Japanese couples, too busy for a normal social life, are increasingly turning to actors to play their friends on the most important days of their lives.

Several agencies have sprung up(涌现)offering actors to attend weddings or even funerals.The first guest-for-hire company was established about nine years ago and around 10 agencies now send out dozens of pretend friends to family events.

Agencies such as Hagemashi Tai, which means “I want to cheer you up”, charge around ￡100 for each “guest”. Other services such as giving a speech in praise of a bride or the groom cost extra.

The appearance of the small fake friends industry has been linked to social and economic changes in Japan.With lifetime employment (终身雇佣制)a thing of the past, couples feel uncomfortable about inviting work colleagues to their wedding.Increasingly busy and put upon, many Japanese surround themselves with only a very small circle of friends.

When they marry, however, they are under pressure to match the number of their new partner’s wedding guests.

Office Agents, the largest provider of pretend friends, makes sure that its employees have done their homework and know all about the bride or groom before the wedding.

Hiroshi Mizutani, the company’s founder, said the fake friends he provides must look happy, be well dressed and look like people with good jobs.

1.Why did fake friends industry come into being in Japan?

A．Because of social and economic changes     B．Because of lifetime employment

C．Because of normal social life               D．Because of work pressure

2.Pretend friends will be present at the following occasions except ________.

A．weddings         B．funerals           C．work             D．family gathering

3.The agents make sure that ________.

A．fake friends have done their housework      B．fake friends have good jobs

C．fake friends must look happy and be well dressed   D．fake friends feel uncomfortable

4.What is the best title of this passage?

A．Japanese Couples are Under Pressure to Get Married    B．Japanese Couples’ Social Life

C．The First Guest-for-hire Company in Japan     D．Japanese Couples Rely on Fake Friends

Violin prodigies (神童), I learned, have come in distinct waves from distinct regions. Most of the great performers of the late 19th and early 20th centuries were born and brought up in Russia and Eastern Europe. I asked Isaac Stern, one of the world’s greatest violinists the reason for this phenomenon. “It is very clear,” he told me. “They were all Jews and Jews at the time were severely oppressed and ill-treated in that part of the world. They were not allowed into the professional fields, but they were allowed to achieve excellence on a concert stage.” As a result, every Jewish parent’s dream was to have a child in the music school because it was a passport to the West.

Another element in the emergence of prodigies, I found, is a society that values excellence in a certain field to nurture (培育) talent. Nowadays, the most nurturing societies seem to be in the Far East. “In Japan, a most competitive society, with stronger discipline than ours,” says Isaac Stern, children are ready to test their limits every day in many fields, including music. When Western music came to Japan after World War II, that music not only became part of their daily lives, but it became a discipline as well. The Koreans and Chinese as we know, are just as highly motivated as the Japanese.

That’s a good thing, because even prodigies must work hard. Next to hard work, biological inheritance plays an important role in the making of a prodigy. J. S. Bach, for example, was the top of several generations of musicians, and four of his sons had significant careers in music.

   Jewish parents in Eastern Europe longed for their children to attend music school because ________.

A. it would allow them access to a better life in the West

B. Jewish children are born with excellent musical talent

C. they wanted their children to enter into the professional field

D. it would enable the family to get better treatment in their own country（A）

   Nurturing societies as mentioned in the passage refer to societies that ________.

A. are highly motivated in the education of music

B. treasure talent and provide opportunities for its full development

C. encourage people to compete with each other

D. promise talented children high positions（B）

Which of the following contributes to the emergence of musical prodigies according to the passage?

A. a natural gift.                      B. extensive knowledge of music.

C. very early training.                 D. a prejudice-free society.（A）

   Which of the following titles best summarizes the main idea of the passage?

A. Jewish Contribution to Music    B. Training of Musicians in the World

C. Music and Society                    D. The Making of Music Prodigies

Japan's 24-hour convenience stores, already struggling with lagging sales and growth, may soon face yet another threat - moves to limit business hours and close the stores late at night. The district of Saitama, which borders Tokyo, may follow in the footsteps of the western city of Kyoto and urge convenience stores to close during late night hours in an effort to limit carbon dioxide（二氧化碳）emissions, Japanese media reported.

 Kyoto, a former capital, wants to persuade convenience and other 24-hour stores to close late at night so as to improve evening views of the city and cut down on energy use. The Nikkei business daily said closures could last from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. The move is strongly opposed by the industry, which fears a bad impact on an already troubled sector also grappling with the specter of a higher tobacco tax, which could hit overall sales.

 "Even if we only operate the stores for 16 hours, we can't stop the refrigerators," said Toshiro Yamaguchi, the president of Seven-Eleven Japan Co, which is owned by Seven & I Holdings Co Ltd, at a news conference in Saitama on Tuesday. He said such cuts in operating hours would reduce each store's profit by 20 percent. "If this happens, our current business model will lose its foundation."

 Analysts said that while it is difficult to estimate the potential impact of the move without a concrete plan, their overall impression was that it was likely to be negative. "This could cut profits and lead to less efficient operations and the increased loss of opportunities," said Masafumi Shoda, an analyst at Nomura Securities. "But it depends on the store -- urban stores do better than others. There are some in the countryside that are inefficient."

 Some have suggested that if governments were sincere about reducing carbon emissions there were much more efficient methods, such as cutting back on the huge number of automatic vending machines（自动售货机）

Which of the followings was the first to try to limit convenience store hours?

 A. Saitama           B. Tokyo C. Kyoto D. Nomura Security

What's the main goal of the proposal?

  A. To give employees more free time.

  B. To limit carbon dioxide emissions.

  C. To sell more tobacco products.

  D. To reduce each store’s profit.

How's the convenience store sector doing in Japan?

 A. It is not mentioned.    B. It's doing great. Business is booming.

 C. Not very well.        D. It’s about to close.

According to the passage, which convenience stores are generally more successful?

 A. The ones in big cities.     B. The ones in the countryside.

 C. The ones in Tokyo.       D. The ones in Saitama.

According to the convenience store industry, what impact would closing for the night have on a typical store?

  A. It could cause a 10% increase in sales.

  B. Its effect would be maximal. It would close soon.

  C. Its effect would be minimal. People would simply shop earlier.

  D. It could cause a 20% decrease in profits.

It is ___ we depended in Japan.

A. two years since  B. two yesrs for   C. two years when   D. two years ago

On my birthday I got a watch from my uncle,__________ was made in Japan.?

A.who　B.that　C.which　D.what ?