With the growth of the European Union and increased globalisation, English is increasingly the lingua franc a（通用语） in European businesses, and those who speak it have become the elite （精英）of the workforce．
In the past, only a few specialists in a company were needed to communicate with foreign businesses．However, in these days of multinational companies, where workers are required to communicate with other employees from several countries, a common language is essential and English has become the logical choice．
Nowadays, even blue-collar workers in many companies are required to speak English．For example, just over three years ago, a Dutch company．United Pan-European Communications （UPC）, was contracted to build a TV studio in Amsterdam．The job involved many electricians—more than the company could find in the Netherlands．There were plenty of qualified electricians in nearby France and Belgium, but the American and Dutch executives of UPC wanted everyone on the job to speak and understand the same language．So, the UPC hired British electricians and flew them to Amsterdam every Monday, accommodating them in hotels all over the city, and flying them home on Friday evenings．
Increasingly, workers who can speak English earn salaries 25-35% higher than those who can' t．They are also eligible （有条件被选中的） for a wider range of high-level jobs．
The problem is that, while the ability to speak English is fast becoming essential for getting a good job, there is a shortage of people who can speak it．According to a recent European Commission report, only about 41% of continental Europeans can speak English, and only 29% speak it well enough to carry on a conversation．Many companies are solving this problem by setting up English language schools within the workplace．English language schools all over Europe are expanding at a huge rate, and governments are looking at ways to improve English tuition in schools．
One result of this modem urge to learn English is that a generation gap is appearing． According to a European Union study, 67% of Europeans between 15 and 24 say they can speak English while only 18% of those over 55 say they can．Increasingly, all over Europe, it is the children who are leading the parents．In European companies, workers who speak English ________．
| A．find it easy to carry on a conversation | B．have an advantage over other workers |
| C．must be white-collar workers | D．travel to many different countries |
Why did the UPC hire the British electricians?
| A．There were not enough electricians in nearby France and Belgium． |
| B．British electricians were more qualified than those in the Netherlands． |
| C．The UPC wanted all the employees to speak English． |
| D．The UPC meant to show they were rich enough to accommodate and fly them． |
What can you learn from the passage about European people?
| A．More young people can speak English well than older people. |
| B．67% Europeans can speak English very well． |
| C．18% of the people over 55 can't speak English． |
| D．Over half the people can speak English． |
Tokyo is one of those places that you can love and hate at the same time. In Tokyo there are always too many people in the places where I want to go. Of course there are too many cars. The Japanese drive very fast, but in Tokyo they often spend a long time in traffic jams. Tokyo is not different from London, Paris and New York in that, it is different when one wants to walk.
At certain times of the day there are a lot of people on foot in London's Oxford Street. But the streets near the Ginze in Tokyo always have a lot of people on foot, and sometimes it is really difficult to walk. People are very polite; there are just too many of them.
The worst time to be in the street is at 11:30 at night. That is when the night-clubs are closing and every-body wants to go home. There are 35,000 night-clubs in Tokyo, and you do not often see one that is empty(空的).
During the day, most people travel to and from work by train. Tokyo people buy six million train tickets every day. At most stations, trains arrive every two or three minutes, but at certain hours there do not seem to be enough trains. Although they are usually crowded, Japanese trains are very good. They always leave and arrive on time.
In Tokyo, I stood outside the station for five minutes. Three fire-engines raced past on the way to one of the many fires that Tokyo has every day. Tokyo has so many surprises that none of them can really surprise me now. Tokyo is different from London in that ______________.
| A．it has a larger population | B．there are more traffic jams |
| C．night clubs are sometimes empty | D．it is more difficult to go somewhere on foot |
Fires break out___________ in Tokyo according to the writer.
| A．not very often | B．only several times a day |
| C．quite often | D．very seldom |
Which of the following is NOT true about Tokyo?
| A．The streets become more crowded at 11:30 at night. |
| B．There are more trains than cars. |
| C．Fire-engines are very busy in the city. |
| D．Tokyo people are friendly. |
The Internet has got into all the fields of our life. We can study and work on it. We can find a job on it. We can communicate on it. We can treat friends on it. We can buy and sell on it. We can do almost everything on the Internet, and almost anywhere, anytime.
