填空题Some Unusual Celebrations Some holidays are well-known all around the world. Among them are New Year's Eve celebrations. Also common are days in honor of love and friendship, like Valentine's Day. Each country has its own special holidays, too, often to mark important events in its history. Schools, banks, and government offices all close on days like these. (46) A few of them are really very strange. Of course, they are not strange to the people who celebrate them. Perhaps that is because the celebrations have long traditions. Consider April Fool's Day, for example. No one knows when or why it began. Today it is celebrated in many countries—France, England, and Australia, among others. On this day, people play practical jokes. (47) The ones who laugh are the ones playing the jokes. The people they fool often get angry. Does celebrating this day make sense to you? Dyngus Day in Poland seems strange, too. On this day, it is traditional for boys to pour water over the heads of girls. Here is the strangest part: They do it to girls they like. Other unusual celebrations take place in a single city or town. A holiday called La Tomatina is celebrated in Bunol, Spain. Every year, in late August, big trucks carry more than 200,000 pounds of tomatoes into this little town. (48) For two hours, people in the streets throw tomatoes at each other. Everyone ends up red from head to toe. August 10 marks the start of the Puck Fair, an Irish festival with a very unusual tradition. People from the town of Killorglin go up into the mountains and catch a wild goat. (49) There are also some celebrations that are really strange. In the United States, sometimes one person gets an idea for a new holiday and tries to get others to accept it. Whose idea was Public Sleeping Day? That one is on February 28. It may seem strange, but it sounds like more fun than the one on February 9. (50) Do you like the idea of inventing a new holiday? If you do, then you will want to mark March 26 on your calendar. That is Make Up Your Own Holiday Day. A. They bring him back to town, put a crown on his head, and make him king for three days. B. Some of the days people celebrate, however, are less serious. C. That is supposed to be Toothache Day. D. Then begins the world's biggest food fight. E. Some people have fun imagining new holidays. F. Jokes are supposed to be funny, but these jokes do not make everyone laugh.

填空题 阅读下面的短文，文章中有5处空白，文章后面有6组文字，请根据文章的内容选择 5组文字，将其分别放回文章原有位置，以恢复文章原貌。 {{B}} You Need Courage!{{/B}} Shortly after I began a career in business, I learned that Carl Weatherup, president of PepsiCo (原事可乐公司), was speaking at the University of Colorado. I tracked down the person handling his schedule and managed to get myself an appointment.{{U}} (46) {{/U}} So there I was sitting outside the university's auditorium, waiting for the president of PepsiCo. I could hear him talking to the students.., and talking, and talking.{{U}} (47) {{/U}}He was now five minutes over, which dropped my time with him down to 10 minutes. Decision time. I wrote a note on the back of my business card, reminding him that he had a meeting. "You have a meeting with Jeff Hoye at 2:30 p.m." I took a deep breath, Pushed open the doors of the auditorium and walked straight up the middle aisle (过道) toward him as he talked. Mr. Weatherup stopped.{{U}} (48) {{/U}}Just before I reached the door, I heard him tell the group that he was running late. He thanked them for their attention, wished them luck and walked out to where I was now sitting, holding my breath. He looked at the card and then at me. "Let me guess," he said. "You're Jeff." He smiled.{{U}} (49) {{/U}} He spent the next 30 minutes offering me his time, some wonderful stories that I still use, and an invitation to visit him and his group in New York. But what he gave me that I value the most was the encouragement to continue to do as I had done.{{U}} (50) {{/U}}When things need to happen, you either have the nerve to act or you don't.A. I began breathing again and we grabbed (霸占) an office right there at school and closed the door.B. As I sat listening to him, I knew that I could trust him, and that he deserved every bit of loyalty I could give to him.C. I became alarmed: his talk wasn't ending when it should have.D. He said that it took nerve for me to interrupt him, and that nerve was the key to success in the business world,E. I was told, however, that he was on a tight schedule and only had 15 minutes available after his talk to the business class.F. I handed him the card then I turned and walked out the way I came.

填空题It's wise to stay away from heavy traffic ______ .

