Dear Economist,
My newly-wedded wife and I are deeply in love．There is, however, one issue that threatens the happiness of our marriage．I absolutely insist on shopping at Walmart．My wife, meanwhile, would rather avoid Walmart at all costs．
　　I have recently tried to convince her that not only does Walmart offer the lowest prices known to man, but that the chain is also a force for good―lower prices mean better standards of living for all consumers, increased global trade means a tighter-knit(緊密團(tuán)結(jié)的) international community, and efficient operations translate into higher productivity growth for the economy．My wife complains about poor labour policies, the “fact” that Walmart squeezes suppliers, and that it puts local shops out of business．
　　Who is right? Will our marriage survive?
Brian Gee
Dear Brian,
I have to agree with you about Walmart．Jason Furman, then an economist at New York University, now an adviser to President Obama, famously argued in 2005 that Walmart was unwittingly (不知不覺(jué)地) a progressive success story．The chain’s prices don’t much affect me (I prefer Whole Foods) but Furman estimated that they benefited low-and-middle-income Americans to the sum of around $250 billion a year．
　　Walmart does not pay much, so it may depress wages．Then again, it may increase wages by offering jobs to the otherwise-unemployed．Either way, the benefits of low prices to Walmart shoppers far outweigh any seemingly reasonable costs to Walmart employees．And while it is true that Walmart employees tend to be poor, the same is true of Walmart shoppers．
　　Armed with this information you can face your wife with confidence．You are sure to win the conversation．The divorce is likely to be more argued．
Economist
【小題1】What concerns Brian Gee so much that he wrote the letter?

A．His wife refuses to shop at Walmart．

B．They are faced with a divorce．

C．They can’t afford the costs of shopping at Walmart．

D．They are in conflict about shopping at Walmart．

【小題2】Brian Gee’s wife tends to hold the opinion that _________．

A．it is wrong for Walmart to depress its employees’ wages

B．consumers’ lives have improved thanks to Walmart

C．Walmart’s business operation increases productivity in economy

D．Walmart’s business increases global trade

【小題3】What can be inferred from the reply letter?

A．Some employees accept the low pay to keep the job．

B．Walmart appeals to only poor consumers and poor employees．

C．Employees suffer from Walmart’s low prices more than consumers．

D．Jason Furman, a New York University economist, spoke highly of Walmart．

To be able to motivate oneself, or self-motivate, occurs when a person has the willingness to do something and is internally(內(nèi)在地) motivated to do it．
Sometimes it’s very difficult to get ourselves moving．The natural tendency is to postpone．Life just seems to get in the way! There is a job to go to, groceries to do, television to watch—whoops! I guess we get pretty good at finding excuses to escape getting started on goals like an exercise routine or reading a new book．The fact is that we are creatures of routine and habit．So what can we do to motivate ourselves to accomplish our goals? 
Here are some tips on how to get moving:
Decide what you want．It’s hard to motivate an aimless mind．Set a goal and decide how you are going to go about it．Then break it down into smaller sections so it’s easier to handle and less overwhelming．（勢(shì)不可擋）
Keep track of your progress．Keep a log or journal where you can measure how much you have accomplished．Looking at it can also motivate you to keep pushing ahead．
Post motivating pictures or slogans within your sight．It is always inspiring to see pictures of people who have accomplished what you’re going for．It makes it attainable and realistic．Likewise, little slogans like “go for it” or “just do it” can give you the little support you need．    
Sometimes we forget what we set out to do and a little reminder is all we need to be revitalized (激活) and focus on the end result．If you remind yourself to go for the desired promotion, it will re-establish why you are doing what you’re doing．
Make it a habit．Once you have accomplished your objective, e．g．becoming an early riser, keep it up so that it’s second nature to you and you don’t have to think about it anymore．
【小題1】According to the author, some people fail to achieve their goals because ________．

