Too often we accuse others of not listening, pretending that we ourselves are faultless, yet in our hearts we know that many of the mistakes we make come about because we haven’t listened carefully enough. We get things wrong because we haven’t listened carefully enough. We get things wrong because we haven’t quite understood what someone meant when they were talking to us. Anyone who has ever taken the minutes of a long meeting will know how hard it is to remember-- despite the benefit of notes-- exactly what everyone said. But success depends on getting things right--and that means listening.

Listening is not the same thing as hearing; it is not an effort actively. It demands attention and concentration. It may mean quizzing the speaker for additional information or for clarification------ it is always better to ask than to continue regardless and get things wrong. However, if you allow your mind to wander onto something else, even for a few minutes, you’ll miss what the speaker is saying------ probably at the very moment when he or she is saying something critical. And not having heard, you won’t know you’ve missed anything until it’s too late.

The most common bad habit we have is to start thinking of what we are going to say about the subject long before the other speaker has finished. We then stop listening. Even worse, this often adds rudeness to inattentiveness, as once you have decided what to say there is a fair chance you will interrupt to say it. Good listeners don’t interrupt. In fact it is often worth explaining the main idea of what you have just been told before going on to make your own points. Nobody is offended by this and it shows that you have listened well.

Above all be patient and accept that many people are not very good communicators. It’s helpful to remember that the ways people move and position themselves while they are speaking can reveal a great deal about what they are saying. Equally important you should put yourself in the other person’s place, both intellectually and emotionally; it will help you to understand what they are getting at and form a response. But don’t be too clever. Faced with a know-all, many people keep quiet because they see no point in continuing.

56. Which is the best title for this passage?

A. Don’t be too clever                  B. Be a good listener.

C. Don’t miss anything critical            D. Think of the speaker

57. In the last paragraph, “…… what they are getting at ……” means________ .

A. what they imply                             B. what they like

C. what they attack                             D. what they achieve

58. What is the writer’s opinion?

A. If you want to be a good listener, you should be very clever and emotional.

B. Speakers won’t continue talking when their listeners explain what they’ve heard.

C. If you don’t want to get things wrong, it’s important to be a good listener,

D. It’s hard to be a good listener because listening tests you on your intelligence.

59. What is the lesson we can learn from this passage?

A. Don’t accuse others of not listening while talking with them.

B. Don’t get anything wrong if you miss what the speaker is saying.

C. Listening inattentively may cost you the loss of your success.

D. Think carefully of what you’re going to say before the speaker finishes.

How has smoking been controlled in recent years?

People were asked to stop smoking in a range of public places—such as doctors’ surgeries, cinemas, theatres and churches—over the second half of the 20th century but it was after the King’s Cross Underground fire on November 18, 1987, caused by a cigarette end which resulted in 31 deaths, that restrictions on smoking in public places gained rapid and widespread acceptance.

How did a ban on smoking in public places come into place?

In 1998 the Smoking Kills White Paper set out a national strategy to reduce smoking prevalence (流行) and passive smoking, including in public places. The measures were voluntary and poorly carried out. After a public conference in England in 2004, the Government decided to choose for lawmaking. Scotland went first, with a ban in 2006, followed by the other nations a year later.

What is the current law?

Any person who smokes in enclosed public places, including pubs, offices, on public transport and work vehicles, is breaking the law. It does not extend to private houses. It is also an offence for people in charge of premises (营业场所) to permit others to smoke in them.

How was it received?

It was welcomed by most organizations—except for some pub owners and restaurateurs. Many workplaces in the UK had already introduced smoke-free policies consistent with the legislation (法律，法规) before it was carried out, while others have gone beyond its basic requirements.

All railway facilities, including platforms, footbridges and other areas—whether or not fitting the definition of an enclosed public space—are covered, as are all football grounds and some cricket and athletics stadiums. School grounds are not required to be smoke-free under the legislation, but the majority now are.

How has it been forced?

Compliance (服从) in public premises has been high, with inspections suggesting that 99 per cent of places were sticking to the rules. The number of people charged for smoking in cars has been very low, which was due to the problems defining and identifying “work” vehicles. They said that a total ban on smoking in vehicles would end this confusion.

Has it improved health?

Studies in early adopters of the law, including in Scotland, suggest a reduction in hospital admissions for heart disease, which has been shown to be linked to passive smoking. There is also strong evidence of improved rates of smoking end and a drop in the number of cigarettes consumed by those who continue to smoke.

