Whitney Houston, who died on February 11, 2012 in Beverly Hills, California, is being remembered across the globe as a trailblazer（开拓者）. Among all of Houston’s outstanding achievements, including a total of more than 400 career a wards , her most significant achievement was her record-setting string of seven Number One singles on the Billboard Hot 100 chart . It broke the previous record of six set by The Bee Gees and The Beatles. The string began on October 26 , 1985 with her Grammy-winning hit “Saving All My Love For You,” and ended on April 23, 1988 with her R＆B ballad “Where Do Broken Hearts Go.” It was the fourth single from her album“Whitney”to go to Number One, also a record for a female artist. She sold more than 170 million albums worldwide and co-produced and recorded songs for one of the best-selling soundtracks（声带）of all time, The Bodyguard.
Whitney Houston was born the daughter of famed gospel（福音）singer Cissy Houston in Newak , New Jersey. Dionne Warwick was her cousin and Aretha Franklin her godmother. She began as a gospel singer and pianist in her mother’s church and sometimes performed alongside her in nightclubs. At age 15 , Whitney sang backup on Chaka Khan’s “I’m Every Woman,” a tune she later performed on The Bodyguard soundtrack.
Whitney signed with Arista in 1983 and released her self-titied debut album two years later. The New York Times called her first effort, “an impressive, musically conservative showcase（展示）for an exceptional vocal talent（声乐天才）.” She continued to achieve similar praise for subsequent albums, while her fast-growing fan base put her into the world-class entertainer. In 1998, she released her most musically-diverse album to date, “My Love Is Your Love.” The title track became her third best-selling single ever.
The past 10 years were filled with highs and lows. While Whitney’s contract at Arista Records was renewed for ＄100 million, album sales began to slide. Her 14-year marriage to singer Bobby Brown ended in 2007 , she canceled concerts and interviews , and accusation arose of drug abuse. Her final album “I Look To you,” sold more than two million copies and reached the Number One spot in 2009.What’s Whitney Houston’s most outstanding achievements?
| A．Selling more than 170 million albums worldwide. |
| B．Her 400 career awards. |
| C．Her vocal talent. |
| D．Her record-setting string of seven Number One singles. |
According to the text, Houston .
| A．was born in a gospel singer family |
| B．released her famous album at the age of 15 |
| C．sold the most of the albums worldwide |
| D．Whitney first signed with Arista in 1985 |
What was Houston accused of ?
| A．Her divorce with Bobby Brown. | B．Her conflict with her former husband. |
| C．The canceled concerts and interviews. | D．Drug abuse. |
When did Whitney release her first self-titled album?
| A．In 1983. | B．In 1985. | C．In 1989. | D．In 1987. |
What is the main idea of the first paragraph?
| A．Whitney’s success. | B．Whitney’s achievements. |
| C．Whitney’s best singles. | D．Whitney’s music talents. |
Shopping is not as simple as you may think! There are all sorts of tricks at play each time we reach out for that particular brand(品牌) of product on the shelf.
Colouring, for example, varies according to what the producers are trying to sell. Health foods are packaged(包装) in greens, yellows or browns because we think of these as healthy colours. Ice cream packets are often blue and expensive goods, like chocolates, are gold or silver.
When some kind of pain killer was brought out recently, researchers found that the colours turned the customers off because they made the product look weak and ineffective. Eventually, it came on the market in a dark blue and white package—blue because we think of it as safe, and white as calm.
The size of a product can attract a shopper. But quite often a bottle doesn’t contain as much as it appears to.
It is believed that the better-known companies spend, on average, 70 percent of the total cost of the product itself on packaging!
The most successful producers know that it’s not enough to have a good product. The founder of Pears soap, who for 25 years has used pretty little girls to promote (推销) their goods, came to the conclusion: “Any fool can make soap, but it takes a genius(天才) to sell it.”Which of the following may trick a shopper into buying a product according to the text?
| A．The cost of its package. | B．The price of the product. |
| C．The colour of its package. | D．The brand name of the product. |
The underlined part “the colours turned the customers off” (in Para.3) means that the colours _________.
| A．attracted the customers strongly |
| B．caused the customers to lose interest |
| C．tricked the customers into shopping |
| D．had weak effects on the customers |
Which of the following is the key to the success in product sales?
| A．The way to promote goods. |
| B．The discovery of a genius. |
| C．The team to produce a good product. |
| D．The brand name used by successful producers. |
According to the passage, we know that _________.
| A．making soap is so easy that any fool in the world can make it. |
| B．greens, yellows or silver are considered to be healthy colours. |
| C．25 years ago, the founder of Pears soap was a pretty girl herself. |
| D．the size of a product can have an effect on the shoppers. |
Which of the following would be the best title for this text?
| A．Choice of Good Products |
| B．Disadvantages of Products |
| C．Effect of Packaging on Shopping |
| D．Brand Names and Shopping Tricks |
Perhaps you have heard a lot about the Internet, but what is it, do you know? The Internet is a network. It uses the telephone to join millions of computers together around the world.
