Ryan and Lowry had been friends since high school， but it wasn’t until after college that they hit on the idea of a home-care-products company．“We were shocked to learn how toxic cleaning products were” says Ryan．Why couldn’t they create green products that would be just as environmentally pure as Aveda’s skin-and-hair-care lines?

When Ryan’s mom heard about the plan，she stared at him blankly: “I’ve never even seen you clean your room!” Not discouraged，Lowry experimented with nontoxic ways to clean while Ryan focused on marketing．In February 2001，they mixed their first four cleaning sprays and convinced the managers of 20 grocers to try them· Once they had their approval，they tapped friends and family and pooled their  savings to come up with $90，000 in seed money．

From the start，“Go big or go home’’ was their mantra(口头禅)．Their first financing— that $l million—was due to be signed on September 11, 2001. By the time they got it, two months later，says Ryan, "we had$16 in the bank and personally owed$300,000.”

Seeking a national retailer(零售商)proved just as troublesome．The friends set their sights on Target，known for its trendy，affordable goods．“But Target didn’t like the product or the brand，”recalled Ryan．“We thought the deal was dead，but then a new buyer saw that even though we weren’t selling big volumes, we were  profitable, just on a smaller scale．”They won over Target．

Consumers were hooked on the natural things and wonderful fragrance. Today, the partners sell 130 products in more than 8,000 stores，and taxes are over$100 million. Such rapid growth has at times  stressed the men’s friendship. “Eric and I agree on ‘what’ but never on ‘how，’ says Lowry． “Although we are willing to challenge each other，we come up with interesting and smarter solutions．There’s little fire and ice between us.”

The underlined word “toxic” in Paragraph 1 most probably means——·

  A．poisonous    B．dirty    C．expensive    D．troublesome

When Ryan told his mom his plan, ___________.

A．he knew his mom was sure to support him

B．his mom asked him to clean his room

C．his mom suspected his ability

D．he was discouraged by his mom

We can learn from the third paragraph that ___________．

    A．Ryan and Lowry wanted to give up and go home at first

    B．their plan didn’t go smoothly at the very beginning

    C．they made profit two months later after their first financing

    D．$1 million was not enough as their seed money

The partners’ cleaning products are sold very well because_________．

    A．the products are made of natural material and smell nice

    B．their friends and family offered to use their products

    C．they cooperated with a well—known national retailer

    D．they convinced 20 grocer managers to try them

It can be inferred from the passage that___________．

    A．Aveda’s skin-and-hair-care lines are not so successful as Ryan and Lowry’s

    B．Target is a famous environment-friendly cleaning brand

    C．The friends "cooperation with Target was very successful

D．The partners get on well with each other in their business     

Discover

       Newsmagazine of science devoted to the wonders an stories of modern science, written for the educated general reader. Published（出版） by Disney Magazine Publishing Co., Discover tells many of the same stories professionals（专业人员） read in Scientific American. A truly delightful family science magazine, each issue（每期） brings to light new and newsworthy topics to make dinnertime and water-cooler conversations interesting.

Cover Price: $59.88

Price: $19.95（$1.66/issue）

You Save: $39.93（67%）

Issues: 12 issues/12 months

Self

       Published by Conde Nast Publications Inc., Self is a handbook devoted to women’s overall physical and mental health. Every issue contains usable articles such as “Style Lab”, in which wearable clothes are mixed and matched on non-models and the “Eat-right Road Map”, with tips on how to eat properly.

Cover Price: $35.86

Price: $15.00（$2.5/issue）

You Save: $20.86（58%）

Issues: 10 issues/12 months

Instyle

       Instyle is a guide to the lives and lifestyles of the world’s famous people. The magazine covers the choices people make about their homes, their clothes and their free time activities. With photos and articles, it opens the door to these people’s homes, families, parties and weddings, offering ideas about beauty, fitness and in general, lifestyles. Publisher: The Time Inc. Magazine Company.

Cover Price: $47.88

Price: $23.88（$2.38/issue）

You Save: $24.00（50%）

Issues: 10 issues/12 months

Wired

       This magazine is designed for leaders in the field of information engineering including top managers and professionals in the computer, business, design and education industries. Published by Conde Nast Publications Inc., Wired often carries articles on how technology changes people’s lives.

Cover Price: $59.40

Price: $10.00（$1.00/issue）

You save: $49.40（83%）

Issues: 10 issues/12months

67．Which of the following magazines is published monthly?

       A. Discover    B. Self    C. Instyle       D. Wired

68．Which two magazines are published by the same publisher?

       A. Wired and Instyle          B. Discover and Instyle 

       C. Self and Discover             D. Self and Wired

69．Which magazine offers the biggest price cut?

       A. Instyle       B. Wired C. Discover    D. Self

70．The “Style Lab” in Self provides readers with articles which _____.

       A. offer advice to ordinary women on clothes    B. show how a woman can become famous

       C. introduce places with the best food          D. discuss ways of training models

71．Those who are interested in management and the use of high technology would probably choose _____.

   A. instyle  B. self     C. wired  D. discover

When you go to St. Petersburg, the number of attractions can seem overwhelming. If you’re short on time, or just want to make sure to hit the highlights, these are the top must-see sights in St. Petersburg.

