Music died here last spring, or rather, it was killed by members of the school committee who ignored the importance of music and drama as part of the high-school curriculum.

The committee decided that teaching students how to take a standardized test is more important than a curriculum in which students can explore their interests in the arts as well as academics. Because the school system is running out of funding, it needs to make sure that students pass the mastery test or even more money will be lost. If students fail the state standardized test, it is not the fault of drama and music classes – they are failing because the academic classes are not sufficient (足夠).

It is painful to think of how many students will be discouraged from singing, acting, and playing instruments because school programs are no longer offered. Many families cannot afford private music lessons, and many potential musicians and artists may not find their calling if they are not exposed to it in school. The fact that the school committee thinks the arts are not worth the investment will certainly make some students believe the arts are not worth their time or support and the cycle will continue.

Teaching for a test does not shape students into complete, well- rounded people. It blocks the natural sense to create and express feelings through art – there is more to life than the analytical thinking that math and English provide. What happens after a test? Sure, a student might graduate, but they will have limited knowledge – certainly not a good preparation for the real world.

59. Music and drama are ignored by ________.

   A. students       B. the school committee       C. teachers             D. parents

60. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A. Students can get high marks in the standardized test only by attending classes

B. The school committee completely influences students’ attitude towards the arts

C. Students can be musicians and artists only if they can afford private music lessons

D. Quite a few students are discouraged from music and art in today’ s school system

61. We can learn that music and art can ______.

A. provide students with analytical thinking

B. make students round-shaped people in future

C. motivate students in creativity and expression

D. prevent students graduating from high school

62. The best title of the passage can be ______.

A. Who Killed Music and Drama?               B. Can Curriculum Go Without Arts?

C. Why is Music So Important?                  D. How to Prepare For the Real World?

Stopping teens from smoking is a big challenge many communities face today. Many communities can only watch without being able to act while local businesses continue to sell tobacco products to children, even under the risk of punishment by law.
    Recent studies show that a large percentage of teens today are getting their cigarettes from stores, mostly gas stations or convenience stores. As teens continue to be able to buy their own cigarettes, more and more communities begin to punish those who sell cigarettes to the teens.
    One community has experienced success in their attempts to stop the sale of tobacco products to children. Woodridge, Illinois, started a program seven years ago which forbade and strictly punished the sale of tobacco products to children. The entire program includes local licensing of vendors (小販), repeated undercover inspections to see if the sale to children has stopped, and education programs in schools. Woodridge has become a model community as other communities are moving to stop teen tobacco use.
    A recent national study showed that 36.5% of females, and 40.8% of males buy their cigarettes from stores, whether it is a gas station or a supermarket. Hopefully, as more and more sellers see the trouble they face if caught selling to children, they will stop selling.
  True, tightening down on stores that sell tobacco to children isn’t going to completely stop the problem of teen tobacco use. Teens continue to get them from other sources. But it definitely does prevent their efforts. With more education in schools, and perhaps stronger punishments for teens caught with tobacco, more and more teens will see the problems with the tobacco usage, and will stop the habit.

63. To stop teens from smoking, more and more communities are ________.

A. punishing those who sell cigarettes to teens more severely

B. punishing teens caught with tobacco more severely

C. educating those who sell cigarettes about the danger of teen smoking

D. stopping the sale of tobacco products in stores

64. Which of the following is NOT a way Woodridge uses to stop tobacco sale to children?

A. Local licensing to tobacco sale.        B. Repeated undercover inspections.

C. Education programs in schools.              D. Stronger punishment of teens caught smoking.

65. It can be inferred from the passage that _____________.

A. teens can only buy cigarettes from gas stations and convenience stores

B. more communities have succeeded in stopping teen tobacco use

C. More males than females have the habit of smoking in America

D. Punishment alone cannot solve the problem of teen tobacco use

66. What attitude does the writer have towards stopping teen tobacco abuse?

A. Negative        B. Optimistic     C. Uncertain      D. Uncaring

From hitting the mall with your girl friends on a Saturday afternoon, to holiday spending on gifts that go under the tree, shopping could be called one of America’s favorite pastimes. For most people, it means some new clothes for work or a small trinket for a friend. For others, however, shopping is much more than an enjoyable pastime, and in some cases, it is a real and destructive addiction that can turn into a financial disaster. Compulsive shopping and spending are defined as inappropriate, excessive過度的, and out of control. Like other addictions, it basically has something to do with impulsiveness and lack of control over one’s impulses沖動. In America, shopping is embedded in our culture; so often, the impulsiveness comes out as excessive shopping. Sometimes this is referred to as “shopholism”. Shopping addiction can damage a person’s life, family, and finances. “No one knows what causes addictive behaviors, like shopping, alcoholism, drug abuse, and gambling”, says a professor of applied health science. Some of the new evidence suggests that some people, maybe 10%-15%, may have a genetic predisposition to an addictive behavior, coupled with an environment in which the particular behavior is triggered引發(fā), but no one really knows why.” Individuals will get some kind of high from an addictive behavior like shopping.

