The sun is shining when I get on No. 151 bus. We passengers sit jammed together in heavy clothes. No one speaks. That’s one of the unwritten rules of Chicago commuting. Although we see the same faces every day, we prefer to hide behind our newspapers. The phenomenon is striking: people who sit so close together are using those thin sheets of newsprint to keep their distance.
As the bus approaches the Magnificent Mile, a voice suddenly rings out: “Attention! Attention!” Papers rattle (发出细小声). Necks crane (伸长). “This is your driver speaking.”
We look at the back of the driver’s head. His voice has authority.
“All of you put your papers down.”
The papers come down, an inch at a time. The driver waits. The papers are folded and placed on our laps.
“Now, turn and face the person next to you. Go ahead.”
Amazingly, we all do it. Still, no one smiles.
I face an older woman, her head wrapped tightly in a red scarf. I see her nearly every day. Our eyes meet. We wait, unblinking, for the next order from the driver.
“Now, repeat after me…” It is a command, delivered in the tones of a drill sergeant (操练军士). “Good morning, neighbor!”
Our voices are weak and timid. For many of us, these are the first words we have spoken today. But we say them at the same time, like schoolchildren, to the strangers beside us.
We smile and can’t help it. We have said it; the barrier has been broken. Good morning, neighbor. It is not so hard after all. Some of us repeat it. Others shake hands. Many laugh.
The bus driver says nothing more. He doesn’t need to. Not a single newspaper goes back up. I hear laughter, a warm sound I have never heard before on bus No. 151. This day is starting off better than most.On hearing the sudden utterance of “Attention!”, the passengers ___________.
| A．stopped reading and put down their newspapers immediately |
| B．looked up from the newspapers to see who was speaking |
| C．sat still without response |
| D．were frightened |
The underlined word “commuting” in Paragraph 1 most probably means ___________.
| A．daily traveling between home and work |
| B．long-distance ride |
| C．communication technology |
| D．behavior patterns |
Which of the following is true according to the passage?
| A．The passengers on the crowded bus were so absorbed in reading their newspapers that no one spoke. |
| B．The passengers were physically close together but mentally they kept each other at a terrible distance. |
| C．The passengers didn’t follow the driver’s instruction at first. |
| D．When the bus driver said nothing more, the passengers picked up and read their newspapers again. |
What would be the best title for the text?
| A．The Warmth of Communication | B．The Exchange of Information |
| C．The Power of Observation | D．The Attitude to Loneliness |
Without most people realizing it, there has been a revolution in office work over the last ten years．Before that time, large computers were only, used by large, rich companies that could afford the investment．With the advancement of technology, small computers have come onto the market, which are capable of doing the work which used to be done by much larger and expensive computers, so now most smaller companies can use them
The main development in small computers has been in the field of word processors (处理器) , or WPS as they are often called．40% of British offices are now estimated to have a word processor and this percentage is growing fast．
There are many advantages in using a word processor for both secretary and manager．The secretary is freed from a lot of daily work, such as re-typing letters and storing papers．He or she can use this time to do other more interesting work for the boss．From a manager's point of view, secretarial time is being made better use of and money can be saved by doing daily jobs automatically outside office hors．
But is it all good? If a lot of daily secretarial work can be done automatically, surely this will mean that fewer secretaries will be needed．Another worry is the increasing medical problems related to work with visual display units (显示器)．The case of a slow loss of sight among people using word processors seems to have risen greatly．It is also feared that if a woman works at a VDU for long hours, the unborn child in her body might be killed．Safety screens to put over a VDU have been invented but few companies in England bother to buy them．
Whatever the arguments for and against word processor, they are a key feature (特征) of this revolution in office practice．Then years ago, smaller companies did not use large computers because_________．
| A．these companies had not enough money to buy such expensive computers |
| B．these computers could not do the work that small computers can do today |
| C．these computers did not come onto the market |
| D．these companies did not need to use this new technology |
According to the writer, the main feature of the revolution in office work
over the last ten years is __________．
| A．the saving of time and money | B．the use of computers in small companies |
| C．the wide use of word processors | D．the decreasing number of secretaries |
It is implied but not directly stated in the passage that with the use of word
processors _________．
| A．some secretaries will lose their jobs |
| B．daily jobs can be done automatically outside office hours |
| C．medical problems related to work with a VDU have increased |
| D．the British companies will make less money |
Which of the following statements is NOT true?
