Why do we need friends? Well, having friends may well keep you healthier and help you deal with stress better. Some studies show that people with close friends have a greater ability to fight disease than people who are lonely. But never take a friendship for granted. Like a good marriage, friendship needs care and patience（耐心）.Here is something to remember to maintain（维持）a friendship:
Make friendship the most important thing. Find the time to be with your friends even if it means letting the grass go unmoved or the dishes unwashed for a while. When you can’t get together, use the phone to keep in touch.
Open up to close friends. Don’t be afraid to express your inner fears and disappointments. Listen to your friends when they have problems, but offer advice only when it’s wanted.
Have different friends for different activities, such as going to the movies, singing in a choir, or taking part in a bowling league.
Don’t wait for a friend to ask a favor. When a friend has the flu, offer to go to the store to buy some pills or drive his / her children to their after-school activities.
How to make new friends?
You can start a group, such as a discussion group on gardening or books. Place an ad in a com
munity newspaper to find people.
Talk to strangers to find new friends. You should be c
autious（谨慎的）and use your common sense, of course. Conversations started in museums, laundry rooms, or bookstores can lead to firm friendships.
Enroll in an adult-education course. A classroom is a good place to meet others with similar interests.
48. Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the passage?
A. How to make new friends. B. Why do we need friends.
C. How to keep a friendship. D. How to gain friends’ trust.
49. We can learn from the passage that .
A. We should not give advice to our friends anytime we want to
B. We should offer to help our friends even if they don’t need help at all
C. It’s impolite to have different activities with different groups of friends
D. People with friends can live longer than those who don’t have friends
50. According to the author, _______ are good places to find people sharing your interests.
A. libraries B. markets
C. laundry rooms D. classrooms
Because of the change in the American public school system over the last several years, now many parents choose to home-school their children. There are many reasons behind this. Let’s take a look at a few of them.
For some parents, they have religious (宗教的) reasons for home-schooling. The public school system does not have religious teachings, so these parents want to put religion into the children’s daily school activities. This might include teaching religion-based courses rather than coursework that is taught in public schools.
For some parents, they do not feel that their local school system offers their children the best learning opportunities. So they want to take matters into their own hands. This may be because the local school has low educational standards (标准) or for some other reason the parents think it necessary to take their children out of the system. Sometimes the parents just feel the children will get a better education at home.
Some parents may not be rich enough to send their children to a private school, so the next best thing in their eyes is home-schooling. Thus they can teach their children what they like.
One should remember that the laws about home-schooling vary from state to state. In some states, the parents are required to hand in monthly attendance records (出席记录) to their local school system. What’s more, most states require state testing at certain periods such as the CRCT.The writer wrote this passage mainly to _______.
| A．advise parents to home-school their children |
| B．explain why some parents choose to home-school their children |
| C．tell us the advantages and disadvantages of home-schooling |
| D．praise home-schooling and private schools |
Paragraph 3 tells us that some parents choose home-schooling because ______.
| A．school teachers are not strict with their children |
| B．their children don’t do well in their studies at school |
| C．their children don’t like going to school |
| D．they are not satisfied with the school education |
What does the underlined word “vary” in the last paragraph mean?
| A．Increase | B．Change | C．Spread | D．Keep |
How many reasons for home-schooling are mentioned in the passage?
| A．2 | B．4 | C．3 | D．5 |
Babysitter(保姆) Wanted
I am seeking a babysitter for my 6-month-old son. A few hours on Saturdays and Sundays to help me and then other times as needed. He or she should be over 18, responsible, loving, warm, and have some experience in caring for babies. The pay is $10 an hour.
If this sounds like a good job to you, please reply torebecharv@aol.com or call 800-4964.
Office Manager Wanted
Our company is looking for a full-time experienced manager to run the business. Strong skills in organization and business management are required for this position. Also, he or she should be familiar with computers.
Please reply to jim@californiaaquatics.com or call 800-6978 to apply.
Waiter/ Waitress Wanted
A restaurant is looking for an experienced waiter / waitress. Knowledge of wines and experience in dining are necessary. Must work well under pressure and understand the basics of fine dining and customer service.
If you’re interested, please contact us at job-tkupe-1329358152@craigslist.org to apply.
