Online clothes shoppers will be told exactly what size is best. for them using new software which combines with their web camera or smart phone to form a“3D tape measure”.
Scientists from Surrey University and design experts from the London College of Fashion are developing a program which can take precise (精確的) waist, hip, chest and other measurements from camera images.
Using the person’s height as a starting point，the software will be able to build up a 3D image and estimate their size at various different points on the body, based on their overall proportions.
The result will be a more accurate sizing guide than previous systems based on waist size or a “small／medium／large”scale, which rely on limited measurements and the buyer’s perception of their own body size.
Shoppers and retailers(零售商)who choose to sign up for the project could save millions of pounds a year in postage costs by removing the need to order multiple sizes of the same garment(服裝) and send back ill-fitting clothes, researchers claimed.
The project, sponsored by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council(EPSRC), is expected to be brought to market within two years.
After choosing an item, the shopper will activate the software, enter their height, stand in front of their webcam or smart phone in their underwear and take a photograph.
The software will not store or transmit the image to the internet, but will use it to judge the person’s dimensions at various points on their body.
Philip Delamore of the London College of Fashion said：“The potential benefits for the fashion industry and for shoppers are huge. Currently, it’s common for online shoppers to order two or three different sizes of the same item of clothing at the same time, as they’re unsure which one will fit best.”
【小題1】What is the essential part of a 3D tape measure?

A．a software	B．a webcam
C．a microphone	D．a smart phone

【小題2】What can we learn about the 3D tape measure?

A．It will store or transmit the image to the internet.

B．It is based on the buyer’s perception of their size.

C．It will be a co-working production.

D．It uses a person’s weight as a starting point.

【小題3】Compared with the traditional sizing system, a 3D tape measure is_______.

A．quicker	B．more precise
C．more beautiful	D．more vivid

【小題4】How can the 3D tape measure benefit online shoppers?

A．Online shoppers will get their ordered garment in time.

B．Online shoppers will get their ordered garment more quickly.

C．Online shoppers will get an ordered garment of high quality.

D．Online shoppers will get an ordered garment to their measure.

【小題5】What is the right order for a shopper to form a 3D tape measure?
①to take a photo with a webcam
②to activate the software
③to enter his／her height
④to judge his size by analyzing his image

A．①②③④

B．②①③④

C．②③①④

D．②③④①

Americans who volunteer for the Peace Corps get a chance to help improve lives in developing countries. They also get a chance to learn more about the world, and about themselves. This week this program is celebrating its 50th anniversary.
President John Kennedy established the Peace Corps soon after he took office in 1961. It was the time of the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union. The new program gave Americans a chance to answer the call to service that the president made in his inaugural(就職的)speech. “Ask not what your country can do for you,” he said. “Ask what you can do for your country.” Kennedy told Peace Corps volunteers that America’s image in the countries where they were going would depend largely on them.
On August 30th, 1961, the first group of 51 Peace Corps volunteers arrived in Accra, Ghana, to serve as teachers. They had agreed to work for almost no pay. They would spend two years in Ghana helping its people and learning the reality of life in a developing country. Most of the volunteers had just completed college. About half of them taught English or health care. In the 50 years since then, more than 200，000 Americans have served as Peace Corps volunteers. They have worked in 139 countries.
The Peace Corps is a government agency that was created to promote world peace and friendship. There are three goals: First, to help the people of interested countries in meeting their need for trained men and women. Second, to help promote a better understanding of Americans on the part of the people served. And, third. to help promote a better understanding of other people on the part of Americans.
Today, the Peace Corps has more than 8,000 volunteers and trainees in 77 countries. They work in agriculture, economic development, education, the environment and health care. Some work in programs related to youth development.
Sixty percent of current Peace Corps volunteers are women. The average age of a volunteer is 28. But the ages of Peace Corps volunteers range from 18 to 86. Some Americans join the Peace Corps after they retire. Today seven percent of volunteers are over the age of 50. And 19 percent are members of minority groups.
【小題1】Volunteers for the Peace Corps can _______.

A．improve their abilities by learning in some developed countries

B．travel to many foreign countries to learn more about the world

C．have an opportunity to help all the people in developing countries

D．contribute to lives in developing countries and develop themselves

【小題2】Which of the following is TRUE according to the text?

A．Volunteers served as teachers to work for no pay in Accra, Ghana.

B．Kennedy established the Peace Corps before he took office in 1961.

C．Most of the volunteers of the first group had just graduated from college.

