For many men an women today,the image that a watch communicates is more important than the time it tells. “Complications”---features that go beyond simple timekeeping—are an important part of a watch’s image. Today’s watches offer a host of complications that suit almost any personality . These features include altitude trackers ,compasses, lunar calendars ,USB drivers , and even devices that measure the effectiveness of golf swings !
Creativity is also a key element in today’s watches , for men as well as women. The Japanese watchmaker Tokyoflash makes watches that don’t even look like watches . The company’s popular Shinshoku model uses different color lights to tell the time . It looks more like a futuristic bracelet then a watch. Another Japanese watchmaker , EleeNo , makes a “handless” watch . Using a ring of circles to keep time , this watch makes an excellent conversation piece.
In the past, the image of a man’s watch was quite different from that of a woman’s. Men’s watches tend to be bolder, larger, and more complicated than women’s watches, which were more likely to look like jewelry. Today, the differences between men’s and women’s watches are disappearing. Watchmakers are adding diamonds to their fine watches for man. And for women, they’re designing larger watches that contain complications. For example, some women’s watches now have calendars that show the phrases of the moon. Others show the time in two different cities, a handy funtion for business travelers. However, women still pay more attention than most men to the external beauty of a watch. And unlike men, women are still more likely to purchase watches that suit particular items in their wardrobes.
72.According to the passage, one type of watch complications can show you____________.
A. appointments for the day                      B. which direction is north
C. how much weight you’ve put on               D. a list of telephone numbers
73.What is the true information about the watch made by EleeNo?
A. It uses different hands to keep time.            B. It’s rather popular.
C. It doesn’t look like a watch.                  D. It’s much fun to talk about.
74.What does the writer imply about watches for women?
A. They are not as simple as they used to be.             
B. They need to improve their quality.
C. They have fewer functions and jewels.           
D. They don’t last as long as they used to.
75. What is the main topic of this article?
A. Why women are likely to buy more watches than men?
B. The differences between men’s and women’s watches
C.Current trends in the watch industry.
D.Useful tips for purchasing watches.

 
第三部分閱讀技能 (共三節(jié)，滿(mǎn)分35分)
閱讀理解（共12小題；每小題2分，滿(mǎn)分24分）
閱讀下列短文，從每題所給的A、B、C、D四個(gè)選項(xiàng)中，選出最佳選項(xiàng)，并在答題卡上將該項(xiàng)涂黑。
A
For most people, the word “fashion” means “clothes”. But people may ask the question, “What clothes are in fashion?” And they use the adjective (形容詞) “fashionable” in the same way: “She was wearing a fashionable color.”
But of course there are fashions in many things, not only in clothes. There are fashions in holidays, in restaurants, in films and books. There are even fashions in school subjects, jobs…and in languages.
Fashions change as time goes. If you look at pictures of people or things from the past, you will see that fashions have always changed. An English house of 1750 was different from his grandson in 1860.
Today fashions change very quickly. Some of this is natural. We hear about things much more quickly than in the past. Newspapers, radios, telephones and television send information from one country to another in a few hours.
New fashions mean that people will buy new things, so you see there is money in fashion.
41  From this passage we know that “fashion” means _________.
A  clothes   B  many things    C  most of the popular things    D  everything
42  Which of the following things is fashionable today?
　  A  Surfing on the Internet
B  Having a family dinner on New Year’s Day
C  Learning to sing songs on the radio
D  Doing morning exercises at school.
43  Today fashions change very quickly because _______.
　  A  People read newspapers every day 　
B  radios send information from one country to another
　  C  new things that people like are often shown on TV
　  D  people quickly learn what is happening in the world
44  “There is money in fashion.” means ________.
　  A  clothes are expensive    B  money comes from fashion
　  C  people like new things   D  there are no fashions without money

E
根據(jù)短文內(nèi)容，從短文后的選項(xiàng)中選出能填入空白處的最佳選項(xiàng)。選項(xiàng)中有兩項(xiàng)為多余選項(xiàng)。
Every boy and every girl expects their parents to give them more pocket money. Why do their parents just give them a certain amount?   51  
The amount of money that parents give to their children to spend as they wish differs from family to family.   52   Some children get weekly pocket money. Others get monthly pocket money.
First of all, children are expected to make a choice between spending and saving. Then parents should make the children understand what is expected to pay for with the money. At first, some young children may spend all of the money soon after they receive it. Parents are usually advised not to offer more money until it is the right time.  53
In order to encourage their children to do some housework, some parents give pocket money if the children help around the home. Some experts think it not wise to pay the children for doing that. 54   
Pocket money can give children a chance to experience the three things they can do with
themoney. They can spend it by giving it to a good cause. They can spend it by buying things they want.   55  Saving helps children understand that costly goals require sacrifice. Saving can also open the door to future saving and investing for children.

