Dear Sirs，
Your shipment(装运)of twelve thousand“Smart”watches was received by our company this morning．However，we wish to make a number of complaints concerning the serious delay in delivery and your failure to carry out our instructions．
It was stressed from the beginning that the delivery date had to be less than six weeks. While we appreciate that delays in production are occasionally unavoidable．We must point out that the major reason why the order was placed with your company was that we were assured by you that your existing stocks ensure immediate shipment．Late delivery of the goods has caused us to disappoint several of our most valued customers．and is sure to have a negative effect on future orders．
The second complaint concerns the difference in colour．Only half the watches in the delivery received are of the colours we ordered．Our Hong Kong agent assures us that she stressed to you the importance of following our instructions．Since we consider there to be only a limited market in this country for watches of other colours．Any watches that are not of the specified colours will , of course, be returned to you．
We are also somewhat concerned about the rather poor quality of the goods received．since it is obvious that the watches that finally arrived have been produced from inferior materials and have been made to a lower standard than those in the sample．We have also found that a number of the watches do not appear to be functioning．We should like to point out that we feel this matter to be entirely your responsibility．
As a result of the above problems，therefore，we feel that the most suitable course of action is to return to you unpaid any of the goods considered unsatisfactory，and to deduct(扣除)any costs from our final settlement．We shall also be forced to reconsider whether any further orders should be placed with your company.
We look forward to your immediate reply．
Yours sincerely，
John SmithHow many complaints does John Smith make with the“Smart”watch producer?
| A．Five． | B．Four． | C．Three． | D．Two． |
The producer of“Smart”watches were given the order because_________
| A．they produced the best watches of its kind in the world |
| B．the watches would be easy to make and the designs were already prepared |
| C．they promised they could produce enough stocks quite quickly |
| D．they claimed the order would be easy since the watches were already in stock |
Receiving watches in the wrong colours is a problem because_______
| A．the Hong Kong agent stressed the need to fulfill the order exactly |
| B．these watches will be difficult to sell． |
| C． these watches will not be able to get into the limited market |
| D．people will not buy the watches at present |
A classical guitarist was excited to hear from New York City police that his valuable guitar had been found. It disappeared almost a year ago when he got out of a cab and forgot to take the guitar with him. Laurence Lennon, 44, said he was running late that day. He was talking to his manager on his cellphone when he dashed out of the taxi. He said that he gave the driver $ 60 and told him to keep the change. He walked through the front doors of the concert hall still talking on the phone to his manager.
Upon discovering his loss, Lennon used his cellphone to call the police. The policewoman asked him for the name of the cab company, the number of the cab, and the name of the driver. He said that she had to be kidding.
She told Lennon that he could file a missing items report at the police station or online. Lennon asked for the online address. She told him that finding the guitar might take a couple of years—finding guitars was not as important as finding murderers and marijuana smokers. Then she told him to have a nice day.
“This year has been depressing，” said Lennon. “I had to postpone the recording of two new CDs. I've been using borrowed guitars. And I was losing hope of ever recovering my guitar.”
Lennon was reunited with his $ 100,000 musical instrument yesterday. The case and the guitar had been discovered in the corner of a coffee house only two blocks from where Lennon had lost it in the first place. Lennon had offered a $ 10,000 reward for its return. He said he would give the reward to the coffee house owner, who had informed the police.It can be inferred from this reading passage that________.
| A．Lennon gave the driver much more money than what was actually needed |
| B．Lennon couldn't give any useful information about the driver and his cab |
| C．Lennon was too busy talking to his friend to remember to pay the cab driver |
| D．Lennon used to work at the concert hall in New York City |
The policewoman told Lennon________.
| A．not to worry about the guitar |
| B．to have a nice day in New York City |
| C．to find the cab driver and talk to him |
| D．to wait with patience |
Which of the following is the most important according to the policewoman?
| A．Finding a lost guitar. |
| B．Finding the cab driver. |
| C．Finding murderers. |
| D．Enjoying one's own life |
The underlined word“depressing”can be best explained by“________”．
| A．making people feel sad |
| B．making people unfortunate |
| C．making people losing money |
| D．making people losing good luck |
What do you guess the driver did to the guitar after Lennon left it in the cab?
| A．He sold it to someone for 10,000 dollars. |
| B．He took it to a coffeehouse and then left it there. |
| C．He gave it to a friend, who lost it some time later. |
| D．He kept it for himself but then lost it carelessly. |
The British film star Hugh Grant can’t seem to work out what women want.
