单选题The State of Marriage Today Is there something seriously wrong with marriage today? During the past 50 years, the rate of divorce in the United States has exploded; almost 50% of marriages end in divorce now, and the evidence suggests it is going to get worse. If this trend continues, it will lead to the breakup of the family, according to a spokesperson for the National Family Association. Some futurists predict that in 100 years, the average American will marry at least four times, and extramarital affairs will be even more common than they are now. But what are the reasons for this, and is the picture really so gloomy? The answer to the first question is really quite simple: marriage is no longer the necessity it once was. The institution of marriage has been based for years partly on economic need. Women used to be economically dependent on their husbands as they usually didn"t have jobs outside the home. But with the rising number of women in well-paying jobs, this is no longer the case, so they don"t feel that they need to stay in a failing marriage. In answer to the second question, the outlook may not be as pessimistic as it seems. While the rate of divorce has risen, the rate of couples marrying has never actually fallen very much, so marriage is still quite popular. In addition to this, many couples now cohabit and don"t bother to marry. These couples are effectively married, but they do not appear in either the marriage or divorce statistics. In fact, more than 50% of first marriages survive. The statistics are deceptive because there is a higher number of divorces in second and third marriages than in-first marriages. So is marriage really an outdated institution? The fact that most people still get married indicates that it isn"t. And it is also true that married couples have a healthier life than single people: they suffer less from stress and its consequences, such as heart problems, and married men generally consider themselves more contented than their single counterparts. Perhaps the key is to find out what makes a successful marriage and apply it to all of our relationships!

单选题Society is now much more diverse than ever before.

单选题The Uriver/U widens considerably as it begins to turn west.

单选题It was at the exhibition that we {{U}}came across{{/U}} this kind of minicar which is made of plastics.

单选题I wasn't qualified for the job really, but I got it anyhow. A. somehow B. anyway C. anywhere D. somewhere

单选题阅读下面的短文，文中有15处空白，每处空白给出了4个选项，请根据短文的内容从4个选项中选择1个最佳答案。 {{B}} Supermarket's New Strategy{{/B}} One supermarket in Tokyo has managed to solve the problems of shoplifting, mistakes by cashiers, and long lines of customers waiting at the cash registers. It is Japan's advanced computer technology that has come{{U}} (51) {{/U}}with the answers. Shoppers at an OK supermarket on the outskirts of the city now push a cart{{U}} (52) {{/U}}a plastic card chained to it and buy from glass cases where the goods are on display. The plastic card has a magnetic number imprinted on it. Each customer carries his or her own card, which is{{U}} (53) {{/U}}at the exit. While shopping, the customer pushes the card into a slot beside whichever items are wanted and pushes a button or two. The glass covered vending machines are connected to a computer that{{U}} (54) {{/U}}the price of every item in the store. Prices of every purchase are added up automatically.{{U}} (55) {{/U}}she has finished shopping, the customer hands her card to a cashier who{{U}} (56) {{/U}}it into the register. A second later the{{U}} (57) {{/U}}pops out. Shoplifting is physically impossible. Once you touch a commodity the computer remembers it no matter how you hide it or{{U}} (58) {{/U}}you eat it on the spot. A cashier at the OK supermarket is now able to work 15 times faster than her{{U}} (59) {{/U}}at a conventional supermarket. Only two cashiers,{{U}} (60) {{/U}}, are required at the store, which{{U}} (61) {{/U}}2,500 separate items. One man is enough to keep the vending machine filled, because whenever the stock for a certain commodity is{{U}} (62) {{/U}}to run out, a red lamp in the computer-room{{U}} (63) {{/U}}him. But there are disadvantages too: a customer cannot{{U}} (64) {{/U}}his or her mind about a purchase. Once touched, the item cannot be put back. The customer must{{U}} (65) {{/U}}a cashier with it first and get a refund later. There are also no fresh vegetables or fish on sale—everything is prepackaged.

单选题We need to extract the relevant financial data.A. storeB. obtainC. saveD. review

单选题Mary just told us a very Ufascinating/U story

单选题The most famous Shoshone Indian was Sacagawea—the woman who accompanied Lewis and Clark on their exploration of the upper Missouri River.