Maybe that doesn’t sound very interesting. But when you’ve joined to the Internet, there are lots and lots of things you can do. You can do with all kinds of information on the World Wide Web (WWW). You can use QQ to chat with your friends, and they will make responses in a few seconds. You can send E-mails to your friends, and they can get them in a few seconds. You can also go shopping by the Internet without going out.
There are many different kinds of computers now. They all can be joined to the Internet. Most of them are small machines sitting on people’s desks at home, but there are still many others in schools, offices or large companies. These computers are owned by people and companies, but no one really owns the Internet itself.
There are lots of places for you to go into the Internet. For example, your school may have the Internet. You can use it during lessons or free time. Libraries often have computers joined to the Internet. You are welcome to use it at your spare time.
Thanks to the Internet, the world is becoming smaller and smaller. It is possible for you to work at home with a computer in front, getting and sending the information you need. It is also possible for you to discuss some projects or assign the work on the Internet instead of at a meeting. In addition, you can buy or sell whatever you want by the Internet. But do you know 98% of the information on the Internet is in English? So what will English be like tomorrow?What is the passage mainly about?
| A．Internet. | B．Information. | C．Computers. | D．E-mails. |
What’s the main idea of the second paragraph?
| A．Doing with information on the Internet. |
| B．Using the Internet to communicate with friends. |
| C．Going shopping by the Internet. |
| D．Things we can do by the Internet. |
Who is the owner of the Internet?
| A．The headmaster. | B．The officer. | C．The manager. | D．No one. |
Which may be the most possible place for people to work in the future?
| A．In the office. | B．At school. |
| C．At home. | D．In the company. |
What does the writer try to tell us with the last two sentences?
| A．English is important in using the Internet. |
| B．The Internet is more and more popular. |
| C．Most of the information is in English. |
| D．Every computer must have the Internet. |
Mr. Harris used to work in Dover, but then he changed his work, and he and his wife moved to another town. They did not have many friends there at first, but they soon met a lot of interesting people, and after a few weeks, they often went to dinner or to parties at other people’s houses.
Then Mrs. Harris said to her husband, “We’ve been to a lot of other people’s houses, and now we must invite them to our house, mustn’t we?”
“Yes, certainly,” answered her husband, “A big party will be the easiest thing, won’t it? Then we can start to invite people to dinner in small numbers next month.”
So Mrs. Harris said, “Yes, I’ll invite all our friends here to a big party on 5th December.”
“How many people will you invite?” Mr. Harris asked, “Don’t invite too many.”
Mrs. Harris was beginning to write the invitations when her husband saw that she was writing, “Party: 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.”
“That isn’t very nice, is it?” he said. “You’re telling our guests that they must go at 8:30. Maybe it is impolite.” So Mrs. Harris just wrote “Party: 6:30 p.m.”
A lot of guests came, and they all had a good time, so they did not go home at 8:30. In fact they were still there at mid-night when the door bell rang and a policeman arrived. He said, “You must stop making a noise, because someone has complained(抱怨).”
Mr. Harris said he did not want to quarrel with the policeman, so everyone went home. They were sorry to have to go.
When Mr. and Mrs. Harris were alone again, she said to him. “That was a surprise, wasn’t it? Who complained about the noise?”
“I did,” Mr. Harris answered in a tired voice.What made Mr. and Mrs. Harris hold a party at their house?
| A．It was easy to hold a big party at home. |
| B．They could ask people to dinner in small numbers. |
| C．They had gone to other people’s parties many times. |
| D．They liked making friends with others. |
How long would Mrs. Harris like the party to last?
| A．From the morning till night. | B．About fourteen hours. |
| C．About two hours. | D．Till midnight |
When did the party end that evening?
| A．About twelve o’clock. |
| B．When the policeman talked with Mr. Harris on the phone. |
| C．At about 8:30. |
| D．When someone telephoned the police station. |
Who telephoned the policeman?
