Celebrity endorsements
Despite the fact that companies believe celebrities had a lot of pull with regard to the buying trends of consumers, researchers have discovered that this does not seem to be the case. British and Swiss researchers carried out a study showing that advertisements made by celebrities like David Beckham and Scarlett Johansson are not as effective as those by ordinary people.
In a sample of 298 students, researchers presented a magazine advertisement for a digital camera that was endorsed (為…做廣告宣傳) by a fictional student claiming the camera was “hot” and his “preferred choice”. The same advertisement was shown to other students, but with a difference: The camera was endorsed by a famous person in Germany.
While the students said that both advertisements were beneficial, the one made by the student topped the celebrity one if students aimed to impress others with their purchases (購(gòu)買). More than half of the students, who admitted purchasing products that would impress others, said they were influenced by the student’s advertisement. Only 20％ said the celebrity one would affect their buying decision.
Professor Brett Martin of the University of Bath’s School of Management, explained that the findings could be used not only in Germany, but in other countries as well. “ Our research questions whether celebrities are the best ways to sell products,” said Prof Martin.“Celebrities can be effective but we found that many people were more convinced by an endorsement from a fictional fellow student. This is because many people feel a need to keep up with the Jones when they buy.”
小題1:Some companies think the celebrities endorsement          ．

A．is popular with the consumers

B．can pull all the consumers into the shops

C．can affect the consumers’ purchasing

D．is as effective as an endorsement from common people

小題2:Which of the following ads would be more effective to common consumers, according to
the experiment?
An ad featuring lovely pandas.
An ad made by David Beckham.
An ad made by fictional common people.
An ad with beautiful natural scenery.
小題3:The underlined words “the Jones” in the last paragragh refer to“     ”．

A．someone called Jones	B．common people
C．the Jones family	D．celebrities

小題4:We can infer from the passage that       ．

A．celebrities cheat consumers in advertisement

B．the researchers here are against celebrity endorsement

C．the student’s ads are more reliable than those made by celebrities

D．companies needn’t spend so much money on celebrity endorsement

小題5:We can probably read the article in       ．

A．a(chǎn) local newspaper	B．a(chǎn) science report
C．a(chǎn)n academic journal	D．a(chǎn) textbook

How could we possibly think that keeping animals in cages in unnatural environments---mostly for entertainment purposes --- is fair and respectful?
Zoo officials say they are concerned about animals. However, most zoos remain “collections” of interesting “things” rather than protective habitats. Zoos teach people that it is acceptable to keep animals bored, lonely and far from their natural homes.
Zoo claims to educate people and save endangered species, but visitors leaves zoos without having learned anything meaningful about the animals’ natural behaviour, intelligence, or beauty. Zoo keeps animals in small spaces or cages, and most signs only mention the species’ name, diet, and natural range. The animals’ normal behavior is seldom noticed because zoos don’t usually take care of the animals’ natural needs.
The animals are kept together in small spaces, with no privacy and little opportunity for mental and physical exercise. This results in unusual and self-destructive behavior called zoochosis. A worldwide study of zoos found that zoochosis common among animals kept in small spaces or cages. Another study showed that elephants spend 22 percent of their time making repeated head movements or biting cage bars and bears spend 30 percent of their time walking back and forth, a sign of unhappiness and pain.
Furthermore, most animals in zoos are not endangered. Captive breeding (圈養(yǎng)繁殖) of endangered big cats, Asian elephants, and another species has not resulted in their being sent back to the wild. Zoos talk a lot about their captive breeding programs because they do not want people to worry about a species dying out. In fact, baby animals also attract a lot of paying customers. Haven’t we seen enough competitions to name baby animals?
Actually, we still save endangered species only if we save their habitats and put an end to the reasons people kill them. Instead of supporting zoos, we should support groups that work to protect animals’ natural habitats.
小題1:How would the author describe the animals’ life in Zoos?

A．Dangerous

B．Unhappy

C．Natural

D．Easy

小題2:In the state of zoochosis, animals _______________.