A．they don’t have enough desire

B．their life is filled with routine work

C．they benefit from the force of habit

D．they naturally put off forming new habits

【小題2】It can be inferred from the underlined sentence that ________．

A．self-motivation needs repeated self-reminding of one’s goal

B．in modern society people tend to become forgetful

C．when we forget our goal, our life becomes meaningless

D．we can achieve our goal only by focusing on the end result

【小題3】To get moving on your goal, you can do the following EXCEPT ________．

A．keep a diary to clearly judge your distance to your goal

B．make self-improvement your second nature

C．forget your aim and revitalize yourself with slogans

D．support yourself by hanging inspiring pictures in your house

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

A．Set Goals in Your Life	B．Get Yourself Motivated
C．Get into Good Habits	D．Do Not Postpone

Recently, one of my best friends, whom I’ve shared just about everything with since the first day of kindergarten, spent the weekend with me．Since I moved to a new town several years ago, we’ve both always looked forward to the few times a year when we can see each other．
Over the weekend, we spent hours and hours, staying up late into the night, talking about the people she was hanging around with．She started telling me stories about her new boyfriend, about how he experimented with drugs and was into other self-destructive behavior．I was blown away! She told me how she had been lying to her parents about where she was going and even stealing out to see this guy because they didn’t want her around him．No matter how hard I tried to tell her that she deserved better, she didn’t believe me．Her self-respect seemed to have disappeared．
I tried to convince her that she was ruining her future and heading for big trouble．I felt like I was getting nowhere．I just couldn’t believe that she really thought it was acceptable to hang with a bunch of losers, especially her boyfriend．
By the time she left, I was really worried about her and exhausted by the experience．It had been so frustrating, I had come close to telling her several times during the weekend that maybe we had just grown too far apart to continue our friendship，but I didn’t．I put the power of friendship to the final test．We’d been friends for far too long．I had to hope that she valued me enough to know that I was trying to save her from hurting herself．I wanted to believe that our friendship could conquer anything．
A few days later, she called to say that she had thought long and hard about our conversation, and then she told me that she had broken up with her boyfriend．I just listened on the other end of the phone with tears of joy running down my face．It was one of the truly rewarding moments in my life．Never had I been so proud of a friend．
【小題1】In the writer’s opinion, her friend ________．

A．was a girl with no self-respect

B．could find a better boyfriend

C．was brave enough to stick to her own choice

D．didn’t value the writer’s suggestion

【小題2】What did the writer worry about?

A．She would lose the friendship with her．

B．Her friend’s parents would be worried about their daughter．

C．Her friend would get into great trouble with the boy．

D．Her friend’s boyfriend would be in great trouble．

【小題3】We may leam from Paragraph 3 that the writer ________．

A．didn’t want to go anywhere else

B．hated her friend’s hanging with her boyfriend

C．couldn’t believe that her friend’s choice was acceptable

D．doubted that she could in any way help her friend

【小題4】What can be concluded from the passage?

A．Friendship starting from childhood is not reliable．

B．Friendship is a cure for any injury in life．

C．Friendship should be everlasting once begun．

D．Friendship can have magical power in life．

Many children first learn the value of money by receiving an allowance. Parents often give their children an amount of money that they may spend as they wish. The purpose is to let the children learn from experience at an early age when financial mistakes are not very costly.
A child may receive an allowance each week or each month. The amount is not so important.  But parents should make clear what the child is expected to pay for with the money.
At first, young children may spend all of their allowance soon after they receive it. If they do this, they will learn the hard way that spending must be done within a budget. Parents should not offer more money until the next allowance is to be given.
Older children may be responsible enough to budget larger costs like those for clothing. The object is to show young people that a budget demands choices between spending and saving.
Many people who have written on the subject say it is not a good idea to pay your child for work around the home. These jobs are a normal part of family life. Paying children to do extra work around the home, however, can be useful. It can even provide an understanding of how a business works.
Allowances give children a chance to experience three things they can do with money. They can share it in the form of gifts or giving it to organizations. They can spend it by buying things they want. Or they can save it.
Saving helps children understand that costly goals require sacrifice: you have to cut costs and plan for the future. Requiring children to save part of their allowance can also open the door to future saving and investing. Many banks offer free savings accounts for young people with small amounts of money.
【小題1】The functions of allowances given to children are the following EXCEPT ______.

