A

A higher reading rate, with no loss of comprehension, will help you in other subjects as well as in English, and the general principles apply to any language. Naturally, you will not read every book at the same speed. You would expect to read a newspaper, for example, much more rapidly than a physics or economics textbook-but you can raise your average reading speed over the whole range of materials you wish to cover so that the percentage gained will be the same whatever kind of reading you are concerned with.

The reading passages which follow are all of an average level of difficulty for your stage of instruction. They are all about five hundred words long. They are about topics of general interest which do not require a great deal of specialized knowledge. Thus they fall between the kind of reading you might find in your textbooks and the much less demanding kind you will find in a newspaper or light novel. If you read this kind of English, with understanding at four hundred words per minute, you might skim (浏览) through a newspaper at perhaps 650-700, while with a difficult textbook you might drop to two hundred or two hundred and fifty.

Perhaps you would like to know what reading speeds are common among native English-speaking university students and how those speeds can be improved. Tests in Minnesota, USA, for example, have shown that students without special training can read English of average difficulty, for example, Tolstoy's War and Peace in translation, at speeds of between 240 and 250 words per minute with about seventy percent comprehension. Students in Minnesota claim that after twelve half-hour lessons, once a week, the reading speed can be increased, with no loss of comprehension, to around five hundred words per minute.

According to the passage, the purpose of effective reading with higher speed is most likely to help you ________.

A. only in your reading of a physics textbook

B. improve your understanding of an economics textbook

C. not only in your language study but also in other subjects

D. choose the suitable materials to read

Which of the following does not describe the types of reading materials mentioned in the second paragraph?

A. Those beyond one's reading comprehension.

B. Those concerned with common knowledge.

C. Those without much demand for specialized knowledge.

D. Those with the length of about five hundred words.

The average speed of untrained native speakers in the University of Minnesota is ________.

A. about 300 words per minute

B. about 245 words per minute

C. about 650-700 words per minute

D. about 500 words per minute

According to the passage, how fast can you expect to read after you have attended twelve half-hour lessons in the University of Minnesota?

A. You can increase your reading speed by three times.

B. No real increase in reading speed can be achieved.

C. Yon can increase your reading speed by four times.

D. You can double your reading speed.

C
Every once in a while, it is necessary to take a step back in order to take a long, hard look at where we are in our lives. At this point, it is good to ask yourself a bunch of critical questions. Have you so far accomplished all of your goals in life ? If so, you have not accomplished your goals in life, then perhaps you have made the mistake of setting too many goals or trying to accomplish them at an unnaturally fast pace.
It is necessary to set reasonable, intelligent goals in order to succeed in life. Do not be unrealistic because life is not a fairy tale. But you should try to recognize what you want,when attempting to visualize（形象化） or otherwise express what your goals in life are.
In order for a goal to sufficiently motivate you, it needs to be a major one. The bigger your goals are, then the more motivated you will need to be to work towards accomplishing them. If you want, you are a beginner, then no doubt mastering those tough songs is a very intelligent and realistic goal to set. But if that is your only goal as a pianist achieved. This is why it is necessary to constantly stop and re-evaluate our goals so that we are aware of what they are, and thus stay motivated.
49. From the passage, if your goals have all been achieved, you should then ______.
A. ask yourself some serious questions    B. take a hard look at your success
C. set some other intelligent goals        D. stretch yourself to relax
50. By saying “life is not a fairy tale”, the author suggests that you should ________ .
A. set as big a goal as possible             B. try hard to realize your dream
C. make your goals practical         D. abandon all your ambitions
51. To perform several Beethoven pieces well is a goal that _______.
A. is not suitable for the pianist         B. is appropriate for a beginner
C. stops you from growing as a pianist   D. is very easy to achieve
52. What is the best title for the passage ?
A. Set Intelligent Goals for Yourself     B. Try to Accomplish Your Goals
C. Get Yourself More Motivated      D. Goals Help You to Succeed