| A．There are both advantages and disadvantages in using a word processor |
| B．The British companies care much for the health of the people using word processors． |
| C．The technology in the field of computers has been greatly advanced over the last ten years． |
| D．Using word processors , secretaries can get more time to do more interesting work for their bosses． |
It can be concluded from the passage that ________．
| A．safety screens are of poor quality |
| B．working at a VDU for a long time is good for one's health |
| C．more and more British offices will use word processors |
| D．British companies will need fewer and fewer manages |
Excused from recycling（回收利用） because you live in a high rise with a rubbish chute（垃圾道）? You won't be for long. Miami's Mark Shantzis has made it simple for those living in tall buildings to use the chute and recycle too .
In Shantzis' Hi-Rise Recycling System, a chute leads to a pie-shaped container with six boxes that can turn around when operated. The system, which fits in the same space as the chute and container now in use, enables glass, plastic, paper, metal, and other rubbish to go into separate boxes.
The system is controlled from a board next to the chute door. The board has a button for each class of recycling materials （as well as for unrecyclables）. At the press of a button, a microcomputer locks all other floors' chute door and sets the recycling container turning until the right box comes under the chute. The computer also counts the loads and gives a signal by phone when the box is full. And a particular piece of equipment breaks up the nonrecyclables
Sorting（分类） recyclables before they are collected saves the use of expensive materials recovery equipment which otherwise has to do the sorting. Such equipment often makes recycled materials very expensive, so expensive that tons of recyclables remain wasted. Shantzis believes his system could help recycled materials become more cost-effective.
57．The purpose in writing this text is _________.
A．to encourage people to recycle their rubbish
B．to introduce a recycling system for high rises
C．to describe the use of computer technology in recycling
D．to explain the need for rubbish collection in high rises
58．When he says "You won't be for long" the writer means that _______.
A．you'll soon be living in a cleaner building
B．rubbish chutes will become out of date before long
C．you won't wait long for your turn to recycle rubbish
D．it won't be long before you'll have to recycle your rubbish
59．Before dropping rubbish into the chute you have to ___________
A．lock the other floors' chute doors
B．check if the container is full
C．press the correct button
D．break up the rubbish
60．The biggest advantage of this new system is that _________
A．it readuces the cost of recycling
B．it saves time and space
C．it saves money for people living in high rises
D．it makes better use of the existing recovery equipment
Olaf Stapledon wrote a book called First and Last Men, in which he looked millions of years ahead. He told of different men and of strange civilisations（文明）, broken up by long 'dark ages' in between. In his view, what is called the present time is no more than a moment in human history and we are just the First Men. In 2,000 million years from now there will be the Eighteenth or Last Men.
However, most of our ideas about the future are really very short-sighted. Perhaps we can see some possibilities for the next fifty years. But the next hundred ? The next thousand? The next million? That's much more difficult.
When men and women lived by hunting 50,000 years ago, how could they even begin to picture modern life? Yet to men of 50,000 years from now, we may seem as primitive（原始的）in our ideas as the Stone-Age hunters do to us. Perhaps through the spundels and ballalators, these words, which I have just made up, have to stand for things and ideas that we simply can't think of .
So why bother even to try imagining life far in the future ? Here are two reasons. First unless we remember how short our own lives are compared with the whole human history, we are likely to think our own interests are much more important than they really are. If we make the earth a poor place to live because. we are careless or greedy（贪婪） or quarrelsome,our grand-children will not bother to think of excuses for us.
Second, by trying to escape from present interests and imagine life far in the future, we may arrive at quite fresh ideas that we can use ourselves. For example, if we imagine that in the future men may give up farming, we can think of trying it now. So set your imagination free when you think about the future .
53．A particular mention made of Stapledon's book in the opening paragraph ____________
A．serves as a description of human history
B．serves an introduction to the discussion
C．shows a disagreement of views
D． Shows the popularity of the book
54．The text discusses men and women 50,000 years ago and 50,000 years from now in order to show that _________.
A．human history is extremely long B．life has changed a great deal
C．it is useless to plan for the next 50 years
D．it is difficult to tell what will happen in the future
55．Spundels and ballalators are used in the text to refer to _________.
