Everyone knows about straight-A students．We see them frequently in TV situation comedies and in movies like Revenge（報復(fù)）of the Nerds．They get high grades, all right, but only by becoming dull laborers, their noses always stuck in a book．They are not good at social communication and look clumsy while doing sports．
How, then, do we account for Domenica Roman or Paul Melendres?
Roman is on the tennis team at Fairmont Senior High School．She also sings in the choral group, serves on the student council and is a member of the mathematics society．For two years she has maintained A’s in every subject．Melendres, a freshman at the University of New Mexico, was student-body president at Valley High School in Albuquerque．He played soccer and basketball well, exhibited at the science fair, and meanwhile worked as a reporter on a local television station．Being a speech giver at the graduation ceremony, he achieved straight A’s in his regular classes, plus bonus points for A’s in two college-level courses．
How do super-achievers like Roman and Melendres do it? Brains aren’t the only answer．“Top grades don’t always go to the brightest students, ” declares Herbert Walberg, a professor of education at the University of Illinois at Chicago, who has conducted major studies on super-achieving students．“Knowing how to make the most of your innate（天生的）abilities counts for more．Much more．”
In fact, Walberg says, students with high IQ sometimes don’t do as well as classmates with lower IQ．For them, learning comes too easily and they never find out how to get down．
Hard work isn’t the whole story, either．“It’s not how long you sit there with the books open, ” said one of the many-A students we interviewed．“It’s what you do while you’re sitting．” Indeed, some of these students actually put in fewer hours of homework time than their lower-scoring classmates．
The kids at the top of the class get there by mastering a few basic techniques that others can readily learn．
【小題1】The underlined word “nerds” can probably be    ．

A．dull bookworms lacking sports and social skills

B．successful top students popular with their peers

C．students with certain learning difficulties

D．born leaders crazy about social activities

【小題2】What can we conclude from the first paragraph?

A．Most TV programs and films are about straight-A students．

B．People have unfavorable impression on straight-A students．

C．Everyone knows about straight-A students from TV or films．

D．Straight-A students are well admired by people in the society．

【小題3】What will be talked about after the last paragraph?

A．The interviews with more students．

B．The role IQ plays in learning well．

C．The techniques to be better learners．

D．The achievements top students make．

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

A．IQ is more important than hard work in study．

B．The brightest students can never get low grades．

C．Top students certainly achieve all-around developments．

D．Students with average IQ can become super-achievers

In the United States, when one becomes rich, he wants people to know it. And even if he does not become very rich, he wants people to think that he is. That is what ‘keeping up with the Joneses’ is about, It is the story of someone who tried to look as rich as his neighbours.
The expression was first used in 1913 by a young American called Arthur Momand. He told this story about himself. He began earning $ 125 a week at the age of 23. That was a lot of money in those days. He got married and moved with his wife to a very wealthy neighbourhood outside New York City. When he saw that rich people rode horses, Momand went horseback riding every day. When he saw that rich people had servants, Momand and his wife also hired a servant and gave big parties for their new neighbours.
It was like a race, but one could never finish this race because one was always trying to keep up. The race ended for Momand and his wife when they could no longer pay for their new way of life. They moved back to an apartment in New York City.
Momand looked around him and noticed that many people do things just to keep up with rich life--style of their neighbours. He saw the funny side of it and started to write a series  of short stories, He called it ‘Keeping up with the Joneses’ because ‘Jones’ is a very common name in the United States.’ Keeping up with the Joneses’ came to mean keeping up with rich lifestyle of the people around you. Momand’s series appeared in different newspapers across the country for over 28 years.
People never seem to get tired of keeping up with the Joneses. And there are ‘Jonses’ in every city of the world. But one must get tired of trying to keep up with the Joneses because no matter what one does, Mr. Jones always seems to be ahead.
【小題1】Some people want to keep up with the Joneses because they ______.

A．want to be as rich as their neighbours

B．want others to know or to think that they are rich

C．don’t want others to know they are rich

D．want to be happy

【小題2】It can be inferred from the story that rich people like to ________.

A．live outside New York City	B．live in New York City
C．live in apartments	D．have many neighbours

【小題3】The underlined word neighbourhood in the second paragraph means ________.

