Sparrow is a fast－food chain with 200 restaurants.Some years ago，the group to which Sparrow belonged was taken over by another company.Although Sparrow showed no sign of declining，the chain was generally in an unhealthy state.With more and more fast－food concepts reaching the market，the Sparrow menu had to struggle for attention.And to make matters worse，its new owner had no plans to give it the funds it required.
Sparrow failed to grow for another two years until a new CEO，Carl Pearson，decided to build up its market share.He did a survey，which showed that consumers who already used Sparrow restaurants were extremely positive about the chain，while customers of other fast－food chains were unwilling to turn away from them.Sparrow had to develop a new promotional campaign.
Pearson faced a battle over the future of the Sparrow brand.The chain's owner now favored rebranding Sparrow as Marcy's restaurants.Pearson resisted，arguing for an advertising campaign designed to convince customers that visits to Sparrow restaurants were fun.Such an attempt to establish a positive relationship between a company and the general public was unusual for that time.Pearson strongly believed that numbers were the key to success，rather than customers' spending power.Finally，the owner accepted his idea.
The campaign itself changed the traditional advertising style of the fast－food industry.The TV ads of Sparrow focused on entertainment and featured original songs performed by a variety of stars.Instead of showing the superiority of a specific product，the intention was to put Sparrow in the hearts of potential customers.
Pearson also made other decisions which he believed would contribute to the new Sparrow image.For example，he offered to lower the rent of any restaurants which achieved a certain increase in their turnover(营业额)．
These efforts paid off，and Sparrow soon became one of the most successful fast－food chains in the regions where it operated.Which was one of the problems Sparrow faced before Pearson became CEO?
| A．The number of its customers was declining. |
| B．Its customers found the food unhealthy. |
| C．It was in need of financial support. |
| D．Most of its restaurants were closed. |
What does the underlined word “them” in Paragraph 2 refer to?
| A．Customers of Sparrow restaurants. |
| B．Sparrow restaurants. |
| C．Customers of other fast－food chains. |
| D．Other fast－food chains. |
For what purpose did Pearson start the advertising campaign?
| A．To build a good relationship with the public. |
| B．To stress the unusual tradition of Sparrow. |
| C．To learn about customers' spending power. |
| D．To meet the challenge from Marcy's restaurants. |
What was Pearson's achievement as a CEO?
| A．He managed to pay off Sparrow's debts. |
| B．He made Sparrow much more competitive. |
| C．He helped Sparrow take over a company. |
| D．He improved the welfare of Sparrow employees. |
“I’ve changed my mind．I wanted to have a telescope, but now I want my dad back．” Lucien Lawrence’s letter to Father Christmas, written after his father had been knifed to death outside his school gate, must have touched everyone’s heart．Lucien went on to say that without his father he couldn’t see the stars in the sky．When those we love depart from us, we cannot see the stars for a while．
But Lucien, the stars are still there, and one day, when you are older and your tears have gone, you will see them again．And, in a strange way, I expect that you will find your father there too, either in your mind or heart．I find that my parents, who died years ago, still linger （留连） in many of my dreams and that I think of them perhaps more than I ever did when they were alive．I still live to please them and I’m still surprised by their reactions．I remember that when I became a professor, I was so proud, or rather so pleased with myself that I couldn’t wait to cable my parents．The reply was a long time in coming, but when it did, all my mother said was “I hope this means that now you will have more time for the children!” I haven’t forgotten．The values of my parents still live on．
It makes me pause and think about how I will live on in the hearts and minds of my children and of those for whom I care．Would I have been as ready as Philip Lawrence has been to face the aggressors（入侵者）, and to lay down my life for those in my care? How many people would want me back for Christmas? It’s a serious thought, which gives me pause．
I pray silently, sometimes, in the dead of night, that ancient cry of a poet “Deliver my soul from the sword and my darling from the power of the God．” Yet I know death comes to us all, and sometimes comes suddenly．We must therefore plan to live together, but live as if we will die tomorrow．We live on, I’m sure, in the lives of those we loved, and therefore we ought to have a care for what they will remember and what they will treasure．If more parents knew this in their hearts to be true, there might be fewer knives on our streets today．According to the whole text we can see that the first paragraph ________.
| A．puts forward the subject of the text |
| B．shows the author’s pity on the kid |
| C．serves as an introduction to the discussion |
| D．makes a clear statement of the author’s views |
In the second paragraph the author mainly wants to explain to us ________.
| A．how much he misses his parents now |
| B．why his parents often appear in his dream |
| C．when Lucien will get over all his sadness |
| D．how proud he was when he succeeded in life |
In the author’s opinion, the value of a person’s life is ________.
| A．to leave a precious memory to the people related |
| B．to have a high sense of duty to the whole society |
| C．to care what others will remember and treasure |
| D．to share happiness and sadness with his family |
What does the writer mean by the sentence taken from an old poem?
| A．Call on criminals and murderers to lay down their guns. |
| B．Advise parents to stay with their children safely at home. |
| C．Spend every day meaningfully in memory of death. |
| D．Try to keep violence and murder far away from society. |
Scientists are developing a new kind of machine to take the place of humans. These machines can do jobs in places that are too dangerous for humans. For example, they are being developed to work in nuclear power center, deep under the oceans and in outer space.
