Silicon Valley is a magnet to which numerous talented engineers, scientists and entrepreneurs from overseas flock in search of fame, fast money and to participate in a technological revolution whose impact on mankind will surely surpass the epoch-making European Renaissance and Industrial Revolution of the bygone age. (46) With the rapid spread of the Internet since the early 1990s, and the relentless technological innovations generated through it, the information era is truly upon us, profoundly influencing and changing not only our lifestyle, but also the way we work, do business, think and communicate with others. (47) The unprecedented success of the-Valley is a testimony to the concerted international endeavors and contributions by people from diverse cultural and racial backgrounds, made possible by the favorable political, economic and intellectual climate prevailing, as well as the farsighted policies of the US government. Many countries have, or are in the process of creating, their own "Silicon Valley". So far, none has as yet threatened the preeminence of the US prototype. What makes Silicon Valley such a unique entity? There are several crucial factors. (48) First and foremost, it has the largest concentration of brilliant computer professionals and the best supporting services in the world, and easy access to world-class research institutions, like Stanford University, which continually nurtures would-be that the industry needs in order to move forward. Without these advantages, the Valley would be a different place. Secondly, it actively encourages, or even exalts, risk taking. Hence, failure holds no terror and there is no shame attached to a failed effort. On the contrary, they will try even harder next time round. Such never-say-die approach is the sine qua non for the ultimate triumph in entrepreneurship and technological breakthrough. (49) A third decisive factor is the vital role of venture capitalists who willingly support promising start-ups with urgently needed initial capital to get them started. Some would even give failed entrepreneurs a second chance if convinced that a fresh concept might lead to ultimate success. (50) Of equal importance, bright young people and middle level professionals are keen to work for a new venture at substantially reduced remuneration, as it offers more scope for entrepreneurship and job satisfaction than the established companies. There is also a pride of achievement if their efforts contribute to its fruition. Intellectual challenges aside, it is a common practice for start-ups to offer generous share options to employees in order to attract the right talent into their folds. This is a powerful incentive to motivate the staff to do their utmost and to share in the company"s prosperity if it reaches its goal. Many regard this as the foundation of a successful enterprise.

Thirty-two people watched Kitty" Genovese being killed right beneath their windows. She was their neighbor. Yet none of them helped her. Not one even called the police. Was this gunman cruelty? Was it lack of feeling about one"s fellow man? "Not so," say scientists John Barley and Bib Fatane. These men went beyond the headlines to probe the masons why people didn"t act. They found that a person has to go through two steps before he can help. First he has to notice that is an emergency. Suppose you see a middle-aged man fall to the side-walk. Is he having a heart attack? Is he in a coma(昏迷) from diabetes(糖尿病)? Or is he about to sleep off a drunk? Is the smoke coming into the room from a leak in the air conditioning? Is it "steam pipes"? Or is it really smoke from a fire? It"s not always easy to tell if you are faced with a real emergency. Second, and more important, the person faced with an emergency must feel personally responsible. He must feel that he must help, or the person won"t get the help he needs. The researchers found that a lot depends on how many people are around. They had college students in to be "tested". Some came alone. Some came with one or two others. And some came in large groups. The receptionist started them off on the "tests". Then she went into the next room. A curtain divided the "testing room" and the room into which she went. Soon the students heard a scream, the noise of file cabinets falling and a cry for help. All of these had been pre-recorded on a tape-recorder. Eight out of ten of the students taking the test alone acted to help. Of the students in pairs, only two out of ten helped. Of the students in groups, none helped. In other words, in a group, Americans often fail to act. They feel that others will act. They, themselves, needn"t. They do not feel any direct responsibility. Are people bothered by situations where people are in trouble? Yes. Scientists found that the people were emotional, they sweated, they had trembling hands. They felt the other person"s trouble. But they did not act. They were in a group. Their actions, were shaped by the actions of those they were with.

Writeanessayof160-200wordsbasedonthefollowingdrawing.Inyouressay,youshould1.describethedrawingbriefly,2.explainitsintendedmeaning,andthen3.giveyourcomments.YoushouldwriteneatlyontheANSWERSHEET.(20points)

BSection III Writing/B

You want to borrow a dictionary from Lily, but she"s not in the room. Write a note to her which should clearly state: 1) the very thing you need, 2) the reason why you want to borrow it, 3) when you will return it. You should write about 100 words. Do not sign your own name at the end of the notepaper. Use "Li Ming" instead. You do not need to write your address.

