Writing articles about films for The Front Page was my first proper job．Before then I had done bits of reviewing --- novels for other newspapers, films for a magazine and anything I was asked to do for the radio．That was how I met Tom Seaton, the first arts editor of The Front Page, who had also written for television．He hired me, but Tom was not primarily a journalist, or he would certainly have been more careful in choosing his staff．
At first, his idea was that a team of critics should take care of the art forms that didn’t require specialized knowledge: books, TV, theatre, film and radio．There would be a weekly lunch at which we would make our choices from the artistic material that Tom had decided we should cover, though there would also be guests to make the atmosphere sociable．
Tom’s original plan for a team of critics for the arts never took off．It was a good idea, but we didn’t get together as planned and so everything was done by phone．It turned out, too, that the general public out there preferred to associate a reviewer with a single subject area, and so I chose film．Without Tom’s initial push, though, we would hardly have come up with the present arrangement, by which I write an extended weekly piece, usually on one film．
The space I am given allows me to broaden my argument --- or forces me, in an uninteresting week, to make something out of nothing．But what is my role in the public arena（舞台）? I suppose that people choose what films to go to on the basis of the stars, the publicity of the director．So if a film review isn’t really a consumer guide, what is it? I certainly don’t feel I have a responsibility to be ‘right’ about a movie．Nor do I think there should be a certain number of ‘great’ and ‘bad’ films each year．All I have to do is put forward an argument．I’m not a judge, and nor would I want to be．
1.What do we learn about Tom Seaton from the first paragraph?
A．He encouraged Mark to become a writer．
B．He had worked in various areas of the media．
C．He met Mark when working for a film company．
D．He prefers to employ people that he knows．
2.The weekly lunches were planned in order to ______．
A．help the writers get to know each other
B．provide an informal information party
C．divide the work that had to be done
D．entertain important visitors from the arts
3.What does the author mean when he says that Tom’s plan ‘never took off’ in Paragraph 3?
A．It was unpopular． B．It wasted too much time．
C．It wasn’t planned properly． D．It wasn’t put into practice．
4.Which of the following best describes what Mark says about his work?
A．His success varies from year to year． B．He prefers to write about films he likes．
C．He can freely express his opinion． D．He writes according to accepted rules．
The summer holidays are upon us again．Here is our guide to summer holiday fun in Peterborough!
Peterborough Museum
The Age of the Dinosaurs is the museum’s main attraction this summer．Get up close to prehistoric creatures via some great hands-on exhibits! Watch out for monsters （怪物） lurking （潜伏）around every corner! The museum is open from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm Monday to Saturday, and from 12:00 pm to 4:00 pm on Sundays in August．
Call 01733 864663 for details
Saxon Youth Club
School holiday fun: Young people aged 13—19 will be able to produce their own music, compete in spots activities, or try their hand at cooking at Saxon Youth Club, Saxon Community Centre, Norman Road．Peterborough every Monday and Wednesday from 3:00 pm．PLUS an aero ball match will take place on Thursday 12th August between 3:30 pm and 6:30 pm．
Call 01 353 720274 for details
Houghton Mill
Alice through the Looking Class—a new production of the family favorite on Monday 30th．August．Bring rugs or chairs to sit on and a picnic if you wish to eat during the play．Gates open 5:30 pm, performance 6:30 pm—8:30 pm．Tea room will be open until end of the interval（间隔）．Adult ￡10．Child￡7．Family ￡20．
Booking advisable on 0845 4505157．
Farmland Museum and Denny Abbey
Farmland Gaines: From Wellie Wanging to Pretend Ploughing matches, come and join the Farmland Team．Collect your sporting stickers and create a colorful rosette（饰品） that is fit for a winner！No need to book, just turn up between 12:00 pm and 4:00 pm on Thursday 19th August Suitable for children aged four and above, each child should be accompanied by an adult and all activities are included in the normal admission price Tickets Cost￡7 per child．
For further information, call 01223 810080．
1.If you are interested in cooking, you can go to ______．
A．Peterborough Museum B．Houghton Mill
C．Saxon Youth Club D．Farmland Museum
2.You want to watch the new play with your parents, so it will cost you ______．
A．￡7 B．￡17 C．￡27 D．￡20
3.Which of the following activities needs parents’ company?