This is a part-time job.
Office Cleaner Wanted
Looking for a Part-time job? A position in the Mississauga area needs an office cleaner! Part-time 4 hours a day from 10:00 am - 2:00 pm.
Some experience is necessary. Pay: $15 per hour
Reply to: job-p3b7u-1365632206@craigslist.org. or call 800-8197.Which of the following position is a full-time job?
| A．Babysitter. | B．Office manager. |
| C．Waiter / waitress. | D．Office cleaner. |
If you want to apply for the job as a babysitter, you should send an email to ______.
| A．job-p3b7u-1365632206@craigslist.org |
| B．job-tkupe-1329358152@craigslist.org |
| C．jim@californiaaquatics.com |
| D．rebecharv@aol.com |
What can we learn from the passage?
| A．The office cleaner has to work three hours each day. |
| B．One can apply for a waiter or waitress by telephone. |
| C．Experience is necessary for all these four jobs. |
| D．A babysitter earns $5 more than an office cleaner per hour. |
Which of the following is necessary for a waiter / waitress?
| A．Being familiar with computers. | B．Having knowledge of wines. |
| C．Knowing more about menus. | D．Working well with others. |
I woke up late and had breakfast in a hurry. I had never been late and didn’t want my boss to be unsatisfied.
However, it seemed that the day wasn’t a lucky one for me from the very second I left my flat. The moment I wanted to rush downstairs, one of my stiletto heels (细高跟) broke. I had to return to change my red shoes. I also had to change my purse and other little things that I had tried to match with the shoes. I was sure I would be late for work.
On my way to work I had to wait for over half an hour because of an accident. I had no choice but to wait. I phoned my boss and he told me that it was no problem, but he needed me for the meeting with the Japanese clients (客户) that morning.
Finally, I arrived at the office one hour later. I had to keep calm and be fresh for the meeting to make the clients sure that our plan was the best for their future business project. However, I left the plan I had made the night before at home and was going to make a presentation (介绍) about it to the clients. I was about to get angry when I realized that I had a copy of it in my office.
At last, the meeting came to an end and it turned out to be successful. But I have to say that I had a terrible day, full of incidents.Which of the following is NOT the reason of the writer being late for her work?
| A．She got up late in the morning. |
| B．She changed her purse and other little things. |
| C．One of her shoe heels broke. |
| D．She had a traffic accident on the way to work. |
According to the passage, what could we learn about the writer?
| A．Her boss was very angry with her. |
| B．She often arrived at her office on time. |
| C．She left her plan on the bus. |
| D．She was nervous at the meeting. |
What did the clients think of the writer’s presentation?
| A．Dull. | B．Just so-so. | C．Excellent. | D．Terrible. |
Which old saying could be used to describe the writer’s incidents?
| A．Failure is the mother of success. |
| B．A good beginning makes a good ending. |
| C．Where there is a will, there is a way. |
| D．One trouble never comes alone. |
Nicole Delian, 17, suffers from a condition that makes her sleep up to 19 hours a day and as much as 64 days in a row． Nicole Delian is tired of sleeping．
This 17-year-old teenager from North Fayette, Pa．, has a rare condition called Kleine-Levin Syndrome -- or "Sleeping Beauty Syndrome" -- that makes her sleep 18 to 19 hours a day．
And when she does wake up, she is often so tired out that she is in a sleepwalking state and doesn't remember doing basic things like eating, according to KDKA-TV．
Nicole's sleepwalking state has been so severe that she once slept through the holidays, awaking one day in January when she finally opened Christmas gifts alongside her family, according to ChartiersValley．Patch．com．．
"She's never really adjusted to it," her mother, Vicki Delien told the website． "She's 17 now and it really upsets her． She's missed out on a lot．"
Delien told talk show host Jeff Probst that the teen has at times slept 32 to 64 days in a row, waking only in sleepwalking mode to eat．
Kleine-Levin Syndrome is incredibly rare, only affecting about l,000 people worldwide, and very hard to diagnose．
In Nicole's' case, it took 25 months for doctors to diagnose her, according to ChartiersValley．Patch．com, and everything from a virus, to epilepsy（癫痫） to West Nile was mentioned, including, unfortunately, the possibility she was faking it for attention．．
When a typical episode of Sleeping Beauty Syndrome begins, the patient becomes progressively drowsy（昏昏欲睡的） and sleeps for most of the day and night, waking only to eat or go to the bathroom, according to the Klein-Levin Syndrome Foundation website． "When awake, the patient's whole behavior is changed, often appearing “stupid" or childlike． When awake he experiences confusion, complete lack of energy, and lack of emotions．"
Patients also report that everything seems out of focus, and that they are hypersensitive to noise and light． Some patients also have intense food cravings（渴望）．
The Delians did not say whether Nicole has experienced these symptoms．
There is no known cure, but Nicole's family is using a combination of epilepsy and narcolepsy（发作性嗜睡病）medication to minimize the incidents to just two a year．What's the reflection of Nicole's sleepwalking state?
