Net Library Is a library that lends out digital books．It treats a digital like a pap
erback copy．It charges libraries per book per copy and gives publishers a cut of the total income．
From the consumer's point of view, this means that if more than, say, five people want the latest Danielle Steel romance novel, other people who request that book will get a message saying the title can't be found．
It's a model many publishers seem to have embraced．More than 350 gave the company rights to hand out their digital works and McGraw-Hill Corporation and Houghton Mifflin Corporation have put money in the company．The California public libraries and about 1,800 others across the US
are trying out the Net Library service．
Some librarians criticize the New Library model．Stanford University librarian Michael Keller argues that the company is creating an unnatural fear of digital woks; which is contrary to the ideas of the Internet．
Keller and some other librarians argue for the e-book vision set forth by E-Brary．E-Brary is starting a service mat lets us users read books for free．
But it will charge about 25 cents a page when a person tries to print out material or copy and paste it into a different file 
or tries to download copy onto a computer．
Christopher Warnock, chief executive of E-Brary, believes most consumers won't want to buy entire books, only the parts that interest them．
"There's not really a lot of good m owning an electronic file and having to store it and manage it．It doesn't make sense．" he said．How do publishers get money from the Net Library?
| A．They get money from selling their books to the Net Library. |
| B．They share the money with the Net Library. |
| C．They get money by cutting the cost of the books. |
| D．They get the money from the readers. |
The underlined word "embraced" in the 3rd paragraph means _ ___.
| A．taken something willingly | B．held something tightly |
| C．disliked something badly | D．tried out something hard |
From the 2nd paragraph we can see consumers .
A．don’t ca re if they are charged money |
| B．enjoy the service of the Net Library |
C．don’t like other peo ple borrowing books |
| D．complain about the limited number of the new books |
What does the last paragraph mean?
| A．Net Library is not a good way for the consumers. |
| B．There is no need for consumers to have a whole book. |
| C．E-Brary is not a good library for the consumers. |
| D．It’s reasonable to charge the consumers money for copying some pages. |
Ma Weidu is the founder and curator(馆长)of Guanfu Museum, which is the first private museum in China. With mainly Chinese artifacts on exhibition, the museum was founded on Jan. 18,l 997.It was not well-known by the public until 2008.
On Jan. l,2008,Ma Weidu was invited to be the guest in the flagship CCTV program “Lecture Room”. He talked about his museum and more importantly, he introduced Chinese artifacts and their underlying historical, cultural significance.
In 2009,Ma Weidu initiated Beijing Guanfu Cultural Foundation. Creating a culture foundation had been Ma’s dream for many years. Beijing Guanfu Cultural Foundation is committed to spreading Chinese traditional culture, funding the development of Guanfu Museum, heritage research and conservation projects, building a platform for public culture, promoting and guiding the public in the spirit of “charity&culture sponsorship(赞助)”.
Guanfu Museum is currently located at No.18 Jinnan Road, Zhangwanfen, Dashanzi, Chaoyang district, Beijing. But due to the city planning, it has to move. Guanfu Museum, which has experienced relocation for three times, is now looking for a new place. According to Mr. Ma, it should be around 20,000-30,000 square meters.According to this passage, which of the followings is true?
| A．Guanfu Museum was built in 2008. |
| B．Ma Weidu was invited to lecture by Guanfu Museum. |
| C．The public were attracted by Chinese artifacts on exhibition. |
| D．Guanfu Museum, the first private museum in China was founded fifteen years ago. |
Guanfu Museum, according to the city government,_______ .
| A．will be painted | B．has to hold a new exhibition |
| C．has to move to a new place | D．has to be enlarged |
The proper title of this passage should be_____.
| A．Ma and His Museum | B．Museums | C．Culture Relics | D．Chinese Culture |
We may have hosted some difficult house guests once or on even more occasions. Are you still worrying about how to deal with them? Here below are some tips on how to deal with those difficult house guests.
You’ve been waiting an hour to eat breakfast but your guests are still sleeping.
“Unless you adjusted a time for breakfast the evening before, let your guests sleep-in and enjoy your breakfast without them. If possible, keep their breakfast warm. Or better yet, when entertaining it’s always a good idea to have cold breakfast (as well as lunch, dinner and snack) food on-hand.”
——Pamela Eyring，president and director of The Protocol School of Washington
Your guest’s teenage son is a Facebook addict and hogs your computer all day long.
“If you have a guest whose fingers are fixated to your keyboard, kindly let him know that you are expecting work email and give him enough time to finish using it.”
——Ummu Bradley Thomas, founder of the Freddie Bell Jones Modeling and Finishing School, Inc.
Your couch surfing, unemployed nephew has been here a month and is showing no sign of leaving.
“There is nothing wrong with saying ‘John, you have been here a month and have not put in any applications. What can I do to help you get your resume together? I would like to make a plan that will assist you in getting back on your feet and allow me to eventually have my extra room back for guests that will soon be arriving.’”
