You're in a department store and you see a couple of attractive young women looking at a sweater．You listen to their conversation：
“I can't believe it－Lorenzo Bertolla! They are almost impossible to find．Isn't it beautiful? And it's a lot cheaper than the one Sara bought in Rome．”
They leave and you go over to see this incredible sweater．It's nice and the price is right．You've never heard of Lorenzo Bertolla, but those girls looked really stylish．They must know．So, you buy it．You never realize that those young women are employees of an advertising agency．They are actually paid to go from store to store, talking loudly about Lorenzo Bertolla clothes．
Every day we notice what people are wearing, driving and eating．If the person looks cool, the product seems cool, too．This is the secret of undercover marketing．Companies from Ford to Nike are starting to use it．
Undercover marketing is important because it reaches people that don't pay attention to traditional advertising．This is particularly true of the MTV generation－consumers between the age of 18 and 34．It's a golden group．They have a lot of money to spend, but they don't trust ads．
So advertising agencies hire young actors to “perform” in bars and other places where young adults go．Some people might call this practice misleading, but marketing executive Jonathan Ressler calls it creative．“Look at traditional advertising．Its effectiveness is decreasing．”It is true, because everyone knows an ad is trying to persuade you to buy something．However, you don't know when a conversation you overhear is just a performance．
1.The two attractive young women were talking so as to ________．
A. get the sweater at a lower price
B. be heard by people around
C. be admired by other shoppers
D. decide on buying the sweater
2.Lorenzo Bertolla is ________．
A. a very popular male singer
B. an advertising agency
C. a clothing company in Rome
D. the brand name of clothes
3.What can we infer from the passage?
A. Traditional advertising will soon disappear in the market．
B. The MTV generation tends to be more easily influenced by all kinds of ads．
C. That traditional advertising is too direct may lead to its decreasing effectiveness．
D. Undercover marketing will surely be banned soon by the government．
4.Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?
A. Two Attractive Shoppers
B. Lorenzo Bertolla Sweaters
C. Undercover Marketing
D. Ways of Advertising
I know that there are times when friends are apart for a while – or even forever – and that your lives take different paths. Yet, I always hope for a happy ending. I know that friends reconnect again when it makes sense.
My friend Julie and I had a long period in our friendship. We used to see each other daily. I would eat brown rice in her kitchen while we shared our secrets.
Later, we celebrated each other’s weddings. My husband and I welcomed Julie’s first son (born on my birthday). By the time he was learning to walk, Julie and her family had moved to another city. We spoke on the phone sometimes and exchanged Christmas cards.
After they welcomed their third son, they moved to Edmonton, which is a farther city. We haven’t seen each other since then. They changed their phone numbers. I received a letter from her, but I couldn’t find that envelope later. I e-mailed her a few times, but didn’t get a reply.
It was painful not to be in touch with an old friend. I let it go. I knew that Julie and I would reconnect again, when it made sense.
Last year, Julie’s husband got in touch with me on Facebook. I felt something bad, and soon my feeling proved true: Julie had passed away the month before. She died of cancer.
I regretted that I had not been part of Julie’s support system, or the last years of her joyous, painful time on Earth. I cried. I’m so sorry, Julie, for counting on more chances.
Last week, I donated my hair in memory of Julie to make wigs (假发) for cancer patients. It was a small way of showing that I loved her and will never forget her. And that I look forward to us reconnecting again – when it makes sense.
1.When apart from her friends, the writer hopes ______.
A. they will be on the same path B. they can still be together some day
C. their friendship will end soon D. they’ll make other better friends
2.______ puts the following events in the correct time order.
a. Julie’s family moved to Edmonton.
b. Julie’s husband found the writer on Facebook.
c. Julie had her first son.
d. Julie died of cancer.
e. Julie wrote the author a letter.
A. c-e-a-b-d B. c-a-e-d-b
C. a-c-e-b-d D. a-e-c-d-b
3.The author donated her hair in order to ______.
A. make wigs for her friend B. forget the painful past
C. reconnect with her friend D. keep her friend deep in mind
4.The author wrote the article to ______.
A. encourage those who suffer cancer to live bravely
B. recall the good time shared with a good friend
C. express her regret of losing a good friend
D. call for more care about those who suffer cancer
Inside the Rain Room
The Rain Room has arrived and local art lovers are taking notice. Is it worth the wait? Yes, I assure you it is. Once inside, visitors find a long, dark room with a high ceiling. A single bright light shines through heavy rain falling around visitors. The mist. The damp air. The noise. It feels like a mighty storm is pouring down. But the storm is inside. And visitors aren’t getting wet. Instead, visitors wander in awe, admiring the rain and the artists who created it.
The Rain Room was created to highlight the connection between humans, nature and technology. With a tracking system that senses movement and stops the rain wherever visitors move, it does just that. Light and sound produce an experience that feels both natural and foreign. The exhibit is moving on to Atlanta next month. I urge you to visit before then. It’s time to experience the Rain Room for yourself!