63. When did the first law come out to ban smoking in public places?

A. 1987.                    B. 1998.                     C. 2004.                    D. 2006.

64. Which of the following behaviors may NOT be against the law?

A. Jack often smokes in the office when he is alone.

B. A taxi driver is smoking with a lady in his car.

C. Tom smokes while thinking of his future at home.

D. Max smokes for relaxation during time-out in the stadium.

65. Who might feel unhappy about the law according to the article?

A. A restaurant owner.   B. A company manager. C. A car owner.             D. A policy maker.

66. What can you infer from the article?

A. Most heart diseases have been proved to be linked to passive smoking.

B. A new law will soon come out with a total ban on smoking in vehicles.

C. The 1987 fire has convinced more people that smoking is bad for health.

D. Most of the school grounds are not smoke-free, as it is not banned in the law.

Maybe you’re really busy. Maybe you don’t have much to say. Or maybe you’re just lazy. Not a problem. This free service works by letting you broadcast a group text message to your {fiends’ mobile phones from either your own phone, an instant message or an online form at twitter, com. All your notes are then stored and displayed on your personal profile page on the site, which includes links to your friends’ Twitter pages, a thumbnail picture of your choice, and a short bio. All this is what the new service Twitter can bring you. Just remember to keep it short: posts are limited to !40 characters, and the topic is, invariably, “What are you doing?”

More often than not, it turns out, Twitter’s 100,00 members--twice as many as it had just a month ago, according to Twitter business development director Biz Stone--are simply killing time. Even Presidential hopeful John Edwards is on it, although he seems to be the only one thinking about more than lunch. As I type this, Caroline is mulling over some Girl Scout cookies, Ian Hocking is “waiting for Jessica to arrive so we can eat!” and Hlantz is “having a nice cup of Soft Starmint tea.”

The chatter (闲话) about Twitter turned into a virtual roar two weeks ago during the South by Southwest Multimedia Festival in Austin, Texas, when the barebones service owned by Blogger founder Evan Williams, 34, was named the best blogging tool and attendees used it to meet up at parties. Nevertheless, Twitter has been the top term on blog search engine Technorati for the past two weeks.

Plenty of people would happily have Twitter silenced, rather than tolerate the beeping alert for yet another new text message. But I’m betting that Twitter will get a lot noisier before netizens move on to the next new thing. We cyberjunkies need a new thrill, and what is better than a service like Twitter that combines social networking, blogging and texting? And if you don’t like it, well, in the words of one Twit from San Francisco, “I’m so sick to death of Twitter-haters. If you don’t like it, why waste your time writing, reading, or talking about it?”

59. This text is intended to __________.

A. point out the virtues and faults of Twitter    B. tell people how to use Twitter to communicate

C. give a general outline of Twitter. Com       D. introduce a new and easy way of instant communication

60. According to the text, Twitter is designed mainly for the purpose of ___________.

A. promoting products and services             B. talking about small daily things

C. discussing serious social matters              D. attracting voters for presidential election

61. We know from the text that Twitter may be superior to Blogger in that ________.

A. it limits each user’s texting under 140 words                   B. it saves users’ time and thinking

C. it can be easily operated through users’ mobile phones

D. it is newly invented by Blogger owner Evan Williams

62. By quoting one Twit from San Francisco, the author implies that ___________.

A. like it or not, Twitter will be accepted by more and more people

B. if one doesn’t like Twitter, he/she can choose not to mention it

C. writing, reading and talking about Twitter is a waste of time

D. twitter users naturally have a strong dislike for non-Twitter users

FOR Chinese students the end of their senior year is filled with studying and stress as they prepare for the college entrance exams in June.But for American high school seniors the experience couldn’t be more different. The end of senior year is a celebration of their time in high school and involves parties,games and fun.

Senioritis is a commonly used expression.It means seniors have a disease which makes them unable to do work.This starts in April when seniors find out whether they have been accepted to university.

Unwilling to do school work,seniors have plenty of other activities to focus on.

Many schools have a “Senior Show”,in which only seniors are allowed to perform.Some seniors sing or dance but many of them perform skits（滑稽短剧），where they make fun of their favorite teachers or their friends.For example,a group of boys may dress up and imitate a group of their friends.It is all light-hearted.

   The“Senior Show”is usually a part of Senior Week,which is a week specifically dedicated(专用的) to seniors.During this week,seniors usually get academic or athletic awards they have won over their high school careers.The seniors also vote for one of their male and female classmates who they believe is the best-looking or funniest or most involved,etc.These are then published in the yearbook.

