A woman from Japan was telling a friend about her trip to the United States.The woman had visited major businesses and investment companies in New York City and Chicago.

“I studied English before I left home，”she said.“But I still was not sure that people were speaking English.”

Her problem is easy to understand.Americans in business are like people who are in business anywhere.They have a language of their own.Some of the words and expressions deal with the special areas of their work.Other expressions are borrowed from different kinds of work such as the theater and movie industry.

One such saying is “get your act together”．

When things go wrong in a business，an employer may get angry.He may shout，“Stop making mistakes.Get your act together.”

Or，if the employer is calmer，he may say，“Let us get our act together.”

Either way，the meaning is the same.Getting your act together is getting organized.In business，it usually means to develop a calm and orderly plan of action.

It is difficult to tell exactly where the saying began.But，it is probable that it was in the theater or movie industry.Perhaps one of the actors was nervous and made a lot of mistakes.The director may have said，“Calm down，now.Get your act together.”

Word expert James Rogers says the expression was common by the late 1970s.Mister Rogers says the Manchester Guardian newspaper used it in 1978.The newspaper said a reform policy required that the British government get its act together.

Now，this expression is heard often when officials of a company meet.One company even called its yearly report，“Getting Our Act Together.”

The Japanese visitor was confused by another expression used by American business people.It is cut to the chase.

She heard that expression when she attended an important meeting of one company.One official was giving a very long report.It was not very interesting.In fact，some people at the meeting were falling asleep.

Finally，the president of the company said，“Cut to the chase.”

Cut to the chase means to stop spending so much time on details or unimportant material.Hurry and get to the good part.

Naturally，this saying was started by people who make movies.Hollywood movie producers believe that most Americans want to see action movies.Many of their movies show scenes in which the actors chase each other in cars，or in airplanes or on foot.

Cut is the director’s word for stop.The director means to stop filming，leave out some material，and get to the chase scene now.

So，if your employer tells you to cut to the chase，be sure to get to the main point of your story quickly.

1.After the woman visited the United States she might feel that ________.

A．her English was poor

B．it’s easy to master English

C．it’s difficult to make money

D．people there weren’t very friendly

2.In which situation could the words “get your act together” be used?

A．A task is completed successfully.

B．Players perform badly in a match.

C．Audience is satisfied with the actor’s performance in a movie.

D．Visitors make a tiresome and unpleasant trip to someplace.

3.According to the text，the expression “get one’s act together” ________.

A．was first used by a Japanese businesswoman

B．was forbidden to be used in the government policy

C．originally came from a yearly report of a company

D．was commonly read by readers in a newspaper in 1978

4.What do the sayings “get your act together” and “cut to the chase” have in common?

A．Their use.? B．Their meaning.

C．Their origin.? D．Their popularity.

第二节完型填空（共20小题，小题1．5分，满分30分）

阅读下面短文，从短文所给各题的四个选项（A, B, C, D）中选能填入相应空白处的最佳选项。

Dear Doctor,

My husband and I got married in 1965 and for the first ten years of our marriage I was very happy to   36   home and raise our three children．Then four years ago, our youngest   37   went to school and I thought I might go back to   38 ．

My husband was very   39   and helped me to make my decision．He pointed out all of the things I can do around the   40  , and said he thought I could be a great   41   in business．

After several weeks of job-hunting, I found my   42   job, which is working for a small public relations firm．At first, my husband was very   43  of me and would tell his friends, "My clever little wife can   44   that company she's working for．"

But as his joking words were close to   45  , my husband stopped talking to me about my job．I have received several promotions and pay increases, and I am now   46   more money than he is．I can buy my   47   clothes and a new car．Because of our joint incomes, my husband and I can do many things that we had always   48   of doing, but we don't do these things because  he is very   49 ．

We   50   about little things and my husband is very critical of me in front of our friends．For the first time in our marriage, I think there is a possibility that our marriage may come to a（an）   51 ．

I love my husband very much, and I do not want him to   52   lower, but I also love my job．I think I can be a good wife and a working woman, but I don't know   53 ．Can you give me some   54  ? Will I have to choose one or the other or can I keep both my   55   and my new career?

