Directions: Read the following passage, Answer the questions according to the information
given in the passage．
Scientists have determined it's not advisable to hurry marriage．But what’s the best age to
wed?
When Avril Lavigne announced she was splitting from her husband, comments from her
friends suggested that she was only 21 when she tied the knot and later she said that she realized she'd been too young to make such a life-altering decision．Could fellow young celebrity divorcées（离婚者） Reese Witherspoon, Kate Hudson, and Britney Spears have also hit the same age-related issue?
The Magic Number
There are practical reasons for the mid-20s dividing line, and most of them boil down to two
biggies: education and money．
It turns out that the more years of higher education a woman has under her belt on her
wedding day, the lower the chances that she'll get divorced ．．．and by 25, you're more likely to have earned a degree or two．Educated women tend to be more confident about who they are and less willing to settle for a man who doesn't meet their standards．
Odds（可能性） are that by 25 you're also supporting yourself, so there's less incentive（刺
激; 鼓励）for you to rush into marriage because you're seeking financial security from him．But the marriage-related benefits of working and having money of your own go beyond feeling secure．Learning to budget your cash carefully when you're single will help you avoid financial problems—one of the main causes of couple fights—for the rest of your life．
Knowing the Real You
At 25, you've had time for some crucial life experiences, including a relationship or two that
may have improved your Mr．Right radar．You've probably dated enough to have a better idea of what you don't want in a man, which makes it easier to know what you can live with and can't live without．
Perhaps the most important aspect of waiting is that you'll know what your goals and values
really are．While you don't want to marry someone just like you, marriage is a lot easier if you two share a similar outlook on life．
Twenty-four and already married to the man of your dreams? Don't worry: Many young
marriages survive．But given the choice, you might consider putting off the big day until your mid-20s or later．
1.What main factors influence the mid-20s dividing line? （No more than 3 words）
_________________________________________________________________
2.According to the author, why does a couple probably fight？（No more than 4 words）
_________________________________________________________________
3.How do you know what you don’t want in a man? （No more than 5 words）
________________________________________________________________
4.What suggestion does the passage mainly give? （No more than 10 words）
_________________________________________________________________
Directions: Read the following passage．Fill in the numbered blanks by using the information
from the passage．
Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each answer．
When I opened my e-mail the other day, a pretty woman named Rachel appeared on my
computer screen．She greeted me by name and started talking with great enthusiasm．Every now and then she stopped to smile at me or blow a kiss．She was reading to me an e-mail from my brother, and a lot of it was about his getting the phone company to give him a high-speed Internet connection．It was pretty cool．
Rachel was there thanks to a new technology called Facemail．Facemail lets you send e-mail
that can read mails to the receiver by an attractive male or female form or by a clown．The software, which is free, can be downloaded at www．Facemail．com．
Facemail faces are lifelike, and they copy emotions based on the ones that you put in your
text．For example, type in X, and Rachel blows a kiss．]
Life FX, the company that develops the Facemail is sure there are broad business uses．The
reason e-business is not popular, the company says, is that buying over the Internet lacks the human touch．But what if you went to the Nike website and Michael Jordan greeted you by name, waited on you and personally closed the sale? Besides, the company is talking with Whirlpool company about the technology in a computer screen on a fridge．Then if Mom can’t be at home when the kids get back from school, she can leave a note with voice and image telling them what there is to eat．
Facemail could get hot fast．Personally, I am a fan．But Facemail should be used with words in
an e-mail and add angry emotions when you’ve got junk mails．
Title: A New Technology On 1.
