Why do people buy art? To answer this question, ask yourself what your reasons are for thinking of getting a piece of art. An artwork can cost a large amount of money, but if it meets your needs, it’s worth every penny. 
People buy art for many reasons. Many people buy an artwork simply because they like it, even if it is by an unknown artist. Art, as long as you enjoy it, is never a waste of money.
Art is for enjoyment. Art is meant to be shown. Don’t ever feel pressured into buying something you won’t enjoy looking at day after day, no matter what other people may say. Don’t buy something that doesn’t attract you just because it is trendy, or because the artist is famous, or because you have been advised that the artwork will make a good investment. If you don’t like the artwork at all, don’t buy it!
Art improves your environment. Have you ever noticed that all beautiful homes have art as an integral（必需的） part of the decoration? Art lends life and color to otherwise plain and ordinary walls. A well thought--out art collection will help create a unique atmosphere in your home and make it more attractive.
Art makes a statement. The kind of art you surround yourself with says much about your personality tastes and values. Art truly is a mirror of the soul.
Art enriches your life. Love--even the love of a work of art--contributes to healthier living and a longer lifespan (壽命). Art should enrich your life. Otherwise, why do you spend precious time and resources on it?
Just remember to select something which will appeal to your tastes, and keep to a sensible budget. Good art needn’t cost an arm and a leg.
Happy art collecting!
【小題1】What’s the purpose of the passage?

A．To advise us to buy an expensive artwork.

B．To remind us to be sensible when buying an artwork.

C．To teach us how to choose works of art.

D．To explain the benefit of art to people.

【小題2】According to the author, what should you consider when buying a piece of art?

A．Whether it brings pleasure to you.

B．Whether it is fashionable at present.

C．Whether you can profit from it in the end.

D．Whether it is created by a famous artist.

【小題3】Which of the following words best describes a work of art placed in a house?

A．ordinary

B．a(chǎn)ttractive

C．necessary

D．unique

【小題4】The underlined sentence in Paragraph 5 means that ____.

A．a(chǎn)rt can show what you look like

B．a(chǎn)rt is an expression of yourself

C．a(chǎn) mirror has a feature similar to art

D．a(chǎn) mirror can be a piece of true art

　　Why doesn’t the unemployment rate ever reach zero? Economists, who generally believe that supply tends to meet demand, have long thought about this question. Even in good times, i.e. not now, there are people who can’t find work. And even in bad times, i.e. now, there are job openings. With over 14 million people out of work and looking for a job, you would think every available job would be filled. But that’s not the case. Not now and not ever.
　　On Monday, the Nobel Prize committee awarded the prize for economics to the three scholars who have done the most to explain this phenomenon. Two of the winners are Americans, Peter Diamond of MIT and Dale Mortensen of Northwestern. The third winner is Christopher Pissarides, who teaches at the London School of Economics and was born on Cyprus.
　　Like most of economics, what they have found about why the jobless and ready-employers don’t find each other seems obvious. You have to find out there is job opening you are interested in. Employers need to get resumes （簡(jiǎn)歷）. It takes a while for both employers and employees to make the decision that this is what they want. And these guys came up with a frame-work to study the problem of why people stay unemployed longer than they should and what can be done about it.
　　So what would today’s Nobel Prize winners do to solve the current problem of the unemployed? And does the awarding of the prize contribute to the politicians’ lowering joblessness?
　　Speaking from his north London home, Pissarides told The Associated Press the announcement came as “a complete surprise” though his work had already helped shape thinking on both sides of the Atlantic.
　　For example, the New Deal for Young People, a British government policy aimed at getting 18-24-year-olds back on the job market after long periods of unemployment, “is very much based on our work,” he said.
　　“One of the key things we found is that it is important to make sure that people do not stay unemployed too long so they don’t lose their feel for the labor force,” Pissarides told reporters in London. “The ways of dealing with this need not be expensive training – it could be as simple as providing work experience.”
【小題1】According to the writer, which is true about finding jobs?

