Many people take it for granted that black is a color of bad things while white should always mean something good. This may be because, in their opinion, black is related to darkness and white to purity. However, that is not always the case. Did you know that the same colour may mean differently in different places of the world?
In the English-speaking world, black is the colour of mourning. People wear black clothes at the funeral. Red is concerned with danger or bloodshed (流血). Yellow is the word for fear. If you are afraid, you are yellow. Yet none of these sayings is true outside the English-speaking world. In China and Korea white is the colour of mourning. In Russia, China and some other countries, red stands for beauty, life and excellence. In Italy and Germany, you are yellow with anger, not with fear.
Even within the English-speaking area it is not difficult to find colour contradictions. A redcap in the United States is a porter in a railway station. In Britain, however, a redcap is a military policeman. Both names are logical because both men wear red caps. Similarly, the British term for an American white collar worker is sometimes called a black-coated worker.
One does not have to cross an area to find colour differences. Would you rather be red-blooded? If we go back to the origin, we find that both terms are logical as both names suggest. The expression "blueblood" comes from Spain, where some noble families proudly said that they had "blue blood". But then why "blue" blood? Because they were fairskinned, and it is only natural that their blood vessels (血管) stood out appearing blue.
【小题1】Yellow is concerned with anger in                .             

Some futurologists have assumed that the vast upsurge(剧增)of women in the workforce may portend a rejection of marriage. Many women, according to this hypothesis, would rather work than marry. The converse(反面)of this concern is that the prospects of becoming a multi-paycheck household could encourage marriage. In the past, only the earnings and financial prospects of the man counted in the marriage decision. Now, however, the earning ability of a woman can make her more attractive as a marriage partner. Data show that economic downturns tend to putting off marriage because the parties cannot afford to establish a family or are concerned about rainy days ahead. As the economy comes to life, the number of marriages also rises.

The increase in divorce rates follows to the increase in women working outside the home. Yet, it may be wrong to jump to any simple cause-and-effect conclusions. The impact of a wife’s work on divorce is no less cloudy than its impact on marriage decisions. The realization that she can be a good provider may increase the chances that a working wife will choose divorce over an unsatisfactory marriage. But the reverse is equally plausible(似是而非的). Tensions grounded in financial problems often play a key role in ending a marriage. By raising a family’s standard of living, a working wife may strengthen her family’s financial and emotional stability.

Psychological factors also should be considered. For example, a wife blocked from a career outside the home may feel caged in the house. She may view her only choice as seeking a divorce. On the other hand, if she can find fulfillment through work outside the home, work and marriage can go together to create a stronger and more stable union.

Also, a major part of women’s inequality in marriage has been due to the fact that, in most cases, men have remained the main breadwinners. A working wife may rob a husband of being the master of the house. Depending upon how the couple reacts to these new conditions, it could create a stronger equal partnership or it could create new insecurities.

The word “portend” (Line 2, Para.1) is closest in meaning to“_____”.

    A. defy   B. signal   C. suffer from   D. result from

It is said in the passage that when the economy slides_____.

    A. men would choose working women as their marriage partners

    B. more women would get married to seek financial security

    C. even working women would worry about their marriages

    D. more people would prefer to remain single for the time being

If women find fulfillment through work outside the home,_____.

    A. they are more likely to dominate their marriage partners

    B. their husbands are expected to do more housework

    C. their marriage ties can be strengthened

    D. they tend to put their career before marriage

One reason why women with no career may seek a divorce is that_____.

    A. they feel that they have been robbed of their freedom

    B. they are afraid of being bossed around by their husbands

    C. they feel that their partners fail to live up to their expectations

    D. they tend to suspect their husbands? loyalty to their marriage

Which of the following statements can best summarize the authors view in the passage?