I My findings:
* I was greeted by 2.__________ on my computer when I opened my e-mail the other day;
* She kept reading to me an e-mail from my brother about a high-speed Internet connection;
* Sometimes she would stop to smile or 3.___________;
II More details of Facemail:
*4.___________: Facemail can let your e-mails read by a “person”;
*Feature: Facemail faces are 5.___________and changeable;
*6.___________: Life FX
*Future of Facemail: ①It is sure to have 7.__________;
②It may be used in a computer screen 8.__________ to help mothers;
III My personal 9._________about Facemail:
*It could get hot fast
*It should be used with words in an e-mail;
*It might make you 10.________ when getting junk mails．
Poverty is not first thing that comes to mind when you think of Japan．After all, there are no
children begging on the streets in major cities here．You do not often see Japanese citizens publicly letting out their complaints over the country’s economic decline．But senior government researcher Aya Abe says Japan has the fourth highest rate of child poverty among developed countries．
She says she sees that poverty in schools where students admit to only bathing once a
week．Some cannot afford to buy pencils for class．
“They may not be on the streets begging or they may not be turning into criminals,but it’s
there．It’s just that we have to open our eyes and see,” Abe said．
Abe owes the increase in child poverty to the country’s changing demographics（人口统计）,
struggling economy and high social security premiums（保险费）．She says fewer people live in three-generation households, where the parents and grandparents work．The number of single mothers has increased．The salary for young fathers has declined with the economic downturn．Social security premiums have increased in the last 20 years, putting families on the edge of poverty．
Abe says studies conducted by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development
（OECD ） point to rising poverty in Japan before the global economic crises in 2008．But the Japanese government and the public refused to acknowledge it until then partly because of the shame associated with poverty．
“It was very unpopular for Japanese media to say anything about Japanese poverty,” said
Abe．“Even though OECD Japan announced it in Japanese, Japanese media didn’t make it into the articles．”
Abe says new Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama has taken one important step to help alleviate
（缓解） the problem．Next year, his Democratic Party of Japan plans to double monthly child care allowances given to families．
But Abe wants the government to expand its financial help even more．She wants it to simplify
the process to apply for public assistance and provide educational grants for students struggling to pay for tuition at high schools and colleges．The country now only offers loans．
Abe also says the government must act quickly because she says the problem will only get
worse in the next few years．
1.The passage is intended to _______．
A．report the result of the studies conducted by OECD
B．tell us about the increase in Japanese child poverty
C．prove that Japan is no longer a developed country
D．introduce Aya Abe, a senior government researcher
2.It seems to be hard to associate Japan with poverty because _______．
A．no children are seen begging in the streets of main cities in Japan
B．its citizens never complain about the country’s economic decline
C．it is one of the few wealthiest countries in the world
D．its government and public refused to acknowledge it
3.According to Abe, several things contribute to the rising child poverty except_______．
A．high social security premiums
B．the increase of the number of single mothers
C．the decrease of the salary for young fathers
D．the expansion of three-generation households
4.Why was it unpopular for Japanese media to say anything about Japanese poverty?
A．The Japanese public didn’t think it true．
B．It was forbidden by the Japanese government．
C．The Japanese public regarded it shameful to be poor．
D．OECD Japan had already announced it in Japanese．
5.Which of the following is NOT the author’s suggestion for alleviating this problem?
A．Doubling monthly child care allowances given to families．
B．Expanding government’s financial help even more．
C．Providing educational grants for poor students．
D．Simplifying the process to apply for public assistance．
“San Francisco, open your Golden Gate,” sang the girl in the theatre．She never finished her
song．The date was 18th, 1906．
The earth shook and the roof suddenly divided, buildings crashed to the ground and people
rushed out into the streets．The dreadful earthquake destroyed the city that had grown up when men discovered gold in the deserts of California．But today the streets of San-Francisco stretch over more than 40 steep hills, rising like huge cliffs above the blue waters of the Pacific Ocean．
The best way to see this splendid city, where Spanish were the first to make their homes, is to
take one of the old cable cars which run along the nine main avenues．Fares are cheap; they have not risen for almost a hundred years．
You leave the palm trees in Union Square------the heart of San-Francisco and from the shop
signs and the faces around you, you will notice that in the city live people from many nations—Austrians, Italians, Chinese, and others, giving every part of the city a special character．More Chinese live in China Town than in any other part of the world outside China．Here, with Chinese restaurants, Chinese post-boxes, and even odd telephone-boxes that look like pagoda（宝塔）, it is easy to feel you are in China itself．
Fisherman’s Wharf, a place all foreigners want to see, is the end of the ride．You get out, and
then set out to find a table in one of gay little restaurants beside the harbor．As you enjoy the fresh Pacific sea food, you can admire the bright red paint of the Golden Gate Bridge in the harbor and watch the traffic crossing beneath the tall towers on its way to the pretty village of Tiberon．When you finish your meal, you may decide to take a boat-trip around the bay to look at the sights．You can stare at the famous, now empty, prison of Alcatraz．Then why not go to the fishing village of Sansalito—a little like London’s Chelsea or New York’s Greenwich Village—to see people painting and to look at their pictures．You will be able to enjoy a view of the city from the sea and take pleasure in the soft red and blue Spanish-type houses shining in the bright Pacific light．If you have time you might like to go by bus to Carmel, a hundred miles south of San-Francisco, where you will discover a wild and wonderful coast with high cliffs．
1.The first two paragraphs tell the readers that_____．
A．everybody will be attracted by the beauty of San-Francisco．
B．this fantastic modern travel city was built by many hard-working people．
C．San-Francisco has experienced so much before it became a modern international city．
D．There are so many entertainments in attractive San-Francisco
2.How many means of transportation are suggested in the passage?