A．Playing farmland games． B．Watching a new play．
C．Competing in spots activities． D．Visiting the dinosaur exhibition．
4.If Tom comes to Peterborough for amusement on Monday and Wednesday in August, how many activities can he choose from?
A．One activity． B．Two activities．
C．Three activities． D．Four activities．
Shyness is the cause of much unhappiness for a great many people．Shy people are anxious and self-conscious; that is, they are concerned with their own appearance and actions too much．Negative thoughts are constantly occurring in their minds: What kind of impression am I making? Do they like me? Do I sound stupid? Am I wearing unattractive clothes?
It is obvious that such uncomfortable feelings must affect people unfavorably．A person's self-concept is reflected in the way he or she behaves and the way a person behaves affects other people's reactions．In general, the way people think about themselves has a deep effect on all areas of their lives．
Shy people, who have low respect, are likely to be passive and easily influenced by others．They need faith that they are doing "the right thing"．Shy people are very sensitive to criticism．It makes them feel inferior（自卑）．They also find it difficult to be pleased by praises because they believe they are unworthy of praise．A shy person may respond to a praise with a statement like this one: "You're just saying that to make me feel good, I know it's not true．” It is clear that, while self-awareness is a healthy quality, overdoing it is harmful．
Can shyness be completely got rid of, or at least reduced? Fortunately, people can overcome shyness with determination since shyness goes hand in hand with lack of self respect．It is important for people to accept their weakness as well as their strengths．Each one of us has his or her own characteristics．We are interested in our own personal ways．The better we understand ourselves, the easier it becomes to live up to our chances for a rich and successful life．
1.The first paragraph is mainly about______．
A．the cause of shyness B．the effect of shyness on people
C．the feelings of shy people D．the questions in the minds of shy people
2.According to the writer, self-awareness is______．
A．harmful to people B．a weak point of shy people
C．the cause of unhappiness D．a good characteristic
3.What is the shy people's reaction to praise?
A．They are pleased by it．
B．They feel it is not true．
C．They are very sensitive to it．
D．They feel they are worthy of it．
4.We can learn from the passage that shyness can ______．
A．block our chances for a successful life
B．help us to live up to our full development
C．enable us to understand ourselves better
D．have nothing to do with lack of self respect
You may open your electronic mail and find information about how to buy medicine, cheap airline tickets, and books and, of course, computers and computer products．There may also be offers for investment deals, bank loans and special holidays．However, to many computer users, this use of electronic spam to sell products has become a major problem as it makes computer communication more difficult．
Many companies who want to send a great deal of advertising might use the services of a “spammer．” A spammer is a person or company that uses computers to send out millions of copies of the same sales information．Spammers find e-mail addresses from websites, news groups and “chat rooms” where people send messages to each other．
Most spam is sent by companies who are trying to get you to buy their products．Some of these are honest companies that offer good products or services for fair prices．These companies can offer their products for a cheaper price than you might find in a store．However, much of the spam on the Internet is sent by criminals who are trying to sell products that do not exist or offer services they will not provide．They are only interested in stealing your money．When you answer their spam you find you are expected to send them money and receive a gift．One country in Africa has become famous for the number of criminals who try every known trick to separate people from their money．
1.What does the underlined word “spam” in the first paragraph probably refer to?
A．Unwanted electronic information that reaches computer users．
B．Computer virus that causes computer communication difficulties．
C．Advertisements sent out by companies who want to sell their products．
D．Companies that send out millions of copies of the same sales information．
2.Which of the following is TRUE according to the text?
A．Spammers are people who receive spam on their computers．
B．Spammers are people who collect e-mail addresses from the Internet．
C．Companies who want to send a great deal of advertising are so-called spammers．
D．Either individuals or organizations can be regarded as spammers if they send out spam．
3.Which is the possible suggestion from the writer concerning spam?
A．Look out for any spam that reaches your computer．
B．Don’t trust any information on the Internet．
C．Buy what is cheaper in the spam．
D．Don’t buy anything advertised in the spam．
4.What is the main purpose of writing this passage?