BPart ADirections: Write a composition/letter of no less than 100 words on the following information./B

Whether he comes or not doesn 't make any difference.

A good marriage means growing as a couple but also growing as individuals. This isn"t easy, marriage has always been difficult. Why then are we seeing so many divorces at this time? Yes, our modern social fabric is thin, and yes the permissiveness of society has created unrealistic expectations and thrown the family into disorder. But divorce is so common be-cause people today are unwilling to exercise the self-discipline that marriage requires. They expect easy joy, like the entertainment on TV, the thrill of a good party. Marriage takes some kind of sacrifice, net dreadful self-sacrifice of the soul, but some level of compromise. Some of one"s fantasies, some of one"s legitimate desires have to be given up for the value of the marriage itself. "While all marital partners feel shackled at times, it is they who really choose to make the marital ties into confining chains or supporting bends", says Dr. Whitaker. Marriage requires sexual, financial and emotional discipline. A man and a woman cannot follow every impulse, cannot allow themselves to stop growing or changing. A divorce is not an evil act. Sometimes it provides salvation(拯救) for people who have grown hopelessly apart or were frozen in patterns of pain or mutual unhappiness. Divorce can be like the first cut of the surgeon"s knife, a step toward new health and a good life. On the other hand, if the partners can stay past the breaking up of the romantic myths into the development of real love and intimacy, they have achieved a work as amazing as the greatest cathedrals(教堂) of the world. Marriages that do not fail but improve, that persist despite imperfections, are not only rare these days but offer a wondrous shelter in which the face of our mutual humanity can safely show itself.

When recruiting at British universities, PricewaterhouseCoopers, one of the Big Four auditing firms with its headquarters in the New York City, presents candidates with an unusual exercise. They are asked to build a tall and sturdy tower using the smallest possible number of snap-together Lego bricks. Similarly, at Google Games, a recruiting event first staged by the search-enginegiant in April, candidates are invited to build Lego bridges—the stronger the better. In each case, the company is trying to convey the idea that it offers a creative, fun working environment. "It was as much advertising as a way of trying to get recruits," says Brett Daniel, a student at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign who built the Google Games" weakest bridge. A Danish firm, based in Billund, Denmark, has embraced the corporate use of its colored plastic bricks. As part of a scheme called "Serious Play" it is certifying a growing number of professional Lego consultants, now present in 25 countries. They coach managers by getting them to build "metaphorical abstractions" of such things as corporate strategy, says Lego"s Jesper Jensen, who runs the scheme. Hisham El-Gamal of Quest, a management consultancy based in Cairo that offers Serious Play workshops, says demand for the two-day, $7,000 courses is booming. Firms in crisis, such as those corrupted by scandal or in the pains of a takeover, tend to be most receptive to the idea of Lego workshops, says Francois de Boissezon of Imagics, a consultancy based in Brussels. The results can be embarrassing, particularly for senior managers. Tsai Yu-Chen of UGene Mentor, a Serious Play consultancy based in Taipei, says a common exercise is modeling, but not naming, "the people you hate most". One chief executive was modeled as a figure so fat that he blocked a hallway, suggesting he was clogging up the company. Lego workshops are effective because child-like play is a form of instinctive behavior not regulated by conscious thought, says Lucio Margulis of Juego Serio, a consultancy in Buenos Aires. This produces "Eureka" moments: a perfectionist who realizes the absurdity of frustration over an imperfect Lego construction; the owner of a firm with dismal customer relations who models headquarters as a fort under siege; or an arrogant boss who depicts his staff as soldiers headed into battle. Even in the office, it seems, Lego has a part to play.

BSection III Writing/B

I won"t be modest. I am gratified to discover that a paper I penned on inequality made its way into Matt Miller"s Washington Post column last week. Mr Miller asks why rising inequality has not【C1】______America"s least-favored classes to agitate for a【C2】______He agrees with my verdict: that access to【C3】______goods among the least well-off has ensured that material inequality is not as【C4】______as income inequality. 【C5】______modem conveniences have taken some of the【C6】______out of a relatively small income. This in turn has【C7】______the drive to seek causes of and cures for【C8】______"s discomfort. So the gap between rich and poor is sometimes less【C9】______, even if it is great and growing. Day-to-day experience is mostly a matter of our【C10】______circumstances, and if those are【C11】______enough, a widening gap in income, consumption or wealth is【C12】______to come often to our attention. Even if the abstract fact of rising inequality does come across our radar, it may【C13】______our sense of justice only if we"ve become convinced that inequality itself is【C14】______, or if we face related catastrophes. When I wrote the paper, official measures of income inequality had increased a good deal over the past few decades【C15】______consumption inequality seemed to have remained【C16】______New research suggests that consumption inequality has been increasing with income inequality【C17】______This may be true, but it seems【C18】______to the question of why America"s poor aren"t storming the barriers. The consumption data concerns how much we【C19】______, not how we experience what we buy, and that"s the real issue. Even if we could agree that inequality in real standards of living is rising, this is not something we actually experience unless we are hungry, or【C20】______with the entertainments of our leisure.

