live near the park, legends of life among the treetops.

One story was of a young, handsome man who had been spotted from time to time among the branches. This rumour about a modern Tarzan (人猿泰山) turned out to be true. The young man had been living in the treetops for eight years until discovered by the city authorities.

It is a touching tale. Bob Redman, brought up by his mother in a tiny Manhattan apartment, had always been addicted to trees. When he was 14, he went into the park and built himself a tree house. It was the first of 13 houses, each one more elaborate than the last. “I like to be in trees,” Redman explained to a reporter from the New York Times. “I like to be up, away from everything. I enjoy staying alone.”

Redman went to great pains to hide his tree houses, building them in neglected corners of the park and camouflaging them with branches and green paint. Friends used to come to visit him, sometimes as many as 12 people at a time, bringing sandwiches and radios and books and torches.

The park authorities quickly became aware of his activities. However, the houses were often not detected for long periods of time. Some lasted as long as a whole year before they were found and destroyed by officials, with a mournful Bob Redman watching from a distance. His magnificent final house went unnoticed for four months before Bob was awoken one morning with the words: “Come down! The party’s over!”

Rather than being thrown into jail, Redman was offered a job. He is now a professional gardener and tree climber for the Central Park. However, he has had to promise not to build any more tree houses. He says he cannot believe that a job so perfect for him could possibly exist.

In our busy, competitive world, I suppose it is comforting to know that a man like Bob Redman exists.

1. Which of the following statements about Bob Redman is TRUE?

A．He built 14 tree houses altogether.	B．He rented his final house to some friends.
C．He was raised amid trees in the countryside.	D．He gave an interview to the New York Times.

2. The bold word “camouflaging” in paragraph 4 is closest in meaning to________.

A．decorating

B．hiding

C．equipping

D．integrating

3. The underlined sentence in paragraph 5 suggests that________.

A．parties should not be held overnight

B．parties are not allowed in the Central Park

C．no more tree houses should exist in the Central Park

D．the owner of the tree house should get down to work

4. Which might be the best title of the passage?

A．Tarzan of the Central Park	B．Locked Up or Breaking Free
C．A Special Job Hunter in New York	D．Tree Houses — the Ultimate Habitat

7 . I still had a few minutes, so I swung into the cafeteria to grab a coffee. That’s when I spotted him: a threatening-looking punk rocker with biker leathers and black leather boots.

Honestly, his look scared me, so I quickly went out trying to avoid a potential encounter.

It was 1988, and I was a “mature” journalism student, heading to my favorite elective: Sociology-Study of Deviance. Our gray-haired professor was a straight shooter. He usually brought in guest speakers who represented “deviance”. Our guest speakers included an outlandish dancer, a tarot-card reader or even an alcohol addict. And when I was curious that day to see who this session’s speaker was, “Mr. punk rocker” walked in.

He started to talk in a soft voice and told us he was a university student, who lived with his grandma who needed help in every aspect. Therefore, he moved in with her and helped with the cooking and shopping, cleaning and laundry. He made sure she took her meds and tried to make her laugh at least once a day. He described it as a “win-win” for both of them, but I suspected that it was a lot tougher than he made it sound.

And then he said: “I just figure it’s normal for you to feel negative about me because of the way I look. But isn’t that the reason for the existence of such a course named Study of Deviance?”

Wow. Just wow.

“It’s hair and clothing,” he said. “I don’t plan to look this way forever, but for now I like it, and do you think it makes me deviant?”

Every so often, I think about that young man. He’d be about fifty now and couldn’t realize how he influenced me. Because of his visit that day, my kids were allowed to wear whatever they wanted, as long as it was relatively clean and not morally abusive. They are upright and kind kids although they sometimes surprise us with red hair or strange trousers. And I am also happy that I do my selective of Sociology-Study of Deviance well.

1. The underlined word deviance in the passage is closest in meaning to ________.

A．dressing.

