Linda Evans was my best friend-like the sister I never had, We did everything together：piano lessons, movies, swimming , horseback riding.

When I was 13, my family moved away, Linda and I kept in touch through letters， and we saw each other on special times- like my wedding and Linda’s. Soon we were busy with children and moving to new homes, and we wrote less often. One day a card that I sent came back, stamped “Address Unknown”. I had no idea about how to find Linda.

Over the years, I missed Linda very much, I wanted to share happiness of my children and then grandchildren, And I needed to share my sadness when my brother and then mother died, There was an empty place in my heart that only a friend like Linda could fill.

One day, I was reading a newspaper when I noticed a photo of a young woman who looked very much like Linda and whose last name was Wagman—Linda’s married name. “There must be thousands of Wagmans . ”I thought, but I still wrote to her.

She called as soon as she got my letter, “Mrs, Tobin!” she said excitedly, “Linda Evans Wagman is my mother.”Minutes later I heard a voice that I recognized at once, even after 40 years. We laughed and cried and caught up on each other’s lives, Now the empty place in my heart is filled, And there’s one thing that Linda and I know for sure: we won’t lose each other again!

1.The writer went to piano lessons with Linda Evans     .

A. at the age of 13                                                             B. before she got married

C. before the writer’s family moved away           D. after they moved to new homes

2.They didn’t often write to each other because they     .

A. got married                                                                    B. had little time to do so

C. didn’t like writing letters                                             D. could see each other on special times

3.There was an empty place in the writer’s heart because she     .

A. was in trouble                                                               B. didn’t know Linda’s address

C. received the card that she sent                                 D. didn’t have a friend like Linda

4.The writer was happy when she     .

A. read the newspaper                                                   

B. heard Linda’s voice on the phone

C. met a young woman who looked a lot like Linda

D. wrote  to  the  woman  whose  last  name  was  Wangman

5.They haven’t kept in touch     .

A. for about 40 years                                              B. for about 27 years

C. since they got married                              D. since the writer’s family moved away

—Someone wants you on the phone.

—________nobody knows I am here.

A．Although　　　　　　　

B．And

C．But 

D．So

短文填词（共10小题，每小题1分，满分10分）

At 16, I left home to do part-time jobs, _______ made me understand 1._________

“East or west, home is the best” b_______ than before.At that time I 2._________

thought _____ (呆) at home was boring because my parents were always 3.________

t_______ me what to do and what not to.So when the chance came,     4._________

I left home and washed d_________ at a restaurant.Things were not so5._________

easy for me.My hands became frozen because of cold.B________,     6._________

some _______ (顾客) were quite particular.They always scolded me. 7.__________

I f_______I had dropped from heaven.When I talked with my parents 8._________

on the phone, tears rolled down my cheeks.Since _________ I have 9.__________

_________ (意识) that home is my shelter and parents are great.10._______

The term “multitasking” originally referred to a computer’s ability to carry out several tasks at one time. For many people, multitasking has become a way of life and even a key to success. In fact, some excellent mental aerobic exercises (大脑训练) involve engaging the brain in two or more challenging activities at a time. Although checking e-mail while talking on a phone and reading the newspaper may be second nature for some people, many times multitasking can make us less productive, rather than more. And studies show that too much multitasking can lead to increased stress, anxiety and memory loss.

In order to multitask, the brain uses an area known as the prefrontal cortex (前额叶脑皮层). Brian scans of volunteers performing multiple tasks together show that as they shift from task to task, this front part of the brain actually takes a moment of rest between tasks. You may have experienced a prefrontal cortex “moment of rest” yourself if you’ve ever dialed (拨电话) a phone number and suddenly forgotten who you dialed when the line is answered. What probably occurred is that between the dialing and the answering, your mind shifted to anther thought or task, and then took that “moment” to come back. Research has also shown that for many volunteers, job efficiency (效率) declines while multitasking, as compared to when they perform only one task at a time.

Multitasking is easiest when at least one of the tasks is habitual, or requires little thought. Most people don’t find it difficult to eat and read the newspaper at the same time. However, when two or more attention-requiring tasks are attempted at one time, people sometimes make mistakes.

We often don’t remember things as well when we’re trying to manage several details at the same time. Without mental focus, we may not pay enough attention to new information coming in, so it never makes it into our memory stores. That is one of the main reasons we forget people’s names---even sometimes right after they have introduced themselves. Multitasking can also affect our relationships. If someone checks their e-mail while on the phone with a friend, they may come off as absent-minded or disinterested. It can also cause that person to miss or overlook key information being passed on to them.

Why are some mental aerobic exercises designed to engage people in multitasking?

A. To make them more productive.     

B. To reduce their stress and anxiety.

C. To develop their communication skills.

D. To help them perform daily tasks more easily.    

According to Paragraph 2, why may a person suddenly forget who has called?

A. He may leave his prefrontal cortex temporarily damaged.

B. He is probably interrupted by another task.

C. He is probably not very familiar with the person he has called.

D. He may need a rest between dialing and speaking.

People tend to make mistakes when ____.

A. they perform several challenging tasks at a time.

B. new messages are processed one after another

C. their relationships with others are affected

D. the tasks require little thought

What is the main idea of the passage?

A. Multitasking has become a way of life.

B. Multitasking often leads to efficiency decline.

C. Multitasking exercises need to be improved.

D. Multitasking enables people to remember things better.

Employees are being flooded with too much information that has little to do with their work, according to a new survey.
On average, white-collar workers spend 51 percent of their work time receiving and processing information. Only one third of it was relevant to their work, the survey found. Information overload for white collar workers has become a global issue. The huge amount of information has already affected their efficiency in management as well as their performance at work.
Buried with e-mails
Every morning, a secretary at the human resources department of an auto parts company opens her e-mail box, only to find it crammed with at least 50 unread mails. For her, even scanning through these e-mails every day takes at least half an hour. Some of her colleagues are not so lucky — they have to read at least 100.
Bothered with calls
Telephone calls are also causing a problem. More than 40 percent white-collar workers chose mobile phones as the preferred way to communicate important and urgent business matters.
Talking saves time and energy over the clicking, reading and replying to e-mails, but phone calls are also more distracting(分心的). While answering a call, a clerk is likely to put away a much more important task at hand and start the business being talked about on the phone.
Solution? Not yet.
Many companies start with providing staff with better computers, better Internet access and more advanced gadgets(装置). For example, staff members above a certain level in one company will be provided with a blackberry phone for easier access to their e-mails. The company has also organized many lectures on efficient ways of e-mail management. Yet most white-collar workers think their companies can do more.
【小题1】What does the new survey find about white-collar workers?