Step into Pat Lundin's home and you'll be greeted by 500 smiling faces of dolls．Lundin, 82, describes herself as “doll crazy”．And she's not alone．
As a member of Timeless Treasures Doll Club of Largo, she frequently meets with 25 other women who share her hobby．Once a month, they gather at the Palms of Largo to show off their latest finds and catch up on news in the world of doll collecting．
On Saturday, the club will hold the Palms of Largo Fifth Annual Doll Show．The program will include 37 vendors(卖主)with both classic and contemporary dolls for sale．
“Timeless Treasures is a club that's open to doll lovers regardless of the age of the doll,” said Judy Smith, president of the organization．“Some doll clubs require members have a certain number of antique dolls, but we don't．we make sure we are not terribly formal．”
Smith, 71, is a retired schoolteacher who owns Judy's Doll Hospital, a part-time business she operates out of her home．She will have a table offering repair and appraisal(鉴定)services．
Smith firs began studying and collecting dolls in her early 20s,in Glassboro, New Jersey, she does not know how many dolls she owns, or how many repairs she has made over the years．But she does know the age of her oldest doll．
“She's 129,” Smith said．“It is a German-made doll that belonged to my grandmother, and it sits in my living room．”
The show is for both the beginner as well as the experienced collector, said Anita Munson, one of the show's organizers．
Over the years, Munson, 82, has learned how to identify a valuable doll．“Generally speaking porcelain(瓷制的)dolls are the most valuable,” she said．“But the porcelain will not be shiny．”
Smith believes many people will attend to find out how much their dolls are worth．She wants them to know more．
“Because the dolls reflect what the children were wearing and doing at a particular period of time, they can be a great history lesson for children now,” she said．
(1)
According to the passage, Timeless Treasures is _______．
[ ]
A．
a club for doll lovers
B．
a company selling dolls
C．
a group of retired teachers
D．
an organization repairing toys
(2)
We can infer that the show has been held _______．
[ ]
A．
twice
B．
four times
C．
six times
D．
eight times
(3)
What can we learn about Smith?
[ ]
A．
She owns the oldest doll in the world．
B．
She has collected about five hundred dolls
C．
She has studied dolls for about fifty years
D．
She worked as a businesswoman before retirement
(4)
Smith wants people to know _______．
[ ]
A．
porcelain dolls are not valuable
B．
collecting dolls is a way to make money
C．
dolls have nothing to do with tradition
D．
dolls may help children learn about history
(5)
The passage is written mainly to _______．
[ ]
A．
describe the colorful life of a group of elderly women
B．
explain why some people like collecting old dolls
C．
introduce a recent doll show and its host organization
D．
offer knowledge and experience about doll collecting
“Who made your T-shirt?” A Georgetown University student raised that question．Pietra Rivoli, a professor of business, wanted to find the answer．A few weeks later, she bought a T-shirt and began to follow its path from Texas cotton．farm to Chinese factory to charity bin(慈善捐赠箱)．The result is an interesting new book , The travels of a T-shirt in the Global Economy(经济)．
Following a T-shirt around the world in a way to make her point more interesting, but it also frees Rivoli from the usual arguments over global trade．She goes wherever the T-shirt goes, and there are surprises around every corner．In China, Rivoli shows why a clothing factory, even with its poor conditions, means a step towards a better are for the people who work there．In the colorful used-clothing markets of Tanzania, she realizes that “it is only in this final stage of life that the T-shirt will meet a real market,” where the price of a shirt changes by the hour and is different by its size and even color．Rivoli’s book is full of memorable people and scenes, like the noise, the bad air and the “muddy-sweet smell(泥土香味)of the cotton．” She says, “ Here in the factory, Shanghai smells like shallot water Texas．”
Rivoli is at her best when making those sorts of unexpected connections．She even finds one between the free traders and those who are against globalization．The chances opened up by trade are vast, she argues, but free markets need the correcting force of politics to keep them in check．True economic progress needs them both．
(1)
What do we learn about Professor Rivoli?
[ ]
A．
She used to work on cotton farm．
B．
She wrote a book about world trade．
C．
She wants to give up her teaching job．
D．
She wears a T-shirt wherever she goes．
(2)
By saying T-shirts “meet a real market”, Rivoli means in Tanzania ________．
[ ]
A．
cheaper T-shirts are needed
B．
used T-shirts are hard to sell
C．
prices of T-shirts rise and fall frequently
D．
prices of T-shirts are usually reasonable
(3)
What does the word “them” underlined in the last paragraph refer to?
[ ]
A．
Free markets．
B．
Price changes．
C．
Unexpected connections．
D．
Chances opened up by trade．
(4)
What would be the best title for the text?
