(C)

Despite social myths to the contrary, the best predictor of future wealth is the family into which you are born. Each year, the business magazine Forbes publishes a list of the “Forbes 400”-the four hundred wealthiest families and individuals in the country.

Of all the wealth represented on the Forbes 400 list, more than half is inherited. Those on the list who could be called “self-made” were not typically of modest origins; most inherited significant assets (资产). Those in the upper class with newly acquired wealth are known as the nouveau riche. Although they may have vast amounts of money, they are often not accepted into “old rich” circles.

The upper middle class includes those with high incomes and high social reputation. They tend to be well-educated professionals or business executives. Their earnings can be quite high indeed-successful business executives can earn millions of dollars a year. It is difficult to estimate exactly how many people fall into this group because of the difficulty of drawing lines between the upper, upper middle, and middle class. Indeed, the upper middle class is often thought of as “middle class” because their lifestyle sets the standard to which many long for, but this lifestyle is simply beyond the means of a majority of people in the United States.

The middle class is hard to define; in part, being “middle class” is more than just economic position. By far the majority of Americans identify themselves as middle class even though they vary widely in lifestyle and in resources at their disposal. But the idea that the United States is an open-class system leads many to think that the majority have a middle-class lifestyle because, in general, people tend not to want to recognize class distinctions in the United States. Thus, the middle class becomes the common concept even though many who call themselves middle class have a weak hold on this class position.

The lower class is composed primarily of the displaced and poor. People in this class have little formal education and are often unemployed or working in minimum-wage jobs. Forty percent of the poor work; 10 percent work year-round and full time-a proportion that has generally increased over time. Recently, the concept of the underclass has been added to the lower class. The underclass includes those who have been left behind by contemporary economic developments. Rejected from the economic system, those in the underclass may become dependent on public assistance or illegal activities.

72. Why does the author mention the “Forbes 400” in the passage?

A. To explain the meaning of the listing that appears every year.

B. To cast doubt on the claim that family income predicts individual wealth.

C. To give examples of successful people who have modest family connections.

D. To support the statement that most wealthy people inherit their money.

73. 　　 Why do most people identify themselves as middle class in the United States?

A. They have about the same lifestyle as everyone else in the country.

B. They don’t really know how to define their status because it is unclear.

C. They prefer not to admit that there are class distinctions in the United States.

D. They identify themselves with the majority who have normal lifestyles.

74. 　　 According to the passage, what can be inferred about poor people in the United States?

A. They are not able to find entry-level jobs.

B. They work in jobs that require little education.

C. They are service workers and manual laborers.

D. They do not try to find employment.

75. 　　 According to the passage, why has the underclass emerged?

A. Changes in the economy have caused an entire class of people to survive by welfare or crime.

B. The increase in crime has supported a new class of people who live by engaging in illegal activities.

C. The new term was necessary because the lower class enjoyed a higher lifestyle than it had previously.

D. Minimum-wage jobs no longer support a class of people at a standard level in the economic system..

Section C

Directions: Read the following passage and choose the most suitable heading from A-F for each paragraph.　 There is one extra heading which you do not need.

A. Use all the information in the book

B. Get background information

C. Be critical while reading

D. Enjoy and engage yourself

E. Choose the appropriate reading techniques

F. Know your reading purpose

76.

A good reader finds joy in reading. A good reader is a happy reader. If you are a good reader you will be rewarded in knowledge and a new understanding of or different perspective on life. Make the book your own. “It’s the good reader that makes the good book; a good head cannot read mistakenly: in every book he finds passages which seem confidences or asides hidden from all else and unmistakably meant for his ear.” -Ralph Waldo Emerson

77.

The way you read a book depends very much on your reasons for reading it. You should read a question in your math exam differently from an entry in an encyclopedia which you are looking at quickly to find out the date of an event. The kind of reading you do in class or for your homework is different from how you read a novel for pleasure in the summer vacation.

78.

Good books are well-organized, with titles, sub-titles, introductions, summaries or conclusions. Many books also have pictures with captions. Look at all these first before starting to read. Another aspect of good writing is that each paragraph has a topic sentence. A topic sentence is a sentence, usually the first one in a paragraph which contains the main idea of the paragraph. If you concentrate on understanding the topic sentence, this may help you to understand what comes next.

79.

