BELIEVE it or not, the color of the tie Barack Obama wears to the inauguration（就职典礼） is now a hotly debated topic. The level of public interest in Obama’s tie might seem strange but many people believe his choice will symbolize the type of government he plans to run, as the color of a politician's tie is thought to convey ideas of power, trustworthiness and more.
Polities of ties
It may be the least practical item of male dress, but it is arguably the most expressive. In the UK and many other countries around the world, conservative（保守的）politicians may wear a blue tie and their liberal opponents a red one. In America, the colors go the other way round. The Republicans have in recent years become associated with the color red, and the Democrats with blue. But in spite of this, Bush wears blue ties more often than any other color.
What they mean
According to Sharon Haver, editor of focusonstyle, com, in America the feelings associated with colors overrule （压制） their political significance. “A guy who wants to be regarded as strong and in charge would wear red,” Haver says. Unsurprisingly, the business tycoon Donald Trump is known for wearing red ties. But what about blue? According to Haver, “Blue is a softer color…Look at the sky. It's peaceful and calm and trustworthy.”
Selecting the right tie for the right occasion
● Perfect job interview tie
Perhaps no other tie-wearing occasion is as important as the job interview. Gilchrist, the fashion expert, advises playing it safe and choosing a conservative one. Best choices are solids, stripes or small patterns. An excellent color is burgundy（酒红色）or another serious color. Avoid pink or yellow, which suggest that the wearer lacks gravity.
Pattern ties, Gilchrist suggests, should be limited to a maximum of three colors. A striped tie is a safe choice as this is acceptable to everyone. Last, Gilchrist recommends saving the expensive “hip” tie for those applying for glamorous creative jobs.
● Date-night tie
When picking out the fight tie for taking a girl out on a date, spend more time considering color than pattern. According to studies, women are attracted to men wearing the color blue, because blue gives the image of a "stable, faithful, constant, always there" person. So what is the worst color to wear on a date? “flattened caterpillar（毛虫）yellow-green”, according to Gilchrist, “it will repel both sexes equally.”
52．Why are people interested in the tie that Obama wears to the inauguration?
A．Because they think the tie he wears will enable them to know about his personalities and policies.
B．Because they want to advise him on how to select an appropriate tie for such a big
occasion.
C．Because they think the ties will tell if he is trustworthy as they expected when he assumes
office.
D．Because they believe the tie is an essential part of dressing to a mature politician like
Obama.
53．What can we infer about Bush, the former president, from the passage?
A．He was probably liberal in his policies when he was in power.
B．He was a Republican when he served as president.
C．He wore only blue ties and had no ties of alternative colors.
D．He wanted to make himself unique by the tie that he wore.
54．The example of "the business tycoon Donald Trump" is given to________
A prove that color reflects people's feelings to a certain degree.
B．show that Donald is so wealthy that he can afford expensive ties.
C．tell that Donald is physically strong and can handle everything.
D．explain that red is a popular color, especially with businessmen.
55．Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the text?
A．Ties can be ignored by politicians since it is the least practical item of male dress.
B．Do choose ties carefully before dating, because it is the most important occasion.
C．Why to avoid pink or yellow in job interviews is that they don't match the atmosphere.
D．The more colorful the tie is, the more likely you'll get the job you want.
56．The underlined word "repel" in the last paragraph is most close to “________”in meaning.
A．puzzle B．attract C．delight D．disgust
Our cat has a sweet nature, and she can let us know what she wants. When we fail to meet her needs, she gently leads us in the proper direction. When I forget to fill her water bowl early in the morning, she runs after my legs, and then pushes me in the direction of her bowl. She doesn’t get irritated (生气的); instead, she expresses her wishes in the best way. And I always understand what she is telling me.
One day I found myself envying (羡慕) her simple expression. How many times had I expected my husband or my children to know my wants without my ever giving voice to them? How many times had I been disappointed that they couldn’t understand when I needed a hug, a compliment (恭维) or a chocolate bar?
