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. |
Facebook users may feel socially successful in the web world but they are more likely to perform poorly in exams. The majority of students who use Facebook every day are doing badly compared with those who don’t. About 83% of British 16 to 24-year-old people are using social networking site such as Facebook and MySpace, to keep in touch with friends and organize their social activities.
“Our study shows people who spend more time on Facebook spend less time studying,” said Aryn Karpinski, a researcher. “Every generation has its distractions(娱乐), but I think Facebook is a unique phenomenon.” Karpinski and a colleague questioned 219 US undergraduates and graduates about their study and general Internet use, as well as their specific use of Facebook. They found 65% of Facebook users accessed their account daily, checking it several times to see if they had received new messages. The amount of time spent on Facebook at each log-in(登录) varied from just a few minutes to more than an hour.
Some UK students have already realized the potential danger. Daisy Jones, 21, an undergraduate, realized the time she was spending on Facebook was threatening her grades, urging her to deactivate(使无效) her account, “I was in the library and tried to write a 2,000-word essay when I realized my Facebook habit had got out of hand,” she said. “I couldn’t resist going online, when thinking about it. Before you know it , a couple of minutes have turned into a couple of hours and you haven’t written a word.”
Jones is among the few to have realized the risks. 79% of the users, however, believed the time they spent on the site had no impact on their work. The CEO of Facebook said, “There is also academic research that shows the benefits of services like Facebook. It’s in the hands of students to decide how to spend their time.”What can we know from Paragraph 1?
| A．All the students who don’t use Facebook do well in exams. |
| B．Social networking sites have both advantages and disadvantages. |
| C．Facebook is the main site for British people to keep in touch. |
| D．Most of British students use social networking sites daily. |
Facebook users check their account frequently to ____________.
| A．spend less time on study | B．make sure new messages aren’t missed |
| C．practise specific use of Facebook | D．accumulate amount of time spent on Facebook. |
Why did Daisy Jones deactivate her account?
| A．She was warned about the risk of using Facebook. |
| B．Spending much time on Facebook affected her study |
| C．She wanted to write a long article in the library. |
| D．There was something wrong with her eyes. |
What’s the best title of the passage ?
| A．Facebook fans do worse in exams | B．Social networking sites and their fans |
| C．Facebook helps organize social activities | D．How to use social networking sites correctly. |
I made a pledge (发誓) to myself on the way down to the vacation beach cottage. For two weeks I would try to be a loving husband and father. Totally loving . No ifs, ands or buts.
The idea had come to me as I listened to a talk on my car radio. The speaker was quoting (引用) a Biblical (圣经的) passage about husbands being thoughtful（体贴的） of their wives. Then he went on to say," Love is an act of will. A person can choose to love." To myself, I had to admit that I had been a selfish husband. Well , for two weeks that would change.
And it did. Right from the moment I kissed Evelyn at the door and said," That new yellow sweater looks great on you."
"Oh, Tom, you noticed," she said, surprised and pleased, maybe a little puzzled.
After the long drive, I wanted to sit and read. Evelyn suggested a walk on the beach. I started to refuse, but then I thought, "Evelyn's been alone here with the kids all the week and now she wants to stay with me. " We walked on the beach while the children flew their kites.
So it went. Two weeks of not calling the Wall Street firm where I am a director; a visit to the shell museum though I usually hate museums. Relaxed
and happy, that's how the whole vacation passed, I made a new pledge to keep on remembering to choose love. There was one thing that went wrong with my experiment, however. Evelyn and I still laugh about it today. Last night at our cottage, preparing for bed, Evelyn stared at me with the saddest expression.
“What’s the matter?” I asked her.
“ Tom ,” se said in a voice filled with distress, “ do you know something I don’t?”
"What do you mean?"
"Well...that checkup(体检) I had several weeks ago...our doctor...did he tell you something about me? Tom , you've been so good to me..
. am I dying?"
It took a moment for it all to sink in. Then I bur
st out laughing.
"No, honey," I said, wrapping her in my arms. "You're not dying; I'm just staring to
live."In the first paragraph, "No ifs, ands or buts" probably means___.
| A．unnecessarily | B．unexpectedly | C． impossibly | D．unconditionally |
From the story we may infer that Tom went to the beach cottage___.
| A．with his family | B．with Evelyn | C．alone | D．with his children |
During the two weeks on the beach, Tom showed more love to his wife because___.
| A．she looked lovely in her new clothes |
B．he had made a lot of money in Wall Street |
| C．he was determined to be a good husband |
| D．she was seriously ill |
The underlined words "one thing" in the passage refer to the fact that___.
| A．he praised her sweater, which puzzled her |
B．she insisted on visiting a museum, which he  hated |
| C．he knew something about her illness but didn't tell her |
| D．he was so good to her that she thought she must be dying |
By saying "I'm just starting to live", Tom means that___.
| A．he is just beginning to understand the real meaning of life |
| B．he is just beginning to enjoy his life as a loving husband |
| C．he lived an unhappy life before and is now starting to change |
| D．he is beginning to feel regretful for what he did to his wife |
It has always been said that women are not good drivers, because they simply don't have very good driving ability. On the other hand, most car accidents happen to men; very few happen to women.
From this, we can see that women are much more careful while driving. Another very interesting fact that we should point out is that in the past, women preferred to let their husbands be the only driver in the family rather than have a driving license. Som
ehow they were prevented from making this step in their lives, but nowadays there are many women that want to pass their driving tests from an early age.
