We once had a poster competition in our fifth grade art class.

 “You could win prizes，’’our teacher told US as she wrote the poster information on the blackboard. She passed out sheets of construction paper while continuing，“The first prize is ten dollars. You just have to make sure that the words on the blackboard appear somewhere on your poster. ”

We studied the board critically. Some of US looked with one eye and held up certain colors against the blackboard，rocking the sheets to the fight or left while we conjured up our designs. Others twisted their hair around their fingers or chewed their erasers while deep in thought. We had plans for that ten—dollar grand prize，each and every one of US. I'm going to spend mine on candies，one hopeful would announce，while another practiced looking serious，wise and rich.

Everyone in the class made a poster. Some of us used parts of those fancy paper napkins， while others used nothing but colored construction paper. Some of US used big designs，and some of us preferred to gather our art tidily down in one comer of our poster and let the space draw the viewer's attention to it. Some of US would wander past the good students’ desks and then return to our own projects with a growing sense of hopelessness. It was yet another grown-up trick of the soil they seemed especially fond of。making all of US believe we had a fair chance，and then always—always—rewarding the same old winners.

I believe I drew a sailboat，but I can’t say that with any certainty. I made it. I admired it. I determined it to be the very best of all of the posters I had seen，and then I turned it in.

Minutes passed.

No one came along to give me the grand prize，and then someone distracted me，and I probably never would have thought about that poster again.

I was still sitting at my desk，thinking，What poster? When the teacher gave me an envelope with a ten-dollar bill in it and everyone in the class applauded for me.

46. What was the teacher's requirement for the poster?

A. It must appear in time.

B. It must be done in class.

C. It must be done on a construction sheet.

D. It must include the words on the blackboard.

47. The underlined phrase in paragraph 3 most probably means _____________.

A. formed an idea for

B. made an outline for

C. made some space for

D. chose some colors for

48. After the teacher’s words，all the students in the class _________.

A. 1ooked very serious

B. thought they would be rich

C. began to think about their designs

D. began to play games

49. After seeing the good students’ designs，some students _________.

A. 1oved their own designs more

B. thought they had a fair chance

C. put their own designs in a comer

D. thought they would not win the prize

50. We can infer from the passage that the author ______________.

A. enjoyed grown-up tricks very much

B. 1oved poster competitions very much

C. felt surprised to win the competition

D. became wise and rich after the competition

If you hear the sound of running water the next time you call a co-worker on his or her mobile phone, don’t be surprised. Three-fourths of Americans with mobile phones say they use them in the bathroom, a new study shows.

Approximately the same number of men and women have used the phone in the bathroom, according to a survey of 1,000 Americans by 11mark, an integrated marketing agency, although men seem more attached to IT in the toilet: 30 percent of men versus 20 percent of women agreed with the statement, "I don't go to the bathroom without my mobile phone."

More than half the surveyed users (63 percent) said they have answered a phone call in the bathroom, and almost half (41 percent) reported initiating a phone call. That's not all, however. What goes on behind the walls of the stalls is anything a mobile phone is capable of. Sixty-seven percent said they have read a text, and 39 percent have surfed the Web. Men work more from the bathroom — 20 percent said they have participated in work-related calls, versus 13 percent of their female colleagues.

As expected, Gen Y respondents are the pacesetters in the "mobile everywhere" movement, with 91 percent using their phone in the bathroom. Still, older generations are not far behind. Eighty percent of Gen X(1961-1981) reported using the phone in the bathroom, as did 65 percent of Baby Boomers and 47 percent of the Silent Generation.

While online, they are doing more than just surfing; 16 percent of Gen Y report they have made an online purchase while in the bathroom. Users of iPhones are particularly likely to browse and buy in the bathroom – 22 percent have made a purchase, versus 10 percent of Americans with mobile phones overall.

"The writing is on the stall," said 11mark principal Nicole Burdette. "This study confirms what we all know: that the last private place is no longer private."

In the process, high-tech hygiene(卫生) is taking a hit, the survey found. While 92 percent of mobile phone users said they wash their hands after using the bathroom, only 14 percent said they wash their phones.

1.59.Which is the best word to replace the underlined word "initiating"?

A. receiving          B. experiencing      C. ending       D. beginning

2.60.According to his words, Nicole Buedette mainly wants to tell us that       .