D．America’s image in the foreign countries depends completely on volunteers.

【小題3】The fourth paragraph is mainly about _______.

A．what the Peace Corps is and its steps

B．why the Peace Corps was created and what are its goals

C．what role the Peace Corps play in daily life

D．How the Peace Corps was created and its aims

【小題4】According to the text, volunteers and trainees assist in the following aspects EXCEPT _______.

A．industry

B．environment

C．education

D．health care

【小題5】What can we learn from the last paragraph?

A．Most of the volunteers for the Peace Corps are women.

B．Few minority groups joined the Peace Corps.

C．Half of the retired volunteers joined the Peace Corps.

D．People of different ages take an active part in the Peace Corps.

The insanely popular song from South Korean recording artist PSY has just become the most watched video on YouTube ever, gaining more than 808 million views on the popular media site.

The record was previously held by another pop heavyweight, Justin Bieber, whose song“Baby”had a little more than 804 million views at press time. PSY made the announcement early today.
Since its release，the song has outshone such other popular videos as Jennifer Lopez’s“On the Floor.”and Eminem’s“Love the Way You Lie”.
And in September，“Gangnam Style”also became the most liked video on YouTube，now with nearly 5.4 million thumbs up．
At the time of the announcement, the Guinness Book of World Records released a statement saying: “In years past it was unthinkable that something would be viewed a hundred million times, and now Gangnam Style has achieved more than twice this figure in just three months on YouTube. PSY，your certificate is waiting here at our office，come and pick it up any time!”
Despite its massive popularity, the video shows no signs of slowing down, and it even has a shot at becoming the first video to get more than one billion views.
If it maintains its current rate of around six million new views per day, “Gangnam Style”would be in line to break that record by the end of the year.
It has found its way to the tops of music charts in more than 30 countries, including the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Spain and Canada, while providing material for thousands of parody videos.
It became a staple in the 2012 presidential elections with the now ramous “Mitt Romney Style” video and was even used by the North Korean government in propaganda(宣傳)films promoting their supreme leader. Meanwhile, such influential figures as President Obama, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and Google Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt have all made mention of the hit song.
【小題1】Which of the following ranks second in views on YouTube?

A．Gangnam Style．	B．Baby．
C．On the Floor．	D．Love the Way You Lie．

【小題2】Which statement about Gangnam Style on YouTube is wrong?

A．It has become the most watched video．

B．It has become the most liked video．

C．It has won more than 5.4 million thumbs down．

D．It has more than two hundred million views in three months．

【小題3】What does the statement made by the Guinness Book of World Records suggest?

A．Some video gained more views than Gangnam Style．

B．It is impossible that Gangnam Style should have 100 million views．

C．Guinness Book of World Records has recognized Gangnam Style’s achievements．

D．Guinness Book of World Records won’t believe Gangnam Style’s achievements．

【小題4】 Gangnam Style is to _______ if it keeps its current rate．

A．get more than one billion views

B．get more than two billion views

C．get more than 808 million Views

D．get one hundred million views

【小題5】What can we learn about Gangnam Style from the last paragraph?

A．It is especially popular in developing countries.

B．It has played a part in the US presidential elections.

C．Few influential figures know it.

D．The supreme leader of North Korea has ever performed it.

One of the speaking rules you need to know might sound strange to most ESL (English as a second language) students, but it is one of the most important rules. If you want to pass examinations, then study grammar. However, if you want to become fluent in English, then you should try to learn English without studying the grammar.
Studying grammar will only slow you down and confuse you. You will think about the rules when creating sentences instead of naturally saying a sentence like a native. Remember that only a small part of English speakers know more than 20% of all the grammar rules. Many ESL students know more grammar than native speakers. I can confidently say this with experience. I am a native English speaker, majored in English Literature, and have been teaching English for more than 10 years. However, many of my students know more details about English grammar than I do. When they sometimes ask me about grammar, I can easily look up the definition(定義) and apply it, but I can’t tell them the answer off the top of my head.
I often ask my native English friends some grammar questions, and only a few of them know the correct answer. However, they are fluent in English and can read, speak, listen, and communicate effectively.
Do you want to be able to recite the definition of a causative verb, or do you want to be able to speak English fluently?
【小題1】According to the author, what opinion do most ESL students hold?

A．Grammar matters a lot only in speaking.

B．Grammar doesn’t matter much in speaking.

C．Grammar is very important in English learning.

D．Grammar is not important in English learning.

【小題2】What is the author?

