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When middle-aged Alex gave up his job and made up his mind to become a self-employed writer, no one could tell surely whether he would succeed or not．He found a cold storage room in a building, set up a used typewriter and settled down to work．
After a year or so, however, Alex began to doubt himself．He found it was difficult to earn his living by selling what he wrote．But Alex determined to put his dream to the test-even though it meant living with uncertainty and fear of failure．This is the shadow land （虛幻世界） of hope, and anyone with a dream must learn to live there．
One day Alex got a call, "We need an assistant, and we're paying $ 6,000 a year．" $ 6,000 was real money in 1960．It would enable Alex to get a nice apartment, a used car and more．Besides, he could write in his spare time．As the dollars were dancing in Alex's head, something cleared his senses．He had dreamed of being a fulltime writer．"Thanks, but no," Alex said firmly and swiftly.
After Alex got off the phone, he pulled out everything he had: two cans of vegetables and 18 cents．Alex put the cans and cents into a paper bag, saying to himself," There's everything you've made of yourself so far．I'm not sure I ever felt so low．"
Finally his work was published in 1970．Instantly he had the kind of fame and success that few writers ever experience．The shadows had turned into focus of attention．
Then one day, Alex found a box filled with things he had owned years before．Inside was a paper bag with two cans and 18 cents．Suddenly he pictured himself working in that cold storage room．It reminds Alex, and anyone with a dream, of the courage and persistence （堅毅） it takes to stay the course (堅持到底)in the shadow land．
【小題1】Why did Alex give up his job?

A．Because he didn't like the working conditions．

B．Because he couldn't earn enough to make a living．

C．Because he felt he had no potential in his job．

D．Because he wanted to be a full-time writer．

【小題2】What did Alex express when he answered the call?

A．He refused the job offer．

B．He was willing to give them a hand．

C．He expected them to pay him more money．

D．He would write in his spare time．

【小題3】What kind of person is Alex?

A．Determined．

B．Modest．

C．Shy．

D．Brave．

【小題4】Which of the following can be the best title of the passage ?

A．Look before you leap．	B．Two heads are better, than one．
C．Hold on to your dream, and it will come true．	D．A bird in hand is worth two in the bush．

Please help! I live in Germany with my wife and three kids. My parents live in the UK. I want my kids to have as much contact with their grandparents as possible. The kids all use e-mail, Skype and SMS but my parents won’t. I’ve bought them a laptop, paid for broadband, given them both mobile phones and a digital camera, but they won’t use them. My parents say they hate computers and new technology. What can I do with these “technophobes”?
Daniel, Buremburg, Germany
Actually, the original technophobes were the Luddites, a group of cloth workers in 19^th century Britain during the Industrial Revolution. The Luddite cloth workers, who traditionally made cloth by hand, were worried that machines were going to take away their jobs and way of life. These machines could make cloth much faster and cheaper than humans. In 1811 and 1812 the Luddites destroyed the machines that they hated so much, but the British government supported the factory owners. Many Luddites were arrested. Charlotte Bronte’s novel Shirley will tell your parents all about it.
Laura, Valencia, Spain
Laura makes some interesting points, I think. Technophobes has been a common theme in science fiction. Frankenstein, one of the first science fiction, is a warning of what could happen if humans began to experiment with human life.
Freda, Copenhagen, Denmark
One thing you could try is to find hardware that is designed for older people to use. An example is the mobiles made by the US company, Jitterbug. Instead of icons and menus the Jitterbug phones ask users simple “yes/no” questions and have larger keypads. The company realized that there are potentially 100 million older users in the US alone.
Graham, Patras, Greece
【小題1】The underlined part “the technophobes” in the passage refers to ______.

A．those who are ready to try new technology

B．those who are addicted to the Internet

C．those who refuse to use modern technology

D．those who are devoted to inventing new things

【小題2】Which of the following is TRUE of the Luddites?

A．They called themselves the technophobes.

B．They got full support from their factory owners.

C．They preferred to keep their traditional working methods.

D．They were killed by the government.

【小題3】Who has put forward a practical and useful suggestions?

A．Laura.

B．Freda.

C．Daniel.

D．Graham.

【小題4】The passage is probably taken from _____.

A．a(chǎn) personal blog	B．a(chǎn) letter between friends
C．a(chǎn) personal diary	D．a(chǎn) speech on new technology

【小題5】What can we infer from the passage?

A．Daniel would buy her parents a novel written by Shirley.

B．Charlotte Bronte wrote about technophobes in her novel Shirley.

