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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 weather-speak.
Bill Bryson, for ezample, 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 weather-speak among the English. Both commentators, somehow, are missing the point. The English weather conversation is not really about the weather at all. English weather-speak 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 weather-speak are not requests for weather data. Rather, they are routine greetings,conversation starters or the blank”fillers”, In other words, English weather-speak 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 doe s 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 unccrtainty

What is the author’s main purpose of writing the passage?

A．To explain what English weather-speak 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.

Low-Cost Gifts for Mother's Day
Gift No. 1
Offer to Be your mother's health friend. Promise to Be there for any and all doctor's visits
whether a disease or a regular medical check-up. Most mothers always say "no need," another set of eyes and ears is always a good idea at a doctor's visit. The Best part ? This one is free.
Gift No. 2
Help your mother organize all of her medical records, which include the test results and medical information. Put them all in one place. Be sure to make a list of all of her medicines and what times she takes them. "Having all this information in one place could end up saving your mother's life," Dr. Marie Savard said.
Gift No. 3
Enough sleep is connected to general health conditions. "Buy your mother cotton sheets and comfortaBle pillows to encourage Better sleep," Savard said. "We know that good sleep is very important to our health."
Gift No. 4
Some gift companies such as Presents for Purpose allow you to pay it forward this Mother's Day By picking gifts in which 10 percent of the price you pay goes to a charity (慈善机构) Gift givers can choose from a wide variety of useful But inexpensive things -many of which are "green" - and then choose a meaningful charity from a list. When your mother gets the gift, she will Be told that she has helped the chosen charity.
【小题1】.What are you advised to do for your mother at doctor's visits?
A．Take notes.
B．Be with her.
C．Buy medicine.
D．Give her gifts.
What can be a gift of organization for your mother?

A．Keeping her medical information together.

B．Buying all gifts for her from one company.

C．Making a list of her medical check－ups.

D．Storing her medicines in a safe place.

.Where can you find a gift idea to improve your mother's sleep?

A．In Gift No. 1.	B．In Gift No. 2.
C．In Gift No. 3.	D．In Gift No. 4.

.Buying gifts from Presents for Purpose allows mothers to________．

A．enjoy good sleep	B．be well－organized
C．get extra support	D．give others help

A device that stops drivers from falling asleep at the wheel is about to undergo testing at Department of Transport laboratories and could go on sale within 12 months.
The system, called Driver Alert, aims to reduce deadly road accidents by 20% - 40% that are caused by tiredness. Airline pilots can also use it to reduce the 30% of all pilot-error accidents that are related to fatigue.
Driver Alert is based on a computerized wristband (腕套). The device, worn by drivers or pilots, gives out a sound about every four minutes during a car journey. After each sound the driver must respond by squeezing the steering wheel (方向盘). A sensor in the wristband detects this pressing action and measures the time betweenthe sound the driver’s response.
Tiredness is directly related to a driver’s response time. Usually, a watchful driver would take about 400 milliseconds to respond, but once that falls to more than 500 milliseconds, it suggests that the driver is getting sleepy.
In such cases the device gives out more regular and louder sounds, showing that the driver should open a window or stop for a rest. If the driver’s response continues to slow down, the sounds become more frequent until a nonstop alarm warns that the driver must stop as soon as possible.
The device has been delivered to the department’s laboratories for testing. If these tests, scheduled for six months’ time, are successful, the makers will bring the product to market within about a year.
According to the text, Driver Alert ______.

A．aims to reduce tiredness-related accidents

B．has gone through testing at laboratories

C．aims to prevent drivers form sleeping

D．has been on sale for 12 months

How should a driver respond to the sounds from Driver Alert?

A．By sounding a warning.

B．By touching the wristband.

C．By checking the driving time.

D．By pressing the steering wheel.

We can learn form the text that the driver needs to stop for a break when his response time is ____.

A．about 400 milliseconds	B．below 500 milliseconds
C．over 500 milliseconds	D．about 4 minutes

When the driver gets sleepy while driving, Driver Alert ______.

A．moves more regularly

B．stops working properly

C．opens the window for the driver

D．sounds more frequently and loudly

How do you know if your home is an easy aim for thefts? Around the holidays, many families don’t consider taking proper measures to prevent their homes from suffering holiday thefts. With just a few simple steps, you can better make sure of the safety of your home during all of the holiday celebrations. Here are a few tips for making it difficult to tell you are away from home.
●Either have a trusted neighbor pick up your mail and newspapers, or tell your mailperson to hold your mail until you return. Nothing says “Hey, we are not home!” like when your postbox is filled with all kinds of mails and you have many different newspapers in your driveway.
● Set several different lights in your house on random timers（随机定时器）. Don't leave your outdoor lights on all the time. Instead, put your outside light on timers to be on during the nights. If an outdoor light remains on for days at a time, it means that nobody is home to turn it off.
● If you have pets that you are not taking with you on vacation, leave them with friend, rather than having someone come into your house every day to take care of them. When thefts see a neighbor or friend entering your house every day, they will know you are not home.
● Close all your curtains when you leave town. This is effective to deter possible thefts, as no one can see what is in your house. If they don't know what there is to take, then the risk is even greater for them to break in.
This article just has suggested a few tips to help you keep your house safe on holiday. Nothing can truly protect your home unless you have it monitored by a professional home security system.
What is the main idea of the passage?

