If you see a group of people dancing and singing on the street or in the railway station, you don't need to feel surprised．They are a flash mob （快闪族）, which is a group of people who come together suddenly in a public place, do something unusual for a brief period of time, and then quickly break up．They are usually organized with the help of the Internet or other digital communication network．At a predetermined time, they gather and perform some distractions（消遣） such as waving their hands and exchanging books, Then, they quickly break up before the police can arrive．Using mobile phones, the flash mob can change its location if the first one has been replaced for any reason．
Bill Lasik, senior editor of Harper’s Magazine, organized the first flash mob in Manhattan in May 2003 and the first successful flash mob came together on June 3, 2003 - after the first attempt was foiled at Macy's department store．Lasik claimed that the activity was designed to make fun of hipsters （起时髦的人）, and call attention to the cultural atmosphere．
Flash mob gatherings can sometimes shock people．Such an activity might seem amusing and untrue, but it also might frighten people who are not aware of what is taking place．Undoubtedly, flash mobs can serve as good political tools in any direction．They also have great economic potential, such as using flash mobs to advertise a product．
The flash mob is now becoming more and more popular．People use it to do many things．For example, in 2009, Michael Jackson's fans took part in a flash mob to remember him．Hundreds of his fans gathered singing and dancing Michael's famous song "Beat It" together．Flash mobs give people from all walks of life an opportunity to come together to create a memory．The undefined word "foiled" in Paragraph 2 can be replaced by .
| A．forgotten | B．prevented |
| C．announced | D．confirmed |
What can you learn about the flash mob from the passage?
| A．The flash mob usually breaks up quickly for lacking enough time. |
| B．Once the place for the activity is determined, it can't be changed. |
| C．The flash mob can be made use of in many fields just for fun. |
| D．It gives people the chance to come together to do something unusual. |
The main purpose of the passage is ______
| A．to entertain | B．to encourage |
| C．to inform | D．to persuade |
The writer's attitude towards the flash mob is
| A．negative | B．favorable |
| C．objective | D．doubtful |
Do you often play with your pet dog or cat? Do you like touching wild animals such as squirrels? They are cute. But be careful. If they bite you, you may get a terrible disease——rabies.
Believe it or not, in the last five months, rabies killed more people in China than any other disease. 2,254 people got rabies in the first nine months of this year. In September, 318 people died of rabies. That is 37 per cent more than last September.
Animals like dogs, cats, squirrels and bats can have rabies. If they bite or scratch（抓）someone, rabies could infect（感染）the person’s nervous system（神经系统）. The person could even die. It’s important to get the right treatment as soon as possible.
Every year, more than 50,000 people around the world die of rabies. Most of them are from developing countries. India has the most deaths. China is second.Rabies is the name of _____.
| A．a book | B．a man | C．a dog | D．a disease |
Paragraphs two and three _____.
| A．teach people how to deal with rabies. |
| B．explain the situation in China. |
| C．order people not to keep pets. |
| D．show what rabies is really like. |
Which of the following animals might NOT have rabies?
| A．Squirrels. | B．Ducks. | C．Cats. | D．Bats. |
The Chinese for the underlined word “treatment” probably is _____.
| A．医生 | B．请客 | C．治疗 | D．待遇 |
What the best title for the passage?
| A．Don’t keep pets | B．How to keep pets |
| C．Watch out for rabies | D．Pets with rabies |
Does this sound familiar? It’s 3:00 am and you’re still awake and staring at the clock. You can’t sleep , and you’ve already tried all the familiar tricks – taken a warm bath , drunk a glass of heated milk ,tried counting sheep, and read a book –all with no success. If you are such a sufferer, remember you’re not alone. Experts said that one in every four Americans have trouble falling or staying asleep.
Lack of sleep can hurt your quality of life in so many ways. Short temper, impatience, poor decision-making, and mood swings are common among those with sleeping problems. Besides, relationships with family, friends, and co-workers may suffer as a result. Improper sleep can also put your safety at risk by reducing your awareness.
