At 9:00 Dick Spivak's bank telephoned and said his payment was late. "The check is in the post," Dick replied quickly. At 11:45 Dick left for a 12:00 meeting across town. Arriving late, he explained that traffic (交通) had been bad. That evening, Dick's girlfriend wore a new dress. He hated it. "It looks just great on you," he said.
Three lies in one day! Yet Dick Spivak is just an ordinary man. Each time, he told himself that sometimes the truth causes too many problems. Most of us tell much the same white lies, harmless untruths that help to save trouble. How often do we tell white lies? It depends in part on our age, education, and even where we live. According to one U. S. study, women are more truthful than men, and honesty increases as we get older.
While most people use little white lies to make life easier, the majority of Americans care about honesty in both public and personal life. They say that people today are less honest than they were ten years ago. Although it is believed that things are getting worse, lying seems to be an age-old human problem. The French philosopher (哲学家) Vauvenarges writing in the eighteenth century, touched on the truth when he wrote, "All men are born truthful and die liars (说谎者)."When the writer says "Dick Spivak is just an ordinary man", he means ______.
| A．it is common that people tell white lies |
| B．Dick could do nothing about had traffic |
| C．it is common that people delay their payment |
| D．Dick found it hard to deal with everyday problems |
According to the text, most Americans ______.
| A．hate white lies | B．believe white lies |
| C．value honesty | D．consider others dishonest |
Vauvenarges' remark suggests that ______.
| A．lying is an age-old human problem |
| B．dishonesty increases as people get older |
| C．people were dishonest in the 18th century |
| D．it is social conditions that make people tell lies |
Investors soon will be able to own shares of Facebook stock. The world’s biggest social media network presented documents to the Securities and Exchange Commission on Wednesday. The documents are required before the company can make its initial public offering（首次公开募股）or IPO. A date for the stock sale has yet to be announced.
Experts say Facebook could raise about five billion dollars. That would be one of the biggest IPO sales ever. And it would be much bigger than Google’s first public stock sale in 2004. At that time, the Internet search company raised almost two billion dollars.
Facebook has 800 million users around the world. It is the second most visited website after Google. Now, experts say the social media network is in a position to become one of the most valuable Internet companies.
Stock expert Anupam Palit at Greencrest Capital says that among social media sites, Facebook is in a class by itself.
“It is the biggest company in this space and we believe what makes it very unique from every other company that went public last year in this space is that it is very, very profitable.” said Anupam Palit.
Early estimates place the total value of the social network between 75 and 100 billion dollars. That includes earlier investments by other companies. David Kirkpatrick wrote the book The Facebook Effect. He says Facebook’s IPO will be historic.
The stock sale could also make Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg one of the world’s youngest billionaires. He is only 27.
Investment companies are likely to buy Facebook stock first. But investment manager Jim O’Shaugnessy says that is not so bad. He says the prices of some IPO stocks are too high and fall not long after they first go on sale.
Recently, share prices of some Internet businesses have fallen after their stocks were first offered. For example, stocks of Linkedln, Groupon and Zynga, dropped in price by as much as 25% after going public.
There were similar questions eight years ago when Google first sold stock to the public. Today, Google is one of the world’s most valuable technology companies.Which of the following is true about Google?
| A．Google’s first public stock sale began in 2005. |
| B．Google is the world’s most valuable company. |
| C．Google’s share price rose after its stock was first offered. |
| D．Google raised almost two billion dollars from its first public stock sale. |
According to the passage, we can know Facebook ________.
| A．has 800 million users in the USA | B．has announced the date for its first stock sale |
| C．is the most visited website today | D．is the world’s biggest social media network |
We can infer from the passage that ________.
| A．Facebook stock is being sold very well |
| B．Mark Zuckerberg will get much money from the stock sale |
| C．Mark Zuckerberg was only 27 when Facebook was founded |
| D．investment companies have bought many Facebook shares |
Which would be the best title for this passage?
| A．Facebook and Its IPO | B．The Difference Between Facebook and Google |
| C．The Founder of Facebook | D．A Book Called The Facebook Effect |
Yesterday was my stepmom’s birthday. I hadn’t been home for a long time so I wanted to stop by the house to see her on this special day.
I have been struggling financially so I was afraid of the long trip. Gas is so expensive nowadays! Anyway, I filled my tank with gas and set off.