A．They can save it for future use.

B．Timing is another consideration.

C．As helping at home is a normal part of family life.

D．Some children are not good at managing their pocket money.

E. Learning how to get money is very important for every child.
F. One main purpose is to let kids learn how to manage their own money.
G. By doing so, these children will learn that spending must be done with a budget（預(yù)算）.

第三部分閱讀理解（共20小題；每小題2分，滿(mǎn)分40分）
第一節(jié)：（共15小題；每小題2分，滿(mǎn)分30分）
閱讀下列短文，從每題所給的四個(gè)選項(xiàng)（A、B、C和D）中，選出最佳選項(xiàng)，并在答題卡上將該項(xiàng)涂黑。
A
As Christmas approaches, towns and cities around the UK are preparing for a very British celebration．
The switching on of a town' s Christmas lights has become an increasingly competitive event over the years, with some councils （會(huì)議） spending lots of money to attract A-list famous persons to do the honors．
The American singer Mariah Carey flew to London in November to switch on the lights at one of the city's biggest shopping centers, while Jim Carrey lighted Oxford Street and promoted his new film at the same time．
Traffic in the historic English city of Bath was brought to a halt as thousands of fans crowded to see the Hollywood actor Nicolas Cage conducted the switching-on ceremony．
Some celebrations do not go according to the plan, as was seen in Birmingham when dozens of people were injured as the famous British boy band JLS took the stage．
Not all towns can afford to bring in an internationally-known star, so many switchon ceremonies are handled by ex-TV talent show competitors．
Pantomime （圣誕童話(huà)�。� stars are also much in demand at this time of year, as they aim to promote their Christmas shows．
But if your council hasn't got the budget to bring in a famous face, what are the cheaper alternatives?
A town in the west of England chose to let the public decide by giving their suggestions online．The result: a 21-year-old DIY store worker was given the honor．
"I was amazed and delighted to be asked," said Scott Parker, "it's just a special gift and not something I'd, ever thought about before．"
56．According to the passage, what kind of special celebration can you see at Christmas in UK?
A．People meeting their favorite stars and getting special gifts．
B．Well-known persons invited to make a performance in public．
C．A-list persons lighting Oxford Street and promoting their films．
D．Switching-on ceremonies that are conducted by honored persons．
57．The underlined word "halt" in Paragraph 4 probably means "______" ．
A．start  B．stop              C．ban       D．run
58．Which of the followings can be learned from the passage?
A．Mariah Carey is invited to Bath to switch on the lights．
B．Pantomime stars rarely appear at events like this．
C．Not all those who switch on the Christmas lights can make lots of money．
D．Average persons can not get a chance to switch on the Christmas lights．
59．The following are famous persons EXCEPT _____．
A．Scott Parker      B．Mariah Carey         C．Nicolas Cage       D．Jim Carrey

