单选题The time is not far away ______ modern communication will become widespread in China's vast countryside. A. as B. when C. until D. before

单选题Young people often feel an urge to try ______ before the age set by law. A. a smoking B. smoke C. to smoke D. smoking

单选题Daughter (in the kitchen): Shall I turn on the burner?Mother: ______. I haven't finished peeling the potatoes.

单选题It's no use just telling me to do it; give me positive advice as to how to do it.

单选题{{B}}Directions:{{/B}} Read the following passage. For each numbered blank there are four choices marked A, B, C and D. Choices the best one and mark your answers on ANSWER SHEET 1. Excitement, fatigue, and anxiety can all be detected from someone's blinks, according to psychologist John Stern {{U}}(21) {{/U}} Washington University in St. Louis. Stern specialized in the study on these tiny twitches, using them as sensitive {{U}}(22) {{/U}} of how the brain works. "I use blinks as a psychological measure to make{{U}} (23) {{/U}} about thinking because I have very little {{U}}(24) {{/U}} in what you tell me about what you are thinking." He says. "If I ask you the question, 'what does the phrase a rolling stone gathers no moss mean?' you can't tell me {{U}}(25) {{/U}} you've started looking for the answer. But I can, by watching your eyes." Blinks also tell Stern when you have understood his question--often long before he's finished asking it--and when you've found an answer or part of {{U}}(26) {{/U}}. "We blink at times {{U}}(27) {{/U}} are psychologically important." He says. "You have listened to a question, you understand it, {{U}}(28) {{/U}} you can take time out for a blink. Blinks are {{U}}(29) {{/U}} marks. Their timing is tied to what is going on in your {{U}}(30) {{/U}}." Stern has found that {{U}}(31) {{/U}} suppress blinks when they are absorbing or anticipating {{U}}(32) {{/U}} but not when they're reciting it. People blink later, for example, {{U}}(33) {{/U}} they have to memorize six numbers instead of two. "You don't blink," he says, "until you have {{U}}(34) {{/U}} the information to some short-term memory store." And if subjects are cued {{U}}(35) {{/U}} the set of numbers is coming, say, five seconds, they'll curb their blinks until the task is {{U}}(36) {{/U}}. Similarly, the more important the information that people are taking in, the more likely they are to put their blinks on hold for {{U}}(37) {{/U}} Pilots blink less when they're {{U}}(38) {{/U}} for flying a plane than when they {{U}}(39) {{/U}} their eyes from the road to the rearview mirror. But if they see the flashing lights of a state trooper behind them, their {{U}}(40) {{/U}} will move fast to the speed-meter and back to the mirror.

单选题 The differences in living standards around the world are vast. In 1993, the average American had an in- come of about $ 25,000. In the same year, the average Mexican earned $ 7,000, and the average Nigerian earned $1,500. Not surprisingly, this large variation in average income is reflected in various measures of the quality of life. Changes in living standards over time are also large. In the United States, incomes have historically grown about 2 percent per year (after adjusting for changes in the cost of living). At this rate, average income doubles every 35 years. In some countries, economic growth has been even more rapid. In Japan, for instance, average income has doubled in the past 20 years, and in South Korea it has doubled in the past 10 years. What explains these large differences in living standards among countries and over time? The answer is surprisingly simple. Almost all variation in living standards is attributable to differences in countries productivity—that is, the amount of goods and services produced from each hour of a worker's time. In nations where workers can produce a large quantity of goods and services per unit of time, most people enjoy a high standard of living; in nations where workers are less productive, most people must endure a more meager existence. Similarly, the growth rate of a nation's productivity determines the growth rate of its average income. The fundamental relationship between productivity and living standards is simple, but its implications are far-reaching. If productivity is the primary determinant of living standards, other explanations must be of secondary importance. For example, people might think that labor unions or minimum-wage laws contributed to the rise in living standards of American workers over the past century. Yet the real hero of American workers is their rising productivity. The relationship between productivity and living standards also has great implications for public policy. When thinking about how any policy will affect living standards, the key question is how it will affect our ability to produce goods and services. To improve living standards, policymakers need to raise productivity by ensuring that workers are well educated, have the tools needed to produce goods and services, and have access to the best available technology.

