Just as the English language has changed quickly in the previous century, so has the use of it.
After the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) was founded in 1927, the particular style of speech of the BBC announcers was recognized as standard English or Received Pronunciation (RP) English. Now, most people still consider that the pronunciation and delivery of BBC announcers is the clearest and most understandable spoken English.
English has had a strong relationship with classes and social positions. However, since the Second World War there has been a clear change of attitude towards speech snobbery(自我優(yōu)越感), and marks of class distinction(區(qū)別) such as styles of speech have been gradually diminishing, especially in the younger generation.
By the end of the 1960s, it had become clear that it was not necessary to speak standard English or even correct grammar to become popular, successful and rich. The fashionable speech of the day was no longer the special right of a special class but rather a defiant(反抗的) expression of classlessness.
The greatest single influence of the shaping of the English language in modern times is the American English. Over the last 25 years the English used by many people, particularly by those in the media, advertising and show business, has become more and more mid-Atlantic in style, delivery and accent.
In the 1970s, fashion favored careless pronunciation and a language full of jargon, slang and “in” words, a great quantity of which couldn’t be understood by the outside world. What is considered modern and fashionable in Britain today is often not the kind of English taught in schools and colleges.
小題1:Which of the following is NOT true?

A．The use of the English language has not changed much in the previous century.

B．BBC announcers speak standard English.

C．English has no relationship with classes and social positions now.

D．Young people don’t like class distinction.

小題2:What does the author imply by saying “there has been a clear change of attitude towards speech snobbery”?

A．Everyone speaks English as the BBC announcers do.

B．There has been a great change of attitudes towards the status of English.

C．Most people don’t believe the way of speaking by BBC announcers is much better than that of other people.

D．It is necessary to speak standard English with correct grammar.

小題3:According to the author, there was a trend in the US for young people ________.

A．to speak standard English

B．to speak English with grammatical mistakes

C．to speak old English

D．to speak English without class distinction

小題4:It can be concluded from the passage that________.

A．standard English is taught only in schools and colleges

B．there has been a great change in the English language in the previous century

C．the English language has not been influenced by the American English in the last 25 years

D．young people are defiant because they refuse to speak standard English

In the current economic downturn, many American schools are adding a new subject to the curriculum（課程）; financial literacy. One program in Virginia even gets students out of the classroom for a day to learn how far their money will go in the real world.
What looks like a shopping mall is actually an educational field trip experience for a group of young people. Finance Park is a special facility where students apply what they have been taught in class about money management.
“They become, essentially, adults for the day,” says Alice Reilly, social studies coordinator for Fairfax County Public Schools. “They are asked to develop a budget for 18 line items that you and I might have in our budget; things like utilities, insurance, groceries, housing.”
Each budget item is represented by a storefront where students collect an option sheet. Students must refer to a card that shows their income and their family size, when they choose what to buy. There’s also a stock ticker so students can keep track of shares in their portfolios（投資組合）.
The facility opened last year in Fairfax, Virginia. It is the fifteenth Finance Park built in the last decade by Junior Achievement USA, a non-profit organization dedicated to preparing young people for financial success.
“Since the financial crisis, the demand for Finance Parks around the country has grown exponentially," says Ed Grenier, president of the Washington, DC chapter. "We have a number under way in the planning and building stages.”
Financial literacy has only recently become part of the regular curriculum in Fairfax County.“Some students, some teachers, some schools did it, but now it is much more systematic," Reilly says, "and it is much more consistent to ensure that all students get this background information.”
That is why every eighth grade student in Fairfax County will eventually spend a day here.Thirteen-year-old Sam says she has learned an important life lesson. “I didn’t know how expensive everything would be.”
Anthony, also 13, is looking forward to telling his parents what he learned. “I’ll probably tell them I want to stay a kid a little longer and take my time to become an adult.”
This isn’t the end of financial studies for Anthony and the other students here. Virginia is one of 13 states which requires students to take a financial education in high school in order to graduate.
小題1:What is the aim of this Finance Park?
A . To raise enough money for the secondary schools in Virginia.        
B. To enable students to apply money management knowledge to   practice.        
C. To provide students in Virginia with special chances for Advanced Placement.         
D. To direct students in Washington,D.C. to learn more about money management.
小題2:Who is expected to spend a whole day in the Finance Park?
A .Young people all over Virginia.        
B. Junior students in Washington,D.C.       
C. Eighth graders in Fairfax County.      
D. Eighth graders' parents in Virginia.
小題3:What can we learn from this passage?
A . Extra curriculum is necessary in secondary schools.       
B. Fairfax County Public Schools set a good example.
C. An organization helps youth in U.S. for financial success.        
D. Financial Literacy is very popular in Washington,D.C.
小題4:It can be inferred from the passage that _________________.
A . Alice Reilly developed a budget for 18 items in the Finance Park.       
B. ED Grenier was against building more finance parks in U.S.A.        
C. Sam did quite well in  managing his budge in the Finance Park.        
D. Anthony came to know that adult life wasn't as good as expected.

