Nowadays women appear to have a positive image of themselves as safer drivers than men.
In a survey done for insurer MetLife, 51% of women said they drive more safely. The evidence is on their side: Men are 3.4 times more likely than women to get a ticket for careless driving and 3.1 times as likely to be punished for drunk driving. “Women are on average less aggressive and more law abiding (守法的) drivers, which leads to fewer accidents,” the report says. However, not all male drivers share the same opinion. Of the men surveyed by MetLife, 39% claimed male drivers were safer. The findings did back them upon one point: automotive knowledge. The report showed that more men are familiar with current safety equipment such as electronic stability control，which helps prevent rollover accidents.
Auto safety unavoidably matters to Money. Insurance companies focus on what classes of drivers have the lowest dollar amounts of claims, and for now, that mainly includes women. In general, women pay about 9% less for auto insurance than men. A study by the website Insweb also showed that auto insurance rates are lower for women in most states. Among individual states, women get the greatest, advantage in Wyoming (where they pay 20% less), South Dakota and Washington, D.C, where their insurance costs are 16% lower.
“More than 11,900 male drivers died in US traffic accidents in 2009，compared with just under 4,900 women drivers” according to the study. “Based on miles traveled, men died at a rate of 2.5 deaths per 100 million miles traveled, vs.1.7 deaths for women.”According to the study，female drivers ________.
| A．are more aggressive while driving |
| B．are more interested in auto knowledge |
| C．are more likely to stick to driving laws |
| D．are more familiar with safety equipment |
Insurance companies focus on female driver clients probably because they________.
| A．cause more accidents on the road |
| B．pay more money to the insurance companies |
| C．take the most part of the insurance clients |
| D．have the lowest amount of money on insurance claims |
We can infer from the passage that________.
| A．men are 3.1 times more likely to get tickets than women |
| B．all women in the USA pay the same for their auto insurance |
| C．more female drivers die every year than male drivers |
| D．women are generally safer drivers than the opposite gender |
The writer mainly develops paragraphs by________.
| A．giving examples |
| B．making comparisons |
| C．drawing a conclusion |
| D．presenting an argument |
From the first use of the rocket to carry satellites into space to the setting up of space stations, human beings have been putting great effort into space research. And so far, we have achieved many successes. But there are still numerous tasks in front of us and we should not stop trying to progress.
The international space station (ISS) is an important step we should take in space exploration. It is not only helpful but also essential. It provides a proper space environment for many experiments that we have wanted to do for a long time. It is also a base for the observations of the earth and the universe. It could also be an important base for later travel to the moon and Mars. In a word, if we want to explore space more, the first thing we should do is to set up a space station.
As the space station costs a lot of money, it is hard for one country alone to establish one. The USA seems to be the only country that has the ability to build a space station alone，and it has tried to do so, but not very successful. So it aggregated many other countries to work on it together. Though it is still extremely expensive, it is much cheaper than doing it alone. It is really a job that needs everyone’s effort and will benefit everyone.
Led by the U.S. and Russia, the ISS is a joint project between six space agencies involving 16 countries. Called the greatest achievement in human cooperation, the ISS has come to the end of a ten-year’s hard work in construction. China has applied for participation in (taking part in) the project many times. Unfortunately all the applications were rejected, which drove China onto the path of independent development. As the Long March Ⅱ-F/T1 carrier rocket blasted off (leave the ground) and successfully carried the Tiangong-1 into space on September 29, 2011, China takes a big step toward its Space Station Era.
Some West media suggested that the successful launch of Tiangong-1 would disturb the balance of global space power, raising concerns (关注) about “China threat”. China’s space project is not designed for military (军事的) purpose but for developing space technology to explore space resources and make use of them for mankind’s well-being.From Paragraph 2 we learn that ________.
| A．the necessity of building the international space station is not realized now |
| B．many experiments have been done in the international space station |
| C．the international space station is necessary for people to explore space more |
| D．people have traveled to Mars from the international space station |
Which of the following is NOT a reason for countries’ cooperation in building the international space station?
| A．That it requires a lot of money. |
| B．That it needs everyone’s effort. |
| C．That it will benefit every participating country. |
| D．That it is too far away from the earth. |
The underlined word “aggregated” in Paragraph 3 can be replaced by “________”．
| A．united | B．scolded | C．allowed | D．forbade |
China wants to build its space station in order to __________.
| A．break the balance of global space power |
| B．show that China can build space station alone |
| C．raise international concerns about “China threat” |
| D．make use of space peacefully for mankind’s well-being |
As you grow older, you’ll be faced with some challenging decisions—like whether to cut class or try cigarettes. Making decisions on your own is hard enough, but when other people get involved and try to pressure you one way or another it can be even harder. People who are your age, like your classmates, are called peers. When they try to influence how you act, to get you to do something, it’s called peer pressure.