I stopped at the shopping mall and found a present. It was the perfect gift and I knew she
would love it. But when I got to the cashier my card was declined! I did not have enough money in my account to pay for the gift!
So I pondered the issue for a few minutes. I could put it back and get something cheaper, but I knew there was nothing else in the store she would like as much. So, I got on my smart-phone and transferred some money from my savings account so I was able to pay for the gift. It took a big chunk of my savings but I wanted her to have something special.
She loved the gift and I felt that even though I had spent almost all my money my stepmom deserved the best and I was glad I gave her the best that I could.
Before leaving my parents’ house, my dad took me to one side and, with our secret hand-shake, he gave me some money. I had not said anything to him about my finances but I guess my dad had just known it. When I got to the car, I saw the amount he gave me was three times what I had spent on the gas and the gift!
It goes to show that doing the right thing always comes with great rewards.Why was the writer unwilling to have a long trip？
| A．Because gas was hardly available. | B．Because the writer was short of money. |
| C．Because the writer didn’t like driving. | D．Because the road was difficult to drive on. |
The underlined word “pondered” in Para. 4 means ________.
| A．thought about | B．tried on |
| C．depended on | D．got through |
From the passage, we can infer that ________.
| A．the writer loves his/her stepmom very much |
| B．the gift the writer bought was loved by his/her father very much |
| C．the writer spent all his/her savings buying the gift for his/her stepmom |
| D．the gift the writer bought was the most expensive one in the shop |
Why did the writer’s father shake hands with the writer in secret?
| A．Because he wanted to ask the writer for something special. |
| B．Because he wanted to give the writer some money. |
| C．Because he knew the writer had been struggling financially. |
| D．Because he didn’t want others to copy their handshake. |
The popular college rankings focus primarily on prestige as measured by the SAT scores of incoming students and how many applicants are turned away． An initiative（措施）started last fall by the Obama administration could help families go beyond these limited, and far too easily exploited, indexes to learn quickly and easily how a college is compared with its competitors nationally on important criteria like graduation rates, what a degree actually costs and how much debt a student can expect to run up by graduation day．
If the federal government makes it legally necessary to disclose this information in a clear and consistent（一贯的）way, as it should, families will be better able to make informed college choices． And this will help put pressure on colleges that perform poorly to improve．
Critics may regard this initiative as an example of government overreach． But given that the federal government spends nearly $190 billion a year on higher education aid to students, it has a legitimate interest in making sure that the money flows to the schools that best meet their responsibilities to families and students．
Congress has taken some steps to require greater transparency（透明）from colleges． The 1990 Student Right to Know Act, for example, required colleges and universities that receive federal aid to disclose graduation rates． And the 2008 Higher Education Opportunity Act required schools to offer a way for consumers to determine actual costs after student aid is taken into account．
But many colleges have done a poor job of obeying federal disclosure rules, and much of the available information is not in one place． The administration’s new efforts would enforce reporting requirements and provide some new tools．
President Obama wants to expand campus-based aid to about $10 billion from the current $2．7 billion． He has proposed moving money away from colleges that fail to control tuition increases or provide good value to others that do a better job． That is a worthy idea in principle, but he will need strong data-based evidence to determine how colleges are doing．
The transparency initiatives are a good place to start and should be embraced by both parties in Congress． If students and families, facing higher tuition and rising debt, are to make sound choices, they need more and better information．Why did the Obama administration start the initiative last fall?
| A．To require colleges to make their graduation rates known to the public． |
| B．To help colleges perform better in the future． |
| C．To help parents and students make better choices of colleges． |
| D．To put more pressure on colleges that are not doing well enough． |
Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．Critics agree that the government should require colleges to obey the disclosure rules． |
| B．Congress has approved and made the transparency initiatives a law． |
| C．SAT scores alone do not determine one’s choice of college． |
| D．Students and families find it very difficult to choose their ideal colleges now． |
A most suitable title for the passage could be______．
| A．Congress To Require Greater Transparency |
| B．What College Parents and Students Need to Know |
| C．What a Good College Is Measured By |
| D．Parents and Students Need to Make Wise Choices |
What attitude does the author hold towards the transparency initiative?