A．It is always difficult to find a job.

B．Everyone can find a job in good times.

C．Contrary to popular belief, it is easier to find a job in bad times.

D．It is possible to find a job even in times as bad as now.

【小題2】 What is it that leads to their winning the prize?

A．They have found the reason for unemployment.

B．They have put forward a set of ideas to deal with unemployment.

C．They have found out why people don’t want to be employed.

D．They have long studied the problem of unemployment.

【小題3】Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?

A．Pissarides thinks his work surprising.

B．The work of Pissarides has influenced many economists.

C．Some of the winners’ ideas have been put into practice.

D．It is probable that unemployed young people in Britain benefit from Pissarides’ work.

【小題4】 According to Pissarides, _________ is effrctive in dealing with unemployment.

A．spending large sums of money on training

B．teaching some knowledge of economics

C．providing work experience

D．keeping people unemployed for some time

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　Motherhood is a career to respect
　　A WOMAN renewing her driver’s license at the CountyClerk’s office was asked to state her occupation. She hesitated, uncertain how to classify herself.
　　“What I mean is,” explained the recorder, “do you have a job, or are you just a...”
　　“Of course I have a job,” said Emily. “I’m a mother.”
　　“We don’t list ‘mother’ as an occupation... ‘housewife’ covers it,” said the recorder.
　　One day I found myself in the same situation. The Clerk was obviously a career woman, confident and possessed of a high sounding title. “What is your occupation?” she asked.
　　The words simply popped out. “I’m a Research Associate (研究員) in the field of Child Development and Human Relations.”
　　The clerk paused, ballpoint pen frozen in midair.
　　I repeated the title slowly, then I stared with wonder as my pronouncement (聲明) was written in bold, black ink on the official questionnaire.
　　“Might I ask,” said the clerk with interest, “just what you do in your field?”
　　Coolly, without any trace of panic in my voice, I heard myself reply, “I have a continuing program of research (what mother doesn’t), in the laboratory and in the field (normally I would have said indoors and out). Of course, the job is one of the most demanding in the humanities (any mother care to disagree?), and I often work 14 hours a day (24 is more like it). But the job is more challenging than most careers and the rewards are more of a satisfaction rather than just money.”
　　There was an increasing note of respect in the clerk’s voice as she completed the form, stood up, and showed me out.
　　As I drove into our driveway, buoyed up (激勵(lì)) by my glamorous new career, I was greeted by my lab assistants – ages 13, 7, and 3.
　　Upstairs I could hear our new experimental model (a 6-month-old baby), in the child-development program, testing out a new vocal pattern.
　　I felt proud! I had gone on the official records as someone more distinguished and indispensable (不可缺少的) to mankind than “just another mother.”
　　Motherhood... What a glorious career! Especially when there’s a title on the door.
【小題1】 How did the female clerk feel at first when the writer told her occupation?

A．Cold-hearted.	B．Open-minded.
C．Puzzled.	D．Interested.

【小題2】 How many children does the writer have?

A．3

B．4

C．7

D．13

【小題3】Why did the woman clerk show more respect to the writer?

A．Because she thought the writer did admirable work.

B．Because the writer cared little about rewards.

C．Because the writer did something that she had little knowledge of.

D．Because she admired the writer's research work.

【小題4】 What is the point of the article?

A．To show that how you describe your job affects your feelings toward it.

B．To show that the writer had a grander job than Emily.

C．To argue that motherhood is a worthy career.

D．To show that being a mother is hard and boring work.

