For the past two years, 8-year-old Harli Jordean from Stoke Newington, London, has been selling marbles(弹珠). His successful marble company, Marble King, sells all things marble-related － from affordable tubs of the glass playthings to significantly expensive items like Duke of York solitaire tables － sourced, purchased and processed by the mini-CEO himself.
“I like having my own company. I like being the boss,” Harli told the Mirror.
With profits now in the thousands, “the world’s youngest CEO” has had to get his mother and older brothers to help him meet the growing demand.
Harli launched Marble King after swapping marbles at school led to schoolchildren consuming his marble collection. Yes, he literally “lost his marbles.” Harli and his mother, Tina, turned to the Internet to find replacements.
Harli saw an empty space online: the marbles he wanted were hard to find. Within months, Harli had his own marble-selling website － and orders started pouring in.
Tina says her son's attachment to marbles started when he was just 6.
“His attachment became so passionate that we started calling him the Marble King — so when he wanted to set up a website it was the natural name for it,” she told The Sun.
“I never thought it would become so popular － we are struggling to cope with the number of orders at times.”
The 8-year-old boy has his sights set on expanding his business and launching his own brand of marbles.
“Sometimes his ideas are so grand we have to scale them back a bit. But his dream is still to own Britain's biggest marble shop and open stores around the world,” Tina told The Daily Mail.
“At the moment he is annoying me by creating his own Marble King marbles － so that could well be the next step for him.”Harli’s Marble Company became popular as soon as he launched it because ______.
| A．it was run by “the world’s youngest CEO” |
| B．it filled the gap of online marble trade |
| C．Harli was fascinated with marble collection |
| D．Harli met the growing demand of the customers |
How many mass media are mentioned in the passage?
| A．One | B．Two | C．Three | D．Four |
The underlined expression “scale them back” is closest in meaning to ______.
| A．hold them down | B．carry them out |
| C．set them aside | D．clear them away |
What message do the last two paragraphs carry?
| A．Conflicts often occur between Harli Jordean and his family. |
| B．Harli’s mother and brothers are worried about Marble King’s future. |
| C．Marble King marbles will surely attract more fans around the world. |
| D．The “Marble King” has great ambition for his Marble King company. |
ARIZONA
Thunderbird Lodge in Canyon de Chelly
A one-night stay at the historic lodge starts at $59 for a single room and the lodge offers half-day tours of Canyon de Chelly ($41 for adults and $32 for children aged 12 and under)
Time: May. 31, 2009 ～ Nov. 1, 2009
Details: Hotel taxes are an additional 17.1 percent
Contact: 800/679-2
473, tbirdlodge.com
CALIFORNIA
Zephyr Cove Resort at Lake Tahoe
A three-night stay in a lakeside cabin(小木屋) for two people, an Emerald Bay sightseeing for two, free breakfast and lunch. Rates are $299 per couple --- saving of up to $400.
Details: Hotel taxes are included
Time: Through Dec.15, 2009
Contact: 800/234-8946, zephyrcove.com
NEVADA
Montelago Village at Lake Las Vegas
A one-night stay at the Mediterranean-stlye MontelLago Village, 17 miles from Las Vegas. Rates start at $65 per person including ice-skating fees and skate rentals.
Details: Hotel taxes are an additional 12 percent
Time: Nov. 17, 20
09 ～ Jan. 15, 2010
Contact: 866/399-2753, monteLagovillage.com
YELLOWSTONE
Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel
A two-night stay, breakfast daily, full-day ski rental, unlimited ice-skating and skates and a book of Yellowstone photos. Rates start at $119 per person. A one-night stay at the hotel starts at $65.
