阅读理解

　　Americans are always in a hurry, they seem to be under permanent pressure to think that there is something more to do the next moment. This fast pace is reflected in the popularity of fast-food restaurants, one-stop stations and micro-ovens. They hate to waste their time and would frown if their time is wasted by interruptions or by poor service. They appreciate the practice of doing things as quickly as possible, as in their eyes,“patience is the virtue of asses.”

　　In contract, people in Indonesia believe in“rubber time”, to the extent that time can stretch or shrink. In Africa, people who do something in a rush are actually asking for trouble; they'd be suspected of trying to cheat! In their culture, a slow unusual, worth doubt.

　　Here is a contract between the slow pace people (SPP) and the fast pace people(FPP);

　　◇SPP－Consider an appointment as a target to achieve, if possible.

　　　FPP－take a promise seriously and try to keep it by all means.

　　◇SPP－are dedicated to people and human relationship.

　　　FPP－are devoted to work rather than to human relationship.

　　　SPP－change plans easily.

　　　FPP－follow and stick to the plans.

　　◇SPP－decide to be punctual or not based on human relationship.

　　　FPP－stress punctuality.

　　◇SPP－show strong tendency to build lifetime friendship.

　　　FPP-are used to short-term relationship.

(1)Which of the following statements indicates that Americans are leading a fast-pace life?

[　　]

A．Americans have modern kitchen equipment.

B．Fast-food restaurants are popular with Americans.

C．Almost every American family owns a car.

D．There are a lot of railway stations in the United States.

(2)The underlined phrase“one-stop stations”probably means ________.

[　　]

A．A bus stop is not far from one another

B．There are a number of police stations in the United States

C．There are a lot of gas stations here and there, and it is one-stop distance between them.

D．It is a long way from a gas station to the next one

(3)In which country people who do something in a rush are suspected of trying to cheat?

[　　]

A．Venezuela　　　　　　B．Italy

C．Vietnam　　　　　　　D．Zambia

(4)If a person cares more for human relationship than his job, he must belong to ________.

[　　]

A．the fast pace people

B．the slow pace people

C．the lazy people

D．the clever people

The hardworking businessman Jones used to work all day in his shop and so hard-working was he that at times he would make the sparks(火星) fly from his hammer.
The son of Mr. Smith, a rich neighbor, used to come to see him every day and for hours and hours he would enjoy himself watching how the man worked.
“ Young man, why don’t you try your hand to learn to make shoe tacks (钉) , even if it is only to pass the time ? ” said Jones. “ Who knows, one day, it may be of use to you .”
The lazy boy began to see what he could do. But after a little practice he found that he was becoming very skilled and soon he was making some of the finest tacks.
Old Mr. Smith died and the son because of the war lost all his goods. He had to leave home and was forced to live in another country. It so happened that in this village there were many shoemakers who were spending a lot of money buying tacks for their shoes and even at times when they paid high prices they were not always able to get what they wanted, because in that part of the country there was a high demand for soldiers’ shoes.
Our young Mr. Smith, who was finding it difficult to earn his daily bread, remembered that once upon a time he had learned the art of making tacks and had the sudden idea of making a bargain with the shoemakers. He told them that he would make the tacks if they would help to get him settled in the workshop. The shoemakers were only too glad of the offer. And after a while, Mr. Smith found that he was soon making the finest tacks in the village.
“ How funny it seems, ” he used to say, “ even making tacks can make money. My trade is more useful to me than all my former riches.”
【小题1】The young man learnt to make shoe tacks because ___________.

In Greek mythology（神话）, the gods punished Sisyphus by forcing him to roll a rock up a steep hill for eternity（来世）. But he was probably better off than if they’d forced him to sit and stare into space until the end of time, conclude the authors of a new study on keeping busy. They found that people who have something to do, even something pointless, are happier than people who sit around.
“The general phenomenon I’m interested in is why people are too busy doing what they are doing in modern society,” says Christopher K. Hsee, of the University of Chicago. “People are running around, working hard, the way beyond the basic level.” Sure, there are reasons, like making a living, earning money, and so on. But, Hsee says, “I think there’s something deeper: We have extra energy and we want to avoid idleness.”
In a study 98 students were asked to complete two surveys. After they had completed the first they were made to wait 15 minutes to receive the next one. They were given a choice of either handing in the first survey nearby or at a more distant location they had to walk to. Whichever option they chose, they received a chocolate bar. Not everyone chose to go to the faraway location. Two-thirds chose the lazy option. Yet those who chose to stay busy by going to the faraway location were found to be happier than those who had stayed put.
But if the chocolate bars offered at the  two locations were different, they were more likely to choose the far location—because they could make up a good and acceptable reason for the trip, Hsee and his colleagues say.
Hsee thinks it may be possible to use this principle—people like being busy, and they like being able to show being busy right or reasonable—to benefit society. “If we can find a way for idle people to engage in activity that is at least not harmful, I think it is better than destructive business,” he says. Hsee himself has been known to  give a research assistant a useless task when he doesn’t have anything to do, so he isn’t sitting around the office getting bored and depressed.
【小题1】The author starts the passage with the Greek mythology story to ________.

