Tired of all the pushing in supermarkets? Fed up with waiting in endless lines to pay for what you have bought? Angry at wasting time in traffic jams only to find no parking spaces when you eventually arrive at the store? If this is you, then online shopping is the answer to your dreams of trouble-free shopping.
Online shopping brings its own challenges. Here are a few things to bear in mind when browsing (浏览) various websites. The claim (声称) made by online sites is that shopping online is a safe and secure way to make purchases. The evidence challenges this. In any case, you only have to be the victim(受害者) of fraud (欺骗) once to experience all the problems that come with this form of stealing. Use only sites that have a trusted history and an excellent reputation(名声).
Another problem is that the appearance of items in reality is often quite different from what you see on your computer screen. This might not be a problem if you are buying washing up powder but could be a major disappointment when that beautiful blue dress you ordered turns up in green. Also, product descriptions are sometimes simply untrue! Perhaps the wisest plan is to purchase items whose design and color are not essential to customer satisfaction.
Some even argue that online shopping indirectly contributes to global warming. Yes, your car can stay parked but how are online goods delivered? Often by some large van pouring out carbon monoxide and adding to our already desperate traffic problems. You are also by now becoming increasingly irritated(使烦恼) by the fact that the delivery is late !
Without question, online shopping is here to stay and it has its benefits. However, perhaps it is not as wonderful as some of its supporters claim it to be

  1. 1.

    How can online shoppers avoid fraud?

    1. A.
      By choosing big websites
    2. B.
      By collecting shopping evidence
    3. C.
      By seeking advice from the police
    4. D.
      By using only trusted websites
  2. 2.

    What does the author tell us about online shopping in Paragraph 3?

    1. A.
      Don’t believe product descriptions easily
    2. B.
      Product appearances are always not good
    3. C.
      It is usually wise to buy colorful products
    4. D.
      It is normal for a blue dress to change into green
  3. 3.

    The author agrees with the fact that       

    1. A.
      online shopping is a safe way to make purchases
    2. B.
      customers are never satisfied with products
    3. C.
      online shopping has nothing to do with global warming
    4. D.
      delivery delay often makes online shoppers unhappy
  4. 4.

    What is the author’s attitude towards online shopping?

    1. A.
      It is very popular
    2. B.
      It is a wise choice
    3. C.
      It is a double-edged sword(双刃剑)
    4. D.
      It is a waste of time

Douglas Adams was born in Cambridge in March 1952, educated at Brentwood School, Essex and St John's College, Cambridge where, in 1974 he gained a BA (and later an MA) in English literature.
He was the creator of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy(《银河系漫游指南》), which started life as a BBC Radio 4 series in March 1978. Since then it has been transformed into a series of best-selling novels, a TV series, a record album, a computer game and several stage adaptations.
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy's success sent the book straight to Number One in the UK Bestseller List and in 1984 Douglas Adams became the youngest author to be awarded a Golden Pan. He won a further two (a rare feat), and was nominated—though not selected - for the first Best of Young British Novelists awards.
He followed this success with The Restaurant at the End of the Universe (1980); Life, The Universe and Everything (1982); So Long and Thanks for all the Fish (1984); and Mostly Harmless (1992). The first two books in the Hitchhiker series were adapted into a 6-part television series, which was an immediate success when first showed in 1982. Other publications include Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency (1987) and Long Dark Tea-time of the Soul (1988). In 1984 Douglas teamed up with John Lloyd and wrote The Meaning of Life and their second huge success, The Deeper Meaning of Life followed in 1990. One of Douglas’s personal favorites was written in 1990 when he teamed up with zoologist Mark Carwardine and wrote Last Chance to See an account of a world-wide search for rare and endangered species of animals.
Douglas sold over 15 million books in the UK, the US and Australia. He was also a best seller in German, Swedish and many other languages.
Douglas Adams died on Friday, May 11, 2001, in Santa Barbara, CA. He will be greatly missed by fans worldwide

  1. 1.

