Five years ago, David Smith wore an expensive suit to work every day．“I was a clothes addict．” he jokes．“I used to carry a fresh suit to work with me so I could change if my clothes got wrinkled．” Today David wears casual clothes—khaki pants and a sports shirt—to the office．He hardly ever wears a necktie．“I am working harder than ever．” David says, “and I need to feel comfortable．”
More and more companies are allowing their office workers to wear casual clothes to work．In the United States, the change from formal to casual office wear has been gradual．In the early 1990s, many companies allowed their employees to wear casual clothes on Friday（but only on Friday）．This became known as “dress-down Friday” or “casual Friday”．“What started out as an extra one-day-a-week benefit for employees has really become an everyday thing．” said business consultant Maisly Jones．
Why have so many companies started allowing their employees to wear casual clothes? One reason is that it’s easier for a company to attract new employees if it has a casual dress code．” “A lot of young people don’t want to dress up for work,” says the owner of a software company, “so it’s hard to hire people if you have a conservative（保守的）dress code．” Another reason is that people seem happier and more productive when they are wearing comfortable clothes．In a study conducted by Levi Strauss and Company, 85 percent of employers said that they believe that casual dress improves employee morale（心境，士气）．Only 4 percent of employers said that casual dress has a negative influence on productivity．Supporters of casual office wear also argue that a casual dress code helps them save money．“Suits are expensive, if you have to wear one every day,” one person said．“For the same amount of money, you can buy a lot more casual clothes．”David Smith refers to himself as having been “a clothes addict,” because ________．
| A．he often wore khaki pants and a sports shirt |
| B．he couldn’t stand a clean appearance |
| C．he wanted his clothes to look neat all the time |
| D．he didn’t want to spend much money on clothes |
David Smith wears casual clothes now, because__________．
| A．they make him feel at ease when working |
| B．he cannot afford to buy expensive clothes |
| C．he looks handsome in casual clothes |
| D．he no longer works for any company |
In this passage, the following advantages of casual office wear are mentioned EXCEPT __________．
| A．saving employees’ money |
| B．making employees more attractive |
| C．improving employees’ motivation |
| D．making employees happier |
阅读下面的短文，从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C、D)中，选出最佳选项。
C
William Shakespeare, the great English writer of drama(戏剧), was born in 1564 in StartfordonAvon. We do not know everything about Shakepeare's early life. But we know that he studied at the Grammar School in Stratford, and that he became interested in the theatre when he was still a boy. In 1586, Shakespeare went to London, where he worked in a theatre for some years before he began to write his own plays. Shakespeare soon became wellknown in London. Every play he wrote was very good and new to the people of the capital. Queen Elizabeth liked Shakespeare's plays. By the end of the 16th century, Shakespeare and his friends had enough money to build their own theatre. But we must think that Shakespeare had no difficulties in his life. Some writers were against him because their plays were worse than his.Shakespeare is________in England.
| A．a scientist |
| B．an inventor |
| C．a play writer |
| D．a story writer |
The writer thinks________.
| A．we don't know Shakespeare's boyhood at all |
| B．we know Shakespeare's childhood a little |
| C．we know Shakespeare's boyhood a lot |
| D．we should know Shakespeare about his early life well |
Shakespeare worked in the theatre________.
| A．when he started to write his plays |
| B．after he left the Grammar School |
| C．when he was twentytwo years old |
| D．after he liked the theatre very much |
Some writers were against Shakespeare because________.
| A．they hated him |
| B．their plays were less famous than his |
| C．they wrote fewer plays than he |
| D．their money was less than his |
阅读下面的短文，从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C、D)中，选出最佳选项。
B
There is a story about how Albert Einstein was travelling to universities, giving lectures on his famous theory of relativity(相对论). One day while on their way to a university, the driver said, “Dr. Einstein, I've heard that lecture more than 30 times. I have learned it by heart and bet(打赌)I could give it myself.”
“Well, I'll give you the chances，”said Einstein, “they don't know me at the next school. So when we get there, I'll put on your cap and you introduce yourself as me and give the lecture.”
