“Do you like doing things for people?” I asked a friend.
“Yes, most of the time,” she replied.
“Most of the time?”
“Well, I love to do things that are unexpected. I like to do little things most people wouldn't think about doing,” she said.
“But why did you say most of the time?”
“Well, sometimes after doing those little things people take advantage of you. I mean, they expect you to do it again. They ask you to do it. That’s when I don’t like it.”
It was odd that I had this conversation. This just happened to me. I love to do little things. I will pay for a meal card for the people in the office every time we have a meeting there. Not a big thing. It’s a little thing. $5.30 will pay for almost five lunches. Hey, big spender!
I also bought a bag of animal crackers for a friend at work. She was having a tough day and not very happy at all. I drove down to the Wal-Mart and picked up a huge bag for under $2.00. Her smile was worth it.
But one week she said, “Bob, we ran out of crackers. We love them so much.” I didn't want to do it. I smiled and she persisted. I finally admitted, “It’s different when I do it because I want to, but now you are trying to make me go to get them. It’s not the same.” But I bought it for her.
Unfortunately, a big fire in my family took away all the possessions we had. I didn’t know what to do and how to do it. What happened to me then surprised me most. I once had my bike repaired, but the repairman said “no charge” on hearing my sufferings. A stranger called James Kennedy read some pieces I’d written about our sufferings for Slate, the online magazine, and wanted to give us a new house across the lake from New Orleans. I refused but I felt moved. Another poet at the University of Florida also wanted to let his house to me free of charge while he was on holiday. My mates gave us more money for us to rebuild my home. When you do something kind for others, do you always get rewarded? Yes, but not in the way you might expect.What’s the main purpose of the first paragraph?
| A．To tell the background of the story. |
| B．To attract the attention of the readers. |
| C．To get the readers to know main idea directly. |
| D．To explain the reasons why he wrote the passage. |
What do we know about James Kennedy?
| A．He was a writer of an online magazine. |
| B．He was also a poet at the University of Florida. |
| C．He offered the author a new house free of charge. |
| D．He learned about the author’s sufferings online. |
What can we learn from the passage?
| A．Misfortune of blessing on happiness. |
| B．Never too late to learn. |
| C．Helping others means helping yourself. |
| D．Many hands make the work lighter. |
Things similar continuously happened in Haiti and Chile．Thousands of people were
buried in the earthquake and lost their fives．What if we could have warned them? People are always trying hard to find a way of pr
eventing building collapsing(坍塌)．Better materials and technology help，but are not a solution．Just like humans，a building has its own life circle from “birth” to “death”．If we know when a building is going to collapse，we can repair it in advance or get out before it falls．
Now, scientists at the University of Illinois have developed a material that turns red before it breaks．The invention could be used in things like climbing ropes，or bridge supports．The secret behind the color-changing material is a type of molecule(分子)．A molecule is a group of atoms held together by chemical bonds(化学键)．Imagine you and your friends standing in a circle，holding hands．Each person stands for one atom，your hands represent the bonds，and the entire circle represents a molecule．If one person lets go of his or her hands，the molecule changes color．The research team put the molecule into a soft material．When the researchers stretched(拉长) the material：it turned bright red a few seconds before it broke into two pieces．
When they repeatedly stretched and relaxed the material，without breaking it，it only turned a little red．
The major problem is，light can get rid of the red color．When the team shone a bright light on the molecule，the broken bond was fixed，and the color disappeared．If bright fight keeps the red color from appearing，the material’s warning system will be useless．Scientists still have a lot of work to do before the color-changing molecule can be used outside the lab． The passage mainly about
| A．a way of preventing building from breaking down |
| B．a series of earthquakes in Haiti and Chile |
| C．a way of warning before buildings collapse |
| D．a newly-discovered structure of a molecule |
According to the passage，we can conclude that
| A．there are problems to solve before putting the new material to use |
| B．scientists have found the life circle of buildings from “birth” to “death” |
| C．bright fight makes the red color visible to human eyes |
| D．the new material is unlikely to be used in building bridges |
The color-changing molecule can
| A．make building materials much stronger |
| B．help building materials get stretched if necessary |
| C．prevent the earthquake from killing people |
| D．remind people to leave buildings before they fall |
The warning system is based on the fact that
| A．red color won’t show up when it meets bright fight |
| B．a material with a certain type of molecule Can turn red when stretched etched |
| C．a building has its own life circle of “birth” to “death” |
| D．the broken bond will fix itself when a molecule meets bright fight |
BEIJING — The rescue operations at a coal mine accident have ended with 105 miners dead．The State Council has organized an investigation team to probe (调查) into what caused the disaster in the city of Linfen, North China’s Shanxi Province．Preliminary investigations show the illegal mining of an unauthorized seam, and the number of miners who had been sent down the shaft far exceeded its capacity．
This mine was found to have long disregarded the rules to steal state coal, and did not have a list of miners employed to check the number of miners missing after the accident．
How did such a coal mine get all the necessary licenses for production? How did it pass the three safety inspections the local government organized last month?
