______ the beginning of the meeting, we heard a report by Mr Li.

　 A. By 　 B. In  C. At 　 D. On

Were it not for the debt, we ______a happy life:

A. are living         B. would live       C. were living        D. will live

Modern inventions have speeded up people’s loves amazingly. Motor-cars cover a hundred miles in little more than an hour, aircraft cross the world inside a day, while computers operate at lightning speed. Indeed, this love of speed seems never-ending. Every year motor-cars are produced which go even faster and each new computer boasts (吹嘘) of saving precious seconds in handling tasks.

All this saves time, but at a price. When we lose or gain half a day in speeding across the world in an airplane, our bodies tell us so.  We get the uncomfortable feeling known as jet-lag; our bodies feel that they have been left behind on another time zone. Again, spending too long at computers results in painful wrists and fingers. Mobile phones also have their dangers, according to some scientists; too much use may transmit harmful radiation into our brains, a consequence we do not like to think about.

However, what do we do with the time we have saved? Certainly not relax, or so it seems. We are so accustomed to constant activity that we find it difficult to sit and do nothing or even just one thing at a time. Perhaps the days are long gone when we might listen quietly to a story on the radio, letting imagination take us into another world.

There was a time when some people’s lives were devoted simply to the cultivation of the land or the care of cattle. No multi-tasking there; their lives went on at a much gentler pace, and in a familiar pattern. There is much that we might envy about a way of life like this. Yet before we do so, we must think of the hard tasks our ancestor faced: they farmed with bare hands, often lived close to hunger, and had to fashion tools from wood and stone. Modern machinery has freed people from that primitive existence.

The new products become more and more time-saving because         .

A. our love of speed seems never-ending            B. time is limited.

C. the prices are increasingly high.                 D. the manufactures boast a lot.

What does “the days” in Paragraph 3 refer to?

A. Imaginary life                              B. Simple life in the past.

C. Times of inventions                          D. Time for constant activity.

What does the passage mainly discuss?

A. The present and past times.                   B. Machinery and human beings.

C. Modern technology and its influence.           D. Imaginations and inventions.        

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 return 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

The literal meaning of philosophy is “love of wisdom”.But this meaning does not tell us very much.Unlike the other disciplines(学科)，philosophy cannot be defined by what you study,because it is actually unlimited.Anything can be the subject matter of philosophy: art, history, law,language,literature,mathematics,medicine,psychology,religion,science,and values.Philosophy is one of the world’s oldest subjects of study,and in fact,the other academic disciplines are directly related to philosophy.For this reason you get a Doctorate(博士学位) of Philosophy(Ph.D.) in biochemistry,or computer science,or psychology.

Two broad sub-fields of philosophy are logic and the history of philosophy.Logic is the science of argument and critical thinking.It provides sound methods for distinguishing good from bad reasoning.The history of philosophy involves the study of major philosophers and period in development of philosophy.

Of what use is philosophy?First it is useful in educational advancement.It is necessary for understanding other disciplines.Only philosophy questions the nature of the concepts used in a discipline,and its relation to other disciplines.And through the study of philosophy,one develops sound methods of research and analysis that can be applied to any field.

There are a number of general uses of philosophy.It strengthens one’s ability to solve problems,to communicate,to organize ideas and issues,to persuade,and to take what is the most important from a large quantity of data .These general uses are of great benefit in the career field,not necessarily for obtaining one’s first job after graduation,but for preparing for positions of responsibility,management and leadership later on.It is very short-sighted after all,to take a course of studies only for the purpose of getting one’s first job.The useful skills developed through the study of philosophy have significant long-term benefits in career advancement.No other discipline systematically follows the ideals of wisdom,leadership,and capacity to resolve human conflict.

According to Paragraph 1,philosophy can best be described as the study of ______.

A.social sciences

B.natural sciences

C.both social and natural sciences

D.the subject matter of politics

With the study of philosophy,you can_______.

A.become a great leader

B.succeed in everything

C.find a good job soon after graduation

D.make progress in your career development

According to the passage,which of the following statements is TRUE?

A.Philosophy is an independent discipline.

B.Logic helps you to become a better thinker.

C.The study of philosophy brings you immediate benefits.

D.The meaning of philosophy is too limited to define.

From the passage,we can conclude ______.

A.not all the subjects have to do with philosophy

B.a person will get a Ph.D.if he/she studies philosophy

C.philosophy can be helpful for the study of any other subjects

D.philosophy is the only solution to all the problems to the world