C．Daniel would buy her parents cell phones with icons and menus.

D．Daniel worried about her children using e-mails.

Scientific Progress
Most scientific progress is the result of careful consideration of work that has already been done. The wonderful world which lies before us today has been put up by hardworking men with clear heads and inventive mind, and these who follow them along life’s road will improve on their efforts. It is sometimes necessary to question and even to disbelieve some of the statements made by experts. Action or experiment can often end an argument or achieve a breakthrough.
When men were wondering whether it was possible to reach India by sailing westwards from Europe, and whether there was any land on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean, Christopher Columbus decides to act. He gathered some men, invited them to go on board his three ships, and set out across the dangerous waters of the Atlantic Ocean. He was successful in finding land, but it was not India. The result of his action was that the arguments came to the end.
Any young man who wishes to do research must be courageous enough to question old beliefs and do some original thinking about them. Although we seem to know so much, there are many things we don’t know. Even when we pull an atom to pieces, we do not really know what the pieces are, we often do not reach the reality behind what we discover, and the more we learn, the better we realize our ignorance.
【小題1】Christopher Columbus decided to set out his trip because he wants to ________

A．travel round the world

B．bring words into action

C．discover the truth with action

D．bring the argument to an end

【小題2】According to the passage, the more we learn _______

A．the more ignorance we will become

B．the more brilliant we are

C．the more confident we are of ourselves

D．the more we know about our ignorance

【小題3】Our present wonderful world has been built up by _______

A．men who do not believe in others but themselves

B．those who work hard and dare to break way from old ideas

C．those who can make improvements on other people’s work

D．men who work extremely hard in following their teachers

【小題4】Columbus succeeded in finding out that_______

A．the Atlantic was dangerous to get across

B．India was to the west of the Atlantic

C．There was land on the other side of the Atlantic

D．it was possible sail to India by crossing the Atlantic

In a US city, a woman parked her car in an attended lot. Hoping to get a discount on the cost of parking, she asked, “Do you give validation(批準(zhǔn))?”“Certainly,”replied the store's manager:“You are an excellent person and I love your hair.” That might be worth the cost of parking．I mean，who wouldn't pay a couple of dollars for this kind of validation?
Author Alan McGinIlis cites an interesting study about the power of positive encouragement．A second-grade teacher complained that her children were spending too much time standing up and roaming around the room rather than working．
Two psychologists observed the behavior of the children and the teacher. Every ten seconds they noted how many children were out of their seats. They counted 360 unseated children throughout each 20-minute period．They also noted that the teacher said "Sit down!" seven times during the same period．
The psychologists tried an experiment．They asked the teacher to tell the children to sit down more often. This time they noted that she commanded her students to sit down 27.5 times in an average 20-minute period, and now 540 were noted to be out of their seats during the same average period．Her increased scolding actually made the problem worse．
Then the experimenters tried a different task．They asked the teacher to quietly praise those children who were seated and working．At this time, children's roaming was decreased by 33％．They showed their best behavior when they were praised more and blamed less．
People who motivate others to take great action are almost always those who encourage more than criticize; who praise more and blame less.
Perhaps the woman's question is the correct one after all．"Do you give validation?" I hope I can always answer “YES”.
【小題1】When parking her car in an attended lot, the woman ________.

A．made a very silly mistake	B．was laughed at by the manager
C．got great praise from the manager	D．failed to pay the cost of parking at last

【小題2】The students in the study performed better mainly because_______.

A．they were motivated by the psychologists

B．they were inspired by the teacher's attitude

C．they regretted roaming around the classroom

D．they changed their relationship with the teacher

【小題3】 In the passage, the author thinks that_______.

A．it is better to blame others than to praise others

B．sometimes it's hard to receive praise from others

C．criticizing children does no good to their growth

D．we all know how to encourage others by praising

【小題4】 Why does the author talk about the study in the passage?

A．To show the power of encouragement.

B．To show how the teacher praises children.

C．To show his argument is scientifically based.

D．To show the teacher is a successful motivator.

【小題5】What is the author's attitude towards giving validation?

