Without most people realizing it, there has been revolution in office work over the last ten years．
Before that time, large computers were only used by large rich companies that could afford the investment．With the advancement of technology, small computers have come onto the market that are capable of doing the work which used to be done by much larger and expensive computers, so now most smaller companies can use them．
The main development in small computers has been in the field of word processors, or WPS as they are often called．40％ of British offices are now estimated to have a word processor and this percentage is growing fast．
There are many advantages in using a word processor for both secretary and manager．The secretary is freed from a lot of daily work, such as retyping letters and storing papers．He or she can use this time to do other more interesting work for the boss．From a manager’s point of view, secretarial time is being made better use of and money can be saved by doing daily jobs automatically outside office hours．
But is it all good? If a lot of daily secretarial work can be done automatically, surely this will mean that fewer secretaries will be needed．Another worry is the increasing medical problems related to work with visual display units．The case of a slow loss of sight among people using word processors seems to have risen greatly．It is also feared that if a woman works at a VDU for long hours, the unborn child in her body might be killed．Safety screens to put over a VDU have been invented but few companies in England bother to buy them．
Whatever the arguments for and against word processors, they are key features of this revolution in office practice．
(1)
Ten years ago, large computers were only used by large companies because ________．
[ ]
A．
small companies did not have enough money to buy such expensive computers
B．
large computers could not do the work that small companies can do now
C．
large computers did not come into market
D．
small companies did not use this new technology
(2)
According to the writer, the main progress made in office work over the last ten years is ________．
[ ]
A．
the saving of time and money
B．
the use of computers in big companies．
C．
the wide use of word processors
D．
the decreasing number of secretaries．
(3)
We can infer from the passage that with the use of word processors ________．
[ ]
A．
some secretaries will lose their jobs
B．
daily jobs can be done automatically outside the office hours
C．
medical problems related to work with a VDU have increased
D．
the British companies will make less money
(4)
From the passage, we can draw the conclusion that ________．
[ ]
A．
safety screens are of poor quality
B．
working at VDU for a long time is good for one’s health
C．
more and more people in British offices will use word processors
D．
British companies will need fewer and fewer managers
阅读理解
One look at a big male lion, with its beautiful hair and proud walk, and it is easy to understand why lions are called the “king of beasts”．Their strength and beauty have interested people for ages．Lions occur in the stories of almost all cultures－even in parts of the world where there have never been lions．In some parts of Africa, poorly armed tribes men once killed lions to gain their strength．Lions are certainly among the most admired animals on earth．
Female lions work together when hunting．The team divides into two groups．One group silently circles around to get ahead of the prey．When the first group is in position, the second group shows itself and purposely frightens the prey．The frightened prey runs right into the first group of lions．Most lions can cover 35 feet through the air in a single jump, and they use their sharp claws and teeth to seize frightened animals．A lion is so strong it can easily knock down and hold down the prey that is three times bigger than itself．When they can, lions get food by taking it away from other animals．
Lions are meat eaters．They prefer larger prey because larger prey provides more unaveailable meat．More often, lions hunt animals of a large size．If their regular prey is unavailable, they will eat hares or tortoises．A starving lion will eat almost anything it can find including snake, insects, fruit, sometimes even wood．
Lion babies need lots of loving care．At birth, babies are blind, can only crawl, and weigh less than five pounds．For the first few weeks, the babies stay hidden away from the pride．Then their mother brings them out to join the “family”．A male lion will show amazing love toward the babies, even allowing them to pull his hair．Like cats, lion babies jump to anything that moves, and in this way practice hunting skills．When the mother is away hunting, other lions feed and watch over her young．
Lions are found today in only a few parts of the world．They live in small areas of Africa and in a very small section of India．In the past, lions lived almost all over the world on every continent except Antarctica and Australia．African lions are now ?endangered?．This is because people are taking away their homes．The human population in Africa is growing so rapidly that it is necessary to turn more and more of the lion’s homes into farms．This means lions have less food to eat, and makes their survival more difficult．
(1)
Which of the following is not mentioned in the passage?