Time: Jan.1, 2010 ～ May.2, 2010
Details: Hotel taxes are an additional 8 percent
Contact: 866/439-2473, travelyellowstone.com
56. If a couple and their 14-year-old son want to have a half-day tour of Canyon de Chelly on Oct.13, 2009, they should pay _______.
| A．$114 | B．$123 | C．$177 | D．$189 |
57. If you are interested in ice-skating, you may find more information in _______.
| A．tbirdlodge.com and zephyrcove. com |
| B．monteLagovillage.com and tbirdlodge.com |
| C．zephyrcove.com and travelyellowstone.com |
| D．travelyellowstone.com and monteLagovillage.com |
58. If you have a holiday in December, and intend to stay in a European-stlye hotel, you may go to _______.
| A．Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel |
| B．Zephyr Cove Resort at Lake Tahoe |
| C．Montelago Village at Lake Las Vegas |
| D．Thunderbird Lodge in Canyon de Chelly |
59. You needn’t pay extra fees as hotel taxes if you stay in _______.
| A．Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel |
| B．Zephyr Cove Resort at Lake Tahoe |
| C．Montelago Village at Lake Las Vegas |
| D．Thunderbird Lodge in Canyon de Chelly |
People want action on noise, a recent public meeting in Brisbane showed. Some want technical improvements such as quieter air conditioners or better sound barriers around major roads. Others want tougher laws to restrict noise from building sites or to require owners to take responsibility for barking dogs. But the highest priority was a noise complaints system that works.
Brisbane City Council receives more complaints about noise than all other problems put together. So it conducted a survey and found that about half its residents are upset by noise in one form or another –traffic, mowers, pool pumps, air conditioners or loud parties. This inspired the Council to bring together more than 100 citizens one evening to talk through a range of options.
The meeting found the present regulatory system bizarre. Depending on the problem, responsibility for noise can lie with the Council, the Environment Protection Authority, one of three government departments or even the police. So complainants often feel they are getting the run-round. When the people at the forum were asked to vote for changes, the strongest response was for a 24-hour noise hotline to be the first port of call for all complaints.
The forum also favored regulatory measures, such as tougher minimum standards for noise in appliances like air conditioners. This even makes economic sense, as noise is a waste of energy and money. Other measures the meeting supported were wider buffer (缓冲) zones around noisy activities and controls to keep heavy traffic away from residential areas.
But there are obvious conflicts. Many people like to have a bar within walking distance if they feel like a drink, but they don’t want a noisy pub keeping them awake when they want an early night. Most people want to live near a major road providing good access to other parts of the city, but they don't’ want the problem of road noise.
I was most interested by the proposals aimed at behavioral change. There was strong support for measures to reduce traffic: better public transport, cycleways and footpaths, even charges for road use. Many people optimistically thought industry awards for better equipment would stimulate the production of quieter appliances. It was even suggested that noise from building sites could be alleviated (减轻) if Brisbane adopted daylight saving, thus shifting the working day and providing longer, quieter evenings.
46. According to the recent public meeting in Brisbane, what was the first step to take in order to reduce noise pollution?
| A．Produce quieter air conditioners. |
| B．Provide better sound barriers around major roads. |
| C．Establish a noise complaints system. |
| D．Make stricter laws to require owners to take responsibility for barking dogs. |
47. It can be inferred from the passage that _______.
| A．the Brisbane residents were satisfied with the present noise regulatory system |
| B．many people in Brisbane preferred to live near a pub to which they have easy access |
| C．nearly all the inhabitants in Brisbane were bothered by noise in one form or another |
| D．noise pollution is the most serious among pollution complaints in Brisbane |
48. What does the word “run-round” (Para. 3) mean?
| A．Unfair treatment. | B．Quick response. |
| C．Delaying action in response to a request. | D．Full attention. |
49. How could noise from building sites be alleviated if Brisbane adopted daylight saving?
| A．If daylight saving was adopted, the daytime would be prolonged and the night would become quieter. |
| B．If daylight saving was adopted, the working hours during the daytime would be shortened while the night would be extended and thus quieter. |
| C．If daylight saving was adopted, the night would be shortened and thus quieter. |
| D．If daylight saving was adopted, both the daytime and the night would be shortened and the noise would be reduced. |
50. What was the author’s attitude towards the industry awards for quieter equipment?
| A．Suspicious. | B．Positive. | C．Enthusiastic. | D．Indifferent. |
“Sending thank-you notes is becoming a lost art,” mourns May Mitchell, a syndicated columnist known as “Ms Demeanor” and author of six etiquette(礼节) books. In her view, each generation, compared with the one before, is losing a sense of consideration for other people. “Without respect,” she says, “you have conflict.”
