"Time is a problem for children," states a news report for a new Swiss watch. Children in some countries" learn time slowly" because" they don’t wear watches" and " parents don’t really know how to teach them time. " The children grow up with this handicap and become adults (成人) —and then can’t get to work on time. Is there an answer to this problem? Of course — it’s the Flik Flak, made by a famous Swiss watch company.

The Flik Flak is being marketed as something teaching watch for children aged 4 to 10. The watch itself does not teach children how to tell time, of course; it merely " takes their imagination" by presenting the " hour" hand as a beautiful red girl named Flak and the " minute" hand as a tall blue boy named Flik. Flik points to related" blue" minutes on the dial, while Flak points to " red" hour numbers. The characters and colors combined with parental help, are supposed to teach young children how to tell time.

The watch comes equipped with a standard battery (电池) and a nylon band (尼龙表带). Peter Lipkin, the United States sales manager for the Flik Flak, calls it " childproof if it gets dirty you can throw the whole watch in the washing ma??chine. " The product is being sold in select department stores in Europe, Asia and the United States for a suggested price of $25. Parents who buy the watch may discover that it is one thing to tell time; it’s quite another for them to be on time.

1. From the news report we know that ______.

A. parents are patient when teaching children time

B. parents have little idea of how to teach children time

C. children are likely to learn time quickly

D. children enjoy wearing the Flik Flak watch

2. The author doesn’t seem to believe ______.

A. children will be on time if they have learnt how to tell time

B. a Flik Flak can help parents teach their children how to tell time

C. the Flik Flak can take children’s imagination

D. children usually have trouble telling time if they don’t wear watches

3. The underlined word handicap in Para. 1 means

A. displeasure        B. discouragement        C. disappointment     D. disadvantage

4. The United State sales manager calls the new watch " childproof" because ______.

A. it is designed to teach children to be on time

B. it proves to be effective in teaching children time

C. it is made so as not to be easily damaged by children

D. it is the children’s favorite watch

On the evening of June 21, 1992, a tall man with brown hair and blue eyes entered the beautiful hall of the Bell Tower Hotel in Xi’an with his bicycle. The hotel workers received him and telephoned the manager, for they had never seen a bicycle in the hotel ball before though they lived in “the kingdom of bicycles.”

    Robert Friedlander, an American, arrived in Xi’an on his bicycle trip across Asia which started last December in New Delhi, India.

    When he was 11, he read the book Ma-rco Polo and made up his mind to visit the Silk Road. Now, after 44 years , he was on the Silk Road in Xi’an and his early dreams were coming true.

    Robert Friedlander’s next destinations (目的地) were Lanzhou, Dunhuang, Urumqi, etc. He will complete his trip in Pakistan.

1.The best headline(标题) for this newspaper article would be      .

A. The Kingdom of Bicycles            B. A Beautiful Hotel in Xi’an

C. Marco Polo and the Silk Road         D. An American Achieving His Aims

2.The hotel workers told the manager about Friedlander coming to the hotel because

A. he asked to see the manager

B. he entered the hall with a bike

C. the manager had to know about all foreign guests

D. the manager knew about his trip and was expecting him

3.Friedlander is visiting the three countries in the following order,        .

A. China, Pakistan, and India               B. Pakistan, China, and India

C. India, China, and Pakistan            D. China, India, and Pakistan

4.What made Friedlander want to come to China?

A. The stories about Marco Polo .     B. The famous sights in Xi’an .

C. His interest in Chinese silk.                D. His childhood dreams about bicycles .

5.Friedlander can be said to be       .

A. determined        B. friendly                C. hardworking     D. open-minded

用短语的适当形式完成下列句子 （1分*15，满分15分）
【小题1】Now we all have known how the Monkees _______________________ (形成).
【小题2】Dinosaurs ＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿ （灭绝） millions of years ago.
【小题3】I cannot think of ways to __________ (处理) the salesman at the door.
【小题4】More and more students have _________________ (参加) the English contest this year.
【小题5】Groups of people went out _______________ (寻找)the missing child.
【小题6】As is known to all, victory _______________ (属于) the most persevering.
【小题7】We did a survey last month and found that women __________________ (高度评价) themselves compared with men.
【小题8】 __________________(在……的帮助下)the neighbours, the fire was at last brought under control.
【小题9】That medal is just what Mary and Jack have been _______________ (梦想).
【小题10】Some new technology will also bring about some disadvantages which must be _________________ (注意).
【小题11】Mr Smith as well as his two sons ___________________ (对……熟悉) the history of the auto industry at that time because they all worked as car mechanics.
【小题12】He was quite laze. ______________(结果), he fell far behind other students.
【小题13】It is said that this book _________________ (值得读) but I find nothing special with it.
【小题14】They were always arguing so they _____________ (分裂) in the end.
【小题15】Bob is always serious and doesn’t like __________________ (戏弄) others.