[ ]
A．
How they hunt．
B．
What they eat．
C．
How they are brought up．
D．
Why lions mainly live in Africa．
(2)
When there is not enough food, lions ________．
[ ]
A．
take food away from other animals
B．
eat fruit, insects, and even wood
C．
try every means to search for animals of a large size
D．
both A and B
(3)
The number of lions in the world is declining for ________ reasons．
[ ]
A．
natural
B．
historical
C．
human
D．
geographical
(4)
The underlined word in the third paragraph means ________．
[ ]
A．
dead
B．
that can’t be found
C．
too strong
D．
dangerous
阅读理解
Today’s teenagers, at least in the eye of the older generation, have no reason to be unhappy．However, a recent survey targeting teenagers in 22 provinces indicates that 12.97 percent of the people questioned have some sort of mental problems．This originates from falling out(争吵)with people or from pressure with studies, causing depression, constant worry and fear, the survey says．
Experts caution that metal problems are becoming an increasingly bigger threat to teenagers, and have resulted in higher rates of smoking, drug taking and excessive drinking among youth．
Today’s teenagers are confronted with(面临)tougher challenges in study and employment．As an only child in a family, young people bear higher expectations from their parents．
Living under such great pressure makes, teenagers susceptible to mental problems．On the other hand, teachers and parents tend to focus their attentions on academic performances, but neglect their feelings．
Mental problems, if not addressed properly, will greatly influence the quality of the country’s talent．It is estimated that by the year 2020 mental illness will increase to one fourth of the total cases of illness from the current one fifth．
The survey should ring alarm bells to schools and parents, and efficient measures must be taken to ensure the health of our teenagers－both physically and mentally．
Schools should build up a contingent(可能事件)of professional personal to give students regular checkups and consultations(咨询)on their mental health．
Parents are encouraged to make friends with their children so that they are willing to and dare to share their problems with parents．
(1)
The writer’s purpose in writing the text is ________．
[ ]
A．
to settle the teenagers’ mental problem
B．
to blame the teachers and parents for the teenagers’ mental problem
C．
to tell us the reasons for the problem
D．
to analyze the problem which is crucial to the teenagers
(2)
The survey says the teenagers have mental problem because．
[ ]
A．
their quarrels with others or pressure with studies cause depression, constant worry and fear
B．
their parents give too high expectations to them
C．
their teachers and parents don’t pay much attention to their feelings
D．
they are not given regular checkups and consultations on their mental health
(3)
It can be inferred tha ________．
[ ]
A．
mental illness is one fifth of the total cases of illnesses now
B．
all parents are not friends of their children who’d like to share problems with them
C．
mental problems are becoming more and more dangerous to young people
D．
parents think there is no reason for the teenagers not to be happy
(4)
The writer’s attitude towards the problem can be described as ________．
[ ]
A．
concerning
B．
critical
C．
complaining
D．
indifferent
阅读理解
A study published in September suggests there is a surprising way to get people to avoid unhealthy foods：change their memories．Scientist Elizabeth Loftus of the ?University? of California at Irvine asked volunteers to answer some questions on their personalities(个性)and food experiences．“One week later,” Loftus says, “we told those people we’d fed their answers into our smart computer and it came up with an account of their early childhood experiences．”Some accounts included one key additional detail：“You got sick after eating strawberry ice-cream．”The researchers then changed this detail into a manufactured(人为促生的)memory through leading questions－Who were you with? How did you feel? By the end of the study, up to 41％ of those given a false memory believed strawberry ice-cream once made them sick, and many said they’d avoid eating it．
When Loftus published her findings, she started getting calls from people begging her to make them remember hating chocolate or French fries．Unfortunately, it is not that easy．False memories appear to work only for foods you don’t eat on a regular basis．But most important, it is likely that false memories can be implanted(灌输)only in people who are unaware of the mental control．And lying to a patient is immoral, even if a doctor believes it’s for the patient’s benefit．
Loftus says there’s nothing to stop parents from trying it with their overweight children．“I say, wake up－parents have been lying about Father Christmas for years, and nobody seems to mind．If they can prevent disease caused by fatness and all the other problems that come with that, you might think that’s a more moral lie．Decide that for yourself．”
(1)
Why did Loftus ask the volunteers to answer some questions?