    The main idea of this passage is          

    1. A.
      Douglas Adams, always loved by fans
    2. B.
      Douglas Adams and The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy
    3. C.
      Douglas Adams and his works
    4. D.
      Douglas Adams’s personal lives
  2. 2.

    The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy was first shown to the public as           

    1. A.
      a radio series
    2. B.
      a movie
    3. C.
      a TV series
    4. D.
      a computer game
  3. 3.

    Which two books were adapted into a six-part TV series?

    1. A.
      Life, The Universe and Everything and Mostly Harmless
    2. B.
      The Restaurant at the End of the Universe and Life, The Universe and Everything
    3. C.
      The Restaurant at the End of the Universe and So Long and Thanks for all the Fish
    4. D.
      So Long and Thanks for all the Fish and Mostly Harmless
  4. 4.

    Last Chance to See is a book about          

    1. A.
      Some stories happening in a Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency
    2. B.
      the author’s personal favorites
    3. C.
      a zoologist and his worldwide experiences
    4. D.
      searching for rare and endangered species of animals
  5. 5.

    Which of the following statement is not true?

    1. A.
      Douglas Adams died at the age of 49 and he was memorized by his fans
    2. B.
      Douglas Adams was the youngest author to be selected as one of the first Best of Young British Novelists
    3. C.
      John Lloyd was one of the authors of the two books, The Meaning of Lifeand The Deeper Meaning of Life
    4. D.
      Douglas graduated from Essex and St John's College and gained a Master’s Degree

Passage 1
The information Highway is the road that links computer users to a large number of on-line services; the Web, e-mail, and software, to mention just a few. Not long ago, the information Highway was a new road, with not many users. Now, everyone seems to want to take a drive, with over 30 million families connected worldwide. Not surprisingly, this well-traveled highway is starting to look like a well-traveled highway. Traffic jams can cause many serious problems, forcing the system to close down for repair. Naturally, accidents will happen on such a crowed road, and usually victims are some files, gone forever. Then, of course, there’s Mr. Cool, with his new broad-band connection, who speeds down the highway faster than most of us can go. But don’t trick yourself; he pays for that speeding.
Passage 2
Want to know more about global warming and how you can help prevent it? Doctor Herman Friedman, who is considered a leading expert on the subject, will speak at Grayson Hall next Friday. Friedman studied environmental science at three well-known universities around the world before becoming a professor in the subject. He has also traveled around the world observing environmental concerns. The gradual bleaching (变白) of the Grate Barrier Reef, which came into the public eye in 2002, in his latest interest. Signed copies of his colorful book, which was published just last month, will be on sale after his talk

  1. 1.

    The Information Highway________

    1. A.
      appeals to a large number of users
    2. B.
      is crowded with car drivers
    3. C.
      offers just a few on-line services]
    4. D.
      is free from traffic accidents
  2. 2.

    How does MR .Cool manage to travel the Information Highway so fast?

    1. A.
      By storing fewer files
    2. B.
      By repair the system
    3. C.
      By using a broad-band connection
    4. D.
      By buying a better computer
  3. 3.

    What can be learned from Passage 2?

    1. A.
      There will be a book show at Grayson Hall
    2. B.
      Friedman is now studying the Great Barrier Reef
    3. C.
      Friedman is a leading expert on computer science
    4. D.
      There will be a talk on global warming this week
  4. 4.

    Passage 2 is most probably    

    1. A.
      An ad for a new book
    2. B.
      A poster about a lecture
    3. C.
      A note to a doctor in a university
    4. D.
      An introduction to a professor
  5. 5.

    According to the passage, which of the following statement is not true?

