I needed to buy a digital camera, one that was simply good at taking good snaps(快照), maybe occasionally for magazines．Being the cautious type, I fancied a reliable brand．So I went on the net, spent 15 minutes reading product reviews on good websites, wrote down the names of three top recommendations and headed for my nearest big friendly camera store．There in the cupboard was one of the cameras on my list．And it was on special offer．Oh joy．I pointed at it and asked an assistant,“Can I have one of those?”He looked perturbed(不安)．“Do you want to try it first?" he said．It didn't quite sound like a question．"Do I need to?" I replied．"There's nothing wrong with it?" This made him look a bit insulted and I started to feel bad．"No, no．But you should try it," he said encouragingly．" Compare it with the others．"
I looked across at the others：shelves of similar cameras placed along the wall, offering a wide range of slightly different prices and discounts, with each company selling a range of models based around the same basic box．With so many models to choose from, it seemed that I would have to spend hours weighing X against Y, always trying to take Z and possibly H into account at the same time．But when I had finished, I would still have only the same two certainties that I had entered the store with：first, soon after I carried my new camera out of the shop, it would be worth half what I paid for it; and second, my wonderful camera would very quickly be replaced by a new model．
But something in the human soul whispers that you can beat these traps by making the right choice, the clever choice, the wise choice．In the end, I agreed to try the model I had chosen．The assistant seemed a sincere man．So I let him take out my chosen camera from the cupboard, show how it took excellent pictures of my fellow shoppers…and when he started to introduce the special features, I interrupted to ask whether I needed to buy a carry-case and a memory card as well．
Why do we think that new options(选择)still offer us anything new?Perhaps it is because they offer an opportunity to avoid facing the fact that our real choices in this culture are far more limited than we would like to imagine．
(1)
The shop assistant insisted that the writer should ________．
[ ]
A．
try the camera to see if there was anything wrong with it
B．
compare the camera he had chosen with the others
C．
get more information about different companies
D．
trust him and stop asking questions
(2)
What does the writer mean by "it would be worth half what I paid for it"(Paragraph 2)?
[ ]
A．
He should get a 50％ discount．
B．
The price of the camera was unreasonably high．
C．
The quality of the camera was not good．
D．
The camera would soon fall in value．
(3)
The writer decided to try the model he had chosen because he ________．
[ ]
A．
knew very little about it
B．
didn't trust the shop assistant
C．
wanted to make sure the one he chose would be the best
D．
had a special interest in taking pictures of his fellow shoppers
(4)
It can be inferred from the passage that in the writer's opinion, ________
[ ]
A．
people waste too much money on cameras
B．
cameras have become an important part of our daily life
C．
we don't actually need so many choices when buying a product
D．
famous companies care more about profit than quality
That cold January night, I was growing sick of my life in San Francisco．There I was, walking home at one in the morning after a tiring practice at the theatre．With opening night only a week away, I was still learning my lines．I was having trouble dealing with my part-time job at the bank and my acting at night at the same time．As I walked, I thought seriously about giving up both acting and San Francisco．City life had become too much for me．
As I walked down empty streets under tall buildings, I felt very small and cold．I began running, both to keep warm and to keep away from any possible robbers(抢劫犯)．Very few people were still out except a few sad-looking homeless people under blankets．
About a block from my apartment(公寓房间)，I heard a sound behind me．I turned quickly, half expecting to see someone with a knife or a gun．The street was empty．All I saw was a shining streetlight．Still, the noise had made me nervous, so I started to run faster．Not until I reached my apartment building and unlocked the door did I realize what the noise had been．It had been my wallet falling to the sidewalk．
Suddenly I wasn’t cold or tired anymore．I ran out of the door and back to where I’d heard the noise．Although I searched the sidewalk anxiously for fifteen minutes, my wallet was nowhere to be found．
Just as I was about to give up the search, I heard the garbage truck(垃圾车)pull up to the sidewalk next to me．When a voice called from the inside, “ Alisa Camacho?” I thought I was dreaming．How could this man know my name?the door opened, and out jumped a small red-haired man with an amused look in his eye．“Is this what you’re looking for?” he asked, holding up a small square shape．
It was nearly 3 A.M.by the time I got into bed．I wouldn’t get much sleep that night, but I had gotten my wallet back．I also had gotten back some enjoyment of city life．I realized that the city couldn’t be a bad place as long as people were willing to help each other．
(1)
How did the writer feel when she was walking home after work?