A．a(chǎn) person who lives near another	B．people living in an area
C．a(chǎn)n area near the place referred to	D．a(chǎn)n area in another town or city

【小題4】 Arthur Momand used the name ‘Jones’ in his series of short stories because’ Jones’ is ________.

A．a(chǎn)n important name	B．a(chǎn) popular name in the United States
C．his neighbour’s name	D．not a good name

【小題5】According to the writer, it is       to keep up with the Joneses.

A．correct

B．interesting

C．impossible

D．good

The Coalition for the Homeless is an organization that seeks to address the needs of the homeless population in the United States．It is a network of offices, some of which provide food and houses for the homeless population．a(chǎn)nd some of which fight for the passing of laws that would give every American the right to a place to call home．According to the Coalition’s studies, of over two hundred million people living in the United States, up to three million are homeless—and the number is still growing since the late 1970s, fast rising house prices, large cuts in government supported housing programs, and economic recession have made it impossible for many Americans to meet housing costs．Sadly, this has resulted in a number of persons being forced to leave their homes and or unable to find new affordable homes．According to another research．families with children appear to be the fastest-growing part of the homeless population, making up 39% of it．The old idea of a homeless person, that of the single man who gets drunk all the time, is no longer true．A much larger part of the population now finds itself homeless．Even worse, once a person becomes homeless, he often finds it impossible to find a job, since most employers require anyone who wants a job from them to provide a home address on a job application
【小題1】The word “address” in the first line probably means         ．

A．talk about

B．deal with

C．fight for

D．write to

【小題2】How many people are homeless in the U．S．a(chǎn)ccording to the Coalition studies?

A．39% of the population．	B．200 million people．
C．About 3 million people．	D．About one-fifth of the population．

【小題3】Homeless people often have difficulty finding a job because________．

A．they have no home addresses

B．they mostly have a drinking problem

C．they aren't supported by government programs

D．they often don't have enough work experience

【小題4】What is the main cause of the rising number of the homeless in the U．S．?

A．The passing of new housing laws．	B．The fast growth of family size．
C．The slow construction of houses．	D．The ever-rising price of housing．

As one comes to some crossroads, he or she sees a sign which says that drivers have to stop when they come to the main road ahead. At other crossroads, drivers have to go slow, but they do not actually have to stop unless, of course, there is something coming along the main road; and at still others, they do not have either to stop or to go slow, because they are themselves on the main road.
Mr. Williams, who was always a very careful driver, was driving home from work one evening when he came to a crossroad. It had a “SLOW” sign. He slowed down when he came to the main road, looked both ways to see that nothing was coming, and then drove across without stopping completely.
At once he heard a police whistle, so he pulled into the side of the road and stopped. A policeman walked over to him with a notebook and a pen in his hand and said, “You didn’t stop at that crossing.”
“But the sign there doesn't say ‘STOP’.” answered Mr. Williams, “It just says ‘SLOW’, and I did go slow.”
The policeman looked around him, and a look of surprise came over his face. Then he put his notebook and pen away, scratched his head and said, “Well, I’m in the wrong street!”
【小題1】When he was stopped by a policeman, he ____.

A．was driving at a high speed	B．was driving onto the main road
C．was going to stop his car	D．was pulled into the crossroad

【小題2】Though slowly, Mr. Williams continued driving at the crossing because________ .

A．he saw a “STOP” sign in the opposite street

B．he paid no attention to the traffic rules

C．he didn't have to stop

D．he was eager to get home

【小題3】Looking round Mr. Williams, the policeman was surprised because__________ .

A．he met a mad man

B．he realized that he himself was mistaken

C．Mr. Williams dared to speak to him like that

D．Mr. Williams would not apologize to him

【小題4】What does “scratch” in the last paragraph mean?