Suppose you are Li Ming. During the week-long holiday, you joined a package tour organized by a travel agency to the city of Beijing. But when you got there, you found the services provided for you rather disappointing. Then you decided to writer a letter to the General Manager to 1) state your purpose of writing, 2) complain about the services, and 3) make some suggestions. You should write about 100 words. Do not sign your own name at the end of the letter. Use "Li Ming" instead. Do not write the address.

When one uses the scientific method to study or investigate nature or the universe, one is practicing scientific thinking. All scientists practice scientific thinking, of course, since they are actively studying nature and investigating the universe by using the scientific method. But scientific thinking is not reserved solely for scientists.【F1】 Anyone can "think like a scientist" who learns the scientific method and, most importantly, applies its precepts, whether he or she is investigating nature or not. 【F2】 When one uses the methods and principles of scientific thinking in everyday life—such as when studying history or literature, investigating societies or governments, seeking solutions to problems of economics or philosophy, or just trying to answer personal questions about oneself or the meaning of existence—one is said to be practicing critical thinking. Critical thinking is thinking correctly for oneself that successfully leads to the most reliable answers to questions and solutions to problems. In other words, critical thinking gives you reliable knowledge about all aspects of your life and society, and is not restricted to the formal study of nature. Some professionals in the humanities, social sciences, jurisprudence, business, and journalism practice critical thinking as well as any scientist, but many, alas, do not.【F3】 Scientists must practice critical thinking to be successful, but the qualifications for success in other professions do not necessarily require the use of critical thinking, a fact that is the source of much confusion, discord, and unhappiness in our society. The scientific method has proven to be the most reliable and successful method of thinking in human history, and it is quite possible to use scientific thinking in other human endeavors. For this reason, critical thinking is being taught in schools throughout the United States, and its teaching is being encouraged as a universal ideal.【F4】 The important point is this: critical thinking is perhaps the most important skill a student can learn in school and college, since if you master its skills, you know how to think successfully and reach reliable conclusions, and such ability will prove valuable in any human endeavor, including the humanities, social sciences, commerce, law, journalism, and government, as well as in scholarly and scientific pursuits. 【F5】 Since critical thinking and scientific thinking are, as I claim, the same thing, only applied for different purposes, it is therefore reasonable to believe that if one learns scientific thinking in a science class, one learns, at the same time, the most important skill a student can possess—critical thinking. This, to my mind, is perhaps the foremost reason for college Students to study science, no matter what one"s eventual major, interest, or profession.

Writeanessayof160-200wordsbasedonthefollowingdrawing.Inyouressay,youshould1.describethedrawingbriefly,2.explainitsintendedmeaning,andthen3.stateyourpointofview.YoushouldwriteneatlyontheANSWERSHEET.(20points)

Reading and writing have long been thought of as complementary skills: to read is to recognize and interpret language that has been written; to write is to plan and produce language (1)_____ it can be read. It is therefore widely (2)_____ that being able to read implies being able to writer, at least, being able to spell. Often, children are taught to read but (3)_____ no formal tuition in spelling; it is felt that spelling will be "(4)_____ up". The attitude has its (5)_____ in the methods of 200 years ago, when teachers carefully taught spelling, and assumed that reading would (6)_____ automatically. Recent research into spelling errors and "slips of the pen" has begun to show that matters are (7)_____ so simple. There is no necessary link between reading and writing: good readers do not always (8)_____ good writers. Nor is there any necessary link between reading and spelling: there are many people who have no (9)_____ in reading, but who have a major persistent (10)_____ in spelling—some researchers have estimated that this may be as (11)_____ as 2% of the population. With children, too, there is (12)_____ that knowledge of reading does not automatically (16)_____ to spelling. If there (14)_____ a close relationship, children should be able to read and spell the (15)_____ words: but this is not so. It is (16)_____ to find children who can read (17)_____ better than they can spell. More surprisingly, the (18)_____ happens with some children in the early stages of reading. One study (19)_____ children the same list of words to read and spell: several (20)_____ spelled more words correctly than they were able to read correctly.