[ ]
A．
To improve her computer program．
B．
To find out their attitudes toward food．
C．
To find out details she can make use of．
D．
To predict what food they’ll like in the future．
(2)
What did Loftus find out from her research?
[ ]
A．
People believe what the computer tells them．
B．
People can be led to believe in something false．
C．
People tend to forget their childhood experiences．
D．
People are not always aware of their personalities．
(3)
According to the study, people may stop having a certain food if they ________．
[ ]
A．
learn it is harmful for health
B．
lie to themselves that they don’t want it
C．
are willing to let doctors control their minds
D．
think they once had a bad experience of eating it
(4)
What is the biggest concern with the method?
[ ]
A．
Whether it is moral．
B．
Who it is best for．
C．
When it is effective．
D．
How it should be used．
阅读理解
Every year thousands of tourists visit Pompeii(庞贝)in Italy．They see the sights that Pompeii is famous for its stadium(运动场)and theatres, its shops and restaurants．The tourists do not, however, see Pompeii’s people．They do not see them because Pompeii has no people．No one has lived in Pompeii for almost 2000 years．
Once, Pompeii was a busy city of 22 000 people．It lay at the foot of Mount Vesuvius, a grass covered volcano(火山)．Mount Vesuvius had not erupted(喷发)for centuries, so the people of Pompeii felt safe but they were not．
In August of A．D．79, Mount Vesuvius erupted．The entire top of the mountain exploded, and a huge black cloud rose into the air．Soon stones and hot ash began to fall on Pompeii．When the eruption ended two days later, Pompeii was buried under 20 feet of stones and ashes．Almost all of its people were dead．
For centuries, Pompeii lay buried under stone and ash．Then, in the year 1861, an Italian scientist named Ginceppe began to uncover Pompeii．Slowly, carefully, Ginceppe and his men dug．The city looked almost the same as it had looked in A．D．79．There were streets and fountains, houses and shops．There was a stadium with 20 000 seats．Perhaps the most important of all, there were everyday objects, which tell us a great deal about the people who lived in Pompeii．Many glasses and jars had some dark blue color in the bottom, so we know that people of Pompeii liked wine．They liked bread, too; metal bread pans were in every bakery．In one bakery there were 81 round, flat loaves of bread－a type of bread that is still sold in Italy today．Tiny boxes filled with a dark, shiny powder tell us that women like to wear eyemakeup．
Gincepppe has died, but his work continues．One fourth has not been uncovered yet．Scientists are still digging, still making discoveries that draw the tourists to Pompeii．
(1)
Why do large numbers of people come to Pompeii each year?
[ ]
A．
To visit the volcano．
B．
To shop and eat there．
C．
To watch sports and plays．
D．
To see how Pompeiians lived．
(2)
Why had so many Pompeiians remained by volcanic Mount Vesuvius?
[ ]
A．
The city nearby offered all kinds of fun．
B．
The area produced the finest wine in Italy．
C．
Few people expected the volcano to erupt again．
D．
The mountain was beautiful and covered with grass．
(3)
Why did the city uncovered look almost the same as it had looked in A．D．79?
[ ]
A．
Because Ginceppe and his men dug it slowly and carefully．
B．
Because the city was buried alive and remained untouched．
C．
Because scientists successfully rebuilt the city with everyday objects．
D．
Because nobody had lived in the city ever since the volcano erupted．
(4)
What do we know about the Pompeiians who lived 2000 years ago?