John Marrit, a psychologist(心理学家) in Williamsburg Massachusetts, helped develop the new machine. This is how they work. A machine is placed in an area far away from the person who operates it. The person wears special hard hat with television screens and sound equipment. The screens and sound equipment let the person see and hear exactly what the machine is seeing and hearing. Mr. Marrit says this gives the person the feeling of being in the same place as the machine. The idea, he says, is being there without going there. The person uses an electronic control to make the machine move. The machine copies the person’s movements exactly. If the person raises his right arm, the machine raises the right arm, too. This means an expert can do a dangerous job while staying in the safe place. For example, a person can direct the machine to destroy a bomb without going near the bomb himself.The new kind of machine being introduced in the passage is _______.
| A．in existence | B．only an idea |
| C．being tried out | D．being researched and developed |
The machine _______.
| A．follows the person’s order |
| B．is controlled by a computer |
| C．does exactly what the person does |
| D．is controlled by a television on the person’s head |
The difference between such a new machine and a robot is that _______.
| A．the new machine is more difficult to make than a robot |
| B．the new machine is more difficult to be controlled |
| C．a robot is controlled by man indirectly |
| D．a robot can’t be used in places too dangerous or faraway |
A flock of hungry pigeons were flying across the sky in search of food. Having traveled a long distance, they felt tired and settled down on a tree. Just below the tree, they saw grains strewn (撒满) all over the ground. The pigeons were happy to have found enough food to eat. All the pigeons came down from the tree and started eating the grains. As they were doing so, a huge net fell on them and trapped them all.
The pigeons were taken aback. They noticed a hunter sitting at a distance from the tree, a bow and arrow in hand. The pigeons realized it was the hunter who had trapped them in the net. The hunter got up and began to move towards the pigeons.
The leader of the pigeons spoke, “Friends, we are in great trouble. The hunter will catch us if we do not act swiftly in a few seconds. There is only one option available at this moment. Let all of us use our force together and fly up along with the net. If all of us use our force and fly together, we can fly carrying the net along with us. Let us start now.”
All the pigeons agreed with him and flew high carrying the net along with them. After traveling enough distance away from the hunter, the pigeons settled on a tree and carefully came out of the net one by one and thus escaped the evil design of the hunter.Who strewed the grains over the ground?
| A．A villager. | B．The hunter. |
| C．The pigeon. | D．The writer. |
The word “”has the closest meaning to the underlined word “option”.
| A．reason | B．choice | C．action | D．opinion |
How did the pigeons react when they got trapped?
| A．They didn’t know what to do. |
| B．They tried to fly in all directions. |
| C．They remained rather calm. |
| D．They decided to fight for their lives. |
This story wants to tell us that .
| A．two heads are better than one. |
| B．confidence will save everyone. |
| C．teamwork can work wonders. |
| D．actions speak louder than words. |
Once upon a time there was a monster（怪兽）. He was very ugly and had no friends. No one wanted to talk to him. Even other monsters thought he was ugly.
He lived alone and was very unhappy because he was so lonely.
“I wish I had a friend.” He said to himself every day, “One friend would be enough. Someone to talk to.”
He wrote a letter to a magazine. The magazine gave people advice.
“Dear Editor,” he wrote, “I am a ugly monster. How can I find a friend?”
“Dear monster,” the Editor replied, “Advertise for a friend in this magazine.” The monster wrote an advertisement.
“Monster wants a friend, male or female. I have two heads, four arms, six legs and three tails. I have one blue eye, one green eye and one brown eye. Smoke comes out of my nose. But I am really a kind monster and will be a good friend to someone. If you would like to meet me, please stand outside Blake’s Store at 6 p.m. on Friday, May 7th. Write to Mr. A, Box 45, everybody’s Magazine.”
A few days later he went to the magazine.
“Do you have any letters for Box 45?” he asked.
The clerk looked in Box 45.
“Yes, there is one.” She said, and gave it to him.
The monster opened the letter, and read, “Dear Monster, I think a person’s character is more important than his appearance. I will wait outside Blake’s Store on Friday. Please carry a flower so that I will recognize you. Yours sincerely, Miss Alice Thwaite.”Why was the monster unhappy?
| A．He had no friends. | B．He was ugly. |
| C．He had two heads. | D．He had three tails. |
What did the monster advertise for?
| A．A magazine. | B．A friend. | C．An editor. | D．A male or female monster. |
How did the monster describe him in the advertisement?
| A．Ugly | B．Lonely | C．Kind | D．Good-looking |
What was strange about Miss Thwaite’s letter?
| A．She was not interested in people’s appearance. |
| B．She wanted to meet the monster. |
| C．She needed a flower to recognize him. |
| D．It was the only reply. |
Women’s fashions change more rapidly than men’s. In the early 1990’s, all women wore their skirts to the ankle. Today, some skirts are even longer than before, but some are very short. Women’s shoes have also gone through all sorts of boots for women were very common at the beginning of this century. Then for years, they were not considered fashionable. Today, they’re back again in all colours, lengths and materials. In fact, today’s women can wear all types of clothes on almost any occasion. While all of these changes were taking place in women’s fashions, men’s clothing remained almost the same until a few years ago. And, in fact, most men are still dressed in the kinds of clothes they used to wear.What kind of skirts do women like to wear today?
| A．Long skirts. |
| B．Short skirts. |
| C．Both long skirts and short skirts. |
| D．Neither long skirts nor short skirts. |
Now boots are considered ______now.
| A．fashionable | B．unfashionable | C．uncommon | D．fit for girls most |
When today’s women go to the party, they wear _______.
| A．skirts down to the ankle |
| B．red long boots |
| C．long skirts and short boots |
| D．any kinds of clothes they like |
The passage tries to tell us _______.
| A．boots for women have been thought fashionable since 1900 |
| B．women’s shoes are back again in all colours, length etc. |
| C．today men are dressed in the kinds of clothes they used to wear |
| D．fashions for clothes, shoes and so on always change |