填空题 阅读下面这篇短文，短文后有2项测试任务：(1)23～26题要求从所给的6个选项中为第2～5段第段选择1个正确的小标题；(2)第27～30题要求所给的6个选项中选择4个正确的选项，分别完成每个句子。 {{B}}How to Argue with Your Boss{{/B}} 1 Before you argue with your boss, check with the boss's secretary to determine his mood. If he ate nails for breakfast, it is not a good idea to ask him for something. Even without the boss's secretary, there are keys to timing: don't approach the boss when he's on deadline; don't go in right before lunch, when he is apt to be distracted and rushed; don't go in just before or after he has taken a vacation. 2 If you're mad, that will only make your boss mad. Calm down first. And don't let a particular concern open the floodgates for all your accumulated frustration. The boss will feel that you think negatively about the company and it is hopeless trying to change your mind. Then, maybe he will dismiss you. 3 Terrible disputes can result when neither the employer nor the employee knows what is the problem the other wants to discuss. Sometimes the fight will go away when the issues are made clear. The employee has to get his point across clearly in order to make the boss understand it. 4 Your boss has enough on his mind without your adding more. If you can't put forward an immediate solution, at least suggest how to approach the problem. People who frequently present problems without solutions to their bosses may soon find they can't get past the secretary. 5 To deal effectively with a boss, it's important to consider his goals and pressures. If you can put yourself in the position of being a partner to the boss, then he will be naturally more inclined to work with you to achieve your goals.

填空题Alaska 1 In 1858 Americans welcomed Alaska into the Union as the 49th state, symbolizing a change of attitude that hold in 1867, when the peninsula was purchased from Russia. Then, most Americans had little interest in 1,500.000 square kilometers "of icebergs and polar bear"—beyond Canada's western borders, far from the settled areas of the United States. 2 In those sections of the state which lie above the Arctic Circle, Alaska still is a land of icebergs and polar bear. Ice buried in the earth, which is permanently frozen to a depth of 90 or more meters. From early May until early August, the midnight sun never sets on this flat, treeless region, but the sun cannot melt the icy soil more than two - thirds of a meter down. 3 Alaska is America's largest state, but only about 325,000 people live there. According to estimates, 800,000 hectares of its land area are fit for plowing but only about 640,000 hectares are being cultivated. 4 Arctic Alaska has been the home of Eskimos for countless centuries. It is believed that the Eskimos moved there from Mongolia or Siberia, probably crossing Bering Strait, named for Vitus Bering, the Danish sea captain who discovered Alaska on his voyage for Russia in 1741. The Eskimos are the state's earliest known inhabitants. Russian fur traders established settlements but, by the time Alaska was sold to the United States, most of the traders had departed. 5 In 1896 gold was discovered near the Klondike River in Canada just across the Alaskan border. Thousand of Americans rushed to the region on their way to Klondike; some never returned. Alaska was never completely cut off again, although even today transportation is a major problem. There are only two notor routes from the U. S mainland, and within the state, every town has its own airfield. Planes fly passengers, mail and freight to the most distant villages. 6 The gold that changed life so suddenly for Alaska was soon ended, and although many stories about mining camps have become part of American literature, the gold from Alaskan earth contributed less to economic progress than the fish from Alaska waters. The fish caught in a single year range in value from $ 80 million to $ 90 million. Fur - bearing animals are plentiful in the forests and streams. and valuable fur seals inhabit the waters. After fishing, the state's chief industry is lumber and the production of wood pulp. In recent years, Alaska's single most important resource has become oil. The state also has large deposits of coal, copper, gold and other minerals.A. Rich resources of the stateB. Connections with the outside worldC. Transportation problemD. The natives of the landE. Cold climateF. Land and population

