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 sports shirt—to the office. He hardly ever wears necktie. “I’m 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 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(士气). Only 4 percent of employers said that casual dress has a negative impact on productive. 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

According to this passage, which of the following statements is FALSE?

A. Many employees don’t like a conservative dress code.

B. Comfortable clothes make employees more productive.

C. A casual clothes code is welcomed by young employees.

D. All the employers in the US are for casual office wear.

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

I came to study in the United States a year ago. Yet I did not know the real American society until I was injured in a car accident because after the accident I had to see a doctor and go to court.

     After the accident, my roommate called a doctor for me. I was very grateful and determined to repay him one day. But the next day, he asked me to pay him $200 for what he had done. I was astonished. He had good reason to charge me, he said. And if I wanted to collect money from the person who was responsible for my injury, I’d have to have a good lawyer. And only a good doctor can help me get a good lawyer .Now that he had helped me find a good doctor, it was only fair that I should pay him .But every time I went to see the doctor, I had to wait about 50 minutes. He would see two or three patients at the same time, and often stop treating one so as to see another. Yet he charged me $115 each time. The final examination report consisted of ten lines, and it cost me $215. My lawyer was all smiles the first time we met. But after that he avoided seeing me at all. He knew very well the other party was responsible for the accident, yet he hardly did anything. He simply waited to collect his money. He was so irresponsible that I decided to dismiss him. And he made me pay him $770.

Now I had to act as my own lawyer. Due to my inexperience, I told the insurance company the date I was leaving America. Knowing that ,they played for time,… and I left without getting a cent.

My experiences taught me two things about America: firstly, in a country like America money is everything. It is more important than friendship, honor or professional morality. Secondly, foreigners are still being unfairly treated. So when we talk about America, we should see both its good and bad sides.

The author’s roommate offered to help him because _____.

   A. he felt sorry for the author

   B. he thought it was a chance to make some money

   C. he knew the doctor was a very good one

   D. he wanted the author to have a good lawyer

A good doctor is essential for the author to_____.

   A. be properly treated

B. talk with the person responsible for the accident

   C. recover before he leaves America

   D. eventually get the responsible party to pay for his injury

The underlined word “ charge ” in this passage means ______.

   A. be responsible                 B. accuse                   C. ask as a price         D. claim

Both the doctor and the lawyer in this passage are very ______.

   A. friendly                      B. greedy                         C. professional          D. busy

What conclusion can you draw from the story?

   A. Going to court is something very common in America.

   B. One must be very careful while driving a car.

   C. there are more bad sides in America than good sides.

   D. Money is more important than other things in the US.

It was a quiet village in which there was a military camp. It was far from the towns and cities and there were some high mountains around. Of course it was a good place for training the new soldiers. But it was difficult for the young men to go outside. Mr. White, an officer of forty, was strict with them and he hardly let them leave the camp.
Once Mr. White was ill in bed. He couldn’t work and a young officer, Mr. Hunt, began to train the new soldiers instead of him. He knew the young men well and let nine soldiers go to the nearest town to have a holiday. But night fell and none came back to the camp. He was worried about it and stood at the gate. It was five to twelve when Mr. Hunt decided to go to the town and see what was happening with the young men. He started the car quickly and set off. At that moment the nine soldiers came back. It seemed they were all drunk. Of course they found the officer was angry.
“I’m sorry, sir,” said the first soldier. “I left the town on time. But something was wrong with my bus on my way here. I had to buy a horse and made it run fast. Bad luck! It died and I had to run back.”
And the other seven soldiers said they were late for the same reasons. It was the last soldier’s turn. He said, “I’m sorry, sir. I got on a bus on time, but…”
Having heard this, the officer became even angrier and stopped him at once. He called out, “If you say something was wrong with your bus, I’ll punish you at once!”
“No, no, sir,” said the young man. “My bus was all right, but the dead horses were in its way!”
【小题1】 The military camp was built in the village to _______.

A.stop the soldiers going to towns
B.stop the soldiers meeting their friends
C.train the new soldiers
D.make the young men live quietly
【小题2】 Mr. Hunt let the nine soldiers have a holiday because _______.
A.he was kind and understanding
B.they felt lonely
C.they had something important to do
D.they were the best of all the soldiers
【小题3】 The young officer was worried because _______.
A.a traffic accident had happened
B.he was afraid something happened to the nine soldiers
C.the nine soldiers didn’t come back on time
D.the nine soldiers drank too much in the town
【小题4】 The nine soldiers returned to the camp late because _______.
A.something was wrong with their buses
B.their horses died on the return way
C.it took them much time to run back
D.they all had drunk much in the town
【小题5】 Which statement do you think is right?
A.The officer believed only the last soldier.
B.The officer believed the nine soldiers.
C.The officer believed none of the nine soldiers.
D.The officer wouldn’t punish his soldiers.

