Have you ever been afraid to talk back when you were treated unfairly? Have you ever bought something just because the salesman talked you into it? Are you afraid to ask a boy (girl) for a date？

Many people are afraid to assert themselves (insist upon their own rights). Dr Robert Alberti, author of Stand Up, Speak Out, and Talk Back, thinks it’s because their self-esteem(自尊) is low. “Our whole set-up makes people doubt themselves,” says Alberti. “There’s always a 'superior' around — a parent, a teacher, a boss — who 'knows better’”.

But Alberti and other scientists are doing something to help people to assert themselves. They offer “assertiveness training” courses (AT). In the AT courses people learn that they have a right to be themselves. They learn to speak out and feel good about doing so. They learn to be aggressive(敢闯, 闯劲儿) without hurting other people.

In one way, learning to speak out is to overcome fear. A group taking an AT course will help the timid person to lose his fear. But AT uses an even stronger motive—the need to share. The timid person speaks out in the group because he wants to tell how he feels. AT says you can get to feel good about yourself. And once you do, you can learn to speak out.

1. In the passage, the writer talks about the problem that _______.

A. some people are too easy-going

B. some people are too timid

C. there are too many superiors around us

D. some people dare not stick up for their own rights

2. The effect of our set-up on people is often to _______.

A. make them distrust their own judgment

B. make things more favorable for them

C. keep them from speaking out as much as their superiors do

D. help them to learn to speak up for their rights

3. One thing AT doesn’t do is to _______.

A. use the need of people to share

B. show people they have the right to be themselves

C. help people to be aggressive at anytime even when others suffer

D. help people overcome fear

Whatever we may need to buy，we can use our credit cards．This is a change from the older days when we had to first check whether cards were accepted．Today，everybody, from retailers（零售商) to lenders，accepts credit cards．Attitudes towards credit cards have also changed a lot．People used to be

very careful of using their cards；but this is no longer the case. People today prefer to take out their cards as soon as they get to the cash counter．A swipe (刷卡) and a sign are all it takes，and you can walk home with the bill and all the things you buy．

   The credit card is much easier to carry than cash and it is not at all surprising that the former becomes the most preferred way of payment．A credit card takes up very little space in our wallets，and yet，it holds the power of a large sum of cash．Paying by credit cards is also a good way of keeping bills on where all of our money goes．  

   Moreover，it has become much easier to get credit cards these days．I constantly have cold callers calling up to offer me “great new credit card deals”．Salesmen occasionally walk into our office offering discounts if a group of people decide to sign up a certain kind of credit card plan at the same time．However，this can also cause a problem．Nowadays，we always run the

risk of getting some kinds of wastes．When the terms seem too good to be true，we should make sure that we always read the printed items carefully．Before signing for a credit card，it is necessary to know its advantages and disadvantages．The only way to deal with this is to do our homework, before we go credit card hunting．   

1.We learn from Paragraph 1 that      ．   

A．people can use credit cards anytime，anywhere   

B．people used to have to check up on credit cards   

C．people are more careful using credit cards nowadays  

D．people can take their goods home just by swiping their cards 

2.One of the main advantages of credit cards is that    ．

 A．they occupy less space compared with other modes of payment 

 B．they are more powerful than cash   

 C．they are easy to get，and save money   

 D．they help users keep track of what they spend on  

3.When signing for a credit card，people should     .

 A．ask for a discount  

 B．understand the dangers   

 C．read every word of the contract carefully  

 D．understand that the salesman is most likely to offer false information   

4.In the last sentence the writer tells us that      ．  

A．we should know the advantages and disadvantages of credit cards before using them  

B．we should finish work before going shopping with a credit card   

C．we should check which credit cards are accepted before using them 

D．we should make sure that our credit cards are real before using them

第二部分    阅读（共两节，满分50分）

第一节  阅读理解（共20小题，每小题2分，满分40分）

阅读下列四篇短文，从每题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。

An eight-year-old child heard her parents talking about her little brother. All she knew was that he was very sick and they had no money. Only a very expensive operation could save him now and there was no one to lend them the money.

