单选题{{B}}第三篇{{/B}} {{B}} Is the Tie a Necessity?{{/B}} Ties, or neckties, have been a symbol of politeness and elegance in Britain for centuries. But the casual Prime Minister Tony Blair has problems, with them. Reports suggest that even the civil servants may stop wearing ties. So, are the famously formal British really going to abandon the neckties? Maybe. Last week, the UK's Cabinet Secretary Andrew Turnbull openly welcomed a tieless era. He hinted that civil servants would soon be free of the costliest 12 inches of fabric that most men ever buy in their lives. In fact, Blair showed this attitude when he had his first guests to a cocktail party. Many of them we. re celebrities (知名人士) without ties, which would have been unimaginable even in the recent past. For some more conservative British, the tie is a must for proper appearance. Earlier, Labor leader Jim Callaghan said he would have died rather than have his children seen in public without a tie. For people like Callaghan, the tie was a sign of being complete, of showing respect. Men were supposed to wear a tie when going to church, to work in the office, to a party - almost every social occasion. But today, people have begun to accept a casual style even for formal occasions. The origin of the tie is tricky. It started as something called simply a "band". The term could mean anything around a man's neck. it appeared in finer ways in the 1630s. Frenchmen showed a love of this particular fashion statement. Their neckwear (颈饰) impressed Charles II, the king of England who was exiled (流放) to France at that time. When he returned to England in 1660, he brought this new fashion item along with him. It wasn't, however, until the late 18th century that fancy young men introduced a more colorful, flowing piece of cloth that eventually became known as the tie. Then, clubs, military institutions and schools began to use colored and patterned ties to indicate the wearer's membership in the late 19th century. After that, the tie became a necessary item of clothing for British gentleman. But now, even gentlemen are getting tired of ties. Anyway, the day feels a bit easier when you wake up without having to decide which tie suits you and your mood.

单选题The river widens considerably as it begins to turn east.

单选题阅读下面这篇短文，短文后列出7个句子，请根据短文的内容对每个句子做出判断。 On British Newspapers Besides the daily newspapers, there are a number of Sunday newspapers in Britain. Many of them are connected with the "dailies", though not run by the same editor and his members. The Sunday papers are larger than the daily papers and usually contain more articles concerned with comment (评论) and general information rather than news. The national daily and Sunday papers have the largest circulation(发行) in the world. Of the Sunday papers, the Observer and the Sunday Times are the best known. It is a regrettable fact that the number of magazines of a literary or political nature has dropped down since the war. This has probably been caused by the ever-wider use of radio and television. The most successful magazines are those published for women. Their covers are designed to catch the eye, and they certainly succeed in doing so! They offer their readers articles on cookery (烹饪法), fashion, needlework, and many other matters of women interest. They also provide advice to those in love, and adventures with handsome heroes. Some women's magazines also include serious articles of more general interest. The visitor who looks at the magazines displayed in a large bookstall (书摊) which may be found in an important railway station will notice that there is a wide variety of technical or semitechnical(半专业的) books and magazines. There are magazines for the motorist, the farmer, the gardener, the nurse, and many others. There are many local and regional newspapers. It is common in Britain for a news agent(报刊经售人) to deliver (投递) the morning papers to his customers for a small extra payment, this service is usually performed by boys and girls who want to earn some pocket-money.

单选题Rumors began to circulate about his financial problems.