A modern-day love story of a man spotting the girl of his dreams across a New York subway train and tracking her down over the Internet has failed to have a fairytale ending with the relationship over.
For Web designer Patrick Moberg, then 21, from Brooklyn, it was love at first sight when he spotted a woman on a Manthttan train last November. But he lost her in the crowd so he set up a website with a sketch picture to find her—www.Nygirlofmydreams.com.
Unbelievably in a city of 8 million people, it only took Moberg 48 hours to track down the woman, with his phone ringing non-stop and email box overflowing. New Yorkers took sympathy on the subway Romeo and joined his hunt.
The mysterious girl was named as Camille Hayton, from Melbourne, Australia, who was working at the magazine Black Book and also lived in Brooklyn. One of her friends spotted the sketched picture on the Web site and recognized her.
But after finding each other, appearing on TV and getting international press, the couple took their romance out of the public eye, with Moberg closing down the Web site and with both refusing to make any more comments—until now.
Hayton told Australian newspaper The Sunday Telegraph that she dated Moberg for about two months but it just didn’t work out.
“I say we dated for a while but now we’re just friends,” Hayton, now 23, told the newspaper. Hayton said she is still recognized about three times a week on the streets of Manhattan as “that girl” and the question is always the same: “So what happened?”
“I think the situation was so intense that it linked us,” she said, adding, “it linked us in a way that you could mistake, I guess, for being more romantic than it was. I don’t know. But I wanted to give it a go so didn’t wonder what if, what if?”
Hayton told The Sunday Telegraph that she is enjoying single life in New York, keeping busy with acting classes, working in two clothing stores. Last week she had a small role as a waitress in the long-running daytime soap As the World Turns.
“I just can’t believe it happened. It feels like a long time ago,” said Hayton. Moberg, however, was still refusing to comment on the relationship.
【小題1】After Moborg lost the girl in the crowd he set up a website with       .

A．a(chǎn) pretty notice to find her	B．a(chǎn) rough drawing to discover her
C．a(chǎn)n exciting program to attract her	D．a(chǎn)n inspiring story to move her

【小題2】 Moberg found the girl in a short time because        .

A．he phoned everybody in the city	B．he e-mailed everybody in the city
C．he continued his hunt day and night	D．he got help from the net citizens

【小題3】 What has happened to Hayton after the subway romance?

A．She has become a superstar in the city.

B．She has become a journalist in Australia.

C．She still gets noticed in the streets in New York.

D．She is out of work and is looking for a new job.

【小題4】The best title for this passage may be        .

A．NY subway romance hits end

B．NY subway romance causes debate(爭(zhēng)論)

C．NY—a romantic city for the young couple

D．NY—a heartbreaking city for the young couple

In America, when the eighth graders leave the middle school, they are often worried about moving to the high school. It is a hard time for them，but it can be an exciting one as well. To make it easier, students need to get familiar with their school.
Even though they’ve done this already in the middle school, it’s still important to find where their classrooms are. Most schools take students to the high school for a visit at the end of their eighth grade year. And, most schools also have a freshman (新生) speech for parents and students before the first year begins. Sometimes the main office will give away a map of the school. This can help students and parents to find different places in the school.
One way to know your high school more and make new friends is to join a club or play a sport．Schools often offer chances to join different clubs and sports. Fall activities begin in August before the first day of school. If you are not interested in sports, there are clubs for any interest, such as drama, dance, chess, photography, community service, etc. These clubs allow students from different grades. By joining an activity, students can find new friendships, not to mention improving their chances in future college applications(申請(qǐng)). The school office will have a list of activities offered at the school and information on how to join them.
What’s more, to have a great start to a high school year, students can write down some of their worries, and ask for help from teachers and school workers.
【小題1】According to the text, most students feel ________ when entering the high school.

A．unhappy

B．nervous

C．lonely

D．disappointed

【小題2】Which of the following is TRUE about the school clubs?

A．There are fewer students from higher grades in the school clubs.

B．The school clubs in high school mainly welcome sports fans.

C．Summer activities begin before school starts.

D．School officers can help new students join school clubs.

【小題3】When do many schools take students to visit their new high school?

A．Before the eighth grade year starts.

B．Right after the high school year starts.

C．At the beginning of the new term in the high school.

D．By the end of the last year in the middle school.

【小題4】What is the purpose of this text?

A．To describe high school life.

B．To introduce new schools.

C．To teach useful experience.

D．To give advice to new high school students.

