【T9】

Some of the most popular attractions across America are the many free concerts offered to the public throughout the year. These involve not only amateur performers, but professional artists as well. The public parks of many cities across the country usually have bandstands and large lawns. As a service to citizens, they rent out space to performers free of charge. Amateur groups, with nothing more than a desire to perform, offer their talents freely to the public. Semi-professional artists are pleased to get the chance to perform before the public to perfect their craft and nurture the hope of being discovered before beginning a professional career. Famous professionals also give free concerts to make contact with their admiring fans. Often such concerts are sponsored by a large corporate organization and offered to the public free of charge as a cultural service and support for the arts. The free concerts feature all kinds of music from rock and roll, jazz, country-western to the classics. In addition, free performances may include the plays of Shakespeare or experimental theater of modern dramatists. In New York's Central Park there has long been a summer Shakespeare festival which draws huge crowds to the free performances. Of these concerts the ones held on a summer evening in the park are the most popular. They take on a festive air. Friends and groups gather together after work and spread out a blanket on the lawn facing the performers' stage. The early comers get the best locations and enjoy a picnic supper while it is still daylight. The free seating is on a first come basis. Therefore, by the time the concert begins, as many as five thousand or more people may be in attendance. The concerts usually begin at 8 p. m. and are performed under the stars. The sound is made sufficiently loud so that no matter where one chooses to sit, he can hear very well. The only disturbance may be the sound of an overhead airplane on its final approach to an airport or the far-off siren (警笛声) of an ambulance on its way to the hospital. This matters little! What counts is to soak up the atmosphere created by the music and to be with friends in the fresh open air. The best part of it all is that it's free!

Oxford and Cambridge University Boat Clubs have both taken the opportunity to travel to Spain this month to train in less testing weather conditions than those which have, quite literally, already blown around the UK in January of 2007. Each group of athletes has been focused on training to the maximum, working on technique and molding themselves into two potential fighting units per Club for the 2007 Boat Race, sponsored by Xchanging. One set will be in the Blue Boat for each club and one set will race as reserves in Isis, for Oxford, and Goldie, for Cambridge. In these modern times, the Head Coach for each club has a huge input on selection even though the crew is still named by the President. Just twenty years ago the balance was not quite the same. The year 1987 will always be remembered in the history of this great Race as the year of the "mutiny" at Oxford. It is a tale which has since been retold and reworked in both a book and a movie. This was the season for which mature Scottish student, Donald Macdonald, was elected President, having all ready won a Blue in 1986. Macdonald reappointed Daniel Topolski (now a renowned rowing journalist and broadcaster) as Chief Coach. Part of the 1986/87 squad at Oxford included American Chris Clark, now a coach at an American University, and four fellow US internationals. Allegedly, a split appeared in the squad between the American quintet , all experienced and leading oarsmen, and those rowers closest to MacDonald. The Scot's group were happy to follow Topolski's regime whilst the others were not so sure. Following a contentious seat racing trial in January of 1987, Topolski decided to move Clark to the bow-side of the beat. Clark disagreed. Topolski held firm. As a result Clark and his "group" within the squad decided not to row and sought a takeover. The squabble was played out extensively in the UK national media and caught the public imagination. MacDonald sought support from the college captains and eventually won a vote of confidence by 28 votes to 11. Without the Americans, the Oxford crew was immediately considered a lost cause. Cambridge were overwhelming favorites to win. As it turned out, though, this was a Race which would prove why sport, and particularly The Boat Race, can be so fascinating.

Panic swept through the swimmers as they caught sight of a huge shark approaching menacingly.

He is a rare celebrity scientist. He's even had a TV cameo role (小角色) in Star Trek in which he plays poker with scientific icons (偶像) Sir Isaac Newton and Albert Einstein. Yet when asked about comparisons between himself and the two scientists, he calls it all "media hype (炒作). " Once asked how he felt about being labeled the world's smartest person, he responded: "It is very embarrassing. It is rubbish, just media hype. They just want a hero, and I fill the role model of a disabled genius. At least I am disabled, but I am no genius. " Hawking has ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease, a neuromuscular disease that progressively weakens muscle control. He gets around in a wheelchair, and after completely losing the use of his vocal chords in an operation to assist his breathing in 1985, he communicates through a computer. A speech synthesizer "speaks" for him after he punches in what he wants to say, selecting words in the computer software by pressing a switch with his hand. Unfortunately, it makes him sound like he has an American accent, he says. Despite his humorous, self-effacing manner, Hawking is one of the world's leading theoretical physicists. Many consider him to be the most brilliant since Einstein. Since 1979, he's held the post of Lucasian professor of mathematics at Cambridge University— which was once held by Isaac Newton no less—and has twelve honorary degrees. He's also a best-selling author. His book, A Brief History of Time, has been translated into 33 languages and has sold nine million copies. For much of his academic life, Hawking has been among a group of theoretical physicists searching for a "theory of everything"—one unified scientific theory that explains the big cosmological questions like How did the universe begin? Why is the universe the way it is? and How will it end? You are probably familiar with the existing theories, such as the Big Bang theory. However, these theories are inconsistent with each other. So Hawking—among a group of theoretical physicists—has been on a quest to come up with a theory of quantum (量子) gravity that would incorporate these theories—the theory of everything (TOE)—which would solve the problem of what caused the universe to start expanding. How successful have the world's leading cosmologists been? Hawking predicts we'll have the TOE in the next 20 years.