A．remain in cages	B．behave strangely
C．a(chǎn)ttack other animals	D．enjoy moving around

小題3:According to the passage what point of view does the author hold?

A．Zoos are not worth the public support.

B．Zoos fail in their attempt to save animals.

C．Zoos should treat animals as human beings.

D．Zoos use animals as a means of entertainment.

小題4:The author tries to persuade readers to accept his argument mainly by________.

A．pointing out the faults in what zoos do

B．using evidence he has collected at zoos

C．exploring the way animals are protected

D．discussing the advantages of natural habitats

小題5:Although he argues against zoos, the author would still agree that___________.

A．zoos have to keep animals in small spaces

B．most animals in zoos are endangered species

C．some endangered animals are reproduced in zoos

D．it’s acceptable to keep animals away from their habitats

As computers become all the more popular in China, Chinese people are increasingly depending on computer keyboards to input Chinese characters. But if they use the computer too much, they may end up forgetting the exact strokes（筆畫）of each Chinese character when writing on paper. Experts suggest people, especially students, write by hand more.
Do you write by hand more or type more? In Beijing, students start using a computer as early as primary school. And computer dependence is more wide-spread among university students. Almost all their homework and essays are typed on a computer.
All the students interviewed say they usually use a computer.
It's faster and easier to correct if using a computer. And that's why computers are being applied more and more often to modern education. But when people are taking stock in computers increasingly, problems appear.
"When I'm writing with a pen, I find I often can't remember how to write a character, though I feel I’m familiar with it."
"I'm not in the mood to write when faced with a pen and paper."
Many students don't feel this is something to worry about. Now that it's more convenient and quick to write on a computer, why bother to handwrite?
Many educators think differently. Shi Liwei , the headmaster of a famous primary school in the capital said "Chinese characters enjoy both practical and aesthetic(審美的) value. But those characters typed with computer keyboards only have their practical value. All the artistic beauty of the characters is lost. And handwriting contains the writer's emotion(情緒). Through one's handwriting, people can get to know one's thinking and personality. Beautiful writing will give people a better first impression of them.”
To encourage students to handwrite more, many primary schools in Beijing have made writing classes compulsory(必修的)and in universities, some professors are asking students to turn in their homework and essays written by hand.
小題1:Which of the following can best serve as the title of the passage?

A．The Importance of Handwriting and Typing.

B．To Type or To Hand Write

C．Writing By Computer Will Replace Writing By Hand

D．Practical and Aesthetic Value of Chinese Characters.

小題2:The students interviewed prefer to write using a computer mainly because______.

A．they are usually asked to e-mail their homework and Essays

B．they can correct the mistakes they make quickly and conveniently

C．they find it not easy to remember how to write a character

D．computers have become popular in China.

小題3:Which of the following statements is NOT TRUE of the advantages of handwriting?

A．Handwriting contains the writer's emotion.

B．The writer’s thinking and personality are shown in his or her handwriting,

C．Handwriting can impress people well and build up one’s self-confidence

D．Chinese characters enjoy both practical and aesthetic value.

小題4:The underlined expression “taking stock in”(Paragraph 4) probably means_____.

A．getting bored with	B．getting dependent on
C．becoming crazy about	D．getting curious about

小題5:We can draw the conclusion from the passage that_______.

