A woman from Japan was telling a friend about her trip to the United States.The woman had visited major businesses and investment companies in New York City and Chicago.

“I studied English before I left home，”she said.“But I still was not sure that people were speaking English.”

Her problem is easy to understand.Americans in business are like people who are in business anywhere.They have a language of their own.Some of the words and expressions deal with the special areas of their work.Other expressions are borrowed from different kinds of work such as the theater and movie industry.

One such saying is “get your act together”．

When things go wrong in a business，an employer may get angry.He may shout，“Stop making mistakes.Get your act together.”

Or，if the employer is calmer，he may say，“Let us get our act together.”

Either way，the meaning is the same.Getting your act together is getting organized.In business，it usually means to develop a calm and orderly plan of action.

It is difficult to tell exactly where the saying began.But，it is probable that it was in the theater or movie industry.Perhaps one of the actors was nervous and made a lot of mistakes.The director may have said，“Calm down，now.Get your act together.”

Word expert James Rogers says the expression was common by the late 1970s.Mister Rogers says the Manchester Guardian newspaper used it in 1978.The newspaper said a reform policy required that the British government get its act together.

Now，this expression is heard often when officials of a company meet.One company even called its yearly report，“Getting Our Act Together.”

The Japanese visitor was confused by another expression used by American business people.It is cut to the chase.

She heard that expression when she attended an important meeting of one company.One official was giving a very long report.It was not very interesting.In fact，some people at the meeting were falling asleep.

Finally，the president of the company said，“Cut to the chase.”

Cut to the chase means to stop spending so much time on details or unimportant material.Hurry and get to the good part.

Naturally，this saying was started by people who make movies.Hollywood movie producers believe that most Americans want to see action movies.Many of their movies show scenes in which the actors chase each other in cars，or in airplanes or on foot.

Cut is the director’s word for stop.The director means to stop filming，leave out some material，and get to the chase scene now.

So，if your employer tells you to cut to the chase，be sure to get to the main point of your story quickly.

1.After the woman visited the United States she might feel that ________.

A．her English was poor

B．it’s easy to master English

C．it’s difficult to make money

D．people there weren’t very friendly

2.In which situation could the words “get your act together” be used?

A．A task is completed successfully.

B．Players perform badly in a match.

C．Audience is satisfied with the actor’s performance in a movie.

D．Visitors make a tiresome and unpleasant trip to someplace.

3.According to the text，the expression “get one’s act together” ________.

A．was first used by a Japanese businesswoman

B．was forbidden to be used in the government policy

C．originally came from a yearly report of a company

D．was commonly read by readers in a newspaper in 1978

4.What do the sayings “get your act together” and “cut to the chase” have in common?

A．Their use.? B．Their meaning.

C．Their origin.? D．Their popularity.

A true apology is more than just acknowledgement of a mistake. It’s recognition that something you’ve said or done has damaged a relationship—and that you care enough about that relationship to want it __46__ .

It’s never __47__ to acknowledge you are in the wrong. Being human, we all need the art of apology. Look back and think how __48__ you’ve judged roughly, said __49__ things, pushed yurself ahead at the expense of a friend. Some deep thought lets us know that when __50__ a small mistake has been made, your __51__ will stay out of balance until the mistake is acknowledged and your regret is __52__.

I remember a doctor friend, telling me about a man who came to him with __53__ illnesses: headache, insomnia, stomachaches and so on. No physical __54__ could be found. Finally the doctor said to the man, “__55__ you tell me what’s on your conscience, I can’t help you.”

After a short silence, the man told the doctor that he __56__ all the money that his father gave to his brother, who was __57__. His father had died, so only he himself knew the matter. The doctor made the man write to his brother making an __58__ and enclosing a __59__. In the post office, the man dropped the letter into the mail box. As the letter disappeared, the man burst into tears. “Thank you, doctor,” he said, “I think I’m all right now.” And he __60__.

1.                A．built           B．formed         C．repaired  D．damaged

2.                A．difficult         B．easy           C．foolish   D．shy

3.                A．long           B．often           C．much D．soon

4.                A．unusual        B．harmful         C．worthless D．unkind

5.                A．hardly          B．even           C．only D．such

6.                A．sense          B．brain           C．weight   D．feeling

7.                A．apologized      B．explained       C．offered   D．expressed

8.                A．strange         B．fatal           C．various   D．dangerous

9.                A．sign           B．injury          C．cause    D．symptom

10.               A．Whenever      B．Unless         C．Suppose   D．Although

11.               A．neglected       B．accepted       C．seized D．wasted

12.               A．mad           B．lost            C．abroad    D．dead

13.               A．order          B．excuse         C．agreement D．apology

14.               A．note           B．card           C．check D．photo

15.               A．should         B．did            C．had  D．was

Listening is not as easy as someone thought. Even good listeners may recall only fifty percent of what they hear. Retention, the ability to remember and recall information, decreases about twenty to twenty – five percent after a few days. So no matter how well you listen in class, you’re always going to have to refresh your memory before a test! Unfortunately, many people have poor listening habits, and little listening training. To improve your listening skills, it’s important to understand what causes poor listening.