——Diane Gottsman, owner of The Protocol School of Texas
Your guests expect you to accompany them to every single tourist attraction in your city. It’s tiring and expensive.
“If your guests didn’t offer to treat you, politely decline and offer to meet them afterwards for dinner or drinks. That way they know you enjoy their company.”
——Pamela Eyring, president and director of The Protocol School of Washington
You gave your friend a closet shelf for her stuff but her clothes are thrown all over the place.
“You should simply say ‘I am happy to have you use my closet but your clothes seem to have a mind of their own. Would you mind keeping your clothes on the top shelf? It would make it easier for me to find my things when I am in a rush and looking for them. Thank you.’”
——Diane Gottsman, owner of The Protocol School of TexasAccording to Ummu Bradley Thomas, which of the following is the best way to deal with the guests?
| A．Kindly explaining to him you need to use the computer. |
| B．Politely asking him to stop using the computer at once. |
| C．Introducing other toys to him to play with. |
| D．Simply letting him keep using the computer as he likes. |
The passage gives the following tips EXCEPT that _______.
| A．declining the guests’ requests if you hate to accompany them everywhere |
| B．reminding them to keep their clothes on the top shelf |
| C．trying to offer at least one dish based on his or her preferences |
| D．keeping their breakfast warm or having cold breakfast food on-hand |
Which of the following is the best title for this passage?
| A．How to Entertain Your Guests |
| B．How to Keep Good Personal Relations |
| C．How to Find the Best Solution |
| D．How to Deal with Difficult House Guests |
In which section of a magazine can we most probably see this passage?
| A．Science | B．Society | C．Economy | D．Education |
The drug store was closing for the night. Young Alfred Higgins, the shop-assistant, was ready to go home. Mr. Carr, the boss, stared at him and said: “Hold on, Alfred. Maybe you'd be good enough to take the things out of your pockets and leave them here before you go.”Alfred's face got red. After a little hesitation, he took out what he had stolen. Mr. Carr said, “Maybe I should call your mother and let her know I'm going to have to put you in prison.”
Alfred thought his mother would come rushing in, eyes burning with anger. But, to his surprise, she arrived wearing a smile. “Hello, I'm Alfred's mother. Is he in trouble?”she said. Mr. Carr was surprised, too. He had expected Alfred's mother to come in nervously, shaking with fear, asking with wet eyes for a mercy for her son. But no, she was most calm, quiet and pleasant and was making Mr. Carr feel guilty…. Soon Mr. Carr was shaking his head in agreement with what she was saying. “Of course”, he said, “I don't want to be cruel. You are right. Sometimes, a little good advice is the best thing for a boy at certain times in his life and it often takes the youths long time to get sense into their heads.”And he warmly shook Mrs. Higgins's hand.
Back home, without even looking at Alfred, she said, “You are a bad luck. It is one thing after another, always has been. Why do you stand there so stupidly? Go to bed.”In his bedroom, Alfred heard his mother in the kitchen. There was no shame in him, just pride in his mother's strength. He felt he must tell her how great she was. As he got to the kitchen, he saw his mother drinking a cup of tea. He was shocked by what he saw. His mother's face was a frightened, broken one. It was not the same cool, bright face he saw earlier in the drug store. As she lifted the tea cup, her hand shook. And some of the tea splashed on the table. Her lips moved nervously. She looked very old. He watched his mother without making a sound. The picture of his mother made him want to cry. He felt his youth coming to an end. He saw all the troubles he brought his mother in her shaking hand and the deep lines of worry in her grey face. It seemed to him that this was the first time he had ever really seen his mother.The reason why Mr. Carr felt guilty was that ________.
| A．he found Alfred was in fact innocent |
| B．he should have called a policeman in first |
| C．Alfred's mother appeared polite and gentle |
| D．he thought he was partly responsible for it |
Which of the following is probably said by Mrs. Higgins while talking to Mr. Carr?
| A．“Please, for God's sake, you know, he is just a kid.” |
| B．“I can't believe it! You are treating my son like that!” |
| C．“You know, it takes time for a youth to truly grow up.” |
| D．“Punishment makes sense because it teaches about the law.” |
What does the underlined phrase "his mother's strength"(Para. 3) refer to?
| A．Mrs. Higgins's calmness and communicating skills. |
| B．Mrs. Higgins's attitude towards parental sufferings. |
| C．Mrs. Higgins's love and care for her son Alfred. |
| D．Mrs. Higgins's greatness as a woman. |
After the incident, young Alfred would probably ________.
| A．feel ashamed of her mother |
| B．change his attitudes towards life |
| C．learn to live an independent life |
| D．hate Mr. Carr for hurting her mother |
TOKYO (Reuters) – “Who played the father in the movie ‘Kramer versus Kramer’?” That’s one of the 50 questions Japanese men could face in a “daddy exam”, meant to raise awareness about fatherhood in a country where men tend to work long hours and leave their wives in charge of childcare and household work.