After a pleasant afternoon with my husband, I wanted to stop somewhere nice and have dinner, but he didn’t understand my hints (暗示). “Couldn’t you see that I wanted to go out to dinner?” I complained when he pulled into our driveway.
“Why didn’t you say so? I can’t read your mind,” he answered in impatience. His words gave me pause. Had I expected him to read my mind? Why hadn’t I expressed my desire more clearly? I realized I had fallen into the female trap of “If you love me, you can read my mind.”
Now, I state my needs clearly and directly. I look at my cat and know she agrees.Why was the author disappointed in her husband or her children?
| A．Her husband didn’t give her a hug. |
| B．Her children didn’t give her a chocolate bar. |
| C．They didn’t give her a compliment. |
| D．They didn’t understand her mind. |
What will the author do if she wants something from her husband now?
| A．She will give him her hints. | B．She lets him guess what she wants. |
| C．She tells him her needs directly. | D．She buys what she wants herself. |
What can we learn from the underlined sentence in the fourth paragraph?
| A．I realized what I did was wrong. |
| B．I stopped and didn’t go with my husband. |
| C．My husband prevented me from going on. |
| D．My husband stopped me from saying something. |
Imagine when you are sailing an ocean for the first time, you see a big fish swimming near your ship. You might be scared, and worried about whether it will turn over your ship for a meal. In fact, it is not a fish at all, but a gentle giant whale.
Whales are not fishes but mammals (哺乳动物). Their body temperature stays the same, and does not change with the temperature of their environment. They breathe air, so they have to come out of the water to get oxygen. Thus, they cannot afford to fall into a sleeping state for too long, since they need to be awake in order to breathe. It is thought that only half of their brains sleep at a time, so that whales are never completely asleep. Females give birth to the young. They have hair. Although they are not covered in hair or fur like many mammals, whales have some bristles (胡子), usually on their heads.
Whales are highly social animals with complex languages and intelligence. They communicate with each other using romantic sounds, called “whale songs”. Being so large and powerful, these sounds are also loud.
Whales are endangered as a result of whaling (捕鲸) from the eleventh century to the twentieth. It has attracted the attention of environmentalists and some measures (措施) have been taken to protect whales.How many aspects show that whales are mammals?
| A．One. | B．Two. | C．Three. | D．Four. |
We can infer from the second paragraph that ____.
| A．whales can breathe in the water |
| B．if a whale sleeps too long, it will get drowned |
| C．in order to breathe, whales never sleep |
| D．whales give birth to the young on the land |
How do whales communicate with each other?
| A．By body language. | B．By speaking languages. |
| C．By making song-like sounds. | D．By giving off a smell. |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．Whales are cold-blooded mammals like fishes. |
| B．Whales are hunted for food by people. |
| C．Whales are very harmful to human beings. |
| D．Whales are in danger because of being killed by people. |
Years ago people could hardly accept the ideas of a woman's being a doctor.In order to get into medical school in 1847，Elizabeth Blackwell was asked to keep it a secret that she was a woman.This was contrary to her beliefs，and she refused to do it.After entering medical school，Elizabeth often had to summon(鼓起) all her courage to free the unkindness of teachers and classmates.By her great efforts，she was able to complete her studies.Many people came to her graduation just to have a look at a woman doctor.Doctor Blackwell soon found that most people were not as ready as to go to a woman doctor.She had to struggle to make a living.Then came the great day when she was offered a job as a doctor in a hospital.She did so well that she was asked to organize a new hospital and medical college.The United States can now be proud of thousands of women doctors.How do you think Elizabeth was treated in the medical school?
| A．Kindly. | B．Unfairly. | C．Normally. | D．Cruelly. |
Many people came to see Elizabeth when she graduated ______.
| A．because they wanted to congratulate her on being a doctor |
| B．because they didn't believe she would be famous in the future |
| C．because they wanted to find out the secret of her success |
| D．because they weren't sure that she could manage to finish her schooling |
The underlined word “contrary” most probably means______.
| A．against | B．familiar | C．wrong | D．similiar |
When she was at the medical school，Blackwell ______.
| A．had to pretend to be a boy student in class |
| B．was discouraged by the others' critical looks |
| C．felt sorry that she was a woman |
| D．made great efforts to do well in her lessons |
A large number of women in Western European countries wish that they were born men. The number is said as high as 60% in West Germany.