单选题Freezing to Death for Beauty People in Beijing wear a lot of clothing during winter to fend off (抵御) the cold. In the United States, however, people wear 1 , partly because the car is the primary mode of transportation. Cars take 2 straight to their workplaces, which are heated well. The American diet is full of calories, so their 3 can afford to burn heat more quickly. Fewer layers of clothing give people the opportunity to stay 4 . Lots of Yale girls wear skirts 5 when it"s 10 degrees Centigrade outside. Some of them at least wear boots, tights, and leg-warmers. Some, however, really just go for the look 6 the risk of health. These girls have no pants to prevent their 7 , and no socks to protect their feet. A mini skirt and a pair of stilettos (细高跟鞋) are all that they wear. Typically, the ones pursuing fashion are 8 , with little body fat. Just by the nature of their bodies, they are already at a disadvantage compared with normal people in 9 weather. I have always 10 , whenever I pass these girls, how they manage to refrain from shivering and just smile like spring had arrived. And then there are the guys. The girls can be said to 11 health for beauty. But why do guys 12 so little? It is not like, once they take off some layers, they suddenly become better-looking. They are not exactly being fashionable when they 13 wear sporty (花哨的) shorts and shower slippers in the midst of winter. It"s not cute(喜人的). Of course, people have the freedom to look whatever 14 they want. I am just surprised that, given the vast difference between winter and summer temperatures in Connecticut, they can still 15 like they are partying on the beach in the middle of February.

单选题He was banned from attending the meeting.

单选题Lack of space forbids further treatment of the topic here.

单选题Most nurses are women, but in the higher ranks of the medical profession women are in a small {{U}}number{{/U}}. A. scarcity B. minority C. minimum D. shortage

单选题Competitors must abide by the judge's decision

单选题We can conclude from this passage that ballet

单选题 Counterfeit Making and selling fake copies of well-known products has been a nice little earner for crafty craftsmen over thousands of years: In Roman Gaul, unscrupulous potters would put the seals of better-known competitors on their urns so they would sell better. Until tile 1980s, counterfeiting was a relatively small-scale business restricted mainly to copying luxury fashion items, such as watches and leather goods, in limited quantities. But in the 1990s it was transformed into a much bigger, broader industry, with large-scale production and distribution of false versions of such everyday items as biscuits and shampoo. Modern technology is making it ever easier to create near-perfect copies of branded goods for a fraction of the retail price of the real thing. By its nature, the extent of counterfeiting is hard to measure precisely, but a study by the International Chamber of Commerce reckoned that it grew from perhaps 3% of world trade in 1990 to 5% in 1995.John Pepper chairman of Proter to enforce their piracy laws adequately; and to heap firms inhibit trade in faked versions of their products. Besides offering poorer countries trade privileges in return for a clampdown on counterfeiting, rich countries have tried convincing them that if they try harder to enforce intellectual property rights, they will win more foreign investment. But, realizing that persuasion is having little effect, they are also resorting to threats: On January 15th, America issued a warning to the Philippines that it may has its trade privileges taken away unless it crack down harder on the counterfeiting gangs. But the counterfeiters are mocking his efforts: Some pirated video discs of the New James Bond film "Die Another Day", widely available on the streets.

单选题Because of its old mannerisms, the praying mantis has always {{U}}intrigued{{/U}} human beings.

单选题My relationship with the actors is fundamental to my work as a director.A. impressiveB. publicC. essentialD. slight

单选题He is so advisable that he always deposits some extra money for emergency.A. cleverB. foolishC. wiseD. sensitive

单选题Tribes living today in the jungle of the Amazon teach botany to their children at school.

单选题阅读下面这篇短文，短文后列出7个句子，请根据短文的内容对每个句子做出判断。 {{B}} Cosmetic Surgery{{/B}} Surgery that can improve the way a person looks is becoming more and more popular in the United States. This kind of surgery is called cosmetic surgery, and both men and women are turning to this treatment as a way of keeping their appearance young as well as keeping competitive (有竞争力的)in their jobs. Men especially are beginning to turn to face-lifts(面部拉皮手术), liposuction (taking fat out of the body), and implants(putting artificial parts into their bodies )to help them look younger. As companies downsize(缩编)and move younger employees into higher positions, older employees in their late forties and early fifties feel the need to look and act younger in order to stay competitive. These operations are not without dangers, however. One young woman had an eye operation to get rid of the bags under her eyes. She described, her experience as terrible. She said, "When he started cutting, I was fully awake. Even though he'd given me an injection near my eyes, I saw everthing." She went on to explain, "I knew I had to keep still because of what he was doing. He was scraping(刮)away fat underneath my eyes. It took about ten minutes. After he finished, I felt I couldn't walk. I was so faint. "Her troubles did not end after the operation for two weeks. Her eyes were swollen (肿胀的)and almost completely closed, and even dark glasses could not hide the side effects of the operation. Liposuction, taking fat out of the body, is probably the most popular cosmetic operation in the United States. It seems simple enough. First, a small cut is made over the place where the patient wants the fat removed. Next, a small pipe is put into the cut. A machine like a vacuum cleaner is then used to suck the fat out of the body. However, as one doctor explained, some problems can happen after the operation. He warned, "Irregular lumps and loose skin can result from this operation. If it is not evenly done, liposuction can produce a very lumpy result." Patients often must have more liposuction to correct the problem.