[ ]
A．
Cold and sick
B．
Fortunate and helpful
C．
Satisfied and cheerful
D．
Disappointed and helpless
(2)
From the first paragraph, we learn that the writer was busy ________．
[ ]
A．
solving her problem at the bank
B．
taking part in various city activities
C．
learning acting in a n evening school
D．
preparing for the first night show
(3)
On her way home the writer ________．
[ ]
A．
lost her wallet unknowingly
B．
was stopped by a garbage truck driver
C．
was robbed of her wallet by an armed man
D．
found some homeless people following her
(4)
In the fifth paragraph, why did the writer say she was dreaming?
[ ]
A．
Someone offered to take her back home．
B．
A red-haired man came to see her．
C．
She heard someone call her name
D．
Her wallet was found in a garbage truck．
(5)
From the text, we can infer that the writer ________．
[ ]
A．
would stop working at night
B．
would stay on in San Francisco
C．
would make friends with cleaners
D．
would give up her job at the bank．
阅读理解
What is“Dads Make a Difference”?
A service-learning opportunity for teens that deals with fatherhood, parenting, and so on．
Older teens, grades 10－12, teach younger teens, grades 6－9, about the importance of fathers in children’s lives, the legal and financial responsibilities of parenting．
Teen teacher training goals & objectives
The goal of the teen teacher training is to better understand the complex problems surrounding legal fatherhood in our society．By discussing what makes healthy families, explaining the meaning of paternity(父亲的身份), and examining the risks people take in their lives, teens will develop the skills needed to make informed decisions in their own relationships and, finally, teach this information to others．
What’s in it for me?
An opportunity to：
Learn life skills like communication, decision making, and problem solving．
Get the chance to use knowledge in meaningful and effective ways．
Develop leadership, planning, teamwork, time management, and organizational skills to help you in every aspect of your life．
Forming lasting relationships with adult mentors(导师)．
Comments from teen teachers
“‘Dads Make a Difference’ made me realize how permanent and expensive parenthood is．”
“Speaking in from of groups and directing people in activities, I feel, is a valuable skill to have that I will use throughout my life．”
“I wish I would have gone through this program when I was in Junior High．I know it would have helped me to really think about the future and to make good decisions．”
“‘Dads Make a Difference’ has helped me to know the effects of my actions before I take them and I know what risks not to take to protect my future．”
(1)
“Dads Make a Difference”is a(n)________．
[ ]
A．
name of a school
B．
training center
C．
social organization
D．
education program
(2)
“Dads Make a Difference”can ________．
[ ]
A．
provide teens a chance to be a teacher in Junior High
B．
help teens learn more about parents
C．
help teens develop their life skills
D．
advise teens how to avoid risks in life
(3)
According to the passage, who will benefit most from“Dads Make a Difference”?