The driver gave Einstein's lecture so wonderfully that he didn't make any mistakes.
When he finished, he started to leave, but one of the professors stopped him and asked him a question which was very difficult. The driver thought fast. “The answer to that question is so simple，”he said, “I'm surprised you have to ask me, in fact, to show you just how simple it is, I'm going to ask my driver to come up here and answer your question.”The driver asked Albert Einstein to give him a chance to give lectures because________.
| A．he thought the theory of relativity simple |
| B．he didn't understand the theory of relativity at all |
| C．he had heard the lecture so many times that he could recite it |
| D．he wanted to show how well he understood the theory of relativity |
________and he let driver have a try.
| A．Albert Einstein was a very kind man |
| B．Albert Einstein knew it was impossible for the driver to give the lecture |
| C．Albert Einstein knew the driver was able to give the lecture |
| D．Albert Einstein wanted to make fun of the driver |
The professor________， so he asked him the question.
| A．regarded the driver as Einstein |
| B．knew the driver wasn't Einstein himself |
| C．wanted to test Einstein's knowledge |
| D．wanted to know if the driver was Einstein himself |
The driver thought that the professor's question was________.
| A．too easy for him to answer |
| B．too difficult for him to answer |
| C．simple enough for Einstein to answer |
| D．so difficult that Einstein couldn't answer it either |
What do you think of the driver?
| A．He was a foolish man. |
| B．He was as clever as Einstein. |
| C．He was bright enough to master the theory of relativity. |
| D．He was such a clever man that he fooled the professor and other people. |
阅读下面的短文，从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C、D)中，选出最佳选项。
A
Thomas Alva Edison was awarded more patents(专利)on inventions than another American. When he died in 1931, Americans wondered how they could best show their respect for him. One suggestion was that the nation observe a minute or two of total blackout. All electric power could be shut off in homes, streets, and factories.
Perhaps this suggested plan made Americans realize fully what Edison and his invention meant to them. Electric power was too important to the country. Shutting it off for even a short time would have led to complete confusion. A blackout was out of the question.
On the day of Edison's funeral, many people silently dimmed their lights. In this way they honored the man who had done more than anyone else to put the great force of electricity at his country people's fingertips.People decided to honor Edison when________.
| A．he made the first electric light |
| B．electric power was 100 years old |
| C．the country realized electricity's importance |
| D．he died in 1931 |
The suggested plan was to________.
| A．turn off the lights in factories and schools |
| B．observe a few minutes of total silence |
| C．dim all electric lights |
| D．shut off all electricity for a short time |
Americans fully realized what Edison's inventions meant when they________.
| A．heard of his death |
| B．heard of the plan to honor him |
| C．first used electric power |
| D．tried to carry out the plan |
The plan was never carried out because________.
| A．not everyone wanted to honor Edison |
| B．it was too difficult |
| C．electric power was too important to the country |
| D．it honored only one of Edison's inventions |
This passage was probably written to________.
| A．tell about Edison's inventions |
| B．explain electricity |
| C．prove that people wished to honor Edison |
| D．show what a great Edison was |
Danielle Steel, America's sweetheart, is one of the hardest working women in the book business. Unlike other productive authors who write one book at a time, she can work on up to five. Her research time before writing takes at least three years. Once she has fully studied her subjects, ready to dive into a book, she can spend twenty hours nonstop at her desk.
Danielle Steel comes from New York and was sent to France for her education. After graduation, she worked in the public relations and advertising industries. Later she started a job as a writer which she was best fit for. Her achievements are unbelievable：390 million copies of books in print, nearly fifty New York Times bestselling novels, and a series of “Max and Martha” picture books for children to help them deal with the real life problems of death, new hobbies and new schools. Her 1998 book about the death of her son shot to the top of the New York Times bestselling list as soon as it came out. Twenty-eight of her books have been made into films. She is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records for one of her books being the Times bestseller for 381 weeks straight.