A．to rub the skin of (the head) for uncertainty

B．to strike (the head ) for regret

C．to nodded for sure

D．to look back to search for something

Students who work during term time to support themselves at university are far more likely to graduate with a poor degree, according to a government-funded study published yesterday.
Undergraduates with part-time jobs are a third less likely to get a first or upper second-class degree than other students, harming their career chances. Students from the poorest backgrounds were most likely to take jobs during term because they could not depend on help from their parents.
The report, commissioned (委托) by the Department for Education and Skills, also found a clear relation between fear of debt and employment in non-graduate jobs. Students from poorer backgrounds are known to he more unwilling to be in debt than those from middle class families.
The study of 8,600 people who graduated in 1999 was made by Peter Elias, of Warwick University, and Kate Purcell, from Bristol Business School. They found that twice as many first-class degrees were awarded to students who did not work during term compared with those who did. Between 35 and 38 percent who worked during term achieved a lower second, compared with about 28 percent of those who did not.
Professor Elias said that the increase in school fees next year to ￡3,000 would have to be monitored (監(jiān)控) carefully for its effect on poorer students. "Higher education is going to be a harder struggle for those who do not come with all the advantages," he said.
He suggested that universities could get in touch with employers to provide work experience on good salaries to choose students during holidays, so that they did not have to work during term.
【小題1】What's the main idea of the passage?

A．Students at university like to take part-time jobs to support themselves,

B．Term-time jobs at university lead to poorer examination results.

C．The school fees are becoming higher and higher at university.

D．Students at university have much difficulty getting first-class degrees.

【小題2】Why did lots of students take term-jobs at university?

A．No one would lend them money to continue their study.

B．They wanted to improve themselves by taking part-time jobs,

C．Their families were poor and couldn't afford the high expense.

D．They thought earning money was more important than studying.

【小題3】Students who took term-jobs at university ____.

A．had no possibility to study better than those who didn't

B．couldn't graduate from school normally in the future

C．might have trouble in finding a job in the future

D．were more independent than those who didn't in the future

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

A．Poor students can't take part-time jobs all the time at university.

B．Employers have the duty to help poor students solve the money problem.

C．First class degrees couldn't be given to the students whose families were poor.

D．High school fees are one of the important reasons why students have to take term-jobs.

I got my first driver’s license (執(zhí)照) in 1953 by taking driver education in my first year at Central High School in Charlotte, North Carolina. Four years later when it was time to renew my license I was a married woman. Henry and I were living in Baltimore, Maryland. Two weeks before my 20th birthday, Henry drove me to the motor vehicle office on a hot July afternoon. When I got to the office and showed to the man behind the counter my North Carolina driver’s license，ready to renew, the man told me that I was under age by Maryland law since I was not yet 21. “Mr. Henry Smith, your husband, will have to sign for you,” he said.
I argued, pointing to a very large belly (肚子) of mine, “I am married. I am having a baby. Why should I have to have someone sign for me to drive?” He answered coldly, “It’s the law, madam.”
Henry encouraged me to calm down, just go ahead and get the license and be done with it. “No,” I said. I refused to have him sign for me. So I left without a Maryland license.
I called the North Carolina Motor Vehicle Office and renewed my NC license by mail — using my name Susan Brown. And thus it was for the next twelve years. Since Henry was in the army I could drive under my home state license. By the time Henry left the army we were once again living in Maryland, and I had to take the Maryland driver’s exam. Since then I just go in and renew every four years—sign the name Susan Brown, have my new picture taken, and walk out with a license to drive.
【小題1】Susan got her first driver’s license _________.

A．before she got married to Henry

B．when she was twenty years old

C．a(chǎn)fter she finished high school

D．when she just moved to Maryland

【小題2】We can infer from the text that in the U.S. _________.

A．American males should serve in the army

B．different states my have different laws

C．people have to renew their licenses in their home states

D．women should adopt their husbands’ family names after marriage

British society is considered to be divided into three main groups of classes－the upper class，the middle class．a(chǎn)nd the lower or working class．This is known as the class system and it is important to know something about it if you mean to understand British people and society．Most British people grow up with a deep knowledge and understanding of the class system even if they are not very conscious（意識到的）of it．As a result，more people know which class they belong to and are able to tell which class other people come from by the way they speak，the kind of clothes they wear，their interests and hobbies or even the type of food they eat．
Social class is not only about behavior and attitudes．For example，although many upper class people are rich and may own a lot of land，having a lot of money does not necessarily make a person one member of the upper class．It is also important to come from a particular kind of family，have friends who are considered suitable，have been to a certain type of private school and speak with the right kind of accent．There are people who are poor but who do not think of themselves as working class because their family background，education，political opinions，etc．a(chǎn)re basically different from those of most working－class people．Many people do not like the class system but it is impossible to pretend that these differences do not exist or that British people do not sometimes form opinions in this way．
【小題1】The idea of the class system in Britain __________．