“There’s no girl who only wants bastards（坏蛋），and no girl who wants a nice guy（伙计）.Women want both,” the British star tells the May issue of the Talk magazine. “And，really，they’d like to change by turns on a weekly basis. Can any man be both? I like to keep women guessing.”
Since Grant’s break-up last year with his longtime girlfriend Elizabeth Hurley，the thought of throwing himself into another big relationship doesn’t seem like it’s expected.
“How easy do you think it is to find someone you can share 14 years of personal jokes with? Not easy. And I don’t know that I will，” he says.
Still，the 40-year-old star admits he can’t help thinking that his clock is ticking.
“In the end，I want to have kids（children）.But in the back of my mind，I never wanted to have kids until I’d done something I’m proud of written a book，had my name on something really worthwhile,” he says. “I’m determined not to be in front of the cameras any more.”
With all of these concerns（心思)inside，has Grant ever considered seeing a psychiatrist（精神病医生）to sort things out?
“I don’t think I need treatment，thank you,” sniffs the star.
“I’m frightened of those people. And more than that，I don’t want to know what lies beneath（在下面）.”Judging from what Hugh Grant says，the film star may consider himself ______________.
| A．either a bastard or a nice guy |
| B．both a bastard and a nice guy at the same time |
| C．a bastard in one week and a nice guy in the other |
| D．neither a bastard nor a nice guy |
Hugh Grant _________________.
| A．is looking for another girlfriend at the present time |
| B．never feels sure of finding a girlfriend who can take the place of Elizabeth Hurley |
| C．considers it a shame to look for another girlfriend |
| D．doesn’t value much the relationship he had with Elizabeth Hurley |
The underlined clause “his clock is ticking” possibly means _________.
| A．he’s having a good time |
| B．he can’t stand being single |
| C．his film life is going to end soon |
| D．he is getting too old |
Hugh Grant thinks that he is not yet successful enough to be _______.
| A．a nice guy |
| B．a husband |
| C．a film star |
| D．a father |
My Aunt Edith was a widow of 50, working as a secretary, when doctors discovered what was then thought to be a very serious heart illness．
Aunt Edith doesn’t accept defeat easily. She began studying medical reports in the library and found an article in a magazine about a well-known heart doctor Dr. Michael DeBakey, of Houston, Texas. He had saved the life of someone with the same illness. The article said Dr. DeBakey’s fees were very high；Aunt Edith couldn’t possibly pay them．But could he tell her of someone whose fee she could pay?
So Aunt Edith wrote to him．She simply listed her reasons for wanting to live；her three children, who would be on their own in three or four more years, among them a little girl who always dreamed of traveling and seeing the world．There wasn’t a word of self-pity—only warmth and humor and the joy of living．She mailed the letter, not really expecting an answer．
A few days later, my doorbell rang．Aunt Edith didn’t wait to come in：she stood in the hall and read aloud:
Your beautiful letter moved me very deeply．If you can come to Houston, there will be no charge for either the hospital or the operation.
Signed：Michael DeBakey
That was seven years ago．Since then, Aunt Edith has been around the world．Her three children are happily married．For her age, she is one of the youngest ,most alive people I know．“Aunt Edith doesn’t accept defeat easily” means that ______
| A．she is very beautiful |
| B．she is very strong |
| C．she is very brave |
| D．she is very warm-hearted |
Why did Aunt Edith write to Dr. DeBakey? Because ____
| A．she had no time to visit him |
| B．she didn’t know the wav to Houston |
| C．she didn’t believe in him |
| D．she wanted to get some help from him |
In fact, Aunt Edith’s letter to Dr.DeBakey was full of _____.
| A．courage |
| B．illness |
| C．pity |
| D．sadness |
After reading Dr. DeBakey’s letter, Aunt Edith felt ______.
| A．discouraged |
| B．frightened |
| C．disappointed |
| D．encouraged |
She's rarely seen without an elegant handbag on her arm, but the question of what the Queen keeps inside it has long remained a mystery. Now a new book claims to cast light on the contents of the royal matriarch's main possession.