| A．Being forgetful． | B．Missing Christmas． |
| C．Sleeping around the clock． | D．Being exhausted and bad-tempered． |
According to the passage, Kleine-Levin Syndrome．
| A．is not impossible for doctors to diagnose |
| B．affects approximately l,000 people all round the country |
| C．is also known as Sleeping Beauty Syndrome which only affects females |
| D．makes those suffering this condition sleep as much as 64 days in a row without eating |
Frorn the passage we can infer that．
| A．the disease will change the patients' behavior for good |
| B．the case of Nicole has been covered several times by different media |
| C．the．patients of this kind are more and more sleepy when the syndrome begins |
| D．the patients of this kind become too sensitive to being exposed to any noise and light |
According to the passage, Nicole．
| A．was once suspected of lying about her condition |
| B．has a good appetite for food because of the disease |
| C．has adapted to the condition and can well cope with it |
| D．will be cured of the disease by using the combined medication |
It is "one of the few bright spots in the Chinese economy," says Zeng Ming． He is talking about e-commerce． Mr Zeng, the chief strategy officer for Alibaba, a giant Chinese Internet firm, predicts that digital transactions on his firm's platforms will top l trillion yuan （$159 billion） this year-more than Amazon's and eBay's combined． That is a bold claim, but consider what happened on Singles Sunday．
Invented a few years ago by students and seized upon by digital marketers, this festival for lonely hearts falls annually on the llth day of the llth month （since l is the loneliest number）．It is like St Valentine's Day, only worse． Singletons shower each other with tender gifts: a barrage of pearls; a storm of sweets．
This November llth they spent a surprising 19 billion yuan on Alibaba's online platforms-a fourfold increase on a year ago, and more than double what Americans spent online last Cyber Monday （the Monday after Thanksgiving, when retailers urge Americans to shop online）． About 100m purchases were logged, accounting for 80% of the packages shipped that day． Couriers（怏递员） were buried in parcels．
So life is good for China's e-tailers, then? Not exactly． The number of digital marketers is increasing and online sales are booming． Consumers are enjoying lower prices, better service and more variety． The problem? The pressure on profits in Chinese e-commerce is worse than in America, reckons Elinor Leung of CLSA, a broker． "Almost no one makes money," she says．
The fiercest battles are being fought between online retailers and their bricks-and-mortar（实体的） rivals．Dangdang, a firm． that resembles Amazon,．and 360buy, another online retailer, have cut prices fiercely． Tencent, a cash-rich online giant known for its instant-messaging software, is splashing out to win market share． 360buy has also just raised $400m from investors to do the same． But it is unclear how much longer such firms can burn through capital．What's the best title of this passage?
| A．The Ambition of Alibaba |
| B．Fierce Competition between Retailers |
| C．A Newly Sprung Festival for the Singles |
| D．Chinese Booming and Developing E-commerce |
According to Zeng Ming, this year Alibaba will．
| A．outweigh Amazon and eBay in worldwide influence |
| B．rank top among all the Internet firms |
| C．have more than 159 billion dollars' sale |
| D．create another sales miracle just like the one on Singles Day |
How many packages were shipped on November ll th from Alibaba's online platforms?
| A．About 80 million． | B．About 100 million． |
| C．About 125 million． | D．About 180 million． |
What's the author's attitude towards online retailers in China?
| A．Optimistic． | B．Concerned． |
| C．Sympathetic． | D．Indifferent． |