“Women often wish that they had the same chance as men have, and believe it is still men’s world,” said Dr James Holden, one of the scientists who did the study.
Anne Harper has a very good job for an international oil company. She also believes in “Women’ s Liberation(解放)”.
“I don’t wish that I were a man,” she says, “and I don’t think many women do. But I do wish that people would stop looking down upon us women. At work, for example, we often do the work that men do but get paid less. There are still a lot of jobs that are usually the best ones and open only to men. If you’re a man, you have a much better chance of leading an exciting life. How many women pilots are there ... or engineers or scientists?”What can we learn from the first paragraph?
| A．60% Western European women wish that they were born men. |
| B．Most women in Western European countries wish that their babies were all boys. |
| C．60% women in West Germany wish that they were born men. |
| D．60% Western European women who wish that they were born men are from West Germany. |
“It is still men’s world.” means “______.”
| A．There’re more men than women in the world |
| B．There’re more men scientists or engineers than women scientists or engineers in the world |
| C．Women cannot live without men |
| D．Women have not been given the same chance as men |
Anne Harper considers that women should ______.
| A．be really liberated | B．live a better life than men |
| C．be well paid | D．get better jobs than men |
Anne Harper doesn’t wish that she were a man because she ______.
| A．has got a very good job |
| B．believes in “Women’s Liberation” |
| C．does the work that a man can’t do |
| D．isn’t looked down upon by anyone |
Students who date (约会）in middle school have significantly worse study skills, are four times more likely to drop out of school and report twice as much alcohol and tobacco use than their single classmates, according to new research from the University of Georgia.
"Romantic relationships are a trademark of adolescence, but very few studies have examined how adolescents differ in the development of these relationships," said Pamela Orpinas, study author and professor in the College of Public Health and head of the Department of Health Promotion and Behavior.
Orpinas followed a group of 624 students over a seven-year period from 6th to 12th grade.
Each year, the group of students completed a survey indicating whether they had dated and reported the frequency of different behaviors, including the use of drugs and alcohol. Their teachers completed questionnaires (调查表）about the students* academic efforts. He found some students never or hardly ever reported dating from middle to high school, and these students had consistently the best study skills according to their teachers. Other students dated infrequently in middle school but increased the frequency of dating in high school.
"At all points in time, teachers rated the students who reported the lowest frequency of dating as having the best study skills and the students with the highest dating as having the worst study skills,” according to the journal article. Study skills refer to behaviors that lead to academic success such as doing work for extra credit，being well organized, finishing homework, working hard and reading assigned chapters.
"Dating a classmate may have the same emotional complications of dating a co-worker," Orpinas said, "when the couple break up. they have to continue to see each other in class and perhaps witness the ex-partner dating someone else. It is reasonable to think this could be linked to depression and divert (转移）attention from studying.”
Dating should not be considered a ceremony of growth in middle school，”Orpinas concluded.When doing his study, Orpinas_____.
| A．followed a group of students of 6th and 12th grade |
| B．completed a survey and a report each year |
| C．completed questionnaires about the students’ academic efforts |
| D．found that the students’ study skills have connection with their frequency of dating |
Study skills may include the following behaviors and qualities Except_____
| A．being diligent | B．being well organized |
| C．being kind and helpful | D．finishing assigned schoolwork |
What can possibly happen to the school couples after they break up?
| A．They don’t want to see each other any longer. |
| B．Their attention to studying will be affected. |
| C．They will miss their ex-partners sometimes |
| D．They will think it’s reasonable to get depressed. |
Orpinas’attitude towards dating in middle school is_____
| A．supportive | B．positive | C．negative | D．indifferent |