    1. A.
      Doctor Herman Friedman is a famous expert on environmental science
    2. B.
      A new book has been published recently by Doctor Herman Friedman
    3. C.
      The colorful new book, signed by him, will be sold before the talk
    4. D.
      Doctor Herman Friedman has studied the changes of the Grate Barrier Reef


Today, we complete our story about the influential English writer William Shakespeare. He wrote plays and poems during the late fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries, which remain very popular today.
During earlier times, people would probably have learned several ancient Roman and Greek plays. It was not unusual for writers to produce more current versions of these works. For example, in Shakespeare’s play “The Comedy of Errors”, Shakespeare borrowed certain details from the ancient Roman writer Plautus. For his play “Macbeth”, Shakespeare most likely used a work on Scottish history by Raphael Holinshed for information. Shakespeare might have borrowed from other writers, but the intensity（强度）of his imagination and language made the plays his own. While many plays by other writers of his time have been forgotten, Shakespeare and his art live on.
Shakespeare was also influenced by the world around him. He described the sights and sounds of London in his plays. His works include observations about political struggles, the fear of diseases, and the popular language of the city’s tradesmen. Shakespeare’s knowledge of the English countryside is also clear. His works include descriptions of deep forests, local flowers, and the ancient popular traditions of rural people.
It would be impossible to list all of the ways in which Shakespeare’s works have influenced the world culture. But the first and greatest example would be his great influence on the English language. During his time, the English language was changing. Many new words from other languages were being added. Shakespeare used his sharp mind and poetic inventiveness to create hundreds of new words and rework old ones. For example, he created the noun forms of “critic”, “mountaineer” and “eyeball”. Many common expressions in English come from his plays, including “pomp and circumstance（装腔作势）” from “Othello”, “full circle（绕圈子地）” from “King Lear”, etc. The list of cultural creations influenced by Shakespeare is almost endless. From paintings to television to music and dance, Shakespeare was well represented. Shakespeare’s plays have been translated into every major language in the world.
Shakespeare became a well­known writer during a golden age of theater. His years of hard work paid off

  1. 1.

    From the passage, we can see that ________

    1. A.
      Shakespeare was hard­working when he was a student
    2. B.
      many of Shakespeare’s works were influenced by earlier writings
    3. C.
      the experience of living in London had no effect on Shakespeare’s works
    4. D.
      Shakespeare became rich later because of the popularity of his works
  2. 2.

    Why could Shakespeare’s works survive his time?

    1. A.
      Because there were so few people writing plays in his time
    2. B.
      Because he produced too many works that nobody else could do
    3. C.
      Because his works were rich in imagination and language
    4. D.
      Because he was a rich and influential person of his time
  3. 3.

    Shakespeare’s greatest influence should be on 　　　　

    1. A.
      paintings
    2. B.
      television
    3. C.
      the English language
    4. D.
      music and dance
  4. 4.

    The passage is mainly about 　　　　

    1. A.
      an introduction to Shakespeare’s life and his works
    2. B.
      the main features and styles of Shakespeare’s plays
    3. C.
      Shakespeare’s greatest influence on the world culture
    4. D.
      how culture influenced Shakespeare and he influenced culture

Tourism wasn’t as important as it is today. In the past, only people with a good deal of money could travel on holidays to other countries. More people travel today than in the past because there is a growing middle class in many parts of the world; that is to say, people now have more money for travel. Special plane fares(费用) for tourists make travel less expensive and more attractive than ever before. One person doesn’t travel for the same reason as another. But most people enjoy seeing countries that are different from their own. They also like to meet new people and to taste new food.
Tourism causes many changes in a country and in people’s lives. People build new hotels and restaurants and train native men and women as guides to show visitors interesting places. There’re new nightclubs and other amusements. International tourism is clearly a big business

  1. 1.

    More people travel today than in the past because______________

    1. A.
      people have become interested in traveling
    2. B.
      traveling today is easier than in the past
    3. C.
      people now have spare money for travel
    4. D.
      great changes have taken place in the world
  2. 2.

    What makes travel more attractive than before?

    1. A.
      Travel by air to other countries is much cheaper today
    2. B.
      More guides are being trained to show beautiful spots
    3. C.
      Modern telegraph lines make travel less expensive
    4. D.
      New hotels and restaurants have been built
  3. 3.

    Which of the following statements is true according to the article?

