With the growth of the European Union and increased globalisation, English is increasingly the lingua franc a（通用语） in European businesses, and those who speak it have become the elite （精英）of the workforce．
In the past, only a few specialists in a company were needed to communicate with foreign businesses．However, in these days of multinational companies, where workers are required to communicate with other employees from several countries, a common language is essential and English has become the logical choice．
Nowadays, even blue-collar workers in many companies are required to speak English．For example, just over three years ago, a Dutch company．United Pan-European Communications （UPC）, was contracted to build a TV studio in Amsterdam．The job involved many electricians—more than the company could find in the Netherlands．There were plenty of qualified electricians in nearby France and Belgium, but the American and Dutch executives of UPC wanted everyone on the job to speak and understand the same language．So, the UPC hired British electricians and flew them to Amsterdam every Monday, accommodating them in hotels all over the city, and flying them home on Friday evenings．
Increasingly, workers who can speak English earn salaries 25-35% higher than those who can' t．They are also eligible （有条件被选中的） for a wider range of high-level jobs．
The problem is that, while the ability to speak English is fast becoming essential for getting a good job, there is a shortage of people who can speak it．According to a recent European Commission report, only about 41% of continental Europeans can speak English, and only 29% speak it well enough to carry on a conversation．Many companies are solving this problem by setting up English language schools within the workplace．English language schools all over Europe are expanding at a huge rate, and governments are looking at ways to improve English tuition in schools．
One result of this modem urge to learn English is that a generation gap is appearing． According to a European Union study, 67% of Europeans between 15 and 24 say they can speak English while only 18% of those over 55 say they can．Increasingly, all over Europe, it is the children who are leading the parents．
1.In European companies, workers who speak English ________．
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A．find it easy to carry on a conversation |
B．have an advantage over other workers |
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C．must be white-collar workers |
D．travel to many different countries |
2.Why did the UPC hire the British electricians?
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A．There were not enough electricians in nearby France and Belgium． |
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B．British electricians were more qualified than those in the Netherlands． |
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C．The UPC wanted all the employees to speak English． |
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D．The UPC meant to show they were rich enough to accommodate and fly them． |
3.What can you learn from the passage about European people?
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A．More young people can speak English well than older people. |
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B．67% Europeans can speak English very well． |
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C．18% of the people over 55 can't speak English． |
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D．Over half the people can speak English． |
Another food which is closely associated with Americans is apple pie．Apple pie is often served hot with a spoon of ice cream or a slice of cheese at the end of the biggest meal of the day—dinner, and it is a favorite dessert throughout the nation, if a person is typical of Americans, we can say, "He is as American as apple pie．"
It is true that the apple and apple pie do not originate in America, but the expression "as American as apple pie" is not the product of a pure imagination．As early as 1625, the English colonists, having brought orchards （果园） on this new land and in most of the colonial times, the apple was a main material of both plain and fancy cooking．The first Massachusetts governor, William Endicott, was one of many keen apple planters who helped to lay the foundations for today' s apple-growing industry in America．
A major attraction of the apple for the colonists was that it could be made into cider （苹果酒）. Like most Europeans, English colonists held a strong suspicion （怀疑） of drinking water, and since grapegrowing was hindered by plant peats, cider became an alternative to wine．Cheap and easy to produce, it was the American drink of first choice well into the nineteenth century． Whether it was dried, raw or cooked, the apple also found its way into numerous colonial dishes, including apple sauces, pudding, stuffings and many desserts．Therefore, the conclusion to be drawn here is obvious．The apple pie became known as American, not because it was invented on this land （since it was proved that Europeans had been eating apple pies for centuries）, but because, thanks to the huge orchards in the states of Washington and New York, America became the world's largest apple-producing nation．
1.If a person is said to be as American as apple pie, it means that _______．
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A．he always prefers apple pie as a dessert |
B．his favourite pie is apple pie |
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C．he behaves and thinks in the American way |
D．he is good at making American apple pie |
2.The apple can be used to make into all of the following except _______．
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A．wine |
B．sauces |
C．pudding |
D．cider |
3.The underlined word hindered in Paragraph 3 means．________．
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A．promoted |
B．prevented |
C．improved |
D．enlarged |
4.It can be concluded from the passage that_______．
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A．the apple pie was first served in America |
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B．the English colonists developed a taste for the apple only after they, arrived at the New World |