One of the following methods improve your reading quality. Skimming -- this is reading a text quickly to find out what information it contains. You should skim when, for example, you want to check if a text has the information you need to answer some questions or write a project. It is often enough to look at the first (and last) sentences in each paragraph. Scanning -- this is reading quickly to find a specific piece of information. You should scan when, for example, you are looking for the answer to a question which you know is in the text.

80.

Find something out about the topic you have to read. The more relevant background information you have, the easier it will be to understand the book. You can get this relevant information background in your own language. For example, if you are studying the Italian Renaissance, you could read an encyclopedia or textbook in your own language to find out the most important details about this historical period.

Section D

Directions: Read the passage carefully. Then answer the questions or complete the statements in the fewest possible words.

Who’s in control of your life? Who is pulling your string? For the majority of us, it’s other people-society, colleagues, friend, family or our religious community. We learned this way of operating when we were very young, of course. We were brainwashed. We discovered that feeling important and feeling accepted was a nice experience and so we learned to do everything we could to make other people like us. As Oscar Wilde puts it, “Most people are other people. Their thoughts are someone else’s opinions, their lives a mimicry (模仿), their passions a quotation.”

So when people tell us how wonderful we are, it makes us feel good. We long for this good feeling like a drug-we are addicted to (沉溺于) it and seek it out wherever we can. Therefore, we are so eager for the approval of others that we live unhappy and limited lives, failing to do the things we really want to. Just as drug addicts and alcoholics live worsened lives to keep getting their fix (一剂毒品), we worsen our own existence to get our own constant fix of approval.

But just as with any drug, there is a price to pay. The price of the approval drug is freedom-the freedom to be ourselves. The truth is that we cannot control what other people think. People have their own agenda, and they come with their own baggage and, in the end, they’re more interested in themselves than in you. Furthermore, if we try to live by the opinions of others, we will build our life on sinking sand. Everyone has a different way of thinking, and people change their opinions all the time. The person who tries to please everyone will only end up getting exhausted and probably pleasing no one in the process.

So how can we take back control? I think there’s only one way-make a conscious decision to stop caring what other people think. We should guide ourselves by means of a set of values-not values imposed from the outside by others, but innate values which come from within. If we are driven by these values and not by the changing opinions and value system of others, we will live a more authentic, effective, purposeful and happy life.

(Note: Answer the questions or complete the statements in NO MORE THAN TWELVE WORDS.)

81. 　　 By saying “Most people are other people……”, Oscar Wilde means that most people’s thoughts __________________.

82. What happens to people if they care too much for the approval of others?

83. Why is it unreliable for us to live by the opinions of others?

84. According to the author, we can take back control by _______________________.

第II 卷　 (共45分)

(B)

The composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s remarkable musical talent was apparent even before most children can sing a simple nursery rhyme. Wolfgang’s older sister Maria Anna (who the family called Nannerl) was learning the clavier, an early keyboard instrument, when her three-year-old brother took an interest in playing. As Nannerl later recalled, Wolfgang “often spent much time at the clavier picking out thirds (三度音), which he was always striking, and his pleasure showed that it sounded good.” Their father Leopold, an assistant concertmaster at the Salzburg Court, recognized his children’s unique gifts and soon devoted himself to their musical education.

Born in Salzburg, Austria, on January 27, 1756, Wolfgang had composed his first original work by age five. Leopold planned to take Nannerl and Wolfgang on tour to play before the European courts. Their first venture was to nearby Munich where the children played for Maximillian III Joseph, elector of Bavaria. Leopold soon set his sights on the capital of the Hapsburg Empire, Vienna. On their way to Vienna, the family stopped in Linz, where Wolfgang gave his first public concert. By this time, Wolfgang was not only a skilled harpsichord player, but he had also mastered the violin. The audience at Linz was amazed by the six-year-old, and word of his genius soon traveled to Vienna. In a much attended concert, the Mozart children appeared at the Schonbrunn Palace on October 13, 1762. They completely attracted the emperor and empress.

Following this success, Leopold received a lot of invitations for the children to play, for a fee. Leopold seized the opportunity and booked as many concerts as possible at courts throughout Europe. A concert could last three hours, and the children played at least two per a day. Today, Leopold might be considered the worst kind of stage parent, but at the time, it was not uncommon for prodigies to make extensive concert tours. Even so, it was an exhausting schedule for a child who was just past the age of needing an afternoon nap.