   The yearbook is an important part of high school for seniors.It is usually dedicated to them and has all their pictures and some words from them in it.Then seniors go around and get it signed by their friends so they can always remember their time together.

Of course during all of this time,seniors are preparing for the Senior Prom,which is an important moment in American culture.It is the most important dance in a young American’s life.

The end of senior year is a truly special and wonderful time for American students.It’s something they will remember for the rest of their lives.

60.Which of the following is the closest in meaning to the underlined sentence in paragraph1?

   A.For American high school seniors,things are quite different.

   B.It doesn’t make difference at the end of the senior year.

   C.For American high school seniors,it is the best time of the year.

   D.It is the period filled with stress and workload.

61.What activities that seniors would like to do according to the passage?

   A.School work                       B.Voting for the film star

   C.Singing or dance contests             D.Senior Show and Senior Prom

62.What will most probably be talked about in the next paragraph of the passage?

   A.Activities on the sports field

   B.The graduation ceremony where they receive their high school diploma

   C.Their favorite film stars

   D.The health of seniors

SINGAPORE - Singapore on Thursday stuck to its I8-year ban on the import and sale of chewing gum (口香糖), which has become an international symbol of the city-state's image as a strict society.                                      

    "The government stands by its decision to ban chewing gum. Chewing gum has not been a significant problem since that ban took effect, there have been concerns that lifting the ban on chewing gum could result in chewing gum litter and weaken ongoing efforts to control littering." Maliki Osman, parliamentary secretary at the Ministry of National Development, told parliament.

    Osman said as the reason for the imposition (强迫接受) of the ban is still Suitable,  "the government's position is that the ban shall remain." He was responding to a question in parliament from Denise Phua, a fellow member of the ruling People's Action Party who argued that the ban had been used to criticize its tough governance laws.

    "I think this ban ... now needs a re-thinking. Surely Singapore will not consider banning sweets because of sweet wrapper litter or ice-cream stick litter," she said.

    Singapore, known worldwide for its high-quality clean image, banned the import' and sale of: chewing gum in 1992 in a bid to cope with the problem of people sticking the gum on chairs, tables, lifts and other public areas.

    One of the key reasons for the ban had been the disturbance of services on Singapore's subway train system because of chewing gum being stuck on the doors and causing delays. Singapore partially lifted the ban iii 2004 by allowing the sale of chewing gum used for health reasons, such as dental health gum, after the conclusion of a US-Singapore Free Trade Agreement.

Australian tourist Hazel Lane, 48, said keeping the ban on chewing gum was sure Singaporeans wouldn't want to spoil their "ridiculous"  and she told AFP that she's own environment and their' own image. Angel Wong, 34,a tourist from Hong Kong, however, welcomed the news. She said,  "I come from a country that doesn't have the ban and there's always chewing gum all over the floor, To me the ban doesn't change my image of Singapore so it’s a good thing because it keeps the environment clean."

51. The ban on the import and sale of chewing gum was started in 1992

     A. when people began to buy the gum everywhere

     B. to bid to stop people sticking the gum in the public,

     C. because the gum delayed the subway

     D. when the country was in a bid to show its city-state's clean image

52. What can we learn about the ban according to Maliki Osman?

     A. The government will keep it ongoing forever.

     B. It will lead to littering the chewing gum everywhere.

     C. More and more concerns about the ban will make chewing gum out of control

     D. Banning chewing gum is still one of the important jobs of: the government now.

53. According to what Denise Phua said in paragraph 4, we can know that she

     A, would say yes to the ban

     B. would think more about the ban again

     C. would like the government to take the ban on second thought

     D. argued that the ban should be cancelled

54. It can be inferred from the passage that

     A. Whether the ban needs changing or not has become a problem to be discussed

     B. Singapore's subway train system was delayed by chewing gum

      C. chewing gum will soon be banned in many countries

     D. only the ban has led to the friendly environment in Singapore

55. What's the main idea of the last paragraph?

     A. There is such a bars in China and Australia.

     B. Different people have their own ideas about the ban.

     C. The ban is either welcomed by China or by Australia.

     D. The ban does good to keep the environment clean.

Bushwick is a tough place to grow up. This part of Brooklyn, in New York City, has a lot of crimes. More than half of its 100,000 residents rely on aid from the government. Only 50% of students at Bushwick High School graduate in four years.