Dear Sirs，
Your shipment(裝運)of twelve thousand“Smart”watches was received by our company this morning．However，we wish to make a number of complaints concerning the serious delay in delivery and your failure to carry out our instructions．   
It was stressed from the beginning that the delivery date had to be less than six weeks. While we appreciate that delays in production are occasionally unavoidable．We must point out that the major reason why the order was placed with your company was that we were assured by you that your existing stocks ensure immediate shipment．Late delivery of the goods has caused us to disappoint several of our most valued customers．a(chǎn)nd is sure to have a negative effect on future orders．
The second complaint concerns the difference in colour．Only half the watches in the delivery received are of the colours we ordered．Our Hong Kong agent assures us that she stressed to you the importance of following our instructions．Since we consider there to be only a limited market in this country for watches of other colours．Any watches that are not of the specified colours will , of course, be returned to you．   
We are also somewhat concerned about the rather poor quality of the goods received．since it is obvious that the watches that finally arrived have been produced from inferior materials and have been made to a lower standard than those in the sample．We have also found that a number of the watches do not appear to be functioning．We should like to point out that we feel this matter to be entirely your responsibility．
As a result of the above problems，therefore，we feel that the most suitable course of action is to return to you unpaid any of the goods considered unsatisfactory，and to deduct(扣除)any costs from our final settlement．We shall also be forced to reconsider whether any further orders should be placed with your company.
We look forward to your immediate reply．
Yours sincerely，
John Smith
小題1:How many complaints does John Smith make with the“Smart”watch producer?

A．Five．

B．Four．

C．Three．

D．Two．

小題2:The producer of“Smart”watches were given the order because_________

A．they produced the best watches of its kind in the world

B．the watches would be easy to make and the designs were already prepared

C．they promised they could produce enough stocks quite quickly

D．they claimed the order would be easy since the watches were already in stock

小題3:Receiving watches in the wrong colours is a problem because_______ 

A．the Hong Kong agent stressed the need to fulfill the order exactly

B．these watches will be difficult to sell．

C． these watches will not be able to get into the limited market

D．people will not buy the watches at present

Many adults in the United States can remember crying the nursery rhyme in the street "Hot cross buns!" But only a few people realize this was an early form of advertising.
Written advertisements probably began with hieroglyphics more than three thousand years ago, but only a few people could read these symbols. So merchants made signs with pictures or hung their tools over their doors to identify their businesses.
In the time of the Roman Empire, wall paintings were a popular form of advertisement. An ad for a play, or some other performance was painted on part of a building or on a wall around a city. People often advertised a house for rent or a freshwater bath in this way, too.
Today, large wall signs are still used for outdoor advertising. But outdoor advertising is only a small fraction of the total advertising. About forty per -cent of all ads are printed in daily newspapers. Radio commercials also provide this kind of information. Some people think they are the best form of advertising because radio broadcasts reach almost everyone in a nation.
Advertisements in magazines and on television reach many people, too. However, usually only large companies can advertise on a national network, because TV commercials shown across the country can cost many thousands of dollars.
Then there are ads that are almost part of daily living. If you use public transportation, you will see large printed ads, called ear cards, on buses and taxis and in trains. Ads are painted on the trucks that deliver products people are buying or selling.
小題1:Which is the passage mainly discussing?

A．Modern advertising	B．Significance of advertising
C．Development of advertising	D．Origin of advertising

小題2:Which of the following is the original form of advertising?

A．Signs with pictures	B．Wall signs
C．Street crying	D．Wall painting

小題3:Which of the following can best replace the underlined word “hieroglyphics” in Paragraph 2?

A．A signal

B．A signature

C．A symbol

D．A form

小題4:Why did the merchants make signs with pictures or hang their tools over their doors ?

A．To have their houses decorated.

B．To make their business known by public.

C．To enable people to learn how to read

D．To advertise their houses to rent

小題5:Radio commercials are the best form of advertising because ____________.