When she heard her daddy say to her tearful mother, “Only a miracle can save him now,” the little girl went to her bedroom and pulled her money from its hiding place and counted it carefully.

She hurried to a drugstore with the money in her hand.

“And what do you want?” asked the salesman. “It’s for my little brother,” the girl answered. “He’s really, really sick and I want to buy a miracle.” “Pardon?” said the salesman.

“My brother Andrew has something bad growing inside his head and my daddy says only a miracle can save him. So how much does a miracle cost?” “We don’t sell a miracle here, child. I’m sorry,” the salesman said with a smile.

“Listen, if it isn’t enough, I can try and get some more. Just tell me how much it costs.”

A well-dressed man heard it and asked, “What kind of a miracle does your brother need?”

“I don’t know,” she answered with her eyes full of tears. “He’s really sick and mum says he needs an operation. But my daddy can’t pay for it, so I have brought all my money.”

“How much do you have?” asked the man. “$ 1.11, but I can try and get some more,” she answered.

“Well, what luck,” smiled the man. “$ 1.11, the price of a miracle for little brothers.”

He took up the girl’s hand and said, “Take me to where you live. I want to see your brother and meet your parents. Let’s see if I have the kind of miracle you need.”

That well-dressed man was Dr Carlton Armstrong, a famous doctor. The operation was successful and it wasn’t long before Andrew was home again.

How much did the miracle cost?

26．What was the trouble in the little girl’s family?

A．Her brother was seriously ill.                           B．They had no money.

C．Nothing could save her brother.                           D．Both A and B.

27．In the eye of the little girl, a miracle might be        .

A．something interesting                                            B．something beautiful

C．some wonderful medicine                                          D．some good food

28．The little girl said again and again “...I can try and get some more.” That shows      .

A．she had still kept some money

B．she hoped not to be refused

C．There was no need to worry about money

D．she thought money was easy to get

29．What made the miracle happen?

A．The girl’s love for her brother．                           B．The girl’s money.

C．The medicine from the drugstore.                       D．Nobody can tell.

30．From the passage we can infer(推断) that        .

A．the doctor didn’t ask for any pay

B．a miracle is sure to happen if you keep on

C．the little girl is lovely but not so clever

D．the doctor had great sympathy for the girl’s little brother

A Fan of Dae Jang Geum 《大长今》影迷

Dae Jang Geum (《大长今》) is a hot new Korean TV series. Because of this series, my personal status and living standard have been greatly ___1__. My girlfriend used to cook every evening. Well, now she does nothing but ___2__ in front of the TV when she’s not __3__, and commands me, “You — go to make some instant noodles. Come and watch the play and just imagine we are enjoying Korean __4___.”

She also swears to __5__ all Korean dishes in Dae Jang Geum. So she orders me to __6__ the TV and record any details of Jang Geum’s cooking. But when she presented her version of Korean food, it is like the dog-meal. “You can __7__ get things done if you find the right tools”, my girlfriend blamed her clumsy (笨拙的) kitchen performances on __8__. So I decided to __9__ her a new kitchen knife. In a store, she became unusually __10__ when making her selection. She finally picked one that was __11__ Jang Geum’s. To prove that her slow knife skill was due to the blunt (钝的) knives, she __12__ her cutting. As a result, she hurt her fingers three times. Fortunately the knife is not __13__ the salesman boasts.

My girlfriend is a fan of Jang Geum’s Korean __14__. Not only did she talk about the dress every day, she also threatened to change my tie into a __15__ like the one on Jang Geum’s dress. Finally, I lost my patience and took her to a maternity shop (孕妇专卖店) where I recommend (推荐) one suit to her, “Do you think it looks like a Korean dress?” __16__, my future parents-in-law just happened to be shopping at the time. They were __17__ when they saw what we were doing.