A．An ESL student.	B．A teacher teaching English natives.
C．A native English student.	D．A native English teacher.

【小題3】The underlined part “off the top of my head” means         .

A．on purpose	B．without consideration
C．after thinking	D．with difficulty

【小題4】Which of the following titles best suits the text?

A．Fluency or Grammar?	B．Grammar Counts!
C．Exams or No Exams?	D．No More Grammar!

Humankind has tried to improve its standard of living since the very beginning of civili­zation. Back then, as well as today, providing food and security was the basic task for a per­son. However, nowadays the range of required goods has expanded significantly. People feel the need for not only some primary things, such as a piece of bread and a roof over their heads, but also for various facilities and luxuries. Providing humanity with these things is connected to the use of natural resources, which requires energy. In turn, the common sources of energy we use today cause pollution, so economic growth is almost unavoidably as­sociated with environmental damage.
Economic growth is the increase in numbers of goods and services produced over time by an economy, and it is calculated in terms of real Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Before growth is calculated, inflation (通貨膨脹)is adjusted in order to take into account its mis­leading effect on the price of goods and services. Economic growth can also be explained as the increase in expected output, which results from an increase in actual output, or total de­mand.
There are certain aspects of economic growth which affect the environment. The first of these is the fact that in order to produce more goods and products, at a faster rate, the con­struction of large industrial plants is required. These plants produce a lot of waste, leading to the pollution of water and the atmosphere, which may cause negative long term health effects to nearby populations of animals, or people. They also lead to global warming.
Industrial manufacturing leads to the constantly increasing energy consumption. The traditional energy sources, which are commonly used nowadays, are considered to be the greatest polluters to the environment. There also exist so-called eco-friendly sources of energy. They are sometimes preferred but replacing the traditional sources with them also requires time, during which people have to make some sacrifices to support these undertak­ings.
In order to produce economically practical energy, a sometimes significant transforma­tion of the natural site is often inevitable. This is expensive and, has harmful effects on the environment. Application of wind energy would block airflows’ natural speed which is the reason for their decrease in strength, after crossing the windmill. Consequently, the pres­sure balance that is brought about by this current will be affected, and it is important to re­member that the environment and weather conditions are directly affected by atmospheric pressure.
For these reasons, bringing about economic growth without any resulting environmental damage, whatsoever, is impossible.
【小題1】What does the passage mainly talk about?

A． Pollution caused by plant construction.

B． Effects of windmills on the environment.

C． Economic growth and human civilization.

D． Economic growth and environmental damage.

【小題2】What does the underlined word “They” in the third paragraph refer to?

A．Goods and products	B．The industrial plants
C． Water and atmosphere	D．Negative health effects

【小題3】According to the passage, the author holds the opinion that ______.

A． economic growth should be calculated in terms of GDP

B． use of natural resources causes no damage to the environment

C． industrial manufacturing may cause damage to the environment

D． a windmill is a perfect way to produce economically practical energy

【小題4】Which of the following shows the structure of the passage?

I came across quite a few language problems while on holiday with my family last summer. The most embarrassing was when my Mom apologized to the people we were staying with because her “pants were dirty”. They looked at her in amazement, not knowing how to react. You see, Mom had fallen over and gotten mud on her jeans. But in Britain, “pants” means underpants, not trousers as it does back home.
Katie — From America
When I asked for the “restroom” in a big department store, people kept directing me to a room with seats where I could sit and “rest”. It took me years to get through to someone that I only wanted the toilet!
Tom — From America
Last summer we went on a two-week family touring holiday, so Dad hired a car over the Internet. This was an old vehicle and there turned out to be lots of things wrong with it. When he phoned the hire company and tried to explain that the lock on the boot(汽車行李箱) was broken, they thought he was talking about footwear! He had no idea their word for “boot” was “trunk”. In the end we went to a garage and just solved the problem.
Mary — From Britain
Last summer, I went to stay with a friend on the west coast. Her flat was on the first floor of a high-rise building so I got the lift up. Then I wandered round for ages looking for her flat but couldn’t find it. Fed up and tired, I finally had to go out to find a phone box. She explained that her flat was on the first floor, which for me meant the ground floor.
David — From Britain
【小題1】Hearing Katie’s mother’s words, Katie’s friends were in amazement because ____________.

A．they mistook “pants” in American for underpants

B．Katie’s mother’s underpants were dirty

C．Katie’s mother got mud on her jeans

D．they didn’t know any English

【小題2】David went out to find a phone box to ____________.