A．To let the outdoor lights on all the time.

B．To tell us how to prevent the thefts around the holidays.

C．To tell us many families suffering from the thefts while they are on holiday.

D．To tell us to have our neighbor go to our house to take care of our pets.

If you are on holiday in other places, the lights in your house should .

A．be turned on only once a day

B．be kept on all the night

C．be replaced by random timers

D．be lit in an irregular way

To make your home well protected, what does the writer advise you to do?

A．Equip your home with security system.

B．Stop your mail service at once.

C．Turn to your close neighbors or friends.

D．Have all the curtains closed.

The underlined word “deter” probably means .

A．discover	B．surprise
C．discourage	D．attract

Does Fame Drive You Crazy?
Although being famous might sound like a dream come true, today’s star, feeling like zoo animals, face pressures that few of us can imagine. They are at the center of much of the world’s attention. Paparazzi (狗仔队) camp outside their homes, cameras ready. Tabloids (小报) publish thrilling stories about their personal lives. Just imagine not being able to do anything without being photographed or interrupted for a signature.
According to psychologist Christina Villareal, celebrities — famous people — worry constantly about their public appearance. Eventually, they start to lose track of who they really are, seeing themselves the way their fans imagine them, not as the people they were before everyone knew their names. “Over time,” Villareal says, “they feel separated and alone.”
The phenomenon of tracking celebrities has been around for ages. In the 4th century B.C., painters followed Alexander the Great into battle, hoping to picture his victories for his admirers. When Charles Dickens visited America in the 19th century, his sold-out readings attracted thousands of fans, leading him to complain (抱怨) about his lack of privacy. Tabloids of the 1920s and 1930s ran articles about film-stars in much the same way that modern tabloids and websites do.
Being a public figure today, however, is a lot more difficult than it used to be. Superstars cannot move about without worrying about photographers with modern cameras. When they say something silly or do something ridiculous, there is always the Internet to spread the news in minutes and keep their “story” alive forever.
If fame is so troublesome, why aren’t all celebrities running away from it? The answer is there are still ways to deal with it. Some stars stay calm by surrounding themselves with trusted friends and family or by escaping to remote places away from big cities. They focus not on how famous they are but on what they love to do or whatever made them famous in the first place.
Sometimes a few celebrities can get a little justice. Still, even stars who enjoy full justice often complain about how hard their lives are. They are tired of being famous already.
It can be learned from the passage that stars today.

A．are often misunderstood by the public

B．can no longer have their privacy protected

C．spend too much on their public appearance

D．care little about how they have come into fame

What is the main idea of Paragraph 3?

A．Great heroes of the past were generally admired.

B．The problem faced by celebrities has a long history.

C．Well-known actors are usually targets of tabloids.

D．Works of popular writers often have a lot of readers.

What makes it much harder to be a celebrity today?

A．Availability of modern media.

B．Inadequate social recognition.

C．Lack of favorable chances.

D．Huge population of fans.

What is the author’s attitude toward modern celebrity?

A．Sincere.	B．Sceptical.
C．Disapproving.	D．Sympathetic.

A．To keep close to the beach．	B．To dive into unknown waters.
C．To use floating toys on the water.	D．To swim soon after lunch．

Part-time Front Desk Position Kirchoff, Inc．，a book development company，is looking for a part-time front desk office worker．This position is perfect for a person who is cheerful，dependable，and pleasant to work with．Also，you should be able to welcome guests，redirect phone calls，and take messages．More importantly，you can stay cool under pressure．You are expected to work 5：00—6：00 pm weekdays．You need to fill in some forms if you are interested． Forms can be collected at Kirchoff，Inc． 866 United Nations Plaza,#525 New York, NY 10017
Important Points to Remember When Swimming ·Wait at least an hour after meals. ·Follow the advice of lifeguards. ·Don’t dive into unknown waters. Always swim in line with the shore. ·Find out at the seaside when and where it is safe to swim. ·Don’t use floating toys on the water. Wind can easily sweep them out to sea. ·Get out of the water if you feel tired or cold. Cold can kill even strong swimmers. Help Telephone:212-543-5902 Atlantic City Beach Office
* Arrive on time. * Introduce yourself in a polite manner. * Read company materials while you wait. * Have a firm handshake. * Listen. * Use body language to show interest. * Smile and nod to the interviewer. * Ask about the next thing you should do. * Thank the interviewer. * Write a thank-you letter to anyone you have spoken to. For more information, please visit jobweb.com 368 Cooper Square, New York，NY 10008