Several days ago, a Beijing-based IT com??pany fired about 400 people overnight. No one had expected the job cuts, which broke with traditional ways of letting go of workers in Chi??na. Moreover, what was special about this case was that the day before the 400 were fired, they all received from their boss a gift—the book “Who Moved My Cheese?”

The book—a bestseller in the US—is being used by men and women to deal with changes in their lives and work. Some large organizations, including Coca-Cola, Kodak and General Mo??tors, ask their employees to read it in order to encourage them to be active towards changes.

Cheese is something related to everyone’s livelihood—our jobs, the Industries we work in, relationships and love as well.  

With China’s official entry into the WTO, the whole nation will face more changes and cha??llenges. So what should we do once this “cheese” on which we are so dependent is moved?

whatever challenges and changes we meet, we should face up to them bravely, Jiang Hengwei, a civil servant said after reading the book.

Professor Zhang Yang in Renmin University of China agrees. “We should change our way of thinking. The coming competitive foreign com??panies and products provide us with great chances to learn from them and improve our own products to meet international standards and be more competitive.”

“With hard work and wisdom, we will create a much larger and better piece of cheese.” Zhang smiled confidently.            

The whole passage is about _______.

A. people’s opinions about a bestseller of the US

B. what people think about China’s entry into the WTO

C. the change in people’s attitude towards changes and challenges

D. how a book influences the Chinese

The company in Beijing gave each of the 400 fired workers a copy of “Who Moved My Cheese” in order to _______.

A. be more competitive with foreign firms

B. find an excuse for their job cuts

C. let the workers make a living on their own

D. encourage the fired workers

The word “cheese” in the passage can refer to _______.

A. something we depend on for a living

B. a most important kind of food

C. change or challenge

D. way of life

From what Hengwei and Professor Zhang Yang said, we can know that _______.

A. they have different opinions on changes and challenges

B. people are not afraid of competition from foreign companies

C. the Chinese people are ready to face any changes and challenges

D. they are both greatly encouraged by the book

In China, the needle treatment dates __ ancient times.

A. from B.back to C.back from D.both A and B

Malaysia’s Prime Minister, Mahathir Mohamad has been retired. But he didn’t go quietly. In his final speech, he blamed the Jewish people for the problems between Israel and the Palestinians.

“The Jews have taken land of the Muslims,” he said. “What if part of America was given to the Jews as Israel? Would the Americans let it happen? Of course not.”

His words angered many western governments, but Mahathir doesn’t care. “I like to speak my mind,” the 77-year-old explained. “Sometimes people don’t like it. But that is what leadership is all about.”

Loved by some and disliked by others, his 22 years in power have seen great changes in Malaysia. He has taken it from being one of Asia’s poorest countries to the world’s 18th largest trading nation. It is also a peaceful country with native Malaysians living alongside minority groups. Chinese make up a quarter of the population, while a further 7.4 percent are of Indian origin. Teenage girls wearing Muslim^① headscarves happily walk around large stores as ethnic Chinese play mah-jong^② in nearby cafes.

But Mahathir has made enemies at home and abroad and some people will be glad he has gone. The US was unhappy when he often blamed it for globalization. Meanwhile, critics say that he has limited the freedom of the Malaysian people in order to stay in control of the country. Despite this, he is a hero to leaders in Southeast Asia as well as those in the Islamic^③ world. “He marked out the path to success for developing nations in the region to follow,” said Thai President Thaksin Shinawatra.

Now he just wants to enjoy his retirement and insists that he will not take on a special role in government. “I’m a nobody,” he said. But many Malaysians do not agree with this.

Notes:

Muslim  adj. 穆斯林的

mah-jong  n. 麻將

Islamic  adj. 伊斯蘭教的

Choose the best answers according to the above:

What does Mahathir probably mean by saying “But that is what leadership is all about.”?

A. The Jews have taken land of the Muslines by strong power of their leadership.

B. America should give part of its land to Israel though its leadership is powerful.

C. Leadership has the obligation to speak up what you think is right or wrong.

D. As a leader of a country, you have the right to teach those in other countries what to do and how.

Which is NOT true about the following?

A. Malaysia was no longer poor after Mahathir came into power.

B. Malaysia is a country with natives and other minorities like Jews living alongside

   peacefully.

C. Malaysia developed a lot within Mahathir’s power but freedom of Malaysians was

   limited.

D. Mahathir’s role in the world is both a hero to leaders in Southeast Asia but also a possible enemy of some countries.

The best title of this passage would be _________.

A. A Religion Enthusiast                            B. Mahathir’s Political Policy

C. Mahathir Is Malaysia D. Hero of the World

Back in my country, when I was a child, I used to go to “market day” with my mother. One day each week, farmers used to ___1___ their fruit and vegetables into the city. They ___2___ one street to all cars, and the farmers set up tables for their ___3___. This outdoor market was a great place to ___4___. Everything was fresher than produce in grocery stores because the farmers brought it in ___5___ after the harvest. My mother and I always got there early in the morning to get the ___6___ produce.

The outdoor market was a wonderful adventure for a small child, ___7___ was like a festival — full of colors and ___8___. There are red tomatoes, yellow lemons, green lettuce, peppers, grapes, onions. The farmers did their own ___9___. They all shouted loudly for ___10___ to buy their produce. “Come and buy my beautiful oranges! They’re juicy and delicious and full of vitamins to ___11___ your children healthy and strong!”

