Our daughter Kerrin, a student at Boston University, had been home for a week-end visit, and I dropped her off at the bus station just in time for her back to college. After Kerrin’s bus had gone and I was driving away, I noticed that she had left her purse on the passenger seat. Worried that she would arrive in Boston without money or keys to her room, I called my wife, Bette Jean, on the car phone, explaining why I would be late. As I was following the bus, Bette Jean phoned me back to say she had phoned the bus dispatcher（调度员）on the other line and he, in return, had phoned the bus driver on yet another phone. The driver asked me to wave out of my window to show where I was. Then he pulled over at a rest stop, and I did the same. Kerrin jumped off the bus, and I handed her the purse and went on my way.The writer saw his daughter’s purse right after .
| A．seeing her off at the bus station |
| B．starting his car again |
| C．she got off the car |
| D．she got on the bus |
Kerrin didn’t find her purse missing until .
| A．the bus started off |
| B．her mother told her |
| C．the bus stopped again |
| D．she returned to the university |
In which order did the following persons know about the loss of the purse?
| A．driver—writer—Better Jean—Kerrin |
| B．Kerrin—writer—Better Jean—driver |
| C．writer—driver—Kerrin—Better Jean |
| D．writer—Bette—Jean—driver—Kerrin |
Which of the following is not true?
| A．The bus was too fast for the car to catch up with in no time. |
| B．The writer had tried to phone the dispatcher but failed. |
| C．The writer couldn’t get in touch with the driver by the phone. |
| D．Both the writer and the bus driver could use the car phone. |
Which of the following seems the most necessary in helping the writer?
a. his car b. phone c. the bus driver
d. the dispatcher e. his wife f. his daughter
| A．a, b, d and e | B．c, d, e and f |
| C．a, b, c and d | D．b, c, d and e |
A
The nervous-looking young man had waited for a few moments outside the jeweler's shop before he got enough courage to enter．He was warmly greeted by a young assistant. James felt a rush blood to his face as he explained he would bring in his future wife to choose a birthday present．The assistant listened carefully and told him he'd better buy a necklace. He wasn't used to buying jewelry and was a little worried about overspending. After some discussion as to reasonable price and type（类型）, the assistant showed him dozens of necklaces and helped him to choose. At last James chose one and left the shop promising to return at five o'clock. When, half an hour later, James did return to the shop with his future wife, Laura, the assistant acted as if she had never seen him before. When she was asked to show them some necklaces, she first brought out some inexpensive ones for them to choose and then gave them the one she had prepared. A choice was soon made and they went away, satisfied. James would certainly come back to buy what he wanted when he got married.A good title（题目）for this passage is ________.
| A．A Clever Assistant | B．Buying a Birthday Present |
| C．How to Choose a Necklace | D．A Brave Young Man |
Why did the young man look nervous?
| A．Because he had never bought jewelry before. |
| B．Because he would get married. |
| C．Because he didn’t have enough money to buy a satisfying present. |
| D．Because he feared he would be laughed at by shop assistants. |
The word "overspending" in this passage means ________.
| A．spending too much money |
| B．spending too much time |
| C．spending more time than be planned |
| D．spending too much time and too much money |
When James told the assistant why he wanted to buy a present, his
face________.
| A．turned pale | B．turned black | C．turned yellow | D．turned red |
James would come back to buy what he wanted because ________.
| A．the necklace was good |
| B．Laura liked the necklace |
| C．the assistant knew how to satisfy the people who came to buy things |
| D．the assistant who served James was very beautiful |
Technology: Taking the good without the bad?
