After graduation I returned home to my small town in Indiana. I didn’t have a job yet. Mr. Hobbs, a friend of my father’s, owned a small shirt factory in town. Within the past five years it had grown from twenty to eighty workers. Mr. Hobbs was worried that his plant was getting too big and inefficient, so he asked me to come in on a short-term basis as a consultant.
I went to the plant and spent about a week looking around and making notes. I was really a mazed at what I saw.
Most curious of all, there was no quality control at all. No one inspected the final product of the factory. As a result some of the shirts that were put in boxes for shipment were missing one or two buttons, the collar, and even a sleeve sometimes!
The working conditions were poor. The tables where the workers sat were very high and uncomfortable. Except for a half hour at lunchtime, there were no breaks in the day to relieve the boring work. There was no music. The walls of the workrooms were a dull gray color. I was amazed that the workers hadn’t gone on strike.
Furthermore, the work flow was irregular. There was one especially absent-minded young man in the assembly（组装）line who sewed on buttons. After a while I recognized him as "Big Jim", who used to sit behind me in math class in high school. He was very slow and all the shifts were held up at his position. Workers beyond him in line on his shift had to wait with nothing to do; therefore, a great deal of time and efficiency were lost as Big Jim daydreamed while he worked. All week I wondered why he wasn’t fired.
After I made observations for a week, Mr. Hobbs asked me for an oral report of my findings.The shirts from Mr. Hobbs’ factory can be described as ____.
| A．of low quality | B．of high quality | C．fashionable | D．unfashionable |
Why did Mr. Hobbs ask the writer to the factory?
| A．The factory was too big. |
| B．The factory was not producing fast enough. |
| C．The factory was not big enough. |
| D．The writer was a college graduate. |
Which is not likely to happen in the factory?
| A．The workers will have more rest in the day. |
| B．Someone will examine the final product. |
| C．New machines will be bought. |
| D．The factory will be repainted. |
Big Jim may get fired mainly because ____.
| A．he was slow |
| B．he wasted much time |
| C．he was absent-minded |
| D．the work flow was irregular |
At some point I noticed that people were staring at me. The box boys at the supermarket spoke to me with respect. People were mistaking me for somebody else. It had to be somebody who weighed close to 300 pounds and wore a full beard. I enjoyed the way people would suddenly turn to look at me as if I wore wings. Nobody mentioned my name， but naturally they assumed I knew who I was. I could hardly ask， “By the way， who am I？”
As a result of being in the public eye， I began to change myself. I kept my shoes shined. Also， I changed shirts every day. The more I changed， the more second looks I received. From enjoying the attention， I began to long for it. I’d always felt I was somebody special. Now others were finally realizing it.
But who did people think I was？ I must have been a movie star， or at least a television personality. Then one evening I was sitting at a bus stop in Westwood Village when two young men in an old car looked up at me with that expression I had come to recognize as a respect to my talent and success. One of them said， “Hello， Dom！” So that was who I was！ Once I imagined that well-known comedian， I realized I couldn’t have been anybody else. I gave my young fans a big celebrity grin and said， “Hello， boys！” I waved one hand with a welcome-to-Hollywood gesture they would be talking about for years.
I also realized that it was time to go on a diet. I ate more salads and vegetables. I laid off the carbohydrates. I walked a couple of miles every day. When I had lost about 40 pounds， I shaved off my beard. I didn’t realize that my barber had actually been trying to make me look like the fat Dom DeLuise. I waited for my clients to ask， “What did you do to yourself？” But nobody even noticed a change. I melted back into the general population.Why was the author mistaken by people for somebody else？ (No more than 11 words) (2 marks)
What did the author do to change himself as a result of being in the public eye？ (No more than 12words) (2 marks)
Why did the young man greet the author？(No more than 10 words) (3 marks)
What did the author expect his clients to do ？(No more than 11 words)(3 marks)
Educating girls quite possibly harvests a higher rate of benefit than any other investment available in the developing world. Women’s education may be an unusual field for economists， but increasing women’s contribution to development is actually as much an economic as a social issue. And economics， with its focus on rewards， provides an explanation for why so many girls are deprived of(剥夺)an education.