    A. The stability of marriage and the divorce rate may reflect the economic situation of the country.

    B. Even when economically independent, most women have to struggle for real equality in marriage.

    C. In order to secure their marriage women should work outside the home and remain independent

    D. The impact of the growing female workforce on marriage varies from case to case.

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. It is also the most neglect (忽视). Common reasons for not eating breakfast include having no time, not feeling hungry, traditional dislike and dieting.
Breakfast simply means “break the fast’’. Your body spends at least 6 to 12 hours each night in a fasting state. In the morning your body needs energy for the day’s work ahead. 
A good breakfast should provide 1/3 of your total calorie(卡路里)needs for the day. On average, we eat 400 less calories for breakfast than for dinner. If breakfast doesn’t appeal (吸引) to you in the morning, try eating a lighter dinner earlier in the evening or save half of your dinner for breakfast in the morning.
If you still aren’t hungry in the morning, start with something small like juice or toast or have a nutritious (有营养的) mid-morning snack (小吃) later when you are hungry.
So, you say you are on a diet. Some people fear that eating breakfast will make them hungrier during the day and they will eat more. It is true that eating breakfast is likely to make you feel hungry throughout the day. That is because your body is working correctly. Although you may feel as if you are eating more all day long, in reality you are probably not.
Not eating breakfast can also cause you t overeat, since a fall in blood sugar often makes you feel very hungry later. To make matters worse, since your body is in a slow state, it will not be able to burn those extra calories very efficiently (有效). If you feed your body healthy snacks and meals throughout the day, you are less likely to become hungry and stuff (填饱) yourself as soon as you begin to eat.
Since breakfast is the first and most important meal of the day, choosing the right food is important. The best breakfast foods are fruits ,juice, lean meat and grain products such as bread, rice, noodles and cereals.
【小题1】. What is the meaning of the word “fast” in the phrase“break the fast”? 

C
FOR many of us, cartoon strips（连环画） are simply one of our pastimes. The popular Japanese manga provides us with an escape from reality into a world of fantasy, adventure and romance. With much less text and pictures running for pages, it fits perfectly into today's fast, throwing away city lifestyle.
But Tsai Chih-chung, a famous Taiwanese illustrator (漫画家), doesn't agree. He believes cartoons can be a bridge connecting traditional Chinese culture and wisdom with the modern world in a much more wise and acceptable way.
He has interpreted（演绎） Lao Zi, Confucius, Mencius, Zhuang Zi and Sun Zi and made their works accessible to a global audience. He has also produced two books about Zen (禅宗), introducing oriental philosophy（哲学）. His cartoons are humorous yet full of wisdom and are admired as an easy way to learn Chinese classics.
After avoiding the public for ten years, Tsai made a comeback in late April with seven new works. But does his age, 61, work as a gap between him and his young readers? Tsai doesn't think so.
The topics he has covered range from philosophy in a time of individuality(个性) to the learning and memorizing techniques used at school. "Every child is a genius and has the potential beyond his own imagination," he said.
If popular Japanese manga is simply for entertainment, Tsai's work, to a large extent, is to light the power of thinking in a light-hearted way. Tsai uses different forms of water to refer to people. In his eyes some people are like an ocean, some are like vapor , while others may be ice or rain. But in essence they share a similarity – human being's forever chasing for the true and the good.
"The person who thinks over life issues is not necessarily a scholar or a philosopher," he said. "I've devoted my whole life to thinking and individual freedom, not making a living."
64．Which of the following statement is TRUE according to the passage?
A．Tsai’s work fits today’s city lifestyle.
B．All of Tsai’s works mainly introduce eastern philosophy.
C．Tsai’s works are humorous as well as full of wisdom.
D．Tsai’s works are not involved in children’s study.
65．What’s the word “vapor” mean in the 6th paragraph?
It means          .
A．a kind of food  B．a form of water       C．a form of solid D．a kind of people
66．From the passage we know that       .
A．Tsai once stopped writing his works for ten years
B．Tsai writes his works in order to make a living
C．Tsai thinks everyone should be a scholar or a philosopher
D．Tsai doesn’t think there is a gap between him and his young readers
67．In the author’s opinion,         .
A．Japanese Manga is more valuable than Tsai’s
B．Tsai’s works are more valuable than Japanese Manga
C．Japanese Manga is as valuable as Tsai’s
D．Both Japanese Manga and Tsai’s works are valueless