填空题Things to Know about the UK 1. From Buckingham Palace to Oxford, the UK is loaded with wonderful icons (标志) of past eras. But it has also modernized with confidence. It"s now better known for vibrant (充满活力的) cities with great nightlife and attraction. Fashions, fine dining, clubbing, shopping—the UK is among the world"s best. 2. Most people have strong preconceptions about the British. But if you"re one of these people, you"d be wise to abandon those ideas. Visit a nightclub in one of the big cities, a football match, or a good local pub and you might more readily describe the English people as humorous and hospitable. It"s certainly true that no other country in the world has more bird-watchers, sports supporters, pet owners and gardeners than the UK. 3. Getting around England is pretty easy. Budget (廉价的) airlines like Easyjet and Rynnair fly domestically. Trains can deliver you very efficiently from one major city to another. Long distance express buses are called coaches. Where coaches and buses run on the same route, coaches are more expensive (though quicker) than buses. London"s famous black cabs are excellent but expensive. Minicabs are cheaper competitors, with freelance (个体的) drivers. But usually you need to give a call first. London"s underground is called the Tube. It"s very convenient and can get you to almost any part of the city. 4. The UK is not famous for its food. But you still need to know some of the traditional English foods. The most famous must be fish and chips. The fish and chips are deep fried in flour. English breakfast is something you need to try. It is fried bacon, sausages, fried eggs, black pudding, fried tomatoes, fried bread and baked beans, with toast and a pot of tea. Other things like shepherd"s pie and Yorkshire pudding are also well-known as a part of English food culture. 5. Pubbing and clubbing are the main forms of English nightlife, especially for the young. Pubbing means going to a pub with friends, having drinks, and chatting. Clubbing is different from pubbing and includes going to a pub, or a place of music, or a bar, or any other places to gather with friends. Clubbing can be found everywhere. Usually there is some kind of dress code for clubbing, such as no jeans, no sportswear, or smart clubwear, while pubbing is much more casual.

填空题Learning Disabilities Learning disabilities are very common. They affect perhaps 10 percent of all children. Four times as many boys as girls have learning disabilities. Since about 1970, new research has helped brain scientists understand these problems better. Scientists now know there are many different kinds of learning disabilities and that they are caused by many different things. 1 You cannot look at a child and tell if he or she has a learning disability. There is no outward sign of the disorder. 2 In one study, researchers examined the brain of a learning-disabled person who had died in an accident. They found two unusual things. One involved cells in the left side of the brain, which control language. These cells normally are white. 3 The researchers also found that many of the nerve cells were not in a line the way they should have been. The nerve cells were mixed together. The study was carried out under the guidance of Norman Geschwind, an early expert on learning disabilities. Doctor Geschwind proposed that learning disabilities resulted mainly from problems in the left side of the brain. He believed this side of the brain failed to develop normally. "Probably", he said, "nerve cells there did not connect as they should." So the brain was like an electrical device in which the wires were crossed. Other researchers did not examine brain tissue. 4 Frank Duffy experimented with this technique at Children"s Hospital Medical Center in Boston. Doctor Duffy found large differences in the brain activity of normal children and those with reading problems. 5 Doctor Duffy said his research is evidence that reading disabilities involve damage to a wide area of the brain, not just the left side. A. In the learning-disabled person, however, these cells were gray. B. So some researchers began looking at the brain itself to learn what might be wrong. C. The differences appeared throughout the brain. D. Researchers tried to improve the intelligence of learning-disabled in different ways. E. There is no longer any question that all learning disabilities result from differences in the way the brain is organized. F. Instead, they measured the brain"s electrical activity and made a map of the electrical signals.

填空题Adult Education 1 Voluntary learning in organized courses by mature men and women is called adult education. Such education is offered to make people able to enlarge and interpret their experience as adults. Adults may want to study something which they missed in earlier schooling, get new skills or job training, find out new technological developments, seek better self-understanding, or develop new talents and skills. 2 This kind of education may be in the form of self-study with proper guidance through the use of libraries, correspondence courses, or broadcasting. It may also be acquired collectively in schools and colleges, study groups, workshops, clubs, and professional associations. 3 Modern adult education for large numbers of people started in the 18th and 19th centuries with the rise of the Industrial Revolution. Great economic and social changes were taking place: people were moving from rural areas to cities; new types of work were being created in an expanding factory system. These and other factors produced a need for further education and reeducation of adults. 4 The earliest programs of organized adult education arose in Great Britain in the 1790s, with the founding of an adult school in Nottingham and a mechanics institute in Glasgow. The earliest adult education institution in the United States was founded by Benjamin Franklin and some friends in Philadelphia in 1727. 5 People recognize that continued learning is necessary for most forms of employment today. For example, parts of the adult population in many countries find it necessary to take part in retraining programs at work or even to learn completely new jobs. Adult education programs are springing up constantly to meet these and other needs.