单选题The {{U}}solid{{/U}} facts he provided in his speech left a deep impression on his audience.

单选题Buyers like bigger portion because they think they have got________

单选题Reading involves looking at graphic symbols and formulating mentally the sounds and ideas they represent. Concepts of reading have changed (51) over the centuries. During the 1950's and 1960's especially, increased attention has been devoted to defining and describing the reading process. (52) specialists agree that reading (53) a complex organization of higher mental (54) , they disagree (55) the exact nature of the process. Some expels, who regard language primarily as a code using symbols to represent sounds, view reading as simply the decoding of symbols into the sounds they stand (56) . These authorities (57) that meaning, being concerned with thinking, must be taught independently of the decoding process. Others maintain that reading is (58) related to thinking, and that a child who pronounces sounds without (59) their meaning is not truly reading. The reader, according to some, is not just a person with a theoretical ability to read but one who (60) reads. Many adults, although they have the ability to read, have never read a book in its (61) . By some expert they would not be classified as readers. Clearly, the philosophy, objectives, methods and materials of reading will depend on the definition one use. By the most (62) and satisfactory definition, reading is the ability to (63) the sound -symbols code of the language, to interpret meaning for various (64) , at various rates, and at various levels of difficulty, and to do so widely and enthusiastically. (65) reading is the interpretation of ideas through the use of symbols representing sounds and ideas.

单选题Since ancient times people have found various ways to {{U}}preserve{{/U}} meat

单选题Up in Smoke I began to smoke when I was in high school. In fact, I remember the evening I was at a girlfriend"s house, and we were watching a movie—a terribly romantic movie. He (the hero of the movie) was in love, she (his lady) was beautiful, and they were both smoking. My friend had only two cigarettes from a pack in her mother"s purse, and she gave one to me. It was my first time. My parents didn"t care much. They both smoked, and my older brother did too. My mother told me that smokers don"t grow tall, but I was already 5"6" (taller than most of the boys in my class), so I was happy to hear that " fact ." In school, the teachers talked against smoking, but the cigarette advertisements were so exciting. The men in the ads were so good-looking and so successful, and the women were—well, they were beautiful and sophisticated (老于世故的). I read a book called How to Stop Smoking. The writer said that smoking wastes time, and that cigarettes cost a lot of money. "So what?" I thought. The book didn"t say that smoking can take away years of your life. But ten years later, everyone began to hear about the negative effects of cigarette smoke: lung disease, cancer, and heart problems. After that, there was a health warning on every pack of cigarettes. I didn"t pay much attention to the reports and warnings. I felt healthy, and I thought I was taking good care of myself. Then two events changed my mind. First, I started to cough. I thought it was just a cold, but it didn"t get better. Second, my brother got lung cancer. He got sicker and sicker. My brother and I used to smoke cigarettes together over twenty years ago, and we smoked our last cigarettes together the day before he died. I sat with him in his hospital room, and I decided to quit. "No more cigarettes, ever," I said to myself. However, it was very hard to stop. Nicotine (尼古丁) is a drug; as a result, cigarettes cause a powerful addiction. I tried several times to quit on my own—without success. I made excuses. I told myself: Smoking helps me keep my figure—i.e. I don"t gain weight when I smoke. Smoking not only relaxes me but it also helps me think clearly, I"m a free, liberated woman. I can smoke when I want to. Finally, I ran out of excuses—I might say my excuses went up in smoke. I joined the "Stop Smoking" program at the local hospital, which also ended up in failure.

单选题She was sent a box of chocolates along with a letter saying she was fired .

单选题We've been through some rough times together. A. short B. difficult C. long D. happy

单选题IS the Tie a Necessity? 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 were celebrities 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 impressed Charles Ⅱ, the king of England who was exiled 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 gentlemen. 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 famous athlete expressed his regret at the failure of the running race.

单选题The proud young man {{U}}values{{/U}} himself {{U}}on{{/U}} his ability in handling difficult issues.

单选题An introverted person is inclined to be moody.