Before the grass has thickened on the roadside and leaves have started growing on the trees is a perfect time to look around and see just how dirty Britain has become. The pavements（人行道） are stained with chewing gum that has been spat out. Years ago I remember travelling abroad and being saddened by the plastic bags and discarded bottles on every road. Nowadays, Britain seems to look at least as bad. What has gone wrong?

The problem is that the rubbish created by our increasingly mobile lives lasts a lot longer than before. If it is not cleared up and properly thrown away, it stays in the undergrowth for years; a semi-permanent reminder of what a tatty little country we have now.

Firstly, it is estimated that 10 billion plastic bags have been given to shoppers. These will take anything from 100 to 1,000 years to rot. However, it is not as if there is no solution to this. A few years ago, the Irish government introduced a tax on non-recyclable carrier bags and in three months reduced their use by 90%. When he was a minister, Michael Meacher attempted to introduce a similar arrangement in Britain. The plastics industry protested, of course. However, they need not have bothered; the idea was killed before it could draw breath, leaving supermarkets free to give away plastic bags.

What is clearly necessary right now is some sort of combined initiative (主动权) before it is too late. The alternative is to continue sliding downhill until we have a country that looks like a vast rubbish tip. We may well be at the tipping point. Yet we know that people respond to their environment. If things around them are clean and tidy, people behave cleanly and tidily. If they are surrounded by squalor（肮脏）, they behave squalidly. Now, much of Britain looks pretty squalid. What will it look like in five years?

57. According to the writer, things used to be_______.

   A. worse abroad

   B. the same abroad 

  C. better abroad

  D. worse, but now things are better abroad

58. The underlined word “tatty” means________.

   A. sacred              B. clean              C. dirty               D. ancient

59. Michael Meacher _______.

   A. followed the Irish example with a tax on plastic bags

   B. tried to follow the Irish example with a tax on plastic bags

   C. made no attempt to follow the Irish example with a tax on plastic bags

   D. had problems with the plastics industry who weren’t bothered about the tax

60. Which of the following is not the writer’s opinion?

  A. Rubbish last longer than it used to.

  B. People like a vast rubbish tip.

  C. People behave according to what they see around them.

  D. We need to work together to solve the problem.

Human life has not only been changed within the past few hundred years．it has been revolutionized．In the old days there was little difference between the houses．dress and food of those who were chiefs and those who were their servants．There was, to a large degree．social equality．The contrast（差别）today between the palaces of the millionaires and the cottages of the laborers shows us the change which has come with civilization（文明）．  

    This change．however．is not to be regretted．but welcome as highly beneficial（helpful）．For progress there must be homes of great wealth to keep the best things of civilization．Therefore it is much better to have this great difference between rich and poor than to have general poverty．Neither master nor servant was as rich in the “good old times” as today．Whether the change is for good or bad．it has come，and it is beyond our power to turn back．Therefore．it should be accepted and made the best of．It is a waste of time to discuss what must happen．

    By today’s production methods the world gots goods of excellent quality at prices which even people of 25 years of age would have thought unbelievable．The poor enjoy what once the rich could not．The poor are more richly clothed and better housed．The laborer now has more comforts than the farmer had many years ago．The farmer has more luxuries（奢侈品）than the landlord had．The landlord has more rare books and pictures and more works of art than the king could have in older tires．

1．The writer thinks that the contrast between the living conditions of the workers and those of the rich________．

      A．should be regretted                                  B．is not a bad thing

      C．will cause a lot of trouble                           D．should not be accepted

2．Which of the following shows the change that has come with civilization?

    A．Neither the rich nor the poor live better than before

    B．Both the rich and the poor live better than before

    C．The rich live better that before but the poor don’t

    D．The poor live better than before but the rich don’t

3．According to the writer，it is much better to have a great difference between the rich and the poor than to have general poverty because ________．

    A．social equality is not as important as it used to

    B．the poor people have more comforts than before

    C．it is not right for master and servant to live a like

    D．this difference helps to keep the best things of civilization for progress

4．It is inferred but not mentioned that __________．

    A．the landlord is more interested in art today than the king was in older times．

    B．the king does not have as many works of art as he used to

    C．the landlord did not own as many things of civilization as he does today．

    D．the king no longer has interest in art

The young people who talk of the village as being “dead” are talking nothing but nonsense, as in their hearts they must surely know.
No, the village is not dead. There is more life in it now than there ever was. But it seems that “village life” is dead. Gone for ever. It began to decline about a hundred years ago. When many girls left home to go into service in town many miles away, and men also left home in increasing numbers in search of work, and home was where work was. There are still a number of people alive today who can remember what “village life” meant in the early years of the present century. It meant knowing and being known by everybody else in the village. It meant finding your entertainment in the village of within walking distance of it. It meant housewives tied to the home all day and every day. It meant going to bed early to save lamp oil and coal.
Then came the First World War and the Second World War. After each war, new ideas, new attitudes, new trades and occupations were revealed（展现）to villagers. The long-established order of society was no longer taken for granted. Electricity and the motorcar were steadily operating to make “village life” and “town life” almost alike. Now with the highly developed science and technology and high-level social welfare（福利）for all, there is no point whatever in talking any longer about “village life.” It is just life, and a better life.
Finally, if we have any doubts about the future, or about the many changes which we have seen in our lives, we have only to look in at the school playground any mid-morning; or see the children as they walk homeward in little groups. 0bviously these children are better fed, better clothed, better educated, healthier, prettier and happier than any generation of children that ever before walked the village street.
1．By saying that village is not dead, but “village life” is dead, the writer suggests that_______ .
A．those young people who talk of the village as being “dead” are wrong
B．the two statements are against each other
C．“village life” today is rather uninteresting
D．“village life” today is no longer like what it used to be
2．As is suggested in paragraph 2, villages in the past______________.
A．lived a simpler life than villagers today 
B．knew fewer people than villagers today
C．found it difficult to enjoy themselves
D．like to wash themselves with cold water
3．The expression “…there is no point whatever in talking about…” in paragraph 3 means that______________.
A．there is no end to the talking about …  
B．it is harmful to talk about …
C．it is not meaningless to talk about …
D．there is no reason for talking about …
4．What does the writer think of the “village life today”?
A．Dead.       B．Worse       C．Better.      D．Unclear.