A．they can be heard everywhere in a country

B．they are cheap and fast

C．they are most recently developed

D．they can be understood by those who can neither read nor write

There is a wide and deep choice of a career. Whether he's a hand in construction or sitting behind the desk working on a computer, everyone has some ideas of what is an attractive career. However, making a career choice is not simply a matter of following a dream; for most people it means a lot of research and soul searching. Choosing the right career becomes one of the most important decisions of an individual's life.
It used to be that one followed in the footsteps of their father or grandfather or took over the family business when it came to making a career choice. These days, a career path can start anywhere and then veer off into something totally different.
Career choices must be realistic and well thought out. It is not uncommon for persons to start a career path and realize they have made a terrible mistake, feeling as if it may be too late to turn around. Not only does a career choice concern your strongest skills and interest, it is also something that you will be doing continuously to bring in income. This is why a career choice can be such a personal decision. Formerly it used to be unusual for someone to change occupations or careers more than once or twice in a lifetime; it is now even more unusual to keep the same career during someone's working life.
There are a great many measures in helping one choose the right profession. A number of websites offering tools such as career tests and information, educational resources, resume services and the kind can be found. It is important for one to research one's career in this changing economy situation, and choose the best from several related career choices.
小題1:According to the author choosing the right career ______.

A．is not difficult at all	B．needs a lot of dreams
C．is an interesting thing	D．needs a lot of thoughts

小題2:The underlined phrase "veer off" in the second paragraph probably means "______".

A．set out to do the same job	B．change the former course
C．compare two different things	D．dream of getting an easy job

小題3:Nowadays it is common for one to _____.

A．change his job often	B．do the same job all his life
C．find a few good jobs at a time	D．live without a job for many years

小題4:All of the following are the tools on profession offered by websites EXCEPT _____.

A．tests and information	B．training courses
C．employers' phone numbers	D．instructions on resume

Researchers at Yale, Texas A&M and Boston University predict that by 2030 urban areas will expand by more than 463,000 square miles, or l．2 million square kilometers． That is equal to 20,000 American football fields becoming urban every day for the first three decades of this century．
The growth in urban areas will go with the construction of roads and buildings, water and sanitation facilities, and energy and transport systems that will transform land cover and cities globally． Recent estimates suggest that between $25 trillion（萬億） and $30 trillion will be spent on infrastructure（基礎(chǔ)設施） worldwide by 2030, with $100 billion a year in China alone．
"Considering the long life and near unavoidability of infrastructure investments, it will be critical for current urbanization-related policies to consider their lasting impacts," said Karen Seto, lead author of the study． "We have a huge opportunity to shape how cities develop and their environmental  impacts．"
Nearly half of the increase in high-probability ----defined as greater than 75 percent ---- urban expansion is forecasted to occur in Asia, with China and India absorbing 55 percent of the regional total． In China, urban- expansion is expected to create a l,l00-mile coastal urban corridor from Hangzhou to Shenyang． In India, urban expansion will be gathered around seven state capital cities, with large areas of low-probability growth forecasted for the Himalaya region where many small villages and towns currently exist．
Africa's urban land cover will grow the fastest, at 590 percent above the 2000 level of 16,000 square miles． Urban expansion win be concentrated in that continent's five regions: the Nile River in Egypt; the coast of West Africa on the Gulf of Guinea; the northern shores of Lake Victoria in Kenya and Uganda and extending into Rwanda and Burundi; the Kano region in northern Nigeria; and greater Addis Ababa, Ethiopia．
"Urban expansion is concentrated in． only a few areas where there are large cities and industry," said Seto． "From the northern shore of Lake Victoria down to Rwanda is also a major hotspot of urban expansion．"
In North America, where 78 percent of the total population lives in urban areas, urban land cover will nearly double by 96,000 square miles by 2030．The study also forecasts that 48 of the 221 countries in the study will experience insignificant amounts of urban expansion． "
小題1:As for China, the expansion of urban area means          ．

A．$ 100 billion will be spent on infrastructure a year

B．creating a coastal urban corridor from Hangzhou to Qingdao

C．it will become the fastest developing country in the next decade

D．it will make up 55% of the increase in urban expansion in Asia

小題2:According to the passage infrastructure doesn't include          ．

A．construction of roads	B．sanitation facilities
C．energy systems	D．land cover transformation

小題3:In paragraph three the underlined word “their lasting impacts” refers to the impacts of           .

