A recent survey made by BUPA, an international healthcare provider, shows that 54 percent of Chinese people aged between 45 and 54 consider themselves old, while 28 percent say that the thought of getting old upsets them. 25 percent are afraid of getting old, and a third worry about life in old age.
BUPA made the survey among 12,262 people from 12 countries over 2 months, starting in June 2010. The survey shows that 72 percent of international participants(參加者) aged over 65 don’t feel old and that 67 percent still feel healthy. On the other hand, 65 percent of Chinese feel old even before reaching 60. About one third of those surveyed in China said they have enough savings(存款), and 46 percent are insured(參加保險(xiǎn)). Around 60 percent of the Chinese participants hope they will be taken care of by family members.
According to the survey, the French hold the most positive attitude towards getting old, with 32 percent of them considering age 80 and up old. 17 percent of Brazilians look forward to old age, compared with 3 percent globally. Indians are not bothered by old age, as 70 percent said that they don’t feel that they will be affected by old age and 71 percent say they have already made preparations for this stage of life. The illnesses that most people around the world are worried about are cancer and Alzheimer’s disease.
【小題1】According to the survey, many Chinese people surveyed feel old before they are ______.

A．50 year old	B．60 years old
C．70 years old	D．80 years old

【小題2】Most of Chinese people surveyed expect help from _________.

A．the government	B．family members
C．insurance companies	D．healthcare providers

【小題3】Who are the youngest at heart according to the survey?

A．The Indians.	B．The Brazilians
C．The French	D．The Chinese

【小題4】Why are the Indians not afraid of getting old?

A．Because they have got ready for old age.

B．Because old people are respected in India.

C．Because getting old means enjoying life.

D．Because they will get more help from society.

He wasn’t sick. He wasn’t old. And he wasn’t losing. He had a very good final season and won his last game in 2008. And then he walked away.
Lloyd Carr was 62. That’s a few years earlier than retirement(退休) age in America and many years earlier than some college football coaches say goodbye. How was Carr, who coached University of Michigan, able to leave so easily?
“ It can be intoxicating,” Carr admits. “The Saturday afternoons and the crowds. And when you win, there’s nothing like it.”
But the job needs hard work. The pressure to win. The endless training. The hours are so long that sleeping at the office is a normal thing. I reported Carr’s career at Michigan from 1995 to 2007. I saw him run onto the field before 100,000 cheering fans, saw him enjoy a share of a national championship with a 12-0 season.
And when I visited him recently in retirement, the difference was noticeable. He seems much calmer, relaxed, more at peace. He says, “As much fun as it is, there’s a period when you have other things to deal with.”
Carr knew he wanted to travel, see the world, read more, do other work. He is now connected with a children’s hospital, does some speaking, plays golf, and enjoys relaxing with his wife, Laurie, and their many grandchildren.
Several of today’s big-name coaches are all about Carr’s retirement age. Nick Saban turns 59 this month. Jim Tressel is 57. Frank Beamer is already 63. None of them seems to be slowing down.
So when, I ask Carr, is the right moment to leave such a great job?
He thinks. Finally, he says, “When you love it and can still walk away from it. That’s the right moment.”
【小題1】Lloyd Carr stopped working as a coach because he _______.

A．was too old	B．was injured seriously
C．had other things to experience	D．followed others’ examples

【小題2】The underlined word “intoxicating” in Paragraph 3 probably means ______.

A．exciting

B．disappointing

C．surprising

D．puzzling

【小題3】It can be inferred from the text that Lloyd Carr ________.

A．was always free after retirement

B．was a failure as a football coach

C．missed the time when he coached

D．enjoyed his retirement life very much

【小題4】The author is most probably ________.

