Twenty-first century humanity has mapped oceans and mountains, visited the moon, and surveyed the planets．But for all the progress, people still don’t know one another very well.
That brings about Theodore Zeldin’s “feast of conversation”－events where individuals pair with persons they don’t know for three hours of guided talk designed to get the past “Where are you from?”
Mr．Zeldin, an Oxford University professor, heads Oxford Muse, a 10-year-old foundation based on the idea that what people need is not more information, but more inspiration and encouragement.
The “feast” in London looks not at politics or events, but at how people have felt about work, relations among the sexes, hopes and fears, enemies and authority, the shape of their lives．The “menu of conversation” includes topics like “How have your priorities changed over the years?” Or, “What have you rebelled against the past?”
As participants gathered, Zeldin opened with a speech: that despite instant communications in a globalized age, issues of human heart remain．Many people are lonely, or in routines that discourage knowing the depth of one another．“We are trapped in shallow conversations and the whole point now is to think, which is sometimes painful,” he says．“But thinking interaction is what separates us from other species, except maybe dogs…who do have generations of human interactions.”
The main rules of the “feast”: Don’t pair with someone you know or ask questions you would not answer．The only awkward moment came when the multi-racial crowd of young adults to seniors, in sun hats, ties and dresses, looked to see whom with for hours．But 15 minutes later, everyone was seated and talking, continuing full force until organizers interrupted them 180 minutes later.
“It’s encouraging to see the world is not just a place of oppression and distance from each other,” Zeldin summed up．“What we did is not ordinary, but it can’t be madder than the world already is.”
Some said they felt “l(fā)iberated” to talk on sensitive topics．Thirty-something Peter, from East London, said that “it might take weeks or months to get to the level of interaction we suddenly opened up.”
小題1:What can the “conversations” be best described as?

A．Deep and one-on-one.	B．Sensitive and mad.
C．Instant and inspiring.	D．Ordinary and encouraging.

小題2:In a “feast of conversations”, participants ______.

A．pair freely with anyone they like

B．have a guided talk for a set of period of time

C．a(chǎn)sk questions they themselves would not answer

D．wear clothes reflecting multi-racial features．

小題3:In paragraph 6, “they would be ‘intimate’” is closest in meaning to “______”.

A．they would have physical contact	B．they would have in-depth talk
C．they would be close friends	D．they would exchange basic information

小題4:From the passage, we can conclude that what Zeldin does is ______.

A．a(chǎn)n attempt to promote thinking interaction

B．one of the maddest activities ever conducted

C．a(chǎn) try to liberate people from old-fashioned ideas

D．a(chǎn)n effort to give people a chance of talking freely

Read the passage carefully．Then answer the questions or complete the statements in the fewest possible words.
Most people look forward to retirement as a time when they can finally take up activities that they never had the time or energy to pursue before．But some recent studies on people in their golden years are disturbing: they suggest that retirees are more likely to suffer from depression and possibly higher rates of other diseases such as heart disease and high blood pressure．That’s why a new study of French workers is welcome news.
Led by Hugo Westland, a professor of psychology at Stockholm University, the study of more than 14,000 workers found lower rates of depression and fatigue (疲勞) in people after they got tired while they were still employed.
The scientists followed the employees of the French national gas and electric company for 14 years．They found in the year immediately after retirement, the volunteers reported 40% fewer depressive symptoms than they had in the year before their retirement．The researchers also found an 81% drop in reports of both mental and physical fatigue over the same time period.
Clearly, said Westerlund, much of these decrease in physical and mental fatigue can be traced back to relief from the stresses of work．The decline in depressive symptoms suggests that retirement may be having a positive mental effect, too, which may have a lot to do with the generous pensions (養(yǎng)老金) that French workers enjoy．Most retirees in that country still benefit from about 80% of their yearly salaries.
“The economic or financial situation in retirement is very important,” Westerlund says．“We don’t know if the decrease in fatigue and depressive symptoms is because of the removal of something bad while in work or the addition of something good while in retirement．But no matter the reason, if life in retirement is not comfortable, then we won’t see the improvements we did.”
However, in European nations like France, governments are considering changes to pension plans, which may affect retirees’ health after they leave their jobs－with less of a financial safety net, workers may no longer seem so mentally and physically happy to be out of work．   
(Note: Answer the questions or complete the statements in NO MORE THAN EIGHT WORDS.)
小題1:According to some recent studies, retired people may have depression and higher rates of other diseases like __________.
小題2:Westerlund’s group found that in the year just after the retirement most retired French workers felt much less tired both __________.
小題3:What does the word “improvements” in paragraph 5 refer to?
小題4:Retirement may make people happier with __________.