When Jack Ma founded the Alibaba Group in 1999, he had 500,000 yuan in his hand and the support of 17 friends. Now eight years later, Alibaba has become China’s largest online commerce company, earning a profit of 1.36 billion yuan in 2006.
But when asked what makes him proud, Ma surprised many people by putting his employees way ahead of his legendary e-commerce websites.
“I feel most proud of my team, and the least of the websites,” Ma said. “The secret of my success is relying on team work and having a sense of mission（使命）”
Ma made the remarks on the eve of Alibaba Group’s shares becoming available for trade on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange last Tuesday. On the first day of trading, the shares more than doubled in value.
Eight years ago, when Ma created Alibaba, he envisioned（预想）that the Internet would change people’s lives. But the former English teacher knew little about computer science. “So I decided to hire someone who knows technology and respected his decisions,” he said.
Ma said he trusts his employees fully as long as they are diligent and have a sense of purpose.
“When people apply to work for Alibaba, I talk with them for two hours to lower their expectations. I tell the applicants not to expect a pay raise or promotion, but to prepare to work long hours and to be criticized by the boss, “ Ma said.
But Ma is not a rigid（严厉的）boss. He is like a friend in the eyes of most his employees. Unlike traditional companies where most of the people do just what their boss asks, he treats them as partners and encourages them to present their own ideas.
“I have confidence in the online commercial service in China and encourage my more than 4,000 staff to remain united to make Alibaba the biggest ecommerce supplier for China, Asia and even the world,” said Ma.
He promotes company values of honesty, passion and teamwork. Those who don’t accept these principals will find it hard to work there, no matter how talented they are.
“I have seen many who are more clever and hardworking than my team and me,” Ma said. But “we have a loyal team which has stayed on the same course, no wavering（摇摆）.” And Ma pursuing his dream is the magnet（磁铁）that draws talents in.
57. What did Jack Ma do before he founded Alibaba?
A. He was a waiter.                B. He was a technician.
C. He was a teacher.               D. He was a manager of a small company.
58. What is Jack Ma’s characteristic in terms of his management?
A. Trusting his employees fully.
B. Putting his employees ahead of himself before performing and trade.
C. Promoting company values of honesty, passion and team work.
D. Pursuing his dream is the magnet that draws talents in.
59. What does Ma take the most pride in?
A. His employees.            B. His website.
C. Alibaba Group’s Shares.     D. His efficient management.
60. According to the text, which remarks following is NOT reasonable?
A. Jack Ma believes an employee’s talent is less important than the acceptance of the company’ principals.
B. Alibaba is an online commerce company started eight years ago.
C. Alibaba has become the biggest e-commerce company in China.
D. Alibaba’s shares rocketed after they made their first public appearance on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange last week.

Standing on the side of the highway waiting to catch speeding drivers, a police officer saw a car moving slowly at 18 MPH. He  _36_  to himself, “This driver is just as  _37   as a speeder!” So __38 _ he turned on his lights and pulled the driver over.   39   the car, he noticed that   40   were five old ladies — two in the front seat and __41__three in the back, their eyes wide and faces white as ghosts. The driver, obviously   42_ , said to him, “Officer, I don’t understand. I was  _43__ exactly the speed limit!  _44__ seems to be the problem?” “Ma’am,” the officer replied, “You weren’t  _45__, but you should know that driving  _46__  than the speed limit can also be a(n) __47   to other drivers.” “Slower than the speed limit? No, sir, I was doing the speed limit exactly…Eighteen miles per hour!” The old woman said a bit __48_ . The police officer, trying to  _49_  a laugh, explained to her that “18” was the route number, _ 50_  the speed limit. A bit embarrassed, the old woman smiled and thanked the officer for  _51_  out her error. “But before I let you  _52_ , Ma’am, I have to ask if everyone in this car is all right? These women seem very  _53_  and they didn’t make a single sound the whole time.”The police officer asked. “Oh, they will be all right  _54   a minute, officer. We just  _55__  Route 128.”

1.A. turned             B. thought         C. came            D. agreed

2.A. dangerous          B. well            C. silly           D. soon

3.A. tightly            B. immediately     C. privately       D. deadly

4.A. Suspecting         B. Blaming         C. Starting        D. Approaching

5.A. those              B. they            C. there           D. these

6.A. other              B. more            C. else            D. another

7.A. confused           B. worried         C. delighted       D. excited

8.A. increasing         B. reaching        C. lowering        D. doing

9.A. How                B. What            C. When            D. Where

10.A. running           B. breaking        C. speeding        D. concentrating

11.A. slower            B. safer           C. faster          D. higher

12.A. guide             B. demand          C. aid             D. danger

13.A. nervously         B. proudly         C. roughly         D. constantly

14.A. control           B. give            C. make            D. show

15.A. or                B. but             C. not             D. and

16.A. pointing          B. speaking        C. taking          D. squeezing

17.A. drive             B. go              C. laugh           D. run

18.A. united            B. exhausted       C. worried         D. tolerated

19.A. in                B. after           C. for             D. with

20.A. sped up           B. left out        C. broke down      D. got off