    1. A.
      Tourism won’t bring any changes in people’s minds
    2. B.
      People have some trouble in making journey
    3. C.
      With the development of tourism, great changes have taken place in many parts in the world
    4. D.
      Tourism causes only some changes in clothing
  4. 4.

    What is the best title of the passage?

    1. A.
      The Change of Tourism
    2. B.
      Tourism
    3. C.
      The Importance of Tourism
    4. D.
      The Cause of Tourism Change

Poet William Stafford once said that we are defined more by the detours (绕行路) in life than by the narrow road toward goals. I like this image. But it was quite by accident that I discovered the deep meaning of his words.
For years we made the long drive from our home in Seattle to my parents’ home in Boise in nine hours. We traveled the way most people do: the fastest, shortest, easiest road, especially when I was alone with four noisy, restless kids who hate confinement (限制) and have strong opinions about everything.
Road trips felt risky, so I would drive fast, stopping only when I had to. We would stick to the freeways and arrive tired.
But then Banner, our lamb was born. He was rejected by his mama days before our planned trip to Boise. I had two choices: leave Banner with my husband, or take him with me. My husband made the decision for me.
That is how I found myself on the road with four kids, a baby lamb and nothing but my everlasting optimism to see me through. We took the country roads out of necessity. We had to stop every hour, let Banner shake out his legs and feed him. The kids chased him and one another. They’d get back in the car breathless and energized, smelling fresh from the cold air.
We explored side roads, catching grasshoppers in waist-high grass. Even if we simply looked out of the car windows at baby pigs following their mother, or fish leaping out of the water, it was better than the best ride down the freeway. Here was life. And new horizons (见识).
We eventually arrived at my parents’ doorstep astonishingly fresh and full of stories.
I grew brave with the trip back home and creative with my disciplining technique. On an empty section of road, everyone started quarreling. I stopped the car, ordered all kids out and told them to meet me up ahead. I parked my car half a mile away and read my book in sweet silence.
Some road trips are by necessity fast and straight. But that trip with Banner opened our eyes to a world available to anyone adventurous enough to wander around and made me realize that a detour may uncover the best part of a journey—and the best part of yourself

  1. 1.

    Why did the author use to take freeways to her parents’ home?

    1. A.
      It was less tiring
    2. B.
      It would be faster and safer
    3. C.
      Her kids would feel less confined
    4. D.
      She felt better with other drivers nearby
  2. 2.

    The author stopped regularly on the country roads to _____

    1. A.
      relax in the fresh air
    2. B.
      take a deep breath
    3. C.
      take care of the lamb
    4. D.
      let the kids play with Banner
  3. 3.

    What does the author discover from the trio according to Paragraph 6?

    1. A.
      Freeways are where beauty hides
    2. B.
      Getting close to nature adds to the joy of life
    3. C.
      Enjoying the beauty of nature benefits one’s health
    4. D.
      One should follow side roads to watch wild animals
  4. 4.

    Why did the author ask the kids to get out of the car on their way back home?

    1. A.
      To give herself some time to read
    2. B.
      To order some food for them
    3. C.
      To play a game with them
    4. D.
      To let them cool down
  5. 5.

    What could be the best title for the passage?

    1. A.
      Charm of the Detour
    2. B.
      The Road to Bravery
    3. C.
      Creativity out of Necessity
    4. D.
      Road Trip and Country Life

Dear Editor,
I have just returned home after studying for a year in Germany. But it seems that my parents don’t understand me now. They expect me to be the same person I was before I went abroad, but I’m not! Why can’t they let me be myself?
Jimmy
Hi, Jimmy,
As far as I know, people who have lived abroad often find that the adjustment （调整） to returning home is more difficult than their adjustment to living in a foreign culture. Why? We expect to have some problems when we go to a new place, speak a different language and learn the rules of a different culture ... But home? ... we know that place!
Your parents expect that the same person who boarded the airplane one year ago will be returning. Especially if they have never been abroad themselves, your parents probably won’t understand the changes that living abroad can cause in a person. On the other hand, you may have maintained (保持) an ideal mental image of your loved ones while abroad, an image that is broken into pieces when you return.
Remember you have been living a different lifestyle in your host country, and you have probably become very independent while staying there alone. Now that you’re home, you will be expected to conform （顺应） again to the lifestyle of your family. As a result, you may be upset about your parents’ involvement in your life.
Communication is the key to overcoming this problem. Tell your parents how you are feeling. Share with them information about cultural re-entry（重归）, and ask them to be patient. This does not mean that you have to forget your experience and give up everything you’ve learned! Learn to find a balance between the old and new, just as you did when first adjusting to your host country’s culture

