Every day we go to school and listen to the teacher, and the teacher will ask us some questions. Sometimes,
the classmates will ask your opinions of the work of the class. When you are telling others in the class what
you have found out about these topics, remember that they must be able to hear what you are saying. You are
not taking part in a family conversation or having a chat with friends-you are in a slightly (稍微的) unnatural
situation where a large group of people will remain silent, waiting to hear what you have to say. You must speak
so that they can hear you-loudly enough and clearly enough but without trying to shout or appearing to force
yourself.
     Remember, too, that it is the same if you are called to an interview whether it is with a professor of your
school or a govemment official who might meet you. The person you are seeing will try to put you at your ease
but the situation is somewhat different from that of an ordinary conversation. You must take special care that
you can be heard.

1. Usually, when you speak to the class, the class is ____.

A. noisy
B. quiet
C. having a rest
D. serious

2. The situation in the class is ____ that in your house.

A. not very different from
B. sometimes the same as
C. sometimes not. the same as
D. not the same as

3. If you are having a conversation with an official, the most important thing for you is ____.

A. to show your ability
B. to be very gentle
C. to make sure that you can be heard
D. to put the official at ease

4. The main idea of this passage is ____.

A. that we should talk in different ways in different situations
A. that we must speak loudly to make ourselves heard when stating our opinions in serious situations
B. that we must keep silent at any time
C. that we must talk with the class

     It is natural for young people, at times, to blame their parents for most of the misunderstandings between
them. They have always complained that their parents are out of touch with modern ways; that they do not
trust their children to deal with crises; that they talk too much about certain problems, and that they have no
sense of humor, at least in parent-child relationships. I think it is true that parents often look down upon their
teenage children and also forget how they themselves felt, when young.
     For example, young people like doing things without careful consideration: it is one of their ways of
showing that they can accept a challenge. Older people worry more easily: most of them plan things ahead, at
least in the back of their minds, and do not like their plans to be upset by something unexpected.
     So my advice to you is this: when you want to borrow the family car or get your mother to mend
something for you, you will have better success if you can possibly ask in advance.
     Young people often annoy their parents with their choices in clothes and hairstyles, in entertainers and
music. This is not the main reason. They feel cut off from the adult world. So they create a culture and society
of their own. Then, if it turns out that their music and entertainers, or vocabulary, clothes and hairstyles annoy
their parents, this gives them additional enjoyment. They feel they are better, at least in a small way, and they
are leaders in style and taste.
      Sometimes you don't obey because you do not want your parents to accept what you do. If they did
accept, it looks as if you are tricking your own age group. But in that case, you are supposing that you are the
underdog: you can't win but at least you can keep your honor. This is a passive way of looking at things. It is
natural enough, after long years of childhood, when you were completely under your parents' control. But it
ignores the fact that you are now beginning to be responsible for yourself.
      If you plan to control your life, co-operation can be part of the plan. You can impress others, especially
parents, with your sense of responsibility, so that they will give you the right to do what you want to do.

1. According to the passage, all the following complaints are true EXCEPT that ______.

A. parents have no sense of humor at all
B. parents are always behind the times
C. parents talk too much about certain problems
D. parents don't believe their children can deal with crises

2. What does the author suggest to young people to win support from their parents?

A. Ignoring them.
B. Controlling them.
C. Entertaining them.
D. Cooperating with them.

3. We can learn from the passage that ______.

A. young people are not allowed to join adult society because they have their own culture
B. it is impossible for young people to get along well with older people
C. older people tend to forget what they felt when they were young
D. older people often lead the way in fashion

4. The underlined word "underdog" in the 5th paragraph refers to a person who _____.

 A. keeps dogs as pets
B. seems less likely to succeed
C. likes to cheat his own age group
D. looks down upon others around him

     Some vacation is just around the corner. One of the best things you can possibly do is to start you own
club. It's great fun especially if you are the sort of person who feels there's never anything to do during the
school holidays.
     The first thing you need to come up with is an idea for your club.   1   Pets, clothes, pop music or dancing
groups, sports, making things? The list is endless.
     Next you need some friends to be in your club with you.   2   All you need is three or four other people
who are interested in the same thing as you.
        3  You should all sit down somewhere together with lots of pieces of paper and write down every name
you can think up. That'll keep you busy for ages.
     At your first meeting you should make up a rule book. And the first rule should be no grown-ups or
little/big brothers or sisters! The best clubs are always secret!
     Now you have just about everything you need, except membership cards. These are very important and
again you can spend a lot of time making them.   4  Why not leave some space for a photo of yourself? That
will make the membership card really look like it.
     So there you are, get clubbing! Once you get started you'll think of loads of more interesting things to do!