Very soon, unimaginably powerful technologies will remake our lives．This could have dangerous consequences, especially because we may not even understand the basic science underlyi ng them．There’s a growing gap between our technological capability and our basic scientific understanding．We can do very clever things with the technology of the future without necessarily understanding some of the science underneath, and that is very dangerous．
The technologies that are particularly dangerous over the next hundred years are nanotechnology （纳米技术）, artificial intelligence and biotechnology．The benefits that they will bring are beyond doubt．But they are going to be very, very dangerous．I’m working in the field of artificial intelligence．I have a model design for something that might be 50,000 million times smarter than the human brain．Target date is 2010．The only thing that's not possible in the film Terminator（终结者） is that the people win．If you're fighting against technology w hich is 50,000 million times smarter than you, you probably will not win．
Nanotechnology．We've all heard of the grey glue problem, that self-replicating nanotech devices might keep on copying until the world has become sticky glue．And certainly in biotechnology, we've really got a big problem because it's converging with nanotechnology and IT．Once you start mixing nanotech with organisms and you start feeding nanotech-enabled bacteria, we can really go an awful lot further than the Borg in Star Trek（星际迷航）．And those superhuman organisms might not like us very much．
Eventually these technologies will become routine．That’s a threat to humanity．I don’t think it’s possible to slow it down．So what we need to do is accelerate the scientific research and try to get some extra tools．The problems facing us in the future are getting bigger and bigger．I think if we don’t get some proper science done, the future is hopeless indeed．From the text, we know that the author’s greatest concern is．
| A．our lack of technological understanding of the process involved |
| B．our lack of technological capability |
| C．creating technology without really understanding the basic science |
| D．Our refusal to face the consequences of the technology we create |
It can be inferred from the text that the author．
| A．thinks people overvalue the capabilities of technology |
| B．is not optimistic that artificial intelligence will always be used positively |
| C．thinks that we should take science fiction movies more seriously |
| D．believes artificial intelligence is the greatest threat we face technologically |
Why does the author say it is not possible in the film Terminator that the humans win?
| A．Because the power of the technology is exaggerated（夸大）． |
| B．Because the strength of the machines is much greater． |
| C．Because machines with that much intelligence can easily defeat humans． |
| D．Because human beings are not courageous enough to win the battle． |
English Language and Culture Program
If you wish to improve your English-language skills as well as your understanding of the Canadian cultural context, the courses offered by ELC Evening are for you. Whether your goals are academic, business or immigration-related, there is a course to meet your needs．
Evening course tuition:$490,0．
All evening courses run for 10 weeks．A $50 discount is available to returning students or students attending two or more courses．
ELC 550
Mondays, July 7 - September 22, 2008August 4 & September 11- HOLIDAY
Mondays, October 6-December 15．2008 October 13-HOLIDAY
This course is designed for non-native Englisli speakers who wish to take the 1ELTS （International English Language Testing System） exam．Each week, participants （参加者）focus on specific modules of the test （speaking, reading, listening, and writing） to develop and improve the skills they need to succeed on the exam．
ELC 552
Tuesdays, Aprils8-June 10,2008
Tuesdays, October 7 - December．16, 2008 November 11 - HOLIDAY
This course is designed for participants who wish to improve their fluency and expressiveness in English．Production skills will be targeted, including pronunciation, intonation, rhythm, and stress．Participants are required to complete weekly in-class assignments （任务）, including speeches, monologues, interviews, and role-plays．
ELC 554
Wednesdays, July 9 - September 10．2008
Wednesdays, October 8 -December 10．2008
This course is designed for non-native English-speaking university and college participants who wish to improve their academic leading and writing skills．This course gives participants the tools required for presenting information and building persuasive arguments in clear and cohesive written forms．
ELC 555
Thursdays, July 10 - September 11, 2008
Thursdays, October 9 - December 11, 2008
This course is designed for non-native English speakers who are either working or planning to work in a business environment．Areas of focus include handling telephone conversations, networking, participating in meetings, negotiating, making presentations, and conducting interviews．One only needs to pay $440 if he ______．
| A．attends 10 weeks' evening course |
| B．attends the evening courses for a second lime |
| C．finds others to take the evening course together |
| D．recommends another person to take one ot the evening courses |
Which is the proper time for one who wants to find a job in business field?
| A．Mondays, October 6 - December 15, 2008． |
| B．Tuesdays, October 7 - December 16,2008． |
| C．Wednesdays, October 8 - December 10, 2008． |
| D．Thursdays, October 9 - December 11, 2008． |
ELC 554 is most suitable for ______．
| A．a newspaper reporter | B．a university student |
| C．a businessman | D．a high school student |
ELC 550 mainly focuses on ______．
| A．college preparations |
| B．fluency and expressiveness in English |
| C．the skills needed to pass an exam |
| D．basic English knowledge |
A student who mainly wants to improve his spoken English can attend ．
| A．ELC 550 | B．ELC 552 | C．ELC 554 | D．ELC 555 |
India was once part of the British Empire, but thanks to modern technology and a booming economy, it has turned the tables on its former colonial master. Indian tutors are helping to teach math to British children over high-speed Internet connections. Early results suggest the idea is improving exam results. But not everyone is happy at this “outsourcing” of tutoring.
It’s 3:30, and pupils at Raynham Primary School in London are gathering for their after-school maths lessons.