A．they can save more money for their future business

B．they can give them to charities

C．they may spend them on what they like

D．they can learn to deal with money

【小題2】The underlined word "sacrifice" in the last paragraph means "_____".

A．犧牲

B．計(jì)劃

C．選擇

D．放棄

【小題3】What's the main idea of the passage?

A．Children should save part of their allowance.

B．Don’t pay your child for work around the home.

C．Allowance helps teach children early about money.

D． Parents should allow children to spend money as they wish.

【小題4】How many advantages of saving has the passage mentioned?

A．2

B．3

C．4

D．5

【小題5】Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage? 

A．Children are advised to buy anything they wish to with the allowance.

B．Parents should offer children more money if they spend all of their allowance soon after they get it.

C．It can be useful to pay children to do extra work around the home.

D．It is unnecessary for the children to save part of the allowance.

He wishes the holiday season would end already. His back aches, his red suit feels like a spacesuit , his cheeks have gone tight from smiling for 12 hours —and still the kids keep coming and coming , like ants at a picnic . As Christmas becomes more commercialized (商業(yè)化) across the U. S. and Canada, so must Santas. As the holiday begins earlier each year, so must its spokesmen .                                                                
The questions from children these days are harder than ever. Now, with thousands of children expecting a father or mother serving in Iraq or Afghanistan, the questions are as heart-breaking as they are unanswerable. For example, “Can you please bring Daddy home from the war in time for Christmas morning?”
Santas also have a pretty good chance of getting sued (指控). A professional Santa Claus in Canada told a story: A Santa had a girl on his knee, and he commented, “You have nice eyes and nice hair.” The girl later said it was sexual harassment (騷擾) . When a Santa feels anxious, he often shows it in the same ways ordinary people do: The Santas were always seen to hang around at the dinner table when the show ended. Many of them just sleep in bed for several days and don’t see other children again.
【小題1】In the first paragraph, “spokesmen” refers to       .

A．businessmen	B．political leaders
C．organizers of the activities	D．Santa Clauses

【小題2】The passage implies that the job of Santa Claus is        .

A．well-paid

B．very hard

C．worth doing

D．dangerous

【小題3】According to the third paragraph, Santas may sometimes be blamed(責(zé)備) for       .

A．doing something against the law	B．hanging around the dinner table
C．being lazy and sleeping in bed for days	D．not playing their roles as expected

【小題4】What would be the best title for the passage ?

A．Christmas: Not a Good Festival for Santas	B．Is Santa Claus Really Alive?
C．A Christmas Story	D．What Does Santa Claus Do for Children?

Do you enjoy reading? Do you read newspapers or magazines? Chances are, if you do any of these activities, your pre-school child is on his way to becoming a reader.
The process of learning to read is complex, and one of the most important things to know is that parents can help their children learn to read. As children have conversations with adults, they hear both new and familiar words and their vocabulary grows.
There are many opportunities for adults and children to talk together, such as when riding in the car or in a bus, doing housework like fixing dinner, or bathing and getting ready for bed. A major part of conversation is listening. When children talk, adults listen and respond. Then children listen and respond, and so the flow of conversation happens.
Have you watched you pre-school child pretend to read to his younger sisters or brothers? Have you read his favorite story over and over? These experiences tell children that reading is fun. And when things are fun and they are repeated, your child will see letters. He begins to connect them to familiar words, especially the letters that make up his name. A natural next step for him to take is to write the letters.
When children see parents make a grocery list, they want to use a pencil and paper to make their own list. To encourage these beginning writing activities, have pencils, markers, crayons and scrap paper within your children’s reach.
The more children get connected with talking, listening, reading and writing, the easier it is for them to become active readers. While you as a parent have a big influence on these early behaviors, it is important to remember that opportunities for literacy experiences happen when you and your child share in the basic routines（日常生活）of everyday life.
【小題1】The third paragraph tells us that parents can talk with their children__________.

