I thought things would get better, but , ______, they are getting worse.

   A. as they are      B. as it is         C. as it was      D. as they were

---Has anything new been discussed on that problem so far?

--- _______, and more will follow, I think.

A. Little          B. Few           C. Much        D. All

Most schools have banned ________ junk food and brought out new menus. “That is cool.” said Andreas Petreu, _______ 11^th grader.

 A. /; an           B. /; the          C. the , a        D. the; /

家长会是学校，老师和学生家长为了学生的进步进行沟通的一种方式。但学生中对此有不同的观点。有的赞同，有的反对，有的无所谓。

请你表达出自己的观点并简单地说明理由。

要求：

   1）可以适当的增加细节。

      2）字数：100左右。

      3）不要逐条翻译。

      4）要有适当的开头和结尾。

―What’s the matter with you, Tom?

―Oh,   61   Mabey 1’ve got a cold.

―  62   Why don’t you take some coldstop?

―  63 

―That’s what I took the last time I had a cold.   64   Maybey that’ll help.

―Thanks.

(Two days later)

―How are you feeling now?

―Getting better.

―  65 

       A．Does it work well?

       B．Good idea.

       C．Glad to hear it.

       D．I feel a little bad under the weather now.

       E．It worked pretty well.

       F．It’s very kind of you.

       G．That’s too bad.

When I asked my daughter which item she would keep; the phone, the car, the cooker, the computer, the TV, or her boyfriend, she said “the phone”. Personally, I could do without the phone entirely, which makes me unusual. Because the telephone is changing our lives more than any other piece of technology.

Point 1 The telephone creates the need to communicate, in the same way that more roads create more traffic. My daughter comes home from school at 4:00 p.m. and then spends an hour on the phone talking to the very people she has been at school with all day. If the phone did not exist, would she have anything to talk about?

Point 2 The mobile phone means that we are never alone. “The mobile saved my life,” says Crystal Johnstone. She had an accident in her Volvo on the A45 between Otley and Skipton. Trapped inside, she managed to make the call that brought the ambulance to her rescue.

Point 3 The mobile removes our secret. It allows marketing manager of Haba Deutsch, Carl Nicolaisen, to ring his sales staff all round the world at any time of day to ask where they are, where they are going, and how their last meeting went.

Point 4 The telephone separates us. Antonella Bramante in Rome says, “We worked in separate offices but I could see him through the window. It was easy to get his number. We were so near-but we didn’t meet for the first two weeks!”

Point 5 The telephone allows us to reach out beyond our own lives. Today we can talk to several complete strangers simultaneously(同时地) on chat lines (at least my daughter does. I wouldn’t know what to talk about). We can talk across the world. We can even talk to astronauts (if you know any) while they’re space walking. And, with the phone line hooked up to the computer, we can access(存取) the Internet, the biggest library on Earth.

57．How do you understand “Point 1: The telephone creates the need to communicate,…”?

       A．People don’t communicate without telephone.

       B．People communicate because of the creating of the telephone.

       C．People communicate more since telephone has been created.

       D．People communicate more because of more traffic.

58．Which of the following best shows people’s attitude towards mobile phones?

       A．Mobile phones help people deal with the emergency.

       B．Mobile phones bring convenience as well little secret to people.

       C．Mobile phones are so important and should be encouraged.

       D．Mobile phones are part of people’s life.

59．It is possible to talk to several complete strangers simultaneously through ________.

       A．the TV screen                                    

       B．a fax machine

       C．the phone line hooked up to the computer

       D．a microphone

60．The best heading for the passage is ___________.

       A．Phone Power                                      B．Kinds of Phone

       C．How to Use Phones                             D．Advantage of Phones

The next time you try for a high-ranking post, you could let your possible boss listen to a recommending phone call “made” by US President George W Bush or British Prime Minister Tony Blair.

Of course, neither of them could really do that for you-you would just “borrow” their voices.

AT & T labs will start selling speech software that it says is so good at reproducing the sounds of a human voice that it can recreate voices and even bring the voices of long-dead famous people back to life.

The software, which turns printed text into speech, makes it possible for a company to use recordings of a person’s voice to say things that the person never actually said.

Possible customers for the software, which is priced in the thousands of dollars, include telephone call centers, companies that make software that reads digital files aloud, and makers of automated voice devices(装置). The advances raise several problems. Who, for example, owns the rights to a famous person’s voice? (Some experts even believe that new contracts will be drawn that include voice-licensing clauses.)

And although scientists say the technology is not yet good enough to commit fraud(假冒), would the synthesized(合成的) voices at last be able to trick people into thinking that they were getting phone calls or digital audio recordings from people they know?

Even Mr Fruchterman, one of AT & T lab’s possible first customers, said he wondered what the new technology might bring. “Just like you can’t trust a photograph anymore.” He said, “you won’t be able to trust a voice either.”

53．With the help of the speech software, it is most possible __________.

       A．to improve a famous person’s speech

       B．to say what you want in another’s voice

       C．to make a speech much more easily

       D．to help you to find a better job

54．It the speech software were widely used, ___________.

       A．people would no longer believe each other

       B．it would not be necessary to go for a speech by a famous person

       C．no radio or TV broadcasters would be needed

       D．recording of a voice alone would not be taken as a proof in the court

55．According to the passage, you can infer that ___________.

