Five years ago, David Smith wore an expensive suit to work every day. “I was a clothes addict,” jokes. “I used to carry a fresh suit to work with me so I could change if my clothes got wrinkled.” Today David wears casual clothes---khaki pants and sports shirt---to the office. He hardly ever wears necktie. “I’m working harder than ever,” David says, “and I need to feel comfortable.”
More and more companies are allowing their office workers to wear casual clothes to work in the United States. The change from formal to casual office wear has been gradual. In the early 1990s, many companies allowed their employees to wear casual clothes on Friday (but only on Friday). This became known as “dress-down Friday” or “casual Friday.” “What started out as an extra one-day-a-week benefit for employees has really become an everyday thing,” said business consultant Maisly Jones.
Why have so many companies started allowing their employees to wear casual clothes? One reason is that it’s easier for a company to attract new employees if it has a casual dress code. “A lot of young people don’t want to dress up for work,” says the owner of a software company, “so it’s hard to hire people if you have a conservative dress code.” Another reason is that people seem happier and more productive when they are wearing comfortable clothes. In a study conducted by Levi Strauss and Company, 85 percent of employers said that they believe that casual dress improves employee morale. Only 4 percent of employers said that casual dress has a negative impact on productive. Supporters of casual office wear also argue that a casual dress code helps them save money. “Suits are expensive, if you have to wear one every day,” one person said. “For the same amount of money, you can buy a lot more casual clothes.”David Smith refers to himself as having been “a clothes addict” because_______.
| A．he often wore khaki pants and a sports shirt |
| B．he couldn’t stand a clean appearance |
| C．he wanted his clothes to look neat all the time |
| D．he didn’t want to spend much money on clothes |
David Smith wears casual clothes now, because________
| A．they make him feel at ease when working |
| B．he cannot afford to buy expensive clothes |
| C．he looks handsome in casual clothes |
| D．he no longer works for any company |
According to this passage, which of the following statements is FALSE?
| A．Many employees don’t like a conservative dress code. |
| B．Comfortable clothes make employees more productive |
| C．A casual clothes code is welcomed by young employees |
| D．All the employers in the U.S are for casual office wear. |
In this passage, the following advantages of casual office wear are mentioned EXCEPT_______.
| A．saving employees’ money |
| B．making employees more attractive |
| C．improving employees’ motivation |
| D．making employees happier |
There was a time when the owners of shops and businesses in Chicago had to pay large sums of money to gangsters(匪徒)in return for “protection”. If the money was not paid immediately, the gangsters would quickly put a man out of business by destroying his shop. Getting “protection money” is not a modern means. As long ago as the fourteenth century, an Englishman, Sir John Hawkwood, made the remarkable discovery that people would rather pay large sums of money than have their life work destroyed by gangsters.
Then Sir John Hawkwood arrived in Italy with a group of soldiers and settled near Florence. He soon made a name for himself and came to be known to the Italians as Giovanni Acuto. Whenever the Italian city-states were at war with each other, Hawkwood used to hire his soldiers to those who were willing to pay the high price he demanded. In times of peace, when business was bad, Hawkwood and his men would march into a city-state and, after burning down a few farms, would offer to go away if protection money was paid to them. Hawkwood made large sums of money with this method. In spite of this, the Italians regarded him as a sort of hero .When he died at eighty, the Florentines gave him a state funeral and had his picture painted, which was in memory of “this bravest man”.What protection did Chicago gangsters give to those who paid them?
| A．They saved those people’s businesses from destruction. |
| B．They left those people’s business unharmed much. |
| C．They sent soldiers to serve them no matter what help they needed willingly. |
| D．They didn’t take those people’s lives |
Sir John Hawkwook's Italian name “Giovanni Acuto” was one which.
| A．he gave himself in order to become better known to the Italians |
| B．he earned through his sharp practice of selling his ‘protection’ |
| C．he needed so as to hire his soldiers to Italians |
| D．was given him in telling his services to the others’ |
The Italians regarded Hawkwood as a sort of hero.
| A．because they couldn’t help admiring his bravery and boldness(胆大) |
| B．as he aided the citizens in peacetime when business was bad for them |
| C．he had played an important role in their daily life |
| D．for he lived so long and was given a state funeral by the Florentines |
From the passage, we can guess the gangsters were those.