Parents in low-income countries fail to invest in their daughters because they do not expect them to make an economic contribution to the family： girls grow up only to marry into somebody else’s family and bear children. Girls are thus seen as less valuable than boys and are kept at home to do housework while their brothers are sent to school — the predict becomes self-ffulfilling， trapping women in a vicious circle (恶性循环) of neglect.
An educated mother， on the other hand， has greater earning abilities outside the home and faces an entirely different set of choices. She is likely to have fewer but healthier children and can insist on the development of all her children， ensuring that her daughters and sons are given fair chances. The education of her daughters then makes it much more likely that the next generation of girls， as well as of boys， will be educated and healthy. The vicious circle is thus transformed into a virtuous circle(良性循环).
Few will argue that educating women has great social benefits. But it has enormous economic advantages as well. Most obviously， there is the direct effect of education on the wages of female workers. Wages rise by 10 to 20 per cent for each additional year of schooling. Such big returns are impressive by the standard of other available investments， but they are just the beginning. Educating women also has a significant impact on health practices， including family planning.
Topic： The significance of in developing countries
| Viewpoint |
Educating girls is more |
|
| From low-income families |
From educated mothers’ families |
|
| Attitudes |
Girls are of |
Development should be for |
| Practices |
●There is ●Girls are made to stay at home， |
Girls and boys are sure to have |
| Consequences |
A vicious circle |
|
| |
Educating girls contributes to social benefits， Educating girls in developing countries is important and rewarding. |
US military is attempting to develop a new style “insect robot” to replace the human soldier to go wherever he can’t. The greatest trouble this project has fallen across is how to enable the robot to fly freely like an insect， said an official of the Pentagon(五角大楼).
The Pentagon is seeking for the cooperation with scientists in hope of developing a new technique by which people can control the insect’s flight direction and pass on the information its eyes or other organs catch through the equipment set in its body， the official said.
It is thus designed that a tiny controlling chip will be equipped in an insect’s body when it is in chrysalis(蛹). As the insect grows， the cut made when fixing in the chip will be recovered. The chip will exist in forever. Scientists believe this won’t influence the insect， sound growth or the functions of internal organs.
The terminal target of the project is to set up a global system， in which the insect robots will be stationed in all parts of the world and stick to their posts till a new instruction is received. At that time the military can receive from all over the world clear image information within about 5 meters of the insects and that of a special target within 100 meters.
Years ago， Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency of US DOD(国防部) spent $3,000,000 carrying out a plan for training bees to detect landmines. But， no new progress has so far been made.
“According to the scientists， there is still enormous difficulty in technology in turning it into reality， such as the insects reproduction(繁殖)， their adaptation to the surroundings and temperature and so on. However， this project is really challenging. If successful， it is equal to making countless small drone(无人机)，”said the official of DOD.According to the description of the passage， what is an insect robot like？
| A．An insect made of a certain metal. |
| B．A robot looking like an insect. |
| C．An insect with a chip in its body. |
| D．A tiny flying robot. |
As for the design that an insect robot can receive and send information， how do you infer(推测) it works？
| A．There must be a controlling chip well connected with the insect’s brain. |
| B．The insect’s eyes and other organs must be replaced by some special equipment. |
| C．All the insect’s concerned organs must be controlled by a chip. |
| D．The insect must be so well trained as to make full use of its organs. |
When the project is completed， US military will .
| A．have a clear picture of almost every part of the world |
| B．have insect robots from all over the world |
| C．see clearly the things within 10 to 100 meters |
| D．get many insects which obey their orders |
Of the following technical problems， which is the one the scientists can’t solve so far？
| A．They can’t keep sound growth of the insects. |
| B．They can’t ensure the insects to produce their young. |
| C．They can’t fix a chip in an insect. |
| D．They can’t make sure the internal organs function well. |
What does the underlined word “terminal” in the fourth paragraph mean？
| A．Leading. | B．Vital. | C．Moral. | D．Final. |
Many people tend to complain about not having good friends in their lives. Sadly， they seem to think that their own company is not enough to make them happy. Nothing could be further from the truth though. In order to get along with others， the first thing you need to do is learn to get along with yourself. Only in this way will you succeed in developing healthy， solid relationships with others.