A．the development of cities	B．urbanization-related policies
C．infrastructure in vestments	D．China’s expansion of urban area

小題4:The best title for this passage should be                  .

A．The limitation of urban expansion

B．More investment on infrastructure

C．The fast development of the third world

D．The future urban expansion of the world

It is "one of the few bright spots in the Chinese economy," says Zeng Ming． He is talking about e-commerce． Mr Zeng, the chief strategy officer for Alibaba, a giant Chinese Internet firm, predicts that digital transactions on his firm's platforms will top l trillion yuan （$159 billion） this year-more than Amazon's and eBay's combined． That is a bold claim, but consider what happened on Singles Sunday．
Invented a few years ago by students and seized upon by digital marketers, this festival for lonely hearts falls annually on the  llth day of the llth month （since l is the loneliest number）．It is like St Valentine's Day, only worse． Singletons shower each other with tender gifts: a barrage of pearls; a storm of sweets．
This November llth they spent a surprising 19 billion yuan on Alibaba's online platforms-a fourfold increase on a year ago, and more than double what Americans spent online last Cyber Monday （the Monday after Thanksgiving, when retailers urge Americans to shop online）． About 100m purchases were logged, accounting for 80% of the packages shipped that day． Couriers（怏遞員） were buried in parcels．
So life is good for China's e-tailers, then? Not exactly． The number of digital marketers is increasing and online sales are booming． Consumers are enjoying lower prices, better service and more variety． The problem? The pressure on profits in Chinese e-commerce is worse than in America, reckons Elinor Leung of CLSA, a broker． "Almost no one makes money," she says．
The fiercest battles are being fought between online retailers and their bricks-and-mortar（實體的） rivals．Dangdang, a firm． that resembles Amazon,．a(chǎn)nd 360buy, another online retailer, have cut prices fiercely． Tencent, a cash-rich online giant known for its instant-messaging software, is splashing out to win market share． 360buy has also just raised $400m from investors to do the same． But it is unclear how much longer such firms can burn through capital．
小題1:What's the best title of this passage?

A．The Ambition of Alibaba

B．Fierce Competition between Retailers

C．A Newly Sprung Festival for the Singles

D．Chinese Booming and Developing E-commerce

小題2:According to Zeng Ming, this year Alibaba will        ．

A．outweigh Amazon and eBay in worldwide influence

B．rank top among all the Internet firms

C．have more than 159 billion dollars' sale

D．create another sales miracle just like the one on Singles Day

小題3:How many packages were shipped on November ll th from Alibaba's online platforms?

A．About 80 million．	B．About 100 million．
C．About 125 million．	D．About 180 million．

小題4:What's the author's attitude towards online retailers in China?

A．Optimistic．	B．Concerned．
C．Sympathetic．	D．Indifferent．

Have you ever thought of taking a train and having an adventure？Riding the train can be a real adventure. That is how I feel every time I take Amtrak. I often take a four-hour trip to visit my children. Every time I take this trip I never know what will happen.
Last week when I was on the train, there was a man sitting by himself in the back of the train carrying on a mobile phone conversation—in another language. It was loud and disturbed most of the people on the train. I think it was annoying.
Fortunately I sat next to a wonderful old lady who was taking a two-day trip by train. She said her two daughters were worried at the thought of driving for three days to reach her home, although she had no trouble driving. The train ride was the only choice for her. She loved to look out of the window and watch the world go by on the train.
She was fun to talk to and asked me when my children started being parents. That is a very good question. Both of us are old and have children. She asked that same question from time to time.
There are always many people on the train from all walks of life, different countries, and many languages. Riding the train is a great way to increase your knowledge and learn all kinds of cultures. If you get hungry, you can buy food in the food car at any time. If you need to use the restroom, there is always one for you.
It surely beats driving the car, which has to stop for food and restrooms. And it is better than taking the bus.
小題1:According to the passage, the purpose of the author’s train ride was ______.

A．to do business	B．to see her children
C．to visit places of interest	D．to see her old friends

小題2:In the author’s opinion, on the train Amtrak ______.

A．the services are quite good	B．the food is terribly expensive
C．a(chǎn)ll the passengers are polite	D．a(chǎn)ll the passengers are American

小題3:What is the best title for this passage?