A. More than willpower.B. Support network.C. Changing your environment.D. Start slow.E. First things first. We all know that breaking a bad habit or establishing a new, healthy one can be difficult, but persistence pays off. Researchers at the University of Washington found that 63 percent of those who made New Year's resolutions were still keeping their resolution two months later. It's not going to be easy, but there are ways to increase your willpower, stay resolved and achieve your goals. 【R1】______ Don't try to restructure your finances, win a promotion and lose weight all on the same morning. Establish one clear, specific goal and formulate a realistic strategy for achieving it. Extra willpower sometimes requires extra energy, so don't stretch yourself too thin. Focus on one goal at a time. 【R2】______ Momentum builds gradually, and whatever your goal, don't expect to achieve it overnight. Real success takes time. If you are trying to kick a caffeine habit, start by replacing your morning cup of coffee with a glass of water, instead of vowing never to drink coffee again. Congratulate yourself on the small achievements that will pave the way toward a larger one. These successes help your will power grow. 【R3】______ Bolster your willpower by tapping into a support network. Ask friends, family or colleagues for assistance and tell them exactly how they can help. If your credit card bills have skyrocketed, for instance, let friends know that you are cutting back on expenses. Suggest having a potluck dinner instead of meeting at an expensive restaurant. Find a support group or organization related to your goal and attend their meetings. You can get valuable advice, understanding and information—all of which increase commitment and willpower. 【R4】______ If possible, alter your environment to reduce temptation or encourage positive behavior. Want to get in shape? Keep an extra set of workout clothes in your office as a reminder to stop by the gym on the way home. Quitting smoking? Avoid bars or restaurants where you might be tempted to light up. 【R5】______ Sometimes changing your behavior requires more than willpower. If you are struggling with an addiction or want to make a significant lifestyle change, seek the guidance and support of a professional. An expert may be able to provide intensive support and follow-up or prescribe medication to reduce physical symptoms. For example, without help only 5 percent of smokers can quit but that number rises to 30 percent when people seek both drug therapy and counseling.Sometimes willpower is a lot like the television remote control—hard to find just when you want it most. Whether you're trying to lose weight, stop smoking, get to the gym regularly, win a promotion or pay off some debts, developing your sense of willpower is an important part of changing any behavior.

The findings of the two archaeologists threw light on the burial customs of the ancient Egyptians.

In the United States, it is not customary to telephone someone very early in the morning. If you telephone him early in the day, while he is shaving or having breakfast, the time of the call shows that the matter is very important and requires immediate attention. The same meaning is attached to telephone calls made after 11: 00 p. m.. If someone receives a call during sleeping hours, he assumes it's a matter of life and death. The time chosen for the call communicates its importance. In social life, time plays a very important part. In the U. S. A. guests tend to feel they are not highly regarded if the invitation to a dinner party is extended only three or four days before the party date. But it is not true in all countries. In other areas of the world it may be considered foolish to make an appointment too far in advance because plans which are made for a date more than a week away tend to be forgotten. The meaning of time differs in different parts of the world. Thus, misunderstandings arise between people from cultures that treat time differently; promptness (准时) is valued highly in American life, for example. If people are not prompt, they may be regarded as impolite or not fully responsible. In the U. S. no one would think of keeping a business friend waiting for an hour; it would be too impolite. A person who is 5 minutes late is expected to make a short apology. If he is less than 5 minutes late, he will say a few words of explanation, though perhaps he will not complete the sentence.

The company has capitalized______the error of judgment made by its business competitor.

Many young consumers A do not have steady incomes, B so they might have difficulty C to borrow money from an agency in business D to make loans .

【T3】

The enemy soldiers dropped bombs without aim and injured lots of civilians.

Directions: Write at least 150 words about the topic： Tourist Industry in China. You should write according to the outline given below. Write your composition on the Answer Sheet.1. The great importance of tourist industry for China.2. Problems with China's management of our tourist industry.3. My suggestions on how to improve travel management, especially the travel in big holidays.

{{B}}Section ADirections: In this section there are 10 sentences, each with one word or phrase underlined. Choose the one from the 4 choices marked A, B, C and D that best keeps the meaning of the sentence. Then mark the corresponding letter with a single bar across the square brackets on your machine-scoring ANSWER SHEET.{{/B}}

单选题A. I'm anxious to get started on my thesis. Can we meet sometime before the weekend?B: ______