In response to this disaster, the Shanxi governor promised to set up hotlines for people to report illegal coal mines and rewards as high as 100,000 yuan for tip-offs．
We appreciate the action this governor has taken to solving the coal mining problems, and we believe that the reporting scheme will help to stop the existence of illegal coal mines．
But at the same time we have reason to question how governments at various levels supervise these mines．
The sad fact that such a mine with serious safety problems could pass three consecutive local government safety inspections in a month is enough to tell us how ineffective the safety inspections were．
What if these inspections were just a formality? What if the inspectors were bribed by the mine owners to turn a blind eye to the safety dangers? We can well imagine what would happen if reports about mine problems were handled by such officials．
So a thorough probe must find out who are responsible for the death of so many miners．A real safety inspection and management system must be established to guarantee that safety dangers will be removed．What is NOT one of the causes of this coal mine accident?
| A．The workers didn’t operate properly． |
| B．The mine didn’t obey the rules to mine for coal． |
| C．A lot more miners than allowed were working under the mine． |
| D．The safety inspections were ineffective． |
According to the writer, who should be further investigated?
| A．Mine owners and miners． |
| B．Miners’ families and mine staff． |
| C．Government officials and safety inspectors． |
| D．The Shanxi governor and miners． |
What can we infer from the passage?
| A．More than 105 miners died in the disaster． |
| B．Some other coal mines like this one exist in Shanxi province． |
| C．Safety inspectors just turned a blind eye to hidden dangers． |
| D．The three inspections were only a formality． |
What does the underlined word “tip-offs” probably mean in Paragraph 4?
| A．Some warnings． |
| B．Some money for one’s service． |
| C．Some secret information． |
| D．Some pieces of advice． |
Fifteen years ago, I entered the Boston Globe, which was a temple to me then . It wasn’t easy getting hired. I had to fight my way in to a dime-a-word job. But once you were there, I found , you were in .
Globe jobs were for life-guaranteed until retirement. For 15 years I had prospered there—moving from an ordinary reporter to foreign correspondent and finally to senior editor. I 
would have a lifetime of security if I struck with it.
Instead, I had made a decision to leave.
I entered my boss’s office. Would he rage? I wondered. He had a famous temper. “Matt, we have to have a talk, ” I began awkwardly. “I came to the Globe when I was twenty —four. Now I’m forty . There’s a lot I want to do in life. I’m resigning. ”
“To another paper? ” he asked.
I reached into my coat pocket, but didn’t say anything, not trusting myself just then.
I handed him a letter that explain everything. It said that I was leaving to start a new media company. That the Globe had taught me in a thousand ways. That we were at a rare turning point in history, I wanted to be directly engaged in the change.
“I am glad for you , ” he said , quite out of my expectation. “ I just came from a board of directors meeting and it was seventy-five percent discouraging news. Some of that we can do deal with. But much of it we can’t ,” he went on. “I wish you all the luck in the world, ”be concluded. “And if it doesn’t work out , remember ,your star is always high here.”
Then I went out of his office, walking through the newsroom for more good-byes. Everybody was saying congratulations. Everybody—even though I’d be risking all on an unfamiliar venture : all 
the financial security I had carefully built up.
Later, I had a final talk with Bill Taylor, chairman and publisher of the Boston Globe. He had turned the Globe into a billion-dollar property.
