Everyone knows that the Frenchmen are romantic, the Italians are fashionable and the Germans are serious. Are these just stereotypes or is there really such a thing as national character? And if there is, can it affect how a nation succeed or fail?
At least one group of people is certain that it can. A recent survey of the top 500 entrepreneurs in the UK found that 70% felt that their efforts were not appreciated by the British public. Britain is hostile to success, they said. It has a culture of jealousy. As a result, the survey said, entrepreneurs were “unloved, unwanted and misunderstood.” Jealousy is sometimes known as the “green – eyed monster” and the UK is its home.
Scientists at Warwich University in the UK recently tested this idea. They gathered a group of people together and gave each an imaginary amount of money. Some were given a little, others a great deal. Those given a little were given the chance to destroy the large amount of money given to others – but at the cost of losing their own. Two thirds of the people tested agreed to do this.
This seems to prove that the entrepreneurs were right to complain. But there is also conflicting evidence. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development recently reported that the UK is now the world’s fourth largest economy. That is not bad for people who are supposed to hate success. People in the UK also work longer hours than anyone else in Europe. So the British people are not lazy, either.
“It is not really success that the British dislike,” says Carey Cooper, a professor of management at the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology. “It’s people using their success in a way that seems proud or unfair or which separates them from their roots.”
Perhaps it is the entrepreneurs who are the problem. They set out to do things in their way. They work long hours. By their own efforts they become millionaires. But instead of being happy they complain that nobody loves them. It hardly seems worth following their example. If they were more friendly, people would like them more. And more people want to be like them.
【小题1】Most entrepreneurs surveyed believe that        .

China supports international efforts to secure cyberspace but believes each nation’s “Internet sovereignty（主权）” must be respected, a top Chinese official said at a cyber security conference on Tuesday.

“China, like many other countries, is very concerned about cyber security,” said Liu Zhengrong, deputy director general of the Internet Affairs Bureau of the State Council Information Office.

“China faces severe cyber security threats,” Liu told participants here at the Worldwide Cyber Security Summit, a gathering of government and business leaders from 40 countries hosted by the EastWest Institute think tank.

“International cooperation is much needed to safeguard international cyberspace,” Liu said.

But “Internet sovereignty of each country needs to be respected,” the Chinese official added. “Different national and cultural conditions” should be taken into account.

Liu declined to answer repeated questions about cyber attacks last year on Google which the Internet giant said originated in China and led to the California company’s decision to reroute its searches through Hong Kong.

“The Chinese government firmly opposes cyber attacks in any form and Chinese law clearly states that any hackers will be held responsible for their actions,” he said.

Liu said China itself is a “a major victim of cyber attacks and network viruses” and has laws in place to deal with hackers.

“Internet-related crimes (in China) are showing a steady upward trend,” Liu said. “We suffer big economic losses from hacking networks and viruses - around $1 billion dollars (6.8 billion yuan) a year.”

In 2009, Chinese law enforcement authorities investigated about 48,000 cases, a 37 percent increase over 2008, he said.

While China has a dynamic Internet population of more than 400 million users and millions of bloggers, there is no “absolute freedom” on the Web, Liu said.

“I don’t think there is absolute freedom in this world,” he said. “When you are speaking via the Internet you must obey laws and respect others’ lawful rights.”

Last Thursday, Wang Chen, minister of the State Council Information Office, said China has been actively promoting a real-name registration system for Internet and cell phone users to better manage Internet information and services.

China needs laws that will step up monitoring for “harmful information” and block “overseas hostile forces from infiltrating（渗透）through the Internet,” Wang said.

Last week, China tightened its State Secrets law, holding Internet and mobile phone operators responsible for customers who try to leak State secrets.

Some 400 government officials, business leaders and cyber security experts are attending the summit, which features three days of discussions on ways to protect the world’s digital infrastructure from electronic threats.(427)

What was the top issue of Worldwide Cyber Security Summit?

A. To fight against Internet-related crimes.

B. To protect digital infrastructure in the world.

C. To respect Internet sovereignty of each country.

D. To make more laws to deal with hackers.

To respect a nation’s Internet sovereignty, _____________ must be considered.

A. different national and cultural conditions

B. attending Worldwide Cyber Security Summit

C. stopping the leaking of State secrets

D. safeguarding international cyberspace

According to paragraph 6, Internet giant refers to _________.

A. Hong Kong             B. hackers             C. Google   D. Liu Zhengrong

Which of the following is NOT the measure that China has taken to guarantee better Internet information and service management?

A. Promoting real-name registration for Internet use.

B. Promoting real-name registration for cell phone use.

C. Tightening State Secrets law to stop leaking State secrets.

D. Monitoring for harmful information and blocking overseas hostile forces.

第二节：阅读下面61到65几段文字，为它们从A到F中选出适当的标题。注意：有一个标题是多余的。

A．The most common problem is a “wandering” mind

B．Selective listening is also a mental barrier

C．Listening isn’t an easy skill to master

D．Attitudes can also interfere with good listening

E．Noise and background music makes listening more difficult

F．Listening is also related to the level of the listener’s knowledge

1．__________________

         Listening is not as easy as someone thought．Even good listeners may recall only fifty percent of what they hear．Retention, the ability to remember and recall information, decreases about twenty to twenty – five percent after a few days．So no matter how well you listen in class, you’re always going to have to refresh your memory before a test! Unfortunately, many people have poor listening habits, and little listening training．To improve your listening skills, it’s important to understand what causes poor listening．