A．Neutral

B．Negative

C．Positive

D．Reasonable

Aimlessness has hardly been typical of the postwar Japan whose productivity and social harmony are the envy of the United States and Europe. But increasingly the Japanese are seeing a decline of the traditional work-moral values. Ten years ago young people were hardworking and saw their jobs as their primary reason for being, but now Japan has largely fulfilled its economic needs, and young people don't know where they should go next.
The coming of age of the postwar baby boom and an entry of women into the male-dominated job market have limited the opportunities of teenagers who are already questioning the heavy personal sacrifices involved in climbing Japans rigid social ladder to good schools and jobs. In a recent survey, it was found that only 24.5 percent of Japanese students were fully satisfied with school life, compared with 67.2 percent of students in the United States. In addition, far more Japanese workers expressed dissatisfaction with their jobs than their counterparts did in the ten other countries surveyed.
While often praised by foreigners for its emphasis on the basics, Japanese education tends to stress test taking and mechanical learning over creativity and self-expression." Those things that do not show up in the test scores, personality, ability, courage or humanity are completely ignored," says Toshiki Kaifu, chairman of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's education committee." Frustration against this kind of thing leads kids to drop out and run wild." Last year Japan experienced 2,125 incidents of school violence, including 929 assaults on teachers. Amid the outcry, many conservative leaders are seeking a return to the prewar emphasis on moral education. Last year Mitsuo Setoyama, who was then education minister, raised eyebrows when he argued that liberal reforms introduced by the American occupation authorities after World WarⅡ had weakened the "Japanese morality of respect for parents."
But that may have more to do with Japanese life-styles." In Japan," says educator Yoko Muro, "it’s never a question of whether you enjoy your job and your life, but only how much you can endure." With economic growth becoming centralization, fully 76 percent of Japans, 119 million citizens live in cities where community and the extended family have been abandoned in favor of isolated, two generation households. Urban Japanese have long endured lengthy commutes (travels to and from work) and crowded living conditions, but as the old group and family values weaken, the discomfort is beginning to tell. In the past decade, the Japanese divorce rate, while still well below that of the United States, has increased by more than 50 percent, and suicides have increased by nearly one-quarter.
【小題1】 In the Westerners eyes, the postwar Japan was_____ .

A．under aimless development	B．a(chǎn) positive example
C．a(chǎn) rival to the West	D．on the decline

【小題2】According to the author, what may chiefly be responsible for the moral decline of Japanese society?

A．Women's participation in social activities is limited.

B．More workers are dissatisfied with their jobs.

C．Excessive emphasis has been placed on the basics.

D．The life-style has been influenced by Western values.

【小題3】Which of the following is true according to the author?

A．Japanese education is praised for helping the young climb the social ladder.

B．Japanese education is characterized by mechanical learning as well as creativity.

C．More stress should be placed on the cultivation of creativity.

D．Dropping out leads to frustration against test taking.

【小題4】The change in Japanese life-style is revealed in the fact that____.

A．the young are less tolerant of discomforts

B．the divorce rate in Japan exceeds that in the U.S.

C．the Japanese endure more than ever before

D．the Japanese appreciate their present life

“Everybody loves a bargain.” Is a well-known saying. One person’s useless, ugly, or broken object can be another person’s bargain. That is why so many Americans do not throw things away.  They put them outside their house.  They put on a "For Sale" sign.  And, as simple as that, they have a yard sale.
The sellers put a paid announcement in a local newspaper.  It tells when and where the yard sale will take place. These sales are very popular during weekends in spring, summer, and autumn.
Early in the morning, all the things to be sold are carried out of the house. Then they sit all day in the sunlight -- like tired guests at a party -- waiting for someone to take them home.
Just about anything can be sold at a yard sale. Sometimes, there are more clothes than anything else. Cooking equipment is also popular. So are old toys, tools, books, tables, and chairs. Then there are objects called "white elephants."  A white elephant is something you think is extremely ugly or useless. It may be an electric light shaped like a fish. You feel a sharp pain whenever you look at it. To someone else, however, it might be a thing of beauty and joy.
Some people go to yard sales to find a special thing that they collect. It may be old toy trains, for example, or paintings of dogs. Experts say more Americans are collecting old things now than ever before. Most people who go to yard sales, however, are not looking for anything special.  They might buy an object simply because it costs so little.  They enjoy negotiating over prices, even if they really do not need the object.  Later, they may hold their own yard sale to sell all the things they have bought.
【小題1】What kind of things will go to a yard sale?

A．Cheap and ugly things．	B．Things people no longer use．
C．Things out of season．	D．Things of great value．

【小題2】A white elephant refers to ______ ．

A．something that can cause n feeling of pain

B．something disliked by the owners while appreciated by others

C．something sold at the lowest price

D．a(chǎn) toy shaped like a fish

【小題3】Most people go to yard sales to ______ ．

A．find Valuable paintings	B．look for something special
C．find a bargain	D．kill their time

【小題4】Which of the following is NOT true about a yard sale?