In today's world, we rely on computers as never before. They are used for everything from ordering a pizza to running hospitals and military defense systems. Banking and credit card information is stored and accessed by computers. So what happens when a computer gets infected with a virus? One effect is that people's access to their e-mail accounts is cut off. A more serious possible consequence is that billions of dollars could be lost.
A virus is a computer program that copies itself onto other programs and infects them. Similar to an easily spread disease, a computer virus goes from computer to computer, either adding to or changing the tasks a program is designed to do.
The first computer viruses were created in the mid '80s and had varying effects. Some caused files to be deleted, or made the letters on the screen appear to fall off. Others displayed a specific message once the computer was turned on.
Viruses today are much more widespread and dangerous than ever before. Perhaps the most damaging to date has been the "I Love You" virus. "I Love You" appeared in May 2000 and has possibly been the most destructive virus in terms of monetary loss.
The virus is released when an attachment to a fake e-mail message is opened. By changing the names of files on computers, "I Love You" makes them difficult to access. It also searches for important personal information, including passwords, which it sends to a web site for others to see.
It is estimated that more than 45 million people in 20 countries have had their computers infected by the "I Love You" virus. Some say the cost of repair and lost business has been more than US$10 billion.
If you own a computer, it is important to keep it in good health by installing an anti-virus program. If updated frequently, it will protect your e-mail access--not to mention your wallet.
68. What does "virus" mean in the article?
A. An easily spread disease.            
B. A contagious (傳染的) computer program.
C. An extremely small organism (生物) which causes disease.
D. A parasite (寄生蟲(chóng)) in computer.
69. How does "I Love You" virus spread?
A. It is spread when an e-mail account is opened.  B. It is spread through on-line chatting.
C. It is spread through e-mail.                 D. It spreads from web site to web site.
70. Which of the following is the best way to guard against virus?
A. To load an up-to-date anti-virus program into our computer 
B. Not to use an e-mail account.
C. To upgrade our computer.          
D. Not to use the Internet.
71. What is the purpose of the article?
A. To warn us against virus.            B. To remind us the importance of being healthy.
C. To stress the importance of computer.  D. To warn us to economic loss.

When important events are happening around the world, most people turn to traditional media sources, such as CNN and BBC for the news．However, during the war in Iraq in 2003, many people followed the war from the point of view of an unknown Iraqi citizen who called himself “Salam Pax ” ．(Salam Pax means peace)
Salam Pax wrote a diary about everyday life in Baghdad during the war, and posted it on his website．Pax’s online diary was a kind of website known as a “blog”．Blogs are online diaries, usually kept by individuals, but sometimes by companies and other groups of people．They are the fastest growing types of website on the Internet．
A blog differs from a traditional website in several ways．Most importantly, it is updated much more regularly．Many blogs are updated every day, and some are updated several times a day．Also, most blogs use special software or websites, which can help ordinary people easily set up and start writing their own blogs．
There are many different kinds of blogs．The most popular type is an online diary of links where the blog writer surfs the Internet and then posts links to sites or news articles that they find interesting , with a few comments about each one ．Other types are personal diaries, where the writer talks about their life and feelings．Sometimes these blogs can be very personal．
There is another kind of blogging, called “moblogging ”, short for “ mobile blogging ”．
Mobloggers use mobile phones with cameras to take photos, which are posted instantly to the Internet．The use of mobile phones in this way made the headlines in Singapore when a high school student posted a movie he had taken of a teacher shouting at another student on the Internet．Many people were shocked by what the student did, and wanted phones with cameras to be banned from schools．
Many people think that as blogs become common, news reporting will rely less on big media companies, and more on ordinary people posting news to the Internet．They think that then the news will be less like a lecture, and more like a conversation, where any one can join in．
小題1:Which statement about Salam Pax was true?

A．He worked for CNN．

B．Salam Pax was not his real name

C．He was famous as a host in BBC

D．He used a mobile phone for his blog

小題2:What is the biggest difference between blogs and traditional websites?

A．Blogs are updated much more often	B．Blogs contain links to other websites
C．Blogs use special software	D．Blogs contain personal information

小題3:According to the passage, which statement about the future is most likely ? In the future …

A．everyone will have a blog

B．large media companies will be unnecessary

C．people will be able to learn the news from other points of view

D．blogging technology will be banned

小題4:What is the passage mainly about ?

A．the history of the Internet	B．new types of media
C．the war in Iraq	D．the increase of using computers

Every year there are hundreds of earthquakes in different parts of the world. In September, 1923, Tokyo and Yokohama were both destroyed by an earthquake and the fires that followed it. They had to be completely rebuilt. One of the most serious earthquakes was in China’s Shanxi province in 1556. It killed almost one million people.
We measure an earthquake’s strength on the Richter Scale. The Richter Scale was introduced in 1935 in Southern California in the USA. It measures earthquakes on a scale of one to ten. Any earthquake measuring five or more is usually serious.
The Earth’s crust(地殼) is made up of rock called plates. As these plates move, they sometimes crash against each other, causing the crust to quake. In cities such as Tokyo, where small quakes happen quite often, many modern buildings are designed to be flexible so when the Earth moves, they move with it.
Earthquakes can also break up gas and oil pipes. This can cause fires to break out, which can do as much damage as the earthquake itself.
Another effect of earthquakes is tsunamis. These are huge waves created by earthquakes beneath the sea. They can be many meters high and cause great damage to coastal towns and cities, China, Japan, Russia and the USA have the highest occurrence(發(fā)生) of earthquakes in the world.
小題1:The passage is mainly about       .

