E

Almost every day we come across situations in which we have to make decisions one way or another. Choice, we are given to believe, is a right. But for a good many people in the world. In rich and poor countries, choice is a luxury, something wonderful but hard to get, not a right. And for those who think they are exercising their right to make choices, the whole system is merely an illusion, a false idea created by companies and advertiser, hoping to sell their products.

The endless choice gives birth to anxiety in people’s lives. Buying something as basic as a coffee pot is not exactly simple. Easy access to a wide range of everyday goods leads to a sense of powerlessness in many people, ending in the shopper giving up and walking away, or just buying an unsuitable item(商品) that is not really wanted. Recent studies in England have shown that many electrical goods bought in almost every family are not really needed. More difficult decision-making is then either avoided or trusted into the hands of the professionals, lifestyle instructors, or advisors.

It is not just the availability of the goods that is the problem, but the speed with which new types of products come on the market. Advances in design and production help quicken the process Products also need to have a short lifespan so that the public can be persuaded to replace them within a short time. The typical example is computers, which are almost out-of-date once they are bought. This indeed makes selection a problem. Gone are the days when one could just walk with case into a shop and buy one thing; no choice, no anxiety.

What does the author try to argue in Paragraph 1?

  A. The exercise of rights is a luxury.       

  B. The practice of choice is difficult.

  C. The right of choice is given but at a price.

 D. Choice and right exist at the same time.

Why do more choices of goods give rise to anxiety?

  A. Professionals find it hard to decide on a suitable product.

  B. People are likely to find themselves overcome by business persuasion.

  C. Shoppers may find themselves lost in the broad range of items.

  D. Companies and advertisers are often misleading about the rage of choice.

By using computers as an example, the author wants to prove that    .

A. advanced products meet the needs of people

B. products of the latest design fold the market

C. competitions are fierce in high-tech industry

D. everyday goods need to be replaced often

What is this passage mainly about?

A. The variety of choices in modern society.

B. The opinions on people’s right in different countries

C. The Problems about the availability of everyday goods.

D. The helplessness in purchasing decisions

If you're in charge of a project, the key to success is getting everyone to want to help you. As a director, I point, I suggest, I gently push the actors in the direction I want them to go.

In the 1986 movie Nothing in Common, Jackie Gleason's character, Max Basner, gets fired (or unemployed) from his job as a clothing salesman. The scene, shot (拍) on a boat, shows Max's despair(绝望) about being out of work. I was looking for some gesture that would allow Max to show his feelings.

Jackie had far more experience at everything than I did, and at first I was frightened. What could I possibly tell “The Great One” about acting? Out of fear I decided to direct by suggestion, and I sat down with Gleason to talk about the scene. “So Max is sad, right?” I said.

Gleason nodded.

“And he’s probably still carrying his pens with his name on them ---the ones he used to hand out to his customers, right?”

Gleason nodded.

“ So what would you want to do with the pens after you were fired?” He was silent for a moment. “Why don’t I throw them overboard (or all over the boat)?” I stood up and turned toward the crew. “Hey, everybody, Jackie has a wonderful idea. Let’s shoot it.”

After filming the scene, Gleason called me over and said with a smile, “Garry, what kind of wonderful idea am I going to have tomorrow?” You and your team can discover the answers to problems together. When there are no prizes or gold stars for who gets the solution (or the way to work out a problem) first, you'll all benefit (or get something of use or value) when everything turns out right.

The author tells us that to succeed in a project you are in charge of, you should __.

       A. make everyone work for you

       B. get everyone willing to help you

       C. let people know you have the final say

       D. keep sending out orders to them

It can be inferred(推断) that ______________.

       A. Jackie Gleason is the director of the film Nothing in common

       B. Jackie Gleason is very angry when he is fired from his job

       C. Max, a character in a film, is in very low spirits(情绪) when he loses his job

       D. Jackie Gleason is the writer of the film Nothing in common

The Great One” in paragraph 3 refers to ___________.

       A. Gleason                 B. the director himself   

       C. Max        D. Max's boss

Why did Gleason call the director over and smile at him? That’s because Gleason ___

       A. thought his wonderful idea was accepted by the latter(后者)

       B. succeeded in hitting upon (or think of) a wonderful idea

       C. was certain about his work the next day

       D. appreciated the latter's way of directing films

The best title for the passage is ____________.

       A. Directing a Film             B. The Key to Success

       C. A Wonderful Experience       D. Working with Film Stars

When you are in another country, it is important to know the language, but it is equally important to know how to communicate nonverbally(非语言地), before saying anything by making gestures. According to a pioneer in nonverbal communication, only 30 to 35 percent of our communication is verbal. When people don't know the language, the most common way to communicate is through gestures. However, many gestures have different meanings, or no meaning at all, in different parts of the world.

In the United States, for example, nodding your head up and down means “yes”. In some parts of Greece and Turkey, however, this motion can mean “no”. In Southeast Asia, nodding your head is a polite way of saying “I've heard you”.

In ancient Rome, when the emperor wanted to spare someone's life, he would put his thumb up. Today in the United States, when someone puts his / her thumb up, it means “Everything is all right”. However, in Sardinia and Greece, the gesture is insulting and should not be used there.

In the United States, raising your clasped hands above your head means “I’m the champion” or “I’m the winner”. It is the sign prizefighters make when they win a fight. When a leading Russian statesman(政治家) made this gesture after a White House meeting, Americans misunderstood and thought he meant he was a winner. In Russia, however, it is a sign of friendship.

In the United States, holding your hand up with the thumb and index finger in a circle and the other three fingers spread out means “Everything is O.K.” and is frequently used by astronauts and politicians. In France and Belgium, it can mean “You’re worth nothing.”