Peers can have a positive influence on each other. Maybe another student in your science class taught you an easy way to remember the planets in the solar system. Maybe you got others excited about your new favorite book, and now everyone’s reading it. These are examples of how peers positively influence each other.
Sometimes peers influence each other in negative ways. For example, a few kids in school might try to get you to cut class with them; your soccer friend might try to convince you to be mean to another player and never pass him the ball.
It is tough to be the only one who says “no” to peer pressure, but you can do it. Paying attention to your own feelings and beliefs about what is right and wrong can help you know the right thing to do.
You’ve probably had a parent or teacher advising you to “choose your friends wisely.” Peer pressure is a big reason why they say this. If you choose friends who don’t cut class, smoke cigarettes, or lie to their parents, then you probably won’t do these things either, even if other kids do.
If you continue to face peer pressure and you’re finding it difficult to handle, talk to someone you trust. Don’t feel guilty if you’ve made a mistake or two.For whom is the passage most probably written?
| A．Students. | B．Parents. | C．Teachers. | D．Doctors. |
In the last three paragraphs, the author mainly_____.
| A．explains why friendship is so important |
| B．gives advice on how to deal with peer pressure |
| C．discusses how peers influence us |
| D．shows how to make more good friends |
Which of following may help handle peer pressure?
| A．Spending more time with classmates. |
| B．Taking up more relaxing hobbies. |
| C．Choosing friends with no bad habits. |
| D．Helping others who are in trouble. |
What is the topic of the passage?
| A．Friendship. | B．Making decisions | C．Self-confidence | D．Peer pressure |
阅读下面短文并回答问题，然后将答案写到相应的位置上（请注意问题后的词数要求）。
JAY Chou, S.H.E. and Happy Boys? They are some of the singers who keep your music world busy. But__________ Peking Opera? Is it only the favorite pastime of your grandfather?
Now, you have the chance to get to know the real beauty of this traditional art. This term, a Peking Opera project is starting in 200 schools in 10 provinces and municipalities (直辖市). It will involve 15 works of Peking Opera both classic and modern.
So how much do you know about this 200-yare-old art? Peking Opera combines instrumental music, singing, dancing, acting and acrobatics(杂技). Full of Chinese cultural elements. Peking Opera presents to the audience an encyclopedia(百科全书)of Chinese culture with unfolding stories, beautiful paintings, wonderful consumes and graceful gestures.
The art form has created many “firsts” in Chinese dramas: the abundance of repertoires (曲目), the number of artists and opera troupes and audience. So it is called the national opera of China.
There are five main roles in Peking Opera: sheng, dan, jing, mo and chou. Sheng is
The leading male actor. Dan is the female roles. Jing refers to male roles with colored face paintings who represent warriors (战士), heroes, statesmen, adventurers and demons(魔鬼). Mo is a minor male role. Chou is a male comic character with a white patch on the nose. They play roles of wit and humor. It is these characters that keep the audience laughing to ease tension in some serious plays.What is the best title of the passage? (no more than 10 words)
Complete the following statement with proper words. (no more than 4 words)
Is it only the thing that your grandfather like best to?Please fill in the blank with proper words or phrases to complete the sentence.(no more than 10 words)
What’s your opinion about the Peking Opera project started in schools?
(no more than 30 words)What does “it” refer to? (no more than 3 words)
Do you want to live with a strong sense of peacefulness, happiness, goodness, and self-respect? The collection of happiness actions broadly categorized as “honor” help you create this life of good feelings.
Here’s an example to show how honorably actions create happiness.
Say a store clerk fails to charge us for an item. If we keep silent, and profit from the clerk’s mistake, we would drive home with a sense of sneaky excitement. Later we might tell our family or friends about our good fortune. One the other hand, if we tell the clerk about the uncharged item, the clerk would be grateful and thank us for our honesty. We would leave the store with a quiet sense of honor that we might never share with another soul.
Then, what is it to do with our sense of happiness?
In the first case, where we don’t tell the clerk, a couple of things would happen. Deep down inside we would know ourselves as a type of thief. In the process, we would lose some peace of mind and self-respect. We would also demonstrate that we cannot be trusted, since we advertise our dishonor by telling our family and friends. We damage our own reputations by telling others. In contrast, bringing the error to the clerk’s attention causes different things to happen. Immediately the clerk knows us to be honorable. Upon leaving the store, we feel honorable and our self-respect is increased. Whenever we take honorable action we gain the deep internal rewards of goodness and a sense of nobility.