A．scientists who study earthquakes	B．the way of measuring earthquakes
C．a(chǎn) usual natural disaster	D．what people should do in the earthquake

小題2:The earthquake in Shanxi Province       , which in NOT true?

A．happened in 1556	B．killed one million people
C．was the only earthquake in China	D．caused a lot of damage

小題3: Earthquakes        

A．don’t cause much damage	B．a(chǎn)re not serious
C．most possibly happen in Japan	D．happen all over the world

小題4:According to the passage we know that tsunamis        .

A．can cause earthquakes

B．a(chǎn)re caused by earthquakes

C．only happen on land

D．a(chǎn)re a way of measuring earthquakes

Is there a nationwide shortage of nurses? It’s hard to say．However, some characteristic symptoms often indicate that there is indeed a shortage．
One symptom is the vacancy rate, or the percentage of budgeted positions that are unfilled．New England’s hospitals currently report that an average of 7 to 12 percent of their registered nurse positions are vacant, the highest level since the last shortage in the late 1980s．Vermont has a relatively low vacancy rate, at 7．8 percent．But its vacancies were at 1．2 percent just five years ago．
Another symptom is the increased use of stopgap measures to fill empty positions．For instance, many nurses report an upswing in how frequently they are asked to stay past their shifts．According to Murphy, working in the St．Elizabeth’s Hospital, “The shortage has definitely created a lot of opportunities of overtime for our nurses, whether they want them or not．” Similarly, a national survey of registered nurses shows that in an average week, nurses in the U．S．work 2．4 more hours than they are scheduled to．Much of this extra time is voluntary, as nurses earn overtime pay when they stay to fill in blanks in the schedule．
When they can’t fill open positions by more traditional means, health care providers hire temporary staff to tide them over．Travelling workers are the largest part of the temporary health care workforce, hired for thirteen-week reduction at health care facilities facing short-term lack of workers．Temporary workers, mainly nurses, cost hospitals $ 7．2 billion in 2000．
“Any successful solution to the shortage depends on convincing more people to become nurses, and that is not an easy goal to reach．To achieve it,” says Buerhaus, “society needs to place more value on nursing．Legislation （法規(guī)） can’t do that – it should come from people．” And if this continues, we might have to learn to care for ourselves in the hospital．
小題1:The temporary staff hired by a hospital _______．

A．cost a large part of the hospital’s budget

B．meet the need for nurses in the hospital for a short time

C．should work on a weekly basis and on a scheduled timetable

D．ought to work passively for thirty continuous weeks

小題2:According to Buerhaus, what is a successful solution to the nurse shortage?

A．To convince people of the benefits of being a nurse．

B．To ask the government for help to work out specific legislation．

C．To publicize the past achievements of nurses．

D．To make people aware of the importance of being a nurse．

小題3:What’s the probable meaning of the underlined word “upswing” in Paragraph 3?

A．Symptom

B．Decrease

C．Increase

D．Figure

小題4:What’s the author’s attitude towards nurse shortage?