[ ]
A．
They lived more or less the same as Italians now do．
B．
They liked women wearing all kinds of makeup．
C．
They enjoyed a lazy life with drinking and eating．
D．
They went back to Pompeii after the eruption in A．D．79．
阅读理解
The chief medical officer for England, Sir Liam Donaldson, today called for a new crackdown on tobacco smuggling(走私)to stop illegal imports of cigarettes undermining(影响)efforts to reduce smoking-related illnesses．
Sir Liam said the government and other European Union(EU)member states needed to introduce tighter controls to reduce the widespread availability of cheap illegally imported cigarettes．
Up to 25％ of cigarettes and 75％ of hand-rolled tobacco consumed in England have avoided UK taxes and duties, according to the chief medical officer’s(CMO)fourth annual report on the state of public health．
The street price of a smuggled pack of a leading brand of cigarettes is 2.50 while the legal price is 4.89．
Sir Liam said：“Smuggled and cheap tobacco undermines health and health inequality goals by making tobacco widely available at much cheaper prices．”
“Traditionally, taxes, duties and price increases on tobacco have reduced tobacco consumption and been highly effective as an additional discouragement, but the availability of smuggled and cheap tobacco erodes these efforts to help people stop smoking．”
“I would like to see closer cooperation between UK Revenue and Excise and other EU member states in dealing with this problem．”
Sir Liam’s report also called for public services to provide more healthy and appetising meals．
Public services spend up to 2bn a year on buying food and catering services－7％ of all UK spending on catering．The CMO said the NHS, local authorities and prisons should use this power to promote healthier eating．For example, hospitals should buy more fruit, he said．
The CMO said, “The section serves over 1．8bn meals a year－they need to be healthier and more nutritionally balanced．The public section should use its huge financial muscle, as a purchaser and obtainer, to improve the nation’s health．”
(1)
What does the underlined word “crackdown” in the first paragraph probably mean?
[ ]
A．
打碎
B．
制裁
C．
减少
D．
控制
(2)
Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?
[ ]
A．
Illegal imports of cigarettes affects the efforts to reduce smoking-related diseases．
B．
The EU member states have introduced control of the illegally imported cigarettes．
C．
Most of the hand-rolled tobacco consumed in England has avoided taxes and duties．
D．
The price of a smuggled cigarettes is much lower that that of the legal price．
(3)
We may infer from the passage that ________．
[ ]
A．
taxes, duties and price increase of tobacco are beneficial to the state
B．
taxes, duties and price increase may add to the consumers’ burden
C．
consumers may not smoke if the price of cigarettes is very high
D．
the most effective way to stop people smoking is to increase taxes of cigarettes
(4)
Which may be the best title of this passage?
[ ]
A．
Smuggling Tobacco Increase Illnesses
B．
Imported Cigarettes Are Harmful
C．
Medical Chief Urges Tobacco Smuggling Crackdown
D．
Heavy Taxes Should Be Put On Smuggled Cigarettes
阅读理解
Email has brought the art of letter writing back to life, but some experts think the resulting spread of bad English does more harm than good．
Email is a form of communication that is changing, for the worse, the way we write and use language, say some communication researchers．It is also changing the way we interact(交流)and build relationship．These are a few of recently recognized features of email, say experts, that should cause individual and organizations to rethink the way they use email．
“Email has increased the spread of careless writing habits, ”says Naomi Baron, a professor of linguistics at American University．She says the poor spelling, grammar, punctuation(标点符号)and sentence structure of emails reflect a growing unconcern to the way we write．
Baron argues that we should not forgive and forget the poor writing often shown in emails．“The more we use email and its tasteless writing, the more it becomes the normal way of writing, ” the professor says．
Others say that despite its poor prose(文字), email has finished what several generations of English teachers couldn’t：it has made writing fashionable again．
“Email is a critical new communication technology, ” says Ian Lancashire, a University of Toronto professor of English．“It fills the gap between spoken language and the formal methods of writing that existed before email．It is the purest form of written speech．”
Lancashire says email has the mysterious ability to get people who are scared by writing to get their thoughts flowing easily onto a blank screen．He says this is because of email’s close similarity to speech．“It’s like a circle of four or five people around a campfire,” he says．
Still, he accepts that this new-found freedom to express themselves often gets people into trouble．
In the US, the number of emails sent in a day exceeds(超过)the number of letters mailed in a year．But more people are recognizing the content of a typical email message is not often exact．
(1)
The passages mainly shows us that ________．
[ ]
A．
people should stop using email to communicate
B．
experts hold different opinions about email
C．
Americans only use email to communicate
D．
email makes people lose interest in English
(2)
In Lancashire’s opinion, email is a wonderful technology because ________．
[ ]
A．
it can be used all over the world
B．
it is the fastest way to communicate
C．
we can express ourselves in a free way
D．
we can save a lot of paper
(3)
Which of the following is NOT true about email?