Five time zones— thousands of kilometers away—their math tutors are also arriving for class. High-speed Internet has made it possible for Indian tutors to teach British pupils in real time. Each pupil gets a dedicated one-to-one online tutor. The students work with activities on their computer screen and wear a headset and microphone to talk to their tutor.
The class teacher, Altus Basson, says he has seen an improvement in results. “There are some children who’ve really rocketed in their results. Children who struggleto focus in class focus a lot better on the laptops. The real advantage is that each child gets a focused activity and a single tutor,” he said.
Such individualized teaching is the core idea of Brightspark Education, the company that provides the online tutoring, says founder Tom Hooper. “Children today feel very confident online; they feel very engaged; they feel very in control. And that's half the battle with education.Give them control, make them feel confident and enjoy their learning and you'll see them start to improve and embrace it," he said.
Raynham Primary School is among the first in Europe to try online tutoring. At between $20 and $25 an hour, it's about half the cost of face-to-face coaching. But some people say an Internet connection is not enough of a connection for teaching and learning. Kevin Courtney is deputy General Secretary of Britain's National Union of Teachers. "We think, there's a really important emotional connection between a teacher and a child whether it's a whole class or whether it's one-to-one. You need that immediacy of feedback and we're not convinced that that can happen across an Internet connection. In one of the wealthiest.countries in the world, we think that we can afford to have teachers with genuine emotional connection there with the children," he said.
Brightspark Education says the online tutoring is used only as an addition to supplement regular teaching. The company says its service does not represent a threat to teachers' jobs in Britain.
Parents say they're very satisfied with the results they've seen. And what about the children?Children: "I love it!"I love it!"I hate maths!" So math--or, as the British call it, maths—is still not everyone's favorite subject even with the latest technology to teach it.What do we know about the online tutoring?
| A．Indian tutors are helping to teach math in Britain. |
| B．Tutors and students are in different places. |
| C．An online tutor helps several students at the same time. |
| D．Tutors and students communicate by telephone. |
What can we learn about Brightspark Education?
| A．It shows a threat to teachers’ jobs in Britain. |
| B．It can take place of the regular teaching. |
| C．It only pays attention to math teaching. |
| D．It emphasizes the individualized teaching. |
According to Kevin Courtne, _________. .
| A．online tutoring will represent a threat to teachers’ jobs in Britain |
| B．online tutoring has a great influence on British. |
| C．the emotional connection between a teacher and a child is important |
| D．immediacy of feedback can happen across an Internet connection |
What’s the best title for this passage ?
| A．A New Teaching Pattern |
| B．Indian Teachers and British Students |
| C．To Learn Maths with the Latest Technology |
| D．Indian Tutors Teach British Kids Online |
Waller was a liked－by－all fellow full of fun who often went to coffee houses to tell people interesting stories, of which some even brought him some money. One day, asked by an office secretary who told Waller that his boss was a never－seen before serious man and he never even smiled. Waller would tell a most funny story. “Well, sir,” Waller said before he began the story, “What will be given in return of my success?”“＄100,”replied the secretary. “I haven’t seen him have a bright face since I worked in his office.”
“Then let’s make it.” Waller went to the man’s table and whispered to him, “Please tell your boss that the funny man Waller’s hen gave birth to a baby.”
Three days later a letter reached Mr. Waller in which were ＄100 and a piece of yellow paper with the words, “Mr. Waller, you have succeeded—When I repeated your ＄100－worth sentence, my boss burst into frightening laughter, saying that whoever has managed to make him laugh during the business hours will get dismissed!”The secretary asked Waller for a most funny story because he ______.
| A．was tired of his boss seriousness |
| B．tried to please his serious boss with it |
| C．wanted to improve his working conditions |
| D．wanted to see his boss' laughing face |
Saying "Let's make it," Waller______．
| A．was sure of his success |
| B．thought of nothing but the 100-dollar return |
| C．knew that his hen had really given a birth to a baby |
| D．wondered whether he could make the boss smile or not |
Which of the following ends is true according to the passage?
| A．The boss was never so strict with the secretary from then on． |
| B．The secretary lost his job in office． |
| C．The secretary dare not make his boss laugh any longer． |
| D．Mr．Waller was dismissed at last． |
Which sentence can describe the theme of the story?
| A．Things Went Opposite to Wishes |
| B．Satisfying Both Sides |
| C．Killing Two Birds with One Stone |
| D．Either Is in His Proper Place |