单选题There seems never to have been a civilization without toys, but when and how they developed is unknown. They probably came about just to five children something to do. In the ancient world, as is today, most boys played with some kinds of toys and most girls with another. In societies where social roles are rigidly determined, boys pattern their play after the activities of their fathers and girls after the tasks o~ their mothers. This is true because boys and girls are being prepared, even in play, to step into the roles and responsibilities of the adult world. What is remarkable about the history of toys is not so much how they changed over the centuries but how much they have remained the same. The changes have been mostly in terms of craftsmanship, mechanics, and technology. It is the universality of toys with regard to their development in all part of the world and their persistence to the present that is amazing. In Egypt, the Americas, China, Japan and among the Arctic (北极的) peoples, generally the same kinds of toys appeared. Variations depended on local customs and ways of life because toys imitate their surroundings. Nearly every civilization had dolls, little weapons, toy soldiers, tiny animals and vehicles. Because toys can be generally regarded as a kind of art form, they have not been subject to technological leaps that characterize inventions for adult use. The progress from the wheel to the oxcart to the automobile is a direct line of ascent (进步). The progress from a rattle (拨浪鼓) used by a baby in 3000 B.C. to one used by an infant today, however, is not characterized by inventiveness. Each rattle is the product of the artistic tastes of the times and subject to the limitations of available materials.

单选题Professor Lee is well-known for his research in the behaviors of the cats.

单选题That boy is such a good violinist that he will probably make quite a ______ for himself.

单选题{{B}}Passage Four{{/B}} The blues was born on the Mississippi River Delta in the early 1900s. After the Civil War, the slaves were free but life was still not easy. They had to find new work. In the South, work camps were formed. Black people from these camps worked on farms and on building up the Mississippi River banks. During the week the people worked long and hard. They often lived alone, without their families, far from home. On the weekends, the workers got together at picnics or drinking places. Traveling black musicians with guitars entertained them. The musicians sang songs about the difficult life of the Workers. These songs were called the blues. If you have the blues it means you feel very sad. But blues songs were not always sad. Some of them were happy and many of them were funny. Early blues singers often had very interesting names like Blind Lemon Jefferson, Howlin Wolf. Sometimes the blues singers had song contests. Each singer sang new words or a new style of the blues song. They made up the music as they played. In this way they created new music. This is called improvisation (即兴演奏). Later, improvization became a very important part of jazz music. Blues began in the country in the South. As blacks moved into the big cities to work, the blues went with them. There, they sang about life in the cities. W.C. Handy, a black band leader from Memphis made the blues popular all over America. In 1914 he wrote the most famous blues song of all, "The St. Louis Blues."

单选题Things went well for him during his early life but in middle age his ______ seemed to change.

单选题It is important, too, that the selections be chosen from Ucontemporary/U writings.

单选题Americans believe that education is ______.

单选题Henry Ford, the famous U.S. inventor and car manufacturer, once said, "The business of America is business. " By this he meant that the U.S. way of life is based on the values of the business world. Few would argue with Ford"s statement. A brief glimpse at a daily newspaper vividly shows how much people in the United States think about business. For example, nearly every newspaper has a business section, in which the deals and projects, finances and management, stock prices and labor problems of corporations are reported daily. In addition, business news can appear in every other section. Most national news has an important financial aspect to it. Welfare, foreign aid, the federal budget, and the policies of the Federal Reserve Bank are all heavily affected by business. Moreover, business news appears in some of the unlikeliest places. The world of arts and entertainment is often referred to as "the entertainment industry" or "show business". The positive side of Henry Ford"s statement can be seen in the prosperity that business has brought to U.S. life. One of the most important reasons so many people from all over the world come to live in the United States is the dream of a better job. Jobs are produced in abundance (大量地) because the U.S. economic system is driven by competition. People believe that this system creates more wealth, more jobs, and a materially better way of life. The negative side of Henry Ford"s statement, however, can be seen when the word business is taken to mean big business. And the term big business—referring to the biggest companies, is seen in opposition to labor. Throughout U.S. history working people have had to fight hard for higher wages, better working conditions, and the right to form unions. Today, many of the old labor disputes are over, but there is still some employee anxiety. Downsizing—the laying off of thousands of workers to keep expenses low and profits high—creates feelings of insecurity for many. (337 words)

单选题What does the passage mainly concern?

单选题I would rather I ______ to the party yesterday evening. A. not go B. no go C. had not gone D. wouldn't gone

单选题There are few electronic applications ______ to raise fears regarding future employment opportunities than robots. A. likely B. more likely C. most likely D. much likely

单选题{{B}}Questions 11-15 are based on the following passage:{{/B}} About one million tourists go to Barcelona every year, just to visit the Gaudi's Church. This unusual church has a strange history. Gaudi was born in Spain in 1852. He had to work and study at the same time. He often missed classes because he had to work, but one day he designed a very unusual showcase for an exhibition in Paris. People began to give him work. He designed houses, offices and gardens. They were all very unusual. He was soon rich and famous. Then a rich bookseller said, "Will you build a church for the poor people of Barcelona? I will pay. I will build schools and workshops, too. They will help the people." "I will do it," said Guadi. He worked for forty years, but he could not finish the church. It was too big. He needed $10, 000, 000. He gave all his money to the church. He was poor again when he died in 1926, and only the front part of the church was finished. Now, architects, engineers and tourists from all over the world like to come and see the church, which is very strange, very modem and very revolutionary.