If you find it difficult to concentrate solely on what a speaker is saying, there’s good reason. The mind processes information much faster than a speaker can speak. The brain can process over 500 words per minute, while the average speaker talks as a rate of 124 to 250 words per minute. That means the mind can hear what’s being said and can think about something else at the same time.

If you have a negative idea about the speaker or the topic, you’ll find it difficult to listen attentively. Hostile or captive audiences often have more difficultly listening than do favorable or voluntary ones.

If a speaker speaks “above the heads” of an audience, people find it difficult to concentrate. Speakers who use unfamiliar words or who use incomplete explanations make it more difficult to listen. Speakers who “speak down” to audiences, failing to acknowledge what the audience already knows, also create mental blocks.

When people listen selectively, they simply block out what they don’t want to hear. For instance, many people have habits that are dangerous to their health, like smoking. However, they often choose to block out what a speaker says about health risks. They may listen to a speech and think that the speaker’s message applies to other people, not them. In other words, they hear what they want to hear and ignore what they don’t want to hear.

C

    Isn't it astonishing how much time we spend talking about food? “Have you ever eaten …?” “What did you have for lunch?” and so on. And yet when you travel from one country to another, you will find that people have quite different feelings about food. People often feel that what they eat is normal (正常) and that what other people eat is strange or silly. In most parts of Asia, for example, no meal is complete without rice. In England, people eat potatoes every day. In the Middle East, bread is the main part of every meal. Eating like so many things we do, becomes a habit which is difficult to change. Americans like to drink a lot of orange juice and coffee. The English drink tea four or five times every day. Australians drink a great deal of beer, and the French drink wine every day.

   The sort of meat people like to eat also differs from one country to another. Horse meat is thought to be delicious in France. In Hong Kong, some people enjoy eating snakes. New Zealanders eat sheep, but they never eat goat meat. The Japanese don't like to eat sheep meat because of its smell, but they enjoy eating raw fish (生鱼).

   So it seems that although eating is a topic we can talk about for hours, there is very little common sense in what we say it. People everywhere enjoy eating what they have always eaten, and there is very little we can do to change our eating habits.

64. Which of the following is true according to the article?

A. All people have the same feeling about food.

B. In most parts of Asia, people usually have rice for meals.

C. People often consider other people to be strange or silly.

   D. The topic people spend time talking about is bread and meat.

65. People in different countries   ___  .

 A. drink the same sort of wine     B. have the same eating habit

   C. eat different kinds of meat      D. have the same tea at different time within a day

66. The Japanese don't like to eat sheep meat    __  .

   A. because they dislike its smell   B. because it is too expensive

   C. because it is easy to go bad     D. because they think it will do harm to their health

67. English people drink tea four or five times a day    _   .

A. because they get thirsty easily      B. because there is plenty of tea in Britain

C. because of their drinking habit     D. because they have enough time to do so

A true apology is more than just acknowledgement (承认) of a mistake. It’s recognition that something you’ve said or done has (1) a relationship—and that you (2) enough about the relationship to want it (3).

It’s never (4) to acknowledge you are in the wrong. Being human, we all need the art of apology. Look back and think how (5) you’ve judged roughly, said (6) things, pushed yourself ahead at the (7) of a friend. Some deep thought in us know that when (8) a small mistake has been made, your feeling will stay out of (9) until the mistake is acknowledged and your regret is (10).

I remember a doctor friend, (11) me about a man who came to him with (12) illnesses: headache, insomnia (失眠), stomachaches and so on. No Physical (13) could be found. Finally the doctor said to him, “(14) you tell me what’s on your conscience, I can’t help you.”

After a short silence, the man told the doctor that he (15) all the money that his father gave to his brother, who was (16).  His father had died, so only he himself knew the matter. The old doctor made the man write to his brother making an (17) and enclosing (附寄) a (18). In the post office, the man dropped the letter into the mail box. As the letter disappeared, the man (19) into tears. “Thank you, doctor,” he said, “I think I’m all right now.” And he (20).

1．A．damaged               B．destroyed            C．injured                D．ruined

2．A．lost                       B．care                    C．advise                 D．heard

3．A．built                      B．formed                C．repaired               D．picked

4．A．difficult                 B．easy                    C．foolish                D．shy

5．A．long                      B．often                   C．much                  D．soon

6．A．unusual                 B．harmful               C．precious              D．unkind

7．A．expense                B．worth                  C．value                   D．bargain

8．A．still                       B．even                    C．only                    D．such

9．A．conscience            B．friendship            C．mind                   D．balance

10．A．shown                B．explained             C．offered                D．expressed

11．A．asking                 B．telling                  C．requiring             D．setting

12．A．strange                B．serious                C．various                D．much

13．A．signs                   B．reason                 C．cause                  D．marks

14．A．Whenever            B．Unless                 C．Suppose              D．Although

15．A．stole                   B．accepted              C．seized                 D．wasted

16．A．mad                    B．lost                     C．abroad                D．dead

17．A．order                  B．excuse                C．agreement           D．apology

18．A．note                    B．card                    C．check                 D．photo

19．A．joyed                  B．burst                   C．laughed               D．cried

20．A．should               B．did                      C．had                        D．was