The Hermitage Museum

        The Hermitage Museum is one of the most important sights to see for any visitor to St. Petersburg. There you can see lots of different paintings of old masters inside the Hermitage. Prepare to come face-to-face with classic Western artists.

The Russian Museum

        The Russian Museum holds one of the largest collections of Russian art in the world. View Russian art creations through the ages, from Byzantine (拜占庭)-style icons to the Socialist Realism of Stalin’s times.

Kizhi Island

        Kizhi Island is an open-air museum of wooden buildings from the Karelia Region of Russia. These impressive structures are made without any nails (钉子) — the wood fits together with joints and grooves (沟槽).

Peterhof

        Peterhof is as beautiful as it is fun. You’ll be charged for admission (门票), but go to Peterhof when the fountains (喷泉) are working — during

the day in the summer. They are shut off in winter as well as in the evenings.

The Church of Our Savior on Spilled Blood

        Love it or hate it, the Church of Our Savior on Spilled Blood is an attractive must-see sight. The beautiful look may make your eyes brighten, and the paintings inside the church will make you say “Wow!”

The Bronze Horseman Statue

        The Bronze Horseman is a part of Russian Culture and a symbol(象征) of St. Petersburg. Made famous by Alexander Pushkin (普希金), this statue of Peter the Great sitting on his horse can truly show Peter the Great’s influence on the Russian idea of greatness.

If you’re interested in paintings, you’d better go to _____.

A. the Hermitage Museum and Peterhof

B. the Hermitage Museum and the Church of Our Savior on Spilled Blood

C. Kizhi Island and the Church of Our Savior on Spilled Blood

D. the Russian Museum and Kizhi Island

The man on the Bronze Horse refers to _____.

A. Peter the Great  B. Alexander Pushkin     C. Byzantine      D. Stalin

What can we know from the passage?

A. The fountains in Peterhof can be seen all year round.

B. The largest collection of Russian art is in the Hermitage Museum.

C. The buildings on Kizhi Island are made of wood.

D. You can visit Peterhof free of charge.

The main purpose of this passage is to _____.

A. show the wonderful history of Russia

B. introduce the famous buildings in Russia

C. persuade artists to study St. Petersburg

D. attract tourists to visit St. Petersburg

根据对话内容，从对话后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。（共5小题，每小题1分，满分5分。）并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。选项中有两项为多余选项。

A：—Good morning．I’m ringing from the Circulation department of the Daily Mirror to say…

B：—____．

A：—A newspaper, dear lady．A famous newspaper．

B：—____．

A：—Well, mainly perhaps to have the fullest possible picture of what is going on in the world．

B：—___．

A：—But TV isn’t really enough, is it? A newspaper is able to give so many more details than the TV news can．

B：—____

A：—With respect, I think everybody ought to be interested in details these days．But anyway, beside the side of the matter, our newspaper offers many other things to interest its readers．Articles, stories, cinema programmers-- to name just a few．

B：—___．

A：—Nor do I, to tell you the truth： The films these days aren’t as good as they used to be, but …．Hello? Are you still there? Hello? Good heavens, she’s hung up! What a very unpleasant woman!

       A．What’s that?

       B．Who are you？

       C．I’m not interested in more details．

       D．Anyway, why should I want your news paper?

       E．I get that perfectly from TV．

       F．I don’t go to the cinema．

       G．I like watching TV．

My house is made out of wood, glass and stone. It is also made out of software.

If you come to visit, you’ll probably be surprised when you come in. Someone will give you an electronic PIN （个人身份号码）to wear. This PIN tells the house who and where you are. The house uses this information to give you what you need. When it’s dark outside, the PIN turns on the lights nearest you, and then turns them off as you walk away from them. Music moves with you too. If the house knows your favorite music, it plays it. The music seems to be everywhere, but in fact other people in the house hear different music or no music. If you get a telephone call, only the nearest telephone rings.

Of course, you are also able to tell the house if you want something. There is a home control console (控制台), a small machine that turns things on and off around you.

The PIN and the console are new ideas, but they are in fact like many things we have today. If you want to go to a movie, you need a ticket. If I give you my car keys, you can use my car. The car works for you because you have the keys. My house works for you because you wear the PIN or hold the console.

I believe that ten years from now, most new homes will have the systems that I’ve put in my house. The systems will probably be even bigger and better than the ones I’ve put in today.

I like to try new ideas. I know that some of my ideas will work better than others. But I hope that one day I will stop thinking of these systems as new, and ask myself instead, “How will I live without them?”

What does the passage mainly discuss?

A. How to develop a new system.            B. The function of the PIN.

C. A home for the future.                  D. Easy life in the future.

What’s the purpose when the writer wrote the fourth paragraph?

A. To let readers know why his ideas are new.

B. To let readers know how special his house is.

C. To explain the importance of the PIN and the console.

D. To explain more easily what the functions of the PIN and the console are.

The writer’s new house is different from ordinary ones mainly because _____.

A. it has been controlled by computers

B. you can make a telephone call anywhere

C. it has your favorite music following you

D. the writer is able to change his new idea into practice

What is the writer most likely to be according to the passage?

A. An IT expert.    B. A famous doctor. 

C. An idealist      D. An experienced teacher.

What can’t be done in the writer’s new house?

A. turns on the lights              B. play music

C. get a telephone call             D. go swimming