From bankers to factory staff, employees in the West face a cold prospect of losing their jobs as a global recession(衰退) starts to bite. For colleagues in the East, the pain is more likely to come through a pay cut.
Human resource experts say cultural differences explain why Asian companies try harder to preserve jobs in difficult times, which will prevent unemployment and may help Asian economies survive at a time of slowing exports. The East Asian attitude may also make it easier for companies to recover quickly from the economic downturn since they will not need to rehire or train new staff, but build up a more loyal and devoted group.
"In the Confucian mindset(儒家思想), the right thing to do is to share the burden（负担）, which is the sense of collective responsibility. While in the West, it's more about individual survival," said Michael Benoliel, associate professor of organizational behavior at Singapore Management University (SMU).
In contrast, local Western companies from General Motors to Goldman Sachs plan to lay off workers by the thousands, but at the Asian units of Western multinationals or western units of Asian groups, job cuts will probably be less severe.
Japan's jobless rate was 4 percent in September, up from 3.8 percent in January, while Hong Kong's was flat at 3.4 percent. But US unemployment is expected to have jumped to 6.3 percent last month from below 5 percent in January.
Experts say that while there are noticeable differences in labor practices in East and West, the gap will narrow as more firms become more multinational and competition forces firms to adopt the best practices of rivals(对手) from abroad.The underlined word "prospect" in the first paragraph most probably means _________.
| A．future | B．scene |
| C．weather | D．place |
Compared with job cuts, pay cuts can bring the following benefits EXCEPT that _________.
| A．it's helpful to the economy recovery |
| B．it can form a team working harder and more loyally |
| C．it will keep the experienced and skilled workers |
| D．it costs the company less money to survive |
According to Michael Benoliel, the Confucian mindset focuses on _________.
| A．human rights |
| B．personal profits |
| C．sharing responsibility |
| D．individual survival |
The passage mainly tells us ________.
| A．the difficulties all the companies around the world will meet with today |
| B．the different labor solutions of Asian and Western in global recession |
| C．the ways to cut down the cost of the companies in economic downturn |
| D．the cultural differences between Eastern and Western world at present |
Some people believe that international sport creates goodwill between the nations and that if countries play games together, they will learn to live together. Others say that the opposite is true: international competitions encourage false national pride and lead to misunderstanding and hatred．There is probably some truth in both arguments, but in recent years the Olympic Games have done little to support the view that sport encourages international brotherhood．Not only was there the tragic incident including the murder of athletes, but the Games were also ruined by incidents caused mainly by smaller national contests.
One country received its second-place medals with visible anger after the hockey final. There had been noisy scenes at the end of the hockey match, the losers objecting to the final decisions. They were sure that one of their goals should not have been disallowed and that their opponents’ victory was unfair. Their manager was in great anger when he said, “This wasn’t hockey. Hockey and the International Hockey Federation are finished.” The president of the Federation said later that such behavior could result in the suspension（停赛）of the team for at least three years.
Incidents of this kind will continue as long as sport is played competitively rather than for the love of the game. The suggestion that athletes should compete as individuals, or in non-national teams, might be too much to hope for. But in the present organization of the Olympics there is far too much that encourages aggressive patriotism（爱国主义）.According to the author, recently the Olympic Games have ______.
| A．created goodwill between the nations |
| B．brought about only false national pride |
| C．hardly showed any international friendship |
| D．put an end to misunderstanding and hatred |
The underlined word “disallowed” (in Paragraph 2) means “______”.
| A．permitted to pass |
| B．considered as reasonable |
| C．won by the other side |
| D．refused to accept |
What did the manager mean by saying, “Hockey and the International Hockey Federation are finished"?
| A．His team would no longer take part in international games. |
| B．Hockey and the Federation are both ruined by the unfair decisions. |
| C．There should be no more Hockey matches organized by the Federation. |
| D．The Federation should break up. |
The author gives the example in paragraph 2 to show ______.
| A．how false national pride led to undesirable incidents in international games |
| B．that sportsmen are often against the final decisions |
| C．that competitiveness in the games discourages international friendship |
| D．that unfair decisions are common in the Olympic Games |
What conclusion can be drawn from the passage?
| A．The organization of the Olympic Games must be improved. |
| B．Athletes should compete as individuals in the Olympic Games. |
| C．A game should be played competitively rather than for the love of the game. |
| D．More and more athletes will compete for their own honor. |
After commuting, cooking dinner and doing household chores, the average parent has just 30 minutes to devote to their children in the evenings, according to a new study. One in four working parents worry that half an hour simply isn’t enough, while almost half fret（担心）that they aren’t a good enough parent during the week.