A．a(chǎn) football player	B．Lloyd Carr’s assistant
C．a(chǎn) retired coach	D．a(chǎn) sports reporter

During the week days,they are luckily busy office people; but on weekends,they are just a brood of(一窩)stay home animals.A recent survey shows that office workers in China prefer quiet and easy ways to spend their weekends.
In the survey,conducted by job seeking and offering website Zhaopin.com,32.8 percent of the 6000 respondents choose to stay home at weekends and have a good rest,the Beijing Morning Post reported.
Twenty percent use their days off to do housework. And only 19.3 percent are willing to have fun during the break time from work.Their first choice of fun is shopping. Other choices,though practiced by few,include meeting friends,accompanying the children,trips to the suburbs,and lessons for more skills. When they go shopping,54.5 percent of the white collars actually shop in supermarkets,while 27.9 percent attend other stores,especially when discounts are offered.    These activities don’t seem to cost much,as 60 percent spend average less than 200 yuan(US$26)during weekends,and 30 percent no more than 500 yuan.
When asked whom they would spend the weekends with,about 40 percent mention their partners,and 30 percent prefer a weekend all by themselves.Less than 20 percent hang out with friends. Only 5.8 percent would kill the time with their colleagues.This is because we tend to avoid too many personal contacts with our coworkers when we don’t have to work with them,according to some experts.
【小題1】How many of the office workers who are the respondents do the housework at weekends?

A．1968.

B．1158.

C．1200.

D．1674.

【小題2】Why will less than ten percent of office workers kill the time with their colleagues at weekends?

A．Because they can’t spare time to play with them.

B．Because they tend to avoid too many personal contacts with them when they don’t have to.

C．Because they have many things to deal with at weekends.

D．Because some experts suggest they should not keep in touch with their colleagues.

【小題3】Which of the following is TRUE according to the survey?

A．There is the same percentage about people preferring a weekend all by themselves and people spending no more than 500 yuan during weekends.

B．Most office workers can’t afford things in supermarkets,so they prefer to attend other stores,especially when discounts are offered.

C．More than one fifth of office workers like to hang out with friends.

D．All the office workers prefer to relax themselves and no one is willing to learn more skills.

【小題4】What is the best title of the passage?

A．How to spend the weekends

B．Several ways of spending their weekends for office people?

C．How to go shopping on the weekends for office people

D．Office people prefer easy weekends

Many teenagers feel that the most important people in their lives are their friends.They believe that their family members don’t know them as well as their friends do.In large families，it is quite often for brothers and sisters to fight with each other and then they can only go to their friends for some ideas.It is very important for teenagers to have one good friend or a group of friends.Even when they are not with their friends，they usually spend a lot of time talking among themselves on the phone.This communication is very important in children’s growing up，because friends can discuss something.These things are difficult to tell their family members. However，parents often try to choose their children’s friends for them.Some parents may even stop their children from meeting their good friends.Have you ever thought of the following questions?
Who chooses your friends?
Do you choose your friends or your friends choose you?
Have you got a good friend your parents don’t like?Your answers are welcome.
【小題1】Many teenagers think that________can understand them better.

A．friends

B．brothers

C．sisters

D．parents

【小題2】When teenagers have something difficult to tell their parents，they usually________.

A．stay alone at home	B．fight with their parents
C．discuss it with their friends	D．go to their brothers and sisters for help

【小題3】The underlined sentence “Your answers are welcome.” means “________”.

A．You are welcome to discuss the questions with us.

B．We’ve got no idea，so your answers are welcome.

C．Your answers are always right.

D．You can give us all the right answers.

【小題4】Which of the following is the writer’s attitude(態(tài)度)?

A．Parents should choose friends for their children.

B．Children should choose everything they like.

C．Parents should understand their children better.

D．Teenagers should only go to their friends for help.

An experiment was carried out at British school into the performance of new pupils. At the start of the year, the pupils were each given a rating, ranging from “excellent prospect” to “unlikely to do well”. These were totally untrue ratings and did not reflect how well the pupils had previously performed. However, these ratings were given to the teachers. At the end of the year, the experimenters compared the pupils’ performance with the ratings. Despite their real abilities, there was an astonishingly high connection between performance and ratings. It seems that people perform as well as we expect them to.
The Self-fulfilling Effect is also known as the Pygmalion Effect. This comes from an old Greek story. The story was also the basis of George Bernard Shaw’s play “Pygmalion”, later turned into the musical “My Fair Lady”. In Shaw’s play, Professor Henry Higgins claims he can turn a Cockney flower girl, Eliza Doolittle into a duchess. But, as Eliza herself points out to Higgins’ friend Pickering, it isn’t what she learns or does that determines whether she will become a duchess, but how she’s treated.
The implication (含義) of the Pygmalion Effect for leaders and managers is massive. It means that the performance of your team depends less on them than it does on you. The performance you get from people is no more or less than what you expect, which means you must always expect the best. As Goethe said, “Treat a man as he is and he will remain as he is. Treat a man as he can and should be and he will become as he can and should be.”
【小題1】The underlined word in Paragraph 1 can be replaced by “_________”.