A．It may not be held when the weather is very cold．

B．It can last for a whole day．

C．It is usually held with a party．

D．It is held outdoors．

【小題5】We can infer from the last paragraph that ______ ．

A．people may find something of great value on a yard sale

B．yard sales only attract those who have a low income

C．things on a yard sale can cost people a lot

D．most people who go to yard sales want to make money

As the global financial crisis hits the economy, it’s tough finding a job — especially if you’re competing with thousands of other hopeful students. Sometimes you get the interview, but don’t quite seem to land the job because you don’t have related experience. Don’t despair! Here are a few tips that might give you an edge.
1. Get connected to your network and try to expand it. Talk to friends, family and acquaintances. Let everyone know you are looking for a job.
2. Prepare your resume (個人簡歷) carefully and be sure it’s perfect. Have someone else read it over for typos (打字錯誤) and grammatical errors. Get professional help. It’s worth the money to present yourself well. If money is tight, read books on resume writing from your public library or search for free help on the Internet.
3. When you apply for a job, be sure you have the skills listed on the posting. If you get an interview, be sure to describe those skills thoroughly. Just having the skills is not enough. Expressing your abilities well can make all the difference in getting the job.
4. Research typical interview questions and practice interviewing. Be well prepared for every interview.
5. Don’t be afraid to accept a position for which you are overqualified — if there’s room for advancements. Many great job advancements come from first doing well at an entry-level position. If you have the right skills and attitude, it won’t be long before you’re in the job you want.
6. Volunteer for a few weeks in your field of study to gain experience if you feel your resume needs an improvement.
7. When deciding what to wear for an interview, think about the position level and the dress code of the organization.
8. Use every tool available to you. For example, this site has many job links for your use.
Good luck!
【小題1】What’s the author’s advice on preparing a resume?

A．To read it over several times by yourself.

B．To get professional help even if it costs money.

C．To copy something from books.

D．To publish it on the Internet.

【小題2】 If you lack related experience you can ____.

A．make up some in your resume

B．read books to get second-hand experience

C．do some related voluntary work

D．get some training at schools

【小題3】 The purpose of the text is to ____.

A．show how to prepare for an interview

B．wish people good luck

C．encourage people not to despair

D．give advice on how to find a job

The average college student in America spent an estimated seven hundred dollars on textbooks last year. The National Association of College Stores reported more than five billion dollars in sales of textbooks and course materials. Association spokesman Charles Schmidt says electronic textbooks now represent just two to three percent of sales. But he says that is expected to reach ten to fifteen percent by 2012. Online versions are now available for many of the most popular college textbooks. E-textbooks can cost half the price of a new print textbook. But students usually lose access after the end of the term. And the books cannot be placed on more than one device (裝置) so they are not easy to share.
So what do students think of e-textbooks? Administrators at Northwest Missouri State University wanted to find out. Earlier this year they tested them with five hundred students in twenty classes. The university is unusual. It not only provides laptop computers to all seven thousand of its full-time students. It does not require students to buy their textbooks either. They rent them to save money. The school aims to save even more by moving to e-textbooks. The students in the survey reported that downloading the books from the Internet was easy. They liked the idea of carrying lighter backpacks. And fifty-six percent said they were better able to find information. But most found that using e-textbooks did not change their study habits. And sixty percent felt they read more when they were reading on paper. In all, almost half the students said they still liked physical textbooks better. But the survey found that cost could be a big influence. Fifty-five percent said they would choose e-textbooks if using them meant their textbook rental fee would not increase. Roger Von Holzen heads the Center for Information Technology in Education at Northwest Missouri State. He tells us that administrators are disappointed with the e-textbooks now available because the majority are not interactive. He thinks growth will come when more digital books include video, activities, games and other ways to interact with the information. The technology is improving. But for now, most of the books are just words on a screen.
【小題1】The passage mainly tells us about ________.

A．the development of e-textbooks

B．different attitudes towards e-textbooks

C．the sales of textbooks and course materials

D．the differences between e-textbooks and physical text-books

【小題2】According to the survey, over half of the students think e-textbooks ________.

A．can be rented for less money	B．help in finding more information
C．a(chǎn)re convenient to carry around	D．help them do better in their lessons

【小題3】It can be inferred from the passage that e-textbooks ________.

