the weather, the sports meet will be held on time.

A. In favor of               B. Regardless of           C. Apart from              D. Due to

“I       in the room, watching TV broadcast about the earthquake.” I told the policeman who had driven here to question me.

A. was staying     B. stay       C. stayed          D. am staying

                       Meditation in Indonesian Business

  It looked like a typical business meeting. Six men, neatly dressed in white shirts and ties filed into the boardroom of a small Jakarta company and sat down at a long table. But instead of consulting files or hearing reports, they closed their eyes and began to meditate（冥想）, consulting the spirits of ancient Javanese kings. Mysticism touches almost every aspect of life in Indonesia and business is no exception. One of the meditators said his weekly meditation sessions are aimed mainly at bringing the peace of mind that makes for good decision-making. But the insight gained from mystic communication with spirits of wise kings has also helped boost the profits of his five companies.

  Mysticism and profits have come together since the 13th century introduction of Islam to Indonesia by Indian Moslem merchants. Those devout traders, called ‘Wali Ullah’ or ‘those close to God, ’ energetically spread both trade and religion by adapting their appeals to the native mysticism of Java. Legends attribute magic power of foreknowledge to the Wali Ullah. These powers were believed to be gained through meditation and fasting.

  Businessman Hadisiko said his group fasts and meditates all night every Thursday to become closer to God and to contact the spirits of the great men of the past. ‘If we want to employ someone at the managerial level, we meditate together and often the message comes that this man can’t hole onto money or he is untrustworthy. Or maybe the spirits will tell us he should be hired.’  Hadiziko hastened to add that his companies also hold modern personnel management systems and that formal qualifications are essential for a candidate even to be considered. Perspective investments also are considered through mystic meditation. ‘With the mind relaxed and open, it is easier to be objective in judging the risk of a new venture. Meditation and contact with the wisdom of the old leaders sharpens your own insight and intuition. Then you have to apply that intuition to the information you have and work hard to be successful. ’ Mystic meditation helped reverse a business slide his companies experienced in the mid-1980. Operating with normal business procedures, he lost more than $ 3 millions in that year alone. Meditation brought back his peace of mind. Putting the right persons in the right jobs and gaining confidence in his business decisions were the keys to a turning around that has brought expansion and profitability. The mysticism in Handspike’s boardroom is part of a growing movement in Indonesia called Kebatinan – the ‘search for the inner self.’

  One of his managers, Yusuf Soemado, who studied business administration at Harvard University, compared the idea of mystic management to western system of positive thinking. ‘Willpower and subconscious mind are recognized as important factors in business. Such approaches as psycho-cybernetics, Carnegie’s think and growth rates, or the power of positive thinking are western attempts to tap the same higher intelligence that we contact through meditation,’ he said.

What is the most important factor in their doing business?

A Mysticism.  B Religion.  C Meditation.  D Investment.

Whom do they consult?

A The spirits of ancient Javanese kings.  B Wali Ullah.  C Old Kings.  D Carnegie.

Why did Hadisike hasten to add ‘his companies also hold modern personnel management systems…’?

A He thought Mysticism was not so good as expected.

B To show they too focused on qualifications.

C To show they hired qualified persons.

D To show the possibility of combination of the scientific management with religion.

According to the passage, the function of the meditation is

A to gain profit from the god.  B to gain peace of mind to make decision.

C to gain foreknowledge.     D to gain objective conclusion.

What does ‘operating with normal business procedures’ refer to?

A .Adopting the western way of doing business.

B Ordinary way of doing business without meditation and fasting.

C Contact with God.

D Putting right persons in the right jobs.

Vienna－In spite of Iraq’s decision to stop oil deliveries, the 11- nation Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries（OPEC）will not increase production to make up the shortfall, ministers decided Tuesday in Vienna.

    The 11 oil ministers decided to meet again on July 3 to discuss the effects of the Iraq temporary stop. The organization’s president, Charkid Kheria of Algeria, said after the meeting that stocks were high and prices were stable, so quota increases were not necessary.

    The E.U. Commission has expressed concern about Iraq’s output stop. A speaker said OPEC had to take all possible measures to keep or lower the oil price.

    Saudi Arabia’s Oil Minister Ali Al-Nuaimi had earlier said there would not be any shortfall of oil in the market. The organization had already taken steps to fill the gap, he said. OPEC Secretary General Ali Rodriguez added that the period of Iraq’s output stop was not known, so other exporters were not going to lift quotas yet. If the market was destabilized (使……動搖), a suitable response could be made.

    Iraq on Monday stopped shipments of crude oil to protest against the U.N. Security Council’s decision to extend the oil-for-food programme by only a month, instead of the normal six-month renewal. Just before the Vienna meeting, oil prices had gone up, with a barrel of OPEC crude oil selling for 27.05 dollars, up from 26.81 dollars last Friday. North Sea oil was at 29.26 dollars Monday evening.

    OPEC wants the oil price to stay within a margin of 22 to 28 dollars and achieved that with cuts in January and March that reduced 2.5 million barrels per day off quotas(配額).

Iraq made the decision to stop oil deliveries because ___________.