[ ]
A．
It is changing the way of communication．
B．
It is used more than letters in the US．
C．
It helps us write better．
D．
It causes us to write more．
(4)
Writer discusses Email by ________ in this passage．
[ ]
A．
giving examples
B．
giving others’ remarks
C．
using arguments
D．
objective description
阅读理解
Norah had a cottage on a cliff above a big bay．In winter it could be very nasty because of strong winds and sea spray．In fact, when a gale was blowing, Norah and her husband got used to sleeping in a small room downstairs, because their bedroom upstairs, which faced the gales, had a very big window, and they were afraid that an extra violent gust might break it and blow pieces of broken glass over them．
Also, the salt spray from the sea put an end to many of the colourful plants Norah planted in her garden．She tried putting up a fence to protect them, but the wind just hit it, went up over the top and then down the other side, so in the end she filled the garden with trees and bushes that liked salt．
But most of the summer Norah enjoyed her cottage and garden very much．At weekends she could sit out of doors in the sun, looking at the beautiful view, with interesting ships and boats passing by, and she could very easily cycle down to the sea for a swim．
Now, Norah and her husband had plenty of friends and relations．In the summer lots of them used to come to enjoy the beautiful place, and in the end it really became quite annoying for Norah and her husband．When they were at home, they found friends and relations arriving, expecting to be given unlimited drinks and meals, and to sit in the sun for hours, talking as if Norah and her husband had nothing else to do but entertain and listen to them．
This went on for several years．Norah did not wish to appear rude by refusing to let her friends and relations in, but on the other hand, she was getting tired every summer．
Then one day Norah was complaining about this to her hairdresser while she was doing her hair．“You’re disturbed by too many uninvited guests, are you?” said the hairdresser．“Why don’t you try my way of escaping?”
“What’s that?” asked Norah．
“Well,” the hairdresser answered, “when the bell rings, I put on my coat and take my shopping bag．If it’s someone I don’t want to see, I say innocently, ‘I’m sorry, but I’ve got to go out．’But…”
(1)
The underlined word “cycle” can be replaced by ________．
[ ]
A．
ride by bike
B．
drive
C．
walk
D．
go by ship
(2)
We can infer that ________．
[ ]
A．
a lot of friends came to visit them in winter
B．
few friends came to visit them in winter
C．
friends came to visit them only for drinks and meals
D．
Norah was a good cook
(3)
Which of the following is the best title?
[ ]
A．
A Good Place of Enjoying the Sea
B．
A Warm-hearted Couple
C．
A Clever Way of Escaping
D．
A Visit to Norah
(4)
What is the hairdresser likely to continue to say in the end?
[ ]
A．
If I am tired, I say, “Sorry, can you come next time?”
B．
If it’s someone I like to see, I say, “How lucky! I’ve just come in! ”
C．
If it’s someone I like to see, I say, “How happy to see you! I was going shopping, but now I’ve changed my mind．”
D．
If it is fine that day, I say, “I’m tired of this, but I’ll show you around the place, anyhow．”
阅读理解
My topic today is the Internet．It was prompted(引出)by the first letter, which I am unable to answer fully for the reasons given!
