Dear Mr. Thunders,
We would like to introduce ourselves. Our company was organized only two years ago, but we are one of the largest boat companies in California. As you know, your son bought a boat from us recently, and I think you know how pleased h
e is with our product. Also, John Webb, one of your son's friends, has bought a boat from us and, w
e understand, is very happy with his boat. We are always happy to know that our customers are satisfied. We are writing to you now because, as you know, your son has decided to buy a larger boat, and we need your signature on the loan(贷款) papers. The loan application has already been signed b
y Danny. As you will see, there is one form to fill out, and there are three contracts to sign. Danny's 26-foot boat was returned to our San Pedro Dock yesterday, and we are pleased to say that the new 36-foot "Challenger" will be delivered(送达) two weeks from today. It is being inspected by ou
r manager right now. The auto-pilot(自动领航仪) has already been installed by our mechanic. It looks as though everything will be ready in time for delivery. All we need are the signed contracts from you.
Thank you.
Sincerely yours,
Tony Valention
59. This is a letter Mr. Thunders received from _______________.
A. Tony Valention in England B. a boat company in California
C. Danny, a salesman in California D. a bank manager in California
60. Tony wrote to Mr. Thunders to ______.
A. tell him to sign the contracts B. thank him for buying a new boat
C. tell about something of his company D. ask him to pay for his boat right away
61. The underlined word “installed” means “______”.
A. fixed B. checked C. bought D. removed
62. From the letter we can see that the boat company ______.
A. is a world-famous one B. is developing slowly
C. doesn't has a long history D. has to advise customers to buy its boats
63. Danny wants to change the 26-foot boat for a new 36-foot "Challenger" because _______.
A. the former one is broken down B. the new one has modern equipment
C. the former one doesn't work well D. the new one is a little larger
A 70-year study of personality suggests that pessimism is a risk factor for early death, especially among men.
The study results also indicate that pessimism can be linked to increased risk for sudden death from accidents or violence, according to the report published in the March issue of Psychological Science.
Christopher Peterson of the University of Michigan and his colleagues analyzed data from the Terman Life-Cycle Study, which began by studying California public-school children with high IQs in 1921 and followed them through their life. Most of the 1,528 children were teenagers when the study began. Those still living are now in their 80s. In 1936 and 1940, participants were asked to complete a questionnaire designed to obtain information about difficult life events and their effect on overall outlook. One such question was, “What do you regard as your most serious fault of personality or character?”
Pessimists were defined as fatalistic(宿命论的)people who tend to blame themselves when things go wrong and who believe that one bad event can ruin the rest of their life. They also tend to expect bad things to happen to them and feel that they have little or no ability to change their situation.
Males were more likely than females to be classified as pessimistic. Compared with individuals with a more cheerful and optimistic outlook, pessimists were more likely to die from accidents and violence (including suicide).
A pessimistic personality may lead to poor problem-solving ability, social difficulties and risky decision-making. Taken together, these variables put the pessimist at higher risk of untimely(不适时的) death, say the researchers. Such a person is less likely to avoid or escape potentially dangerous situations, the researchers concluded. “A pessimistic way of thinking in which people worry too much about bad events, predicts untimely death decades later,” according to Peterson.According to the passage, you may be a pessimistic person, if one failure makes you feel________.
| A．other people have been unfair to you. |
| B．other people will help you. |
| C．you cannot change a bad situation. |
| D．you can do better next time. |
According to the passage, pessimists may feel all of the following EXCEPT________
| A．helpless when faced with difficulties. |
| B．cheerful when faced with troubles. |
| C．hopeless when one bad event occurs. |
| D．guilty when things go wrong. |
Which of the following statements is true, according to the passage?
| A．Pessimists believe that everything in life depends on fate. |
| B．There are more pessimists among women than among men. |
| C．Most pessimists will end up committing suicide. |
| D．All pessimists will eventually die from accidents. |
The Terman Life-Cycle Study is a research program that studies________.
| A．people over 70 years old. |
| B．people since their childhood. |
| C．pessimistic people over 80 years old. |
| D．only younger people. |
The analysis made by Christopher Peterson and his colleagues shows that pessimistic people________
| A．will die from violence if they learn to be optimistic. |
| B．will more likely die from violence than optimistic people. |
| C．will die from violence because their IQs are low. |
| D．will die untimely if they are not able to learn to be cheerful and optimistic. |
When I was 13, my bedroom walls were covered with posters of the Monkees and Beatles. I wrote fan letters and daydreamed about meeting the objects of my affections. I begged my parents to attend every rock concert and watch every TV show featuring my favorite celebrities; my friends and I discussed for hours all the things we would say and do when we met our favourite movie stars and pop singers. I drove my mother crazy ! But after a few years, my obsession stars faded as I matured and gained the confidence to socialize with “real” boys.