[ ]
A．
What T-shirts Can Do to Help Cotton Farms
B．
How T-shirts Are Made in Shanghai
C．
How T-shirts Are Sold in Tanzania
D．
What T-shirts Can Teach Us
阅读理解。
Like many people you may be dreaming of a career as a rock and roll star．There are two ways to go about getting one．First there is the traditional(传统的)way．Find some friends and form a group．Learn to play the guitar or the drums．Write your own songs．Spend hours arguing about the band name．then go out on the road．
The next step is to spend a year or two touring．If you are any good, the crowds will get bigger．In the end an artist from a record(唱片)company may come to a show．If he or she likes you, there may be a deal(交易)．This is the path traditionally followed by bands in the music industry．Success means fame and wealth．And failure gives you some interesting stories to tell your children．
Over the last few years a different path to success has become known．Boy bands like Boyzone and girl bands like Spice Girls don't come together on their own．They are created by managers and record companies．Their image(形象)is strictly controlled．Professional(专业)song writers usually write their music．This is a convenient arrangement(安排)and the public seems to love the result．
Though boy and girl bands have become very popular recently, there is a long tradition of making music in this way．In the early 1960's an American businessman called Berry Gordy founded Motown Records．Motown is short for “motor town”．The record company was based in the city of Detroit, where thousands of African-Americans had moved to work in the car industry．They brought with them a cultural tradition of writing and performing music．This style later became known as “soul music”．Berry Gordy was a diamond miner．Motown stars were not just given songs to sing．They were also taught how to dress well and speak properly．
(1)
The passage is mainly about ________．
[ ]
A．
why the record company is forming more bands
B．
how the band has developed and become popular
C．
what is the traditional way of forming a band
D．
when the band became popular
(2)
If a newborn band wants to succeed, as the writer tells, it must have the chance ________．
[ ]
A．
to travel in big cities
B．
to meet an businessman
C．
to perform before an artist
D．
to experience failure again and again
(3)
The underlined word “where”in paragraph 4 refers to ________．
[ ]
A．
the city of Detroit
B．
The record company
C．
Motown
D．
the diamond mine
(4)
According to the passage, which of the following statements is true?
[ ]
A．
The only successful way to form a band is to write your own songs．
B．
Boyzone is a band which was formed on its own．
C．
A band with a record company shouldn't perform in a controlled way．
D．
The African-Americans had a cultural tradition of writing and performing music．
阅读理解。
I’m seventeen．I had worked as a box boy at a supermarket in Los Angeles．People came to the counter and you put things in their bags for them and carried things to their cars．It was hard work．
While working, you wear a plate with your name on it．I once met someone I knew years ago．I remembered his name and said, “Mr．Castle, how are you?” We talked about this and that．As he left, he said, “It was nice talking to you, Brett．” I felt great, he remembered me．Then I looked down at my name plate．Oh no．He didn’t remember me at all, he just read the name plate．I wish I had put “Irving” down on my name plate．If he’d have said, “Oh yes, Irving, how could I forget you?” I’d have been ready for him．There’s nothing personal here．
The manager and everyone else who were a step above the box boys often shouted orders．One of these was：You couldn’t accept tips．Okay, I’m outside and I put the bags in the car．For a lot of people, the natural reaction is to take a quarter and give it to me．I’d say, “I’m sorry, I can’t．” They’d get angry．When you give someone a tip, you’re sort of being polite．You take a quarter and you put it in their hands and you expect them to say, “Oh, thanks a lot．” When you say, “I’m sorry, I can’t,” they feel a little put down．They say, “No one will know．” And they put it in your pocket．You say, “I really can’t．” It gets to a point where you almost have to hurt a person physically to prevent him from tipping you．It was not in agreement with the store’s belief in being friendly．Accepting tips was a friendly thing and made the customer feel good．I just couldn’t understand the strangeness of some people’s ideas．One lady actually put it in my pocket, got in the car, and drove away．I would have had to throw the quarter at her or eaten it or something．
I had decided that one year was enough．Some people needed the job to stay alive and fed．I guess I had the means and could afford to hate it and give it up．
(1)
What can be the best title for this text?