A．A painful experience on the train	B．A wonderful lady
C．Train ride—a cultural experience	D．The history of Amtrak

To American visitors, Iceland is a very interesting country, partly because it is different in so many ways from what he or she is used to seeing at home. There are quite a few things that are not done, or that do not exist on the island - quite a few "No's".
There is no pollution, for instance. No dogs are permitted in Reykjavik, the capital. There is no television on Thursdays or during the entire month of July, and only three hours of black-and-white TV the rest of the time. There is no hard liquor on Wednesdays and no beer at any time. There are no handguns; only one jail of thirty-five cells（牢房） in the entire land – an admirable figure, even for a small country of 313,376 people.
There is no army, air force or navy. There is no tipping for anything. There are no large stores open on Saturdays or Sundays. Since Iceland is situated just under the Arctic Circle, there is no darkness in summer and do daylight in winter. But thanks to Gulf Stream, the climate is rather mild, with temperatures ranging from 34 degrees Fahrenheit to 52 degrees in July.
The rules on television, liquor, and guns are the result of governmental decision. But the absence of pollution is due in great part to the fact that Iceland gets its power from the enormous geyser（間歇泉）and the thousands of hot springs that come out of the ground. They provide all the energy needed by the country. In fact, Iceland uses only 3 percent of all its available power.
Iceland has been described as a democratic (民主的) independent country where more fish are caught and more books published per person than anywhere else in the world. The Icelanders have always felt a particular love for literature. They composed their first works in the ninth and tenth centuries AD. These works were poems and tales about the kings, heroes, and heroines of Iceland and Norway. At first the stories were memorized and passed from generation to generation. The Icelanders have never stopped writing ever since. “Rather shoeless than bookless," they proudly say.
小題1:American visitors enjoy visiting Iceland probably because     .

A．no dogs are permitted in the capital

B．the police do not carry handguns

C．it is very different from America

D．the climate is rather mild.

小題2:The following statements are true EXCEPT       .

A．there are no soldiers in Iceland

B．the Icelanders don't drink beer

C．there is no service fee of any kind

D．there are no crimes in Iceland

小題3:There is no pollution in Iceland mainly because         .

A．Iceland uses only 3 percent of all its available power

B．the Icelanders use hot water from the ground below as their energy

C．it is located just under the Arctic Circle

D．it is a democratic independent country

小題4:"Rather shoeless than bookless" means         .

A．they regard books more important than shoes.

B．they would rather have shoes on than write books

C．they prefer traveling to reading

D．they prefer not to have shoes or books

The iPhone, the iPad: each of Apple’s products sounds cool and has become a fad (一度時髦的風尚). Apple has cleverly taken advantage of the power of the letter “i” — and many other brands are following suit. The BBC’s iPlayer — which allows Web users to watch TV programs on the Internet — adopted the title in 2008. A lovely bear — popular in the US and the UK — that plays music and video is called “iTeddy”. A slimmed-down version of The Independent newspaper was launched last week under the name “i”.
In general, single-letter prefixes have been popular since the 1990s, when terms such as e-mail and e-commerce first came into use.
Most “i” products are aimed at young people and considering the major readers of The Independent’s “i”, it’s no surprise that they’ve selected this fashionable name.
But it’s hard to see what’s so special about the letter “i”. Why not use “a”, “b”, or “c” instead? According to Tony Thorne, former head of the Language Center at King’s College London, “i” works because its meaning has become ambiguous. When Apple uses “i”, no one knows whether it means Internet, information, individual or interactive, Thorne told BBCMagazines. “Even when Apple created the iPod, it seems it didn’t have one clear definition,” he says.
“However, thanks to Apple, the term is now associated with portability (輕便).” Adds Thorne.
Clearly the letter “i” also agrees with the idea that the Western world is centered on the individual. Each person believes they have their own needs, and we love personalized products for this reason.
Along with “Google” and “blog”, readers of BBCMagazines voted “i” as one of the top 20 words that have come to define the last decade.
But as history shows, people grow tired of fads. From the 1900s to 1990s, products with “2000” in their names became fashionable as the year was associated with all things advanced and modern. However, as we entered the new century, the trend unavoidably disappeared.
小題1:People use iPlayer to _________.

A．listen to music	B．make a call
C．watch TV programs online	D．read newspapers

小題2:We can infer that The Independent’s “i” is aimed at _________.

A．young readers	B．old readers
C．fashionable women	D．engineers

小題3:Nowadays, the “i” term often reminds people of the products which are _________.

A．portable	B．environmentally friendly
C．a(chǎn)dvanced	D．recyclable

小題4:The writer suggests that _________.

A．“i” products are often of high quality

B．iTeddy is a living bear

C．the letter “b” replaces the letter “i” to name the products

D．the popularity of “i” products may not last long