| A．who were of great importance to the poor |
| B．who made the businessmen do whatever they were in need of |
| C．who were always ready to be sent abroad |
| D．who did harm to others |
According to the writer, Hawkwood was.
| A．a sort of national hero | B．an experienced leader | C．a brave soldier | D．a noble gangster |
A group of senior high school students are playing outside on a basketball court. They are shouting with excitement. And they all have the same dream. They wish to play in the NBA, just like Huston Rocket’s Yao Ming. “Someday, there will be more Chinese players like Yao in the NBA,” said 15-year-old Xie Tao, a senior 1 boy at Shanghai No. 2 Middle School. Xie always watches Yao playing on TV. “He is a great player. He makes me proud to be Chinese,” he said.
Like Xie, 17-year-old Liu Yan at Beijing No. 22 Middle School is also a big NBA fan. “Since early May, I’ve not missed one game in the NBA,” said the senior 3 student.
Basketball is becoming popular in middle schools across the country. And more young players are starting to like the sport. More students are playing the game.
Jiang Hui, a basketball teacher at Beijing No. 2 Middle School, said that 85 percent of the students at this school like the sport. “Students are full of passion for the game,” Jiang’s team won the regional first prize in the 2004 National High School Boy’s Basketball League in march. The league is the first national basketball competition for high school students.
Playing basketball is a good way to exercise. But students also enjoy it for other reasons. For Li Yan, a Senior 2 at Shanghai No. 12 Middle School, basketball teaches him lessons in life. “When I am in a game, I feel more confident about my studies, “ he said. “ It also teaches me to have a good team spirit and to enjoy friendship.”The same dream of the group of senior high school students is to ______.
| A．to play in the NBA | B．be as tall as Yao Ming |
| C．watch Yao Ming playing on TV | D．visit Huston Rocket’s center |
How many students are mentioned in the passage?
| A．2. | B．3 | C．4 | D．5 |
Which school team won the regional first prize in the first national basketball competition for high school students?
| A．Shanghai No. 2 Middle School. | B．Beijing No. 22 Middle School. |
| C．Beijing No. 2 Middle School. | D．Shanghai No. 12 Middle School. |
Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?
| A．Basketball is becoming popular in middle schools in Chine. |
| B．The 2004 National High School Boy’s Basketball League was held in May. |
| C．Playing basketball is a good way to exercise. |
| D．Students enjoys playing basketball for a lot of reasons. |
Who learns to have a good team spirit from playing basketball?
| A．Xie Tao | B．Yao Ming | C．Jiang Hui | D．Li Yan |
Does eating a good breakfast improve school study? A study of more than 1,000 pupils in the city of Lawrence suggests it does.
Youngsters who took part in the breakfast program improved their scores in the tests much more than those who didn’t. Among those who attended the program, fewer were found late for school than those who didn’t. And much fewer were found absent from their classes.
“Starting the day with a meal appears to be quite helpful,” says Amy Sampson, a research professor, who carried out the experiment on the students for a year.
Students who miss breakfast may be losing out on important nourishment in fruit, milk, bread and so on. If you are in a hurry in the morning, get you some pieces of bread with some fruit or yogurt. In that case, you won’t have to go to the selling machines for some chips or candy bars.How many students in primary school are interviewed in Lawrence.
| A．1000 | B．over 1000 | C．less than 1000 | D．almost 1000 |
According to the passage, pupils who took part in the breakfast program ______.
| A．are clever than those who didn’t |
| B．are healthier than those who didn’t |
| C．were often late for school |
| D．made greater progress in the study than those who didn’t |
The breakfast program was carried out by _____.
| A．the Lawrence City government | B．teachers in a middle school |
| C．a professor | D．1,000 pupils |
According to the passage, which of the following is NOT true?
| A．Over 1,000 pupils took part in the experiment. |
| B．The experiment lasted a year. |
| C．A good breakfast can improve school study. |
| D．A good breakfast means eating a lot . |
Which of the following can be the best title of the passage?
| A．Breakfast or not? | B．1,000 clever pupils. |
| C．How to keep fit? | D．How to become clever? |
Why Doesn’t Anybody Copy Apple?
Apple’s products are the envy of the world. They have been spectacularly successful and are widely imitated, if not copied. The minute Apple crystallizes a product, everyone knows how to compete．This idea that the basis of competition is set by Apple and then the race is on to climb the path of improvement is unquestionable．When Apple releases a product that defines a category or dramatically changes the structure of an industry, it becomes obvious what needs to be built. But what I wonder is why everyone wants to copy Apple’s products but nobody wants to copy being Apple?