A. That's easy.
B. Enjoy your own club!
C. Invite a designer to join you.
D. What are you interest in?
E. Then you need to pick a name for your club.
F. Use a bright thick pen to make a special design.

     General Airport Tips
     Plan to get to the airport at least an hour early, or two during holidays and other busy times; this will
reduce the stress of the flight. If all goes well, you will have time to relax, shop for last-minute items, or
have a meal before the flight.
      Flight Delays
     Find out why your flight is delayed. Call the free call numbers. Find out if other airlines are experiencing
similar delays. If you believe the delay is due to something other than weather or air traffic problems, then
mention your suspicion (懷疑) and ask the airline agent to book you on the next available flight, either on the
same air-line or a competing one. This is called "Rule 240", and all airlines are required to do it. Use the lingo
(行話); ask,"Can you 240 me?" when speaking with an agent. They will know what you mean.
     Flight Cancellations (取消)
     If your flight is canceled, then make a reservation on the next flight to your destination. Usually, air-line
personnel will try to book everyone on their next flight out. Often they will put you on a competitor's next
flight only if you request it. If on-time arrival is important to you, when you check flights through our
reservation system you can rate your choices based on their on-time arrival records. Be sure to also check the
weather conditions, as they often affect flight schedules.

1. A person goes to the airport ahead of time mainly to _______.

A. buy what he wants in the airport
B. have a good rest in the airplane
C. reduce the pressure of the flight
D. get on the airplane immediately

2. If a person calls "Rule 240", he wants to _______.

A. change for the ticket to the next flight
B. make sure the time for the next plane
C. know if other flights' delays happen
D. ask the reason for the plane delay

3. After a flight cancellation, a passenger can_______.

A. arrive at his destination on time
B. be arranged on a competing flight
C. make sure the weather is quite fine
D. reserve the next flight to your destination

4. The purpose in writing this text is to________.

A. show us how to get on a plane
B. tell us what to do before and after a flight
C. put forward suggestions for a flight
D. teach us actions before an emergency

     It's enough to give anyone an earache. Women spend an average of about five years on the phone during
their working lives, research has shown.
     You won't be surprised to learn that women spend 18 months longer than men on the phone-who only
chat for an average of three years.
     Both sexes make and receive almost the same number of calls - 277,000 for men and 288,000 for women.
But women spend 13,500 more hours in total on their conversations.
     More than half of those chats are work-related but people spend on average twice as long on a personal
call (10 minutes ) as on a business one.
     Despite the explosion in mobile phone ownership, most people still prefer to use landlines, the poll (民意調(diào)查) found.
     However, when people are tired of talking, the top excuse for getting a caller off the line is to say
"Someone's at the door." Other favourites include "I'm cooking" and "I need to go to the toilet".
     Eight out of ten phone users admitted not answering their phones on purpose if they did not want to speak
to the caller.
     One in three people thought calls after 10 pm were unacceptable but a quarter of those polled said they did
not mind calls up to midnight. 
     Two-thirds admitted they had people in their address books who they should ring but never got round to
doing so.
     Joseph Blass, managing director of telecom company Toucan, said, "As a nation, we love to chat on the
phone but it is quite astonishing when we look at the total number of calls we make in a lifetime."

1. According to the passage, which of the following statements is TRUE?

A. Women spend about five years talking on the phone during their lifetime.
B. Women make and receive the same number of calls as men do.
C. On average, work-related calls are only half as long as personal calls.
D. Usually a call made by a man is longer than one by a woman.

2. According to the poll, when someone on the phone says "Sorry, someone's at the door", he or
    she probably means ________.