What are the telltale signs that shopping has crossed the line and become and addiction? What should a concerned family member or friend look out for when they think shopping has become a problem? The behaviors can signal a serious problem:

·Shopping or spending money as a result of feeling angry, depressed, anxious, or lonely

·Having arguments with others about one’s shopping habits

·Feeling lost without credit cards — actually going into withdrawal without them

·Buying items on credit, rather than with cash

·Describing a rush or a feeling of euphoria with spending

·Feeling guilty, ashamed, or embarrassed after a spending spree(大買特買)

·Thinking obsessively about money

·Spending a lot time juggling accounts or bills to accommodate spending

“If someone identifies four or more of any of these behaviors, there may be a problem”, experts say. Treating a shopping addiction requires a multifaceted approach. There are no standard treatments for shopping addiction. Medications have been used, but with mixed results. Therapists also focus on cognitive-behavioral treatment programs. There is no quick and easy answer that will immediately cure a shopping addiction, and while treatment is a necessary part of solving the problem, so is behavior change on the part of the addict.

Some basic changes in behavior that will have a big impact on breaking a shopping addiction are recommended:

·Admit that you are a compulsive spender, which is half the battle.

·Get rid of checkbooks and credit cards, which fuel the problem.

·Don’t shop by yourself because most compulsive shoppers shop alone and if you are with someone you are much less likely to append more.

·Find other meaningful ways to spend time.

And keep in mind that while behavior change is clearly important to recovery, so is reaching out for professional help.(509)

67. The best title of this article is _________

   A. Should We Shop or Not?                  B. Shopping Behaviors, Good or Bad?

   C. Shopping Spree, or an Addiction?           D. The Dangers of Shopholism.

68. You should be carefully think about your shopping behavior if you ________.

A. are angry to go shopping             B. lost your credit card while shopping

C. are overjoyed and overwhelmingly excited to go shopping.

D. count your money while shopping

69. Which of the following statement is not true? ________.

A. Medication will not help to cure a shopping addiction

B. No one really knows why people get addicted to doing something which is no good to them

C. By the word shopholism, we refers to the impulsive and excessive shopping behavior

D. Shopping addiction can turn into a real disaster in one’s life

70. The most important way to get rid of the addiction is ________.

A. use credit card instead of checkbooks

B. change one’s behavior as well as seek professional advice

C. find somebody else to shop for you    D. go to a doctor for a standard treatment

Most young architects ----particularly those in big cities ----can only dream about working in a building of their own. And making that dream come true often means finding a building no one else seems to want, which is exactly what happened to David Yocum and his partner, Brain Bell. Their building is a former automobile electrical –parts firm in Atlanta. From the outside, it looks too old, even something horrible, but open the door and you are in a wide, open courtyard, lined on three sides with rusting (生銹的)walls.

    In 2000, Yocum and Bell found this building in the city’s West End. Built in 1947, the structure had been abandoned years earlier and the roof of the main building had fallen down. But the price was right, so Yocum bought it. He spent eight months of his off-hours on demolition (拆除), pulling rubbish out through the roof, because it was too dangerous to go inside the building. The demolition was hard work, but it gave him time to think about what he wanted to do, and “to treasure what was there—the walls, the rust, the light,” Yocum said. “Every season , more paint falls off the walls and more rust develops. It’s like an art installation（裝置）there---a slow-motion show.”

    Since the back building had been constructed without windows, an all-glass front was added to the building to give it a view of the courtyard, and skylights were installed in the roof. The back of the building is a working area and a living room for Yocum and his wife. A sort of buffer(緩沖)zone between the front and the back contains a bathroom, a kitchen and a mechanical room, and the walls that separate these zones have openings that allow views through to the front of the studio and the courtyard beyond.

    Yocum and Bell, who have just completed an art gallery for the city, feel that the experience from decoration of their building, focusing on the inside rather than the outside, has influenced their work. It has also given these architects a chance to show how they can make more out of less.

