There was a king who gave his daughter a beautiful diamond necklace. The necklace was stolen and his people in the kingdom searched everywhere but could not find it. So the king asked to search for it and put a reward for＄50,000 for anyone who found it.
One day, a clerk was walking home along a river when he saw something shinning in the river and when he looked, he saw the diamond necklace. He decided to try and catch it to get the ＄50,000 reward.
He put his hand in the river and tried to catch the necklace, but somehow missed it and didn’t catch it. He took his hand out and looked again and the necklace was still there. He tried again.
But strangely, he still missed the necklace! He came out and started walking away, feeling sad. Just then, an old man walking by saw him, and asked him what was the matter. The clerk didn’t want to share the secret with him, thinking he might take the necklace for himself, so he refused to tell him anything.
The old man could see this man was troubled. He again asked the clerk to tell him the problem and promised that he would not tell anyone about it. The clerk told him about the necklace and how he tried and tried to catch it, but kept failing.
The old man then told him that perhaps he should try looking upward, toward the branches of the tree, instead of in the river. The clerk looked up and true enough, the necklace was hanging on the branch of a tree. He had been trying to take a reflection of the real necklace all this time. The clerk tried to get the diamond necklace to ________________.
| A．make the king happy. | B．keep it for himself. |
| C．get the big reward. | D．sell it at a high price. |
Before the old man asked the clerk what was the matter, the clerk .
| A．was searching in the water | B．was trying to find help |
| C．felt rather tired | D．was not feeling good |
Where did the clerk find the necklace at last?
| A．On the tree | B．On the bank | C．In the river | D．In the sand |
What might be the best title for the passage?
| A．A beautiful diamond necklace | B．A king’s promise |
| C．A lucky young clerk | D．Changing the way of thinking |
We can make mistakes at any age．Some mistakes we make are about money．But most mistakes are about people．“Did Jerry really care when I broke up with Helen?” “When I got that great job, did Jim really feel good about it, as a friend? Or did he envy my luck?” “And Paul, why didn’t you pick up that he was friendly just because I had a car?” When we look back, doubts like these can make us feel bad．But when we look back, it’s too late．
Why do we go wrong about our friends-or our enemies? Sometimes what people say hides their real meaning．And if we don’t really listen we miss the feeling behind the words．Suppose someone tells you, “You’re a lucky dog, ”and that’s being friendly．But “lucky dog”? There’s a bit of envy in those words．Maybe he doesn’t see it himself．But bringing in the “dog” bit puts you down a little, what he may be saying is that he doesn’t think you deserve your luck．
“Just think of all the things you have to be thankful for” is another noise that says one thing and means another．It could mean that the speaker is trying to get you to see your problem as part of your life as a whole．But is he? Wrapped up in this phrase is the thought that your problem isn’t important．It’s telling you to think of all the starving people in the world when you haven’t got a date for Saturday night．
How can you tell the real meaning behind someone’s words? One way is to take a good look at the person talking．Do his words fit the way he looks? Does what he says agree with the tone of voice? His posture? The look in his eyes? Stop and think．The minute you spend thinking about the real meaning of what people say to you may save another mistake．
1．This passage is mainly about ______．
A．how to interpret what people say
B．what to do when you listen to others talking
C．why we go wrong with people and how to avoid these mistakes
D．why we go wrong with people sometimes
2．According to the author, the reason why we go wrong about our friends is that ______．
A．we fail to listen carefully when they talk
B．people tend to be annoyed when we check what they say
C．people usually state one thing but mean another
D．we tend to doubt what our friends say
3．The underlined word “it” in the second paragraph refers to______．
A．being friendly B．a bit of envy
C．lucky dog D．your luck
4．When we listen to a person talking, the most important thing for us to do is ______．
A．notice the way the person is talking
B．take a good look at the person talking
C．mind his tone, his posture and the look in his eyes
D．know what he really means from his tone and posture
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Product Description
A quick and handy guide to smart eating choices from the diet that’s transforming America belly
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About the Author
Liz Vaccariello is the senior vice president and Editor-in-Chief of Prevention, the #1 healthy lifestyle brand and the 9th largest magazine in the nation, with more than 11 million readers．
Product Details
Paperback:160 pages
Publisher: Rodale Books; 1 edition (April 14,2009)
ISBN-10: 1605296503
Shipping Weight: 4 ounces
Amazon.com Sales Rank: #86 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)
1．Where can you find the ad?
A．in a newspaper B．on a website C．on TV D．in a magzine
2．How much should you pay for Flat Belly Diet Pocket Guide if you buy Flat Belly Diet Cookbook?
A．$ 7.89 B．$20 C．$20.96 D．$ 7.5
3．The underlined word “transforming” in the passage probably means “______”．
A．changing B．enlarging C．making D．saving
4．According to Amazon.com, Flat Belly Diet Pocket Guide ranks _______ in Books．
A．#86 B．#14 C．#1 D．#9
三．阅读理解（共20小题；每小题2分，满分40分）
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
Japanese couples, too busy for a normal social life, are increasingly turning to actors to play their friends on the most important days of their lives．
Several agencies have sprung up(涌现)offering actors to attend weddings or even funerals．The
first guest-for-hire company was established about nine years ago and around 10 now send out dozens of pretend friends to family events．
Agencies such as Hagemashi Tai-which means “I want to cheer you up” -charge around £100 for each “guest”．Other services such as giving a speech in praise of a bride or the groom cost extra．
The appearance of the small fake friends industry has been linked to social and economic changes in Japan．With lifetime employment (终身雇佣制)a thing of the past, couples feel uncomfortable about inviting work colleagues to their wedding．Increasingly busy and put upon, many Japanese surround themselves with only a very small circle of friends．
When they marry, however, they are under pressure to match the number of their new partner’s wedding guests．
Office Agents, the largest provider of pretend friends, makes sure that its employees have done their homework and know all about the bride or groom before the wedding．
Hiroshi Mizutani, the company’s founder, said the fake friends he provides must look happy, be well dressed and look like people with good jobs．
1．Why did fake friends industry come into being in Japan?