A．phone the police for help	B．apologize for his being late
C．tell his friends he couldn’t go to visit her	D．phone his friend for help

【小題3】 When Tom asked for the “restroom”, the people around him thought _____________.

A．he wanted a chair	B．he wanted to have a rest
C．he wanted the toilet	D．He wanted to go to a department store

【小題4】The underlined word “garage” is probably _____________.

A．a parking place

B．a car

C．a place to repair cars

D．a gas station

【小題5】Which of the following words is from British English？

A．Pants

B． Restroom

C．Ground floor

D．Trunk

How Americans Began to Eat Tomatoes
People have strange ideas about food. For example, the tomato is a kind of very
delicious vegetable. It is one of useful plants that can be prepared in many ways. It has rich nutrition and vitamin in it. But in the 18th century, Americans never ate tomatoes. They grow them in their gardens because tomato plants are so pretty. But they thought the vegetable was poisonous (有毒的). They called tomatoes “poison apples”.
President Thomas Jefferson, however, knew that tomatoes were good to eat. He was a learned man. He had been to Paris, where he learned to love the taste of tomatoes. He grew many kinds of tomatoes in his garden. The President taught his cook a way for a cream of tomato soup. This beautiful pink soup was served at the President’s party. The guests thought the soup tasted really good. They never thought their president would serve his honored guests poison apples. Jefferson never spoke to his honored (尊貴的) guests about the fact.
【小題1】After you read the passage, which of the following do you think is true?

A．Americans never ate tomatoes after they began to plant them.

B．American didn’t eat tomatoes before the 19th century.

C．Even now Americans don’t eat tomatoes

D．In the 18th century Americans ate a lot of tomatoes.

【小題2】The passage tells us that Jefferson was a President who learned to love the taste of tomatoes.

A．while he was in Paris .

B．when he was a little boy.

C．the President ’s cook.

D．the President’s wife.

【小題3】According to the text, ________cooked the beautiful pink soup at the President ’s party?

A．the President himself.

B．A French cook

C．the President ’s cook

D．the President’s wife

【小題4】The underlined word “cook”in paragraph2 means_______

A．廚房

B．廚師

C．廚具

D．做飯

【小題5】From the passage we know all the honored guests invited by Jefferson were______.

A．people from other countries	B．from France
C．People of his own country	D．men only

A holiday is any day when people lay aside their ordinary duties and cares. The word came from Old English. At first, holidays honored some holy events or persons. People in Great Britain and other countries speak of holidays as Americans speak of vacations.
Every nation has its special holidays. China observes New Year’s Day (January 1), May Day and National Day as legal (法定的)holidays , as it was on Oct.1,1949 that the People’s Republic of China was founded. The Chinese have long celebrated the Chinese lunar year. In the United States, congress has declared several days as legal holidays such as New Year’s Day (January 1), Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Birthday, Washington’s birthday, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day and so on. Some holidays celebrated special events in the development of a country, such as Greece’s Independence Day, Italy’s Liberation Day and India’s Independence Day.
In the United States, banks and schools usually close on a legal holiday. When such a holiday falls on Sunday, the following Monday is usually observed. Schools and organizations often observe days known as traditional holidays, although schools and business do not close then. Those holidays include Valentine’s Day and Halloween.
【小題1】From the passage we know that China’s National Day is _______

A．January1	B．May 1
C．October1	D．December25

【小題2】In the sentence “China observes New Year’s Day (January 1)’’, observe means ______

A．praises

B．spends

C．celebrates

D．cares

【小題3】From the passage we can infer that _______

A．Chinese will no longer observe the Spring Festival

B．students don’t have to go to school on any holiday

C．Chinese and Americans share at least one holiday

D．Americans can easily draw money from banks on legal days.

【小題4】Which of the following holidays has nothing to do with a country’s development?

A．China’s National Day	B．Valentine’s Day
C．Italy’s liberation Day	D．Independence Day

【小題5】If a legal holiday falls on Sunday in the USA, people usually celebrate on ______.

A．Sunday	B．the following
C．the following Monday	D．the following Tuesday.