It was a cold winter morning. Half asleep at the train station, I stared into the distance,   36   for the train to take me to my   37   in Boston. The word was quiet. The very few people on the street kept to themselves,   38   their steaming cups of coffee.
Reaching into my pocket as the   39  was approaching, my numb hand searched for the $ 20 bill to pay my fare. The pocket was   40  ! I searched through my bag and then I felt   41  . Unless the money dropped from the sky, I’d be   42   there.
“What’s the matter?” A short, elderly man stood before me.
“Oh, nothing…. Well, I   43   my money and now I can’t pay for the ticket. I’m going to   44   my match class, and the train is leaving.”
“Here, use this.”
The man held a $ 20 bill. I looked up,   45  . People just didn’t do that anymore. Everyone worried about their own   46  , rarely stopping to think about others, especially teenage strangers.
“Thank you, but no, I can’t.”
“  47  it – go!” The man pushed me   48   the train.  I bought a round – trip ticket, and he refused the change I   49  to give him back. I did not know what to say – a million thoughts raced through my mind, yet I stood   50  .
For the train ride I was silent. I began to see the world through   51  eyes. That man made a difference with such a simple   52  .
A week later I was at the train station again, with an extra $ 20   53  I saw the man. And there he was.
“excuse me, sir, I believe I owe you this.” I   54  the money into his hand.
Failing to refuse, he said, “Just remember to do the same for someone in your shoes someday.” I smiled, content.
The elderly man is my hero. For many, heroes are famous, but my hero is a   55  stranger who taught me a lesson in life. I will never forget his kindness.

小題1:	A．watching B．looking C．reaching D．a(chǎn)rranging

小題2:	A．home B．class C．office D．factory

小題3:	A．serving B．carrying C．minding D．making

小題4:	A．chance B．crowd C．driver D．train

小題5:	A．deep B．empty C．messy D．tight

小題6:	A．hopeless B．useless C．relieved D．dissatisfied

小題7:	A．blocked B．drawn C．stuck D．tied

小題8:	A．wasted B．counted C．spent D．lost

小題9:	A．miss B．skip C．fail D．stop

小題10:

A．frightened B．disturbed C．surprised D．concerned

小題11:

A．problems B．complaints C．positions D．challenges

小題12:

A．Seize B．Get C．Catch D．Take

小題13:

A．in B．beyond C．toward D．on

小題14:

A．offered B．managed C．happened D．a(chǎn)ttempted

小題15:

A．unconsciously B．silently C．seriously D．uncomfortably

小題16:

A．curious B．changed C．bright D．widened

小題17:

A．task B．a(chǎn)ct C．example D．performance

小題18:

A．so that B．even if C．now that D．in case

小題19:

A．dropped B．pushed C．pressed D．placed

小題20:

A．giving B．encouraging C．promising D．respecting

Has anyone noticed how, with the passage of time, one’s relationship with one’s grown-up daughters and sons becomes changed? I’ve been aware of this for some time but I’m not quite sure how to deal with it.
Take the kitchen sink for example.
Following a family get-together at my place, I walked into the kitchen to find Kate, my daughter carefully cleaning the sink.
“Don’t do that; what are you doing that for?” I said, unhappy about the hidden criticism.
“Mum,” she said, “you really ought to put your glasses on when you clean the sink. Behind the tap here was black!”
But it’s not just things like kitchen sinks. Another time Kate arrived to pick me up to lunch. She looked at me and then asked, “Mum, why do you use brown eyebrow pencil when your hair is grey?”
A sudden memory of her, aged 14, going to her first mixed party flooded back. She had come in to say goodbye. For a moment I thought she’d been an accident. Both eyes were black. I remember suggesting that perhaps a little less eye make-up might be more effective.
Now I told her, “My hair used to be brown.”
“It looks absurd.”
“Mrs. Menzies had dark eyebrows with grey hair.”
“Yes, but you’re not Mrs. Menzies, are you?” she said triumphantly, as if that proved her point.
But a recent event made me realize that something really must be done.
She had returned some for a few weeks before getting married. One evening I went out on a dinner date. By the time my companion left me at the front door, it was about 2am. As I stepped in, an angry figure in a white nightgown stopped me.
“Well, what time of night is this to be coming home?” she shouted. “Where have you been? I’ve been worried sick!”
Shades of the past come back to disturb me. But what should I do about all this? Nothing, probably. Maybe, after all, it’s only a stage young people are going through.
小題1:The daughter thought her mother didn’t clean the kitchen sink well because of her        .

A．laziness

B．carelessness

C．unhappiness

D．poor-quality glasses

小題2:From the passage we know the daughter         .

A．didn’t want to help with the sink

B．didn’t like brown eyebrow pencils

C．had an accident when she went to her first party

D．shouted at her mum because she came home late

小題3:How does the mother feel after all these have happened?

A．Shocked.

B．Proud.

C．Envious.

D．Confused.

小題4:The author writes the stories to prove that         .

A．their relationship became stronger

B．their roles changed as time passed

C．her daughter very much cared about her

D．her daughter got upset as she grew up

I recently heard a story about a famous research scientist who had made several very important medical breakthroughs. What set him so far apart from others?
He小題1:that, in his opinion, it all came from an小題2:from his mother that happened when he was about 2 years old. He had been trying to小題3:a bottle of milk from the refrigerator when he lost his 小題4:on the slippery(光滑的) bottle and it 小題5:, making its contents pouring all over the kitchen floor.
When his mother came into the kitchen, instead of小題6:at him, giving him a lecture, or punishing him, she said: “Robert, what an(a)小題7:and wonderful mess you have made! I have小題8:seen such a huge pool of milk. Well, the damage has already been done. Would you like to小題9:down and play in the milk for a few小題10:before we clean it up?”
Indeed, he did. After a few minutes, his mother said: “You know, Robert,小題11:you make a mess like this, you have to clean it up at last and restore everything to its proper小題12:. So, how would you like to do that? We could use a sponge, a towel, or a mop. Which do you小題13:?” He chose the sponge and together they小題14:up the milk.
His mother then said: “You know, what happened just now is a小題15:experiment in how effectively to carry a big milk bottle with two tiny hands. Let’s小題16:out in the back yard and fill the bottle with water and see if you can小題17:a way to carry it without dropping it.” The little boy小題18:that if he held the bottle at the top near the lip with both hands, he could carry it without dropping it.
This scientist then小題19:that it was at that moment that he knew he didn’t need to be afraid to make小題20:.
Wouldn’t it be great if all parents would respond the way Robert’s mother responded to him?

