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. |
The Museum of Childhood is spread over 4 floors, with the first floor acting like a balcony around the edge of the building, so you can look down over the ground floor central hall with the shop, Information Desk, and Benugo Café.
The museum of Childhood is housed in a large Victorian building in east London. It has been on this site since 1872. It has undergone refurbishment (翻新) and reopened in 2006 and an elevator now makes all floors accessible.
This is not a quiet place and children are allowed to have fun here. Child safety is extremely important and a member of staff remains by the front door at all times. Also, note the “Code of Behavior” notices, which include: children under 12 must be supervised by an adult; no eating in the galleries, and no running.
Toy exhibits are in glass cases and there are plenty of low-level exhibits for younger children to see. The glass cases have lots of thought-inspiring questions on them to encourage discussion between adults and children. When you or the children need some quiet time, there are sofas at either end of the second floor with reading books available.
Pros: Many free activities for kids
Cons: Can be too warm inside
Visit Duration:1.5 hours
Opening Hours:10:00 a.m. – 5:45 p.m.
Last admission is 5:30 p.m.
The Museum is closed on 25 and 26 December and 1 January every year.
Admission: Admission to the Museum is free. There is a small charge for some activities. In the Museum of Childhood, ______________.
| A．people can reach any floor by elevator |
| B．there are sofas at either end of the first floor |
| C．there are exhibits on the museum history |
| D．the Information Desk can be found on each floor |
The Museum of Childhood may be attractive to _________.
| A．parents who only have children under 12 |
| B．children who are fond of toy exhibits |
| C．parents and children who need quiet time |
| D．kids who like playing games with their parents |
What is the disadvantage of the museum?
| A．Low-level exhibits are too boring. |
| B．Children may feel slightly hot in it. |
| C．Parents have to stay with their kids. |
| D．No staff members attend to the kids. |
What information can we get about the museum?
| A．All the activities for children are free. |
| B．The museum is located in west London. |
| C．Children are allowed to enter after 5:30. |
| D．The museum is unavailable on Christmas Day. |
Dear Sir,
Just over six months ago, I saw an advertisement in the Morning Mail for a set of the complete works of William Shakespeare．Your company, Cosmo books Ltd , offered this set （ eight books of plays and two books of poetry） at a “remarkable” price: fifteen pounds and fifty pence, including postage and packing． I had wanted a set of Shakespeare's plays and poems for some time, and these books looked particularly attractive, so I sent for them．
Two weeks later, the books arrived, together with a set of works of Charles Dickens which I had not ordered．So I returned the Dickens books to you, with a cheque for fifteen pounds and fifty pence for the works of Shakespeare．Two more weeks passed．Then there arrived on my door step a second set of the works of Shakespeare, the same set of novels by Dickens and a six book set of the plays of Moliere, in French．Since I do not read French, these were of no use to me at all．However, I could not afford to post all these books back to you, so I wrote to you right away instructing you to come and collect all the books that I did not want, and asking you not to send any other books until further notice．
You did not reply to that letter. Instead you sent me a bill for forty two pounds, and a set of the plays of Schiller, in German．Since then, a new set of books has arrived every two weeks, the works of Goethe, the poems of Milton, the plays of Strindberg; I hardly know what I have．The books are still all in their boxes, in the garage, and my car has to stand in the rain outside．
Please send no more books, send no more bills, send no more angry letters demanding payment．Just send one large lorry and take all the books away, leaving me only with the one set of the complete works of Shakespeare for which I have paid．
Yours faithfully,
SIMON WALKERSimon Walker's main purpose of writing the letter is to.
| A．show his anger to Cosmo Books Ltd． |
| B．argue about sending him books he had not ordered |
| C．advise readers not to order books from Cosmo Books Ltd． |
| D．urge Cosmo Books Ltd. to take away the books he had not ordered |
The advertisement that Mr. Walker saw in the Morning Mail was for.
| A．unlimited number of Cosmo Books |
| B．a set of 10 books of the works of Shakespeare |
| C．fifteen pounds and fifty pence |
| D．a book containing all the plays and poems of Shakespeare |
It can be inferred that.
| A．Mr. Walker took some action after receiving the books he did not order |
| B．several sets of books have been sent to Mr. Walker free of charge |
| C．Cosmo Books have sent bills for books that they have not sent |
| D．Mr. Walker hasn't received the books that he ordered |
The tone（语气）of the letter is that of.
| A．bitterness | B．respect |
| C．annoyance | D．humor |
Have you ever thought about developing your kids’interests in a positive manner? Have you thought about using music to help them focus their energies on a wonderful pursuit (追求)? Do you realize that by doing so, you will better equip them in life? Your little child will love you all his or her life for the first music lessons that you may give.
Most kids have an interest in music. The only thing to do for you is to give direction to their interests so that they can focus on learning the fine art. Music teaches children to be persistent and disciplined. It also teaches them to try towards perfection and be a good team player. All this helps them not only in their studies but also in facing the challenges of life. Thus music at home and home recording are the first lessons you can present to your children.