A．tools used in farming B．ideas about modern life
C．unknown things in the future D．hunting skills in the Stone Age
56．According to the writer of the text, imagining the future will _________.
A．serve the interests of the present and future generations
B．enable us to better understand human history
C．help us to improve farming
D．make life worth living
Decision-thinking is not unlike. It often matters not only what you think, but also what others think you think and what you think they think you think. The mental process（过程） is similar. Naturally, this card game has often been of considerable interest to people who are, by any standards, good thinkers.
The great mathematician John von Neumann was one of the founders of game theory. In particular, he showed that all games fall into two classes; there are what he called games of 'perfect information', games like chess where the players can't hide anything or play tricks; they don't win by chance, but by means of logic and skills. Then there are games of 'imperfect information', like poker, in which it is impossible to know in advance that one course of action is better than another.
One mistaken idea about business is that it can be treated as a game of perfect information. Quite the reverse, business and life itself are games which we must normally play with very imperfect information. Business decisions are often made with many unknown and unknowable factors（因素）, as best poker players. But few business people find it comfortable to admit that they are taking a chance, and many still prefer to believe that they are playing chess, not poker.
49．The subject discussed in this text is _________.
A．the process of reaching decisions
B．the difference between poker and chess.
C．the secret of making good business plans
D．the value of information in winning games
50．An important factor in a game of imperfect information is ___________.
A．rules B．luck C．time D．ideas
51．Which of the following can be used in place of "Quite the reverse"?
A．Quite right. B．True enough.
C．Most unlikely. D．Just the opposite.
52．In the writer's opinion, when making business decisions one should ___________ .
A．put perfect information before imperfect information
B．accept the existence of unknown factors
C．regard business as a game of chess
D．mix known and unknown factors
The easy way out isn't always easiest. I learned that lesson when I decided to treat Doug, my husband of one month, to a special meal. I glanced through my cookbook and chose a menu which included homemade bread. Knowing the bread would take time, I started on it as soon as Doug left for work. As I was not experienced in cooking, I thought if a dozen was good, two dozen would be better, so I doubled everything. As Dong loved oranges, I also opened a can of orange and poured it all into the bowl. Soon there was a sticky dough（面团）covered with ugly yellowish marks. realizing I had been defeated, I put the dough in the rubbish bin outside so I wouldn't have to face Doug laughing at my work, I went on preparing the rest of the meal, and, when Doug got home, we sat down to Cornish chicken with rice. He tried to enjoy the meal but seemed disturbed. Twice he got up and went outside, saying he thought he heard a noise. The third time he left, I went to the windows to see what he was doing. Looking out, I saw Doug standing about three feet from the rubbish bin, holding the lid up with a stick and looking into the container. When I came out of the house, he dropped the stick and explained that there was something alive in out rubbish bin. Picking up the stick again, he held the lid up enough for me to see. I felt cold. But I stepped closer and looked harder. Without doubt it was my work. The hot sun had caused the dough to double in size and the fermenting yeast （酵母）made the surface shake and sigh as though it were breathing. I had to admit what the 'living thing 'was and why it was there. I don't know who was more embarrassed（尴尬）by the whole thing ,Doug or me?
44．The writer's purpose in writing this story is ___________
A．to tell an interesting experience
B．to show the easiest way out of a difficulty
C．to describe the trouble facing a newly married woman
D．to explain the difficulty of learning to cook from books
45．Why did the woman's attempt at making the bread turn out to be unsuccessful?
A．The canned orange had gone bad.
B．She didn't use the right kind of flour.
C．The cookbook was hard to understand.
D．She did not follow the directions closely.
46．Why did the woman put the dough in the rubbish bin?
A．She didn't see the use of keeping it
B．She meant to joke with her husband.
C．She didn't want her husband to see it .
D．She hoped it would soon dry in the sun.
47．What made the dough in the rubbish bin make the noise?
A．The rising and falling movement.
B．The strange-looking marks.
C．Its shape.
D．Its size.
48．When Doug went out the third time, the woman looked out of the window because she was ______________.
A．surprised at his being interested in the bin
B．afraid that he would discover her secret
C．unhappy that he didn't enjoy the meal
D．curious to know what disturbed him