A．To explain what spam is．
B．To find out who send out spam．
C．To warn readers of the possible dangers of spam．
D．To show the advantages and disadvantages of spam．
Do you love holidays but hate the increase weight that follows? You are not alone．
Holidays are happy days with pleasure and delicious foods．Many people, however, are worried about the weight that comes along with these delicious foods．
With proper planning, though, it is possible to control your weight．The idea is to enjoy the holidays but not to eat too much．You don’t have to turn away from the foods that you enjoy．The following suggestions may be of some help to you．
Do not miss meals．Before you leave home for a feast （宴会）, have a small, low-fat snack．This may help to keep you from getting too excited before delicious foods．
Begin with clear soup and fruit or vegetables．A large glass of water before you eat may help you feel full．Use a small plate; a large plate will encourage you to have more than enough．
Better not have high-fat foods．Dishes that look oily or creamy have much fat in them．
Choose lean meat （瘦肉）．Fill your plate with salad and green vegetables．
If you have a sweet tooth, try mints （薄荷） and fruits．They don’t have fat content as cream and chocolate．
Don’t let exercise take a break during the holidays．A 20-minute walk after a meal can help burn off extra calories to prevent the increase of fat．
1.Holidays are happy days with pleasure but they may______．
A．make you hate delicious foods
B．bring weight problems
C．bring you much trouble in your life
D．make you worried about your foods
2.Many people can’t help putting on weight after the holidays because they ___．
A．enjoy delicious foods B．go to too many feasts
C．can’t help refusing delicious foods D．can’t control themselves
3.According to the passage, ______ is necessary part to stop you from putting on weight．
A．vegetables B．water
C．physical exercise D．calories of energy
4.Extra calories can be found in your body in the form of ______．
A．fat B．food C．energy D．meal
A person may have a false idea about himself that will stop him from doing good work．
He may have the belief that he is unable to do it．A child may think he is 36 because he doesn’t understand how to make 37 use of his mental gifts．Old people may have a false idea that they are unable to learn things new because of their 38 ．
A person who believes that he is stupid will not make a real 39 because he feels that it would be useless．He won’t go at a job with confidence necessary for 40 ．Besides, he won’t work his hardest way, even though he may think he is doing so． 41 , he is likely to fail, and the failure will 42 his belief in his incompetence（无能） in turn．
Alfred Alder, a famous doctor, had 43 like this．When he was a small boy, he had a poor 44 in maths．His teacher told his parents he had no ability in maths in order that they would not 45 too much of him．In this way, his teacher and parents 46 the idea．He 47 their false judgment of his ability, feeling that it was useless to 48 ．Then, he was very poor at maths, 49 as they expected．
But one day everything changed．He worked out a problem which 50 of the other students had been able to solve．He 51 in solving the problem which gave him confidence （信心）．Soon he became especially good at 52 ．
Alder now 53 with interest, determination and purpose．He not only proved that he could learn maths well, but luckily he learned it 54 , not too late．From his own experience, we can tell that if a person goes at a job with determination and purpose, he may 55 himself as well as others by his ability．
1.A．clever B．shy C．useless D．stupid
2.A．big B．full C．high D．great
3.A．age B．ability C．brain D．knowledge
4.A．decision B．plan C．effort D．promise
5.A．work B．study C．improvementD．success
6.A．Truly B．Really C．However D．Therefore
7.A．lead to B．strengthen C．improve D．get rid of
8.A．an experience B．an example C．a thought D．a story
9.A．state B．mind C．start D．ending
10.A．blame B．expect C．get D．win
11.A．developed B．organized C．discovered D．found
12.A．broke B．refused C．doubted D．accepted
13.A．manage B．argue C．try D．act
14.A．only B．almost C．just D．then
15.A．none B．all C．some D．most
16.A．broke B．succeeded C．failed D．believed
17.A．physics B．medicine C．English D．maths
18.A．studies B．works C．plays D．graduates
19.A．early B．deeply C．later D．simply
20.A．discourage B．love C．surprise D．disappoint