A．during daily routines	B．only in quiet places
C．in their spare time	D．when they are eager to walk

【小題2】During the process of learning to read, children may _________.

A．copy the action of the adults.

B．prefer to talk with those of their own age.

C．show no interest in reading at all.

D．waste a lot of paper and other materials.

【小題3】 When do children want to learn to write?

A．When their parents ask them to do so.

B．When they believe they can write well.

C．When they know what they want to know

D．When they can connect letters with familiar words.

【小題4】The passage is written to _____________.

A．talk about parents’ influence on their children’s behavior

B．encourage parents to set a good example to their children

C．a(chǎn)dvise parents to make reading a part of their children’s daily life

D．make parents believe in the importance of early reading

Language is always changing. In a society where life continues year after year with few changes, the language does not change, either. The earliest known languages had difficult grammar but a small, limited vocabulary. Over the century, the grammar changed, and the vocabulary grew. For example, the English and Spanish people who came to America during the sixteenth century gave names to all new plants and animals they found. In this way, hundreds of new words were introduced into English and Spanish vocabularies. Today life is changing very fast, and language is changing fast too.
There are several major language families in the world. Some scientists say there are nine main families, but other scientists divide them differently. The languages in each family are connected, and scientists think that they came from the same parent language About 3 percent of the people in the world speak languages that are not in these major families.
【小題1】 The early language had ______.

A．a(chǎn) lot of problems	B．words and easy grammar
C．words but no grammar	D．grammar but not many words

【小題2】In the next few hundred years we can expect language to ______.

A．stay exactly the same	B．change a great deal
C．change only a little	D．a(chǎn)dd more words and drop some grammar

【小題3】What this article shows is that ______.

A．languages change fast	B．languages really don’t want to change
C．language changes with changes of society	D．Spanish and English change

【小題4】 From this article we can see that ______.

A．language can change very slowly or very quickly

B．Though our life changes, our language won’t change.

C．we should give our plants new names

D．English and Spanish are the only languages that have changes

More and more often we heard of people talking about Karaoke (卡拉OK). But what on earth it is about still remains a question for many people. Karaoke is a sort of acoustic (聽(tīng)覺(jué)的) equipment which was invented in Japan around the middle of the 1970's. It means "a band without people" in Japanese. In fact, it is just a music tape without words. This equipment first appeared in some public houses and snack bars, and mainly for the customers to enjoy themselves. Most of the music in Karaoke was popular music. Therefore, at times, when anyone felt like it, he might sing songs to the accompaniment (陪伴) of the music that came from the equipment. Shortly after its invention, Karaoke was spread to the whole world. It was introduced to China and was welcomed by many people. Although you are not a good singer, or even sometimes you may sing out of tune, you can always enjoy yourself by singing Karaoke.
【小題1】In this passage "band" means "group of persons ________."

A．who play games on the sports ground

B．who play music together

C．living in the same neighborhood

D．doing things together under a leader and with a common purpose

【小題2】 Karaoke is just a ______.

A．cassette tape with only music	B．cassette tape recorder
C．band from Japan	D．voice recording equipment

【小題3】Karaoke was spread to the whole world ________.