We keep reading that TV is bad for you. If this is true, how come the current generation of TV-addicted kids is much smarter than we are? In my home, the only people who can work the remote control are the children.
Perhaps TV does educate you. For example, you learn a useful medical fact: A person who has been shot always has time to speak an incomplete sentence before he dies. “The killer was…” (dies)
But I guess the biggest things we learn from TV can be regarded as “Life Skills”. Bad things only happen on dark and stormy nights. Emotional breakdowns cause people to wander in the heavy rain without umbrellas. And contrary to what scientists say, the crack(霹靂) of lightning and the accompanying flash happen at exactly the same time, wherever you are.
I’ve even acquired useful geographical facts from science-fiction shows: Aliens speak English no matter which planet they come from.
Making use of what we learn from TV can improve our security. Consider these truths. If you are ever attacked by 20 bad guys, don’t worry about being outnumbered. The criminals will hang back and take turns to approach you in ones and twos just so you can conveniently defeat them all. Bad guys who are completely covered in black clothes always remove their black masks to reveal that they are in fact, aha, women.
TV also teaches us important information about escaping from danger. Watch and learn. (1) If anyone is running after you down a passage, you will find that boxes have been conveniently placed near all the walls you need to jump over. (2) If you are tall and handsome, you can run from any number of armed criminals, and every shot will miss you.
Be warned, however. If your name card says “henchman” (幫兇) and you are part of a group of plain-looking people trying to catch a handsome individual, a single shot will kill you. But don’t be anxious: TV also delivers useful information for bad guys. All cars are inflammable (易燃的) and have amazing shock absorbers that enable them to fly into the air and land without damage — except police cars.
TV even teaches us about TV. Whenever anyone turns on a TV, it shows a news flash about someone they know. They then turn the box off immediately after that news item.
【小題1】By saying “A person who has been shot always has time to speak an incomplete sentence
before he dies” (Paragraph 2), the writer shows his________.

A．humor	B．sympathy
C．deep concern	D．medical knowledge

【小題2】We can infer from Paragraph 3 that in the real world_______.

A．bad things cause people to break down in the rain

B．bad things never happen on dark and stormy nights

C．people with emotional problems like to walk in the rain without umbrellas

D．the crack of lightning and the accompanying flash don’t happen at the same time

【小題3】On TV what usually happens when a person turns it on?

A．The news shown is always about someone the person knows.

B．The person always turns off the TV when it’s time for news.

C．The program shown is always about the importance of TV.

D．TV always shows news about famous people.

【小題4】What’s the main idea of this passage?

A．Life skills can be learned from TV.

B．TV plays an important role in society.

C．Watching TV makes people more creative.

D．What happens in TV is very different from reality.

Some people would go through anything just to achieve their dream. Kasia Siwosz is proof. For the final year student on the university women’s tennis team, the road to Berkeley, University of California was met with poor advice and misinformation from her home country and twounsuccessful stops along the way that fell short of expectations.
Born in Poland, Siwosz began playing tennis at seven years old and developed the skills that helped her earn a top-50 ranking among the ITF Junior division (國(guó)際網(wǎng)球聯(lián)會(huì)青少年賽).. Siwosz wanted to do more with her life than just play tennis, which led her to seek chances that would also allow her to obtain a top education. While most who grow up in the U.S. are naturally accustomed to the American tradition of collegiate (大學(xué)的) sports, such a custom is not as familiar in a country like Poland. “There’s no collegiate sports in Poland and no culture of sports and academic (學(xué)術(shù)的) study there. You can only do one, not both,” Siwosz said.
Her desire to have a quality education led her to America to follow her dream. While Siwosz was talented enough to begin her collegiate tennis career, she could only attend community college because she missed the deadline to apply to four-year schools, mainly due to misinformation provided in her home country of Poland.
When she had earned all her credits and was able to transfer (轉(zhuǎn)學(xué)), Siwosz made the decision to attend Baylor in Texas. Her friends from Poland put in a good word for the university, saying that it was a good fit because there were many international players at Baylor. “I thought it would be a good idea, but it really wasn’t what I thought it would be,” Siwosz said. “I wasn’t happy at Baylor. The level of tennis was high, but the academic standards were no match and I just wanted more.”
After one year at Baylor, Siwosz’s luck finally began to change when she made the decision to transfer to Berkeley, which was due in large part to Lee, a former Berkeley student. Lee, who is a keen tennis player himself, met Siwosz four years ago in Texas. “I knew she was unhappy there,” he said. “I saw the opportunity for her to come here.” Siwosz visited Lee in Berkeley. “I ended up loving this place and this school,” Siwosz said. “I came here a lot over the summer, I gave it a shot and I ended up with a Berkeley education and a spot on one of the best college tennis teams in the country.”
【小題1】What does “two unsuccessful stops” (Paragraph 1) refer to?