A．more and more students will give up writing on a computer

B．writing by hand will give way to typing by computer one day

C．more and more students will pay attention to handwriting

D．the typing article better expresses one’s emotion and quality

Let’s say you have a piece of wood, a nail, and a hammer. Pretend the wood is a person, and the nail is a mean rumor(謠言) about that person. If you hammer in the nail, you’re obviously hurting him or her. If you then pull out the nail, there’s still a hole in the wood, and the damage has been done.
There are many reasons why that nail of a rumor can be so harmful. Rumors are, quite simply, a form of bullying(欺侮). When a person or a group makes up a rumor about someone or decides to spread gossip, it’s usually to hurt someone, break up a friendship, or make someone less popular. It’s the same thing as teasing, only it’s done behind someone’s back instead of to his or her face.
When you spread a rumor about someone, you’re sending a signal that the person is outside of the group, and somehow less worthy of friendship than others. You’re making fun of that person or pointing out negative things about him or her. This can let others think that it’s okay to make the person feel bad, and make him or her an outsider.
We need to be able to trust our friends, and gossip and rumors can break this trust. If you tell a personal secret to a friend, and he turns around and tells it to someone else, you might feel like you will get burned if you ever get close to him again.
Letting a rumor influence your behavior is like letting someone else make a big decision for you. Let’s say you hear that the teacher plans to call a Snow Day tomorrow because a blizzard (暴風(fēng)雪) is coming. Expecting a day off, you don’t do your homework. The next morning, the blizzard turns out to be nothing more than a drizzle(毛毛雨), and school isn’t off after all. You get zeroes on your work.
小題1:To tell a rumor and a tease apart, you depend on ______.

A．whether it is done behind someone

B．whether it is painful or not

C．whether it is a kind of bullying

D．whether it is spread fast.

小題2:If a rumor is spread about someone, others may_______.

A．point out his or her advantages

B．keep away from him or her

C．not feel he or she is an outsider

D．be hurt if getting close to him or her again.

小題3:The purpose of this passage is to _______.

A．a(chǎn)dvise on how to deal with rumors

B．teach us how to judge a rumor

C．find out why rumors spread fast

D．explain why rumors hurt

I usually doubt about any research that concludes that people are either happier or unhappier or more or less certain of themselves than they were 50 years ago.While any of these statements might be true, they are practically impossible to prove scientifically. Still, 1 was struck by a report which concluded that today’s children are significantly more anxious than children in the 1950s. In fact, the analysis showed, normal children between 9 and 17 have a higher level of anxiety today than children who were treated for mental illness 50 years ago.
Why are America’s kids so stressed? The report cites two main causes: increasing physical isolation (孤獨(dú)) brought on by high divorce rates and less involvement in community, and a growing perception that the world is a more dangerous place.
Given that we can’t turn the clock back, adults can still do plenty to help the next generation to cope.
At the top of the list,nurturing (培育) is a better appreciation of the limits of individualism. No child is an island. Strengthening social ties helps build communities and protect individuals against stress.
To help kids build stronger connections with others, you can pull the plug on TVs and computers. Your family will thank you later.They will then have more time for face-to-face relationships, and they will get more sleep.
Limit the amount of virtual (虛擬的) violence your children are exposed to. It’s not just video games and movies; children see a lot of murder and crime on the local news.
Keep your expectations for your children reasonable. Many highly successful people never attended Harvard or Yale.
Make exercise part of your daily routine. It will help you deal with your own anxieties and provide a good model for your kids. Sometimes anxiety is unavoidable,but it doesn’t have to ruin your life.
小題1:What does the author thinks of the conclusion that people in America are unhappier than 50 years ago?

A．Surprising

B．Confusing

C．Illogical

D．Questionable

小題2:What does the author mean by saying “ we can’t turn the clock back(Para. 3)?

A．It’s impossible to slow down the pace of the change.

B．The social reality children are facing cannot be changed.

C．Lessons learned from the past should not be forgotten.

D．It’s impossible to forget the past.

小題3:According to an analysis, compared with normal children today, children 50 years ago __________.

A．were less isolated physically

B．were probably less self-centered

C．probably suffered less from anxiety

D．were considered less individualistic

小題4:What is the first and most important thing parents should do to help their children?

A．To provide them with a safer environment.

B．To lower their expectations for them.

C．To get them more involved socially.

D．To set a good model for them to follow.

小題5:What conclusion can be drawn from the passage?

A．Anxiety, though always unavoidable, can be coped with.

B．Children’s anxiety has been enormously exaggerated(夸大).

C．Children’s anxiety can be removed with more parental care.

D．Anxiety, if properly controlled, may help children become mature.