B．style

C．abnormality

D．maturity

2. According to the passage, which of the following statements about the guest speaker is TRUE?

A．He was dressed in a frightening way on purpose in order to surprise the students.

B．He recognized the author and tried to tutor her during the session.

C．He wasn’t aware that many people misjudged him.

D．His behaviors didn’t match the appearance he presented.

3. Why does the author think she does the course well?

A．Because she has learned to enjoy varied fashion styles.

B．Because she didn’t miss any of the course sessions.

C．Because she knows appearance doesn’t equal one’s quality.

D．Because she understands how to educate her kids.

8 . Directions: Complete the following passage by using the words in the box. Each word can be used only once. Note that there is one word more than you need.

A. defensively        B. exited        C. initiatively          D. landscape          E. respond          F. thought G. towered                  H. unaffected        I. uninhabited        J. welcoming          K. winding

Danger in the desert

That day we were deep in Chile’s Atacama Desert. There the     1       could often be compared to Mars. Our team of four female microbiologists watched as a car full of curious men pulled up beside us. Because we were strangers in a(n)       2     place, our minds immediately jumped to ways we could protect ourselves. So,     3     , our Chilean fellow guide lifted the strong tool she’d been using to dig up plant roots. The rest of us tried to look braver than we felt.

We had come to this desert to conduct DNA studies on giant horsetails that somehow grow well in one of Earth’s driest places. We were searching for plants in the most remote locations, where they would be     4     by human activities such as mining and agriculture.

We’d been warned that the trip could be dangerous. Because we were traveling so far from fuel sources, we were told to take along a can of gas. Our destination was at the end of a(n)     5       single-lane dirt road lined with burned-out vehicles that had not successfully negotiated the steep downslope. Our sample site was near a village, and the people might not, we were told,     6     positively to us. We were instructed to report our travel plans at the nearest police station so that search parties would know where to look for us if we disappeared.

We had found the amazing plants and their bright green stocks       7       over our heads. They aroused the     8       of ancient wetland plants. The men approached as we finished collecting our samples. We waited tensely as a man     9       the car and walked toward us. To our surprise and relief, he politely invited us to visit their village—they wanted to show us a lovely church of which they were proud. That day, we learned about more than the microbiomes that help desert plants grow well. We also met a(n)       10       community who had likewise beautifully adapted to their challenging home.

9 . Jacob hated finishing things almost as much as he loved starting them. As a result, he had gotten into a million hobbies and activities, but he never stuck with any of them long enough to get any good.

He begged his mother for months for a guitar so that he could play Black Eyed Peas songs to Angie, a girl he liked, but after he finally got one for Christmas, he found out that guitars don’t play themselves. He took a few lessons, but the strings hurt his fingers and he didn’t like holding the pick, so now the five-hundred dollar guitar lives under his bed.

After reading an ad in the back of one of his comic books, Jacob decided that he wanted a Wonder-Sweeper 5000 metal detector, so that he could find buried treasure. So he mowed lawns all summer and shoveled driveways all winter. He didn’t spend his money on ice-cream like his younger brother, Alex. By the time spring came he had saved $200, and he purchased the Wonder-Sweeper 5000 metal detector. He beeped it around the park for a while, be he soon found out that no one had ever left any treasure in his neighborhood. He buried the metal detector in his closest.

Given Jacob’s history with hobbies, it was no surprise that Jacob’s father was reluctant to buy him a magician’s kit for his birthday. Jacob was insistent. “Dad, this time I’ll stick with it for real. I promise!” Jacob begged. Jacob’s father sighed. But he was reminded of his own youth long ago, when he quit football and started boxing practice before hardly getting his equipment dirty. So when Jacob’s birthday came around, Jacob was both surprised and pleased to find the magician’s kit that he had desired so badly. Jacob opened up the box and unwrapped the many parts in the kit. He took the many fake coins, trick cards, and rope pieces of varying length on the kitchen table and imagined pulling rabbits out of his hat and turning them into pigeons with a mysterious puff of smoke.