A．program

B．regulation

C．correction

D．classification

【小題2】What’s the passage mainly about?

A．A new scientific experiment.

B．The Self-fulfilling Effect.

C．Shaw’s play “Pygmalion”.

D．An improved teaching method.

【小題3】The experiment was made in order to _________.

A．try out a new teaching method

B．pick out the most excellent pupils

C．learn if expectations affect performance

D．give each pupil a proper rating

【小題4】What made Eliza change into a duchess according to Eliza herself?

A．Strict training from Higgins.

B．Her own strong will and hard work.

C．The proper way she was regarded.

D．Warm encouragement from Pickering.

【小題5】According to the Pygmalion Effect, if you want a man to finish a hard task in a short time, you should say, “_________”.

A．I’m sure you can make it	B．I will help you any time
C．It is as easy as pie	D．It doesn’t matter if you fail

Every Saturday or Sunday night my family and I go out and feed the homeless people in the city of Orlando. There are thousands of people across the United States without any food or shelter. My family and I have been doing this for several months.
We all get together in the kitchen and prepare the food. Some of the meals are sandwiches, cookies and a bottle of water. Sometimes my mom prepares a steaming hot delicious meal. We then bag them all up to feed 30 or more people.
I like to write special notes on the bags like “God loves you.” Before my family and I get into the car we ask God for protection in a family prayer. A lot of people misunderstand homeless people. Not all homeless people are drug addicts or bad people. Some are really nice. Some of them just had bad things that happened to them.
At first when my family and I went out on the street we had to earn their trust. A lot of people are unkind to them for no good reason. But now that they see us every week, they trust us. We even know some of their names. We all have to remember that these are people that have feelings. Some of them shake our hands for giving them food, and thank us. Some of them do really funny dances because they are happy.
We have become really close with this man named Tony and his wife. They have all of their personal belongings in shopping carts. After meeting with them several times he has told us a lot about his life. He graduated from Harvard University and has a PHD. He used to teach French and Spanish. He lost his job after the economic crisis began.
After we get done feeding the homeless, it makes me appreciate what I have at home. Sometimes it makes me sad, and makes my mom cry. I love feeding the homeless, and making a difference in someone’s life.
【小題1】The following statements are all right except _________.

A．we feed the homeless every Saturday or Sunday night

B．I write some encouraging words on the food

C．we offer food for about 30 or more people every Saturday or Sunday night

D．my family and I have been feeding the poor for several months

【小題2】What do many people think of the homeless in America?

A．They are homeless because of taking drugs.

B．They are bad people against the society.

C．They must have done something bad.

D．All of above.

【小題3】Why do the homeless believe in the author and his family?

A．They don’t ask the homeless to do something bad.

B．They always bring more food every time.

C．They often give food to them at fixed time.

D．They never ask about the names of the homeless.

【小題4】What made Tony lose his job?

A．The falling economy across the whole country.

B．He hasn’t got a suitable university degree.

C．He graduated from a common university.

D．He doesn’t like the teaching of the French language.

【小題5】The underlined word “it” in the last paragraph most probably refers to _________.