Welcome to the Rain Room
The Rain Room features falling water. Please be aware you may get slightly wet. However, visitors wearing raincoat will be turned away.
This exhibit features advanced technology. To ensure its effectiveness, please avoid wearing dark or reflective clothing.
Visitors are welcome to take photographs of the exhibit.
Children must be accompanied by an adult.
For the convenience of all guests, visits are limited to 10minutes.
1.What’s the purpose of the text?
A. To attract visitors to a new art exhibit.
B. To explain how an exhibit has been created.
C. To describe the technology used in the exhibit.
D. To promise the artists taking part in an exhibit.
2.What’s the function of the exhibit’s tracking system?
A. To keep visitors from getting wet.
B. To protect the exhibit from water damage.
C. To time how long visitors are in the room.
D. To count the number of visitors in the room.
3.What must you do when visiting the Rain Room?
A. Wear a raincoat
B. Wear dark clothing
C. Leave your camera outside.
D. Pass through within 10 minutes.
假如你是李华，最近你从报纸上看到一家外企公司招聘秘书的广告，请你根据下列要点提示给经理写一封应聘信。
1) 今年20岁，即将毕业于职业院校。主修经济管理。
2) 学习英语超过八年了，熟悉电脑操作；在过去曾任学生报的编辑，有写作和编辑经验；在校成绩优秀。
3) 性格外向，交际能力强。
要求：1) 内容要连贯、完整。
2) 叙述必须用第一人称。
3) 字数:100左右。
参考词汇：职业院校vocational school；主修 major in 经验experience 操作operate
经济管理 business management
Dear Sir or Madam,
I am writing in response to your advertisement for the position as a secretary in the newspaper.
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Once upon a time a very strong woodcutter asked for a job in a timber merchant, and he got it. The pay was1.(real) good and so were the work conditions. For that reason, the woodcutter was determined to do2.he) best. His boss gave him an axe（斧头）and showed him the area（地区）, 3.he was supposed to work. The first day, the woodcutter4.(bring) 18 trees. “Congratulations,” the boss said. “Go on that way”. Very5.(motivate) by the boss's words, the woodcutter tried harder the next day, 6.he could only bring 15 trees. The third day he tried even harder. But he could only bring 10 trees. Day after day he was bringing fewer and7. (few) trees. “I must be losing my 8.(strong), ” the woodcutter thought. He went to the boss and apologized, 9.(say) that he could not understand what was going on. “When was the10.time you sharpened your axe? ” the boss asked. “Sharpen? I had no time to sharpen my axe. I have been very busy trying to cut trees. ”
The other day I was talking to a stranger on the bus; he told me that he had a good ______ in Chicago and he wondered if, by any chance, I ______ to know him . For a moment, I thought he might be ______ , but I could tell from the expression on his face that he was not. He was _____. I felt like saying that it was ridiculous (可笑的) to think that out of all the millions of people in Chicago I could possibly have ever bumped into his friend. But, ______, I just smiled and reminded him that Chicago was a very _____ city. He nodded, and I thought he was going to be content to drop the subje
ct and talk about something else. But I was wrong. He was silent for a few minutes, and then he ______ to tell me all about his friend.
His friend’s main ______ in life seemed to be tennis. He was an excellent tennis player, and he even had his own tennis court（网球场）. There were a lot of people with swimming _______, yet there were only two people with private tennis court; his friend in Chicago was one of them. I told him that I knew several ______ like that, including my brother, who was doctor in California. He ______ that maybe there were more private courts in the country, than he realized but he did not know of any others. Then he asked me ______ my brother lived in California. When I said Sacramento, he said that was a coincidence(巧合) ______ his Chicago friend spent the summer in Sacramento last year and he lived next door to a ______ who had a tennis court in his backyard. I said I felt that really was a coincidence because my next-door neighbour had gone to Sacramento last summer and had hired the house next to my brother’s house. For a moment, we stared at each other, but we did not say anything.
“Would your friend’s name happen（碰巧） to be Roland Kirkwood?” I asked finally. He laughed and said,“Yes. Would your brother’s name happen to be Dr Rey Hunter?” It was my ______ to laugh. “Yes,” I replied.
1.A. brother B. teacher C. neighbour D. friend
2.A. managed B. Happened C. tried D. wanted
3.A. expecting B. lying C. joking D. talking
4.A. funny B. serious C. careful D. disappointed
5.A. indeed B. actually C. instead D. exactly
6.A. famous B. interesting C. noisy D. big
7.A. began B. stopped C. refused D. failed
8.A. problem B. interest C. choice D. work
9.A. suit B. habit C. pools D. river
10.A. people B. players C. strangers D. friends
11.A. advised B. argued C. admitted D. announced
12.A. how B. whether C. when D. where
13.A. because B. if C. then D. though
14.A. doctor B. friend C. neighbour D. player
15.A. chance B. pleasure C. time D. turn