| A．One of the guests. | B．One of the neighbors. |
| C．Mr. Harris. | D．Mrs. Harris. |
It can be inferred from the passage that ______.
| A．Mr. Harris was unfriendly to the guests |
| B．Mrs. Harris was very angry with his husband |
| C．the guests were very tired at the party |
| D．Mr. Harris didn’t want his friends to stay late at the party |
Mr. Lang worked in a factory. As a driver, he was busy. Sometimes, he brought some materials to the factory, and most of the time, he had to carry the goods to the customers of the factory. It was not an easy job, but he was paid much. His wife was an able woman and did all the housework to give him a comfortable home for a rest after work. When he came back, she took good care of him and he never did anything at home. So he had enough time when he had a holiday. A few friends of his liked gambling(赌博) and he learned it soon. So he was interested in it and hardly forgot anything except gambling. He lost all his money and later he began to sell the television, watches and so on. His wife had told him not to do it for many times, but he didn’t listen to her. She had to tell the police. He and his friends were punished for it. And he was hardly sent away. After he came out of lockup(拘留所), he hated her very much and the woman had to leave him.
It was New Year’s Day. Mr. Lang didn’t go to work. After the meal, he felt very lonely and wanted to gamble again. He called his friends and they came soon. But they were afraid the police would come. He told his five-year-old son to go to find out if there were the policemen outside. They waited for a long time and didn’t think the police would come and began to gamble. Suddenly opened the door and in came a few policemen.
“I saw there weren’t any policemen outside, daddy,” said the boy, “so I went to the crossing and asked some to come.”Mrs. Lang did all housework because _______.
| A．she couldn’t find any work |
| B．she thought her husband was tired |
| C．her husband spent all time in gambling |
| D．she wouldn’t stop her husband gambling |
_______, so he was put into lockup.
| A．Mr. Lang often gambled |
| B．Mr. Lang was late for work |
| C．Mr. Lang didn’t help his wife at home |
| D．Mr. Lang wasn’t polite to the police |
The woman had to leave Mr. Lang because _______.
| A．he didn’t love her any longer |
| B．he wouldn’t stop gambling |
| C．he had been put into lockup |
| D．he was hardly sent away by the factory |
It can be inferred from the passage that ______.
| A．the boy hoped his father to be put into lockup again |
| B．the boy thought his father needed some policemen |
| C．the boy hoped his father to stop gambling soon |
| D．the boy hoped his mother to come back |
What would be the best title for the passage?
| A．An able woman | B．A busy driver |
| C．The disadvantage of gambling | D．Son’s help |
“Experience may possibly be the best teacher, but it is not a particularly good teacher.” You might think that Winston Churchill or perhaps Mark Twain spoke those words, but they actually come from James March, a professor at Stanford University and a pioneer in the field of organizational decision making. For years March (possibly be wisest philosopher of management) has studied how humans think and act, and he continues to do so in his new book The Ambiguities of Experience.
He begins by reminding us of just how firmly we have been sticking to the idea of experiential learning: “Experience is respected；experience is sought；experience is explained.” The problem is that learning from experience involves serious complications (复杂化), ones that are part of the nature of experience itself and which March discusses in the body of this book.
In one interesting part of the book, for example, he turns a doubtful eye toward the use of stories as the most effective way of experiential learning. In our efforts to make stories interesting, he argues, we lose part of the complicated truth of things. He says “The more accurately reality is presented, the less understandable the story, and the more understandable the story, the less realistic it is.”
Besides being a broadly knowledgeable researcher, March is also a poet, and his gift shines through in the depth of views he offers and the simple language he uses. Though the book is short, it is demanding: Don’t pick it up looking for quick, easy lessons. Rather, be ready to think deeply about learning from experience in work and life. According to the text, James March is ________.
| A．a poet who uses experience in his writing |
| B．a teacher who teachers story writing in university |
| C．a researcher who studies the way humans think and act |
| D．a professor who helps organizations make important decisions |
According to James March, experience ________.
| A．is overvalued | B．is easy to explain |
| C．should be actively sought | D．should be highly respected |
What can we learn from Paragraph 3?
| A．Experience makes stories more accurate. |
| B．Stories made interesting fail to fully present the truth. |
| C．The use of stories is the best way of experiential learning. |
| D．Stories are easier to understand when reality is more accurately described. |
What’s the purpose of this text?
| A．To introduce a book. | B．To describe a researcher. |
| C．To explain experiential learning. | D．To discuss organizational decision making. |