[ ]
A．
How Hard Life is for Box Boys
B．
Getting along with Customers
C．
Why I Gave up My Job
D．
The Art of Taking Tips
(2)
From the second paragraph, we can infer that _________．
[ ]
A．
the writer didn’t like the impersonal part of his job
B．
with a name plate, people can easily start talking
C．
Mr．Castle mistook Irving for Brett
D．
Irving was the writer’s real name
(3)
The box boy refused to accept tips because _________．
[ ]
A．
customers only gave small tips
B．
some customers had strange ideas about tipping
C．
the store forbade the box boys to take tips
D．
he didn’t want to fight with the customers
(4)
The underlined phrase “put down” in the third paragraph probably means _________．
[ ]
A．
misunderstood
B．
defeated
C．
hateful
D．
hurt
阅读理解。
Friendship and friends continue to be the centre of our life．The relationship that we share with our friends is grounded in mutual(相互的)care as our friends help us in shaping our personalities as well．Even in this age of online social networking and e-cards, the need of keeping the network of friends, whether online or offline remains a primary concern for people．We may not completely understand what makes a friend but we all want to have a good number of friends around us．
The first step to make friends with someone is to make them like you．If they don't like you in the first place, it is unlikely that they'll be eager to become your friends．To let someone know that you are specially interested in them, simple gestures like a little smile and calling them by their names can lay the basic foundation．To make the other person feel important to you, you need to be a good listener and encourage the other person to talk．Give your honest and sincere opinion but do not directly criticize or make fun of him or her．
The second step of making someone your friend is to develop a mutual understanding．You need to share his or her experiences and it is necessary for you to develop a habit to see things from the other person's point of view．
The third or final step towards friendship is to show your unconditional support and encouragement towards your friend．Moreover, you also need to be very clear about your expectations from your friend．If what you expect from the person you want to make friends with matches with what that person can give, the developing friendship between you and your friend is sure to be successful．
(1)
The underlined word “shaping”(in Paragraph 1)means “________”．
[ ]
A．
forming
B．
changing
C．
catching
D．
losing
(2)
In order to develop the friendship, the most important thing is that we should ________．
[ ]
A．
give gifts to each other often
B．
meet each other every day
C．
care for each other
D．
help each other to live a happy life
(3)
Which one of the following is true according to this passage?
[ ]
A．
It is no use learning what a true friend is．
B．
It is very important to understand each other．
C．
It is a duty for you to meet your friends' need all the time．
D．
We had better keep silent when staying with our friends．
(4)
If you want to make friends with someone, you can ________．
[ ]
A．
show your interest with a smile to him or her
B．
make him or her feel more important than you
C．
never expect him or her to support you
D．
have your own ways of seeing things
(5)
What is the best title for this passage?
[ ]
A．
What Is a Good Friend?
B．
The More Friends, The Better
C．
Steps to Make Friends
D．
Always Thinking of Others
阅读理解：
BEIJING－China will further open its financial sector in “an active and safe” way, the country’s central bank vowed on Friday．
“China will gradually broaden the chance for the participation of foreign capital in the domestic financial market,” said the People’s Bank of China in a sport．
“We will strengthen the connections between China’s financial market and international ones by attracting more foreign capital in Renminbi-denominated financial products,” the report said．
Meanwhile, channels will also be expanded to allow Chinese investment in foreign financial markets．
The bank said it would ease restrictions on enterprises and individuals possessing and using foreign currencies and increase the number of qualified foreign institutional investors and the value of their investment quotas(份额)．“We will make use of the financial market to achieve balanced international payments,” said the bank．
Last year, the State Administration of Foreign Exchange(SAFE)raised the annual quota for individuals buying foreign currency from US＄20,000 to US＄50,000．
“China will work hard for a more efficient and vigorous financial market that can better serve international needs,” the bank said．
The country will adjust its financial market rules so they are accepted around the world, encourage reforms and promote more flexible, diversified ways of trading, according to the bank．
China fully opened its financial market to foreign capital on December 11 last year, ending a five-year transitional(过渡的)period after entering WTO．
(1)
The passage is _________．
[ ]
A．
a piece of news
B．
an advertisement
C．
a poster
D．
an explanation
(2)
China is working hard to _________．
[ ]
A．
reduce the interest rate of foreign currencies
B．
increase the interest rate of foreign currencies．
C．
bring in more foreign investment by promising to further open its financial sector．
D．
adjust its financial markets to resist the invasion of foreign investment．
(3)
To further open financial sector, China has taken many measures EXCEPT _________
[ ]
A．
Giving more chances to the participation of foreign capital
B．
Strengthening the connections between China and other counties by the leaders’ paying visits to each other’s countries
C．
Broadening the quotas of enterprises and individuals possessing and using foreign currencies
D．
Opening its domestic financial market step by step
(4)
We can draw a conclusion that _________．
[ ]
A．
China’s financial market will be conquered by foreign one
B．
China will create a more active and various way of trading and its market will become stronger
C．
China will end the transitional period of opening financial sector in five years