A. no wonder mobile phones are used in the bathroom

B. the bathroom is a private place for people

C. it makes people have no privacy at all

D. more men have used the phone in the bathroom

3.61.What does the last paragraph of the passage imply?

A. Using phones in the bathroom has a bad effect on hygiene

B. Mobile phones should not be allowed to use in the bathroom

C. Most people care about the hygiene after using the bathroom

D. Few people wash their phones after using the bathroom

4.62.The attitude of the author to the use of phones in the bathroom is ______

A. supportive     B. disapproval

C. subjective(主观的)              D. objective(客观的)

Human beings are the most intelligent of all animals because we are gifted with the ability to think and reason logically. Scientists and even common people with special intelligence have made a lot of inventions and contributions to modern lifestyle in the past. “Houses” have been the most popular area for discoveries and inventions in the past and even now.
Many household items have been the result of inventions of people who desired better functioning of the existent products. Every individual has intelligence and if it is used properly for the right purpose it leads to invention of a new tool or device. Many new household inventions are made almost every day and there are specific companies, which particularly keep a record of all these inventions.
A lot of inventions have been made recently in the household field. These products are patented(专利的)and have trade mark licenses(许可). The patented sliding cinch is a very simple but effective method to prevent shoulder stress and injury for those who work before computers all day long. Vanity PC is a type of computer furniture that specifically hides all the computer wires and keeps a clean and good look. All the outdoor dust, mud and snow can be kept out of the house by installing(安装)the dirt drain(排水管)at the entrance of the door. Another important invention is the automatic toilet night-light, in which a small light starts when the lid of the toilet seat is opened and closes as soon as the lid is closed.
These are some of the new household inventions invented mostly by common people. Thus, a variety of new household items are invented every day, which helps in a better functioning of household chores and in a more useful manner.
【小题1】The first paragraph tells us the importance of _________.

用括号内的单词的正确形式填空:

6.  Ms Huang is a ______ (represent) of our company in France.

7.  She does a ______ (various) of fitness activities.

8.  Many children are full of ______ (curious) about foreign culture.

9.  She made an important ______ (announcer) to her parents about her engagement.

10.  I have just received a letter from my old school, ______ (inform) me that my former headmaster will be retiring next week.

“When one of the doctors criticizes(批评) me, I get defensive. I feel like a child again, being scolded, and I want to explain that I’m not wrong,” says Viola, a nurse. This is a common reaction（反应） to criticism, but not a good one. There are better ways of dealing with criticism.

Try to be objective(客观的).When Sol was criticized by his new employer for not having made a sale, Sol’s reaction was to feel sorry for himself. “I had put everything I had into making that sale,” Sol says. “And I felt that I had failed as a person.I had to learn through experience not to react like that to each failure.”

Take time to cool down. Rather than react at once to criticism, take some time to think over what was said. Your first question should be whether the criticism is fair from the other person’s position. The problem may be a simple misunderstanding of what you did or your reasons for doing it.

Take positive（积极的） action. After you cool down, consider what you can do about the situation. The best answer may be “nothing”. “I finally realized that my boss was having personal problems and taking  them out on me because I was there ,” says Sheila. “His criticisms didn’t really have anything to do with my work, so nothing I said or did was going to change them.” In Sheila’s case, the best way to deal with it was to leave her job However, that’s an extreme(极端的) reaction.

You may simply explain your opinion without expecting an in-depth（深入的） discussion. You may even decide that the battle isn’t worth fighting this time. The key, in any case , is to have a reasonable plan.

64. When Sol was criticized by his employer, he________.

A. argued bitterly with his employer

B. was angry and gave up his job

C. was sorry for what he did

D. was sad and self-pitying

65. According to the writer, you should take time to think about criticism because ________.

A. people may have a mistaken idea of what you did

B. you should welcome other people’s opinions

C. people may discuss it with you in depth

D. you need time to understand yourself

66. When the writer says that “The best answer may be ‘ nothing’ ”,he means you may

decide _________.

A. to take no notice of the criticism          B. to argue with your boss    

C. you need to change your job             D. you’ve done nothing wrong

67.The writer thinks Sheila might decide to leave her job because her boss______.

A.didn’t like her appearance         B. refused to change his opinion

C.made an unreasonable critcism    D.refused to talk to her about the criticism