There are other nonverbal signals that people should be aware of when they go to another country, such as the distance to maintain between speakers. Americans usually feel comfortable when speaking with someone if the distance between them is about eighteen inches to arm’s length. Anything closer makes them feel uncomfortable.

When talking to Americans, it is also important to make eye contact. If you look down when talking to an American, he / she may feel that you are embarrassed, afraid, or trying to hide something.

In addition to knowing how to communicate nonverbally in a country, it is important to know what you and he cannot discuss. In the United States, there are certain topics to avoid when you first meet someone, For example, don’t ask people their age, weight, religion, marital status(婚姻状况), how much money they earn, or how much something costs. You can talk about work, the weather, traffic problems, sports, food, news of the day, where one lives, consumer subjects (computers, car repairs, and so forth), and travel or vacation plans.

These few examples illustrate that your actions can speak louder than your words. In a particular cultural contest, what you say and what you don’t say are equally important.

1. Which of the following is true?

A. People all over the world only communicate verbally.

B. Most of our gestures have no meaning at all.

C. Some people think that 65 to 70 percent of our communication is nonverbal.

D. Gestures are the most common way to common way to communicate.

2. As we can see from the passage there are ______ kinds of nonverbal communication signals. 

A. four                B. five                  C. six                    D. seven

3. Please paraphrase the clause“…your actions can speak louder than your words. 

A. Your deeds are better than your words

B. What you do is better than what you say

C. You try to show your best manners

D. you are better understood by your gestures than through your words

4. The main idea of the passage is that when you are in another country, ______.

A. it is unimportant to know the language

B. it is important to know what you can talk about to a foreigner

C. to know how to communicate nonverbally is as important as to know the language

D. to communicate the rough gestures is more important than to know the language

“Creativity is the key to a brighter future,” says education and business experts. Here is how schools and parents can encourage this important skill in children.

If Dick Drew had listened to his boss in 1925, we might not have a product that we now think of as of great importance: a new type of tape. Drew worked for the Minnesota Mining Company. At work he developed a kind of material strong enough to hold things together. But his boss told him not to think more about the idea. Finally, using his own time, Drew improved the tape, which now is used everywhere by many people. And his former company learned from its mistake. Now it encourages people to spend 15 percent of their work time just thinking about and developing new ideas.   

Creativity is not something one is just born with, nor is it necessarily a character of high intelligence. The fact that a person is highly intelligent does not mean that he uses it creatively. Creativity is the matter of using the resources one has to produce new ideas that are good for something.

Unfortunately, schools have not tried to encourage creativity. With strong attention to test results and the development of reading, writing and mathematical skills, many educators give up creativity for correct answers. The result is that children can give back information but can’t recognize ways to use it in new situations. They may know the rules correctly but they are unable to use them to work out practical problems.

It is important to give children choices. From the earliest age, children should be allowed to make decisions and understand their results. Even if it’s choosing between two food items for lunch, decision-making helps thinking skills. As children grow older, parents should let their children decide how to use their time or spend their money. This is because the most important character of creative people is a very strong desire to find a way out of trouble.

What did the company where Drew once worked learn from its mistake?

   A. They should encourage people to work a longer time.

   B. People should be discouraged to think freely.

C. People will do better if they spend most of their work time developing new ideas.

D. It is necessary for people to spend some of their work time considering and improving new ideas.  

According to the passage, creativity is ________.

A. something that most people are born with

B. something that depends mainly on intelligence

C. a way of using what one has learned to work out new problems

D. something that is not important to the character of a person at all

Why do schools tend to fail to encourage creativity?

A. They give children too many choices.

B. They are not strict enough with children.

C. They care too much about examination marks.

D. They don’t understand the importance of education.

Which of the following skills is the most important in developing creativity?

   A. Reading.     B. Writing.     C. Mathematical skill.      D. Decision-making.

　America is growing older. Fifty - eight years ago, only 4 out of every 100 people in the United States were 65 or older. To day, 10 out of every 100 Americans are over 65. The aging of the population will affect（影响）American society in many ways—education, medicine, and business. Quietly, the graying of America has made us a very different society—one in which people have a quite different idea of what kind of behavior（行为） is suitable（合适）at various , ages.

　　A person s age no longer tells you anything about his/her social position, marriage or health. There’s no longer a particular year in which one goes to school or goes to work or gets married or starts a family. The social clock that kept us on time and told us when to go to school, get a job, or stop working isn’t as strong as it used to be. It doesn’t surprise us to hear of a 29 - year - old university president or a 35 - year -old grandmother, or a 70 year - old man who has become a father for the first time. Public ideas are changing.

　　Many people say, “I am much younger than my mother— or my father— was at my age. ”No one says“Act your age” any more. We’ve stopped looking with surprise at older people who act in youthful ways.

It can be learnt from the text that the aging of the population in America ________ .

　　A. has made people feel younger

　　B. has changed people’s social position

　　C. has changed people’s understanding of age

　　D. has slowed down the country’s social development

The underlined word “one” refers to ________ .

　　A. a society　　　　　　　　　　　B. America

　　C. a place　　　　　　　　　　　　D. population

“Act your age” means people should ________ .

　　A. be active when they are old

　　B. do the right thing at the right age

　　C. show respect for their parents young or old

　　D. take more physical exercise suitable to their age

If a 25 - year - old man becomes general manager of a big firm, the writer of the text would most probably consider it ________ .

　　A. normal　　　　　　　　　　　　B. wonderful

C. unbelievable　　　　　　　　　　D. unreasonable