Ms. Demeanor would be proud of me: I have figured out a way to ensure that my children always send thank-you notes. And such a gesture is important, says Ms. Demeanor, because “a grateful attitude is a tremendous life skill, an efficient and inexpensive way to set ourselves apart in the work force and in our adult lives. Teach your children that the habit of manners comes from inside---it’s an attitude based on respecting other people.”
A few years ago, as my children descended like piranhas (一种南美淡水鱼，喜吞食或攻击) on their presents under the Christmas tree, the only attitude I could see was greed. Where was the appreciation of time and effort?
A thank-you note should contain three things: an acknowledgement of the gift (Love the tie with the picture of a hose on it); a recognition of the time and effort spent to select it (You must have shopped all over the state find such a unique item!); a prediction of how you will use your gift or the way it has enhanced your life (I’ll be sure to wear it to the next Mr. Ed convention!).
So, five years ago, in one of my rare flashes of parental insight, I decided that the most appropriate time to teach this basic courtesy is while the tinsel (装饰用光亮金属) is hot. To the horror of my children, I announced that henceforth every gift received will be an occasion for a thank-you note written immediately, on the spot.
I have reluctantly given my kids the green light to send e-mail thank-you notes; though hand-lettered ones (at least to me) still seem friendlier. But pretty much any thank-you makes the gift giver feel special—just as, we hope, the recipient feels. It’s a gesture that perfectly captures the spirit of the holidays.
41. in Ms. Demeanor’s point of view, children born in the ______ is probably the least respectful generation.
| A．1960s | B．1970s | C．1980s | D．1990s |
42. The phrase “set oneself apart” (Para. 2) means _______.
| A．to reserve to a particular use | B．to put to one side |
| C．to make noticeable or outstanding | D．to determine to purse |
43. According to the passage, a thank-you note may contain the following information EXCEPT “_______”.
| A．I love the pearl necklace you bought me for my birthday | |
| B．it must have taken you a long time to find just the right thing for me | |
| C．is it very expensive | D．I promise I will wear it on my wedding day |
44. How did the author feel when she saw her children searching under the Christmas tree for their presents?
| A．Greedy. | B．Cheerful. | C．Laughable. | D．Disheartened. |
45. Which of the following statements is NOT TRUE about the author?
| A．She feels hand-written letters are friendlier than word-processed ones. |
| B．She does not allow her children to sent email thank-you note. |
| C．She thinks the best time to teach her children the basic etiquette of appreciation is to strike while the iron is still not. |
| D．She thinks a thank-you note can make the gift giver feel special just as the |
recipient does.
My father’s reaction to the bank building at 43rd Street and Fifth Avenue in New York city was immediate and definite: “You won’t catch me putting my money in there!” he declared, “Not in that glass box!”
Of course, my father is a gentleman of the old school, a member of the generation to whom a good deal of modern architecture is upsetting, but I am convinced that his negative response was not so much to the architecture as to a violation of his concept of the nature of money. In his generation money was thought of as a real commodity (实物) that could be carried, or stolen.
Consequently, to attract the custom of a sensible man, a bank had to have heavy walls, barred windows, and bronze doors, to affirm the fact, however untrue, that money would be safe inside. If a building’s design made it appear impenetrable（难以渗透的), the institution was necessarily reliable, and the meaning of the heavy wall as an architecture symbol reflected people’s prevailing attitude toward money.
