62. The underlined word “it” in paragraph 1 refers to___________.

　　　　 A. much less text　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 B. Japanese manga

　　　　 C. pictures running for pages　　　　　　　　　　 D. an escape from reality

61. What is the main idea of the first paragraph in the passage?

A. Japanese manga is a simple way of killing time.

B. What Japanese manga is mainly about.

C. Japanese manga presents a world of fantasy, adventure and romance.

D. Why Japanese manga is so popular.

60. From the passage we can infer that __________.

　　　　 A. it’s dangerous for a man to be under stress from work for a long time

B. it’s likely for a man to be free from stress if he lives a healthy life

C. it’s very stressful for a working man to share the care of children with his wife

D. it’s common for a man to be the only wage-earner in a family nowadays

B

For many of us, cartoon strips are simply one of our pastimes. The popular Japanese manga(漫画) provides us with an escape from reality into a world of fantasy, adventure and romance. With much less text and pictures running for pages, it fits perfectly into today's fast, throwing away city lifestyle.

But Tsai Chih-chung, a famous Taiwanese illustrator (漫画家), doesn't agree. He believes cartoons can be a bridge connecting traditional Chinese culture and wisdom with the modern world in a much wittier and more acceptable way.

He has interpreted Lao Zi, Confucius, Mencius, Zhuang Zi and Sun Zi and made their works accessible to a global audience. He has also produced two books about Zen (禅宗), introducing oriental philosophy. His cartoons are humorous yet full of wisdom and are admired as an easy way to learn Chinese classics.

After avoiding the public for ten years, Tsai made a comeback in late April with seven new works. But does his age, 61, work as a gap between him and his young readers? Tsai doesn't think so. The topics he has covered range from philosophy in a time of individuality to the learning and memorizing techniques used at school. "Every child is a genius and has the potential beyond his own imagination," he said.

If popular Japanese manga is purely for entertainment, Tsai's work, to a large extent, is to light the power of thinking in a light-hearted way. Tsai uses different forms of water to refer to people. In his eyes some people are like an ocean, some are like vapor (水蒸汽), while others may be ice or rain. But in essence they share a similarity – human being's forever chasing for the true and the good. "The person who thinks over life issues is not necessarily a scholar or a philosopher," he said. "I've dedicated my whole life to thinking and individual freedom, not making a living."

59. Judging from the context, the underlined word “ease” most probably means __________.

　　　　 A. making more comfortable　　　　　　　　　　 B. making less difficult

C. making less serious　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 D. making less complicated

58. According to the passage, a middle-aged man may feel even more stressful when he __________.

A. finds that his wife still has to work

B. notices that his weight remains the same

C. realizes that he doesn’t have to change his job

D. deals with a lot of changes negatively.

57. If a man feels stressful, he can try the following means EXCEPT ________.

A. having a chat with friends

B. doing some physical exercises

C. changing the workplace

D. working harder to make more money

56. Almost all people are affected by stress sometimes in their life because __________.

A. they are lacking in the stress management techniques

B. they will unavoidably come across things beyond their ability

C. they are too busy working to do physical exercises

D. they are so selfish that they think family is a burden

47. A. heart　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 B. person　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 C. team　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 D. brother

SECTION C

Directions: Complete the following passage by filling in each blank with one word that best fits the context.

What can help you make a fortune in the future? Graduating from a top university might not be enough. A new study from the University of Essex in Britain has shown that the 48.________ friends you have in school, the more money you'll earn later.

The idea that popularity could have a serious impact 49.________ one's earning potential shouldn't come as too much of a surprise. The researchers noted that if you want to get ahead in life, social skills and networking are 50._________important as talent and hard work.

"If a person has lots of friends, it means that he or she has the ability to 51._________ along with others in all kinds of different situations," said Xu Yanchun, 17, from Nantou High School in Shenzhen, who totally 52.________ with the recent finding. "Also, friends always help each other. They 53._________ only create wider social circles for you but lift your mood when you occasionally feel depressed," said Xu. She believed that all this helps you "earn a higher salary".

Maybe that's 54.________ some people think the younger generations are in the age of Friendalholism (交友狂症). 55._________ woman even complained that the networking website Facebook's 5,000-friend limit was too low for her large reserve of social contacts.

PART THREE　 READING COMPREHENSION

Directions: Read the following three passages. Each passage is followed by several questions or unfinished statements. For each of them there are four choices marked A, B, C and D. Choose the one that fits best according to the information given in the passage.

A

Stress occurs all the time in most people’s lives. Too much stress, however, can seriously affect physical and mental well-being.

Stress decreases the quality of life by reducing feelings of pleasure and accomplishment. At some point in their lives, almost all people will go through stressful events or situations that limit their ability to cope.

Financial concerns are one of the main stressors for a man. He is supposed to be able to “support” his family. In today’s economy, a family living on a single income is rare. Most often the woman is working outside the home also. Job-related stress may increase the risk of heart disease. It appears to have a greater effect on a man’s arteries(动脉) than on a woman’s. Men who report the most stress have almost five times the risk of having more serious artery disease.

One temporary treatment for job stress may be stress-reduction exercises. Sometimes these techniques can be quite easy and simple. Taking a few minutes to practice relaxation or meditation can help to ease some of the stress. Taking a vacation, developing interests outside of work, and finding supportive friends who will listen can help to relieve stress. Sometimes, changes in the workplace or renegotiation of the demands of the job may be needed. This may require joining with other workers to document stress conditions.

More and more marriages are ending in divorce now. It is not uncommon for a man to find that he is the primary caregiver for his children, or that he has joint custody(联名保管(户)). This may involve a lot of changes for him. It can be very stressful until a routine is formed. This is especially true for a man who has not been able to be involved much in raising his children because of his job.

There are support groups that a man can join to help him deal with these changes. Changes a man goes through in middle age may increase stress. If he is not active, he may gain weight. Staying active, eating a healthy diet, and getting plenty of sleep will help to decrease the stress. In addition, exercising and talking to someone can also help to relieve the stress.

Getting rid of stress from life is impossible. However, stress management techniques can decrease some of the harmful effects of stress.

46. A. not more than　　　　　　　　 B. other than　　　　　　　　　　　 C. less than　　　　　　　　　　　　 D. more than

45. A. shouting　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 B. crying　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 C. cheering　　　　　　　　　　　　 D. screaming