The Dae Jang Geum series __18__ realizing the ambition of the youth. However, it fails to realize my girlfriend’s. __19__ being engaged in her work or study, she simply sits on the sofa every night, staring at the TV, a bag of chips in her hand. This situation has __20_ even though the series is now over.

A. increased       B. degraded           C. depressed                 D. raised

A. stand             B. lie                  C. seat                          D. sit

A. at work          B. at table              C. on leave                   D. on business

A. fruit               B. vegetables         C. dishes                      D. cakes

A. eat                 B. learn                C. cook                        D. perform

A. stand for               B. go by             C. pass by                     D. stand by

A. easily            B. hardly               C. difficultly                 D. carefully

A. her forks        B. her spoons         C. her knives                D. her pans

A. buy                B. borrow              C. lend                         D. fetch

A. careless         B. alert                 C. patient                     D. modest

A. better than     B. the closest shape of   C. sharper than              D. taken from

A. speeded up   B. slowed down            C. brought down           D. improved

A. as fast as       B. as dull as                  C. as slow as                 D. as sharp as

A. diet style       B. dish flavor                      C. dressing style           D. cooking style

A. inside pocket B. butterfly knot         C. pretty collar              D. long belt

A. Coincidently        B. Disappointedly          C. Fortunately        D. Excitedly

A. very puzzled        B. pretty satisfied   C. very pleased         D. pretty shocked

A. shoots at             B. aims at                    C. directs at          D. works at

A. In spite of           B. Because of               C. Instead of               D. In case of

A. changed little       B. turned a lot       C. developed a little      D. improved a lot

On the day of a big event, many people came to Big Bend Mountain to watch. John Henry and the salesman stood side by side. Even early in the day, the sun was burning hot.

The competition began. John Henry kissed his hammer and started working. At first, the steam-powered drill worked two times faster than he did. Then, he started working with a hammer in each hand. He worked faster and faster. In the mountain, the heat and dust were so thick that most men would have had trouble breathing. The crowd shouted as clouds of dust came from inside the mountain.

The salesman was afraid when he heard what sounded like the mountain breaking. However, it was only the sound of John Henry at work. Polly Ann and her son cheered when the machine was pulled from the tunnel of the mountain. It had broken down. Polly Ann urged John Henry to come out. But he kept working, faster and faster. He dug deep into the darkness, hitting the steel so hard that his body began to fail him. He became weak, and his heart burst.

John Henry fell to the ground. There was a terrible silence. Polly Ann did not move because she knew what had happened. John Henry’s blood spilled over the ground. But he still held one of the hammers. “I beat them,” he said. His wife cried out, “Don’t go, John Henry.”“Bring me a cool drink of water,”he said. Then he took his last breath.

His friends carried his body from the mountain. They buried him near the house where he was born. Crowds went there after they heard about John Henry’s death.

Soon, the steam drill and other machines replaced the steel-drivers. Many laborers left their families to look for work. They took the only jobs they could find. As they worked, some sang about John Henry.

What does the big event mentioned in Paragraph 1 refer to?

A.John Henry’s work on a machine.

B.A competition between John Henry and a salesman.

C.John Henry’s work with his hammer and the steel.

D.A competition between John Henry and a drill.

The underlined word “tunnel ”in Paragraph 3 probably means “           ”.

A.flat ground                B.big rock             C.underground passage         D.hard metal

What happened to John Henry when he fell to the ground?

A.He was tired and had to have a rest.

B.He had heart trouble and was dying.

C.He was thirsty and wanted to drink some water.

D.He was injured slightly and was bleeding.

What do we know about John Henry?

A.He won the competition finally.        B.He was buried under the mountain.

C.He loved his work very much.          D.He said nothing before his death.

What can we infer from the passage?

A.Humans can never beat machines.            B.John Henry was regarded as a hero.

C.Laborers hated machines very much.        D.It was easy for laborers to find work.