小題21:

A．a(chǎn)dded B．a(chǎn)dvised C．responded D．commented

小題22:

A．experience B．a(chǎn)ccident C．experiment D．inspiration

小題23:

A．send B．heat C．bring D．remove

小題24:

A．hold B．control C．balance D．way

小題25:

A．fell B．rolled C．turned D．burst

小題26:

A．crying B．staring C．shouting D．laughing

小題27:

A．terrible B．great C．unbelievable D．a(chǎn)larming

小題28:

A．shortly B．a(chǎn)lways C．a(chǎn)lready D．rarely

小題29:

A．put B．get C．take D．lie

小題30:

A．hours B．quarters C．minutes D．seconds

小題31:

A．however B．whatever C．wherever D．whenever

小題32:

A．place B．order C．style D．state

小題33:

A．like B．prefer C．take D．decide

小題34:

A．cleaned B．drank C．picked D．packed

小題35:

A．finished B．shared C．failed D．valued

小題36:

A．go B．try C．run D．find

小題37:

A．invent B．discover C．imagine D．make

小題38:

A．knew B．thought C．convinced D．learned

小題39:

A．concluded B．sensed C．remarked D．experienced

小題40:

A．mistakes B．a(chǎn)ssumptions C．decisions D．differences

                                                                                              Dec. 24, 1848
Dear Johnston,
Your request for eighty dollars, I do not think it best to satisfy now. At the various times when I have helped you a little, you have said to me, “We can get along very well again,” but in a very short time I find you in the same difficulty again. Now this can only happen by some fault in your behavior. What that fault is, I think I know. You are not lazy, and still you are an idler(游手好閑). I doubt whether since I saw you, you have done a good whole day’s work, in any other day. You do not very much dislike to work, and still you do not work much, merely because it does not seem to you that you could get much for it.
This habit of uselessly wasting time is the whole difficulty; it is vastly important to you, and still more so to your children, that you should break this habit. It is more important to them, because they have longer to live, and can keep out of an idle habit before they are in it, easier than they can get out after they are in.
You are now in need of some ready money; and what I suggest is, that you shall go to work hard, for somebody who will give you money for it.
Let father and your boys take charge of your things at home-prepare for a crop, and make the crop, and you go to work for the best money wages, or to pay back any debt you owe. And to secure you a fair reward for your labor, I now promise you that for every dollar you will, between this and the first of May, get for your own labor, I will then give you one other dollar. By this, if you hire yourself at ten dollars a month, from me you will get ten more, making twenty dollars a month for your work.
Now if you will do this, you will soon be out of debt, and what is better, you will have a habit that will keep you from getting in debt again. But if I should now clear you out, next year you will be just as deep in as ever. You say you would almost give your place in Heaven for $ 70 or $80. Then you value your place in Heaven cheaply, for I am sure you can with the offer I make you get the seventy or eighty dollars for four or five months’ work. You say if I furnish you the money you will deed(抵押) me the land, and if you don’t pay the money back, you will deliver possession-Nonsense! If you can’t now live with the land, how will you then live without it? You have always been kind to me, and I do not now mean to be unkind to you. On the contrary, if you will but follow my advice, you will find it worth more than eight time eighty dollars to you.
Affectionately
Your brother
A. Lincoln
小題1:Abraham Lincoln wrote the letter to Johnston mainly to ________.

A．show his concern for him	B．recommend him to save money
C．decline his request and motivate him	D．introduce him a new job

小題2:What’s the problem with Johnston, according to Lincoln?

A．He was very lazy.	B．He wasted time a lot.
C．He couldn’t get much from work.	D．He disliked working.

小題3:In the letter Lincoln suggested that Johnston should ________.

A．keep himself from getting into trouble	B．go to work hard for somebody
C．manage well the things at home	D．keep the children out of the idle habit

小題4:If Johnston got one dollar for his work, Lincoln promised to _________.

A．reward him with labor	B．pay off his debt
C．hire him at 10 dollars a month	D．give him another dollar

小題5:In order to get 80 dollars from Lincoln, Johnston promised to ________.