In the 35 years since I was a teenager, celebrity worship (崇拜) has increased among teens due to the explosion of television celebrity gossip shows, and instant access to celebrity news on the Internet. It’s no wonder that many teens are obsessed with stars when news programs are often filled with entertainment stories and the lives of celebrities.
Celebrity worship syndrome (综合征) is now considered a personality disorder. While it is normal for teenagers to follow the lives of their favorite stars, parents should try to monitor everything their child finds interesting. Parents should take action if they suspect a teen is too obsessed with celebrities and showing little interest in school or withdrawing from the family. When teens talk a lot about celebrities and view them as just means of entertainment, this is considered normal celebrity worship. However, when a teenager is obsessed with a star and often expresses a desire to have a close personal relationship with a celebrity or feels they have a special connection to a star, this may be the time for concern. Recent studies have shown that teens who develop an unhealthy obsession with celebrities often suffer from low self confidence and depression. Teens who are overly obsessed with stars often have damaged relationships with their parents. The first paragraph is intended to tell us________.
| A．parents needn’t worry about celebrity worship |
| B．celebrity worship can cause serious problems |
| C．it’s normal for a teen to have celebrity worship |
| D．celebrity worship only exists among teens |
We can learn from the second paragraph that________.
| A．the media greatly contributes to celebrity worship today |
| B．the author is surprised at celebrity worship |
| C．teens today are not so obsessed with celebrities |
| D．celebrities expose their lives too much |
Parents should become concerned when their children________.
| A．talk a lot about celebrities with others |
| B．put up celebrity posters in their bedrooms |
| C．ask to go to their favourite star’s concert |
| D．desire a close personal relationship with their favorite star |
The last paragraph implies that________.
| A．parents should not care too much about a child’s celebrity worship |
| B．celebrity worship syndrome can be a serious problem if left overlooked |
| C．children can normally get out of celebrity worship when they are older |
| D．children with celebrity worship usually have high opinion of themselves |
What is most likely to be talked about in the paragraph following the passage?
| A．The harm of celebrity worship syndrome. |
| B．More signs of celebrity worship syndrome. |
| C．What to do with children’s celebrity worship syndrome. |
| D．Who will suffer most from celebrity worship syndrome. |
Even if you are naturally shy, these three tricks will help you to quickly build a new social circle in any new city.
1. Take pictures
One of the great things about taking pictures at an event or party is that it gives you an excuse to get in touch with the person later. Everybody loves seeing pictures of themselves, and it’s very easy after taking a picture to say “If you’d like I can email it to you”. This can be the seed that leads to new connections. The next time you hear about a fun event email your new contacts to let them know about it.
2. Eat alone in public
You might feel self-conscious eating by yourself but it has an important benefit: you are much easier to approach when you are alone. People may be afraid of interrupting you or being rude if you are in a conversation with someone else. Bring a book or newspaper to read (this will make you feel less self-conscious). Plus, having an interesting book with you will give others an excuse to start a conversation if they’ve read it.
3. Join a class, sports team, or club
Yoga, salsa dancing, volleyball, Toastmasters (a public speaking club), a class for work, etc. Take up a new hobby or continue an old one!
These are all great places to meet new people, primarily because you will be forced to see the same people over and over again in the class. You will automatically make friends with them if you have a common interest and are forced to see each other again.
Tips:
* In the beginning, never turn down an invitation from someone, even if it’s something you wouldn’t normally do.
* Email your new friends with fun things to do instead of always asking what their plans are. If they have a better plan you can drop yours and join them. This will help establish you as someone who is contributing value instead of just taking it (people want this in a friend).