63. According to the passage, it is       for most young architects in big cities to work in a building of their own.

A. easy        B. unnecessary        C. unrealistic      D. common

64. Yocum bought the old building because        .

A. it was a bargain to him                  B. it was still in good condition

C. it was located in the city center    D. it looked attractive from the outside

65. It can be inferred from the passage that Yocum and Bell       .

A. benefited a lot from pulling down the roof       

B. turned more old buildings into art galleries

C. got inspiration from decorating their old building  

D. paid more attention to the outside of the gallery

66. The main idea of the passage is that        .

A. people can learn a lot from their failures

B. it is worthwhile to spend money on an old building

C. people should not judge things by their appearance

D. creative people can make the best of what they have

China news, Beijing, Feb. 9 – Housing price in China has always aroused heated discussions among property developers and ordinary Chinese. To many property developers and local government officials, housing price in China is still low compared with many developed countries. However, the average housing price in the United States is only 8,000yuan per square meter, while in China, it is even higher than in the United States. This shows that there are some bubbles(泡沫) in Chinese real estate (房地產(chǎn)) market, the International Finance News reported.

       Although the average price of residential houses in the United States, after converted to RMB, is about 8,000yuan per square meter, the houses in US are not sold in terms of building area, as most Chinese property developers do when they sell their houses. If US property developers sell their houses according to the building area, then the housing price will be even lower than 8,000yuan per square meter. In most big Chinese cities, such as Beijing, Shanghai, and Shenzhen, houses are sold at a price even higher than those in the US.

       The high housing sales price in large cities in China proves that Chinese real estate market does have some bubbles. Moreover, Chinese houses can not be compared with houses in US in terms of building quality, environment and supporting facilities. Furthermore, it should be noted that American people’s average income is several dozen times higher than that of Chinese people. How can the Chinese afford to buy a house which is even more expensive than that sold in the US?

       At the beginning of 2007, Chinese government issued a set of policies that aimed to benefit the public. Now in order to reduce the high housing prices, the government can regulate (控制) the real estate market by raising tax on property industry and controlling the release of loans to property developers. At the same time, the government should allow people to build more houses through various fund-raising channels, such as funds collected from buyers or raised by working units. By applying these multiple means, it is expected that the high housing prices can be lowered.

63. Which of the following is NOT true from the passage?

       A．Compared with many developed countries, housing price in China is still low.

    B．Housing price in China is even higher than that in the United States.

C．The houses in US are not sold in terms of building area, as in China

D  Chinese houses can not be compared with houses in US in terms of building quality, environment and supporting facilities.

64. Why did they say that there are some bubbles in Chinese real estate market?

       A. Most Chinese property developers sell their houses according to the building area.

       B. In large cities in China such as Beijing, Shanghai, and Shenzhen, houses are sold at a

            price even higher than those in the US.

       C. the government raised tax on property industry and controlled the release of loans to

       property developers.

       D. The Chinese government issued a set of policies that aimed to benefit the public.

65. How many measures are mentioned in the last paragraph in order to reduce the high housing prices?   

A．Four     B．Three            C．Five            D．Two

66. It can be inferred from the passage that ______

   A. Housing price in China has lowered since 2007.

   B. There will be no bubbles in Chinese real estate after the government raises tax on property industry.

   C. Ordinary Chinese are looking forward to seeing that the high housing prices will be lowered.

D. More ordinary Chinese will buy a house in America instead of in China.

“I find myself glancing at my watch to see how long I’ve been standing in line,” she said. “Everywhere I go, I notice if the dumpster(垃圾罐)gates are open or if there’s trash in the parking lot.” Ms. Clark is a “mystery shopper”, one of thousands of contract workers that companies hire to pretend as regular customers in order to judge customer service, cleanliness and whether a store is selling a product that meets company specifications (規(guī)格).

Mystery shoppers can be found or, rather, not found, everywhere from restaurants and automotive shops to convenience stores and department stores. They play a constant cat-and-mouse game with store and restaurant employees and managers. However it’s not all fun and games. Once in the field, a mystery shopper will typically visit several stores or restaurants per hour, taking mental notes while inside, then jotting down physical notes after they leave.

It’s important for mystery shoppers to be as exact as possible, because the client companies are looking for data they can use to improve their service. The questionnaire won’t say, “Does the trash can need to be emptied?” What an educated shopper will say is, “The trash can to the left of the front door was overflowing with 10 pieces of trash on the ground.” Companies don’t need opinion but facts.

Nowadays mystery shoppers are armed with a number of high-tech devices, such as a digital scale and a digital thermometer, as well as a handheld PC for recording the entire experience. It’s a challenging job but a rewarding one. Mystery shoppers can be full time or part time, but the full-time workers tend to stick to standard mystery shopping while part-timers often choose the less complex reward-based programs. In those , the shoppers stay disguised(裝扮的) only until the “shop” is finished, and then reveal (透漏) themselves to the store management and award prizes to employees who provided excellent service.