However, parenting experts believe just 12 minutes a day may be enough for mothers and fathers to fully reconnect with their child — as long as they ask the right questions. Child psychologist Dr Claire Halsey said asking a series of open-ended questions can help improve parents’ relationship with their children.
Among the questions recommended in the research are: “How many times have you smiled today — what made you laugh?”; “Can you act out what you did at breaktime?”; “Who is taller — mummy or your teacher?” and “What are the names of the toys you played with today?” Parents of older children are advised to start up a conversation with: “I’ve got a great story for you but I want one in return… you first!” or “Tell me some school gossip … I’m all ears!”
Dr Halsey, working with the makers of Ribena Plus, who commissioned（委任）the research, said: “There is no one as tough on their own parenting skills as a parent — but this study shows there is no need for parents to be so harsh. It’s hard for working parents to juggle（尽量兼顾）all their responsibilities and it can feel like guilt is simply a parent’s lot — but it’s absolutely not. By using clever tactics（策略）such as a little preparation alongside use of open-ended questions — such as ‘Tell me what the best bit about your day was?’ — parents can reduce the time worrying about chores and work and spend more time learning about their children’s day.”The underlined word reconnect in Paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to ________.
| A．discuss | B． communicate |
| C． understand | D． combine |
According to Paragraph 1, almost half of the working parents ________.
| A．can spare only about half an hour to be with their kids every day |
| B．spend their daytime commuting, cooking dinner and doing household chores |
| C．worry that half an hour’s stay with their kids is far from enough |
| D．fear that they aren’t a good enough parent during the week |
What does the underlined sentence in Paragraph 3 mean?
| A．I will be glad to listen. |
| B．I will be very interested. |
| C．I will listen carefully. |
| D．I will call your teacher at school. |
Which of the following open-ended questions is for a three-year-old child?
| A．Where are you off to with your friends this weekend? |
| B．Who played the best in your football match today? |
| C．What science project are you doing at the moment and can I help with it? |
| D．What are the names of the toys you played with today? |
What does Dr Halsey intend to tell us in this passage?
| A．It is not necessary for parents to spend too much time with their children. |
| B．It is natural that working parents do not afford more time to reconnect with kids. |
| C．It is important that working parents learn more parenting skills. |
| D．It is clever that parents ask their kids questions instead of doing chores. |
Having finished her homework, Ma Li wants some music for relaxation. As usual, she starts
her computer and goes to Baidu.com to download music files. But this time she is surprised when an announcement about protecting songs' copyright bursts onto the screen. The age of free music and movie downloads may have come to an end as Web companies like Baidu are accused（控告）of pirating（盗用）copyright. Lawsuits（诉讼）have been filed against four websites offering free downloads. In September 2005, a Beijing court ordered Baidu to pay recording company Shanghai Push compensation for their losses. Baidu was also told to block the links to the pirated music on the website. This caused a heated discussion on Internet file sharing.
"Baidu's defeat in the lawsuit shows it is not right to get copyrighted songs without paying. Downloaders may face lawsuits or fines," said an official.
Like many teens, Huang Ruoru, an 18-year-old girl from Puning in Guangdong Province, doesn't think that getting music from websites is wrong. She always shares her favourite songs downloaded from Baidu with her friends. When told about the lawsuit, she began to feel a little guilty about getting others' work without paying.
However, other teenagers have different ideas. Wang Yafei, a Senior 2 girl from Jinan, Shandong Province pointed out that file sharing is a good way to promote pop singers. "If I download a song and really like it, I will buy the CD," she said. "So what the recording companies really should concentrate on is improving their music, rather than pursuing（追究）file-sharers."Which of the following is the main idea of the passage?
| A．Music on the Internet is of better quality. |
| B．Downloading material can be illegal. |
| C．It's good to get free music on the Internet. |
| D．Baidu is a popular web company. |
The four web companies were put to court because _________.
| A．they got copyrighted songs without paying |
| B．they downloaded copyrighted music for people |
| C．they make copyrighted files for free downloads |
| D．they offer free music on line |
How do some of the teenagers feel while downloading free music after thelawsuit?
| A．A bit guilty. | B．A little sad. |
| C．Extremely angry. | D．Awfully sorry. |
What's the advantage of file sharing for recording companies?
| A．Getting more money from web companies. |
| B．Enabling people to download favorite songs. |
| C．Helping to improve the music. |
| D．Making pop singers more popular. |
It can be inferred from the text that _________.
| A．Web companies are still ignoring the copyright laws. |
| B．Teenagers haven't got money to buy CDs. |
| C．Teenagers are probably still downloading free music. |
| D．Teenagers prefer CDs with copyright to pirated music. |
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的A、B、C和D项中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
Dear God,
Now that I am no longer young, I have friends whose mothers have passed away. I have heard these sons and daughters say they never fully appreciated their mothers until it was too late to tell them.