Even men who remember Dustin Hoffman struggling as a father in the movie may have a hard time answering questions ranging from baby food to politics.
Tetsuya Ando, director of Fathering Japan, a Tokyo non-profit organization that came up with the test and will offer it to eager dads from next March, said the exam was an attracting way to get fathers into parenting. “There just isn't enough information about parenting for fathers. Through the exam, we want men to realize that they don't know anything about bringing up kids,” he said.
For the price of 3,900 yen ($34), fathers can find out whether they qualify as a “Super Dad,” or are in need of more effort as a “Challenge Dad.”
“We have received inquiries(咨询) from fathers, single men, to-be-dads, grandfathers ... even an aunt who was concerned that her nephew is too busy with work to notice the fun of parenting,” Ando said. The image of fathers is gradually changing in Japan as younger men eschew their own dads’ hands-off way in favor of closer involvement, and a wave of new parenting magazines for male readers has been hitting newsstands. But it is still hard for Japanese fathers to cut down on their work hours and spend more time with their families. Only 0.5 percent of employed men in Japan took parental leave in 2011, compared with 14 percent in the United States and 12 percent in Britain in 2000.The “daddy exam” is intended to .
| A．test to – be – dads’ fatherhood knowledge |
| B．test Challenge Dad’s parenting knowledge |
| C．attract the whole society’s attention to parenting |
| D．have fathers realize their responsibility for their families |
In the exam, the Japanese fathers may find that .
| A．they almost know nothing about the questions |
| B．the questions only make sense to to – be – dads |
| C．there is ample information about parenting |
| D．it’s not a good way to get them into parenting |
The underlined word “eschew” in the last paragraph can be replaced by the word “”.
| A．avoid | B．adopt | C．improve | D．admire |
The magazines for male readers are popular most probably because many men .
| A．long to know how to do household chores |
| B．become more concerned about parenting |
| C．want to get high scores in the 50 – question test |
| D．like to know whether they are Challenge Dads |
From the whole report, it can be inferred that .
| A．Japanese fathers show no interest in parenting |
| B．young Japanese men tend to set about parenting |
| C．young fathers value parenting less than their fathers |
| D．Japanese fathers value parenting more than British fathers |
When Charles Strattion was five, he stopped growing. His mother took him to see the famous showman, P. T. Barnum, and thought a small person would be the perfect addition to his show. He hired Charles’ parents along with him, and they traveled around the world together.
He gave the two-foot-tall Charles a new name, general Tom Thumb. He taught Tom how to sing, dance, act, and tell jokes. When he felt Tom was ready to perform on stage, he made up ads. To stir up great interest, he said that Tom was eleven years old and had come from England.
Tom’s act was very popular and brought in a lot of money. By the time Tom was an adult, he had grown very rich. He had become a billionaire at the age of twenty-five.
Fortunately for Tom, Mr. Barnum added more little people to his show, and Tom became lucky in love as well. One of the little people was Lavinia Warren, a school teacher. Tom was able to win her love, and they married.
The ceremony and reception were the talk of the town. They were attended by many rich and famous people and by about two thousand guests. Crowds filled the street of New York to have a look at their tiny wedding carriage. The couple even met with President Abraham Lincoln on their honeymoon, just before going to live in Tom’s house in Connecticut.
Their wedding, which took place during the Civil War, provided a welcome escape from the sad problems of war. Not willing to let this bit of sunshine fade, communities throughout the country held Tom Thumb’s weddings. In these weddings, small boys and girls, all dressed up, went through marriage ceremony for fun.“the talk of the town” means.
| A．they were in the newspaper |
| B．people spread many rumors about them |
| C．they were the most popular things happening |
| D．they were discussed in a city meeting |
What does the author think about Tom Thumb’s wedding?
| A．People gave it too much of their attention. |
| B．It helped people cheer up in a dark time |
| C．It was funny and ridiculous |
| D．Tom and Lavinia were stupid. |
Which of the following is the best description of the fact that Tom was smart?
| A．He became a billionaire at twenty-five |
| B．He learned how to sing, dance, and act at a very young age. |
| C．He met with President Lincoln during his honeymoon |
| D．He married a school teacher. |
It was very funny when Tom danced on a wooden plate held by a person who was eight feet tall because.
| A．the wooden plate would make it sound as of Tom were tap dancing |
| B．it made Tom feel taller |
| C．the eight-foot-tall man was the only tall person Tom trusted |
| D．the difference between them would make Tom look even smaller |
What does the author imply in the last paragraph?
| A．Weddings always make people feel full of sunshine |
| B．People are always disappointed during wartime |
| C．Entertainment can serve an important purpose |
| D．People should be married even if they are small |