Everyone used to ___12___ with the farmers over the ___13___ of their produce. It was like a wonderful drama in a theatre; the buyers and sellers were the “___14___” in this drama. My mother was an ___15___ at this. First, she picked the freshest, most attractive tomatoes, for example. Then she asked the price. The seller told her.

“What?” she said. She looked very surprised. “ So ___16___?”

The seller looked terribly ___17___. “My dear lady!” he replied. “I’m a poor, ___18___ farmer. These are the cheapest tomatoes on the market!”

They always argued for several minutes before agreeing ___19___ a price. My mother took her tomatoes and left. Both buyer and seller were ___20___. The drama was over.

1. A. carry      B. take　　　 C. bring         D. fetch

2. A. opened　       B. closed　　 C. started　　 D. stopped

3. A. produce　     B. goods　　　     C. food　　   D. product

4. A. buy B. sell　　　　     C. bargain　　      D. shop

5. A. hurriedly       B. immediately      C. directly      D. straightly

6. A. best　　 B. finest　　  C. freshest      D. cheapest

7. A. who　    B. that　　　　     C. which　　 D. what

8. A. voices    B. noises　　 C. sounds　    D. accent

9. A. shopping       B. business　　     C. shouting　　     D. advertising

10. A. customers    B. producers　       C. themselves　     D. sellers

11. A. keep　　     B. let      C. except D. make

12. A. argue    B. talk　　　 C. discuss　　       D. speak

13. A. order    B. price　　　      C. quality　    D. form

14. A. viewers B. listeners　  C. actors  D. directors

15. A. actress　      B. inventor　  C. advancer　 D. expert

16. A. wonderful    B. exciting　　      C. cheap　　　     D. expensive

17. A. injured　     B. hurt　　    C. damaged　 D. wounded

18. A. excellent      B. fair　　　 C. honest　　 D. easy

19. A. with     B. to　　　    C. in　　　　       D. on

20. A. disappointed B. encouraged C. satisfied     D. tired

       People want action on noise, a recent public meeting in Brisbane showed．Some want technical improvements such as quieter air conditioners or better sound barriers around major roads．Others want tougher laws to restrict noise from building sites or to require owners to take responsibility for barking dogs．But the highest priority was a noise complaints system that works．

       Brisbane City Council receives more complaints about noise than all other problems put together．So it conducted a survey and found that about half its residents are upset by noise in one form or another –traffic, mowers, pool pumps, air conditioners or loud parties．This inspired the Council to bring together more than 100 citizens one evening to talk through a range of options．

       The meeting found the present regulatory system bizarre．Depending on the problem, responsibility for noise can lie with the Council, the Environment Protection Authority, one of three government departments or even the police．So complainants often feel they are getting the run-round．When the people at the forum were asked to vote for changes, the strongest response was for a 24-hour noise hotline to be the first part of call for all complaints．

       The forum also favored regulatory measures, such as tougher minimum standards for noise in appliances like air conditioners．This even makes economic sense, as noise is a waste of energy and money．Other measures the meeting supported were wider buffer （緩沖） zones around noisy activities and controls to keep heavy traffic away from residential areas．

       But there are obvious conflicts．Many people like to have a bar within walking distance if they feel like a drink, but they don’t want a noisy pub keeping them awake when they want an early night．Most people want to live near a major road providing good access to other parts of the city, but they don't’ want the problem of road noise．

       I was most interested by the proposals aimed at behavioral change．There was strong support for measures to reduce traffic: better public transport, cycle ways and footpaths, even charges for road use．Many people optimistically thought industry awards for better equipment would stimulate the production of quieter appliances．It was even suggested that noise from building sites could be alleviated （減輕） if Brisbane adopted daylight saving, thus shifting the working day and providing longer, quieter evenings．

According to the recent public meeting in Brisbane, what was the first step to take in order to reduce noise pollution?

       A．Produce quieter air conditioners．

       B．Provide better sound barriers around major roads．

       C．Establish a noise complaints system．

       D．Make stricter laws to require owners to take responsibility for barking dogs．

It can be inferred from the passage that _______．

       A．the Brisbane residents were satisfied with the present noise regulatory system

       B．many people in Brisbane preferred to live near a pub to which they have easy access

       C．nearly all the inhabitants in Brisbane were bothered by noise in one form or another

       D．noise pollution is the most serious among pollution complaints in Brisbane

What does the word “run-round” （Para．3） mean?

       A．Unfair treatment． 

       B．Quick response．

       C．Delaying action in response to a request．           

       D．Full attention．

How could noise from building sites be alleviated if Brisbane adopted daylight saving?

       A．If daylight saving was adopted, the daytime would be prolonged and the night would become quieter．

       B．If daylight saving was adopted, the working hours during the daytime would be shortened while the night would be extended and thus quieter．

       C．If daylight saving was adopted, the night would be shortened and thus quieter．

       D．If daylight saving was adopted, both the daytime and the night would be shortened and the noise would be reduced．

What was the author’s attitude towards the industry awards for quieter equipment?

       A．Suspicious．           B．Positive．       

       C．Enthusiastic．         D．Indifferent．