Listen to your inner voice. Remember that inner voice that keeps whispering to you what you really want and need as well as what you do not really want and need. It is about time you started listening to it. In order to get to know yourself in depth， it is important to learn and accept what you want and what you do not want.
Learn to enjoy your own company. You will be surprised to find out how many things you can do by yourself and actually have fun in the process. Reading romantic novels， poetry or science fiction is only a few of the things that you can do by yourself， which not only can offer you hours of enjoyment， but also the chance to get to know yourself better.
Satisfy yourself. Pay special attention to your personal hygiene(卫生). Do your hair and nails often and experiment with new styles. Follow a healthy diet and exercise regularly to stay in good shape. No matter how busy your daily schedule is， always find at least an hour per day for yourself， when you can either relax doing absolutely nothing， or doing something that you enjoy.
Learn to respect your own boundaries. Find out what your boundaries are and learn to respect them. You are the only one who knows what you can and what you cannot accept；no one else can point that out to you， or force you to compromise(妥协).If you want to have a good relationship with others， you should first .
| A．get into the habit of living alone |
| B．make many friends in society |
| C．always tell the truth |
| D．learn to be your own best friend |
What is the purpose of listening to your inner voice？
| A．To keep a good state of mind. |
| B．To know more about yourself. |
| C．To enjoy the time by yourself. |
| D．To form a relationship with others. |
In order to please yourself， the writer gives some suggestions EXCEPT .
| A．eating healthily |
| B．exercise regularly |
| C．experimenting with new hair style |
| D．keeping on struggling |
The underlined word “boundaries” nearly means “ ”.
| A．weaknesses | B．aims | C．ambitions | D．limits |
What is the structure of the passage？
Farmer John and Farmer Bob were neighbors. For more than 30 years， they had been getting along very well.
Then their good relationship broke. It began with a small thing， then bitter words， and then weeks of silence. One morning Farmer John woke up to find a stream between the two farms. “It must be Bob，” John thought.
Then one day there was a knock on John’s door. He opened it to find a carpenter(木匠) standing at the doorway.
“I’m looking for a few days’ work，” the carpenter said.
“I do have a job for you，” John said. “Look across the stream at that farm. That’s my neighbor Bob. He dug a stream between the two farms. I want you to build a fence—an 8-foot fence. I don’t want to see his place or his face any more. I don’t have such a neighbor！”
The carpenter said， “I think I know what to do， sir， and I’ll be able to do a job that pleases you.”
Farmer John helped the carpenter get the materials ready and then he was off for the day.
About sunset when the farmer returned， the carpenter had just finished his job. The farmer’s eyes opened wide. There was no fence there at all！
It was a bridge！ And the neighbor， Bob， was coming across， with his hand outstretched(伸出). “Hi， John！ You’re quite a fellow to build this bridge！”
Then they met in the middle， taking each other’s hands. “I’m terribly sorry for what I have said and done. We should be good to each other，” said Farmer Bob.
Then they turned to see the carpenter， who was ready to go. “No， wait！ Stay a few days. I have a lot of other jobs for you，” said Farmer John. “I’d love to stay，” the carpenter said， “but I have more bridges to build.”Just before the carpenter came， John and Bob each other.
| A．didn’t speak to |
| B．were friendly to |
| C．often fought with |
| D．never had bitter words with |
Farmer John asked the carpenter to build a fence because .
| A．he wanted to protect his farm |
| B．he didn’t want to do it himself |
| C．he wouldn’t like to see Bob |
| D．he wanted to find him something to do |
What does the sentence “You’re quite a fellow to build this bridge！” mean？
| A．John was great to build this bridge. |
| B．John was not good at building bridges. |
| C．John was foolish to build such a bridge. |
| D．John should build the bridge earlier. |
What do you think of the carpenter？
| A．Shy. | B．Wise. | C．Proud. | D．Careless. |
What is the best title for the passage？
| A．What a Big Fence！ | B．Farmer and Bridge |
| C．Three Kind Men | D．A Fence or a Bridge？ |