However, although the Internet provides services for us, it is silently getting our privacy(隐私) to some degree. The services on most websites require our personal information. If we want to enjoy these services, we have to provide much of our information, including our names, sex, addresses, telephone numbers and sometimes bank accounts(帐户). Because weak network sometimes is unsafe, our information might be open, stolen or sold. Even sometimes it will be used freely by others.
Considering（考虑到...） the above mentioned, you must pay attention to the safety when using the Internet. First, when you need Internet service, you should always look through those big legal(合法的) websites. Second, if the service requires important personal information, you should think twice before you type it in. Third, store your own important card key(电子钥匙) and don’t tell others easily.According to the passage, we shouldn’t ______by using the Internet.
| A．learn English | B．give our friends’ information to others |
| C．chat with friends | D．look for jobs |
The underlined word “it” refers to ______.
| A．the telephone number | B．the name | C．the information | D．the bank account |
Which of the following ways is correct to protect our information on the Internet?
a. Surf the safe Web . b. Think over and over before typing it in.
c. Don’t chat with friends on line d. Don’t use your key easily.
| A．a,b,c. | B．b,c,d. | C．a,b,d. | D．a,c,d. |
What can we learn from the passage?
| A．Don’t believe others if you don’t know them. |
| B．Remember never use the ID card on the Internet. |
| C．Never use the Internet in the future. |
| D．From now on, we must pay attention to the safety of the information on line. |
Maybe you know some well-known buildings, such as the Great Wall, the Great Hall of the People, the Leaning Tower of Pisa. But do you know the Royal Academy of Arts (皇家艺术学院)?
Lying in the heart of London, the Royal Academy of Arts is an independent fine arts institution (机构) which supports modem artists and promotes interest in the arts through all kinds of exhibition programs. The Academy is completely independent. It is a self-funded (自筹资金的), organization which is governed by the Royal Academicians—eminent practicing, painters, printmakers, sculptors and architects who are elected to the position. The Academy has a long history and was founded in 1768 with Sir Joshua Reynolds as its first President. The Academy lies in Burlington House which itself has a long colorful history with parts of the original structure dating back to1664. Today, the Academy attracts over one million visitors each year, making it one of London’s top 10 attractions for paying visitors.
Air: London’s City Airport. Gatwick Airport, Heathrow Airport, Luton Airport and Stansted Airport.
Rail: Underground: Piccadilly and Green Park or a short walk from Oxford Circus and Bond Street.
Road: Bus: Public services.
Contact Addresses:
Royal Academy of Arts, Burlington House, Piccadilly, London WIJ OBD
Telephone: 020 7300 8000
Website: www.royalacademy.org.ukWhich of the following is TRUE about the Academy of Art?
| A．It dates back to 1664. |
| B．You can’t get there by underground. |
| C．It is one of London’s top 10 attractions. |
| D．It is much older than Burlington House. |
You can contact the Academy of Arts by all the following EXCEPT________________.
| A． writing a letter | B．sending an e-mail |
| C．visiting the website | D．making a call |
The main purpose of this passage is to_______________________.
| A．attract more visitors to the Royal Academy of Arts |
| B．introduce the well-known building of England |
| C．show the long history of England |
| D．introduce the arts of England |
Young people can have problems with their minds. Some students become worried because they have to study very hard. Others have trouble getting on well with people like their parents and classmates.
Liu Wei, a Junior 2 student from Hefei, could not understand his teacher and was doing badly in his lessons. He became so worried about it that he started to cut his finger with a knife. Another student, 14-year-old Yan Fang from Guangzhou, was afraid of exams. She got very worried in the test, and when she looked at the exam papers, she couldn’t think of anything to write.
