Do you know about a series of books that say they are “for dummies”？ These American self?help books have been translated into more than thirty nine languages including Chinese，Arabic，Russian，French，German，Greek and Spanish.

“Dummy” is a word for a stupid person.The dummies books are not really for stupid people.They are designed to show people how to do something they may never have tried before，like painting a house or learning a language.The books all say in a funny way that they are for dummies，such as World History for Dummies，Rabbits for Dummies，Chinese Cooking for Dummies，and Wedding Planning for Dummies.The first such book，DOS for Dummies，was published in 1991.It helped people learn how to use the DOS operating system for computers.Since then，more than one hundred fifty million dummies books have been sold.

The dummies.com website explains the idea behind the books.It says that they show people can be taught to do anything.First they can make fun of ideas that are difficult to understand.Then they show how the information can be interesting and easy.The publishers say that the books do not provide more information than necessary.They give readers just enough information to do what they want.They say that the dummies books give the best and easiest way to do something.And the books use simple and easy language.

There are more than one thousand different dummies books.A report in New York Times says that the top-selling dummies books are those that explain technology and personal finance.

The publishers say that the best-selling dummies books are those providing information many people need－like information about diseases，education and cooking.People interested in opera，car repair and wine can also find dummies books to help them.And there are even more dummies books to come.The publishers say that they publish about two hundred new dummies books every year.

1.Which of the following can be the best title of the passage?

2.The dummies books have been popular because ________.

3.According to New York Times，we know that books on ________ sell best.

4.What can we learn from the passage?

第二节 完形填空（共20小题；每小题1.5分，满分30分）
阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后从36-55各题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
Last year in my high school child-development class, each student had to take the “ Think-It-Over” baby home for a night to get a taste of parenthood.
It was a Friday  36  when my turn came to take the 10-pound plastic doll home. The doll really did look like a  37  baby from a distance. I decided to name him Tyler.
My friends and I went out for 38 that night. As it was rather cold, I decided to  39 Tyler in a blanket and carry him in that way. When I walked into the restaurant, I noted some very   40  looks and quiet a few raised eyebrows. My friends and I decided to  41 the whole situation. I stood in the corner,  42 to rock Tyler to sleep while my friends kept looking into the  43 and said, “Oh, how lovely!” I couldn’t help but  44. And although it was funny to my friends and me, some of the people did not think it was so funny that I had a   45. Some people were giving me rude looks, because they thought I was a   46. Others just smiled at me sympathetically  47 felt sorry for me because I was only a child  48  a child.
I learned a lot through my  49 with the “Think-It-Over” baby. The doll surely strengthened my thinking that I was not ready to be a  50, and it opened my eyes to the judgments people   51 about others. People do not  52 that some things are not the way they seem. I was only carrying it around for a  53 . The people in the restaurant were so  54  to judge me because they assumed I was a teenager mom. We should all be slower to  55  others, and realize that some things are not as they seem.
36. A. noon          B. morning          C. night          D. day
37. A. lively         B. live              C. loving         D. lovely
38. A. shopping      B. supper            C. fun            D. walk
39. A. place         B. throw             C. hide           D. move
40. A. friendly       B. strange            C. frightened      D. concerned
41. A. carry on       B. join in            C. make fun of     D. make use of
42. A. trying         B. starting           C. expecting       D. pretending
43. A. blanket        B. basket            C. restaurant       D. glass
44. A. laugh         B. stop               C. cry           D. continue
45. A. friend         B. doll               C. baby          D. sister
46. A. teenage mom   B. bad student        C. strange person   D. noise maker
47. A. so            B. or                C. but            D. and 
48. A. from          B. with             C. without         D. by
49. A. experience     B. research           C. examination     D. observation
50. A. babysitter      B. parent             C. father          D. teacher
51. A. enter          B. pass              C. make           D. sit
52. A. think          B. consider           C. believe         D. realize
53. A. follower       B. funny thing         C. class project     D. company
54. A. quick         B. slow               C . difficult        D. easy
55. A. judge         B. comfort             C. know           D. hate

You might say that Barack Obama was elected President of the US because he knows how to give a good speech. In 2004, the little-known Obama gave a speech at the Democratic national Convention(民主党全国会议). It was a great speech---poetic, and inspiring. The people who heard it would remember it for a long time.

  Since 2004, Obama has written and delivered thousands of speeches. These are usually praised for two reasons: he treats the audiences like intelligent adults, and he is able to express difficult ideas in a straightforward, natural way.

  Before becoming President, Obama was a lawyer, a college professor, and a successful writer---his two memoirs have become best-sellers. The skills he needed to succeed in his previous jobs have also contributed to his success as a speechmaker.

  As a lawyer, Obama learned how to make strong, convincing arguments. As a professor, he learned how to explain complex subjects in ways that helped students understand without boring them. As a writer, he learned how to use language to have a powerful influence on his audience.

