President Coolidge's statement, “The business of America is business．” still points to an important truth today－that business institutions have more prestige(威望)in American society than any other kind of organization, including the government．Why do business institutions possess this great prestige?
One reason is that Americans view business as being more firmly based on the ideal of competition than other institutions in society．Since competition is seen as the major source of progress and prosperity by most Americans, competitive business institutions are respected．Competition is not only good in itself, it is the means by which other basic American values such as individual freedom, equality of opportunity, and hard work are respected．
Competition protects the freedom of the individual by ensuring that there is no monopoly(垄断)of power．In contrast to one, all powerful government, many businesses compete against each other for profits．Theoretically, if one business which tries to take unfair advantage of its customers, it will lose to competing business which treats its customers more fairly．Where many businesses compete for the customers' dollar, they cannot afford to treat them like inferiors or slaves．
A contrast is often made between business, which is competitive, and government, which is a monopoly．Because business is competitive, many Americans believe that it is more supportive of freedom than government, even though government leaders are elected by the people and business leaders are not．Many Americans believe, then, that competition is as important, or even more important than democracy in preserving freedom．
Competition in business is also believed to strengthen the ideal of equality of opportunity．Competition is seen as an open and fair race where success goes to the swiftest person regardless of his or her social class background．Competitive success is commonly seen as the American alternative to social rank based on family background．Business is therefore viewed as an expression of the idea of equality of opportunity rather than aristocratic(贵族的)idea of inherited privilege(特权)．
(1)
The statement“The business of America is business．”probably means ________．
[ ]
A．
the business institutions in America are concerned with commerce．
B．
business problems are of great importance to the American government
C．
business is of primary concern to Americans
D．
America is a great power in world business
(2)
Americans believe that they can realize their personal values only ________．
[ ]
A．
when given equality of opportunity
B．
through doing business
C．
by protecting their individual freedom
D．
by way of competition
(3)
Who can benefit from business competition?
[ ]
A．
Honest businessmen．
B．
Both businessmen and their customers．
C．
People with ideals of equality and freedom．
D．
Both business institutions and government．
(4)
Government is believed to differ strikingly from business in that government is characterized by ________．
[ ]
A．
its absolute control of power
B．
its function in preserving personal freedom
C．
its role in protecting basic American values
D．
its democratic way of exercising leadership
(5)
It can be inferred from the passage that the author believes ________．
[ ]
A．
Americans are more ambitious than people in other countries
B．
in many countries success often depends on one's social status(地位)
C．
American business are more democratic than those in other countries
D．
business in other countries are not as competitive as those in America
Welcome to Language upon Thames．This brochure has been designed to give you an overview of our Language School and the courses we offer．If you have some additional questions please do not hesitate to contact us for more information．
At Language upon Thames, we feel it is important to be flexible, in order that students can decide what period of study suits them best．
Small Group General English Courses
These courses are aimed at students who wish to improve their speaking, listening, reading and
writing skills and are offered at the following levels：
BEGINNERS
ELEMENTARY(初级)
PRE－INTERMEDIATE
INTERMEDIATE
UPPER－INTERMEDIATE
Studying one of the above courses will enable you to use English more confidently and competently(适合地)on a daily basis．
Try our free online test to see which level you are at－CLICK HERE
Exam courses
These courses are aimed at students who wish to gain academic qualifications in English and are offered at the following levels：
University of Cambridge exams：
ADVANCED1－FCE(First certificate)
ADVANCED2－CAE(Advanced)
ADVANCED3－CPE(Proficiency)
Studying one of the above courses will enable you to continue your education or enter university in this country．(Students wishing to gain admission to a British university are normally required to have the Cambridge Proficiency Certificate．)
Speaking, Listening ＆Pronunciation
This course builds on communicative confidence and competence and is aimed at students who wish to develop the important skills of speaking and listening．
Emphasis is also placed on pronunciation, with activities designed to meet the needs of students of different nationalities, who need to focus on different areas．
CLICK HERE to register for a General English course．
Other Languages
At Language upon Thames we offer a wide range of cafes, restaurants, shops and bars．Most importantly, we have foreign language classes of French, Japanese, German, Spanish and Italian during the day, evening or on a one-to-one basis．
(1)
What does this passage mainly talk about?
[ ]
A．
An overview of the language school．
B．
Ways to develop students' language skills．
C．
A brief introduction to some English courses．
D．
Solutions to build students' communicative confidence．
(2)
If you attend Exam Courses, you will ________．
[ ]
A．
use English more confidently and competently
B．
gain academic qualifications in English
C．
have better pronunciation and deal with everyday English well
D．
be able to get admitted into a university for further education in this country
(3)
Judging from the description, we can tell that this passage must be taken from ________．
[ ]
A．
a newspaper
B．
a magazine
C．
the Internet
D．
a guidebook
(4)
According to the passage, we may conclude that the English courses offered by Language upon Thames ________．
[ ]
A．
are flexible but with few language activities designed for students of different nationalities
B．
are flexible and will meet the needs of students at different levels and with different
backgrounds
C．
place much emphasis on language skills but pay less attention to the needs of learners
D．
are all aimed to improve students' communicative competence by giving classes on a one-to-one basis
阅读理解
12-year-old Romina Mohaqqeq, believed to be Iran's youngest filmmaker, is dreaming of winning an Oscar someday．
“I will not regard myself a filmmaker until I win an Oscar,” she remarks．Born in 1998, she has so far directed several documentaries(纪录片)and short films and has received several awards at national and international festivals．
“I made my first documentary when I was eight years old．The idea came to my mind when I saw an Afghan boy who was collecting paper in a dustbin near our house．I thought it might be a good topic for a documentary,” she said．
“I asked my dad to make a movie about this boy but he said that it would not be an interesting topic．He told me to work on the topic myself if I liked it, so I made my first documentary and named it Long Way”．
Romina's “Long Way” took the best film award at Roshd International Film Festival in 2007, encouraging her to continue filmmaking．“Next, I adapted a story published in a magazine and made the short film A Box Full of Affection”．
She is now working on Thought, a new documentary about positive thinking．
Romina admits that her dad has been her only advisor all these years．
“When Romina decided to work on a topic herself at the age of 8, I taught her the whole process of filmmaking within 6 to 7 months．I even worked as a cameraman in some of her productions．” her father said．
“We also reviewed the book Film Directing Shot by Shot．We read all the sections together where she learned the entire process from pre-production to post-production．”
Romina also played in one of her dad's productions when she was 6, and acted in the movie The Earrings．She was among the judges of 39th edition of the Roshd International film Festival．
(1)
Which of the following films is not directed by Romina?
[ ]
A．
Long Way
B．
A Box Full of Affection
C．
Thought
D．
The Earrings
(2)
We know from the passage that ________．
[ ]
A．
Romina has won an Oscar Award
B．
Romina's first movie was a short film
C．
Romina once worked as a cameraman
D．
Romina's father was her first guide to filmmaking
(3)
According to the passage, “Film Directing Shot by Shot” is ________．