Please help．

"DISTRESSED"

36．A．look                B．stay                        C．see                         D．study

37．A．person                    B．man                       C．child               D．lady

38．A．school                    B．factory                   C．study               D．work

39．A．restricted         B．opposite                  C．disappointed            D．supportive 

40．A．group                     B．house                     C．firm                       D．husband 

41．A．success                   B．failure                    C．mother                   D．helper 

42．A．awkward         B．convenient              C．useful                     D．present

43．A．warm                     B．fond                C．proud                     D．comfortable 

44．A．run                        B．walk                C．hire                        D．sell 

45．A．awareness        B．beliefs               C．reality               D．ambition 

46．A．making                   B．building                  C．producing        D．growing  

47．A．cheap                     B．own                       C．important         D．incredible

48．A．agreed                    B．believed                 C．dreamed                 D．supposed 

49．A．unhappy          B．confident         C．discouraging           D．certain

50．A．communicate   B．strike               C．fight                D．change

51．A．absence                  B．end                        C．exam               D．question 

52．A．gain                B．add                        C．feel                    D．suffer 

53．A．what               B．where                     C．why                   D．how 

54．A．duties                     B．advice                    C．fun                     D．enjoyment

55．A．husband           B．child               C．friendship     D．boss 

At the top of a hill,we can usually get a good view of everything around us,so from there we can plan which direction to go next.

As we go downhill,we can see less and less,and at the bottom of that hill,even less.So,because we can see more from the top of the hill,we can also plan our future better.

In business,education,or anything else that people do,being”on top”means being the best.A business that is”on top”is beating all its competition in the same way,a student”on top”is getting the highest grades in his or her class.

Such a business or student is in a good position to plan a positive future.

It is necessary,however,to continue to work very hard to keep one’s position”on top”.If one allows high standards to fall through inattention,mismanagement,or poor quality control,we can say that that person’s work or business is”going downhill”.

1.What does”go downhill”in this passage mean?

A.See less.　　　　　　　　　　　　　 B.Be in a worse condition.

C.Get worse.　　　　　　　　　　　　 D.Slip off the top of a hill.

2.If a company 　　　,it will go downhill.

A.beats all its competition　　　　　　　 B.no longer gets a good view

C.is run improperly　　　　　　　　　　　 D.has no direction to go next

3.The writer wants to tell us that 　　　.

A.we’d better often plan our future

B.it’s worth trying to keep”on top”

C.it’s not easy to keep high standard

D.the higher we stand the further we can see

A growing number of college students are applying to take entry tests for medical and dental （牙科的） schools among increasing graduate unemployment in Korea.
“I’ve decided to apply for the test to enter a medical college to become a doctor, changing from my original plan to prepare for a lawyer qualification exam in order to get a more stable job in the future,” said a 24-year-old college graduate, Lee, who majored in business administration during his undergraduate schooling.
The new medical and dental school system is getting popularity, attracting an increasing number of students every year since its appearance in 2004, as it is open to all college graduates regardless of their previous majors.
The Education Development introduced the new medical and dental education system, in which college students with bachelor’s degrees are allowed to study medicine or dentistry by taking the Medical Education Test (MET) and Dental Education Test (DET).
Ten medical schools and six dental colleges that have used the new system have received 4,377 applications (申请) for the entrance exams.
Applicants are getting younger compared with those in their 20s representing 76.9 percent of the total. The tests might be easier for students with biology and chemistry majors, but graduates from other majors are also applying for the tests.
Under the existing medical and dental education system, students should take a two-year premedical course followed by a four-year medical course.
Students graduating under the new medical or dental education system are given master’s degrees, while those graduates who studied under the previous system have bachelor’s degrees.
【小题1】Why do more and more Korean students apply for medical schools?