填空题 下面的短文后有2项测试任务：(1)第23～26题要求从所给的6个选项中为第1～4段每段选择1个最佳标题；(2)第27～30题要求从所给的6个选项中为每个句子确定1个最佳选项。 {{B}} Nice Name But She's So Deadly{{/B}}1 More than a million people in the United States were told to leave their homes over the weekend as Hurricane (飓风) Dennis headed to the Gulf coast, after killing at least 15 people in the Caribbean Sea.2 If you read the news often enough, you may notice that all hurricanes are given names. Why is that? Remember, there can be more than one hurricane operating at one time. Without naming them, we could get confused about which storm we're talking about.3 For hundreds of years, hurricanes in the Caribbean were named after the particular religious day on which they occurred. One Australian meteorologist (气象学家) began giving women's names to tropical storms at the end of the 19th century, in 1953, the US National Weather Service, which is responsible for tracking hurricanes and issuing warnings, began using female names for storms. By 19791 both women and men's names were being used. One name for each letter of the alphabet (字母表) is selected, except for Q, U and Z.4 So who decides which names are used each year? The World Meteorological Organization uses six lists in rotation, so each list is reused every six years.5 Here's a list of the 2005 Atlantic hurricanes, according to the US National Hurricane Centre: Arlene, Bret, Cindy, Dennis, Emily, Franklin, Gert, Harvey, Irene, Jose, Katrina, Lee, Maria, Nate, Ophelia, Philippe, Rita, Stan, Tammy, Vince, Wilma.

填空题Messages from the Media 1 The weather forecast, a story about the candidates in an election, and movie reviews are examples of messages from the media. A communication medium, of which the plural (复数的) form is media, is a means of communicating a message. Examples of media are television, radio, newspapers, books and the telephone. The media that can reach many people at once are called mass media. 2 It is not difficult to think of other messages we receive through the mass media. Every day we get hundreds of them. Think about advertisements, for example. We see and hear these messages almost everywhere we go. Advertisements are important messages, even though they are sometimes annoying. They help us compare and evaluate products. 3 Most of us get more information from the media than from the classroom. Think for a moment, about how you learn about local news and events. Do you depend on other people or the media? What about international news? What is the most important source of information for you? People who are asked this question usually answer, "Television." 4 Think of all the messages you received today. Perhaps you read a newspaper during breakfast, or maybe you read advertisements on billboards (露天广告牌) on your way to school. Did you listen to a weather forecast or the sports news on the radio this morning? Right now you are getting information through a very important medium of mass communication—a book. 5 We use the information we get from radio, television, newspapers, and other media to make decisions and form opinions. That is why the mass media are so important. Editorials and articles in newspapers help us decide how to vote, consumer reports on television help us decide how to spend our money, and international news on the radio makes us think and form opinions about questions of war and peace.