* Don’t let little things in life upset you or be a negative person. People don’t want to be around someone like that!________ can give you an excuse to start new connections.
| A．Taking pictures of others |
| B．Eating by yourself in public |
| C．Reading interesting books |
| D．Joining group activities |
When having meals, you’d better ________ if you want to make new friends.
| A．approach others to show conscious friendliness |
| B．start a conversation with those who have friends aside |
| C．invite others to your apartment to eat together |
| D．sit on your own in public places |
According to the text, which of the following is NOT mentioned as an advantage of joining a class?
| A．It helps you find out people who share a common interest with you. |
| B．It helps you find out your interest and take up a new hobby. |
| C．It offers an opportunity to meet the same people repeatedly. |
| D．It is a good way to meet new people and make friends in a new city. |
Which of the following pieces of advice is a tip from the text?
| A．Try to be outgoing and talkative instead of being shy. |
| B．Never turn down an invitation from your friends. |
| C．Offer suggestions on how to spend time together. |
| D．Always give a positive response to any request. |
By writing the text, the author intends to tell us ________.
| A．why you should change when you move to a new city |
| B．how you can make new friends in a new city |
| C．why you should make new friends in a new city |
| D．how you can keep in touch with strangers |
A new report says the number of foreign students at colleges and universities in the United States increased by three percent last year. This has been the first obvious increase since 2001.
American schools last fall had 583,000 foreign students. The record is 586,000. That was set in 2002 after many years of gains. But after that the numbers fell. The terrorist attacks on September 11th, 2001 led to more visa (签证) requirements. Now stronger efforts are being made to get more foreign students to study in the United States.
China remained in second place in front of South Korea but behind India, whichsent almost 84,000 students last fall. The number of Japanese fell sharply by nine percent, although it remained in fourth place.
There were three percent drops from Indonesia and Kenya, the only African country in the top twenty last year. But there were obvious increases from Saudi Arabia, Nepal and Vietnam. The number of Saudi students more than doubled, rising to nearly eight thousand.
For a sixth year, the University of Southern California in Los Angeles had the most foreign students. Columbia University in New York was second. Other schools in the top five were New York University, the University of Illinois and Purdue University.
Unlike American students in other countries, who often choose history and language study, the leading area of study in the USA was business and management. Second was engineering.
The new report also says more than 220,000 Americans studied in other countries. That was during the 2005-2006 school year. It was a record number, and an increase of eight and a half percent from the year before. But only five percent of them stayed for a full year.
| A．Americans were worried that foreign students might attack them |
| B．few American universities welcomed students from abroad |
| C．their own countries could offer them a better education |
| D．it was harder for foreign students to get permission to study in the USA |
in the USA?
| A．China. | B．Japan. | C．South Korea. | D．India. |
| A．Business and management. | B．History. |
| C．Engineering. | D．Language. |
| A．Kenya is the only African country that has students in the USA |
| B．now foreign students are encouraged to study in the USA |
| C．the number of students studying in America always increases |
| D．the number of foreign students in the USA will keep increasing in the future |
| A．Culture. | B．Science. | C．Education. | D．Business. |
Chinese star Yao Ming has retired. Yao made it official Wednesday, telling a news conference that a series of foot and leg injuries forced him to end his playing career at the age of 30.
“I will formally end my career,’’ said Yao, who became a household name in China before starting his NBA career with the Houston Rockets in 2002. Yao played eight seasons in the NBA.
“Today is an important day for me and holds a special meaning for both my basketball career and my future,’’ Yao said. “I had to leave the court since I suffered a stress fracture（断裂） in my left foot for the third time at the end of last year. My past six months were a painful wait. I have been thinking about my future over and over. Today I am announcing a personal decision, ending my career as a basketball player and officially retire. But one door is closing and another one is opening.’’
Yao said he would return to work with his former Chinese team, the Shanghai Sharks, with the possibility of becoming general manager. He already owns the club and wants to contribute more. “My playing career started with the club. I hope I can do something for it,’’ Yao said.
He later appeared with his family on the stage to the applause and cheers of the crowd. He thanked a lot of people — his family, former coaches, even players like Shaquille O’Neal — “for making me a better player.’’
Rockets general manager Daryl Morey was among those attending the farewell(告别) conference Wednesday. Morey made the long trip from Houston. Morey said 20 hours on planes was tiring but “I would be sorry if I wasn’t here.” “It’s a big moment,’’ Morey added. “Yao had a sense of humor, a great attitude and sense of responsibility. I hope we can continue his culture in the NBA.’’
| A．his age | B．his bad conducts on the court |
| C．his foot and leg injuries | D．his poor health |
| A．peaceful | B．upset | C．confident | D．proud |
| A．Shanghai | B．Houston | C．Beijing | D．New York |
Yao Ming?
| A．Talented. | B．Responsible. | C．Humorous. | D．Cautious. |
| A．Daryl Morey thinks highly of Yao Ming. |
| B．Daryl Morey was Yao Ming’s coach. |
| C．Daryl Morey is a basketball player in the Houston Rockets. |
| D．Daryl Morey is not satisfied with Yao Ming’s retirement from basketball. |