 A. he/she is going to the toilet
B. he/she wants to stop chatting
C. he/she is too tired to talk any longer
D. he/she must go to open the door for someone

3. From the text, we know that _________.

A. calls around midnight are acceptable to some people
B. 80% of people always refuse to answer a phone call
C. people never ring the people in their address books
D. Joseph Blass was one of the people who were polled

4. What Joseph Blass says in the last paragraph shows that _______.

A. it's no wonder that we all love to chat on the phone
B. people in many countries love to chat on the phone
C. people insist on often phoning their family and friends
D. the amount of time people spend on the phone was unexpected

     A lot of us lose life's tough battles by starting a frontal attack-when a touch of humor might well enable
us to win. Consider the case of a young friend of mine, who hit a traffic jam on his way to work shortly
after receiving an ultimatum (最后通牒) about being late on the job. Although there was a good reason for
Sam's being late-serious illness at home-he decided that this by-now-familiar excuse wouldn't work any
longer. His supervisor was probably already pacing up and down preparing a dismissal speech.
     Yes, the boss was. Sam entered the office at 9:35. The place was as quiet as a locker room; everyone
was hard at work. Sam's supervisor came up to him. Suddenly, Sam forced a grin and stretched out his
hand. "How do you do!" he said. "I'm Sam Maynard. I'm applying for a job, which, I understand, became
available just 35 minutes ago. Does the early bird get the worm?"
     The room exploded in laughter. The supervisor clamped off a smile and walked back to his office. Sam
Maynard had saved his job-with the only tool that could win, a laugh.
     Humor is a most effective, yet frequently neglected, means of handling the difficult situations in our lives.
It can be used for patching up differences, apologizing, saying "no", criticizing, getting the other fellow to
do what you want without his losing face. For some jobs, it's the only tool that can succeed. It is a way to
discuss subjects so sensitive that serious dialog may start a quarrel. For example, many believe that comedians
on television are doing more today for racial and religious tolerance than people in any other forum.

1. Why was Sam late for his job?

A. Because he was ill.
B. Because he was caught in a traffic jam.
C. He was busy applying for a new job.
D. Because he got up late.

2. The phrase "clamped off" in Paragraph 3 means ____.

A. burst into
B. tried to set up
C. tried to hold back
D. gave out

3. Which of the following statements can we infer from the passage?

A. Sam was supposed to come to his office at 8:30.
B. It wasn't the first time that Sam came late for his work.
C. Humor is the most effective way of solving problems.
D. All people lose life's battles for they are lacking in a sense of humor.

     We have designed all our bank cards to make your life easier.
     How to use your NatWest Servicecard.
     As a Switch card, it lets you par for all sorts of goods and services, wherever you see the Switch logo.
The money comes straight out of your account, so you can spend as much as you like as long as you have
enough money or an agreed overdraft (透支) to cover it. It is also a cheque guarantee (擔(dān)保) for up to the
amount shown on the card. And it gives you free access to your money from over 31,000 each machines
across the UK.
     How to use your NatWest Cashcard
     You can use your Cashcard as a Solo card to pay for goods and services wherever you see the Solo logo.
It can also give you access to your account and your cash from over 31,000 cash machines nationwide.
You can spend or withdraw (提取) what you have in your account, or as much as your agreed overdraft limit.
     Using your cards abroad
     You can also use your Servicecard and Cashcard when you're abroad. You can withdraw cash machines
and pay for goods and services wherever you acc the Cirrus or Maestro logo displayed. We take a commission
charge (手續(xù)費) of 2.25% of cash withdrawal you make (up to &4) and a commission. Charge of 75 pence
every time you use Maestro to pay for goods or services. We also apply a foreign-exchange transaction fee
of 2.65%.
    How to use your Nat West Credit Card
     With your credit card you can do the following:
     * Pay for goods and services and enjoy up to 56 days interest-free credit.
     * Pay in over 24 million shops worldwide that display the Mastercard or Visa logos.
     * Collect one AIR MILE for every ￡20 of spending that appears on your statement (結(jié)算單).
     (This does not include foreign currency or traveler's cheques bought,interest and other charges.)

1. If you carry the Servicecard or the Cashcard, _____.

A. you can draw your money from cash machines conveniently
B. you can use it to guarantee things as you wish
C. you can spend as much money as you like without a limit
D. you have to pay some extra money when you pay for services in the UK

2. If you withdraw ￡200 from a cash machine abroad,you will be charged _____.

A. ￡4.5
B. ￡5.25
C. ￡4
D. ￡5.3

3. Which of the following is TRUE about using your NatWest Credit Card?

A. You have to pay back with interest within 56 days.
B. You will be charged some interest beyond two months.
C. You can use the card in any shop across the world.
D. You will gain one air mile if you spend ￡20 on traveler's cheques.