Dear David,
I am a middle school student．Now I am preparing for a writing competition．Could you please check the mistakes in my article about using the Internet and give me some advice? Thank you．
No name
David writes：I am very sorry to say that I think it would be very unfair for me to help you win a competition－unfair to the other competitors!
But I will say that your article is very interesting and I wish you good luck．Your article makes some good points that deserve talking about in this column!
Dear David,
I’m now learning English by myself．Can you introduce some useful websites where I can make friends with foreigners? Please help me．
Moonlight
David writes：Well, dear Moonlight, I bet you made a good choice by using the Net in your self-studies．Two very good websites I would suggest to you are：
www．britishcouncil．org．cn and www．britishcouncil．org/learnenglish．
By the way, for those readers interested in the teaching of English, there is an Internet discussion group called ELTCSChi-L(English Language Teaching Contacts Scheme China List)．
And also, a healthy warning to all my readers：If over-used, the Internet can be a WOMBAT－A Waste of Money, Brains and Time!
(1)
David is probably a ________．
[ ]
A．
language expert
B．
computer expert
C．
college student
D．
club chairman
(2)
What is the reason why the first letter is unable to be fully answered?
[ ]
A．
David is unable to think out good advice．
B．
David thinks it is expected to play fair in the competition．
C．
David is going to talk on another topic－Internet．
D．
David finds no mistakes in that article．
(3)
“www．britishcouncil．org．cn”
is a(an)________．
[ ]
A．
website where one can make foreign friends
B．
website where one can join a discussion group
C．
newspaper column for answering readers’ questions
D．
English newspaper for students and language teachers
(4)
Which of the following is NOT David’s opinion of the Internet?
[ ]
A．
English teachers can exchange opinions on the Net．
B．
The Internet is of much help to English learners．
C．
Using the Internet is a waste of money and time．
D．
We should make a proper use of the Net．
阅读理解
You can make a difference
This summer, join the International Conservation Scouts on a fun-filled holiday with a difference．Year after year, young people from all around the world get together at one of our sixteen conservation(环境保护)camps．Their shared aim? To help protect the countryside and its wildlife．
Many animals and plants are in danger of disappearing forever．The dormouse, a kind of mouse, for example, needs woodland plants for food and trees to stay in．Its habitat(栖息地)is being destroyed by man and it needs our help to survive．
On a conservation camp holiday you will learn all about nature and how to protect it．Our trained leaders will accompany you and tell you everything you need to know．Because of this you don’t need any experience, just energy and enthusiasm．You will explore the countryside and work to ensure the survival of hundreds of animals and plants and still have plenty of time to enjoy the camp’s excellent sports facilities and organize nature paths through beautiful scenery．
The International Conservation Scouts is a worldwide organization, so there must be a camp near you．You can spend a splendid holiday at any of the camps for as little as ￡60 including accommodation and food．
For more information send for a free conservation camp handbook today．
International Conservation Scouts
Stanton St John
Oxford Shire OX7 1TL
THE KEY TO SAVING WILDLIFE IS TO
PROTECT NATURAL HABITATS：YOUR WORK
WILL MAKE A DIFFERENCE
(1)
The main purpose of this passage is ________．
[ ]
A．
to offer young people a fun-filled holiday
B．
to attract young people to attend a conservation camp
C．
to persuade people into exploring the countryside
D．
to raise funds for the International Conservation Scouts
(2)
According to the passage, you can ________ at the conservation camps．
[ ]
A．
experiment on the dormouse
B．
practise your favorite hobbies
C．
enrich your knowledge of wildlife
D．
have free accommodation and food
(3)
Judging from the writing style of the passage, it is ________．
[ ]
A．
a piece of advertisement
B．
a science report
C．
a passage for professional reading
D．
a passage for arguing an opinion
(4)
In order to attend the Conservation Camp, you are required to ________．