I am blessed with the dear mother who is still alive. I appreciate her more each day. My mother does not change, but I do. As I grow older and wiser, I realize what an extraordinary person she is. How sad that I am unable to speak these words in her presence, but they flow easily from my pen.
How does a daughter begin to thank her mother for life itself? For the love, patience and just plain hard work that go into raising a child? For running after a toddler, for understanding a moody teenager, for tolerating a college student who knows everything? For waiting for the day when a daughter realizes how wise her mother really is?
How does a grown woman thank a mother for continuing to be a mother? For being ready with advice (when asked) or remaining silent when it is most appreciated? For not saying, “I told you so”, when she could have said these words dozens of times? For being essentially herself -- loving, thoughtful, patient, and forgiving?
I don't know how, dear God, except to bless her as richly as she deserves and to help me live up to the example she has set. I pray that I will look as good in the eyes of my children as my mother looks in mine.
A daughterAccording to the passage, the writer’s friends ________ before their mothers died.
| A．could tell them their appreciation |
| B．never completely said “thank you” to their mothers |
| C．lived to their mother |
| D．were very thankful |
What does the writer think of her mother?
| A．Changing. |
| B．Happy. |
| C．Loving, thoughtful, and forgiving. |
| D．Outstanding. |
Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?
| A．She has said “thank you” to her mother dozens of times. |
| B．The writer’s mother is still alive. |
| C．The writer has been a mother. |
| D．She wishes God to bless her mother. |
The underlined expression “flow easily from my pen” means ________.
| A．express easily in words |
| B．move out of her pen easily |
| C．write out without any difficulty in ink |
| D．speak the words as soon as possible |
Why does the daughter write the letter?
| A．She feels sorry to her mother. |
| B．She wants to tell God how much she loves her mother. |
| C．She expects God to retell her appreciation to her mother. |
| D．She wants to pray for her mother. |
Born in 1952, Park Geun-hye, who was born in 1952, made history in South Korea, when she became the first female president of the country.
Park is really a determined, persistent and powerful lady. It’s believed that she may have inherited（继承）such qualities from her father, the late president Park Chung-hee. Such determination and persistence will play an important part if she is to solve the country’s series of challenges at home and abroad.
In South Korea, what challenges her most is to perform what she has promised her people, But slow economic growth in the country may discourage such big reforms as social welfare expansion, more jobs for the young, and reducing the power of the strong family-run companies. Actually Park has found herself under great pressure to slow down a health-care project for lack of enough money.
But after all, Park is no doubt a great barrier sweeper. When she was studying in France, her mother was shot dead by a Korean-Japanese killer aiming for her father. Pushed to act the role of the first lady at age 22, she quickly learned how to greet foreign high officials properly and conduct affairs of the state. Unexpectedly, her father was shot dead just five years later. In the following years, Park disappeared from public view, and returned back in 1998 as a candidate for Parliament（国会）. In 2006, an angry voter knifed her in the face during an election campaign. In spite of such great hardship, Park has led her Party to win a number of election victories, including the recent one in December, when she defeated her competitor Moon and became president of the country. Park, an unmarried powerful woman, who often claims that she has married the country, will continue to build a reputation as a tough-minded politician in the world. 
Which statement about Park is TRUE?
| A．Park disappeared from the public after her mother’s death. |
| B．Park’s greatest dream is to speed up the health-care project. |
| C．Park promised to stop the power of state-run business firms. |
| D．Park is similar to her father in her character such as persistence. |
Park Geun-hye was only ______when Park Chung-hee was killed.
| A．54 | B．46 | C．27 | D．22 |
The author’ s main purpose of the last paragraph is to tell the readers that______.
| A．Park is good at politics because she remains single |
| B．Park won many elections because of her reputation. |
| C．Park was knifed in the face by her competitor Moon. |
| D．Park hardly gives in to tough situation and difficulties. |
What can best describe the author’s attitude towards Park Geun-hye?
| A．The author admires and respects her. |
| B．The author disagrees with her policies. |
| C．The author advises her to get married. |
| D．The author worries about her reputation |