     Secret weapons of Obama 

     Writing team: Obama has a team of people who write his speeches. The writers chat with Obama for hours about what he wants to say. They listen to recordings of past presidential addresses and seek advice from advisers. Obama usually edits and rewrites the drafts several times.

     Make fun of the guests: Obama starts his speech by gently making fun of his guests. His opening lines attract the audiences’ attention while giving them an opportunity to relax and laugh at themselves and each other.

     Making fun of himself: Obama laughs at his past mistakes and is never afraid of showing them to the public.

     Obama delivers speeches to audiences large and small. He can make his audiences laugh or cry. His speeches are always thoughtful, well written, and just right for each occasion.

 1... The third and fourth paragraphs mainly talk about _____.

     A. why Obama’s speeches are praised       B. how Obama acquired his speaking ability     C. what subjects Obama’s speeches about    D. Obama’s success as a writer and a lawyer

  2.. When delivering a speech, Obama ______.

     A. usually starts with some famous sayings    B. sometimes turns his speech into a song

     C. sometimes shares a joke with the audience  D. is very strict most of the time

 3.. What is the main idea of the passage?

     A. Obama won the election campaign.       B. Obama is a brilliant speechmaker

     C. Obama had taken a couple of jobs.        D. Obama is good at writing.

阅读下面的短文，并根据短文后的要求答题。(请注意问题后的词数要求)

[1]Some expressions describe people who are important，or who at least think they are．One such expression is bigwig．

[2]In the seventeenth century，important men in Europe began to wear false hair，called wigs．As years passed，wigs began to get bigger．The size of a man’s wig depended on how important he was． The more important he was—or thought he was一                 ．Today，the expression bigwig is used to make fun of a person who feels important．People never tell someone he is a bigwig．They only use the expression behind his back．

[3]Big wheel is another way to describe an important person．A big wheel may be the head of a company，a political leader，a famous movie star．They are big wheels because they are powerful．What they do affects many people．Big wheels give the orders．Other people carry them out．As in many machines，a big wheel makes the little wheels turn．Big wheel became a popular expression after World WarⅡ．It probably comes from an expression used for many years by people who fix parts of cars and trucks．They said a person roiled a big wheel if he was important and had influence．

[4]The top of something is the highest part．So it is not surprising that top is part of another expression that describes an important person．The expression is top banana．A top banana is the leading person in a comedy show．The funniest comedian is called the top banana．The next is second banana．And so on．Why a banana?A comedy act in earlier days often included a part where one of the comedians would hit the others over the head with a soft object. The object was shaped like the yellow fruit：the banana．Top banana still is used mainly in show business．Yet the expression can also be used to describe the top person in any area．

1.What’s the best title of the text ?(no more than 7 words)

2.Fill in the blank in Paragraph 2 with proper words. (no more than 6 words)

3.How and when is “bigwig” used in a proper way nowadays?(no more than 20 words)

4.Complete the following sentence with proper words from Paragraph 3 . (no more than 3 words)

As a big wheel makes the little wheels turn in many machines, powerful people give orders for others to            .

5.Translate the underlined sentence in Paragraph 4 into Chinese.

When newspapers and radio describe the damage caused by a hurricane named Hazel,girls named Hazel are probably teased by their friends.To keep out of trouble,the Weather Bureau says,“Any resemblance between hurricane names and the names of particular girls is purely accidental.”

Some women became angry because hurricanes are given their names,but many other women are proud to see their names make headlines.They don’t even care that they are the names of destructive storms.Because more women seem to like it than dislike it,the Weather Bureau has decided to continue using girl’s names for hurricanes.

In some ways a hurricane is like a person.After it is born,it grows and develops,then becomes old and dies.Each hurricane has a character of its own.Each follows its own path through the world,and people remember it long after it gone.So it is natural to give hurricanes’ names,and to talk about them almost if they were alive.

What happens to girls named Hazel according to the passage?

A.They suffer from hurricanes.

B.The Weather Bureau look for them.

C.Others often make fun of them.

D.They can’t find boyfriend.

The underlined word“resemblance”probably means ______.

A.trouble                      B.difference                  C.sameness                   D.success

According to the passage,which is more reasonable?

A.Some women feel unhappy because hurricanes are given their names.

B.A lot of women complain of the Weather Bureau.

C.Many women want to be known.

D.All the hurricanes are caused by women.

Public opinions make the Weather Bureau ______.

A.consider the disagreement of some women

B.go on naming hurricanes after women

C.name hurricanes after men

D.look for a new method to name hurricanes

It is natural to give hurricane names because ______.

A.they become old and die

B.all of them should be remembered

C.each hurricane has its own day to come

D.each hurricane has its own character