| A．supportive | B．critical | C．indifferent | D．not stated |
There seems never to have been a civilization without toys, but when and how they developed is unknown． They probably came about just to give children something to do．
In the ancient world, as is today, most boys played with some kinds of toys and most girls with another． In societies where social roles are rigidly determined, boys pattern their play after the activities of their fathers and girls after the tasks of their mothers． This is true because boys and girls are being prepared, even in play, to step into the roles and responsibilities of the adult world．
What is remarkable about the history of toys is not so much how they changed over the centuries but how much they have remained the same． The changes have been mostly in terms of craftsmanship, mechanics, and technology． It is the universality of toys with regard to their development in all parts of the world and their persistence to the present that is amazing．In Egypt, the Americas, China, Japan and among the Arctic （北极的） peoples, generally the same kinds of toys appeared． Variations depended on local customs and ways of life because toys imitate their surroundings． Nearly every civilization had dolls, little weapons, toy soldiers, tiny animals and vehicles．
Because toys can be generally regarded as a kind of art form, they have not been subject to technological leaps that characterize inventions for adult use． The progress from the wheel to the oxcart to the automobile is a direct line of ascent （进步）． The progress from a rattle used by a baby in 3,000 BC to one used by an infant today, however, is not characterized by inventiveness． Each rattle is the product of the artistic tastes of the times and subject to the limitations of available materials．Which is a major factor leading to the different variations of toys?
| A．Scientific advances and technological progress |
| B．Different local customs and lifestyles of different peoples |
| C．Craftsmanship, mechanics, and technology |
| D．The artistic tastes of the times and the limitations of available materials |
Why do boys and girls play with different kinds of toys?
| A．Because they are intended for different social roles and responsibilities． |
| B．Because boys like to invent and girls imitate． |
| C．Because boys play with their fathers while girls their mothers． |
| D．Because they will take up different jobs when they grow up． |
One amazing aspect about the “universality of toys” is______．
| A．They appeared all over the world almost at the same time in history． |
| B．They have not changed except in craftsmanship, mechanics, and technology． |
| C．Having existed for thousands of years, toys are still found all over the world today． |
| D．They are a kind of art form, which has been promoted by inventiveness． |
The rise of multinational corporations （跨国公司）, global marketing, new communications technologies, and shrinking cultural differences have led to an unparalleled increase in global public relations or PR．
Surprisingly, since modern PR was largely an American invention, America’s relations is being threatened by PR efforts in other countries． Ten years ago, for example, the world’s top five public relations agencies were American-owned． In 1991, only one was． The British in particular are becoming more sophisticated and creative． A recent survey found that more than half of all British companies include PR as part of their corporate （公司的） planning activities, compared to about one-third of U．S． companies． It may not be long before London replaces New York as the capital of PR．
Why is America lagging behind in the global PR race? First, Americans as a whole tend to be fairly provincial and take more of an interest in local affairs． Knowledge of world geography, for example, has never been strong in this country． Secondly, Americans lag behind their European and Asian counterparts （相对应的人） in knowing a second language． Less than 5 percent of Burson—Marshall’s U．S．employees know two languages． Ogilvy and Mather have about the same percentage． Conversely, some European firms have half or more of their employees fluent in a second language． Finally, people involved in PR abroad tend to keep a closer eye on international affairs． In the financial PR area, for instance, most Americans read the Wall Street Journal． Overseas, their counterparts read the Journal as well as the Financial Times of London and The Economist, publications not often read in this country．
Perhaps the PR industry might take a lesson from Ted Turner of CNN （Cable News Network）． Turner recently announced that the word “foreign” would no longer be used on CNN news broadcasts． According to Turner, global communications have made the nations of the world so interdependent that there is no longer any such thing as foreign．Compared with the American PR personnel, what is/are an advantage（s） of the non-Americans involved in PR?
A． They tend to be more internationally minded
B． They speak more and better foreign languages．
C． They usually pay more attention to global financial situation．
D． Both A and B．What is the immediate cause of the downfall of America’s public relations?
| A．The number of US public relations agencies had greatly decreased by 1991． |
| B．Other countries have increased their efforts in public relations． |
| C．On the global scale, cultural differences have significantly shrunk． |
| D．The British companies are becoming especially sophisticated and creative in public relations． |
It could be inferred that the author of the passage is______．
| A．an American | B．a Briton |
| C．Ted Turner | D．an Asian |
The underlined word “provincial” in paragraph 3 could possibly mean “”．
| A．strict in thinking | B．like people from rural areas |
| C．limited in outlook | D．interested in geographical knowledge |