A．Poland and the U.S.

B．Baylor and Berkeley.

C．The community college and Baylor.

D．The ITF Junior division and the Berkeley tennis team.

【小題2】Why did Siwosz want to leave her homeland for America?

A．Poland had no culture of sports.

B．Berkeley had always been her dream university.

C．She wanted to play tennis and have a good education.

D．She wanted to improve her tennis skills and get a higher ranking.

【小題3】 Why did she leave Baylor?

A．The level of tennis there was not high.

B．It was not suitable for international students.

C．She couldn’t get along with her friends there.

D．She was not satisfied with the education level there.

【小題4】 What is the main idea of the passage?

A．How Siwosz left Poland.

B．How Siwosz realized her dream.

C．How Siwosz became a top tennis player.

D．How Siwosz transferred from Baylor to Berkeley.

I stepped into my hotel room to a pleasant surprise. Lots of room surrounded an inviting king-size bed, with armchairs nearby resting against sliding glass doors that opened onto a private yard. A small dining table sat next to a kitchen with a refrigerator and coffee machine. "Wow," I thought to myself. "Nice place."
I love hotels. I love to enter a clean room, hang my clothes and gaze out the window, walk out in the morning and when I return, someone else will have made the bed. I like in-room dining and the way they greet you so professionally. "Nice to have you with us again, Mr. Goldsborough." Very cool.
The problem is that unless Alison travels with me, I never sleep well in hotels. I miss my family, even though Linus and Camille, at ages 4 and almost 2, find a way to interrupt even the best night's sleep at home.
I'm deeply troubled by the number of parents who wake up too late with the realization:
"My children grew up too fast. In the busy career and corporate rat race（劇烈競(jìng)爭(zhēng)）, I missed their childhood.” What they fail to say but too often think causes me even more pain: "...and I barely even know them."
A hundred years from now, no one will remember the size of your bank account, the car you drove or the size of your house. The world might differ greatly however, based on your impact in the life of a small child. If you pay attention to your significant others, make the choice to put them first.
Think of one specific action that you can take, and take it. Then think of another one and take that, too. Challenge yourself to find new ways to express your appreciation and love on a daily basis. It will pay off ten-fold（十倍）at home.
【小題1】We can infer from the passage that the author ____.

A．often goes out on business	B．didn’t get along well with his/her family
C．has not grown into an adult	D．comes from a rich family

【小題2】According to the author, what is the most important for us is that ____.

A．we should often miss our family	B．we should do what we can to benefit our family
C．we should often stay with our family	D．we must always be ready to face the rat race

【小題3】Through para.4 and para.5 what the author really means is that ____.

A．he hates his parents’ constantly blaming him/her

B．his parents don’t care much about his/her growth

C．many parents worry about their children’s future

D．many parents can’t realize their children not preparing for the fierce social rat race

【小題4】Which of the fowling is the best title for this passage?