A．One B．Two C．Three D．Four
3.Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?
A．The origin city of San-Francisco is created by Spanish people．
B．More Chinese live in San-Francisco than in any other part of the world outside China．
C．Alcatraz used to be a prison but now is deserted．
D．San-Francisco lies near the blue waters of the Pacific．
4.Which is the right order of the travel route given in the passage?
A．Union Square—Fisherman’s Wharf—the Golden Gate Bridge—Tiberon—prison of
Alcatraz—Sanalito．
B．Union Square—the Golden Gate Bridge—Tiberon--prison of Alcatraz—Sanalito—
Fisherman’s Wharf．
C．Union Square—Fisherman’s Wharf—the Golden Gate Bridge—Tiberon--Chelsea—
Greenwich Village．
D．Union Square—the Golden Gate Bridge—Tiberon—Chelsea—Greenwich Village—
Fisherman’s Wharf．
5.Which of the following can be the best title?
A．San-Francisco—a prosperous city after the earthquake．
B．San-Francisco—a charming travel city of America．
C．San-Francisco—a city to open her Golden Gate．
D．San-Francisco—a harbor stretching over steep hills．
There are two basic ways to see growth: one as a product, the other as a process．People have
generally viewed personal growth as an external （外在的） result or a product that can easily be
identified and measured．The worker who gets a rise, the student whose grades improve, the
foreigner who learns a new language—all these examples of people who have measurable results to
show for their efforts．
By contrast （对照） , the process of personal growth is much more difficult to determine, since
it is a journey and not the specific signposts or landmarks along the way．The process is not the road itself, but the attitudes, feelings people have , and their caution or courage, as they meet with new experiences and unexpected difficulties．In this process, the journey never really ends；there are always new ways to experience the world, new ideas to try, new challenges to accept．
In order to grow, to travel new roads, people need to have a willingness to take risks, to face the unknown, and to accept the possibility that they may “fail” at first．How we see ourselves as we try a new way of being is necessary for our ability to grow．Do we see ourselves as quick and curious? If so, we tend to take more chances and be more open to unfamiliar experiences．Do we think we’re shy and indecisive? Then our sense of fear can cause us to hesitate, to move slowly, and we think we are slow to adapt change or that we’re not smart enough to deal with a new challenge．Then we are likely to take a more passive role or not try at all．
These feelings of insecurity and self-doubt are both unavoidable and necessary if we are to
change and grow．If we protect ourselves too much, then we stop growing．We become trapped inside a shell of our own making．
1.In the author’s eye, one who views personal growth as a process would ____．
A．succeed in climbing up the social ladder
B．grow up from his own achievements
C．face difficulties and take up challenges
D．aim high and reach his goal each time
2.Which of the following can be viewed as the process of personal growing?
A．Our manager was always willing to accept new challenges．
B．Jane won the first prize in the speech competition．
C．Jerry picked up French during his stay in Paris．
D．Father’s salary rose from 5, 000 to 7,000．
3.For personal growth, the author is in favor of all the following except___．
A．being curious about more changes
B．being quick in self-adaptation
C．having an open mind to new experiences
D．staying away from failures and challenges
4.Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?
A．It is not so easy to measure personal growth．
B．To try and fail on the new road facing the unknown is unavoidable．
C．There are only two ways to see a person’s growth．
D．If you are too shy to take any risks in life, you cannot grow up．
5.The best title for this passage should be _____．
A．Facing New Challenges B．Growth—Product or Process
C．Two Basic Ways of Growth D．Overcoming Internal Fears
Directions: Complete the following passage by filling in each blank with one word that best fits the context．
There was a tradition in Europe that 1.a dove（鸽）flew around a house where someone was dying, then his soul would be at peace．And there are legends which say that Satan （撒旦）can turn himself into any bird except for a dove．But it was Pablo Picasso who made the dove a modern symbol of peace when 2.used it on a poster for the World Peace Congress in 1949．
The rainbow is 3.ancient and universal symbol, often representing the connection between human beings and their gods．In Greek mythology it was associated with Iris, the goddess 4.brought messages from the gods on Mount Olympus．In Scandinavian mythology（神话） the rainbow was a bridge 5.the gods and the earth．In 6.Bible a rainbow showed Noah that the Biblical flood was finally over, and that God had forgiven his people．In the Chinese tradition, the rainbow is often taken as a common symbol for marriage．
Nowadays the rainbow is 7.used by many popular movements for peace and the
environment, representing the possibility of a better world in the future 8.promising sunshine after the rain．