In the following text, some sentences have been removed. For Questions 41-45, choose the most suitable one from the list (A、B、C、D、E、F、G……) to fit into each of the numbered blank. There are several extra choices, which do not fit in any of the gaps. (10 points) While Americans have become ever more dependent upon electricity in their daily lives, a crucial part of the system that supports their way of life has not kept up. Yes, the country has built more power plants—enough to create a glut of power in most parts of the country. (41)______. California"s disastrous partial energy deregulation and the role played by Enron and other energy marketing companies in its power crisis have impeded changes in the national ability to deliver power. (42)______. Moreover, the deficiency also includes inadequate coordination among the regions in managing the flow of electricity. These interregional weaknesses are so far the most plausible explanation for the blackout on Thursday. (43)______. The problem is with the system of rules, organization, and oversight that governs the transmission networks. It was set up for a very different era and is now caught in a difficult transition. The transmission networks were built to serve a utility system based on regulated monopolies. In the old days, there was no competition for customers. Today, the mission is to connect buyers and sellers seeking the best deal, irrespective of political boundaries and local jurisdictions. (44)______. Yet the power industry is probably not even halfway there in its shift from regulation to the marketplace. The California power crisis and the power-trading scandals sent regulators back to the drawing board, slowing the development of new institutions, rules and investment to make competitive markets work. (45)______.A. Over all, for more than a decade, the power industry has been struggling with how to move from the old regulation to the new marketplace. This shift was driven by the view that half a century of state regulation had produced power prices that were too high and too varied among states. Factories and jobs were migrating from states with high electric power prices to those with lower prices.B. But the transmission system is caught in the middle of the stalled deregulation of the American electric power industry.C. As a result, the development of the regional transmission organizations is erratic. More than one-third of the power transmitted is not under the control of regional transmission organizations. Some states fear that their cheap power would be sucked away to other markets; others do not want to subordinate state authority to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.D. It was unclear when the waters would recede, never mind when life would return to normal. Power may not be restored for weeks. Looting, too. Began to spiral out of control. Mr. Nagin, who said the city might be uninhabitable for three months, was forced to order police to concentrate on stopping crime, not saving people.E. What"s preventing greater connection and coordination between regions? The technology exists, and is available; the economic benefits of relieving the bottlenecks between regions far exceeds the costs by many billions of dollars.F. Yet, despite claims in the wake of last week"s blackout that the nation has a "third world" power grid, the regional networks are first world. But in one critical aspect, the system has become increasingly vulnerable: in the interconnections among the different regions. Both the number and size of the wires on the borders between regions are inadequate for the rising flow of electricity. This missing part creates the worst bottlenecks in the system.G. Since entering the overseas power market in 1993, KEPCO has established several achievements through its distinguished international business strategies to promote electric power development of the world. Based on its long experience and advanced technology gained over 100 years in Korea, KEPCO continues to build up its out standing reputation as a leading utility company. Moreover, KEPCO embraces challenges and makes bold steps into wider markets in the world by its flair for dynamic activities, which is favorably received in the Philippines, China, Vietnam and Libya.

In 1939 two brothers, Mac and Dick McDonald, started a drive-in restaurant in San Bernadino, California. They care fully chose a busy comer for their location. They had run their own business for years, first a theater, then a barbecue(烤肉) restaurant, then another drive-in. But in their new operation, they offered a new, shortened menu: French fries, hamburgers, and sodas. To this small selection they added one new concept: quick service, no waiters or waitresses, and no tips. Their hamburgers sold for fifteen cents. Cheese was another four cents. Their French fries and hamburgers had a remarkable uniformity, for the brothers had developed a strict routine for the preparation of their food, and they insisted on their cooks" sticking to their routine. Their new drive-in became incredibly popular, particularly for lunch. People drove up by the hundreds during the busy noontime. The serf-service restaurant was so popular that the brothers had allowed ten copies of their restaurant to be opened. They were content with this modest success until they met Ray Kroc. Kroc was a salesman who met the McDonald brothers in 1954, when he was selling milkshake-mixing machines. He quickly saw the unique appeal of the brothers fast food restaurants and bought the right to franchise(特许经营)other copies of their restaurants. The agreement struck included the right to duplicate the menu. The equipment, even their red and white buildings with the golden arches. Today McDonald"s is really a household name. Its names for its sandwiches have come to mean hamburger in the decades since the day Ray Kroc watched people rush up to order fifteen-cent hamburgers. In 1976, McDonald"s had over $1 billion in total sales. Its first twenty-two years is one of the most incredible success stories in modem American business history.