A recent report from Jiefang Daily says about 18% of Shanghai teenagers have mental problems. Their troubles include being worried and very unhappy, and having problems in learning and getting on well with people. Many students who have problems won’t go for advice or help. Some think they will look stupid if they go to see a doctor. Others don’t want to talk about their secret.
Liang Yuezhu, an expert on teenagers from Beijing Anding Hospital has the following advice for teenagers.
1). Talk to your parents or teachers often.
2). Take part in group activities and play sports.
3). Go to see a doctor if you feel unhappy or unwell.The students who often become worried or have trouble getting on well with others may have___________.
| A．a headache | B．mental problems |
| C．knives with them | D．no parents |
Liu Wei cut his finger with a knife because____________.
| A．he was afraid of his teacher | B．he wanted to frighten his parents |
| C．his finger was badly hurt | D．he was so worried about his study |
Yan Fang’s problems happened whenever ______________.
| A．she studied very hard | B．she talked with her parents |
| C．she had exams | D．she thought of something |
Students who have problems won’t ask others for help because _____________.
| A．they won’t let others think they are stupid |
| B．they don’t think doctors can help them |
| C．they don’t want to tell their secret to others |
| D．both A and C |
Liang Yuezhu’s advice tells us that_________________.
| A．it’s unnecessary for them to be with others |
| B．it’s better for the students who have mental problems to join others |
| C．only group activities and sports can help them |
| D．teachers and parents can’t do anything about mental problems |
Dolphins and sharks are showing up in surprisingly shallow water just off the Florida coast. Mullets, crabs, rays and small fish gather by the thousands off an Alabama pirer. Birds covered in oil are crawling deep into marshes（沼泽）, never to be seen again.
Marine scientists studying the effects of the BP disaster（英国石油公司漏油事件）are seeing some strange phenomena. Fish and other wildlife seem to be fleeing the oil out in the Gulf and clustering in cleaner waters along the coast in a trend that some researchers see as a potentially troubling sign. The animals’ presence close to shore means their usual habitat is badly polluted, and the crowding could result in mass die-offs as fish run out of oxygen. Also, the animals could easily be captured by their enemies.
The nearly two-month-old spill（漏油）has created an environmental disaster in US history as tens of millions of gallons have flown into the Gulf of Mexico ecosystem. Scientists are seeing some unusual things as they try to understand the effects on thousands of species of marine life.
For nearly four hours Monday, a three-person crew with Greenpeace cruised past delicate islands and mangrove-dotted inlets in Barataria Bay off southern Louisiana. They saw dolphins by the dozen frolicking（嬉戏）in the oily sheen（光泽）and oil-tinged pelicans feeding their young. But they spotted no dead animals.
"I think part of the reason why we’re not seeing more yet is that the impacts of this crisis are really just beginning," Greenpeace marine biologist John Hocevar said.
The counting of dead wildlife in the Gulf is more than an academic exercise; the deaths will help determine how much BP pays in damages.What do the marine life react to the BP disaster?
| A．Birds crawl deep into caves. |
| B．Dolphins and sharks show up in deep water. |
| C．Tens of thousands of marine animals are found dead. |
| D．Sea creatures flee from oil spill, gathering near seashore. |
The environmental disaster was caused by .
| A．the damage of the Mexico Gulf ecosystem |
| B．the lack of environmental sense of BP |
| C．the nearly two-month-old oil spill |
| D．the crowding marine life |
What is John Hocevar’s attitude towards the disaster?
| A．Worried. | B．Disappointed. | C．Depressed. | D．Neutral. |
From the passage, we can infer that .
| A．BP will pay much money according to the number of dead wildlife there |
| B．marine scientists have seen some strange phenomena |
| C．the disaster has little influence on dolphins |
| D．a three-person crew reached no conclusion |
The test is most probably a ______.
| A．newspaper ad | B．book review |
| C．science news report | D．science fiction story |