Without any hesitation, he said, “I’d be better off dead.” Hearing those words come out of my best friend’s mouth tore my heart apart. He has repeated that phrase more than once, and my mind continually plays it over like a voice recording.
I met him about three years ago. After knowing me for six months, he told me about his struggles with depression. Sadness was not the only emotion that came over me; I was shocked. He seemed so outgoing and happy all the time. I soon learned that he was physically and emotionally abused as a young child, causing him to have suicidal thoughts.
He refuses to talk to others about his depression because he now distrusts adults, especially those in his family. Nevertheless, he feels as if I understand him and that I know the right words to speak. Therefore, when it comes to helping him, convenience is not in my vocabulary. It does not matter where I am or what I am doing, for he always comes first.
Many students at his school laugh at him when they notice scars on his arms from cutting. As he sees it, other kids have every right to make fun of him. But no one holds such a right, so I encourage him to ignore the heartless kids who treat him badly. When he feels the weight of judging eyes or hateful voices, I always remind him that I care about him unconditionally. Just hearing me say I will always be his best friend seems to give him the security he needs to keep on going.
My best friend once told me that if he had not had me, he would not be alive. He said that my encouraging words convinced him not to take his life. Our friendship has taught me that a single kind word can influence someone’s life. With the fragility of life as it is, I believe in the necessity of encouragement.
【小题1】According to the first paragraph, what the author’s friend said made the author feel ______.

A.puzzledB.heart broken.C.frightenedD.hopeless
【小题2】By saying “convenience is not in my vocabulary”, the author means ______.
A.he is always ready to help his friend.
B.he hardly spares time to help his friend.
C.he has no good excuse for refusing his friend.
D.he is not good at communicating with his friend.
【小题3】From the passage we learn that the author’s friend ________.
A.had a happy childhood but everything changed later
B.wanted to share his story but no one listened.
C.took it for granted that he was made fun of
D.was always of sad appearance
【小题4】What does the author learn from his experiences?
A.How to make a big difference to others.
B.The importance of encouragement.
C.How to get rid of depression
D.The necessity of security

 

第三部分:阅读理解(共两节,满分40分)

第一节:选择题(共15小题,每小题2分,共30分)

阅读下列短文,从每题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中,选出最佳答案,并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。

     It was a quiet village in which there was a military camp(军营).It was far from the towns and cities and there were some high mountains around. Of course it was a good place for training the new soldiers. But it was difficult for the young men to go outside. Mr White, an officer of forty, was strict with them and he hardly let them leave the camp.

    Once Mr White was ill in bed. He couldn’t work and a young officer, Mr Hunt, began to train the new soldiers instead of him. He knew the young men well and let nine soldiers go to the nearest town to have a holiday. But night fell and none came back to the camp. He was worried about it and stood at the gate. It was five to twelve when Mr Hunt decided to go to the town and see what was happening to the young men. He started the car quickly and set off. At that moment the nine soldiers came back. It seemed they drank wine. Of course they found the officer was angry.

    “I’m sorry, sir,” said the first soldier. “I left the town on time. But something was wrong with my bus on my way here. I had to buy a horse and made it run fast. Bad luck! It died and I had to run back.”

    And the other seven soldiers said they were late for the same reasons. It was the last soldier’s turn. He said, “I’m sorry, sir. I got on a bus on time, but....”

    Having heard this, the officer became even angrier and stopped him at once. He called out, “If you say something was wrong with your bus, I’ll punish you at once!”

“No, no, sir,” said the young man. “My bus was all right, but the dead horses were in its way!”

56. The military camp was built in the village to ____.

A. stop the soldiers from going to towns

B. stop the soldiers from meeting their friends

C. train the new soldiers             

D. make the young men live quietly

57. Mr. Hunt let the nine soldiers have a holiday because ____.

A. he was kind to them                B. they felt lonely

C. they had something important to do    D. they were the best of all

58. The young officer was worried because ____.

A. a traffic accident had happened

B. he was afraid something happened to the nine soldiers

C. the nine soldiers would come back  

D. the nine soldiers drank too much in the town

59. Which of the statements do you think is true?

A. You’ll believe only the last soldier.      B. The officer believed the nine soldiers.

C. You’ll believe none of the nine soldiers.  D. The officer wouldn’t punish his soldiers.

 

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