When you’re awake in the middle of the night, you can start to feel desperate for a way out . However, it makes sense to weigh the available treatments before choosing the one that’s right for you. Other sleep aids may seem like a quick fix, but it turns out that there are many disadvantages of these drugs. For one thing, they may require expensive, time-consuming trips to your physician. They may also be habit-forming or have unpleasant side effects like dizziness( 眩晕) dry mouth, and next-day sleepiness. Plus , they become less effective over time.
So what is the best sleep aid available on the market today? The answer is Somnapure , a product that represents nature and science coming together. This all-natural sleep aid which comes from Peak Life allows you to fall asleep quickly and remain asleep through the night . With Somnapure, you wake up feeling refreshed and energetic. Somnapure is currently giving away a 14-day trial here. Get your Somnapure trial for better, deeper sleep that you deserve. From paragraph 1, we can know that sleep problems are_______.
| A．easy to make a sufferer lonely |
| B．common but hard to deal with |
| C．severe throughout the world |
| D．widespread only in the USA |
The underlined words“ a quick fix”(in paragraph3)most probably means____.
| A．a waste of money | B．a quick repair | C．an easy way out | D．a cheap aid |
The purpose of the passage is to _______.
| A．ask people with sleep problems to try and use Somnapure |
| B．introduce a kind of medicine to help sleep better |
| C．draw people’s attention to the bad effects of the lack of sleep |
| D．talk about what the main causes of the sleep problems are |
We can infer that the passage is probably immediately followed by information about ______.
| A．the instructions to take Somnapure |
| B．the side effects of Somnapure |
| C．the price of Somnapure |
| D．the way to get Somnapure |
What kind of job do you want to do in the future ? One that earns the most money or one that gives you the highest social position? What about a job that makes you feel happy? Surprisingly, these three things do not always go together in the job world .
According to a general social survey by the National Organization for Research at the University of Chicago in the US, the ten happiest jobs are not those with better pay or higher social position. They are ordinary jobs.
But what is it that makes a “happy” job?
Researchers found that people are happier when they feel they are doing something worthwhile. Six of the top ten happiest jobs are based heavily on helping others, such as firefighters, teachers, and physical therapists(理疗师 ).
Being able to express oneself is also important for people to feel satisfied . Take authors as an example. Their pay is “ridiculously low or non-existent”, but “the freedom of writing down the contents of your own mind leads to happiness ,”wrote business author Steve Denning on his blog on Forbes.com.
These jobs are greatly different to the top ten “hated jobs”, according a website survey earlier this year. Director of information technology, sales manager, technical specialist and others that are generally considered respectable jobs are on the list.
Todd May from The New York Times didn’t find the results strange. He argued that
“ a meaningful life must, in some sense then , make people feel worthwhile”. If a person doesn’t participate in the causes “ that are generally regarded as worthy, like feeding and clothing the poor, their life will lack meaning ,”he said . Work takes up the greater part of most people’s lives . It’s no wonder that the people with the most worthwhile jobs are the happiest of all.
However, it’s important to remember that these two surveys are broad ones and that it doesn’t matter whether your dream job is on the two lists. Now it is the time to think about the future . After all, something that satisfies your mind will always bring you happiness. According to the passage , which of the following is probably a happy job?
| A．A marketing manager | B． An engineer of IT |
| C．A teacher of art | D． A technical expert |
Steve Denning thinks that being an author is happy mainly because authors_____.
| A．are helpful to others |
| B．can be free to express themselves |
| C．earn much money |
| D．are considered respectable |
From the passage we learn that_________.
| A．the more you earn , the happier you are |
| B．respectable jobs are happy jobs |
| C．the higher your social position is , the happier you are |
| D．most happy jobs are related to helping others |
In the last paragraph the author stresses that_________.
| A．your future job should be one that makes you happy |
| B．your dream jobs should be based on the two surveys |
| C．the two surveys are of great importance |
| D．it won’t be easy to find a job in the future |
To Whom It May Concern:
On March 5, 2012 , I bought a Perfect Muffin Kit(松饼粉 ) from your store at Midfield Shopping Center. The cashier who assisted me was George. George was very friendly and told me that the Perfect Muffin Kit would live up to the guarantee on the box: “Perfect Muffins Every Time!”.