    A. oil price is too low in international market.

    B. The U.N. Secretary Council has decided to shorten the time of extension of the oil-for-food programme

    C. Many oil wells were destroyed during the war in the late 1980s

    D. It couldn’t get enough money to develop its economy

The attitude the E.U. Commission took towards Iraq’s output stop is ________.

    A. active       B. concerned        C. cold        D. surprised

The 11 oil ministers decided to meet on July 3 so that _________.

    A. they can persuade Iraq to continue oil production

    B. they can have a talk with the U.N. Security Council

    C. they can have a discussion about the effects of Iraq’s temporary output stop

    D. they can make up their minds to increase oil production

The main idea of the passage is ________.

    A. the oil prices in the world were stable though Iraq has stopped oil deliveries

    B. OPEC has controlled the oil price to stay within a margin of 22 to 28 dollars

    C. OPEC will not increase oil production to make up the shortfall that caused by Iraq

    D. Oil is connected with people’s daily life

Yesterday I had a word with the CEO of the company, ___ who used to teach at Beijing University．

         A．one    B．the one     C．that D．it

Erik Weihenmayer was born with an eye disorder. As a child his eyesight became worse and then, at the age of 13, he lost his sight completely. However, he did not lose his determination to lead a full and active life.

       Erik became an adventurer. He took up parachuting, wrestling and scuba diving. He competed in long-distance biking, marathons and skiing. His favorite sport, thought, is mountaineering.

       As a young man, Erik started to climb mountains. He reached the summit of Mount McKinley in 1995 and then climbed the dangerous 1000-metre rock wall of EI Capitan. Two years later, while climbing Mount Kilimanjaro in Kenya with his girlfriend, they stopped for a time at 13,000 feet above sea level－in order to get married. In 1999, he climbed Aconcagua, the tallest mountain in South America. And then , on May 25, 2001, at the age of 33, Erik successfully completed the greatest mountaineering challenge of all. He climbed Mount Everest, the highest mountain in the world.

       Erik invented his own method for climbing mountains. He carries two long poles: one to lean on and the other to test the way ahead of him. The climber in front of him wears a bell to guide him. Erik is a good team member. He does his share of the job, such as setting up tents and building snow walls.

       Although he could not enjoy the view, Erik felt the excitement of being on the summit of Everest. He hopes that his success will change how people think about the blind. “When people think about a blind person or blindness, now they will think about a person standing on top of the world.”　

When was Erik born?

       A. In 1968.                   B. In 1995.                   C. In 1967.                   D. In 1969.

What was unusual about his wedding?

       A. He got married on the summit of Mount McKinley.

B. He got married when climbing Mount Everest.

       C. .His wedding was held after he prepared a lot.

D. His wedding was held at 13,000 feet above sea level.

What is Erik’s special method for climbing a mountain?

A. He takes his girlfriend with him.　　　　　　　B. He does his share of the jobs.

C. He uses two long poles to help himself.　　　  D. He keeps a good team around him.

Which of the following shows the right order of what happened?

a. He topped Mount McKinley.

b. He became blind.

c. He challenged Mount Everest.

d. He reached the peak of Kilimanjaro.

e. He climbed the rock wall of EI Capitan.

A. b, e, d, c, a 　 　B. b, a, e, d, c      　　 　C. a, b, e, d, c   　 　　D. b, d, a, c, d

When you cover the novel, you will have ____better understanding of___ life．

         A．a(chǎn); the          B．the; a        C．不填; the           D．a(chǎn);不填

Dear Editor,

Brockingham is run by people who are more interested in tourists than its residents. The problem is that the people running the government refuse to accept new ideas. By banning(禁止) all fast-food restaurants and discount stores, they take away all the places kids can afford to shop.

These people forget that when they were young, they could go to the South Street Soda Fountain and get an ice-cream soda for 25 cents. Today you can’t find an ice-cream soda anywhere in Brockingham for less than $2! Where can kids go for a snack?

There is not a single restaurant in Brockingham where a family of four can eat dinner for less than $100. Add a 15% tip and sales tax and you have spent nearly $125 to eat a meal you could prepare at home for about $12. Have you noticed that Brockingham families never dine in Brockingham?

Fast-food restaurants are also a good place for school kids to get an after-school job. Fast-food restaurants are busiest during the early supper hours when students are able to work, whereas the fancy food restaurants cater to late-night diners. Working in one of these establishments requires working shifts that are too late for most students.

The City Council claims that local merchants, rather than national chains, should benefit from the tourist business. I agree that it is important to support local businesses, but I think the fast-food restaurants would encourage more people to shop in Brockingham.

Another thing that disturbs me is that we must travel 25 miles to the nearest discount store. If I need a tire for my bike, I have a choice of buying one at Surf and Peddle Sport Shop for $15 or driving to Parkersburg Discount Center where I can buy the same kind of tire for $9. Again, I think the ban on all food chains and discount houses is counterproductive for our city.

Wes Woodrow

9th-Grade Student at Brockingham High School

Why does Wes Woodrow write this letter to the editor?