  1. 1.

    What is Jimmy’s main purpose in writing the letter?

    1. A.
      To criticize his parents
    2. B.
      To ask for advice about his studies
    3. C.
      To complain about his parents
    4. D.
      To ask for help
  2. 2.

    What does the editor think of Jimmy’s problem?

    1. A.
      It’s unusual
    2. B.
      It’s normal
    3. C.
      It’s serious
    4. D.
      It’s interesting
  3. 3.

    The editor thinks that both Jimmy and his parents ______

    1. A.
      have changed in the past year
    2. B.
      have unrealistic expectations of each other
    3. C.
      need to behave like they did before
    4. D.
      need to find a balance between the good and bad
  4. 4.

    The author suggests that ______ would help solve Jimmy’s problem

    1. A.
      patience and trust
    2. B.
      patience and politeness
    3. C.
      better communication between family members
    4. D.
      a deeper understanding of the host country’s culture

Most recently, it’s very common in students who need a parent present for job interviews.
Naturally, it’s easy to blame the students in these situations, but the bigger problem is us. We—as parents—are so eager to protect our kids that we fail to realize that this in itself is harming them. As the mother of two young sons, I have to remind myself all the time that the biggest responsibility I have as a parent is to help them develop the skills needed to live in, to live without me. So, I’ll let them fail.
I’ll let them fail because as long as they are safe and warm inside their comfort zones, they will never grow. And failure—along with loss, heartbreak, disappointment, etc.—will be part of growth for them. Call me the anti-tiger mom, but leaving them alone is my way of helping them become equipped to fit in this world as we know it today. From terrorism (恐怖主义) and seemingly endless natural disasters, to our national debt and beyond, if we expect the next generation to stand up to the very real problems of our time, we need to stop feeding them and start teaching them how to fish.
My children are faced with hard situations in their own life almost each day, but they try to negotiate (协商) everything now. It’s a small price to help them learn a skill they’ll use for the rest of their lives, including when I don’t come with them on job interviews

  1. 1.

    Why do parents go along with their kids on job interviews?

    1. A.
      Because they want to protect their kids from difficulties
    2. B.
      Because they think they can protect them from being hurt
    3. C.
      Because their kids are too shy to attend interviews
    4. D.
      Because their kids strongly request them to do so
  2. 2.

    According to the author, what is helpful to kids’ development?

    1. A.
      Protecting them
    2. B.
      Keeping them safe
    3. C.
      Leaving them alone
    4. D.
      Blaming them
  3. 3.

    The author believes experiencing failure in life can make kids ___________

    1. A.
      become healthier than other kids
    2. B.
      grow in this challenging world
    3. C.
      develop all social skills
    4. D.
      escape from natural disasters
  4. 4.

    If the writer’s boy goes to a job interview, she probably will ___________

    1. A.
      go with him to protect her kid from difficulty
    2. B.
      stay home but give him directions over telephone
    3. C.
      wait outside and talk with other parents
    4. D.
      let him go to the interview by himself
  5. 5.

    Which of the following might be the best title of the text?