A．Because of social and economic changes B．Because of lifetime employment
C．Because of normal social life D．Because of work pressure
2．Pretend friends will be present at the following occasions except ________．
A．weddings B．funerals C．work D．family gathering
3．The agents make sure that ________．
A．fake friends have done their housework
B．fake friends have good jobs
C．fake friends must look happy and be well dressed
D．fake friends feel uncomfortable
4．What is the best title of this passage?
A．Japanese couples are under pressure to get married
B．The first guest-for-hire company in Japan
C．Japanese couples’ social life
D．Japanese couples rely on fake friends
In insurance theory, moral hazard is the name given to the increased risk of immoral behavior, and thus a negative outcome (“hazard”), because the person who caused the problem doesn’t suffer the full (or any) consequences, or may actually benefit．Such a concern typically arises in the context of a contract (for example, an insurance policy)．
The most well known examples of moral hazard come from insurance．For example:
Fire insurance increases the motivation to commit arson (纵火), especially if someone is operating a failing business and decides that they’d rather have the cash from the insurance proceeds on the buildings than the buildings themselves．(The value of a business often is based on profitability; after arson, the owner can claim the business was profitable．) In a worst case, the building is over-insured or valuable contents are removed but claims are filed that they were destroyed in the fire．
In finance, low level of effort by the agent (employee) is called the “moral hazard problem” according to agency theory．The more autonomy (自主) the agent enjoys and the greater the information the agent possesses, and the greater the specialized knowledge required to perform the task, the greater the chances for the occurrence of moral hazard．
The problem of moral hazards for insurance can’t be eliminated, but can be minimized．For example:
Getting detailed information to evaluate the value of what is being insured, rather than simply taking the word of the person buying the insurance．
Requiring that there be a deductible(扣除额) (an initial up-front sum which the insured must pay out of his or her own pocket in case of a loss), and/or only paying out a percentage of the loss (say, 80 or 90 percent) via a coinsurance clause．
1．What might be the headache for the insurance company after a fire?
A．Not knowing who set the fire．
B．The owner might over-claim the loss．
C．Where to get the insurance fee paid．
D．How to punish those who cheated the company．
2．What might be the best way not to suffer over-loss in paying back insurance according to the above passage?
A．Investigate carefully after a fire．
B．Try to get as much detail information about the insurance．
C．Try to catch hold of the person who committed arson．
D．Request the buyer of insurance to pay more．
3．The two examples in the above passage are applied to ______．
A．help people to have reasonable insurance
B．present the difficulties the insurance companies have
C．bring up a problem and a solution in insurance business
D．invite people to buy more profitable insurance
4．The above passage is mainly about ______．
A．a new theory in insurance B．a moral challenge in business
C．a common business phenomenon D．moral hazard in insurance
In 1945 there were 17 universities in Britain; by 1967 there were 45．A period of very rapid expansion took place in the middle sixties when ten new institutes were granted university status by Royal Charter．These modern universities do not in many ways resemble their older counterparts．Much more emphasis is placed on advanced studies in science and technology and the newer social science disciplines than on the arts and humanities．For the most part of the buildings the students live and work in are severely functional and there are the hum and bustle of continuous activities．The quiet gardens and enclosed quadrangles of Oxford and Cambridge belong to another world．This will certainly happen, for the universities like everything else must change and adapt themselves to meet the needs and demands of a new age．
In recent years there has been a very rapid increase in the number of young people (especially girls) seeking higher education．Between 1962 and 1975, the number of students in higher education more than doubled from 222,400 to 497,000．Part of this increase is accounted for by the creation of thirty “Polytechnics” which offer a wide range of courses leading to recognized qualifications．
For those who missed the opportunities for higher education at the age of eighteen or so, a major innovation in the academic world now provides a second chance．The Open University was found in 1971; it offers tuition to degree standards to anyone who chooses to entry．The courses are taught through radio, television programs, Internet and by correspondence with Open University tutors．By now there are over 100,000 students enrolled for Open University and there are several thousand people who are the proud holders of a B．A degree from the Open University．
1．The underlined word “counterparts” in the first paragraph has the closest meaning with “______．”
A．enemies B．leaders C．similarities D．strangers
2．Who can go to the Open Universities in Britain?
A．The British young people only．
B．Anyone who missed the chance to go to college．
C．Girls who missed the chance to enter a college．
D．Those who are interested in science and technology．
3．How can a student get taught in the Open University?
A．Study in the open air of Oxford and Cambridge Universities．
B．Through the modern communication methods．
C．By self-study with the help of polytechnics．
D．By attending to the top ten institutes in Britain．
4．Which of the following might serve as the best title of the above passage?
A．Life in the Open Universities． B．Free Degrees in Open Universities．