第三部分: 阅读理解 (共15小题；每小题2分，满分30分)

阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项A、B、C和D中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。

When I stepped out the plane from Miami into Charlotte, North Carolina, airport for a connecting flight home, I immediately knew something was wrong. Lots of desperate people crowded the terminal. I quickly learned that flights headed to the Northeast were called off because of a storm. The earliest they could get us out of Charlotte was Tuesday. It was Friday. A gate agent stood on the counter and shouted, “Don’t ask us for help! We cannot help you!”

I joined a crowd that ran from terminal to terminal in search of a flight out. Eventually, I found six strangers willing to rent a van with me. We drove through the night to Washington, where I took a train the rest of the way to Providence.

The real problem, of course, is that incidents like this happen every day, to everyone who flies, more and more often. It really gets to me, though, because for eight years I was on the other side, as a flight attendant for Trans-World Airlines (TWA).

I know the days are gone when attendants could be written up if we did not put the lines napkins with the TWA logo in the lower right-hand corner of the first-class diners’ trays. As are the days when there were three dinner options on flights from Boston to Los Angeles in economy class. When, once, stuck on a tarmac（机场停机坪）in Newark for four hours, a planeload of passengers got McDonald’s hamburgers and fries by thoughtfulness of the airline.  

I have experienced the decline of service along with the rest of the flying public. But I believe everything will change little by little, because I remember the days when to fly was to soar (翱翔). The airlines, and their employees, took pride in how their passengers were treated. And I think the days are sure to come back one day in the near future.

1..Many people crowded the terminal because ________.

A. they were ready to board on the planes       

B. something was wrong with the terminal

C. the flights to the Northeast were canceled     

D. the gate agent wouldn’t help the passengers

2. How did the writer get to Providence at last?

A. by air                              B. by van                      

C. by train                              D. by underground

3. Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?

A. Incidents happened to those who fly quite often.

B. The writer used to be a flight attendant for Trans-World Airlines.

C. Even a small mistake might cause complaints from passengers in the past.

D. McDonald’s hamburgers and fries were among regular dinner options. 

4. What can be implied from the passage?

A. The writer lived in Charlotte, North Carolina.

B. The writer thought the service was not as good as it used to be.

C. The writer with other passengers waited to be picked up patiently.

D. Passengers would feel proud of how they were treated on the plane.

So you have been called for an interview---well done?Your effort has been paid off? You will feeI better at the interview if you show an understanding of the nature of the organization．

Ask someone who already does it，or check it with one of the advisers．

Ask a member of your family or a friend to act as the employer and to give you an unreal interview．Be as realistic as possible，answer the questions seriously．Afterwards discuss how it went．Think about how the employer would prefer to see your look．Remember---the majority of employers are over 30.

It is not wise to rush out and buy new clothes.which will be worn for the first time at the interview．You’ll feel more at ease in a familiar dress．

Carelessness in any of these could cost you the job．Arrive at least 15 minutes before time，this will give you a chance to have a look around，read the notice board and get the feel of the place．Being late at the interview produces a bad impression．The first impression that the interviewer gets of you is formed as you walk through the door，so take a couple of deep breaths．

Be ready to shake hands if the interviewer offers．

Don’t take a seat until asked．Then sit comfortably．

Make eye contact  when you are greeted and again if you shake hands．And during questioning,eye contact is a form of non-verbal greeting．

Remember the interviewer’s name and use it from time to time．

Be ready for the question “Is there anything you want to ask?” Before the interview you should get ready for two or three such questions．Look on these not just as a chance to get information but as a means to give your employer a better impression．Asking can show knowledge but avoid asking about holidays，pensions(养老金)and so on．It looks as if you are tired even before you begin．You can check on these later，when the hope for job is offered．

And if you fail, look upon the interview as an experience in itself．Learn from it．We wish you good luck and good job hunting．

1.Before you go to see the employer，you’d better      .

2.What does the phrase“eye contact”means?

3.People usually do the following things before a job interview．Which is the right order for doing them?

a．Asking a friend to give you an unreal interview．

b．Understanding the nature of the organization．

c．Paying attention to your clothes．

d．Arriving at the place of the interview ahead of time．

e．Getting some information from the advisers．

4.Why do you prepare yourself for some Is--there·-anything·-you·-want--to-say questions?