To be a mystery shopper, it’s important to be a good observer, but sometimes it’s important to have the right profile(外表), too. Companies often hire shoppers from particular backgrounds to better blend in with clients’ regular customers. If a secret shopper will be sent in, for example, to do a high-end automotive shop, the candidate must have a particular profile that meets a high-end, luxury car-type buyer profile. “It’s a challenge to perform your shop without being discovered,” Ms. Clark said, “because most of the people that we work for are very aware of the mystery shopping program.”

67. According to the text a “mystery shopper” would not have to        .

A. sign a contract with the employer    B. travel a lot around the city

C. provide exact facts to the company D. fill in questionnaires  

68. We learn from the text that Ms. Clark        .

A. visits some shops regularly and sometimes does something special

B. pretends to be a shopper and evaluates the services

C. is a government official looking into the services

D. is a manager of a company offering good services

69. People are willing to become a mystery shopper mainly because they can        .

A. get the best service and get paid at the same time

B. play a cat-and-mouse game with shop employees and managers

C. do the job either full time or part time and get paid well

D. observe clearly what happens in the shops

70. What does the underlined word “those” in the 4th paragraph refer to?

A. The shops where the mystery shoppers go.     

B. The less complex reward-based programs.

C. Part-time jobs.         

D. Excellent services.

Children are being indirectly affectly by the impact of the recession (經(jīng)濟(jì)衰退) on their parents, the Children’s society warns.

   The chief executive of the Children’s Society, Bob Reitemeier, said that children were “on the front of recession”. He said the recession made it even more important to try to end child poverty.

   The answers suggest children from poorer backgrounds are more likely to be affected, but over a third of children across all backgrounds said they were aware that the recession was worrying their parents.

   Fifteen-year-old Patricia said her family felt the impact of the recession on their everyday budget(預(yù)算). “We have to save up our money and do not spend it so much on unnecessary things,”she said.

   Those questioned appeared to have great awareness of the economic crisis, which, unsurprisingly, was higher among the older children. But around 15% said they hadn’t been affected by it.

   Recent figures showed that in 2007 there were 850,000 young people with no particular occupation. An official from the government said it was so “disappointing” that some young people were concerned about the economy.

   Parents are clearly best placed to talk to their children about their worries, but schools also play an important role in teaching young people the skills they need to become healthy, happy and confident individuals.

(    )68.Which of the following is true?

      A. It is more important to try to end child poverty in the recession.

      B.Children from poorer areas are less likely to be affected.

      C.All the children questioned are worried about the economy.

      D.That some young people are worrying about the economy is “good news”.

(    )69.What does the underlined word “it” refer to in Paragraph 5?

      A. The poorer background.   B.The impact of the recession. 

C. Everyday budget.        D.The government.

(    )70.What’s the main idea of the passage?

      A. Many children are concerned about the recession.

      B.Children are being directly affected by the recession.

      C.The recession affected children indirectly.

      D. Schools play an important role in teaching young people how to become healthy, happy and confident individuals. 

The Chinese word “Shanzhai” means a small mountain village, but now it becomes an accepted name for fakes (假貨), after “Shanzhai Cell-phones” produced by small workshops in southern China became popular in the mainland market over the past two years.

Besides “Shanzhai” electronic products, there are “Shanzhai” movies, “Shanzhai” stars and even a “Shanzhai” Spring Festival Gala (聯(lián)歡晚會), a copy of the 25-year-old traditional show presented by CCTV on Chinese Lunar New Year’s Eve.

“Shanzhai” has become a culture of its own, meaning anything that imitates something famous.

In Chongqing, “Shanzhai” version “Bird’s Nest” and “Water Cube” woven by farmers with bamboo attract wide attention from tourists. Both are copies of the famous Olympic buildings in Beijing.

A literature critic said that taking the “Shanzhai” Gala as an example, when the traditional CCTV program becomes less and less attractive to the audience, the “Shanzhai” version appears timely to attract people. “Although it is often connected with poor techniques and operation, ‘Shanzhai’ culture meets the psychological needs of common people and could be a comfort to their minds,” he said.

    To the mainstream (主流的) culture, the rise of “Shanzhai” culture is a challenge and a motivation (動力). People believe different kinds of cultures developing together is a perfect situation and it is for the public to choose.