I can think of two reasons. Firstly, Apple is not worth copying because it's not successful; secondly, Apple’s success cannot be copied because it is a magical process．
There is a great deal of evidence for the first hypothesis. The idea of Apple being successful is not something reflected in its stock price．Being valued lower than the average company in the S&P（标准普尔）500 indicates that to whatever degree Apple was successful in the past, it's not seen by the vast majority of observers as successful in the future．Why should one bother copying Apple if it results in being punished with a low valuation? If one works really hard at innovation and then that innovation becomes commoditized（商品化）very quickly, why should one bother?
When innovation practitioners are asked what makes Apple successful, the answers regarding the cause of this success border on the mythical. The climax of this hypothesis is the “chief-sorcerer” theory of success which places one magician, like Steve Jobs, in charge of casting all the right spells（符咒）．
What about Apple’s own opinion of what makes it tick? Tim Cook refers to a great team and integration of hardware, software and services as unique Apple advantages. It’s a better explanation．Integration is something that can take a long time, but it is possible with great effort．A few companies are starting to make moves in that direction, but efforts are half-hearted．There is no “move the Earth” panic to become an integrated company from Samsung, Google or Microsoft．
My own suspicion is that Apple is more aware of what makes it special than it lets out． However, as Tim points out, it’s not a formula．It’s complex, it’s subtle, but it’s not magic．It’s a process that requires a degree of faith and courage．When a new product of Apple comes out, often it ______．
| A．ruins an industry dramatically |
| B．starts a revolution of an industry |
| C．puts itself in an unbeatable position |
| D．is soon overtaken by imitated products |
According to the passage, other companies don’t “copy being Apple” because ______.
| A． Apple is not a successful company |
| B． they have no access to relevant resources |
| C． It’s hard to find a magician like Steve Jobs |
| D．being Apple takes more than time and efforts |
We can infer from Para. 5 that ______．
| A．other companies are dedicated to integration |
| B．Apple itself is fully aware of its unique advantages |
| C．Apple will hold the leading position in this industry |
| D．other companies don't have a great team as Apple does |
What does the author think of Tim Cook's statement?
| A．Acceptable． | B．Disappointing． | C．Unquestionable． | D．Convincing． |
Regardless of their family background, the children’s reactions to new environments have struck the public.
In one episode of Dad! , the five-year-old daughter of former Olympic diving champion Tian Liang cries and hides behind her father when they arrive at a rural village. In an episode of the other series, a young girl in Tianjin breaks down into a tearful fit after being asked by her father to go out alone to buy eggs and a pancake.
In the eyes of some observers, these kids show no sense of independence, and the reason is put down to parents who are overly sheltering. But television viewers and parents were heartened when the sobbing Tianjin girl finally wiped away her tears as she returned holding the pancake. In the case of Tian’s daughter, she eventually began to take care of her younger companions and learned to seek help from people she didn’t know.
The father of the Tianjin girl felt “delightfully shocked” and said. “She used to have to be accompanied by her mother or grandmother. Now she has the courage to do it all by herself. ”
The shows have led many parents to change how they raise their children. Shanghai mother Liang Jing said she would try to “give some training” to her shy son, asking him to tidy up his toys. Lin Yi, a parenting expert in Beijing, said giving kids a chance to do things for themselves helps to raise their sense of achievement, which carries benefits throughout their lives. ”What attracts the audience’s eyes in the programs?
| A．What the kids’ family background is like. |
| B．Where children’s real comfort zone is. |
| C．How children react to new environments. |
| D．Why those children are independent. |
What is Tian Liang’s daughter expected to do in the show?
| A．Go out to buy something alone. |
| B．Hide in a safe place to avoid a danger. |
| C．Make friends with strange adults. |
| D．Live in a rural village with her father. |
It can be inferred from the underline words “delightfully shocked” that .
| A．father is more important than mother in a family |
| B．children deserve a chance to be independent |
| C．parents should provide a safe environment |
| D．the children are as fragile as parents expected |
The shows are bound to raise a wave of discussion about .
| A．protecting good traditions | B．the social safety |
| C．approaches to parenting | D．the influence of TV programmes |