Unfortunately, this product did not live up to what it promised . The muffins I made were far from perfect . I followed the directions in the package very carefully . First , I removed the bag of mix from the box. Then , I poured it into a bowl. Next, I added the correct amount of water to the mix and stirred it. According to the directions, after stirring the mixture , I added half a cup of dried prapes, nuts , berries, or another favorite ingredient(配料 ) . My favorite ingredient happens to be hot sauce (沙司 ). I find that a bit of hot sauce makes pizza and soup taste very delicious. So, continuing to follow the directions, I added half a cup of hot sauce to the mix and stirred it. Finally, I poured the mix into muffin tins and baked it in the baker at 350 degrees for exactly 20 minutes.
When the muffins finished baking, I was very excited to eat the “Perfect Muffins” as promised on the box. You can imagine my disappointment when, upon tasting the muffins, I discovered that they were not perfect. These muffins were , in fact , absolutely terrible. Not even my dog was interested in eating these supposedly “perfect”muffins.
I would appreciate a full refund(退款 ) of $3.99 for this product as soon as possible. Enclosed are the receipt, the empty box, and one of the un-perfect muffins so that you can experience it for yourself . Thank you for your attention to this matter.
Sincerely ,
Michelle BauerThis letter is most likely addressed to _______.
| A．a local storeowner |
| B．the owner of the muffin mix company |
| C．the clerk at a local muffin bakery |
| D．George, the cashier who sold the muffin mix |
The tone(语气 ) of the author can best be described as ________.
| A．embarrassed | B．hopeless | C．disappointed | D．disgusted |
The author was unhappy with the product because________.
| A．the directions of the product contained a mistake |
| B．it was not up to the promise made on the box |
| C．it was too difficult to follow the directions |
| D．it was worth less money than she paid for it |
The author’s main purpose in writing this letter is to ________.
| A．prevent others from making the same mistake |
| B．persuade the company to change the wording on their box |
| C．get back all the money paid from the shop |
| D．complain about how bad the muffins tasted |
If you’re finding it tough to land a job, try expanding your job-hunting plan to include the following:
Set your target.
While you should always keep your options open to changing your mind , you should also be sure to target exactly what you want in a job. A job-hunt with a clear target will surely help you achieve better results than an aimless one.
Schedule plenty of interviews.
Use every possible method to get interviews-answering ads, using search firms , getting in touch with companies directly , surfing the Web, and networking(向同行请教 ). Even if a job is not perfect for you, every interview can become one of your positive experiences.
Follow up
Even if someone does not hire you ,write them a thank –you note for the interview. Then, some weeks later, send another brief letter to explain that you still have not found the perfect position and that you will be available to interview again if the original position you applied for—or any other position , for that matter –is open. Do this with every position you interview for, and you may just catch a break!
Make it your full-time job
You can’t find a job by looking sporadically( 断续地) . You have to make time for it. If you’re unemployed and looking , devote as much time as you would to a full –time job. If you have a job while you’re looking, figure out an organized schedule to maximize your searching time.
Network vertically(纵向地 )
In the search stage of your job hunt , talk to people who are on a level above you in your desired industry. They’ll have an accurate and deep understanding that people at your level won’t have , and will be in a good position to hire you or recommend you to be hired .
Keep your spirits up
Looking for a job is one of the toughest things you will ever have to do, keep up your confidence , continue your efforts, and think positively, and eventually you will get a job you want.From the passage , it can be learned that to get a job , one should absolutely avoid___.
| A．having as many interviews as possible |
| B．looking without a clear target |
| C．applying for the same position a second time |
| D．changing his goal set previously |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．It will be of great help for you to seek advice from experienced job hunters |
| B．There can’t be too much time for you to hunt for a job if you are out of work |
| C．There is no point having the interview unless a job is perfect for you. |
| D．There is no need for you to write letters to the company that refused you |
According to the passage , it can better help job hunters get hired by ______.
| A．consulting higher level people in their desired industries in advance |
| B．working out a well organized timetable for their job interviews |
| C．recommending themselves to the company they desire to work for |
| D．taking a positive attitude toward their future job–hunt success |
What would be the best title for this passage ?
| A．Procedures in Searching for a job |
| B．Advice for Successful Job Hunters |
| C．Tricks for Job-hunt Success |
| D．Guidance from Successful Job Hunters |