I’m resigning, Bill, ” I said. He listened while I gave him the story. He wasn’t looking angry of dismayed either. After a pause, he said, “Golly, I wish I were in your shoes.” From the passage we know that the Globe is a famous .
| A．newspaper | B．magazine | C．temple | D．church |
If the writer stayed with the globe, .
| A．he would be able to realize his lifetime dreams |
| B．he would let his long favourite dreams fade away |
| C．he would never have to worry about his future life |
| D．he would never be allowed to develop his ambitions |
The writer wanted to resign because.
| A．he had serious trouble with his boss |
| B．he got underpaid at his job for the Globe |
C．he wanted to work in the new media industry |
| D．he had found a better paid job in a publishing house |
By “I wish I were in your shoes. ”(in the last paragraph), Bill Taylor meant that.
| A．the writer was to fail | B．the writer was stupid |
| C．he would do the same if possible | D．he would reject the writer’s request |
China is the biggest market in the world, and many countries such as Germany, the USA, the UK and Russia do a lot of business in China. Let’s have a look at some important tips to help you be successful when dealing with these nationalities,
First, you must be punctual(准时的) with Germans. Even 5 minutes late makes a bad impression. Being punctual is also very important in the USA. In the UK, it’s important to be punctual for business meetings, but nobody expects you to be on time for a social event. Half past seven really means a quarter to eight, or even eight o’clock! With Russians, you should always be on time, though it is not unusual for them to be one or even two hours late!
It is best to dress formally and wear dark colours when you meet people from all the four countries. In Russia, designer clothes are very common.. Don’t be surprised if you go to an office in the UK on a Friday and find everyone wearing jeans. Many companies have "dress down Friday", when people wear casual (随便的) clothes.
In Germany, first names are only used by family members and close friends, so be prepared to use titles and last names. In the USA you will usually be invited to use first names almost immediately. The British are quite informal and using first names in business is more and more common, especially among younger people. In Russia, however, nobody uses first names, so use titles and last names.
In conversation, the British and the Americans value humour, and both like to talk about sport. The weather is also a good topic of conversation with the British and the Americans, but avoid talking about politics. In Russia, say positive (积极的)things about their country, but avoid making complaints（抱怨）. The Germans, however, prefer to get straight down to business!
So, use these tips, and you will be on your way to a successful international business career!Which color should you NOT wear when meeting a person from the USA?
| A．Dark blue. | B．Gray. | C．Black. | D．White. |
All of the following statements are true EXCEPT ________.
| A．you can say something funny when you talk to an American |
| B．you can use his first name when you talk to an Englishman |
| C．you must be on time when you meet people from each of the four countries |
| D．people wear whatever they like on Friday in some companies in the UK |
When you talk to a Russian, you can ________.
| A．complain about something |
| B．say something negative about his country |
| C．say something good about his country |
D． point out some disadvantages in politics |
The tips in this passage are probably given to people from ______.
| A．China | B．the USA | C．Germany | D．the UK |
If you don’t use a dictionary. What should you do instead? The first thing you can do is trying to guess what the word means. Often the surrounding context gives a very clear idea of the meaning of the word. Even if you can’t work out the meaning exactly, you may be able to get a vague idea, enough to enable you to continue reading.
Sometimes It is impossible to guess the meaning of a word from the context and then you will have to decide whether the word is important enough to make it worthwhile stopping and looking it up in a dictionary or whether you can just pass it by.
Many times in your reading, you will come across words which you don’t know, but which do not prevent you from understanding all the main points of the text. You can made your dictionary use much more efficient if you only look up the words which are necessary to understand the text. and this means that you must develop the skill to decide whether the words are worth looking up.The passage mainly tells us in our reading what we would do.
| A．without knowledge of English |
| B．when we look up words in a dictionary |
| C．when we are guessing new words |
| D．without using a dictionary |
What does the underlined word“vague”mean?
| A．Mysterious. | B．Not clear. | C．Exact. | D．Important. |
In our reading some words we don’t know.
| A．help us to understand the text well |
| B．don’t prevent us from understanding the main points of the text |
| C．will be remembered forever |
| D．are borrowed from other languages |
In this passage the writer
| A．advised us to use the dictionary as much as possible |
| B．told us not to be discouraged by the sight of a dictionary |
| C．gave us some advice on how to deal with these unknown words |
| D．introduced some ways to take notes in the course of reading |