A couple from Minneapolis decided to go to Florida for a long weekend to warm themselves up during one particularly icy cold winter. They planned to stay at the very same hotel where they spent their honeymoon 20 years ago. They both had jobs, so it was decided that the husband would fly to Florida on a Thursday, and his wife would follow him the next day. Upon arriving as planned, the husband checked into the hotel. There he decided to open his laptop and send his wife an e-mail back in Minneapolis. However, he accidentally left off one letter in her address and sent the e-mail without noticing his error.
In the same time: In Houston, a woman had just returned from her husband’s funeral(葬礼). He was a minister of many years who had been “called home to glory” following a heart attack. The woman checked her e-mail, expecting message from family and friends. Upon reading the first message, she fainted(昏厥)and fell to the floor. Her son rushed into the room, found his mother on the floor and saw the computer screen which read:
To: My Loving Wife
From: Your Departed Husband
Subject: I’ve arrived!
I’ve just arrived and have been checked in. I see that everything has been prepared for your arrival tomorrow. Looking forward to seeing you then. Hope your journey is as uneventful(平静)as mine was.
P.S. Sure is hot down here.Why did the couple decide to go to Florida for weekend?
| A．To visit their family and friends |
| B．To escape from the cold winter |
| C．To escape from their busy work |
| D．To attend a friend’s funeral |
What mistake did the husband make after checking into the hotel?
| A．He checked into a wrong hotel |
| B．He forget to bring the laptop |
| C．He misspelled her wife’s address |
| D．He forgot to mail his letter |
The expression “called home to glory” probably suggests that the man had .
| A．gone back to his hometown |
| B．called his family to say hello |
| C．been awarded a prize |
| D．died and gone to heaven |
How did the woman probably feel after reading the e-mail?
| A．Pleased | B．Amazed | C．Frightened | D．Moved |
Which of the following is true according to the text?
| A．The woman’s husband died of a heart attack |
| B．The woman liked to chat with her friends by e-mail |
| C．The couple held their wedding in Florida 20 years ago. |
| D．His wife wouldn’t go to Florida for his error. |
We’ve considered several ways of paying to cut in line：hiring line standers，buying tickets from scalpers (票贩子)，or purchasing linecutting privileges directly from，say，an airline or an amusement park.Each of these deals replaces the morals of the queue (waiting your turn) with the morals of the market (paying a price for faster service)．
Markets and queues—paying and waiting—are two different ways of allocating things，and each is appropriate to different activities.The morals of the queue，“First come，first served，”have an egalitarian(平等主义的) appeal.They tell us to ignore privilege，power，and deep pockets.
The principle seems right on playgrounds and at bus stops.But the morals of the queue do not govern all occasions.If I put my house up for sale，I have no duty to accept the first offer that comes along，simply because it’s the first.Selling my house and waiting for a bus are different activities，properly governed by different standards.
Sometimes standards change，and it is unclear which principle should apply.Think of the recorded message you hear，played over and over，as you wait on hold when calling your bank：“Your call will be answered in the order in which it was received.”This is essential for the morals of the queue.It’s as if the company is trying to ease our impatience with fairness.
But don’t take the recorded message too seriously.Today，some people’s calls are answered faster than others.Call center technology enables companies to“score”incomings calls and to give faster service to those that come from rich places.You might call this telephonic queue jumping.
Of course，markets and queues are not the only ways of allocating things.Some goods we distribute by merit，others by need，still others by chance.However，the tendency of markets to replace queues，and other nonmarket ways of allocating goods is so common in modern life that we scarcely notice it anymore.It is striking that most of the paid queuejumping schemes we’ve considered—at airports and amusement parks，in call centers，doctors’offices，and national parks—are recent developments，scarcely imaginable three decades ago.The disappearance of the queues in these places may seem an unusual concern，but these are not the only places that markets have entered.According to the author，which of the following seems governed by the principle“First come，first served”？
| A．Taking buses. |
| B．Buying houses. |
| C．Flying with an airline. |
| D．Visiting amusement parks. |
The example of the recorded message in Paragraphs 4 and 5 illustrates________.
| A．the necessity of patience in queuing |
| B．the advantage of modern technology |
| C．the uncertainty of allocation principle |
| D．the fairness of telephonic services |
The passage is meant to________.
| A．justify paying for faster services |
| B．discuss the morals of allocating things |
| C．analyze the reason for standing in line |
| D．criticize the behavior of queue jumping |
A MENTORING (导师制) program is giving life changing opportunities to Banbury youth.
Young Inspirations was founded two years ago to provide mentoring sessions for students and unemployed young adults aged 11 to 21.
Alex Goldberg，the program’s founder，said：“We set up Young Inspirations because we wanted to give young people experiences which will potentially be life changing and broaden their outlook.
“We try to create work experience opportunities that will really make a difference to our youth.For example，we’ve secured internships (实习) with worldfamous firms such as Honda.