60. The Chinese word “Shanzhai” may have started with ______.

  A. fake cell-phones    B. electronic products   

C. Spring Festival Gala        D. Olympic buildings

61. According to the passage, “Shanzhai” culture refers to ______.

A. the action that a person imitates famous people

B. products with poor techniques and quality

C. anything that imitates something famous

  D. those similar names to famous brands

62. We can infer that the mainstream culture ______.

  A. is held back by “Shanzhai” culture

  B. is the challenge of “Shanzhai” culture  

  C. will be replaced by “Shanzhai” culture

  D. may develop faster because of the challenge of “Shanzhai” culture

63. Which of the following might be the best title of the passage?

  A. “Shanzhai” culture will definitely disappear   

  B. “Shanzhai” culture takes on life of its own  

  C. “Shanzhai” culture — the mainstream culture

D. “Shanzhai” culture — the mountain village culture 

Finding something to do during the school holidays isn't always easy, but one mum has set up a new website to help families find activities and events in Norfolk.

Fiona Anthony of Bawburgh, near Norwich, was persuaded by her friends to set up the website, Info4Families, when they noticed she always knew what events were happening in the county（縣）.

"I am always looking for things to keep my children occupied and Norfolk has such a lot going on," she said.

Detail（細(xì)節(jié)）from Info4Families     

"But I found it quite difficult to get information about events and activities for children and families, as there was no central information point and it would often involve collecting leaflets（傳單） and checking notice boards at different places.

"So I decided to set up a website which would allow people to find things to do, without leaving home," she added.

Fiona was also concerned that some events she had booked had to be cancelled（取消） because not enough people wanted to go.

"It is a real shame that some parents can’t find the events and some event organisers don’t get the numbers they need. I want to help bring the two together," said Fiona.

The website gives details on regular, one-off and free events, and includes activities which children can do on their own or with the family.

Parents can look for activities by category（種類）and by age so that they can find events suitable for their children’s interests and needs. The site also links to local places of interest, such as libraries, museums and cinemas.

63. Fiona Anthony set up the website __________.

   A. to tell people how to spend their holidays at home

   B. to design some activities for event organizers

   C. to help people choose activities and events they’re interested in

   D. to make money by providing some useful information

64. The underlined word “occupied” in the third paragraphs probably means “________”.

   A. busy                   B. happy               C. free                  D. tired

65. From the website Info4Families, we can easily access to the following websites about Norfolk except ________.

   A. museums            B. schools              C. cinemas             D. libraries

66. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

   A. Not all the events on the website are free of charge.

   B. Fiona always knew what events were happening in her country.

   C. Children must take part in the activities provided by the website together with their parents.

   D. some organizers often feel disappointed that not enough people take part in their activities.

       In Britain today, is it possible to tell a person’s class just by looking at him? Physical details alone tell us about health, diet and the type of work a person does. A hundred years ago the working class often looked unhealthy, small and they were either too thin or too fat. The upper classes were often tall, sporting types who were used to a good diet and looked healthy. Today living and working conditions have improved, and such descriptions are no longer true. People are taller now than a hundred years ago. Everyone in Britain today is able to have free medicine, a good diet, acceptable working conditions and enough rest and leisure. WWW.K**S*858$$U.COM

       The clothes people choose to wear, however, do provide information about their backgrounds. Expensive clothes look expensive and show their wearer is rich. Clothes can provide other clues as well. The upper classes appear to be less interested in fashion and wear good quality clothes in non-bright colours, made of natural material like wool, leather and cotton. Lower working-class people often choose clothes in bright colours, made of man-made materials. A sociological explanation for this would be that colour and interest are missing from their lives, and therefore any opportunity to produce this is taken.

       Clothes are available at a price within most people’s reach. New clothes make the wearer feel good and show some degree of wealth to the outside world. Today it is the younger people who spend most money on clothes. Fashion is no longer for the upper classes and the rich. Young people from all social classes spend a lot of money on clothes. Some new fashions are started by working-class people who want to look different and feel important. They want people WWW.K**S*858$$U.COMto look at them.

65. In the past, a person’s appearance could not tell other people about his ________.

      A. health              B. diet                C. occupation (職業(yè))    D. habits

66. The clothes people choose to wear tell us about their ________.

      A. education             B. richness              C. backgrounds             D. hobby

67. A working-class person may start a new fashion because ________.

      A. she wants to draw the attention of other people

       B. she wants to look different and healthy

       C. she wants to show their wealth

       D. she wants to show their taste

68. Which of the following statements is NOT true?

      A. Expensive clothes look expensive and show the wearer is rich.

       B. Working-class people prefer clothes in bright colours because they lack colour in their lives.

       C. Today, it is still the upper class people who spend most money on clothes.

       D. Today, fashion is no longer for the upper classes and the rich.