A．take away his place in Heaven	B．deed Lincoln the land
C．live without the land	D．do good work every day

Do you sometimes argue about what seems to you to be simple fact? Do you argue whether it’s cold outdoors or whether the car in front of you is going faster than the speed limit?
If you get into such arguments, try to think about the story about the six blind men and the elephant. The first blind man who felt the elephant’s trunk said it was like a snake. The second who felt the elephant’s side said it was like a wall, while the third said it was like a spear as he touched the animal’s tusk. The fourth, who got hold of the elephant’s tail insisted that it was like a rope. The fifth man said it looked like a tree as he put his arms around one of the elephant’s legs. The sixth, who was tall and got hold of the elephant’s ears, said it was like a huge fan.
Each man’s idea of the animal came from his own experience. So if someone disagrees with you about a “simple fact”, it’s often because his experience in the matter is different from yours.
To see how hard it is for even one person to make up his mind about a “simple fact”, try this simple experiment. Get three large bowls. Put ice water in one. Put hot water in the second. Put lukewarm water in the third. Now put your left hand in the ice water. Put your right hand in the hot water. After thirty seconds, put both hands in the lukewarm water. Your right hand will tell you the water is cold. Your left hand will tell you it’s hot!
小題1: What makes people think about simple facts differently?

A．The fact that simple facts differ from one another.

B．The fact that people have different experience in the same simple fact.

C．The fact that people often disagree with one another.

D．The fact that it’s hard to make up one’s mind about simple facts.

小題2:Which of the following temperatures can the word “l(fā)ukewarm” be applied to?

A．Around 1℃

B．Above 60℃

C．Around 25℃

D．Below 0℃

小題3:After reading the last paragraph, we may think of       .

A．Newton’s law	B．Gallileo’s theory of falling objects
C．Einstein’s theory of relativity	D．Marx’s On Capital

小題4:The main idea of this passage is        .

A．people often judge something according to his own experience

B．people often agree about simple facts

C．it’s hard for a person to make up his mind about a simple fact

D．don’t care too much about simple facts

The town I live in is about to put cameras at all traffic lights to catch people who run red lights．It   36   me of how many people I’ve seen who take the yellow light as a   37   to go faster．I also can’t understand why people don’t move when the traffic light has turned green．Above all, there are those   38   situations in which someone doesn’t even   39   that the light turns red, and just keeps going．That is why so many   40   happen! All these situations make me   41__    the purpose of traffic lights．
42   , it’s even more frightening to imagine letting people make their own decisions at   __43   crossroads．Do the biggest cars get to go first? Who decides who goes next? So I guess I do like the idea of a system to   44   traffic．And I’ll do my best to   45   the traffic rules: to go, to be cautious, and to stop when I’m   46   to．
It occurs to me that my   47   have done much the same for me   48   teaching me how to live．They have given me many   49   lights: to get along well with others, to listen and talk to them, to help others, and to   50   with joy and purpose．They have also given me some red lights   51   my life goes astray（誤入歧途）: not to be greedy, to keep my temper, and to control my desires．And there   52   have been some yellow caution lights: to watch how much I drink, to keep control of my behavior, and to   53    school regularly and work hard．
If I obey these rules, my life will be as   54   as it can be．Just as I’m wise to pay attention to the traffic lights when I’m walking across the street, I’m wise to pay attention to the“   55__ signals” given to me by my parents．

小題1:	A．suggests B．informs C．reminds D．warns

小題2:	A．sight B．signal C．message D．switch

小題3:	A．instant B．exciting C．dangerous D．cautious

小題4:	A．notice B．sense C．remember D．feel

小題5:	A．events B．problems C．situations D．a(chǎn)ccidents

小題6:	A．think of B．wonder about C．care for D．worry about

小題7:	A．Besides B．Anyway C．Instead D．However

小題8:	A．noisy B．narrow C．crowded D．key

小題9:	A．control B．direct C．improve D．serve

小題10:

A．learn B．obey C．protect D．carry

小題11:

A．supposed B．used C．devoted D．delighted

小題12:

A．teachers B．friends C．leaders D．parents

小題13:

A．in charge of B．in face of C．in terms of D．indanger of

小題14:

A．safe B．green C．beneficial D．helpful

小題15:

A．live B．share C．work D．communicate

小題16:

A．unless B．when C．before D．till

小題17:

A．still B．even C．only D．a(chǎn)lso

小題18:

A．start B．a(chǎn)ttend C．leave D．miss

小題19:

A．good B．colorful C．meaningful D．healthy

小題20:

A．traffic B．light C．life D．confidence

A man was on the side of the road hitchhiking（搭便車）on a very dark night in the middle of a terrible rainstorm, with no cars on the road．The storm was so strong that the man could hardly see a few feet ahead of him．Suddenly, he saw a car come towards him and stop．The man, without thinking about it, got in the car and closed the door and only then did he realize that there was nobody behind the steering wheel（方向盤）!
The car started to move very slowly．The man looked at the road and saw a curve （拐彎處）coming his way．Terrified, he started to pray, begging for his life．He had not come out of shock when, just before the car hit the curve, a hand suddenly appeared through the window and moved the wheel．The man, paralyzed with fear, watched how the hand appeared every time the car was drawing near a curve．Finally, although terrified, the man managed to open the door and jump out of the spooky car．Without looking back, the man ran through the storm all the way to the nearest town．In a state of complete horror, the man walked into a nearby bar and asked for two glasses of Scotch whisky．
Then, still shaking with fright, he started telling everybody in the bar about the horrible experience he just went through in the spooky car．Everyone in the bar listened in silence and became frightened, with hair standing on end, when they realized the man was telling the truth because he was crying and he was certainly not drunk!
About half an hour later, two other young men walked into the same bar and one said to the other, “Hey, there’s a stupid man who jumped into the car while we were pushing it!”
小題1:When the car was first drawing near a curve, the man ________．

A．felt very curious	B．was extremely frightened
C．cried for help	D．remained as calm as possible

小題2:According to the passage, what made the man’s experience believable?

A．His reasonable behavior．	B．His vivid description．
C．His plain appearance．	D．His honest attitude．

小題3:We can infer from the passage that ________．

A．it is unsafe for people to take a free ride

B．the man was telling a lie to his listeners

C．the car probably broke down on the way

D．the two young men were familiar with the man

Car sharing is another way to drive green that’s gaining in popularity, especially in urban areas．People who may not drive every day but still want a car to run errands （差事）or drive on weekends benefit most from car sharing．Car sharing is usually run by a service like Zipcar, though there are non-profit （非營利的）and informal car sharing services．Members pay a monthly fee and have access to an entire fleet of cars when they need one．The cars are parked in fixed spots around the city, so members only need to make a reservation, and then go to the pickup spot．
Car sharing has major environmental benefits because it reduces the number of cars on the road．Members don’t drive just because they are in a car．They plan trips, and if they don’t need a car, they don’t use one．Still, a car is available to them if they need to make a big trip to the grocery store, pick someone up at the airport or if they want to go to the beach for the day．Members also benefit by having access to a car without any of the headaches of ownership．They usually don’t have to pay for the gas, insurance or maintenance （保養(yǎng)）, and the monthly membership fee is less than a typical car payment．So if you really want to go green but aren’t ready to totally give up a car yet, car sharing may be the way to go．
If you still need to get around, but want to go even greener than sharing a car, share a bus!
小題1:The author intends to tell us that car sharing ________．

A．has become the most popular way to go to work

B．has become the best way to cut living costs

C．is becoming more and more popular in cities

D．is becoming popular both in urban and rural （鄉(xiāng)村的）areas

小題2:We can conclude from the passage that _________．

A．Zipear can’t help you if you are running urgent errands

B．Zipcar, different from other services, aims green driving with no profit

C．Zipcar is a company supplying car sharing service for a monthly payment

D．Zipcar is a company providing formal car sharing free

小題3:The second paragraph mainly tells us _________．

A．why people will share a car

B．why car sharing benefits the environment

C．why car sharing is cheaper than owning a car

D．why a car is available to members

小題4:Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the passage?

A．Car sharing has become a new trend （趨勢）．

B．Car sharing can save you the headaches of ownership．

C．Bus sharing is even greener than car sharing．

D．Zipcar is the largest company offering car sharing services．