    1. A.
      Never help your kids
    2. B.
      Let your kids fail
    3. C.
      Go to the interview with your kids
    4. D.
      Live without parents

Computer programmer David Jones earned ￡35,000 a year designing new computer games, yet he cannot find a bank prepared to let him have a check card, he has been told to wait another two years until he is 18.
He works for a small firm in Liverpool, where most young people of his age are finding jobs. David’s biggest headache is what to do with his money. Though he has high payment, he cannot drive a car, or get credit card(信用卡).
David got his job four months ago, a year after leaving school with six O-levels（普通成绩）and working for a time in a computer shop. “I got the job because the people who run the firm knew I had already written some programs,” he said.
“I suppose ￡35,000 sounds a lot but I hope it will come to more than that this year.” He spends some of his money on records and clothes, and gives his mother ￡20 a week as he lives with his parents. But most of his spare time is spent working.
“Unfortunately, computing was not part of our studies at school, ” he said. “But I had been studying it in books and magazines for four years in my spare time. I knew what I wanted to do and never considered staying on at school. Most people in this business are fairly young, anyway. I would like to earn a million and I suppose early retirement(退休) is a possibility. You never know when the market might disappear.”

  1. 1.

    Why is David so different from other young people of his age?

    1. A.
      He earns an extremely high payment
    2. B.
      He has got a job
    3. C.
      He lives at home with his parents
    4. D.
      He does not go out much
  2. 2.

    David’s greatest problem is that______

    1. A.
      he can’t be treated as an adult by the bank
    2. B.
      he doesn’t make as many games as he wishes
    3. C.
      he doesn’t know what to buy with the money
    4. D.
      he is too young to drive a car
  3. 3.

    He was employed by the company because ____

    1. A.
      he had worked in a computer shop
    2. B.
      he had written some computer programs
    3. C.
      he is clever and works hard at his lessons
    4. D.
      he had learnt to use computers at school
  4. 4.

    He left school after taking six O-levels because____

    1. A.
      he was afraid of getting too old to start computing
    2. B.
      he did not enjoy school
    3. C.
      he wanted to work with computers
    4. D.
      he wanted to earn a lot of money
  5. 5.

    Why does David think he might retire early?

    1. A.
      He thinks computer games might not always sell so well
    2. B.
      He wants to stop working when he is a millionaire
    3. C.
      One has to be young to write computer programs
    4. D.
      He thinks his firm might close down

Whenever the sun dropped and the blue sky came up, my father and I used to climb the mountain near my house. Walking together, my father and I used to have a lot of conversations through which I learned lessons from his experiences. He always told me, “You should have goals like climbing the mountain.” Without the mountain-climbing that we both enjoyed. We couldn’t have enough time to spend together because my father was very busy. I really got a lot from mountain-climbing. It gave me time to talk with my father and to be in deep thought as well as develop my patience.
Once we climbed a very high mountain. It was so challenging for me because I was only ten years old. During the first few hours of climbing. I enjoyed the flowers and trees, and the birds’ singing, but as time passed, I got a pain in both of my legs. I wanted to quit climbing. In fact, I hated it at that mountain, but my father said to me, “You can always see a beautiful sky at the top of the mountain, but you can’t see it before you reach the top. Only there at the top, can you see all of the nice things, just like in life.”
At that time, I was too young to understand his words. But later after that, I got knew hope and confidence. I found myself standing at the top of the sky in my life, which was as clear as crystal (水晶)

  1. 1.

    The passage tells us that mountain-climbing was _____for Father and Son

    1. A.
      hard
    2. B.
      painful
    3. C.
      enjoyable
    4. D.
      unhappy
  2. 2.

    The word “quit” in the passage means “______”

    1. A.
      carry on
    2. B.
      put off
    3. C.
      pick up
    4. D.
      give up
  3. 3.

    We can infer from the last paragraph that ______

    1. A.
      the writer reached the top of the mountain
    2. B.
      the writer was very successful in his life
    3. C.
      thought the writer was young, he could understand his father
    4. D.
      the writer used to hate climbing the mountain
  4. 4.

    The best title for the passage is ______

    1. A.
      How to Get to the Top of the Mountain
    2. B.
      Father’s love
    3. C.
      Conversations between Father and Son
    4. D.
      Reaching the Top of the Mountain
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