Ok, I admit it: Emoticons(表情符号) are popular. Some people even think they are fun. Many seem unable to get through an e-mail or Instant Message chat sentence without using one. Some feel that they add feeling and character to otherwise cold digital communications.

Some, however, such as editor and Hollywood scriptwriter John Blumenthal, blast the use of emotions as “ infantile(幼稚的) just like the people who use them”. He believes that words themselves should be enough. “If you’re being funny, happy or sad, that should be apparent from the comment that goes before the emoticons,” he argues.

In the eyes of Blumenthal, the use of emoticons is a gender issue. “Men don’t use emoticons very much. Maybe not at all.,” he said. “Teenage girls and women seem to use them a lot. Maybe there’s an emoticons gene.”

It’s an interesting opinion, but it is not shared by all.

In an interview with The New York Times, Dacher Keltner, professor of psychology at the University of California, said that emoticons are popular because our brains are programmed “to seek out representations of humanity”. He believes that they appeal not because they are shortcuts for the lazy, but because they tap into（输入）something beyond language. They reach to our need to be with and communicate with people.

All of these arguments may be somehow valid（正确的）. Each one of us will choose to communicate in our own way. I do not have much time for emoticons. I tried to use one once and felt like I was stealing into a primary school class that I had no place being in. I’d rather let my words do the talking.

Friends, however, send me messages and e-mails full of emoticons. I have no problem with this, I don’t regard any of my friends as lazy or immature. It’s just a question of individuality.

1.According to the article, emoticons are popular because_________.

A. most of them look funny

B. they are easy for lazy people to use

C. they add feeling and character to a communication

D. a reader cannot understand a message without them

2. Which of the following views would John Blumenthal agree with ?

  A. Instant Message chatters are childish.

  B. It’s enough to use language in digital communication.

  C. Men never use emoticons.

  D. There is an emoticon gene in everybody.

3.From the text, we can conclude that the author________.

A. feels he has no difficulty using emoticons    

B. thinks emoticons don’t suit him

C. encourage his friends to use emoticons   

D. believes that emoticons are suitable for everyone

4.What is the main point of the article ?

  A. Advice on language used over the Internet.

  B. The history of emoticons.

  C. Arguments over the use of emoticons.

  D. Reasons for the popularity of emoticons.

完形填空（共20小题；每小题1.5分，满分30分） 阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后从各题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项。

Once upon a time, there were two men. One was hard-working and had a lot of   31   and perseverance (坚定不移), while the other was   32   and never did any work. One night, they decided to have a competition between them. The contest was simple: the   33  person to see daylight would be the winner, and the winner would  34   a prize. Both men agree to do it, and the competition started.

The hard-working man immediately  35  and ran towards the west after the sun, while the lazy man just sat there and   36 . The hard-working man, looking at the competitor,  37  at his foolishness and kept going at his quick pace. Running through the jungles, swimming  38   the rivers and seas, and he kept running and running,  39  that he would reach his goal sooner or later. Meanwhile, the lazy man was still sleeping.

The hard-working man had been   40  for 6 hours already, and he was surprised that he still had not   41   daylight. Thinking it would be just around the corner, he  42  on running until he finally came back to where he started, 24 hours   43  . Upon arriving, he saw the lazy man seated there, smiling and waiting for him, holding the  44  he earned.

The hard-working man was   45   how this lazy man could earn it ---he hadn't done anything at all! Then the lazy man said," You are   46  a persevering and patient man, but you were running towards the   47  , running after the sun that kept moving away from your  48   whereas I just waited for the sun to come to me. You were lucky. If I had decided to  49   you and not to tell you, you would be continuing this pursuit (追赶) till your death." The hard-working man knew in his heart that the lazy man was right.

Sometimes, perseverance can   50  you from the truth that what you are doing is wrong.

31. A. hobbies            B. ideas                      C. patience               D. money

32. A. lazy                B. patient                 C. kind-hearted             D. hard-working

33. A. last                B. first                         C. second                D. only

34. A. accept                B. keep                       C. win                   D. defeat

35. A. set in               B. set aside               C. set up                 D. set out

36. A. worked              B. drank                      C. slept                  D. played

37. A. laughed               B. glared                    C. stared                D. looked

38. A. across               B. through                 C. over                   D. past

39. A. representing         B. believing                C. emphasizing            D. complaining

40. A. swimming            B. jumping                 C. resting                 D. running

41. A. admired             B. invented                C. found                  D. realized

42. A. commented          B. carried                            C. figured                 D. depended

43. A. before               B. later                       C. next                  D. further

44. A. money             B. medal                     C. prize                  D. gold

45. A. believing             B. recognizing           C. discussing               D. wondering

46. A. true                B. indeed                    C. certain                 D. hardly

47. A. west                  B. east                        C. north                 D. south

48. A. ears                   B. hands         C. sight                           D. mind     

49. A. hide from             B. learn from      C. keep from              D. come from   

50. A. make                  B. let             C. blind                          D. protect