Some people might say, “We should help these poor kids who have so many challenges.” But Malaak Compton-Rock looks at the teens in Bushwick and says, “Go to help kids who have even bigger challenges than you do.” She believes that once young people see the power they have to make things better, they can handle their own problems more easily. So her service group, the Angel Rock Project, took 30 Bushwick kids to Soweto, in South Africa, to help poor families there. Soweto is a township outside the city of Johannesburg. The effort, called Journey for Change, aims to show that any kid can change the world.

“Kids in Bushwick face pressure to drop out of school or become involved in gangs and drugs.” Says Compton-Rock. “We want them to live a life of purpose and service.”

In Soweto, many parents have died of AIDS, a deadly disease. When that happens, a grandparent or a child must lead the family. The Bushwick volunteers helped such families. They tended vegetable gardens, cared for babies and bought groceries.

“The saddest thing was when we visited an orphanage (孤儿院) and I helped a little boy who had been abandoned because he had HIV, the virus that causes AIDS,” says Queen Clyde, 12. “It‘s been good to be on this trip. But what’s also important is what we do when it’s finished. That’s what counts.” “I never appreciated what I had until I saw some people who had nothing,” says Sadara Lewis, 12. “It’s really changed my attitude. I want to make a difference.”

The trip was two weeks long. But the kids, aged 12 to 15, will spend all year speaking about their experience, fund-raising and more.

46. What’s the main idea of the first paragraph?

A. Bushwick is the poorest place in New York City.

B. Bushwick still needs more care from the government.

C. It is children who suffer most in New York City.

D. Children in Bushwick are living in a bad situation.

47. In Compton-Rock’s opinion, the Bushwick kids _________.

A. have fewer challenges than those in any other district

B. are living much better a life than people in Africa

C. can learn to deal with their own problems by helping others

D. should be kept out of schools in this part of the city

48. Compared with Bushwick kids, some children in Soweto _________.

A. may have bigger challenges             B. receive no care from the government

C. are much more independent             D. are able to lead the family

49. According to the passage, “Journey for Change” can be best seen as the saying “_________”.

A. God helps those who help themselves     B. saying and doing are two things

C. one stone kills two birds                D. a friend in need is a friend indeed

50. From the passage we know that _________.

A. there are few students in Bushwick High School

B. the trip to Soweto will have a long influence in spite of its short time.

C. most children are suffering from AIDS in Soweto

D. kids with HIV will be abandoned in Soweto

It has been more than twenty years since pioneering British computer programmer, Sir Tim Berners Lee, created the World Wide Web. But could he have ever imagined how much the web would change our lives? And would he approve of how some British students are taking advantage of his invention?

Universities and exam boards around the UK are becoming increasingly concerned with the rising number of cases of plagiarism, many of which are facilitated (助长) by the Internet access.

In the UK most school and university students complete coursework throughout the academic year which contributes toward their final mark. In many cases coursework makes up the main part of the qualification. Since coursework is completed in the students’ own time it cannot be monitored by teachers in the same way as an exam.

Derec Stockley, director of examinations in the UK, explains, “Plagiarism affects coursework more than anything else, and in the cases that come to our attention, more and more are linked to the Internet.”

At a university level recent reports suggest that plagiarism has evolved from separate cases of individual cheating to systematic and even commercial operation. Students can now pay for bespoke essays to be written for them by experts.

It is estimated that the market in online plagiarism is now worth 200 million pounds a year. Every month more and more websites offering to write student’s essays for them appear on the Internet.

Barclay Littlewood, owner of Degree Essays UK employs 3,500 specialist writers and charges between 120 pounds and 4,000 pounds per essay. However, Mr. Littlewood refutes the accusation that he is helping students to cheat.

51．What dose the underlined word “plagiarism” in Paragrha 2 mean in the passage?

    A．cheating    B．problems of the Internet     C．learning pressure    D．coursework

52．Which of the following statements is mentioned by the author?

    A．With the help of online plagiarism, students can write more creative coursework.

    B．There will be no problem if online plagiarism is a systematic and commercial operation.

    C．The Internet seems to have contributed much to the problem of online plagiarism.

    D．Teachers should lay more emphasis on exams than coursework.

53．It can be inferred from the text that the author seems to _____.

    A．blame Sir Tim Berners Lee for having created the World Wide Web

    B．worry about the quality of students’ coursework influenced by the World Wide Web

   C．be in favour of Littlewood’s defence against the accusation of him

    D．have studied the problem of online plagiarism for nearly 20 years

54．Who should be blamed for online plagiarism?