B  
There was a Roman general in the 3rd century BC named Regulus who always kept his word. This fact was well known even to Rome’s enemy—Cathage. Once, he lost a battle and was taken prisoner and sent to a Carthage prison for a period of time. Finally, his captors came to him with an offer, which they hoped would cause the Romans to give in, thus ending the war.
They asked General Regulus to go back to Rome. They wanted him to tell the Romans that Carthage was winning the war and it was useless for Rome to continue fighting. They also said that if he refused to do as they asked, he would have to sail back to Cathage and serve as a prisoner of war in their prison. Since General Regulus was a man of honor, they knew he would keep his word and return to Carthage.
Regulus set sail for Rome and on his arrival, he was immediately taken to the authorities (当局). He knew how the war was progressing from the enemy's point of view. He told the Romans that they should not give up but continue fighting, as it would only be a matter of time until Rome would win the battle over Carthage. So the Romans decided to continue the war effort. Large groups of soldiers were sent to battle due to General Regulus' suggestion.
Regulus went home to see his wife and his children but only for a short time. With deep sorrow, he informed them that he had given his word that he would return to Carthage and to his prison. Though they wished he would stay, his family knew that he must keep his word and return. He returned to Carthage as promised but Rome soon won the war.
60. This passage mainly tells us that General Regulus was____.
A. a determined man                             B. a man of his word
C. loyal to his homeland                          D. a patient man
61. The underlined word “captors" (in Paragraph 1) probably refers to “____”.    
A. people who are taken prisoners             B. people who have lost a battle
C. people who have won a battle              D. people who keep others prisoners
62. After General Regulus' visit to Rome, the Romans_____.
A. continued the war                             B. made peace with Carthage
C. gave in                                      D. accepted their failure

A Carefully edit it

B. Keep thank-you letters short

C. Just do it ------ and do it quickly

D. Be genuine in your appreciation

E. Stress some of your key selling points

F. Add points not addressed in interviews

Tips for writing a job-search interview

thank-you letter

1._________________

You should try to send out your thank-you letters within 24 hours of your interview---- no longer than about two or three days afterward. If you have a hard time writing letters and don't want to write any, fight that urge and force yourself to write something. Studies continue to show that the vast majority of job-seekers do not send thank-you letters. As a result, by doing so, you will stand out from other applicants. The speed is of great importance, so you can either email your thank-you letters or drop them off the next day.

2.________________

Write your thank-you note from the heart. Everyone values authentic communications, so rather than using a boring thank-you letter from the Internet, use your own words and feelings to write your letter. Find a way to express your genuine feelings of appreciation and connection with the interviewer. One word of caution: Don’t give fake praise and appreciation; keep it honest and simple.

3.________________

One of the main goals of an employment interview is to determine if there is a good fit between the interviewee (you, the job-seeker) and the employer. Thus, one of your key goals in your thank-you letter should be to clearly express your strong fit with the organization. At the same time, it’s also good to mention a few of your key selling points ------ points that exactly match the requirements of the position you are seeking. Even a thank-you letter is a chance to market yourself.

4._________________

Job interviews are stressful situations and even with excellent preparation, we can sometimes forget to mention something that may be a key selling point. If that happened to you, no worries as you can add the point in your thank-you letter. As you are summarizing your fit with the position and employer, you simply add the additional point you forgot to make in the interview.

5.__________________

One of the worst things you can do is to write an amazing thank-you letter, but realize after you sent it that it had a misspelling, or poor construction. Especially check and double-check the spelling of the name of the employer. Write a draft of your letter and come back to it later to edit it. Read it aloud to check how it flows. Have someone else read it for errors. Review your final version carefully before sending it.

A Shelter for the Homeless

Last summer I was a volunteer (志愿者) at a shelter for the homeless, a place for homeless people to sleep at night. I wasn’t working that summer and was  36  only two classes in summer school, so I had some  37  time.

Three nights a week, I  38  in the kitchen of the shelter along with four other volunteers. We planned and  39  for 45 people hot meals  40  vegetables, chicken, fish and fruit. The homeless people  41  this good food because many of them usually didn’t eat well.

I  42  this volunteer work, making  43  with the four volunteers in the kitchen. One was a very nice elderly housewife, one a movie actor, another a young teacher, and the other a college student,   44  me.

I talked to a lot of the homeless people at the shelter. Their life stories  45  me with sympathy (同情). Some of them had  46  with alcohol (酒) or drugs while others only had bad  47 . One woman worked for almost 30 years for a small company, and  48  she lost her job. She looked for a  49  job,but couldn’t find one, for she was too  50  . She could do nothing but sell her furniture — sofas, chairs, and tables  51  she could pay for her food.The woman  52  on job hunting, but she 53 couldn’t find one.She had no money for her  54  and had to sleep in her car. Then she had to sell her car. Alone,   55  , and homeless, she finally came to the shelter.