There is a beautiful positive cycle that is created by living a life of honorable actions. Honorable thoughts lead to honorable actions. Honorable actions lead us to a happier existence. And it’s easy to think and act honorably again when we’re happy. While the positive cycle can be difficult to start, once it’s started, it’s easy to continue. Keeping on doing good deeds brings us peace of mind, which is important for our happiness.According to the passage, the positive action in the example contributes to our__________.
| A．self-respect | B．financial rewards |
| C．advertising ability | D．friendly relationship |
The author thinks that keeping silent about the uncharged item is equal to __________.
| A．lying | B．stealing | C．cheating | D．advertising |
The phrase “bringing the error to the clerk’s attention” (in para. 5)means_________.
| A．telling the truth to the clerk |
| B．offering advice to the clerk |
| C．asking the clerk to be more attentive |
| D．reminding the clerk of the charged item |
How will we feel if we let the clerk know her mistake?
| A．We’ll be very excited |
| B．We’ll feel unfortunate |
| C．We’ll have a sense of honor |
| D．We’ll feel sorry for the clerk |
Which of the following can be the best title of this passage?
| A．How to Live Truthfully |
| B．Importance of Peacefulness |
| C．Ways of Gaining Self-respect |
| D．Happiness through Honorable Actions |
In the more and more competitive service industry, it is no longer enough to promise customer satisfaction. Today, customer “delight” is what companies are trying to achieve in order to keep and increase market share.
It is accepted in the marketing industry, and confirmed by a number of researches, that customers receiving good service will promote business by telling up to 12 other people; those treated badly will tell their tales of woe to up to 20 people. Interestingly, 80 percent of people who feel their complaints are handled fairly will stay loyal.
New challenges for customer care have come when people can obtain goods and services through telephone call centers and the Internet. For example, many companies now have to invest(投资)a lot of money in information technology and staff training in order to cope with the “phone rage”—caused by delays in answering calls, being cut off in mid-conversation or let waiting for long periods.
“Many people do not like talking to machines,” says Dr. Storey, Senior Lecturer in Marketing at City University Business School. “Banks, for example, encourage staff at call centers to use customer data to establish instant and good relationship with them. The aim is to make the customer feel they know you and that you can trust them —the sort of comfortable feelings people have during face-to-face chats with their local branch manager.”
Recommended ways of creating customer delight include: under-promising and over-delivering (saying that a repair will be carried out within five hours, but getting it done within two); replacing a faulty product immediately; throwing in a gift voucher(购物礼券)as an unexpected “thank you” to regular customers; and always returning calls, even when they are complaints.
Aiming for customer delight is all very well, but if services do not reach the high level promised, disappointment or worse will be the result. This can be eased by offering an apology and an explanation of why the service did not meet usual standards with empathy (for example, “I know how you must feel”), and possible solutions (replacement, compensation or whatever fairness suggests best meets the case).
Airlines face some of the toughest challenges over customer care. Fierce competition has convinced them that delighting passengers in an important marketing tool, while there is great potential for customer anger over delays caused by weather, unclaimed luggage and technical problems.
For British Airways staff, a winning telephone style is considered vital in handling the large volume of calls about booking and flight times. They are trained to answer quickly, with their name, job title and a “we are here to help” attitude. The company has invested heavily in information technology to make sure that information is available instantly on screen.
British Airways also says its customer care policies are applied within the company and staff are taught to regard each other as customers requiring the highest standards of service.
Customer care is obviously here to stay and it would be a foolish company that used slogans such as “we do as we please.” On the other hand, the more customers are promised, the greater the risk of disappointment.We can learn from Paragraph 2 that__________.
| A．complaining customers are hard to satisfy |
| B．unsatisfied customers receive better service |
| C．satisfied customers catch more attention |
| D．well-treated customers promote business |
The writer mentions “phone rage” (Paragraph 3)to show that__________.
| A．customers often use phones to express their anger |
| B．people still prefer to buy goods online |
| C．customer care becomes more demanding |
| D．customers rely on their phones to obtain services |
What does the writer recommend to create customer delight?
| A．Calling customers regularly |
| B．Giving a “thank you” note |
| C．Delivering a quicker service |
| D．Promising more gifts |
If a manager should show his empathy (Paragraph 6), what would he probably say?
| A．“I know how upset you must be.” |
| B．“I appreciate your understanding.” |
| C．“I’m sorry for the delay.” |
| D．“I know it’s our fault.” |
Customer delight is important for airlines because__________.
| A．their telephone style remains unchanged |
| B．they are more likely to meet with complaints |
| C．the services cost them a lot of money |
| D．the policies can be applied to their staff |
Which of the following is conveyed in this article?
| A．Face-to-face service creates comfortable feelings among customers |
| B．Companies that promise more will naturally attract more customers |
| C．A company should promise less but do more in a competitive market |
| D．Customer delight is more important for airlines than for banks |