For many people, the story of cottages — small vacation homes away from the city — is a deeply personal one. For some families, cottages have been the scene of reunions, vacations and family adventures for generations.
In North America, “cottaging（去鄉(xiāng)間別墅度周末）” really began during the 19th century. At that time, crowds of people were moving from family farms to cities. Naturally, these people often felt a longing for the natural beauty of the countryside. Frequently located near lakes, in the mountains of woods, cottages provided a perfect solution.
Traditionally small and rustic (鄉(xiāng)下風(fēng)格的)，many cottages were once simple log（原木） homes without bathrooms, water or electricity. While in most cases that is no longer true, people still go to cottages in large numbers to escape the city and to enjoy “cottage life.”
Despite the peaceful setting, there is always plenty to do at a cottage. If you enjoy outdoor activities, try hunting, boating or hiking. Many cottages are located near a lake, so you have opportunities to go swimming, boating or sunbathing around. Enjoy a picnic with your family, or build a campfire to roast hot dogs. On rainy days, curl up(蜷曲) on a comfortable chair inside and read, or enjoy board games （棋類游戲） with your friends and relatives. Want to get out and explore? Take a tour of the lake in a motorboat, or visit one of the many small villages located nearby.
Many families rent cottages instead of owning them, but for those who do, there’s always work to be done. Wood must be chopped for the stove. Leaves need to be gathered and gardens taken care of. Since many cottages are old buildings, there’s usually something that needs to be fixed or painted.
The story of cottages is one of families, traditions and memories. Are you ready to try cottaging with your family?
小題1:The underlined word “l(fā)onging” in Paragraph 2 probably means “_________ ”.

A．horror

B．need

C．disappointment

D．excitement

小題2:What do we know about a cottage?

A．It is far from lakes.

B．It is not popular now.

C．It was probably built of wood.

D．It was built in a short time.

小題3:Which of the following does NOT belong to the activities mentioned in the text?

A．Sunbathing and swimming.

B．Hunting, hiking and boating,

C．Having a picnic and roasting hot dogs.

D．Playing football and watching games on TV.

小題4:Which of the following words can best describe the author’s attitude towards“cottaging”?

A．Critical.

B．Doubtful.

C．Positive.

D．Bored.

The hit movie Notting Hill begins with a famous scene. Hugh Grant bumps (撞) into Julia Roberts and spills (灑) orange juice all over her. After the collision, Grant repeatedly says: “ I am so sorry. I am so sorry.”
His actions in this scene are very British. If Roberts’ character were from Britain then she would probably apologize repeatedly as well—even if the crash were not her fault. But this doesn’t happen in the film, as Roberts is from the US.
A report in The Telegraph last week said that three-quarters of British people apologize when they bump into someone in the street — regardless of whether they are responsible or not. In fact, we Britons use “sorry” in many situations. For example, if we mishear someone, we say “Sorry?” The person we are talking to will also apologize by replying: “No, I am sorry!” This can go on for up to five minutes as we compete over who is the most sorry.
Life is never as simple as “duibuqi” and “meiguanxi”.
How we use “sorry” has changed. Traditionally, “sorry” was used to express deep regret, but a survey in 2007 showed that we use it to mean anything from “what” to “whatever”.
Why are Britons so sorry? Mark Tyrell, a psychology writer in the UK, thinks about our apologetic tendencies are rooted in the British class system. We say sorry because historically the new middle classes in Britain had to apologize for not being working class, but also for not really being upper class. Another theory is that we apologize to avoid confrontation(沖突). For example, if you bump into someone they might get angry. To avoid this we instantly say “Sorry!”.
True manners are about being considerate and the modern day obsession with apologizing show that we are perhaps not as thoughtful as we once were. The word has lost some of its meaning. Do you see my point? Sorry, it might just be a British thing…
小題1:What can we infer from paragraph 2?

A．In fact Roberts are responsible for the collision.

B．People from the US say “sorry” more than British people.

C．There is no crash happening in the film.

D．British people say sorry even if it is not their fault.

小題2:Which of the following might Mark Tyrell agree to?

A．British people are sincere while saying sorry.

B．Now more British people say sorry because of the British class system.