A．a(chǎn)s soon as it was invented	B．long before
C．not long after it was invented	D．before long

Too much TV-watching can harm children’s ability to learn and even reduce their chances of getting a college degree, new studies suggest in the latest effort to examine the effects of television on children.
One of the studies looked at nearly 400 northern California third-graders. Those with TVs in their bedrooms scored about eight points lower on math and language arts tests than children without bedrooms TVs.
A second study, looking at nearly 1,000 grown-ups in New Zealand, found lower education levels among 26-year-olds who had watched lots of TV during childhood. But the results don’t prove that TV is the cause and don’t rule out that already poorly motivated youngsters(年輕人)may watch lots of TV.
Their study measured the TV habits of 26-year-olds between ages 5 and 15. Those with college degrees had watched an average of  less than two hours of TV per weeknight during childhood, compared with an average of more than 2½ hours for those who had no education beyond high school.
In the California study, children with TVs in their rooms but no computer at home scored the lowest, while those with no bedroom TV but who had home computers scored the highest.
While this study does not prove that bedroom TV sets caused the lower scores, it adds to accumulating findings that children shouldn’t have TVs in their bedrooms.
【小題1】According to the California study, the low-scoring group might____________.

A．have watched a lot of TV

B．not be interested in math

C．be unable to go to college

D．have had computers in their bedrooms

【小題2】What is the researchers’ understanding of the New Zealand study results?

A．Poorly motivated 26-year-olds watch more TV.

B．Habits of TV watching reduce learning interest.

C．TV watching leads to lower education levels of the 15-year-olds.

D．The connection between TV and education levels is difficult to explain.

【小題3】 What can we learn from the last two paragraphs?

A．More time should be spent on computers.

B．Children should be forbidden from watching TV.

C．TV sets shouldn’t be allowed in children’s bedrooms.

D．Further studies on high-achieving students should be done.

【小題4】 What would be the best title for this text?

A．Computers or Television

B．Effects of Television on Children

C．Studies on TV and College Education

D．Television and Children’s Learning Habits

I am a person who does not like to wait．I don' t like lines, being put on hold when making a phone call, arriving at an appointment to find that my companion will be delayed and of course, I don * t like waiting rooms．
However, I realize that my agony(痛苦） will not be good for me, as an increasingly, crowded world can only mean one thing—more waiting．
Owing to this, I have taken a measure and decided to turn my disappointment to productive ends．In short, I am looking for what I call "waiting in line books"．
These are books that contain material designed for being read in shortened words, so there is no extended story line to lose track of．Another requirement is that they be small enough to slip neatly into my back pocket．
The other day I went to the supermarket．Convinced that the rain would keep most people away, I was surprised to see that the place was crowded with shoppers．Every checkout was open—and jammed! But I could take out my pocket book and go to work．
The more the world demands that I wait, the more I learn from my waiting library．Look at these titles: One Hundred Things Every American Should Know; The Poetry of Robert Frost; Living Thoughts of Leading Thinkers; Still More Toasts．I have learned interesting and enriching things and much knowledge from these books．
On a recent visit to the general store, I placed my order at the counter along with six or seven other people．The one female employee seemed to have her hands full as she rushed about．"Just be patient," she said to me．
No problem．I quietly opened my dictionary of prose （散文） and poetical quotations． Perhaps the other customers regarded me as a bookish, lonely soul．But little did they realize that I was enjoying the company of Shakespeare, Thoreau, Homer and Ben Johnson．
【小題1】According to the passage, the world ______．

A．needs to produce many materials to use	B．is becoming more and more crowded
C．loses tracks of story line increasingly	D．is crowded with shoppers everywhere

【小題2】How did the author overcome his agony of waiting?

A．By reading books designed to be read in shortened words．

B．By arriving early for an appointment．

C．By taking measures to produce some books for readers．

D．By keeping most people away from the supermarket for some reasons．

【小題3】Which of the following can't be carried in the author's pocket?

A．One Hundred Things Every American Should Know

B．The Poetry of Robert Frost

C．Living Thoughts of Leading Thinkers

D．Homer and Ben Johnson

【小題4】Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?

A．The author succeeded in changing his agony into fun．

B．The author was a bookish and lonely soul.

C．Six or seven employees in the store were busy in rushing about．

D．There were fewer customers in the supermarket on rainy days．