填空题Stars in Their Eyes The Scientific American Book of the Cosmos edited by David Levy, Macmillan, ￡20, ISBN 0333782938 Previous generations of scientists would have killed to know what we know. For the first time in history, we have a pretty good idea of the material content of the Universe, our position within it and how the whole thing came into being. In these times of exploding knowledge there is a definite need to take stock and assemble what we know in a palatable (受欢迎的)form. 1 The essays in The Scientific American Book of the Cosmos have been selected by David Levy, co-discoverer of Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9, which in 1994 struck Jupiter with the violence of several full-scale nuclear wars. 2 This is certainly a great collection of essays, but it is not, as the book promises, a seamless (完美的，无缝隙的) synthesis of our current knowledge. Nobody can fault the range of articles Levy has included. There are essays on the planets, moons and assorted debris (碎片)in the Solar System, and on our Galaxy, the Milky Way. 3 The contributors, too, are stars in their own fields. Not many books can boast chapters written by such giants as Erwin Schrodinger and Francis Crick. My personal favorites are a piercingly clear essay by Albert Einstein on general relativity and an article by Alan Guth and Paul Steinhardt on the inflationary (膨胀的) Universe. So much for the book"s content. But Levy has not succeeded in providing an accurate synthesis of our current knowledge of the cosmos, which the book jacket promises. Gathering together previously published articles inevitably leaves subject gaps, missing explanations and so on. 4 But there isn"t one. In fact, surprisingly for a book so densely packed with information, there is no index. Collecting essays in this way is clearly a good publishing wheeze (巧妙的主意). But this approach shortchanges the public, who would be better served by an account moulded into a seamless whole. 5 However, for the next edition, please, please can we have an index? A. Tegmark fears he may hold the record for the longest time taken to read one book. B. In a more positive vein, this is a wonderful collection of essays to dip in and out of if you already have a good overview (概述)of current cosmic understanding. C. Levy is an active astronomer and an accomplished writer, so you"d expect him to provide a broad and accurate picture of our current understanding of the cosmos. D. Scientific American has attempted to cater to this need by bringing together essays that have appeared in the magazine. E. To some extent, these could have been plugged with a glossary (词表) of terms. F. Also included are contributions on the world of subatomic particles, the origin of life on the Earth and the possibility of its existence elsewhere.

填空题 阅读下面的短文，文章中有5处空白，文章后有6组文字。请根据文章的内容选择5组文字，将其分别放回文章原有位置，以恢复文章原貌。 {{B}}A Pioneer in Modern Dance{{/B}} Many artists late in the last century were in search of a means to express their individuality. Modern dance was One of the ways some of these people sought to free their creative spirit. In the beginning there was no exacting technique, no foundation from which to build. {{U}}(46) {{/U}}. Eventually, innovators even drew from what they considered the dread ballet, but first they had to discard all that was academic so that the new could be discovered. The beginnings of modern dance were happening before Isadora Dunca. {{U}}(47) {{/U}}. Her search for a natural movement form sent her to nature. {{U}}(48) {{/U}}. Her great contributions are in three areas. First, she began the expansion of the, kinds of movements that could be used in dance. Before Dunca danced, ballet was the only type of dance performed in concert. {{U}}(49) {{/U}}. Dunca performed dance by using all her body in the freest possible way. Her dance stemmed from her soul and spirit. She was one of the pioneers how broke tradition so others might be able to develop the art. Her second contribution lies in dance costume. She discarded corset, ballet shoes, and stiff costumes. These were replaced with flowing Grecian tunics, bare feet, and unbound hair. She believed in the natural body being allowed to move freely, and her dress displayed this ideally. Her third contribution was in the use of music. {{U}}(50) {{/U}}. She was as exciting and eccentric in her personal life as in her dance. A. She believed movement should be as natural as the swaying of the trees and the rolling waves of the sea, and should be in harmony with the movements of the Earth. B. Isadora Duncan's farther contribution to mordern dance is exciting. C. But she was the first person to bring, the new dance to general audiences and see it accepted and acclaimed. D. In the ballet the feet and legs were emphasized, with virtuosity shown by complicated, codified positions and movements. E. In later years trial, error, and genius founded the techniques and the principles of the movement. F. In her performances she used the symphonies of great masters including Beethoven and Wagner, which was not the usual custom.