单选题It is {{U}}out of the question{{/U}} that the inspector will come tomorrow.

单选题阅读下面这篇短文，短文后列出7个句子，请根据短文的内容对每个句子做出判断。 {{B}} Riches and Romance From France's Wine Harvest{{/B}} September is harvest time. And with bunches of grapes swinging (摇滚) in the wind, the vineyards of southern France are getting ready to celebrate it. The yearly wine festival is held in honour of Bacchus, the Roman god of wine. It's a fun time with parties, music, dancing, big meals and, of course, lots of wine. French wine-making began more than 2,500 years ago. The world's oldest type of vine grows in France and always produces a good quality wine. Today France produces one fifth of the world's wine, and some of the most famous varieties. The top wine-producing areas are Bordeaux, Burgundy and the Loire Valley. Champagne, a drink used in celebrations, is named after the place where sparkling (有气泡的)wine was first produced in 1700. Wine is made from the juice of freshly picked grapes. It is the sugars that turn into alcohol. Traditionally, people used to take off their shoes and crush the grapes with their bare feet to bring out the juice. Nowadays, this practice is usually carried out by machines. Each wine producing region has its own character, based on its type of grapes and soil. The taste of wine changes with time. Until 1850, all French champagne was sweet. Now, both wine and champagne taste slightly bitter. The drink has always been linked with riches, romance and nobleness. Yet the French think of it in more ordinary terms. They believe it makes daily living easier, less hurried and with fewer problems. "All its links are with times when people are at their best, with relaxation, happiness, long slow meals and the free flow of ideas." wrote wine expert Hugh Johnson.

单选题Many high officials in Russia have much benefited from privatization．

单选题{{B}}第三篇{{/B}} Barbie Dolls In the mid 1940's, the young ambitious duo Ruth and Elliot Handler, owned a company that made wooden pictures frames. It was in 1945 that Ruth and Elliot Handler joined with their close friend Harold Mattson to form a company would be named MATTEL, MATT for Mattson, and EL for Elliot. In the mid 1950's, while visiting Switzerland, Ruth Handler purchased a German Lilli doll. Lilli was a shapely, pretty fashion doll first made in 1955．She was originally fashioned after a famous cartoon character in the West German Newsletter, Build. Lilli is the doll that would inspire Ruth Handler to design the Barbie doll. With the help of her technicians and engineers at Mattel, Barbie was born. Ruth then hired Charlotte Johnson, a fashion designer, to create Barbie's wardrobe. It was in 1958 that the patent for Barbie was obtained. This would be a fashion doll unlike any of her time. She would be long limbed, shapely, beautiful, and only 11.5 inches tall. Ruth and Elliot would name their new fashion doll after their own daughter, Barbie. In 1959, the Barbie doll would make her way to the New York Toy Show and receive a cool reception from the toy buyers. Barbie has undergone a lot of changes over the years and has managed to keep up with current trends in hairstyles, makeup and clothing. She is a reflection of the history of fashion since her introduction to the toy market. Barbie has a universal appeal and collectors both young and old enjoy time spent and memories made with their dolls.