What's In The Queen's Handbag: And Other Royal Secrets reveals that though the 81yearold British monarch(君主)doesn't carry cash, keys or passport—since she doesn't own one—her bag is far from empty. Inside are a collection of little presents from her children, a makeup case, some family photos, and a camera sometimes. There's also an sshaped metal hook that she places on the dinner table's edge to hang her bag from so that it doesn't touch the floor.
Should you ever meet the Queen, it's not what's in her bag but what she does with it that should concern you. She uses her bags, of which she has about 200 made by Londonbased firm Launier, to send signals to her staff.
Before dining with the Queen, a point is made to inform guests that dinner will end in about five minutes after she places her bag on the table top.
On walkabouts, she holds the bag to one side to show she intends to move on, at which point a ladyinwaiting joins the conversation, allowing her to slip away without causing offence.
When at a banquet, if the Queen's bag is placed on the floor, then it's a sign that she's not finding the conversation interesting, and wants nothing more than to escape. However, if the royal bag is dangling happily from the crook of her left arm, she is happy and relaxed.What does the article tell us about the Queen's handbag?
| A．She seldom has it with her. |
| B．She always carries the same handbag. |
| C．It used to be thought empty. |
| D．Its contents are not the same as ours. |
When is it necessary for the Queen to convey her intention with her bag?
| A．When she is with guests. |
| B．When she eats outside. |
| C．When she has her staff around. |
| D．When she is tired of speaking. |
The Queen gives no signal when she________.
| A．hangs her bag on the metal hook |
| B．hangs her bag from her left arm |
| C．places her bag on the floor |
| D．puts her bag on the table top |
By holding her bag to one side, the Queen shows she wants to________.
| A．talk to her ladyinwaiting |
| B．start a conversation |
| C．stop to continue her walk |
| D．go on with the talk |
The high-protein, low-carbohydrate (碳水化合物) diets many people turn to for weight loss might have potentially harmful long-term effects on the colon, a small study indicates.
In the study, UK researchers found that a protein-heavy, low-carb diet created certain changes in the colon that could contribute to colon cancer risk The study itself does not show whether high-protein diets really raise the risk of any colon diseases, but the findings raise that possibility.
Diets relatively high in protein and lower in carbs have been shown to help heavy people lose weight. "People should not be discouraged from losing weight," Dr Flint said. However, he added, they should make sure that any weight loss plan includes adequate amounts of fiber and a high protein intake over months to years might have ill effects on the colon.
The findings are based on 17 overweight men who followed three short-term diets: a one-week menu plan to keep their weight; a four-week high-protein diet with reasonable amounts of carbohydrates; and a four-week high-protein diet low in carbs.
On average, the study found when the men were on the high-protein diets, they had higher levels of substances known as N-nitroso compounds (亚硝基化合物) and other metabolites (代谢物) that have been linked to cancer. And when they were on the high-protein, low-carb diet, they had lowered amounts of fiber-originated compounds thought to be protective against cancer.
Exactly what those changes might mean for a person's health is not clear. But Flint said that the findings suggest that people should be cautious about consuming too much protein and too little fiber over a long period. In general, experts recommend that adults get about 28 grams of fiber per day-though it's not known whether that's enough for someone on a high-protein weight-loss diet. What is the best title of the text?
A Plan a Healthy Diet
B. Take Care of Your Colon
C. How to Lose Weight
D. How to Protect against Cancer The underlined word "colon" in Paragraph 1 probably refers to "_____".
| A．an organ |
| B．intelligence |
| C．a habit |
| D．behaviour |
The study shows that high-protein, low-carb diets may _____.
| A．affect your mood |
| B．lower cancer risks |
| C．harm your body |
| D．keep your figure |
It can be inferred from the text that _____.
| A．we shouldn't take the study seriously |
| B．weight problems are hard to solve |
| C．it is better to follow a low-carb diet |
| D．people should be cautious to lose weight |
The author is intended to _____.
| A．advise how to lose weight |
| B．introduce a scientific finding |
| C．describe a research process |
| D．talk about healthy diets |