填空题Keeping Cut Flowers 1．While everybody enjoys fresh cut flowers around his/her house, few people know how to keep them for as long as possible. This may be done by keeping in mind a few simple facts. 2．An important thing to remember about cut flowers is that they are sensitive to temperature. for example, studies have shown that cut carnations (康乃馨)retain their freshness eight times longer when kept at 12℃ than when kept at 26℃. Keeping freshly harvested flowers at the right temperatures is probably the most important aspect of flower care. 3．Flowers are not intended by nature to live very long. Their biological purpose is simply to attract birds or insects, such as bees, for pollination (授粉). After that, they quickly dry up and die. The process by which flowers consume oxygen and produce carbon dioxide (二氧化碳), called respiration (呼吸), generates the energy the flower needs to give the flower its shape and color. The making of seeds also depends on this energy. While all living things respire, flowers have a high level of respiration. A result of all this respiration is heat, and for flowers the level of heat relative to the mass of the flower is very high. Respiration also brings about the eventual death of the flower. Thus the greater the level of respiration, the sooner the flower dies. 4．How, then, to control the rate at which flowers die? By controlling respiration. How is respiration controlled? By controlling temperature. We know that respiration produces heat, but the reverse(相反的过程)is also true. Thus by maintaining low temperatures, respiration is reduced and the cut flower will age more slowly. 5．Another vital factor in keeping cut flowers is the quality of the water in which they are placed. Flowers find it difficult to "drink" water that is dirty or otherwise polluted. Even when water looks and smells clean, it almost certainly contains harmful substances that can endanger the flowers. To rid the water of these unwanted substances, household chlorine bleach (漂白剂) can be used in small quantities. It is recommended that 15 drops of chlorine bleach (at 4% solution) be added to each litre of water. The water and solution should also be replaced each day.

填空题A. he developed 3,000 theoriesB. he couldn't afford to buy a pair of shoesC. he found himself an unsuccessful manD. they quittedE. an innovation should work immediatelyF. failure is the mother of success

填空题 Why Would They Falsely Confess? Why on earth would an innocent person falsely confess to committing a crime? To most people, it just doesn't seem logical. But it is logical, say experts, if you understand what call happen in a police interrogation (审讯) room. Under the right conditions, people's minds are susceptible (易受影响的) to influence, and the pressure put on suspects during police grillings (盘问) is enormous. {{U}} {{U}} 1 {{/U}} {{/U}}"The pressure is important to understand, because otherwise it's impossible to understand why someone would say he did something he didn't do. The answer is: to put an end to an uncomfortable situation that will continue until he does confess." Developmental psychologist Allison Redlich recently conducted a laboratory study to determine how likely people are to confess to things they didn't do. {{U}} {{U}} 2 {{/U}} {{/U}}The researchers then intentionally crashed the computers and accused the participants of hitting the "alt" key to see if they would sign a statement falsely taking responsibility. Redlich's findings clearly demonstrate how easy it can be to get people to falsely confess: 59 percent of the young adults in the experiment immediately confessed. {{U}} {{U}} 3 {{/U}} {{/U}}Of the 15-to 16-year-olds, 72 percent signed confessions, as did 78 percent of the 12-to 13-year-olds. "There's no question that young people are more at risk," says Saul Kassin, a psychology professor at Williams College, who has done similar studies with similar. {{U}} {{U}} 4 {{/U}} {{/U}} Both Kassin and Redlich note that the entire "interrogation" in their experiments consisted of a simple accusation—not hours of aggressive questioning—and still, most participants falsely confessed. Because of the stress of a police interrogation, they conclude, suspects can become convinced that falsely confessing is the easiest way out of a bad situaion. {{U}} {{U}} 5 {{/U}} {{/U}} A. In her experiment, participants were seated at computers and told not to hit the "alt" key, because doing so would crash the systems. B. "In some ways," says Kassin, "false confession becomes a rational decision." C. "It's a little like somebody's working on them with a dental (牙齿) drill," says Franklin Zimring, a law professor at the University of California at Berkeley. D. "But the adults are highly vulnerable too." E. How could an innocent person admit to doing something he didn't do? F. Redlich also found that the younger the participant, the more likely a false confession.