A．East, west, home is the best	B．Different generations, different views
C．Value of a person at home	D．Nothing Beats Family

While football fans feel strongly angry and shocked about mistakes made by referees (裁判) because they cannot see clearly what has happened, a small German company is quietly pleased.
For Carlos Technologies, mistakes made by referees are the kind of advertising that money cannot buy. The company has developed a tiny chip(芯片) that fits inside a football and determines whether the ball has crossed the goal line, by being able to discover its exact location on the field. The world football organization, FIFA, has shown interest in the technology. It is very possible that the new technology will be used in the 2006 World Cup in Germany.
"We've been testing the technology at the main soccer stadium in Nuremberg for some time and more recently in an under-17 FIFA Cup in Peru," said Gunter Rohmer, a director of the company. "The technology has performed well, and we're pretty optimistic that it will be used at the games in Germany next year."
The chip only weighs 12 grams, and is placed in the center of the football. It sends 2,000 signals a second to a receiver network of 12 antennas(天線),placed around the field. The receivers then send information about the ball's location to a central computer, and because it works in real time, it can immediately tell the referee whether a goal has been scored. The chip even can tell when the ball crosses the line in mid-air. Oliver Braun, one of the inventors of the chip, says that feedback from German referees was generally positive. Germany sports-wear giant Adidas is also optimistic about using this kind of chip in other ball sports.
FIFA aims to test the technology later this year at another game in Japan before deciding whether or not to introduce it in all 12 stadiums in Germany for next year's World Cup.
【小題1】 Carlos Technologies is pleased because ________.

A．football fans are angry with referees

B．their new product can satisfy football fans

C．their new product will have a good market

D．they can sell a lot of football in the future

【小題2】In the first sentence in Paragraph 2,"... mistakes made by referees are the kind of advertising that money cannot buy" means ___________.

A．Carlos Technologies can't afford the high price for advertising their product

B．Mistakes in production are also a kind of advertisement

C．Carlos Technologies has already spent a lot of money on advertising their product

D．Referees' mistakes will be of great help for the sale of Carlos Technologies' new product

【小題3】The underlined word "feedback" probably means ___________.

A．information given back by a user	B．a(chǎn)dvice given by someone
C．supplying food to customers	D．food given back by consumers

【小題4】The new product has drawn attention from some _________.

A．famous people

B．referees

C．big companies

D．countries

The man sitting opposite Robert was the Financial Controller. Everybody called him “the FC” for short. He made all the decisions about money. Robert needed some more. That was why he had to see him. The two men did not get on very well. In fact, they had always disliked each other.
“Your request is out of the question,” the FC said. Robert had difficulty in controlling himself, but he managed somehow. He explained that he wanted the money in order to make more programmes.
“And why do you want to do that?” the FC asked sharply. Again, Robert almost lost his temper. “Because more and more people are listening to my department’s programmes. There’s great demand for them,” he answered.
The FC did not seem to believe him. But Robert had a report on the numbers of listeners to all EBC programmes. The FC became less confident (自信). Robert threw the report down on the table and told him to read it.
The FC looked at it in silence. The figures (數(shù)字) proved that he had been wrong, but he did not want to admit it. “Well,” he finally said, “I may have made a small mistake.” Robert noticed the word “may.” He got up to leave. But he had the feeling that he would get the money after all.
【小題1】In the story the Financial Controller was a person who was in charge of________.      
A. Robert’s department’s programmes.       B. EBC programmes.
C. EBC money.                          D. both B and C.
【小題2】“Your request is out of the question.” Here “out of the question”means_______.

A．without any question

B．with some question.

C．impossible.

D．possible.

【小題3】 Robert decided to make more programmes because________.

A．he wanted to meet the needs of the listeners.

B．“the FC”disliked him

C．the members of his department wanted him to do so.

D．he wanted to show himself off.

【小題4】Why were more and more people listening to Robert’s programmes?
A. Because he always lost his temper (脾氣).
B. Because he disliked “the FC.”
C. Because the programmes were rich and to the taste of the listeners.
D. We don’t know.
【小題5】Who do you think won the argument(爭(zhēng)論)in the end?

A．The Financial Controller.

B．Robert.

C．Nobody.

D．The listeners.