A．the loss of the job of Tony

B．the poverty of the author’s family

C．the feeding of the homeless

D．the leaving from the homeless

What is the connection between violence and sports? Psychologists（心理學(xué)家） say that there are many reasons for violence at sports events. One is alcohol（酒精）. Many fans drink a lot at games. When people drink, they are more likely to do abnormal things. Psychologist Dennis Brock says, “Quiet people become loud. Normally nonviolent people become destructive.”
David Sampson, a sports sociologist, agrees, “These are often celebratory riots(暴亂)— a large number of very happy people mixed in with large amounts of alcohol. They don’t often seem dangerous in the beginning, but things get violent quickly.”
Another reason for violence at sports events is the crowd itself. When individuals are in a large group of people, they can lose their sense of personal responsibility. Edward Hirt, a social Psychologist, says that research shows that people do things in crowds that they would never do alone. People in crowds feel that no one knows who they are. Crowds also make people feel powerful. They stop making personal decisions. They just follow the crowd. Social psychologists call this a “mob mentality.”
Dave Zarifis, head of public safety at Northern Iowa University says, “Some people don’t even come to celebrate. They want to drink hard and make trouble. Someone does something stupid, and it grows from there. You get a mob mentality. People think it’s OK to do almost anything. They think, ‘There are so many of us and not enough of them.’ ”
Social psychologist Dr. Sharon Kennedy says that there are a few things officials can do to prevent violence. Making sure that an area is not overcrowded is very important. Officials should also think of games as “big parties.” Then they will prepare differently. Kennedy says that in Great Britain they are controlling the problem with cameras in all the stadiums. “When you know someone is watching, you are much less likely to behave badly.”
【小題1】Which of the following best gives the main idea of the first two paragraphs? 

A．There’s a connection between violence and sports

B．There are many reasons for violence at sports events.

C．One cause of violence at sports events is alcohol.

D．David Sampson and Dennis Brock have the same opinion.

【小題2】Which of the following does NOT belong to a “mob mentality”?

A．“ No one knows I’m doing this.”

B．“ It’s safe to do what many people are doing.”

C．“There are so many of us and not enough of them.”

D．“I must drink some alcohol to stop myself feeling shy.”

【小題3】How many experts are quoted by the writer of this passage?

A．Five.

B．Four.

C．Three.

D．Two.

【小題4】The last paragraph is mainly about ______.

A．how to turn games into big parties

B．how to prevent violence at sports events

C．why to fix cameras in stadiums

D．how to avoid oneself behaving badly

【小題5】What lesson can we learn from this passage?

A．Never drink any alcohol no matter where you are.

B．Whenever you are watching a game, you should keep quiet.

C．Never follow blindly no matter how many people are doing something.

D．Be careful when you are at a stadium because there are cameras there.

It has always been said that women are not good drivers, because they simply don’t have very good driving ability. On the other hand, most car accidents happen to men; very few happen to women.
From this, we can see that women are much more careful while driving. Another very interesting fact that we should point out is that in the past, women preferred to let their husbands be the only driver in the family rather than have a driving license. Somehow they were prevented from making this step in their lives, but nowadays there are many women that want to pass their driving tests from an early age.
However, we have to admit that men are more skillful drivers than women, but this does not mean that a woman cannot become a good driver by accumulating(積累) experience. So more and more teenagers and women around the age of thirty now want to pass their driving tests. While taking their driving lessons, they also have a number of special lessons with their parents or somebody in the family that has a driving license, this is just to improve their driving abilities and help them to pass the tests more easily.
To conclude, we can say that women are not such bad drivers. They just need more experience than men in order to be able to drive well. And on the other hand, there are a number of women that show better driving skills than the men around them.
【小題1】Compared with the past, nowadays many women ______.

A．have more accidents while driving	B．prefer to have a driving license
C．a(chǎn)re somehow prevented from driving	D．a(chǎn)re the only driver in the family

【小題2】What can we infer from the passage?

A．Teenage girls cannot take driving tests.

B．Men didn’t allow women to drive in the past.

C．Women can easily pass their tests by taking driving lessons.

D．With enough experience, women can become good drivers.

【小題3】The passage mainly talks about ______.