填空题Smartphone Customers Up for Grab About 10 years ago I met an advertising executive in New York who explained the difficulty of advertising a new brand of deodorant(除臭剂) to consumers. "Most people never change their deodorant." I remember him saying, "They pick one brand when they are young, and stick with it for a long, long time. If it works, why switch?" 1 Once they have picked a type of phone, whether it"s Apple iOS, Google Android or something else, it"s difficult, and often expensive, to switch. Consumers become comfortable with the interface and design of the phone and the apps they have purchased on that platform. 2 That is why the race to pull in smartphone buyers is going to be especially severe over the next 18 to 24 months. 3 there are still hundreds or millions of mobile phone owners around the world who have yet to move from a standard mobile or feature phone to its smarter, more intelligent big brother: the smartphone. Yet the change is happening at a much quicker pace than technology analysts and companies originally theorized. A report issued this week by Nielsen, the market research firm, found that among Americans 4 55 percent opted for a smartphone. This is up from 34 percent a year ago. At this point, who will lead that market is not up for debate. Android has been growing at a pace no one could have imagined, even Google. The company said this week that it now activates more than 500,000 Android devices each day. Mr. Llamas said Apple, which changed the smartphone game in 2007 when it introduced the iPhone, potentially has a ceiling with consumers as its mobile phone is often more expensive than those of its competitors. Although millions of customers flock to Apple products for their beauty, simplicity and powerful brand, many can"t afford a new iPhone. This could change 5 as some analysts expect. "Right now the iPhone only comes in one flavor; it"s not like other Apple products like the iPod where there are several different sizes, shapes and prices," Mr. Llamas said. A. Although it may seem that everyone owns a smartphone these days. B. If Apple offers a less expensive model of the iPhone later this year. C. The same theory can be applied to customers who are making the switch to smartphones today. D. Who purchased a new mobile phone in the last three months. E. The smartphone race is still raging. F. If it works, why switch?

填空题American Dreams There is a common response to America among foreign writers: the US is a land of extremes where the best of things are just as easily found as the worst. This is a cliché (陈词滥调). In the land of black and white, people should not be too surprised to find some of the biggest gaps between the rich and the poor in the world. But the American Dream offers a way out to everyone. (1) No class system or government stands in the way. Sadly, this old argument is no longer true. Over the past few decades there has been a fundamental shift in the structure of the American economy. The gap between the rich and the poor has widened and widened. (2) Over the past 25 years the median US family income has gone up 18 per cent. For the top 1 per cent, however, it has gone up 200 per cent. Twenty-five years ago the top fifth of Americans had an average income 6.7 times that of the bottom fifth. (3) Inequalities have grown worse in different regions. In California, incomes for lower class families have fallen by 4 per cent since 1969. (4) This has led to an economy hugely in favor of a small group of very rich Americans. The wealthiest 1 per cent of households now control a third of the national wealth. There are now 37 million Americans living in poverty. At 12.7 per cent of the population, it is the highest percentage in the developed world. Yet the tax burden on America's rich is falling, not growing. (5) There was an economic theory holding that the rich spending more would benefit everyone as a whole. But clearly that theory has not worked in reality. A. Nobody is poor in the US. B. The top 0.01 per cent of households has seen its tax bite fall by a full 25 percentage points since 1980. C. For upper class families they have risen 41 per cent. D. Now it is 9. 8 times. E. As it does so, the possibility to cross that gap gets smaller and smaller. F. All one has to do is to work hard and climb the ladder towards the top.

填空题 下面的短文后有2项测试任务：(1)第23～26题要求从所给的6个选项中为第2～5段每段选择1个最佳标题；(2)第27～30题要求从所给的6个选项中为每个句子确定1个最佳选项。 {{B}} 60th Anniversary Ceremony in Moscow{{/B}}1 With thousands of soldiers and war veterans parading across Moscow's Red Square and fighter jets screaming overhead, Russia celebrated the 60th anniversary of defeating Nazi Germany. More than 50 world leaders, including China's President Hu Jintao, attended the ceremony.2 Speaking at the start of the parade, Russia's President Vladimir Putin praised all those who fought for freedom and independence. "The war shows that resorting to force to solve problems will result in tragedy for the world, so a peaceful order should be safeguarded (护卫) based on security, justice and cultural exchange," Putin said. "Faced with the real threat of terrorism today, we must remain faithful to the memory of our fathers. It is our duty to defend a world order based on security and justice and on a new culture of relations among nations that will not allow a repeat of any war, neither 'cold' nor 'hot'," he continued.3 The Second World War is perhaps the most catastrophic (灾难性的) event that mankind has ever suffered. The war affected 80 per cent of the world's people at that time, from 61 countries, and claimed 55 million lives.4 After the celebration, President Hu said that peace, development and cooperation were the future. "China will unswervingly (坚定地) follow the road of peace and development and will make a joint effort with all nations to contribute to safeguarding world peace and promoting development," he said.5 German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder asked Russia for forgiveness for the suffering Germany inflicted (造成) during the Second World War in an article in Sunday's Komsomolskaya Pravda newspaper. "Today we ask forgiveness for the suffering inflicted upon the Russian people and other peoples at the hands of Germans and in the name of Germans," Schroeder said.6 President Hu and the other leaders also joined a wreath (花圈) laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldiers on Monday.