A．exists only in the mind of foreigners	B．is deeply rooted in the British people
C．is now under attack	D．is regarded as a long custom

【小題2】If an Englishman has a lot of money，__________．  

A．he belongs to the middle class

B．he must be a member of the upper class

C．he is not likely to be from the upper class

D．he may buy an upper class title with money

【小題3】What does the second paragraph mainly discuss?

A．Many rich people do not belong to the upper class．

B．Today many British people do not like the class system．

C．Many poor people do not consider themselves a lower class．

D．An Englishman’S social class is determined by many factors．

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

A．An Unequal Society	B．Social Class in Britain
C．British People and Society	D．Information about Britain

A different sort of generation gap is developing in the workplace. Someone --- specifically the father-daughter team of Larry and Meagan Johnson --- has figured out that on some American job sites, five generations are working side by side.
In their new book about generations in the workplace the pair argue that while such an age difference adds a lot of texture and a variety of life experiences, it can also bring tensions and conflicts.
The Johnsons are human-resource trainers and public speakers. Dad Larry is a former health-care executive; daughter Meagan is a onetime high-level sales manager.
Here are the oldest and youngest of the five generations they identify:
They call the oldest group Traditionals, born before 1945. They were heavily influenced by the lessons of the Great Depression and World War Two. They respect authority, set a high standard of workmanship, and communicate easily and confidently. But they’re also stubbornly independent. They want their opinions heard.
At the other extreme are what the Johnsons call Linksters, born after 1995 into today’s more complicated, multi-media world. They live and breathe technology and are often social activists.
You won’t find many 15-year olds in the offices of large companies, except as volunteers, of course, but quite old and quite young workers do come together in sales environments like bike shops and ice-cream stores.
The Johnsons, Larry and Meagan, represent a generation gap themselves in their work with jobsite issues. The Johnsons’ point is that as the average lifespan continues to rise and retirement dates get delayed because of the tight economy, people of different generations are working side by side, more often bringing with them very different ideas about company loyalty and work values.
The five generations are heavily influenced by quite different events, social trends, and the cultural phenomena of their times. Their experiences shape their behavior and make it difficult, sometimes, for managers to achieve a strong and efficient workplace.
Larry and Meagan Johnson discuss all this in greater detail in a new book, “Generations, Inc.: From Boomers to Linksters --- Managing the Friction Between Generations at Work,” published by Amacom Press, which is available in all good bookstore from this Friday.
【小題1】The type of generation gap in paragraph 1 refers to the difference in beliefs ________.

A．between managers and workers	B．a(chǎn)mong family members
C．a(chǎn)mong employees	D．between older and newer companies

【小題2】Which of the following statements is NOT true about Traditionals?

A．They’ve learned much from war and economic disaster.

B．They’re difficult to work with as they are stubborn.

C．They respect their boss and hope to be respected.

D．They’re independent workers with great confidence.

【小題3】According to the passage, the Linksters are usually ________.

A．found working in the offices of large companies

B．influenced by media and technology

C．enthusiastic multi-media activists

D．ice-cream sellers

【小題4】According to the passage, modern workforces are more diverse because ________.

A．people want to increase their average lifespan

B．many young people are entering the workforce

C．employees with different values can benefit their companies

D．retirement dates are being delayed for economic reasons

【小題5】What’s the main purpose of the passage?

A．To promote a new book by Larry and Meagan Johnson.

B．To describe the five different workplace generations.

C．To introduce the Johnsons’ research about diverse workforces.

D．To identify a major problem in modern workforces.