How to maintain the interests of kids in various kinds of music and instruments? To solve this problem, it is important that at the beginning you bring home something that can hold the child’s interest for quite some time. This would include instruments such as electric guitar or drums. Encourage them to download music which is free over the Internet.
Another thing to remember is that no one becomes an expert overnight. Have patience with your child. No point in fussing over his skills too much. A few words of appreciation will mean the world to them. Ask for their opinions and stick to the choice for quite some time. Be generous in praise.
Music is the perfect gift you can present to your kids. It is never too late and the sooner you start, the better.The author uses three questions at the beginning of the passage to _____.
| A．test readers’ knowledge of music |
| B．show the effect of music on children |
| C．draw readers’ attention to the topic |
| D．ask readers to answer them |
The intended readers of the passage are _____.
| A．teachers | B．musicians | C．children | D．parents |
This passage is mainly about _____.
| A．how to direct children to pursue their interests |
| B．how to make children creative |
| C．how to draw children’s attention to music |
| D．how music affects children’s studies |
Many ESL (English as a Second Language) students in the United States enroll in (注册学习) academic preparation programs and are in their late teens or early twenties. This is often a time when students are looking back on childhood in a different way. Their childhood memories and their viewpoint on those memories can be very useful for the production of wonderfully creative writing.
For this project, the students began in class by closing their eyes and trying to return to their childhood years in order to bring early memories to their mind. After imagining for a few minutes, they began to tell each other what they remembered about those years and tried to describe a particular incident that stood out in their memories.
That evening they wrote in their journals about the incident, embellishing (润饰) the story as much as possible. The next day, they read the story to a different partner and got feedback (反馈意见). The partner’s job was to: ask more questions to bring back the writer’s memory; help the writer make sure that past tense verbs were used correctly, focusing on the difference between those things that were still true and needed present tense and those things that belonged specifically to the past. Two days later, students made necessary changes or additions and turned in a typed copy of their story. I then made my own comments about their work and asked them to revise their work. The third draft (稿子) produced some very good work.The author’s purpose of writing this passage is to _____.
| A．show readers the difficulty he had in his work |
| B．explain his idea of English learning |
| C．show readers how ESL students live and study |
| D． tell readers how he taught his ESL students to write |
What did the author ask his students to write about?
| A．What they saw around them. |
| B．Their predictions for the future. |
| C．Their childhood memories. |
| D．Their opinions of the United States. |
In what order do the students write their compositions according to the passage?
a. share their writing with their classmates
b. exchange their memories
c. write their stories
d. ask for others’ feedback
e. make some changes to their compositions and have them typed
f. corrected by the teacher
g. recall their stories
| A．g-b-c-a-d-e-f | B．g-c-a-d-b-f-e |
| C．e-f-b-c-a-g-d | D．d-e-f-g-a-c-b |
A partner may help do the following things EXCEPT _____.
| A．make the memory more complete |
| B．find spelling mistakes |
| C．check the tense of the verbs |
| D．give some feedback |
There was once a farmer. His land was hilly and the soil was not the best. He had a cow that wasn’t giving much milk and he had chickens who were laying few eggs. The place looked run-down (破败的) and the barn and fences (篱笆) needed repair. The farmer and his wife felt dejected.
One stormy evening, a poorly-dressed man knocked on their door, asking if he could get shelter for the night. They shared the food that had been prepared, while they talked a great deal about the farm.
When the stranger left the following morning, he thanked the farmer and his wife and pulled a little bag of gold pieces out of his pocket. He said that maybe this would help them. He added that he’d come by next year with hopes of finding a revived farm.
After this, the farmer and his wife often talked about whether they should buy a more promising cow. Other times they considered whether they should buy chickens who laid more eggs. However, every conversation ended with the farmer trusting the farm would improve as he found himself fixing the barn and the fences, caring for the animals, preparing food for themselves and their animals.
The farmer beamed (眉开眼笑) when the stranger did come by again a year later. Everything looked so much better. The stranger asked, “What did you use the gold for?”
The farmer said, “We hid the gold under a kitchen tile (地砖) and, while we often thought of it, we never did think of anything we needed the gold for.”
Then the farmer added thoughtfully, “I do thank you, though, ever so much. You gave us what we really needed to keep going — you lifted our spirits.”
Saying that, the farmer removed the tile and cheerfully returned the gold to the stranger. The underlined word “dejected” in Paragraph 1 probably means “_____”.
| A．kind and generous |
| B．surprised and delighted |
| C．disappointed and unhappy |
| D．strong and fearless |
One year later, the stranger visited the farmer to _____.
| A．get his gold pieces back |
| B．see if the farm had improved |
| C．get shelter for the night |
| D．give the farmer more money |
From the passage, we can conclude that what the farmer really needed was _____.
| A．land rich enough to farm on |
| B．something to keep their spirits up |
| C．scientific knowledge of agriculture |
| D．money to improve his farm |