The blockbuster film Titanic has brought millions of dollars and thousands of people to the theaters and continues to touch people today in their homes. Why is this film so successful? It is a combination of many different things. Among these are many different elements. Looking at some of these elements will show how the director and others involved were able to create an emotionally charged movie that appealed to millions.
The film uses one thematic(主題的) element called - The Truth of Human Nature. The two main characters seem to represent noble people. Most of the other characters in the film are shown as non-tolerant, rude and cold-hearted people. The element of focusing on the two main characters' love and emotion seems symbolic of an ideal state.
There are also social problems addressed. This is done in a few different ways. The most noticeable way is that the lower class people remain locked in the basement as the ship goes down. Throughout Titanic, the lighting is very important. The poor, lower class people are always shown in very warm-coloured light that gives them a sense of life and happiness. On the other hand, the rich, upper class are always shown in a flat light portraying the feeling of hardness and coldness. By using these techniques, they show the issue of class segregation(種族隔離), and they create stereotypes. The main characters are able to break free of these stereotypes and be together. This is the solution to the segregation problem.
As you can see, Titanic took a lot of thinking and preparation to film in a manner that would create emotion and bring to the surface the issues and story of the great ship.
【小題1】The underlined word “blockbuster” in the first paragraph probably means “________”．

A．something very successful

B．a highly explosive bomb

C．something worth a lot of money

D．a touching story

【小題2】In Titanic, the scene of the lower class people remaining locked in the basement as the ship goes down is used to ________.

A．criticize non-tolerant and cold-hearted rich people

B．enlarge the scene of the film

C．make the film more attractive

D．emphasize the condition of the poor at that time

【小題3】Why were different colours of light used in the film Titanic? ________

A．They were used to show the difference between the rich and the poor.

B．The director was determined to achieve good visual effect.

C．The social status was represented by the color of light in the past.

D．The use of light was the main technique the director made use of.

【小題4】What can we infer from the passage? _________

A．The segregation problem in the society can be solved by using the light.

B．Though love is the main theme of Titanic, it also reflects some social problems.

C．Because of the director's talents, the film Titanic achieved great success.

D．In the film Titanic there are two characters altogether.

【小題5】The writer mainly talks about ________ in this passage.

A．the process of shooting Titanic

B．the leading actor and actress in Titanic

C．the reasons why Titanic became a blockbuster film

D．the outline of Titanic

Why are we addicted to upgrades? According to Donald Norman, American author of the book The Design of Everyday Things, “planned obsolescence”（計劃性報廢） is the trick behind the upgrading culture of today’s consumer electronics industry.
The New York Times cited Norman last month, saying that electronics manufactures strategically release new upgrades periodically, both for hardware and software, so that customers on every level feel the need to buy the newest version.
“This is an old-time trick– they’re not inventing anything new,” he said.
Thomas Wensma, a Dutch designer, despises the “planned obsolescence” of companies, as recently reported by UK-based The Guardian.
Wensma said this is a wasteful system through which companies – many of them producing personal electronics – release shoddy products simply because “they know that, in six months or a year, they’ll put out a new one”.
But the new psychology of consumers is part of this system, as Wensma said to the newspaper: “We now want something new, something pretty, the next shiny thing.”
____________________
“It’s to the damage of the consumer and the environment,” as the New York Times quoted Norman. “But perhaps to the betterment of the stockholder.”
In its most recent fiscal(財務的) year, Apple’s profit margin was more than 21 percent, reported the Los Angeles Times. At Hewlett-Packard, the world’s biggest PC manufacturer, it was only 7 percent.
“Steven Jobs pushed the principle of ‘planned obsolescence’ to new heights,” the newspaper commented on the company’s profits and marketing strategy. “Apple’s annual upgrades of its products generate sales of millions of units as owners of one year’s MacBook or iPhone line up to buy the newest version, even when the changes are incremental.”
Peer pressure
As to Li Jijia, the need for upgrading his smart phone comes mainly from friends and classmates. When the majority of friends are switching to the latest devices, he worries about feeling left out.
“Some apps and games require better hardware to run,” said Li. “If you don’t join in, you lose part of the connection to your friends.”
【小題1】Donald Norman believes that electronics makers strategically release new upgrades periodically because __________.

A．customers need the latest version	B．technology is developing so fast
C．they want to invent something new	D．they can make a lot of money

【小題2】Thomas Wensma’s attitude to the “planned obsolescence” is __________.

A．positive

B．negative

C．indifferent

D．neutral

【小題3】What subtitle can best fit into the blank in the text?

A．Huge profits	B．Apple’s principle
C．Environmental damage	D．Marketing strategy

【小題4】The writer takes the example of Li Jijia to show that __________.

A．the new psychology of consumers is also to blame for the wasteful system

B．young people are always fond of something new, pretty and shiny

C．if you don’t upgrade your smart phone, you will lose contact with your friends

D．needs of consumers help to promote the development of electronics industry