AHeading off to college this year? Here are some fashion tips from our experts you should keep in mind:
Dress to impress: Stylist and business consultant Daniela Smith says, “Girls should keep in mind that your college professors will often be the bridge that connects you to your future career and your classmates will become your professional network. You don’t need to dress like you’re going to the office, but you should display an ability to properly present yourself with appropriate maturity and confidence, and look put together.”
Logo mania (品牌狂熱癥): Wearing the logos of brands aimed at younger customers physically identifies you as part of that age group, so consider the targeted age group of the stores you shop at. It’s tempting to load up on logos, especially well-known logos that signify high-end brands. But consider this: college is a time of self-discovery, a chance to develop your own personal style. Instead of wearing logos head to toe, “walking advertisement”-style, why not express who you really are?
Wear real pants! The combination of leggings and baggy shirts is all too common on college campuses. Smith points out that leggings, yoga pants, and sweatpants are entirely unacceptable in public unless you’re exercising. Although leggings worn as pants are a common trend among high school and college girls, they are not an appropriate choice for daywear. As a young woman, your style choice should begin to reflect your maturity level. So, get rid of leggings and wear real pants!
Keep the cute factor to a minimum: Stay away from sweaters and T-shirts with smiling animals, cartoon characters, or Hello Kitty on them. Sure, kittens might be cute, but they’re not doing you any favors in the style department. Dressing too cutesy can take years off your look, and not necessarily in a good way!
【小題1】 The second paragraph indicates the importance of ________.

A．impressing professors	B．getting on well with classmates
C．creating a professional image	D．dressing appropriately

【小題2】The author believes that college girls should ________.

A．choose a logo that suits their age

B．try to load up on well-known logos

C．use logos to show who they are

D．find their identity by trying different logos

【小題3】The author recommends wearing real pants because ________.

A．leggings and baggy shirts are too common

B．yoga pants and sweatpants are not as comfortable

C．real pants can present you with appropriate maturity

D．people like real pants better than the other pants

【小題4】What’s the writer’s attitude towards sweaters with animals on them?

A．They make people look lovely.

B．They are very fashionable these days.

C．They will show you’re an animal lover.

D．They are not suitable for college-aged students.

【小題5】In which magazine would you most likely find this passage?

A．Business Week.

B．Parents.

C．In style.

D．Travel & Leisure.

Employees are being flooded with too much information that has little to do with their work, according to a new survey.
On average, white-collar workers spend 51 percent of their work time receiving and processing information. Only one third of it was relevant to their work, the survey found. Information overload for white collar workers has become a global issue. The huge amount of information has already affected their efficiency in management as well as their performance at work.
Buried with e-mails
Every morning, a secretary at the human resources department of an auto parts company opens her e-mail box, only to find it crammed with at least 50 unread mails. For her, even scanning through these e-mails every day takes at least half an hour. Some of her colleagues are not so lucky — they have to read at least 100.
Bothered with calls
Telephone calls are also causing a problem. More than 40 percent white-collar workers chose mobile phones as the preferred way to communicate important and urgent business matters.
Talking saves time and energy over the clicking, reading and replying to e-mails, but phone calls are also more distracting(分心的). While answering a call, a clerk is likely to put away a much more important task at hand and start the business being talked about on the phone.
Solution? Not yet.
Many companies start with providing staff with better computers, better Internet access and more advanced gadgets(裝置). For example, staff members above a certain level in one company will be provided with a blackberry phone for easier access to their e-mails. The company has also organized many lectures on efficient ways of e-mail management. Yet most white-collar workers think their companies can do more.
【小題1】What does the new survey find about white-collar workers?

A．They spend 51% of their work time on meetings.

B．Only half of the information they receive is useful.

C．Over 60% of them prefer to use the telephone.

D．Some of them have to read at least 100 e-mails every day.

【小題2】Telephone calls cause a problem because ________.

A．they take up the time to receive and send e-mails

B．they are often not answered

C．they are mostly not about business

D．they may lead to the changing of work schedule

【小題3】How do some companies try to solve the problem of information overload?

A．They start to give staff a pay rise.

B．They plan to employ more people.

C．They provide employees with more advanced equipment.

D．They organize lectures on how to reduce stress.

【小題4】What is the major issue discussed in this text?

A．Poor management leads to inefficiency at work.

B．Junk mail is causing big trouble.

C．White-collar workers suffer from information overload.

D．Better computers are in need in workplaces.