[ ]
A．
fathers and sons
B．
mothers and daughters
C．
teen teachers and adult mentors
D．
teens and societies
(4)
The underlined word“them”in the last paragraph refers to ________．
[ ]
A．
effects
B．
actions
C．
risks
D．
courses about“Dads Make a Difference”
阅读理解
You Mi, a lovely and confident 17-year-old student, is the first Chinese high school student to appear on the cover of the popular young adults’ fashion magazine Seventeen．
“You is IN，” said Wang Lihua, Editor-in-Chief of Seventeen．“You is active and mature(成熟的)because of her knowledge on everything from academic studies，to books on art, to movies．We found she’s the very style we’re looking for to represent young people’s attitudes．”
You also impressed Wang with her fluent English when they first met last year．As the hostess of an English broadcasting programme at the High School Affiliated to Renmin University，she is always praised for speaking English almost like a native speaker．“I’ve built up my English by watching thousands of English DVDs since I was 10,” she explained．
But for her, watching isn’t enough．Last year，while in Senior 1, You met a talented boy who showed self-made DV movies at the English Corner in her school．
“I thought it was so cool and I knew that I should start making my own films，” she said．So she wrote a campus(校园)story, persuaded schoolmates to star in it and then began shooting a 30-minute DV movie, all in English．“I played one of the leading roles, actually I was everything in my film．I worked on it every single day during the SARS holidays,” she recalled．The movie finally became a big hit on campus，earning You a strong reputation(名气)as a DV movie director．
But this is not the only field she wants to master．Despite being a science student, she likes art, literature and fashion design very much．
“There are people who can be artists, there are people who edit books，and there are people who become film producers．But I just hope to mix all the things up!” she said．“There is an old saying I believe：Chance favours only the prepared mind．”
(1)
You Mi was chosen to be a cover of Seventeen，mainly because she ________．
[ ]
A．
is beautiful
B．
she is lovely and full of confidence
C．
is active and mature
D．
has rich knowledge
(2)
You Mi’s fluent English is based on ________．
[ ]
A．
her chance to host an English broadcasting programme
B．
the influence of her parents
C．
her deep interest in it
D．
her making DV movie
(3)
The author mentioned a talented boy to show ________．
[ ]
A．
the great influence he had on You Mi
B．
he was admired by his schoolmates
C．
the young can do things as well as the adults do
D．
self-made DV movies are popular at school
(4)
In the 30-minute DV movie, You Mi didn’t act as a(n)________．
[ ]
A．
director
B．
musician
C．
actress
D．
producer
(5)
We can learn from the passage that ________．
[ ]
A．
You Mi hopes to be a mixed talent
B．
the success of a 30-minute DV movie shocked You Mi
C．
You Mi dreams of becoming a scientist
D．
the outbreak of SARS delayed You Mi’s studies
阅读理解
While looking through the various job sites on the Internet, I found the following list of the highest paying jobs in the US．It's interesting to see how the different types of jobs in the tech industry compare to other industries．
Top paying jobs overall
·Physicians and surgeons－＄147,000
·Aircraft pilots－＄133,500
·Chief executives－＄116,000
·Electrical and electronic engineers－＄112,000
·Lawyers and judges－＄99,800
·Dentists－＄90,000
·Pharmacists－＄85,500
·Management analysts(分析家)－＄84,700
·Financial analysts, managers and advisors－＄84,000
·Computer and information system managers－＄83,000
·Marketing and sales managers－＄80,000
·Education administrators(管理员)－＄80,000
Top paying jobs that do not require a high school degree
These jobs tend to require on-the-job training and work experience rather than formal education and schooling：
·Industrial production managers－＄36,000
·Construction manager－＄33,600
·Electricians－＄31,900
Top paying jobs for high school graduates
These jobs emphasize(强调)work experience and on-the-job training rather than formal education：
·Computer software engineers－＄58,900
·Computer/information systems managers－＄56,400
·Computer programmers－＄55,000
·Network systems and data communications analysts－＄49,000
·General and operations managers－＄48,000
·Database(数据库), network and computer systems administrators－＄48,000
Top paying jobs for a two-year college degree
The following jobs tend to be technical in nature, emphasizing skills developed on the job as well as job-specific training and certifications(证书)：
·Healthcare practitioners(从业人员)－＄66,000
·Business analysts－＄58,000
·Electrical and electronic engineers－＄57,000
·Mechanical engineers－＄56,800
·General and operations managers－＄54,000
·Computer and information systems managers－＄50,400
(1)
Which of the following groups of people will benefit most from the passage?
[ ]
A．
Teachers．
B．
Housewives．
C．
Retired people
D．
High school students．
(2)
Mr Smith didn't finish his studies in high school and is an experienced worker．If he wants to get a high paying job, he should try to become a(n)________．
[ ]
A．
computer software engineer
B．
education administrator
C．
industrial production manager
D．
computer and information systems manager
(3)
Besides the Internet, we can probably find this passage in a(n)________．
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