       A．the software will turn out to be an immediate success in the market

       B．the government will forbid the sale of the software in the market

       C．it’s hard to decide whether the software will enjoy popularity

       D．the software will soon prove to be nothing but rubbish

56．The passage mainly wants to __________.

       A．introduce a new software                     B．explain the disadvantage of a new invention

       C．advertise a new kind of product            D．describe the future market of a new product

Among the four skills in learning English, which one of these is the “odd-man-out”? The answer is speaking. The other three you can do alone on your own. But you can’t really speak alone! Speaking to yourself can be “dangerous” because men in white coats may come and take you away!

Where can you find people to speak English? And how can you practise speaking when you are alone?

At school If you pay to go to a language school, you should use the opportunity to speak. If your teacher asks you to speak in pairs or groups with other students, try to say as much as possible. Don’t worry about your mistakes. Just speak!

Conversation Clubs Many cities around the world have conversation clubs where people can exchange one language for another. Look in your local newspaper to find a conversation club near you. They are usually free although some may charge a small entrance fee.

Shopping Even if you don’t want to buy anything, you can ask questions about products that interest you in a shop. “How much does this cost?” “Can I pay by cheque?” Often you can start a real conversation-and it costs you nothing!

Café and Bars There are often American, Britain, Irish and Australian bars in many large cities. If you can find one. You’ll probably meet many people speaking English as a first or second language.

Language is all around you Everywhere you go, you find language. Shop names, street names, advertisements, notices, and car numbers… When you walk down the street, practise reading the words and numbers that you see. Say them to yourself. It’s not exactly a conversation, but it will help you to “think” in English. But don’t speak too loud1

Songs and Video Repeat the words of an English-language song singing with the music until it becomes automatic. It’s good practice for your memory and for the mouth muscles that you need for English.

Above all, speak as much as possible! Make as many mistakes as possible! When you know that you have made a mistake, you know that you have made progress!

49．What might happen if you speak to yourself loudly in public?

       A．The police will take you away and punish you.

       B．The doctors will force you to stay in hospital.

       C．You will have to pay to escape being punished.

       D．You will be forbidden to be member of the club.

50．In which places can you learn English NOT free of charge?

       A．At school, in conversation clubs and café and bars.

       B．At school, in shops and café bars.

       C．In conversation clubs, shops, songs and video.

       D．In conversation clubs and in the streets.

51．Why does the writer say “Make as many mistakes as possible” Because _________.

       A．everyone will make mistakes in learning English.

       B．everyone will meet people speaking English with some mistakes.

       C．making mistakes is a must in making progress in learning English.

       D．making mistakes can make one realize the importance of speaking.

52．According to the passage, which way is NOT likely to be accepted by English beginners?

       A．Recite poems loudly along the riverside.

       B．Listen to some English fashion songs and video.

       C．Find an Englishman to speak English with.

       D．In class, try to practise in groups of pairs.

Most musicians agree that the best violins were first made in Italy. They were made in Cremona, Italy, about 200 years ago. These violins sound better than any others. They even sound better than violins made today. Violin makers and scientists try to make instruments like the old Italian violins. But they aren’t the same. Musicians still prefer the old ones. No one really knows why these old Italian violins are so special, but many people think they have an answer.

Some people think it is the age of the violins. They say that today’s violins will also sound wonderful someday. But there is a problem here. Not all old violins sound wonderful. Only those from Cremona are special. So age cannot be the answer. There must be something different about Cremona or those Italian violin makers.

Other people think the secret to those violins is the wood. The wood of the violin is very important. It must be from certain kinds of trees. It must not be too young or too old. Perhaps the violin makers of Cremons knew something special about wood for violins.

But the kind of wood may not be so important. It may be more important to cut the wood in a special way. Wood for a violin must be cut very carefully. It has to be the right size and shape. The smallest difference will change the sound of the violin. Musicians sometimes think that this was the secret of the Italians. Maybe they understood more than we do about how to cut the wood.

Size and shape may not be the answer either. Scientists measured these old violins very carefully. They can make new ones that are exactly the same size and shape. But the new violins still do not sound as good as the old one. Some scientists think the secret may be the varnish, which covers the wood of the violin and makes it look shiny. It also helps the sound of the instrument. No one knows what the Italian violin makers used in their varnish. So no one can make the same varnish today.

There may never be other violins like the violins of Cremona. Their secret may be lost forever. Young musicians today hope this is not true. They need fine violins. But there aren’t very many of the old violins left. Also, the old violins are very expensive. Recently, a famous old Italian violin was sold for about US $ 300,000!

45．This passage is about ________.

       A．making violins                                     B．musical instruments

       C．scientific ideas                                     D．the old Italian violins

46．The best violins ____________.

       A．are made with modern techniques          B．were lost  many years ago

       C．were made in Italy 200 years ago          D．were made by scientists

47．Some people think that modern violins __________.

       A．will sound better in the future                B．will sound worse in the future

       C．sound wonderful naturally                    D．will never be as old as those from Cremona

48．Violins made today ________.

       A．look the same as the old ones                B．sound the same as the old ones

       C．are better than the old ones                   D．have the same varnish as the old ones