A．why men are better drivers than women

B．men and their driving ability

C．women and their driving ability

D．why more women like to have a driving license

Competition. It’s a simple word, yet a very complex word that covers many angles when it comes to how gasoline prices are determined. It seems so easy to explain, but don’t let that trick you—it’s incredibly difficult to explain and adequately understand.
Say you’re on a Sunday afternoon drive, and notice a gas station near you charging $3.50. Down the road a few miles, that price could easily be 10 or more cents higher or lower. The question is “how” or “why” is that? Think of it this way. Are you more likely to get a better deal on a car if there are two similar car dealers next to each other? Perhaps, because the dealers are too close. Say there is a third similar car dealer miles away. Is he going to be at the same level of competition and sell his cars for the same price as the two dealers next to each other? Likely not. He may charge more or less. Maybe people don't know there are two other dealers down the road. Maybe the dealer is almost outside of the city and the land value isn't as high, so his taxes aren't as high.
These situations do take place at gas stations. And more factors can impact what a station will charge. Timing can greatly impact what price a station charges as well! Many motorists fail to realize that the price a station pays for gasoline changes daily. If one station gets lucky and buys gas on Monday and the cost goes up Tuesday, the station that bought on Monday doesn’t necessarily have to raise prices like the station that bought on Tuesday. Maybe the station that got caught buying for a higher price on Tuesday will pass that higher cost on by raising its gas price.
Perhaps the difference is what brand the station is---branded stations usually pay a slightly higher cost for their gasoline. In return for paying a higher cost, those stations are guaranteed first supply in case of emergency situations. Independent stations don’t pay as much, but aren’t guaranteed supply.
While competition sounds easy to understand, there are always a large number of factors that could influence what one station charges. Keep in mind how many variables there are next time you fill up.
【小題1】What could be the best title for the passage?

A．How Competition Impacts Gas Prices

B．Gas Prices Go Up or Down

C．Competition---a Very Complex Word

D．We Can’t Stress Enough the Need for Competition

【小題2】The example of car dealers is used to show _________.

A．car prices are determined by car dealers

B．location is an important factor in pricing

C．the quality of service matters most

D．dealing strategy should be flexible

【小題3】The gas prices of a station always change partly because _________.

A．a(chǎn) gas station always wants to charge more

B．the gasoline is in great demand

C．the cost of the gas the station buys varies daily

D．gas is in greater need on Monday

【小題4】According to the passage, branded stations _________.

A．spend less money on their gasoline

B．have more staff than independent stations

C．charge less for high quality oil

D．offer a steady oil supply

Tattoos and body piercings（穿孔）have moved up on the trend list in recent years. Around Western schools lots of teens are sporting new holes and “flesh ink”（紋身）. As with all other subjects, the Chinese will surely have to deal with this situation with respect to their children. To get a better view of what has happened in the West, 1et’s sit down and hear what they say.
Tiara from Indiana： 
I personally think body piercing is sickening. If there were supposed to be holes in your body，you would have been born with them. I do，however，think that ear piercing is not wrong. There is a difference between ear piercing and belly button piercing. Ear piercing is not nearly as dangerous. I would be sick if someone stuck a needle in my belly button.
Lee from Illinois:
Hi! I live in Illinois. I am 23. I have 12 tattoos and three piercings. I love my tattoos and consider myself an art collector. You would be surprised at who has given me the thumbs up on my art work. People on the street stop me to look at the tattoo on my leg. Most of them don’t know what it is. They just think the work itself is great.
Subotai from California:
I’m not forbidden of self-expression，but when I see high school students getting these piercings, I really wonder. In some cases, the drive is deeper and darker than mere fashion. A friend of mine tried piercing her own tongue with a safety pin. It got infected and she had a tongue the size of a cow’s.
Jackson from Ohio:
I don’t think it is wrong, but when people do it all over the place like their face and everything—I think that’s ridiculous. People who get the big “dragons that cover the whole body—I don’t think that’s necessary.” When I see naked chicks on guys, I think, “You have no respect for women.”
【小題1】Who doesn’t think tattoos and piercings except ear piercing are beautiful？

A．Jackson

B．Lee

C．Tiara

D．Subotai

【小題2】We can conclude that        .

A．tattoos and piercings are a new kind of elegant art

B．a(chǎn)ll the teachers in the West are in favour of tattoos and piercings

C．everything is changeable as time goes on

D．it is necessary to live with different views of beauty

【小題3】The best title for this passage is probably        .

A．Body Art or Causing Damage

B．Doing Damage to the Young People’s Bodies

C．Young People’s Different Curiosities

D．The Latest Fashion