Hoffman，40，a former senior vice president of a financial company，had what she describes as “one of those extreme jobs.” “I loved working,” she says. But her career path reached a crossroad when her second child was born，and she left her job in February 2007. Hoffman is one of many people who have left the work force to take a break，but she has a position as a consultant．She has described this type of career detour(绕路) ----- which is more common for women than for men—as “off- ramping．” Typically it occurs when the balancing act of parenting and work becomes too tough．
A study by the center found that more than 90 percent of women who off-ramp want to on-ramp back into the work force eventually．But making the transition back to work is rarely easy，and it is even harder in this economic climate of layoffs and hiring freezes.
Considering some of the obstacles faced by on- rampers , a three-day program called “Greater Returns：Restarting Your Career” was held at Columbia University. The goal of the three days was to have them walk away with a big shot of confidence.
　According to one school of thought, women looking to make a comeback might even have an advantage in the current economy，especially if they are looking for part-time or consultant positions that do not offer benefits. And a majority of on-rampers are women with extensive working experiences that could give them a slight advantage over less-experienced competition．
　“You absolutely cannot be defensive about why you off-ramped,” Ms Hoffman says, “ defensive” would have put her into a hard situation if the Greater Returns program had had not taught her how to describe the years she spent at home．“I now feel confident talking to an employer and saying，‘ Yes，I have been out of the work force，but here is where I can make significant contributions.’”
【小题1】What is the best title for the passage?

_____ afraid _____ behind, Bill studied even harder than ever before.

　　A. To be； of falling　　　　　　　　　 B. Being； fall

　　C. Being； of falling 　　　　　　　　　D. To be； to fall

The easy way out isn’t always easiest. I learned that lesson when I decided to treat Doug, my husband of one month, to a special meal. I glanced through my cookbook and chose a menu which included homemade bread. Knowing the bread would take time, I started on it as soon as Doug left for work. As I was not experienced in cooking, I thought if a dozen was good, two dozen would be better, so I doubled everything. As Doug loved oranges, I also opened a can of orange and poured it all into the bowl. Soon there was a sticky dough (面团) covered with ugly yellowish marks. Realizing I had been defeated, I put the dough in the rubbish bin outside so I wouldn't have to face Doug laughing at my work, I went on preparing the rest of the meal, and, when Doug got home, we sat down to Cornish chicken with rice. He tried to enjoy the meal but seemed disturbed. Twice he got up and went outside, saying he thought he heard a noise. The third time he left, I went to the windows to see what he was doing. Looking out, I saw Doug standing about three feet from the rubbish bin, holding the lid up with a stick and looking into the container. When I came out of the house, he dropped the stick and explained that there was something alive in our rubbish bin. Picking up the stick again, he held the lid up enough for me to see. I felt cold. But I stepped closer and looked harder. Without doubt it was my work. The hot sun had caused the dough to double in size and the fermenting yeast (酵母) made the surface shake and sigh as though it were breathing. I had to admit what the ‘living thing’ was and why it was there. I don’t know who was more embarrassed by the whole thing, Doug or me.　　

1.The writer’s purpose in writing this story is ________.

　　A. to tell an interesting experience

　　B. to show the easiest way out of a difficulty

　　C. to describe the trouble facing a newly married woman

　　D. to explain the difficulty of learning to cook from books

2.Why did the woman’s attempt at making the bread turn out to be unsuccessful?

　　A. The canned orange had gone bad.

　　B. She didn’t use the right kind of flour.

　　C. The cookbook was hard to understand.

　　D. She did not follow the directions closely.

3.Why did the woman put the dough in the rubbish bin?

　　A. She didn’t see the use of keeping it

　　B. She meant to joke with her husband.

　　C. She didn’t want her husband to see it.

　　D. She hoped it would soon dry in the sun.

4.What made the dough in the rubbish bin look frightening?

　　A. The rising and falling movement.

　　B. The strange-looking marks.

　　C. Its shape.

　　D. Its size.

5.When Doug went out the third time, the woman looked out of the window because she was  ________.

　　A. surprised at his being interested in the bin

　　B. afraid that he would discover her secret

　　C. unhappy that he didn't enjoy the meal

　　D. curious to know what disturbed him

完形填空（共20小题；每小题1.5分，满分30分）

　　阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后从36—55各题所给的四个选项（A，B，C和D）中，选出最佳选项。

　　I went to Beijing this National holiday, and it was an interesting experience of my life.

　　My friends told us that taking the “hard　 36　 ”to Beijing would be really terrible. So we didn’t know what to　 37　. But we were pleasantly surprised when we finally boarded the

　 38　 , which was relatively modern and　 39　 . During the 14 - hour ride we ate peanuts and talked. It was not　 40　 at all.

　　It was morning when we arrived. We stepped out of the railway station, having sat in hard seats and not getting much　 41　 . However, We had energy, First we tried to get teturn tickets to Shanghai, but the tickets seller　 42　 us that tickets would not be on　 43　 for another two days. We were a little worried about getting　 44　 , but we made up our minds to　 45　 for the hotel to put our bags down. After fighting our way　 46　 the“ gypsy”taxi drivers that tried to　 47　 us one hundred yuan for the ride, we found a taxi and it　 48　 cost us thirty yuan to get　 49　 we had planned to go. When we reached the hotel, there was a window for airplane and train tickets.　 50　 the man behind the counter could get tickets that day, which we

　 51　 . The most important lesson about China I ever　 52　 , is to get someone to do your work for you, and it seems to work out much　 53　 . We were not able to get tickets, but the

　 54　 agents（代理）could.

While in Beijing we saw a lot of places of interest, most of which were very　 55　 . It was fun to be with thousands of people in one place, There aren’t any words to describe it.

36．A. chair                       B. bed                         C. seat                         D. bench

37．A. provide                   B. expect                     C. happen                    D. think

38．A. plane                             B. bus                         C. ship                        D. train

39．A. quick                             B. clean                       C. simple                     D. long

40．A. bad                         B. good                       C. easy                        D. hard

41．A. trouble                    B. food                        C. sleep                       D. help

42．A. promised                 B. informed                 C. advised                    D. persuaded

43．A. time                        B. show                       C. duty                        D. sale

44．A. behind                    B. out                          C. through                   D. back

45．A. start                        B. ask                          C. look                        D. pay

46．A. towards                   B. into                         C. across                      D. past

47．A. offer                       B. charge                     C. bargain                    D. share

48．A. even                       B. still                         C. also                         D. only

49．A. what                       B. which                      C. where                      D. how

50．A. Somehow                B. However                 C. Therefore                D. Otherwise

51．A. wouldn't                  B. couldn't                   C. shouldn't                  D. needn't

52．A. learned                    B. taught                     C. offered                    D. heard

53．A. harder                     B. earlier                     C. later                        D. easier

54．A. business                  B. transport                  C. travel                             D. hotel

55．A. interesting                      B. crowded                  C. famous                    D. noisy