A．Worried

B．Indifferent

C．Doubtful

D．Optimistic

第二節(jié)：完形填空 (共20小題；每小題1.5分，滿(mǎn)分30分)
閱讀下面短文，掌握其大意，然后從36—55各題所給的A、B、C、D四個(gè)選項(xiàng)中，選出最佳選項(xiàng)，并在答題卡上將該項(xiàng)涂黑
As the drought（干旱） continued to seem to be endless, a small community of mid-west farmers were wondering what to do next. The rain was important not only to keep their crops     36    , but to support the townspeople's way of     37    . Since the problem needed immediate    38    , the local church felt it was time to call a prayer meeting to ask for    39   .
In what seemed an unclear remembrance（紀(jì)念） of a Native American   40    , the people began to arrive. After they were all    41    , the pastor（牧師）on his arrival watched as the townspeople continued to arrive. He slowly    42     his way to the front to officially    43    the meeting.
Everyone was taking the opportunity to     44    with close friends. When the pastor     45     the front, his thoughts were on quieting those     46     and starting the meeting.
47    he began to ask for quiet, his eyes    48     through the crowd and he took     49     of an eleven year-old girl sitting in the front row.
Her face was shining     50     excitement and she     51     sat in her place. Next to her, was a bright red umbrella,    52     for use. The beauty and innocence（純真） of the girl made the pastor smile as he     53     the faith she had. No one     54     at the meeting had brought a/an     55    .
They had all come to pray for rain, but she had come expecting God to answer with the needed rain.       
36.A. wealthy     B. healthy          C. powerful      D. necessary
37.A. work        B. entertainment     C. stay          D. life
38.A. attention          B. solution         C. fiction        D. conservation
39.A. rain          B. help           C. money             D. advice
41.A. covered     B. crowded        C. occupied      D. seated
42.A. found       B. struggled       C. felt           D. made
43.A. end              B. close          C. begin        D. hold
44.A. talk              B. tell            C. say           D. drink
45.A. arrived     B. reached         C. got           D. hurried
46.A. possible     B. patient              C. pure          D. present
47.A. As         B. Until          C. Though        D. Unless
48.A. got         B. went          C. looked             D. saw
49.A. hold         B. sight          C. notice        D. glance
50.A. for         B. with           C. by            D. at
51.A. quietly     B. calmly              C. anxiously     D. worriedly
52.A. eager        B. ready         C. curious         D. awful
53.A. recognized    B. promised       C. realized        D. allowed
54.A. even         B. else            C. still          D. also
55.A. apron       B. raincoat         C. record        D. umbrella

E
Researchers have just offered evidence in a study that says obesity appears to spread through social ties, much like a virus. When one person gains weight, their close friends often follow, but the finding might also offer hope.
If friends help make obesity acceptable, then might also be influential in losing the fat. The researchers note that support groups are already an effective tool in dealing with other socially influenced problems, like alcoholism.
The findings appeared in the New England Journal of Medicine, The researchers used information collected from 12,000 people. It was collected between 1971 and 2003 as part of the Framingham Heart Study.
The information was highly detailed. There was even contact information for close friends of the people in the study.
The researchers examined more than 40,000 social ties. They found that a person’s chances of becoming severely overweight increased by 57% if a friend had become obese.
Nicholas Christakis of Harvard Medical School was a lead investigator in the study. He says there is a direct causal relationship between a person getting fat and being followed in weight gain by a friend.
The study found that the sex of the friends was also an influence. In same-sex friendships, a person had a 70% increased risk of becoming obese. Men had a 44% increased risk of becoming obese after weight gain in brothers. In sisters, it was 67%. Between husbands and wives, it was a little less than 40%.
The researchers also considered the effect of where people lived in relation to each other. James Fowler of the University of California, San Diego, was the other lead investigator. He says a friend who lives a few hundred kilometers away has as much influence as one in the same neighborhood. He says the study demonstrates the need to consider that a major part of people’s health is tied to their social connections.
Both investigators say their research shows that obesity is not just a private medical issue, but a public health problem.
67. What does the underlined sentence in Para2.mean?
A. Obesity has a negative influence on a close friend.
B. Friends might also play a part in losing weight.
C. One might have a positive influence on one’s friend.
D. Friends usually don’t follow each other to lose weight.
68. Who is mostly likely to gain weight?
A. A man who has a fat brother.     
B. A husband who has a fat wife.
C. A wife who has a fat husband. 
D. A woman who a fat female friend.
69. Which of the following statements doesn’t the passage agree with?
A. You are sure to lose weight if you have a skinny friend.
B. If one gains weight, one’s friends are likely to get fat.
C. A person’s health is closely linked with his /her social relationship.
D. Even if the friend lives far away, the influence still remains.
70. The reason why the study involves both family members and friends is that _____.
A. researchers fail to find a more different sample
B. researchers have different ideas for family members and friends
C. researchers can meet these people regularly
D. researchers can compare the results