单选题{{B}}Passage Three{{/B}} What's a label worth? A lot, it seems, when it comes to towels in a New York shop. Two Harvard University researchers, Michael Hiscox and Nicholas Smyth conducted an experiment on two sets of towels. One lot carried a label with the logo "Fair and Square" and the following message: These towels have been made under fair labor conditions, in a safe and healthy working environment which is free of discrimination, and where management has committed to respecting the rights and dignity of workers. The other set had no such label. Over five months, the researchers observed the impact of making various changes such as switching the label to the other set of towels and raising prices. The results were striking: not only did sales of towels increase when they carried the Fair and Square label, they carried on increasing each time the price was raised. No wonder companies are keen to appeal to ethically minded consumers, whether on labor standards or green credentials. On greenery, British consumers are divided into four broad groups. About one in ten is passionately green and will {{U}}go out of their way to shop accordingly{{/U}}. At the other end of the spectrum one-quarter are not interested. In-between are those who care but want green consumption to be easy, and those who are vaguely concerned but don't see how they can make a difference. That represents an opportunity: three-quarters of British consumers are interested in the green theme in some way. But even the keenest ethical consumer faces complicated trade-offs, and sometimes the apparently obvious ethical choice turns out to be the wrong one. Surely it must be greener for Britons to buy roses from the Netherlands than ones air-freighted from Kenya? In fact, a study at Cranfield University showed the carbon footprint of the Dutch roses to be six times as large because they had to be grown in heated greenhouses. Consumers are right to be suspicious of the ethical claims made for many products. A recent study of the labels of 1 018 products in big stores in North America by TerraChoice, an environmental marketing agency, found that almost all of them were guilty of some form of "green washing". They did not tell outright lies, but nor did they tell the whole truth.

单选题Laundry is, after all, just laundry. Except when it's not. And Procter & Gamble Co. recently realized that Tide, its segment-dominating cash cow, despite adding three share points in the past year for a total 42% of the category, was in jeopardy of slipping into mere commodity status. That's when consumers buy on price and habit, which can spell the end of brand growth. The problem. Tide for the past four years had only advertised mundane stain-fighting messages. Such creative indifference hardly did justice to an iconic brand so cool that Kevin Roberts, CEO of Tide agency Saatchi & Saatchi, wrote in his book, Love marks. The Future Beyond Brands. "I saw Neil Young in a recording studio wearing a sleeveless T-shirt with a Tide logo, and it just screamed possibilities." So, in an attempt to cultivate Tide's inner "love mark," new ads now dismiss the notion that laundry detergent is a mere commodity. Instead, they reflect P&G's conviction that the " relationship" women—they're not bothering with men—have with their laundry goes well beyond cleaning grass-stained T-shirts. Indeed, the effort is part of a company wide strategy to reestablish bonds between customers and all of its brands,no matter how mature or mundane Lynne Boyles, P&G global vice-president for advertising, says the company is on a mission to unearth and cultivate the deep connections people have with its products. "We are striving for that with all of our brands." The P&G team concluded that it needed more than Marketing 101 ads. One TV commercial depicts a pregnant woman spilling ice cream on the last shirt that fits. Another shows a mother in white pants rushing from her office today care and then with her daughter to a park. The message: Tide lets women focus on the important things. The new slogan says little about cleaning. Instead, "Tide knows fabric best" is meant to encompass the broader range of Tide products on the shelf today. The Tide ads reflect the mandate of P&G marketing chief James Stengel that brands must speak to consumers eye-to-eye rather than relentlessly driving product benefits. Behind the strategy lies the cold truth that product benefits are quickly copied, whether it's cleaning power or diaper absorbency. So P&G is putting more capital into how a consumer feels toward a brand, a value harder to replicate. As the market leader, P&G's best course is to "stake out the emotional high ground," says Graham Woodall, executive creative director at ad agency JWT Worldwide.

单选题We (cannot hardly) expect adolescents (to have respect) for the possessions of others (if) they have no hope of attaining any of (their) own.

单选题 A presentation has two important components: what you say and {{U}}(56) {{/U}} you deliver it. The term delivery covers a wide {{U}}(57) {{/U}} of features of speaking and eye contact is one of them. The appropriate use of eye contact {{U}}(58) {{/U}} from one culture to another. In some cultures, women are {{U}}(59) {{/U}} to lower their eyes in most communication {{U}}(60) {{/U}}; in others, younger people must keep their eyes lowered when addressing older people. {{U}}(61) {{/U}}, in the United States, {{U}}(62) {{/U}} you are addressing an individual, a small group of people, or a larger audience, you are expected to look at them. You do not have to stare {{U}}(63) {{/U}} and continuously; {{U}}(64) {{/U}}, it is appropriate when speaking to one person to {{U}}(65) {{/U}} occasionally. In a small group you should look around at the different members of the group. {{U}}(66) {{/U}} when addressing a larger audience, you should try to make eye contact with different people around the room. It is important to look at the {{U}}(67) {{/U}} Audience, not just the people in the center of the room, {{U}}(68) {{/U}} you will probably have to turn your head and/or your body in order to make proper eye contact with people {{U}}(69) {{/U}} at the sides of the room. If you look at the floor or the ceiling, you will give the impression that you are not interested in your audience. A speaker establishes friendly relationship with the audience mainly {{U}}(70) {{/U}} eye contact, and good relationship is essential to the success of any speech.

单选题Eager to see these celebrities, she ______ accepted the invitation to the party.