C．British people say sorry to avoid quarrels.

D．British people apologize for not working hard.

小題3:What does the author want to tell us with the passage?

A．British people overuse “sorry” in daily life.

B．British people now say “sorry” in different situations.

C．Middle classes in British are to blame for not being working class.

D．Britons say “sorry” to avoid confrontation.

小題4:What does the underlined word “collision” in the first paragraph mean?

A．quarrel

B．disagreement

C．crash

D．fight

The other day my aunt paid me a visit. She was overjoyed. “I got the highest mark in the mid-term examination!” She said. Don’t be surprised! My aunt is indeed a student, exactly, a college student at the age of 45.
“Compared with the late 70s,” she says, “now college students have many doors.” I was shocked when she first told me how she had had no choice in her major. Look at us today! So many doors are open to us! I believe there have never been such abundant opportunities for self-development as we have today. And my aunt told me that we should reach our goals by grasping all these opportunities.
The first door is the opportunity to study different subjects that interest us. My aunt was happy to study management, but she could also attend lectures on ancient Chinese poetry and on Shakespearean drama. As for myself, I am an English major, but I may also go to lectures on history.
The second door is the door to the outside world. Learning goes beyond classrooms and national boundaries. I have many fellow international classmates, and I am applying to an exchange program with a university abroad. As for my aunt, she is planning to get an MBA degree in the U.K.
The third door is the door to life-long learning. Many of my aunt’s contemporaries say she’s amazingly up-to-date for a middle-aged woman. She simply responds, “Age doesn’t matter. What matters is your attitude. I don’t think I’m too old to learn.” Yes, she is right. Since the government removed the age limit for college admissions, there are already some untraditional students, sitting with us in the same classrooms. Like them, my aunt is old but young in spirit with incredible energy and determination.
The doors open to us also pose challenges. For instance, we are faced with the challenge of a balanced learning, the challenge of preserving our fine tradition while learning from the West, and the challenge of learning continuously while carrying heavy responsibilities to our work and family. So, each door is a test of our courage, ability and judgment, but with the support of my teachers, parents, friends and my aunt, I believe I can meet the challenge head on.
小題1:Which of the following words can best replace the “door” in the passage?

A．challenge

B．knowledge

C．learning

D．opportunity

小題2:What made the writher’s aunt overjoyed?

A．Having a chance to visit the writer

B．Having lots of choices in subjects

C．Getting the highest score in her exam

D．Getting admission to a university

小題3:Which of the following statements will the writer’s aunt agree with?

A．No pains, no gains.

B．Failure is the mother of success.

C．One is never too old to learn.

D．Rome isn’t built in a day.

小題4:The following word can be used to describe the writer’s aunt EXCEPT __________.

A．fashionable

B．traditional

C．energetic

D．determined

小題5:Which chart shows the correct structure of the passage?

If you lose your wallet, how often do you think someone will be kind enough to return it to you, with cash and credit cards?
Some people may be greedy, and others are simply too lazy to bother(打攪) with the trip to the post office to send back a wallet to a stranger. But according to a psychology study by Dr. Richard Wiseman, there’s one thing that’ll greatly increase your odds of being reunited with a lost wallet: a photograph of a cute baby.
In the study, hundreds of wallets were scattered(分散) around the streets of Edinburgh, Scotland. The psychologists wanted to see how many strangers would take the trouble to return them to the addresses listed on the drivers’ licenses inside—but more than that, they wanted to find out what would make a person more likely to help out a stranger.
To finish this, they included personal things in most of the wallets: some included a photo of a happy elderly couple, some contained a cute puppy, some contained a family portrait, and some held a photo of a lovely baby. Others had receipts(發(fā)票) showing that the wallet’s owner had recently donated to a charity（慈善）. Some contained no personal details.
As the psychologists soon discovered, the sight of a smiling baby is enough to warm nearly any heart: only one in ten of the strangers who retrieved such wallets did not return them. In contrast, the second most successful image, the puppy, had a 53% return rate. When the wallet included no photograph, it stood only a one in seven chance of being returned to the owner.
The success of the baby photograph shows a human compassion(同情) for the young that’s been passed down through the ages, according to Dr. Wiseman. “The baby kicked off a caring feeling in people, which is not surprising from an evolutionary perspective(進(jìn)化的角度),” he told the Times.
To ensure our species’ survival, scientists think that we must feel empathy and compassion for our young. Scientists say that this study supports the argument that we won’t feel compassion only for our own babies, but for any that we see—hence, the strong desire a stranger would feel to return a wallet to the baby’s parent.
On a more basic level, the study also provides a great tip to help ensure that if your wallet is ever lost, you’re more likely to get it back. “If you want to increase the chances of your wallet being returned if lost, gain a photograph of the cutest baby you can find and ensure that it is clearly displayed,” said Dr. Wiseman.
小題1:The main purpose of the psychologists’ leaving hundreds of wallets around was to find out________.