68. 　　 A good title for this passage would be ________.

A. Classical Music in the Eighteenth Century: An Overview.

B. Stage Parents: A Historical Point of View.

C. Mozart: The Early Life of a Musical Genius

D. Mozart: The Short Career of a Musical Genius.

69. 　　 What was the consequence of Wolfgang’s first public appearance?

A. He attracted the emperor and empress of Hapsburg.

B. Word of Wolfgang’s genius spread to the capital.

C. Leopold set his sights on Vienna.

D. Invitations for the miracle children to play poured in.

70. 　　 Each of the following statements about Wolfgang Mozart is directly supported by the passage except ________.

A. Mozart’s father made full use of his children’s talent

B. Maria Anna was also talented in music

C. Wolfgang’s childhood was devoted to his musical career

D. Wolfgang preferred the violin to other instruments

71. The word “prodigies” in the last paragraph probably means “________”.

　　 A. unusually talented people　　　　　　　　 B. strict parents

　　 C. greatest composers 　　　　　　　　　 D. generous people

Section A

Directions: For each blank in the following passage there are four words or phrases marked A, B, C and D.　 Fill in each blank with the word or phrase that best fits the context.

The US Department of Labour statistics show that there is an oversupply of college-trained workers. And this oversupply is　 50　 . Already there have been more than enough teachers, engineers, physicists, aerospace experts and other specialists. Yet, colleges and graduate schools continue every year to　 51　 highly trained people to compete for jobs that aren’t there. The result is that graduates cannot enter the　 52　 for which they were trained, and they must take temporary jobs which do not require a college degree and these temporary jobs are most probably becoming　 53　 ones in the severe labor markets.

　 54　 , there is a great need for skilled workers of all sorts: carpenters, electricians, mechanics, plumbers, TV repairmen. These people have more work than they can handle. As a result, their　 55　 are often higher than those of college graduates. The old concept that white-collar workers make a better living than blue-collar workers no longer holds true. The law of supply and demand now is　 56　 the skilled workmen.

The reason for this situation is the traditional myth that　 57　 is a passport to a prosperous future. A large part of American society matches success in life　 58　 with a college degree. Parents begin brainwashing their children with this myth before they are out of grade school. High school teachers play their part by acting as if high school education were a preparation for　 59　 rather than for life. Whether they want to go to college or not doesn’t matter: everybody should go to college, so of course they must go. Under this pressure, the kids have to go to college, but, unfortunately, most kids　 60　 in the starting line. In spite of this, every year college enrollments go up and up, and more and more graduates are　 61　 for the kinds of jobs available to them.

One result of this emphasis on a college education is that many people go to college where they do not　 62　 . Half of the sixty percent of high school graduates who enter college do not graduate with their class. Many of them drop out within the first year because of their　 63　 academic performance. Some　 64　 for two or three years and then join the other students who drop out. It’s high time we stopped to rethink our education system.

50. A. declining　　　　 B. increasing　　　　　 C. dropping　　 D. decreasing

51. A. turn out　　 B. take over　　　　　　 C. lay off　　　　　 D. come across

52. A. universities　　 B. courses　　　　　 C. classrooms　　　 D. professions

53. A. profitable　　　 B. favorite　　　　 C. permanent　　　　 D. excellent

54. A. All in all　　　　　　　　　　　　　 B. For the time being

　　 C. On the other hand　　　　　　　　　　 D. In the first place

55. A. abilities　　　　 B. expectations　　 C. ambitions　　　　 D. incomes

56. A. in favor of　　　 B. useful to　　　　　　 C. superior to　　　 D. responsible for

57. A. profession-training　　　　　　　　　 B. college degree　

　　 C. working skill　　　　　　　　　　　　 D. social ability

58. A. hardly　　　 　 B. gradually　　　　　　 C. equally　　　 D. curiously　

59. 　　 A. labor　　　　　　 B. work　　　　　　 C. graduation　　　 D. college　

60. A. fail　　　　 B. remain　　　　　　　 C. hesitate　　 D. pause

61. A. under-estimated　　　　　　　　　　　 B. over-educated　　　　

C. wrongly-assessed 　　　　　　　　　　 D. properly-trained

62. A. stay　　　　 B. enroll　　　　　　　 C. belong　　　　　 D. pay

63. A. admirable　　　　 B. successful　　　　　 C. outstanding　　　 D. unsatisfactory

64. A. struggle on　　　 B. break down　　　　　 C. give up　　　 D. call off

Section B

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 you have just read.