“At a time of funding cutbacks where schools are finding it more and more difficult to offer this kind of mentoring，it is extremely important that these opportunities are available both to help youth with their school work and grades and to give them opportunities which may help shape their futures.”Kieran Hepburn,14，is one of a group of Banbury youth who has benefited from the program so far.In October the Banbury School pupil was accompanied by Young Inspirations staff to Paris where he was an observer at the United Nations Educational，Scientific and Cultural Organization’s (UNESCO) International Youth Forum (论坛)．
The event was held for young people from around the world，to seek their views on how the future of youth and education should look.Kieran joined several hundred observers mostly in their 20s and was the only UK school pupil to attend the event.Kieran thinks the trip was a life changing experience.“Before we left I didn’t quite know what to make of it but when we got there we didn’t stop，it was amazing，”he said，“We went to three or four hours of debates each day and then did something cultural each afternoon.”
The main theme of the forum was how youth can drive change in political and public life.It dealt with issues (问题) such as drug abuse，violence and unemployment.
Kieran said：“ It has really helped me to improve my confidence and social skills as well as my school grades and I was voted most improved pupil at school in August.”
The Young Inspirations mentoring sessions take place each Friday in Banbury.For details visit www.younginspirations.com.The Young Inspirations mentoring program aims to ________.
| A．train staff for worldfamous firms |
| B．offer job opportunities to young adults |
| C．provide youth with unique experiences |
| D．equip the unemployed with different skills |
．According to Alex Goldberg，it is difficult for schools to offer the mentoring due to ________.
| A．the lack of support from firms |
| B．the cultural differences |
| C．the effect of unemployment |
| D．the shortage of money |
According to the passage，the forum focused on how youth can ________.
| A．build up their confidence at school |
| B．find work experience opportunities |
| C．improve their social skills for the future |
| D．play an active role in the change of society |
We can learn from the passage that ________.
| A．the visit to the United Kingdom was amazing |
| B．Kieran has made great progress in many aspects |
| C．the youth have found a way to solve their problems |
| D．the mentoring sessions are held every day except Friday |
What would be the best title for the passage?
| A．Alex Goldberg，Founder of Young Inspirations |
| B．Young People Find a World of Opportunity |
| C．Kieran，Banbury School Pupil to Paris |
| D．Debates Help Youth with Their Grades |
No one knows for sure when advertising first started.It is possible that it grew out of the discovery that some people did certain kinds of work better than others did them.That led to the concept of specialization，which means that people would specialize，or focus，on doing one specific job.
Let’s take a man we’ll call Mr.Fielder，for example.He did everything connected with farming.He planted seeds，tended the fields，and harvested and sold his crops.At the same time，he did many other jobs on the farm.However，he didn’t make the bricks for his house，cut his trees into boards，make the plows(犁), or any of the other hundreds of things a farm needs.Instead，he got them from people who specialized in doing each of those things.
Suppose there was another man we shall call Mr.Plowright.Using what he knew about farming and working with iron，Mr.Plowright invented a plow that made farming easier.Mr.Plowright did not really like farming himself and wanted to specialize in making really good plows.Perhaps，he thought，other farmers will trade what they grow for one of my plows.
How did Mr.Plowright let people know what he was doing？Why，he advertised，of course.First he opened a shop and then he put up a sign outside the shop to attract customers.That sign may have been no more than a plow carved into a piece of wood and a simple arrow pointing to the shop door.It was probably all the information people needed to find Mr.Plowright and his really good plows.
Many historians believe that the first outdoor signs were used about five thousand years ago.Even before most people could read，they understood such signs.Shopkeepers would carve into stone，clay，or wood symbols for the products they had for sale.
A medium，in advertising talk，is the way you communicate your message.You might say that the first medium used in advertising was signs with symbols.The second medium was audio，or sound，although that term is not used exactly in the way we use it today.Originally，just the human voice and maybe some kind of simple instrument，such as a bell，were used to get people’s attention.
A crier，in the historical sense，is not someone who weeps easily.It is someone，probably a man，with a voice loud enough to be heard over the other noises of a city.In ancient Egypt，shopkeepers might hire such a person to spread the news about their products.Often this earliest form of advertising involved a newly arrived ship loaded with goods.Perhaps the crier described the goods，explained where they came from，and praised their quality.His job was，in other words，not too different from a TV or radio commercial in today’s world.What probably led to the start of advertising?
| A．The discovery of iron. |
| B．The specialization of labor. |
| C．The appearance of new jobs. |
| D．The development of farming techniques. |
To advertise his plows，Mr.Plowright________.
| A．praised his plows in public |
| B．placed a sign outside the shop |
| C．hung an arrow pointing to the shop |
| D．showed his products to the customers |
The writer makes up the two stories of Mr.Fielder and Mr.Plowright in order to________.
| A．explain the origin of advertising |
| B．predict the future of advertising |
| C．expose problems in advertising |
| D．provide suggestions for advertising |
In ancient Egypt，a crier was probably someone who ________.
| A．owned a ship |
| B．had the loudest voice |
| C．ran a shop selling goods to farmers |
| D．functioned like today’s TV or radio commercial |
The last two paragraphs are mainly about ________.
| A．the history of advertising |
| B．the benefits of advertising |
| C．the early forms of advertising |
| D．the basic design of advertising |
You can’t always predict a heavy rain or remember your umbrella.But designer Mikhail Belyaev doesn’t think that forgetting to check the weather forecast before heading out should result in you getting wet.That’s why he created Lampbrella，a lamp post with its own rainsensing umbrella.