However, we have to admit that men are more skillful drivers than women, but this does not mean that a woman cannot become a good driver by accumulating (积累) experience. So more and more teenagers and women around the age of thirty now want to pass their driving tests. While taking their driving lessons, they also have a number of special lessons with their parents or somebody in the family that has a driving license, this is just to improve their driving abilities and help them to pass the tests more easily.
To conclude, we can say that women are not such bad drivers. They just need more experience than men in order to be able to drive well. And on the other hand, there are a number of women that show better driving skills than the men around them. Compared with the past, nowadays many women___.
| A．prefer to have a driving license | |
| B．have more accidents while driving | |
C．are somehow prevented from driving |
D．are the only driver in the family |
What advantage do women have over men in driving?
| A．They have more skills. |
| B．They are much more careful |
| C．They know more traffic rules |
| D．They have more driving experience |
What can we infer from the passage?
| A．Teenage girls cannot take driving tests. |
| B．Men didn't allow women to drive in the past. |
| C．With enough experience, women can become good drivers. |
| D．Women can easily pass their tests by taking driving lessons. |
The passage mainly talks about___.
A．women and their driving ability.  |
| B．men and their driving ability. |
| C．why men are better drivers than women. |
| D．why more women like to have a driving license |
The Los Angeles Zoo has many public programs that aim to teach the public about animals and natural protection.
Safari shuttle(旅游电车)
While you’re here, take the Safari shuttle for a quick trip from one end of the Zoo to the other. All day long, seven days a week (from 10 am to 5 pm), the Safari Shuttle picks up passengers, circles the Zoo, and returns to the main flamingo (火烈鸟) exhibit near the front entrance. You can get on and off the shuttle as often as you like.
Food
Safari Café (at the Zoo entrance) offers Starbucks coffee, fresh-baked cookies, and ice cream. Gorilla Grill is the spot for grilled (烤的) food, kids’ meals, refreshments (点心), and ice cream. La Casita serves a variety of Mexican food and refreshments. Silverback’s Cafe offers sandwiches, salads, bread bowls, cold beer, and refreshments.
Hour
The Zoo is open from 10 am to 5 pm every day of the year except Christmas Day. Special summer long hours are until 6 pm from July 1 to September 7. Please remember, the Zoo starts putting animals in for the night at 4 pm during regular hour, and at 5 pm during summer hours.
Admission Prices(票价)
Adults (aged 13 and above):$9
Seniors(aged 62 and above):$6
Children(aged 2 to 12):$4
Children(under 2):free
Items Not Allowed on Zoo Grounds
Alcohol, Glass bottles, Pets, Bicycles, Skateboards, and In--line skate.
If you are planning a picnic while visiting the Zoo, please do not bring any glass items or other things that are easy to break. Also for the safety of the animals, no plastic bags are allowed within the Zoo.Which of the following provides kids’ meals?
| A．Safari Cafe. | B．Gorilla Grill. | C．La Casita. | D．Silverback’s Café |
People can see all the animals at the Los Angeles Zoo at ___.
| A．11 am on Christmas Day | B．4:30 pm on May 5 |
| C．3 pm on March 5 | D．6 pm on September 7 |
How much does it cost if a couple with their one-year-old twins visit the Los Angeles Zoo?
| A．$18 | B．$26 | C．$22 | D．$17 |
When visiting the Los Angeles Zoo, people can___.
| A．ride a bike through the Zoo | B．have a picnic on the Zoo grounds |
| C．take food with plastic bags | D．take their pets along |
One Canada, Two Languages
Canada is one of the few nations in the world to have two official languages: English and French. There are 10 provinces in the country but only one of these—Quebec is known as “French Canada”. This is because it was founded by French explorers while British adventurers discovered the rest.
Canada left the British empire(帝国) in 1867 to become an independent country and English and French have been recognized as the official languages ever since.
Most people speak English as their first language and the two national television networks broadcast in English throughout the country. Apart from in Quebec and a few places on the east coast, French television is very rare.
The same goes for traffic signs and menus, for example, outside of Quebec, there are only a few places where you’ll see traffic signs in French. In restaurants, it’s almost impossible to find French on the menu unless you are in the heartland (中心地带) of French Canada. However, all products sold in Canada must, by law, have labels (标签) and instructions in both languages.
In Canada’s English speaking provinces, official bilingualism (双语) means that students can choose to complete a special French language course. Under this program, they are taught most of their subjects in French.
If a student begins the course in kindergarten (幼儿园) or Grade One, it is likely that all their lessons will be in French. However, if they start at junior high school, 25 percent of the teaching will continue to be in English.How many provinces are there in Canada?
| A．Ten. | B．Nine. | C．Eleven. | D．Two. |
Which country controlled Canada before its independence?
| A．France. | B．Britain. | C．America. | D．Germany |
Where can you watch French television programs?
| A．Only in Quebec. |
| B．In Quebec and a few other places. |
| C．From the two national television networks. |
| D．All over Canada |
What do we know about the education in Canada?
| A．In English speaking provinces only English courses are offered. |
| B．If you choose a special French language course, most of the subjects are taught in French. |
| C．The courses in primary school are all taught in English. |
| D．Most of the courses in junior high schools are taught in English. |