As Jacob continued pulling plastic thumbs, foam balls, and giant playing cards out of the magic kit, a commercial on the TV caught his attention.

“Hey kids! Have you ever wanted to go to space? Experience what it’s like to be an astronaut? Do you want to explore the universe? Well, now you can.” As the commercial continued playing, Jacob walked away from the magic kit on the kitchen table and stared at the TV screen longingly. “For only $195 you can go to space camp and live life like an astronaut for a whole weekend. Enroll now for a once in a life time experience.” Jacob’s cry rang throughout the house as he yelled, “MOM!” He now knew what his true purpose in life was.

1. Why did Jacob stop playing the guitar?

A．It hurt his fingers.	B．He’d rather play drums.
C．It was too expensive.	D．He became interested in comic books.

2. Jacob’s father decided to buy him the magician’s kit because ________.

A．Jacob was insistent on having it	B．Jacob’s birthday was coming
C．Jacob quit many expensive activities	D．Jacob reminded his father of himself

3. Which of the following is Jacob most likely to do next based on the end of the story?

A．Become a great magician.	B．Learn to play guitar well.
C．Detect an incredible hidden treasure.	D．Raise money to go to space camp.

4. What can be learned about Jacob according to the passage?

A．He was persistent in pursuing his dreams.	B．He never stuck with anything for long.
C．He has always wanted to be a magician.	D．He finally found his true purpose in life.

10 . Whenever I ask to go to the movies, my mom’s first response is always “No!” When I want to go dancing, she adds a firm “No! No! No!” for emphasis. She claims she is only trying to protect me from what she calls “bad elements”.

On a sunny day, Mom rejected my request to go to West Indian Day Parade and insisted I accompany her as she worked cleaning a large house. I followed her to a grand dining room, watching her apply lemon-scented polish to the furniture. I imagined my friends dressing up in fancy costumes, enjoying the celebratory time at the parade. I glared at my mother, hoping she could feel the anger I was directing her way.

But as I watched, my emotions began to change. I noticed how tenderly she rubbed her dusting cloth along a large piano in the corner. “Is this like your piano in Guyana, Mom?” I asked. “Yes. This baby grand piano is exactly like the one my Dad bought me when I was your age.” Her sigh was full of longing.

I knew that my mother had been a talented pianist. I vaguely recalled dancing under the piano when she practiced for hours every day. Now she could barely play for our church choir because her fingers were gnarled from so many days spent cleaning other people’s homes.

“Stop!” Mrs. Smithers, the homeowner, yelled, “That’s a very valuable instrument!”

“I am well aware of that.” she said slowly, “I play for my church.”

“But that’s not a church-music piano. We play classical music on that piano.”

I watched as my mother’s eyes narrowed and her face tightened. I felt the same tightening in my chest.

“You don’t know anything about us … or pianos!” I screamed. Immediately I worried I had done something wrong, but I also felt the tightening in my chest loosened.

I waited for my mother to blame me, but instead she glanced my way, smiling proudly. “That’s all I have time for today. My daughter and I are going to the parade. Come on, love.”

“But Veronica, you will return next week, right?”

“No!” said my mother, “No! No! No!”

1. The underlined word “gnarled” in paragraph 4 probably means ______.

A．rough and twisted	B．clean and swift
C．painful but sensitive	D．bent but flexible

2. What do you know about the mother according to the article?

A．She regretted being a cleaning woman.

B．She quit her hobby to support the family.

C．She refused the daughter’s request due to the tight budget.

D．She wished her daughter to become a well-respected pianist.

3. How did the writer’s attitude toward her mother change on the day?

A．From critical to ashamed.	B．From fearful to respectful.
C．From pitiful to understanding.	D．From angry to sympathetic.

4. What does the story mainly want to express?

A．Don’t look down upon those inferior to you.

B．Reaching out for those in trouble can be rewarding.

C．Understanding others’ experiences helps identify with them.

D．Don’t abandon your idea even if one shows strong disagreement.