4. The purpose of the passage is to show you how to _____.

A. pay for goods with your cards
B. use your cards abroad 
C. draw cash with your cards
D. play your cards right 

     There are many types of reports. A report is simply an account of something that has happened. The
commonest are news reports. We get them in themselves, over radio and on television. Sometimes cinemas
also show us newsreels. The main purpose of a newspaper is to provide news. If you examine a newspaper
closely, you will find that there are all types of news: accidents, floods, fires, wars, fashions (服裝), sports,
books, etc. The news covers everything that happens to people and their surroundings. Sometimes there are
news items which are very amusing.
      A news report is usually very short, except when it is about something very important, but it contains (包
含) a lot of information. It is also written in short paragraphs, the first paragraph is in fact a summary (總結(jié))
of the news item. It gives all the necessary information, what, when, where, how and why. The other
paragraphs give full details of the subjects. There may also be interviews with people. The words actually
spoken by them are within inverted commas (引號). Often there are photographs to go with the news to make
it more interesting.

1. The easiest way to get today's news is _______.

A. to go to the cinema
B. to watch a color TV
C. to read today's newspaper
D. to listen to the music over radio

2. Newspaper sell well mainly because_______.

A. they cost very little
B. they are easy to get
C. they have got pictures to go with the news
D. they provide all sorts of news in them

3. If you want to get enough information about yesterday's traffic accident within a very short time,
    you'd better ______.

A. read the first paragraph of the news report in today's newspaper
B. start from the second paragraph of the news report in today's newspaper
C. look through the whole news report in today's newspaper
D. talk with people who have seen the accident

4. To interest more people, a news reporter ______.

A. usually produces amusing news
B. always writes very short news reports
C. often prints pictures to go with the news
D. sometimes provides long and important news

5. This passage mainly talks about ______.

A. different types of reports
B. news reports
C. happenings to people and their surroundings
D. the length of a news report

     As you move around your home, take a good look at the things you have. It is likely that your living room
will have a television set and a video, and your kitchen a washing machine and a microwave oven. Your
bedroom drawers will be filled with almost three times as many clothes as you need. You almost certainly own
a car and possibly a home computer, holiday abroad at least once a year and eat out at least once a week.
     Now, perhaps, more than ever before, people are wondering what life is all about, and what it is for.
Getting material success is beginning to trouble large numbers of people around the world. They feel that the
long-hours work culture to make more money to buy more things is eating up their lives, leaving them very
little time or energy for family. Many are turning to other ways of living and downshifting is one of them.
     Six percent of workers in Britain took the decision to downshift last year. One couple who downshifted is
Donald and Liz. They used to work in central London. He was a newspaper reporter and she used to work for
an international bank. They would go to work by train every day from their large house in the suburbs, leaving
their two children with a nanny (保姆). Most evenings Donald wouldn't get home until eight or nine o'clock,
and nearly twice a month he would have to fly to New York for meetings. They both earned a large amount of
money but began to feel that life was passing them by.
     Nowadays, they run a farm in the mountains of Wales. "I always wanted to have a farm here," says
Donald,"and we took almost a year to make the decision to downshift. It's taken some getting used to, but it's
been worth it. We have to think twice now about spending money on car repairs and we no longer have any
holidays. However, I think it's made us stronger as a family, and the children are a lot happier."
      Liz, however, is not quite sure."I used to enjoy my job, even though it was hard work and long hours.
I'm not really a country girl, but I suppose I'm gradually getting used to looking after the animals. One thing I
do like, though, is being able to see more of my children. My advice for other people wanting to do the same
is not to think about it too much or you might not do it at all."

1. When Donald was a reporter he _____.

A. lived in central London
B. disliked his job
C.missed his children
D. was well paid

2. Daniel and Liz both agree that the move to the farm _____.

A. was easy to organise
B. has improved family life
C. was extremely expensive
D. have been a total success

3. The underlined word "it" in the second paragraph means _____.

A. Child-caring.
B. Liz's advice.
C. Downshifting.
D. Liz's job.

4. The underlined word"downshifting" in the second paragraph means _____.

A. repairing your car by yourself
B. spending money carefully
C. moving out to the countryside to live a simpler and better life
D. living in a big house in the suburbs and dining out once a week