A punctual person is in the habit of doing a thing at the proper time and is never late in keeping an appointment.

The unpunctual man, on the other hand, never does what he has to do at the proper time. He is always in a hurry and in the end loses both time and his good name. A lost thing may be found again, but lost time can never be regained. Time is more valuable than material things. In fact, time is life itself. The unpunctual man is for ever wasting and mismanaging his most valuable asset as well as others’. The unpunctual person is always complaining that he finds no time to answer letters, or return calls or keep appointments promptly. But the man who really has a great deal to do is very careful of his time and seldom complains of want of it. He knows that he can not get through huge amount of work unless he faithfully keeps every piece of work when it has to be attended to.

Failure to be punctual in keeping one’s appointments is a sign of disrespect towards others. If a person is invited to dinner and arrives later than the appointed time, he keeps all the other guests waiting for him. Usually this will be regarded as a great disrespect to the host and all other guests present.

Unpunctuality, moreover, is very harmful when it comes to doing one’s duty, whether public or private. Imagine how it would be if those who are put in charge of important tasks failed to be at their proper place at the appointed time. A man who is known to be habitually unpunctual is never trusted by his friends or fellow men. 

12. What is an unpunctual person like?

A. He always does a thing when it should be done.  B. He is always very busy.

C. He always does a thing at the wrong time.    D. He always keeps the appointments.

13. Why is unpunctuality very harmful?  

A. Because it makes a man lose many chances of doing important affairs.

B. Because it makes a man lose friends.

C. Because it makes a man work quickly.

D. Because it makes a man be more respected by others.

14. According to the passage, which is right?

A. The punctual person has no much work to do.

B. The unpunctual person is very rich

C. The unpunctual person is often respected by his friends.

D. The unpunctual person loses what can’t be regained again.

15. According to the passage, what are good manners when you are invited to a party?

A. Arriving at the appointed time.   B. Arriving before all other guests.

C. Arriving after all other guests.    D. Keeping all other guests waiting.

16. Why is a person always unpunctual?

A. He is too busy.                      B. He has too much work to do.

C. He does care much about time.         D. He doesn’t manage his time properly.

The railway was opened＿＿＿＿＿＿traffic＿＿＿＿＿＿＿ April 4, 1985.

A. to； on     B. to； in     C. by； on     D. for； on

The new machine，if _________ properly，will work at least ten years.

　 A. use 　 B. using

　 C. being used 　 D. used

Intellectual property (IP) is a product of the mind that has commercial value. The concept dates back to 1623 when the first patent law to protect IP sights was passed. IP rights protect the artist from having his/her creative ideas copied by another. For example, if somebody generated an idea for a novel, that idea is protected by IP rights. If someone else wishes to represent the idea or develop it further, he/ she must consult the original artists, who will normally be rewarded financially for its use. Back in the 17^th century, IP rights were primarily carried out to protect newly developed manufacturing processes against stealing. But today, intellectual property rights, are also enjoyed by those who creative music, art and literature.

In recent years, IP rights have been the focus of a great deal of discussion because of a technology which looks set to weaken them altogether; the Internet. Many years ago, if you wanted a recording of a song, you would have to purchase it from a music store; if a novel, form a book store. In those days, IP rights were easily protected since it was very difficult to obtain intellectual property without paying for it. However, a lot of IP, including songs, films, books and artwork, can be downloaded today free of charge using the Internet. This practice has now taken the world by storm, dramatically affecting the way in which we view IP rights.

According to the writer, in the beginning, If rights were mainly of use to ______.

A. those creating music, art and literature     B . novelists

C. engineers and inventors         D. those not receiving financial reward for their work

What do we know about the internet according to the passage?

A. It makes IP rights harder to protect.             B. It sells songs and films.

C. It does not affect the way we understand IP rights. D. It prevents the production of artwork.

According to paragraph 2, what has “taken the world by storm”?

A. Intellectual property rights.      B. The Internet.

C. Free downloading             D. The large number of songs, films and books.

A possible title for this passage could be ______.

A. A History of IP Rights                 B. Ways to Protect Your IP Rights.

C. The Present and the Future Of IP        D. IP Rights and Our Attitudes

　—I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have been so rude to you.

　　　　—You ________ your temper but that’s OK.

　　A. have lost　　　　　　　　　　　B. had lost

　　C. did lose　　　　　　　　　　　 D. were losing