2．__________________

         If you find it difficult to concentrate solely on what a speaker is saying, there’s good reason．The mind processes information much faster than a speaker can speak．The brain can process over 500 words per minute, while the average speaker talks as a rate of 124 to 250 words per minute．That means the mind can hear what’s being said and can think about something else at the same time．

3．__________________

         If you have a negative idea about the speaker or the topic, you’ll find it difficult to listen attentively．Hostile or captive audiences often have more difficultly listening than do favorable or voluntary ones．

4．__________________

         If a speaker speaks “above the heads” of an audience, people find it difficult to concentrate．Speakers who use unfamiliar words or who use incomplete explanations make it more difficult to listen．Speakers who “speak down” to audiences, failing to acknowledge what the audience already knows, also create mental blocks．

5．__________________

         When people listen selectively, they simply block out what they don’t want to hear．For instance, many people have habits that are dangerous to their health, like smoking．However, they often choose to block out what a speaker says about health risks．They may listen to a speech and think that the speaker’s message applies to other people, not them．In other words, they hear what they want to hear and ignore what they don’t want to hear．

To be sure, only children experienced some things differently from those with sisters and brothers. Many feel more pressure to succeed. In the absence of brothers and sisters, only children also tend to look more exclusively to their parents as role models.

In India, 10-year-old Saviraj Sankpal founded a support group for the tiny minority of only children. Among other things, the group does volunteer work to counter the myth that they are not responsible. “People think we’re treated too kindly and ruined,” says Sankpal, a computer engineering student. “But I’d like to remind them how lonely it can get.”

Most only children, however, say they wish for sisters or brothers only when it comes to caring for aging, unhealthy parents. Britain’s David Emerson, coauthor of the book The Only Child, says that such a person bears a terrible burden in having to make all the decisions alone. Emerson knows from experience: After his father died, he chose to move his elderly mother from their family home, where she was vulnerable(易受攻击的) to house breakers, to a new one with more security. “The move was quite hard on her, and she might feel that I pushed her into it,” he says. “After all, I am left with that responsibility.”

In the future, more and more only children will likely face similar choices. With working mothers increasingly the rule, many families are finding they simply don’t have the time, money or energy to have more than one child. As only children become common, perhaps the world will realize that the charge made against them is unjust.

1.It can be inferred from the passage that the author’s attitude towards only children is 　　　. 

A. critical          B. objective       C. hostile     D. unjust

2.It can be inferred from the passage that only children’s parents should 　　　.

A. find a support group for their only children

B. do volunteer work to help their only children

C. let their only children make all the decision alone

D. set good examples for their only children

3.Emerson decided to move his elderly mother to a new house because he 　　　.

A. is the only one who cares about her

B. doesn’t want to leave her alone

C. wants to share the responsibility with her

D. is worried about her safety

4.It is quite usual now for a working mother to 　　　.

A. spend all her time and money on her only child

B. be responsible for bringing up her only child

C. have and bring up only one child

D. devote all her energy to her job

Findings from a new study were presented at a recent meeting of the American Psychosomatic Society. Researchers in the United States studied one hundred thousand women during an eight-year period, beginning in nineteen ninety-four. All of the women were fifty years of age or older. The study was part of the Women’s Health Initiative organized by the National Institutes of Health.
The women were asked questions that measured their beliefs or ideas about the future. The researchers identified each woman’s personality eight years after gathering the information.
The study found that hopeful individuals were fourteen percent less likely than other women to have died from any cause. The hopeful women were also thirty percent less likely to have died from heart disease after the eight years.
Hilary Tindle from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine in Pennsylvania was the lead author of the report. She said the study confirmed earlier research that linked optimistic feelings to longer life.
The researchers also gathered information about people’s education, financial earnings, physical activity and use of alcohol or cigarettes. Independent of those things, the findings still showed that optimists had less of a chance of dying during the eight-year period.
Some women who answered the questions were found to be cynically hostile, or highly untrusting of others. These women were sixteen percent more likely to die than the others. They also were twenty-three percent more likely to die of cancer.
The study also found that women who were not optimistic were more likely to smoke and have high blood pressure or diabetes. They were also more likely not to exercise.
Professor Tindle says the study did not confirm whether optimism leads to healthier choices, or if it actually affects a person’s physical health. She also says the study does not prove that negative emotions or distrust lead to bad health effects and shorter life. Yet there does appear to be a link that calls for more research.
1. What’s the purpose of carrying out the study?
A. To gather information for the National Institutes of Health.
B. To find out the relationship between women’s personality and their health.
C. To decide who is more likely to enjoy happier life.
D. To identify each woman’s personality 8 years after gathering the information.
2. What can be inferred from the passage?
A. It’s uncertain whether optimism affects a person’s physical health.
B. Negative emotions do cause shorter life.
C. The connection between personality and health has been established.
D. The more optimistic you are, the longer life you may enjoy.
3. According to the passage, who is more likely to die of cancer?
A. A woman who has high blood pressure or diabetes.
B. A woman who doesn’t exercise.
C. A woman who has poor physical health.
D. A woman who always doubts what others say.
4. Which of the following is true?
A. American Psychosomatic Society organized the new study.
B. Women who were optimistic were less likely to smoke.
C. More questions were given than those measuring women’s beliefs or ideas.
D. Hopeful women were 16% less likely to die from heart disease.