(A)

The subject of the next two passages is the same, but the way they are written is different. Read them carefully and answer the questions.

65. 　　 If you go to lunch at Dilly’s Deli, you could expect to see ________.

A. a long line of customers　　　　　　　　

B. the fire marshal

C. the restaurant critic from the newspaper　　

D. homemade pie

66. 　　 Both passages suggest that if you eat lunch at Dilly’s Deli, you should expect to ______.

A. sit next to a truck driver

B. place your order with the waiter who comes to your table

C. clean up the table after dinner

D. dress warmly

67. 　　 Which of the following illustrates the restaurant critic’s opinion of the food at Dilly’s Deli?

A. “At Dilly’s, you sit at one of four long tables.”

B. “At lunchtime, Dilly’s Deli is so crowded, I wondered when the fire marshal had last visited the establishment.”

C. “After I had tasted all of the food on my plate, I rose to leave, whereupon one of the people working behind the counter yelled at me to clean up after myself.”

D. “Throwing away that plate of food was the most enjoyable part of dining at Dilly’s.”

40. Having suffered from heart attack for years, Michael Jackson died on June 25, 2009, ______ the fall of the king of pop.

　　 A. to announce B. announced　　　　　　 C. announcing 　 D. being announced

Section B

Directions: Complete the following passage by using the words in the box. Each word can only be used once.　 Note that there is one word more than you need.

A. likely　　　　 B. situation　　　 C. negative　　 D. influence　　 E. balance

F. evidence　　　 G. constant　　　 H. flexibility　　 I. personal　　　 J. primarily

Paper Review

Title: The Mobile Phone, Perpetual Contact and Time Pressure

Author: Michael Bittman, Judith E. Brown

The International Telecommunication Union reported 4.6 billion mobile accounts worldwide at the end of 2009, about 3.3 billion more than fixed line phones. As mobile phones have overtaken fixed line phones in usage, the　 41　 impact of the mobile phone on work–life balance has raised considerable concern. Yet the authors of this paper conclude that these fears are exaggerated. Although the pace of work and time pressures may be greater since the arrival of the mobile phone, the technology also allows for increased　 42　 and the “softening” of schedules, meaning that plans can be rearranged to adjust people’s personal or work lives.

The authors studied a sample of nearly 2,000 workers who completed questionnaires and kept diaries to determine when, how often, and in what　 43　 these workers used their mobile phones. The researchers also evaluated records of phone traffic and usage reports from participants’ handsets. The data revealed that rather than intruding on leisure time, the phone’s “always-on” nature allowed employees to better　 44　 their schedules and avoid work–life pressures. And although concerns about mobile phones often assume that they tie up people to work, the call records indicated that they are used　 45　 to stay in touch with family and friends.　 46　 calls accounted for 61 percent of all calls; only 21 percent were work related.

However, the data did reveal a correlation between mobile phones and workplace pressure, especially among male respondents, who were more　 47　 to report that the mobile phone made them feel short on time. The authors argue that workers’ stress is raised because the mobile phone has enabled management to stay in　 48　 contact with them. Still, the authors did not find out any　 49　 to suggest that the mobile phone stretched the work time beyond employees’ ability to deal with.

39. To avoid _______, John preferred not to tell the truth that he broke the vase.

　　 A. punishing 　　　 B. to punish　　　　　　 C. being punished　 D. to be punished

38. On my way back to the hotel last night, I lost my way in the complete darkness and, ______ things worse, it began to pour.

　　 A. making　　　 B. made　　　　　　 C. having made　 D. to make

37. For a promotion, Alexander tried to get his work ______ in the medical circles.

　　 A. to recognize　　　　　　　　　　 B. recognizing

　　 C. recognize　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 D. recognized

36. Everybody talks about the taste of great food, but hardly ______ about the tongue and the nose that make the tasting possible.

A. anybody talks　　　　　　　　 　　　　　　　 B. does anybody talk　

C. talks anybody　　　　　　　　 　　　　　　　 D. nobody talks

35. 　　 The way the guests ______ in the hotel influenced their evaluation of the service.　

A. were treated　 　 B. treated　 　　　　　 C. would treat　 　 D. would be treated　

34. The further we entered the mountain, ______ we became.

　　 A. more frightened　　　　　　　　　　　 B. the much frightened

　　 C. much more frightened　　　　　　 D. the more frightened