In the following text, some sentences have been removed. For Questions 41-45, choose the most suitable one from the list (A、B、C、D、E、F、G……) to fit into each of the numbered blank. There are several extra choices, which do not fit in any of the gaps. (10 points) The acronym DINK—double income, no kids—originated in the US in the 1960s. (41)______. This choice was not irrational. After all, nowadays retired people can live on their pensions and savings, so they are no longer compelled to depend on their offspring in old age. And a child is undeniably an expensive proposition: so much time and money are required. Why bother having one? It is hard to condemn those who opt out of parenthood. (42)______. A baby enters the world with a mind like blank paper, and gradually he or she acquires the ability to think, to talk and finally to communicate easily. Isn"t there something magical about it? When you see the process happening before your very eyes, you feel a happiness like no other. A Chinese DINK said to me recently, "If you didn"t have three children, you could go to a bar or the cinema with your wife on weekends—how unrestrained and romantic that would be!" But I would say that no matter how wonderful Hollywood films or Broadway performances are, watching them is far less interesting than seeing my extrovert of a daughter sing and dance. If it"s true that there are rewards to be gotten from having children, then surely the happiness of seeing them grow up is the greatest. (43)______. But this is a happiness that can be felt only after you become a parent; there"s no appreciating it otherwise. However, who begets a child out of curiosity to see him or her grow up? None of my friends had this in mind when they or their wife got pregnant. For some the pregnancy was unexpected. (44)______. And some said that having a child can bring stability to a troubled marriage—but is that really true? I myself didn"t give it much thought. I just assumed it was the natural thing to do, and since my wife enjoyed big, cheerful, lively families, we went ahead and had three kids. No regrets. I know my words won"t change any minds. (45)______. No, raising a child is not easy. The happiness of seeing a child grow, in contrast, is largely in the mind of the parents, and other people cannot so readily perceive it. Little wonder, then, that so many people without children believe parenthood is all work and no fun.A. What DINKs say is obviously true: children really do require lots of parental energy and money. Just watch a mother bring a sick child to a hospital; you can see the tension, the worry, and all the self-control it takes to seem calm and reassuring.B. Another Chinese friend of mine complained: "I provided the funds for my child to go to college and then off to America for a master’s degree, but so far I haven’t gotten any rewards out of playing parent." To him I would say that the rewards were there all along—for any parent open to the wonder of seeing a child begin to speak, or surprise us with a new word used for the first time.C. Fearing that children might constrain their freedom, married working women began to avoid pregnancy; the result was many busy, prosperous young DINK couples.D. Each individual has his or her own reasons for wanting or not wanting children, and his or her own happiness to build. The saddest people are those who have children but come to regret it, for whatever reason. Regretful parents are usually closed to family happiness. And without the happiness, all that remain are the burdens.E. Yet few couples with children would agree that they were stupid to become parents. Most are very happy that they have had the experience of witnessing a child grow to maturity.F. My wife and I have three small children. Chinese friends often ask why three children, not one or none: Doesn"t raising three children limit my career in business and in my wife"s case, teaching?G. Others had parents eager to have grandchildren. A few said they had children because a person"s life would be incomplete without one. Some said that there were millions and millions of children in the world and they just wanted to see what theirs would be like.

You are to write in three paragraphs according to the topic sentences of each paragraph given below. 1. Noise is becoming more and more dangerous. 2. The noises can be very harmful. 3. Drastic action must be taken if we are to reduce noise. You should write about 160-200 words neatly.

A. Title: WHERE TO LIVE—IN THE CITY OR THE COUNTRY? B. Time limit; 40 minutes C. Word limit; 120-150 words (not including the given opening sentence) D. Your composition should be based on the OUTLINE below and should start with the given opening sentence; " Many people appreciate the conveniences of the city. " E. Your composition must be written clearly in the ANSWER SHEET. (15 points) Outline: 1. Conveniences of the city 2. Attractions of the country 3. Disadvantages of both 4. My preference