The designer says he come up with the idea after watching people get wet on streets in Russia.“Once，I was driving on a central Saint Petersburg street and saw the street lamps lighting up people trying to hide from the rain.I thought it would be appropriate to have a canopy(伞篷)built into a street lamp，”he said.
The Lampbrella is a standardlooking street lamp fitted with an umbrella canopy.It has a builtin electric motor which can open or close the umbrella on demand.Sensors(传感器)then ensure that the umbrella offers pedestrians shelter whenever it starts raining.
In addition to the rain sensor，there’s also a 360°motion sensor on the fiberglass street lamp which detects whether anyone is using the Lampbrella.After three minutes of not being used the canopy is closed.
According to the designer，the Lampbrella would move at a relatively low speed，so as not to cause harm to the pedestrians.Besides，it would be grounded to protect from possible lightning strike.Each Lampbrella would offer enough shelter for several people.Being installed(安装) at 2 meters off the ground，it would only be a danger for the tallest of pedestrians.
While there are no plans to take the Lampbrella into production，Belyaev says he recently introduced his creation to one Moscow Department，and insists his creation could be installed on any street where a lot of people walk but there are no canopies to provide shelter.For what purpose did Belyaev create the Lampbrella?
| A．To predict a heavy rain. |
| B．To check the weather forecast. |
| C．To protect people from the rain. |
| D．To remind people to take an umbrella. |
What do we know from Belyaev’s words in Paragraph 2?
| A．His creation was inspired by an experience. |
| B．It rains a lot in the city of Saint Petersburg. |
| C．Street lamps are protected by canopies. |
| D．He enjoyed taking walks in the rain. |
Which of the following shows how the Lampbrella works?
| A．motor→canopy→sensors |
| B．sensors→motor→canopy |
| C．motor→sensors→canopy |
| D．canopy→motor→sensors |
What does Paragraph 5 mainly tell us about the Lampbrella?
| A．Its moving speed. |
| B．Its appearance. |
| C．Its installation. |
| D．Its safety. |
What can be inferred from the last paragraph?
| A．The designer will open a company to promote his product. |
| B．The Lampbrella could be put into immediate production. |
| C．The designer is confident that his creation is practical. |
| D．The Lampbrella would be put on show in Moscow. |
It is widely known that any English conversation begins with The Weather.Such a fixation with the weather finds expression in Dr.Johnson’s famous comment that“When two English meet，their first talk is of weather.”Though Johnson’s observation is as accurate now as it was over two hundred years ago，most commentators fail to come up with a convincing explanation for this English weatherspeak.
Bill Bryson，for example，concludes that，as the English weather is not at all exciting，the obsession with it can hardly be understood.He argues that“To an outsider，the most striking thing about the English weather is that there is not very much of it.” Simply，the reason is that the unusual and unpredictable weather is almost unknown in the British Isles.
Jeremy Paxman，however，disagrees with Bryson，arguing that the English weather is by nature attractive.Bryson is wrong，he says，because the English preference for the weather has nothing to do with the natural phenomena.“The interest is less in the phenomena themselves，but in uncertainty.”According to him，the weather in England is very changeable and uncertain and it attracts the English as well as the outsider.
Bryson and Paxman stand for common misconceptions about the weatherspeak among the English.Both commentators，somehow，are missing the point.The English weather conversation is not really about the weather at all.English weatherspeak is a system of signs，which is developed to help the speakers overcome the natural reserve and actually talk to each other.Everyone knows conversations starting with weatherspeak are not requests for weather data.Rather，they are routine greetings，conversation starters or the blank “fillers”．In other words，English weatherspeak is a means of social bonding.The author mentions Dr.Johnson’s comment to show that________.
| A．most commentators agree with Dr.Johnson |
| B．Dr.Johnson is famous for his weather observation |
| C．the comment was accurate two hundred years ago |
| D．English conversations usually start with the weather |
What does the underlined word “obsession” most probably refer to?
| A．A social trend. |
| B．An emotional state. |
| C．A historical concept. |
| D．An unknown phenomenon. |
According to the passage，Jeremy Paxman believes that________.
| A．Bill Bryson has little knowledge of the weather |
| B．there is nothing special about the English weather |
| C．the English weather attracts people to the British Isles |
| D．English people talk about the weather for its uncertainty |
What is the author’s main purpose of writing the passage?
| A．To explain what English weatherspeak is about. |
| B．To analyse misconceptions about the English weather. |
| C．To find fault with both Bill Bryson and Jeremy Paxman. |
| D．To convince people that the English weather is changeable. |