填空题 阅读下面这篇短文，短文后有2项测试任务：(1)1～4题要求从所给的6个选项中为第 2～5段每段选择1个正确的小标题；(2)第5～8题要求从所给的6个选项中选择4个正确的选项，分别完成每个句子。 {{B}}The Paper Chase{{/B}} "Running a house is a lot like running a business," says Stephanie Denton, a professional organizer based in Cincinnati, Ohio, who specializes in both residential and commercial paperwork and record keeping. To get a successful grip on organizing documents, bills, and other materials, Denton suggests the following tips. Create a space in which you can always do your paperwork. This is perhaps the most important element of a successful system. If you can't devote an entire desk to the task, at least invest in a rolling file cart to store active paperwork and a two-drawer file cabinet for family records. Store the rolling file cart wherever it is most convenient and comfortable to do your work, whether that is the kitchen, office, or family room. When in doubt, throw it out. The first step to implementing a workable filing system is to eliminate paper you don't use, don't need, or that you could easily access again elsewhere. Throw out duplicate statements, old catalogs, and all of the coupons, mailings, or offerings you'll never have an opportunity to use or even read. Set aside two days a month to pay bills. If a monthly due date doesn't fit into your cycle, call up the creditor and suggest a more convenient date. Keep two manila folders at the front of your system for current bills—one to correspond with each bill-paying day—and file all incoming bills. Keep a list in the front of each folder of what needs to be paid in case the invoice never arrives or gets misplaced. Think of your filing system not as a rigid tool, but as a living, breathing system that can accommodate your changing needs. A good filing system is both mentally and physically flexible.Everyone's needs are different, says Denton, but when devising a filling system, ask yourself: "Where would I look for this?" Create main headings for your filing system, such as Investments, Taxes, Children, and so forth, and file individual folders under the main headings. Never overstuff your files.

填空题 Home Schooling All children in the United States have to receive an education, but the law does not say they have to be educated at school. A number of parents prefer not to send their children to school. {{U}} {{U}} 1 {{/U}} {{/U}}There are about 300,000 home-schoolers in the United States today. Some parents prefer teaching their children at home because they do not believe that public schools teach the correct religious values; others believe they can provide a better educational experience for their children by teaching them at home. {{U}} {{U}} 2 {{/U}} {{/U}} David Guterson and his wife teach their three children at home. Guterson says that his children learn very differently from children in school. {{U}} {{U}} 3 {{/U}} {{/U}}For example, when there is heavy snowfall on a winter day, it may start a discussion or reading about climate, snow removal (去除) equipment, Alaska, polai bears (北极熊), and winter tourism. A spring evening when the family is out watching the stars is a good time to ask questions about satellites and the space program {{U}} {{U}} 4 {{/U}} {{/U}} Home schooling is often more interesting than regular schools, but critics say that home-schooled are outsiders who might be uncomfortable mixing with other people in adult life. {{U}} {{U}} 5 {{/U}} {{/U}}However, most parents don't have the time or the desire to teach their children at home, so schools will continue to be where most children get their formal education. A. Interestingly, results show that home-schooled children quite often do better than average on national tests in reading and math. B. Critics also say that most parents are not well qualified to teach their children. C. Learning starts with the children's interests and questions. D. Children who are educated at home are known as "home-schoolers." E. In some countries, however, children are educated by their parents. F. If the Brazilian rain forests are on the TV news. It could be a perfect time to talk about how rain forests influence the climate, and how deserts are formed.