A．whether people were as honest as before

B．what made people willing to help strangers

C．what kind of feelings could be caused by a smiling baby

D．how evolution influenced human beings

小題2:The underlined word “retrieved” in Para. 5 probably means “________”.

A．picked up

B．spread out

C．found out

D．looked for

小題3:Why did people return a wallet with a photograph of a cute baby in it?

A．Because the wallet was not attractive enough to keep.

B．Because the sight of a baby could cause a caring feeling in them.

C．Because they were curious to know the parents of the baby

D．Because the sight of a cute baby reminded them of their own children.

小題4:If there are 30 lost wallets with a photograph of a cute baby, how many of them will probably be returned?

A．Only 3.

B．About 15.

C．20 or so.

D．About 27.

小題5:We can learn from the last two paragraphs that________.

A．humans usually have compassion for the young

B．the caring feeling in people is gone during evolution

C．scientists believed that people only feel compassion for their own babies

D．a(chǎn) wallet with a cute baby’s picture in it cannot be lost

Driving a car is not just handing controls and judging speed and distance. It requires you to predict what other road users will do and get ready to react to something unexpected. When alcohol is consumed, it enters your bloodstream and acts as a depressant(抑制藥), damaging eyesight, judgement and co-ordination(協(xié)調(diào)), slowing down reaction time and greatly increasing the risk of accidents. Even below the drink driving limit, driving will be affected.
Alcohol may take a few minutes to be absorbed into the bloodstream and start action on the brain. Absorption rate is increased when drinking on an empty stomach or when consuming drinks mixed with fruit juice. To get rid of alcohol from the body is a very slow process and it is not possible to speed it up with any measures like taking a shower or having a cup of tea or coffee.
The present Road Traffic Ordinance states clearly that the limit of alcohol concentration is:
·50 milligrams of alcohol per 100ml of blood; or
·22 micrograms of alcohol per 100ml of breath; or
·67 milligrams of alcohol per 100ml of urine(尿液).
Drivers who cause traffic accidents, or who commit a moving traffic offence or are being suspected of drink driving will be tested.
Any driver found drinking beyond the limit will be charged. The driver declared guilty may be fined a maximum of HK＄25,000 and be sentenced to up to 3 years in prison and punished for 10 driving-offence points; or temporarily banned from driving.
The same punishment applies to failing to provide specimens(樣本) for breath, blood or urine tests without good excuse.
Drink driving is a criminal offence. Be a responsible driver, think before you drink. For the safety of yourself and other road users, never drive after consuming alcohol.
小題1: The first paragraph is mainly about       .

A．the introduction of driving skills

B．the damage of drinking to your body

C．the effect of drinking on driving

D．the process of alcohol being absorbed

小題2: The underlined word “it” in the second paragraph refers to “       ”.

A．a(chǎn)lcohol

B．a(chǎn)bsorption

C．blood

D．process

小題3: Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A．Drinking below the drink driving limit has no effect on driving.

B．Alcohol is taken in more quickly when drunk with fruit juice.

C．Having a cup of tea helps to get rid of alcohol from the body.

D．50 milligrams of alcohol per 100ml of breath is below the drink driving limit.