Not content with a big house, a loving family, and a view of the Golden Gate Bridge, Danielle Steel considers her readers to be the most important resource(资源)and has kept in touch with them by email. While she is often compared to the heroines(女主人公)of her own invention, her life is undoubtedly much quieter. But, if she does have anything in common with them, it is her strength of will and her inimitable(独特的)style. There is only one Danielle Steel.Danielle Steel is different from other writer in that________.
| A．she can write several books at the same time |
| B．she often does some research before writing the book |
| C．she is one of the most popular American women writers |
| D．she can keep writing for quite a long time without a break |
Children who have read “Max and Martha” picture books may know______.
| A．how to deal with affairs at school |
| B．what to do if Max and Martha die |
| C．what to do when new babies are born into their families |
| D．how to solve the difficult problems in their writing classes |
One of Danielle Steel's achievements is that________.
| A．some TV plays were based on her books |
| B．her picture books attracted a lot of young men |
| C．one of her books became a bestseller in 1998 |
| D．she wrote the Guiness Book of World Records |
We can learn from the passage that Danielle Steel________.
| A．lives an exciting life |
| B．values her readers a lot |
| C．writers about quiet women |
| D．is pleased with her achievements |
If there is one thing scientists have to hear, it is that game is over. Raised on the belief of an endless voyage of discovery, they recoil(畏缩)from the suggestion that most of the best things have already been located. If they have, today's scientists can hope to contribute no more than a few grace notes to the symphony(交响乐)of science.
A book to be published in Britain this week, The End of Science, argues persuasively that this is the case. Its author, John Horgan, is a senior writer for Scientific American magazine, who has interviewed many of today's leading scientists and science philosophers(哲学家). The shock of realizing that science might be over came to him, he says, when he was talking to Oxford mathematician and physicist Sir Roger Penrose.
The End of Science provoked(激怒)a wave of denunciation(谴责)in the United States last year. “The reaction(反应)has been one of complete shock and disbelief，” Mr. Horgan says.
The real question is whether any remaining unsolved problems, of which there are plenty, lead themselves to universal solutions. If they do not, then the focus of scientific discovery is already narrowing. Since the triumphs(胜利)of the 1960s—the genetic code, plate tectonics(板块构造说), and the microwave background radiation that went a long way towards proving the_Big_Bang—genuine(真正的)scientific revolutions have been scarce. More scientists are now alive, spending more money on research, than ever. Yet most of the great discoveries of the 19th and 20th centuries were made before the appearance of state sponsorship, when the scientific enterprise was a fraction(小部分)of its present size.
Were the scientists who made these discoveries brighter than today's? That seems unlikely. A far more reasonable explanation is that fundamental(基础的)science has already entered a period of diminished returns. “Look, don't get me wrong，” says Mr. Horgan, “There are lots of important things still to study, and applied(应用的)science and engineering can go on forever. I hope we get a cure for cancer, and for mental disease, though there are few real signs of progress.”The sentence “most of the best things have already been located” could mean________.
| A．most of the best things have already been changed |
| B．most of the best things remain to be changed |
| C．there have never been so many best things waiting to be discovered |
| D．most secrets of the world have already been discovered |
John Horgan ________.
Ⅰ. has written a book entitled The End of Science
Ⅱ. has been working as an editor of Scientific American
Ⅲ. has been working many years as a literary critic
Ⅳ. is working as a science writer
| A．Ⅰand Ⅱ | B．Ⅰ only |
| C．Ⅰand Ⅳ | D．Ⅰ，Ⅱand Ⅳ |
There have not been many genuine scientific revolutions in the past few decades because________.
| A．there have been decreased returns in the research of fundamental science |
| B．there are too many important things for scientists to study |
| C．applied science and engineering take up too much time and energy |
| D．today's scientists are not as intelligent as those in the past |
The term “the Big Bang” probably refers to________.
| A．the genetic code theory |
| B．a theory of the origin(起源)of the universe |
| C．a geological theory |
| D．the origin and the power of atomic energy |