A．will replace physical textbooks	B．a(chǎn)re available at any time
C．have a very bright future	D．still have a lot to improve

Where have all the boys gone？You may be able to find them in the gym, at work or hanging out, but there’s one important place where boys are under­represented, and the problem seems to be getting worse. These days, at high school graduation ceremonies, there are a lot more girls than boys.
In fact, every year, 10 percent more girls graduate from high school than boys. “I think that there’s a tendency to focus on boys as problems at this point, rather than recognize that boys have problems,” says Joanne Max, PhD. Experts say the problems start in grade school, where there’s often an emphasis on sports instead of reading, for example. “I think that with boys there’s some idea that it’s not masculine(男子漢的)to read,” says Rob Jenkins, an English professor.
There’s also a shortage of male teachers as role models. “I think boys need role models, so if you’re a boy and you don’t have a dad in your home and then you have one male teacher and it’s your athletic coach then I don’t think you have a message that education is very important,” says Carol Carter, another expert. In addition, classrooms often have too little activity and too much passive listening, which is not conducive(有益的)to boys’ learning.
Experts say parents can fight back in many ways. Read to your sons early and often; show by your actions that you value their education. Ask them about their schoolwork, offer help, drop by their classroom and finally, appeal to their competitive spirit: challenge them to do better and help them understand that their future depends on it.
【小題1】The underlined part “one important place” in Paragraph 1 refers to “______”.

A．classrooms	B．factories
C．high school graduation ceremonies	D．gyms

【小題2】According to the passage，boys have the problem that they think ______.

A．reading is more important than sports

B．it is shameful for boys to read

C．boys should not work as a teacher

D．boys lack the gift for reading

【小題3】Carol Carter’s words implied that ______.

A．parents play an important role in education

B．a(chǎn)thletic coaches contribute a lot to education

C．lack of male teachers affects boys’ attitudes to school work

D．classrooms lack enough activities that are suitable for boys

【小題4】According to experts，parents should do the following except ______.

A．often read to their sons when they are young

B．keep an eye on their sons’ studies at school

C．encourage their sons to compete with others

D．prevent their sons from taking part in sports

If women are mercilessly exploited year after year, they have only themselves to blame．Because they tremble at the thought of being seen in public in clothes that are out of fashion, they are always taken advantage of by the designers and the big stores．Clothes which have been worn only a few times have to be put aside because of the change of fashion．When you come to think of it, only a woman is capable of standing in front of a wardrobe packed full of clothes and announcing sadly that the has nothing to wear．
Changing fashions are nothing more than the intentional creation of waste．Many women spend vast sums of money each year to replace clothes that have hardly been worn．Women who can not afford to throw away clothing in this way, waste hours of their time altering（改變） the dresses they have．Skirls are lengthened or shortened; neck-lines are lowered or raised, and so on．
No one can claim that the fashion industry contribulea anything really important to society．
Fashion designers are rarely concerned with vital things like warmth, comfort and durability．They are only interested in outward appearance and they take advantage of the fact that women will put up with any amount of discomfort, as long as they look right．There can hardly be a man who hasn't at some time in his life smiled at the sight of a woman shaking in a thin dress on a winter day, or delicately picking her way through deep snow in high —heeled shoes．
When comparing men and women in the matter of fashion, the conclusions to be drawn are obvious．Do the constantly changing fashions of women's clothes, one wonder, reflect basic qualities of inconstancy and instability? Men are too clever to let themselves be cheated by fashion designers．Do their unchanging styles of dress reflect basic qualities of stability and reliability? That is for you to decide．
【小題1】Designers and big stores always make money _____．

A．by constantly changing the fashions in women's clothing

B．by mercilessly exploiting women workers in the clothing industry

C．because they are able to predict new fashions for the coming season

D．because they attach great importance to quality of women’s clothing

【小題2】To the writer, the fact that woman alter their old fashioned dresses is seen as       .

A．a(chǎn) waste of money	B．a(chǎn)n expression of taste
C．a(chǎn) waste of time	D．a(chǎn)n expression of creativity

【小題3】According to the passage, which of the following statements is true?

A．The fashion industry makes an important contribution to society

B．The constant changes in women’s clothing reflect their strength of characters

C．Fashion designs should not be encouraged since they are only welcomed by women

D．New fashions in clothing are created for the commercial exploitation of women

【小題4】By saying “the conclusions to be drawn are obvious”, the writer means that       .

A．women are better able to put up with discomfort

B．men are more reasonable in the matter of fashion

C．men are also exploited greatly by fashion designers

D．women’s inconstancy in their choice of clothing is often laughed at