Because the government bans all fast-food restaurants and discount stores in Brockingham.

Because the writer can’t find an ice-cream soda anywhere in Brockingham for less than $2.

Because a family of four can’t find a restaurant in Brockingham to eat dinner for less than $100.

Because the writer has to travel 25 miles to the nearest discount store.

     From the letter we can infer that _____.

the writer used to buy a lot of ice-cream soda

the students refuse to work in fancy food restaurants

the government’s ban benefits local merchants much

discount stores usually offer a discount of 40%

     The underlined word “counterproductive” in paragraph 6 of the letter probably means _____.

A. cheap, not expensive                             B. surprising, not expected

C. harmful, not helpful                                    D. doubtful, not sure

     One way the writer of this letter tries to convince the reader is by _____.

complaining that someone has to drive him to Parkersburg

getting an after-school job in fast-food restaurant himself

suggesting that many businessmen have the same opinion

giving specific examples of the high costs in Brockingham

Anti-bird flu contingency (意外事故) measures, including a proposal to separate poultry from humans and a series of traffic and logistics (后勤) measures will be discussed at the Legislative Council's Food Safety and Environmental Hygiene Panel meeting next month. Secretary for Health, Welfare and Food Dr York Chow says the contingency plan would come into force if an outbreak occurred near Hong Kong.

Speaking on a radio talk show this morning, Dr Chow said the separation of poultry from humans policy, which will be determined after a decision whether to set up a central slaughtering (屠宰) house or several regional ones, would be based on the demand for live chickens.

He pointed out that at present there were 30,000 live chickens imported from the Mainland and 30,000 supplied locally. If this demand persisted, there would be no central slaughtering house or wholesale point that could handle such an amount and regional slaughtering houses could be the choice.

He added that building of regional slaughtering houses took time, but stressed the need to study the views of the public and the sector before a final decision was made.

Regarding avian flu vaccination (種痘) for humans, Dr Chow said it was still being developed. He added that it may not be reliable in the case of an outbreak as records show vaccination can only offer 5% protection against a virus.

He said Hong Kong had more experience and expertise than neighbouring territories in the fight against viral outbreaks, and was willing to offer them help. He added there was no “boundary” for infectious diseases and close cooperation among different countries had to be maintained to fight against a possible outbreak.

It can be inferred from the first paragraph that ______.

A. the government is planning to take strong action to fight against bird flu

B. an outbreak which happened near Hong Kong made people very frightened

C. anti-bird flu contingency measures will come into use next month

D. Dr York Chow will organize a meeting to discuss the contingency plan

According to the passage, the best way to fight against bird flu is to ______.

A. separate poultry from humans                       B. set up a central slaughtering house

C. set up several regional slaughtering houses      D. get avian flu vaccination

When the final decision will be made mainly depends on ______.

A. the demand for live chickens                         B. the views of the public

C. the advice from experts

D. the time when regional slaughtering houses will be finished

Which of the following statements isn’t Dr York Chow’s opinion?

A. Hong Kong is better at dealing with viral outbreaks than its neighbours.

B. Infectious diseases could happen in any country.

C. Other territories should ask Hong Kong for help because it has more experience.

D. Cooperation is quite necessary when danger is coming.

Learning to save money when you're young is an important lesson. All good lessons arid habits begin early, and saving is a skill that everyone needs. Many people—adults included—do not have a good sense of saving for the long run. 　　  

I have been lucky to learn this lesson early because I have had a grass-cutting business since I was 10 years old. Of the money I make I spend about 10 percent and save the other 90. 　　

Making sure you save and don't spend too much is a good way to build up wealth. I have put my earnings in a bank. Many teens I know spend all the money they earn so it never has a chance to grow. Young people should realize that their teenage years are a great time to begin saving. 　　

At high school many parents pay for almost everything, so your expenses can be small. If you have a lob, you should have fun with some of the money. But you should also save some so that it will grow. Then you can begin planning for your future. When you spend money, you not only lose that money, but also lose the interest you could have earned by saving it. 　　

After high school, college is expensive and then "real" life begins, with expenses such as food and rent. If you can hold onto a good percentage of the money you earn as a teen, going to college and buying a house will be much easier.________________, the more time the money has to grow. If you are in your thirties without any savings, you will always have to struggle. The earlier you begin saving, the easier it is to create a nest egg.  

Later in life it can be hard to start saving because general costs of living are more expensive and you may only have enough to pay your bills. If you want to buy a house and have a family, you need money to start with, which comes from saving. 　　

Many say money cannot make you happy, and this is true. But money can help you to lead a secure life. 　　  

Saving early will mean you will have to work for fewer years when you are older. It will also allow you to spend time doing the things that you want to do.

In addition to this, it will mean you can live the way you want to without worrying.

1.What’s the best title of the passage? 

2.Which sentence in the passage is the closest in meaning to the following one?

 As long as you save early, you’ll do less work to live well at your old age.

3.Please fill in the blank in the passage with proper words or phrases to complete the sentence.(within 10 words)

4 According to the passage,.what do you think of saving ?(within 30 words)

5.Translate the underlined sentence into Chinese.