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C．the expression "as American as apple pie" is a pure imagination |
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D．the apple pie is traditionally associated with Americans due to their large apple production |
I am a person who does not like to wait．I don' t like lines, being put on hold when making a phone call, arriving at an appointment to find that my companion will be delayed and of course, I don * t like waiting rooms．
However, I realize that my agony(痛苦） will not be good for me, as an increasingly, crowded world can only mean one thing—more waiting．
Owing to this, I have taken a measure and decided to turn my disappointment to productive ends．In short, I am looking for what I call "waiting in line books"．
These are books that contain material designed for being read in shortened words, so there is no extended story line to lose track of．Another requirement is that they be small enough to slip neatly into my back pocket．
The other day I went to the supermarket．Convinced that the rain would keep most people away, I was surprised to see that the place was crowded with shoppers．Every checkout was open—and jammed! But I could take out my pocket book and go to work．
The more the world demands that I wait, the more I learn from my waiting library．Look at these titles: One Hundred Things Every American Should Know; The Poetry of Robert Frost; Living Thoughts of Leading Thinkers; Still More Toasts．I have learned interesting and enriching things and much knowledge from these books．
On a recent visit to the general store, I placed my order at the counter along with six or seven other people．The one female employee seemed to have her hands full as she rushed about．"Just be patient," she said to me．
No problem．I quietly opened my dictionary of prose （散文） and poetical quotations． Perhaps the other customers regarded me as a bookish, lonely soul．But little did they realize that I was enjoying the company of Shakespeare, Thoreau, Homer and Ben Johnson．
1.According to the passage, the world ______．
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A．needs to produce many materials to use |
B．is becoming more and more crowded |
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C．loses tracks of story line increasingly |
D．is crowded with shoppers everywhere |
2.How did the author overcome his agony of waiting?
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A．By reading books designed to be read in shortened words． |
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B．By arriving early for an appointment． |
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C．By taking measures to produce some books for readers． |
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D．By keeping most people away from the supermarket for some reasons． |
3.Which of the following can't be carried in the author's pocket?
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A．One Hundred Things Every American Should Know |
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B．The Poetry of Robert Frost |
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C．Living Thoughts of Leading Thinkers |
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D．Homer and Ben Johnson |
4.Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?
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A．The author succeeded in changing his agony into fun． |
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B．The author was a bookish and lonely soul. |
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C．Six or seven employees in the store were busy in rushing about． |
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D．There were fewer customers in the supermarket on rainy days． |
完型填空（共20小题；每小题1．5分，满分30分）
阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后从36—55各题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上涂黑。
My mother knew that she could not send me to college and pay for it．If I wanted to go to college, it was up to roe to find out how to get there．I found that I 36 for some grants （助学金）.There was enough to 37 school and books, but not enough for room and board．I accepted a job as part of a work-study program．I washed dishes in the school cafeteria．My grades went 38 ．It was the hardest work I had 39 done．
Just when I thought I was going to 40 of my college career, a friend told me that his grandmother needed help on the weekends． 41 that was required of me was cooking meals． Now I would have time to study．I went to meet his grandmother and accepted the job．My first 42 was his grandmother' s great love of music．One day, she told me I didn't have enough 43 in my life and decided to teach me the art．Grandma was 44 with my ability and encouraged me to continue．Weekends became more than just books and cooking; they were 45 the wonderful sounds of the piano and two singers．
When Christmas break came, Grandma got a chest cold 46 I was unwilling to leave her．I hadn't been home since Labor Day, and my family was 47 to see me．I said my good-bye, 48 for her temporary care and returned home． 49 I was loading my car to go back to school, the phone rang and my friend told me Grandma died．I hung up the phone feeling like my world had ended．I had 50 my friend, and that was 51 worse than knowing I would have to return to dishwashing．
Four weeks later, I asked to begin the work-study program again．The financial aid advisor looked at me 52 I had lost my mind．I 53 my position, then he smiled and slid me an envelope which was from Grandma．She had known how sick she was．In the envelope was enough money to pay for the rest of my school year and a request that I take piano lessons in her 54 ． Now, years later, when I walk by a piano, I 55 and think of Grandma．She is playing the piano in heaven, I am sure．
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—Do you know how I can ____ him?
—On his mobile phone．
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A．learn |
B．reach |
C．seek |
D．touch |
If you sleep less than seven hours, you are three times more to catch a cold．
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A．possible |
B．certainly |
C．probable |
D．likely |