But the attitude toward money has, of course, changed. Excepting pocket money, cash of any kind is now rarely used; money as a tangible commodity has largely been replaced by credit. A deficit (赤字) economy, accompanied by huge expansion, has led us to think of money as product of the creative imagination. The banker no longer offers us a safe: he offers us a service in which the most valuable element is the creativity for the invention of large numbers. It is in no way surprising, in view of this change in attitude, that we are witnessing the disappearance of the heavy-walled bank.
Just as the older bank emphasized its strength, this bank by its architecture boasts of imaginative powers. From this point of view it is hard to say where architecture ends and human assertion (人们的说法) begins.
36. The main idea of this passage is that________.
| A．money is not as valuable as it was in the past |
| B．changes have taken place in both the appearance and the concept of banks |
| C．the architectural style of the older bank is superior to that of the modern bank |
| D．prejudice makes the older generation think that the modern bank is unreliable |
37. How do the older generation and the younger one think about money respectively?
| A．The former thinks more of money than the latter. |
| B．The younger generation values money more than the older generation. |
| C．Both generations rely on the imaginative power of bankers to make money. |
| D．To the former money is a real commodity but to the latter be a means to produce more money. |
38. The words “tangible commodity” (Line 2, Para. 4) refer to something ______.
| A．that can be replaceable | B．that is usable |
| C．that can be touched | D．that can be reproduced |
39. According to this passage, a modern banker should be _______.
| A．ambitious and friendly | B．reliable and powerful |
| C．sensible and impenetrable | D．imaginative and creative |
40. It can be inferred from the passage that the author’s attitude towards the new trend in banking is _______.
| A．cautious | B．regretful | C．positive | D．hostile |
Everyone has got two personalities—the one that is shown to the world and the other that is secret and real. You don’t show your secret personality when you’re awake because you can control your behaviour, but when you’re asleep, your sleeping position shows the real you. In a normal night, of course, people frequently change their position. The important position is the one that you go to sleep in.
If you go to sleep on your back, you’re a very open person. You normally trust people and you are easily influenced by fashion or new ideas. You don’t like to upset people, so you never express your real feelings. You’re quite shy and you aren’t very confident.
If you sleep on your stomach, you are a rather secretive （不坦率的）person. You worry a lot and you’re always easily upset. You’re very stubborn, but you aren’t very ambitious. You usually live for today not for tomorrow. This means that you enjoy having a good time.
If you sleep curled up（卷曲）, you are probably a very nervous person. You have a low opinion of yourself and so you’re often defensive. You’re shy and you don’t normally like meeting people. You prefer to be on your own. You’re easily hurt.
If you sleep on your side, you have usually got a well-balanced personality. You know your strengths and weaknesses. You’re usually careful. You have a confident personality. You sometimes feel anxious, but you don’t often get depressed. You always say what you think even if it annoys people.
31.According to the writer, you naturally show your secret and real personality ___________.
| A．only in a normal night | B．only when you go to sleep |
| C．only when you refuse to show yourself to the world | |
| D．only when you change sleeping position |
32．Which is NOT mentioned in the second paragraph about a person’s personality？
| A．He or she is always open with others. |
| B．He or she always likes new ideas earlier than others. |
| C．He or she is always easily upset. |
| D．He or she tends to believe in others. |
33．Point out which sentence is used to show the personality of a person who is used to sleeping on his or her stomach？
| A．He or she is careful not to offend others. |
| B．He or she doesn’t want to stick to his or her opinion. |
| C．He or she probably can’t be successful in business. |
| D．He or she likes to bring others happiness. |
34．Maybe you don’t want to make friends with a person who sleeps curled up. Why？
| A．He or she would rather be alone than communicate with you. |
| B．He or she is rarely ready to help you. |
| C．He or she prefers staying at home to going out. |
| D．He or she wouldn’t like to get help from you. |
35．It appears that the writer tends to think highly of the person who sleeps on one side because ___________.
| A．he or she always shows sympathy for people |
| B．he or she is confident，but not stubborn |
| C．he or she has more strengths than weaknesses |
| D．he or she often considers annoying people |