   A．Barclay Littlewood.   B．Sir Tim Berners Lee.   C．Derec Stockley.   D．Nobody.

55．The paragraph following the passage will most probably be about_____.

    A．the author’s opinions of Mr. Littlewood

    B．different people’s opinions on plagiarism

    C．how students use the website of Mr. Littlewood

    D．Mr. Littlewood’s defence against those who accused him of his website

In “Relax, We’ll Be Fine”, columnist David Brooks writes, “the fact is, despite all the problems, America’s future is extremly bright.”

Mr. Brooks acknowledges that “According to recent survey, 60 percent of Americans think the country is heading in the wrong direction. The same percentage believe that the U.S. is in long-term decline. The political system is not functional. A financial crisis looks unavoidable. There are plenty of reasons to be sad.”

But, he writes:

“Demographers(人口学家) predict that over the next 40 years, the U.S. population will increase by an additional 100 million people, to 400 million over all. The population will be determined, hardworking and relatively young. In 2050, only a quarter will be over 60, compared with 31 percent in China and 41 percent in Japan.”

As the rising generation leads an economic recovery, it will also participate in a communal

(of community) one. We are living in a global age of social entrepreneurship(创业精神).

In sum, the U.S. is on the edge of a demographic, economic and social recovery, built on its historic strengths. The U.S. has always been good at destructive change. And it’s always been good at decentralized community-building, too. Surely a country with this much going for it is not going to wait around passively and let a rotten political culture drag it down.

51．In his article Relax, We’ll Be Fine, David Brooks intends to        .

A．encourage Americans to be optimistic about their future

B．give Americans courage to face their financial crisis

C．persuade Americans to live happily and generously

D．inspire Americans to lead an economic recovery

52．There are all the reasons for Americans to be unhappy except        .

A．the function-failed political system

B．the increasing population

C．the declining economy

D．the wrong direction and financial crisis

53．Over the next 40 years, according to David Brooks, Americans will be        .

A．more optimistic and humorous

B．more pessimistic and stronger

C．more energetic and promising

D．more considerate and aggressive

54．In the author’s opinion, America        .

A．has always benefited from wars

B．has done well by its political system

C．has contributed a lot to human progress

D．has contributed to world’s economy

55．We can learn from the passage that        .

A．American political system and culture are backward

B．Americans are not a nation to give in to difficulties

C．Americans are very destructive and aggressive

D．America has been in an economic and social recovery

LONDON—Life for Cathy Hagner and her three children is set to permanent(永久的) fast-forward.

       Their full school day and her job as a lawyer's assistant are busy enough. But Hagner also has to take the two boys to soccer or hockey or basketball while dropping off her daughter at piano lessons or Girl Scout Club.

       Often, the exhausted family doesn't get home until 7 pm. There is just time for a quick supper before homework. In today's world, middle-class American and British parents treat their children as if they are competitors racing for some finishing line.

       Parents take their children from activity to activity in order to make their future bright. It seems that raising a genius has become a more important goal than raising a happy and well-balanced child.

       "Doctors across the country are reporting a growing number of children suffering from stomachaches and headaches due to exhaustion and stress," says child expert William Doherty of the University of Minnesota.

       Teachers are dealing with exhausted kids in the classroom. It's a very serious problem. Many children attend after-school clubs by necessity. But competitive pressures also create an explosion of activities. They include sports, language, music and math classes for children as young as four.

       "There is a new parenting trend under way which says that you have to tap all your child's potential at a young age; otherwise you will let him down,” says Terry Alter, a Cambridge-based child and adolescent psychiatrist （青少年精神病专家）

"It isn't entirely new: there have always been pushy parents. But what was previously seen as strange behaviour is now well accepted."

72. From the second paragraph of this passage we can find that ______.

A. Hagner wastes much time helping her children's lessons

B. Hagner doesn't spend much time on her full-time job

C. Hagner is interested in spots and music

D. Hagner busies herself by following a trend

73. British parents, as the writer described in this passage, _____.

A. treat their children as spots players

B. pay no attention to their children's lessons

C. bring up their children in a simple way

D. give their children little time to develop freely

74. The writer's opinion about after-school clubs is that ______.

A. activities in the country are too competitive   

B. children should attend four clubs at a time

C. some clubs result in competitive pressures 

D. clubs should have more subjects for school children

75. The last paragraph tells us that in Britain ______.

A. parents used to take their children to every club

B. parents used to be wise on how to raise children

C. parents have all benefited from children's clubs

D. parents have come to know the standard of education