Most people give little thought to the pens they write with，especially since the printers in modern homes and offices mean that very   1  things are handwritten．All too often，people buy a pen based only on  2   and wonder why they are not satisfied  3  ，they begin to use it．However，buying a pen that you’ll enjoy is not 4  if you keep the following in mind．

First of all，a pen should fit comfortably in your hand and be  5  to use．The thickness of the pen is the most important characteristic（特征）  6 comfort．Having a small hand and thick fingers，you may be comfortable with a thin pen. If you have a  7 hand and thicker fingers, you may  8  a fatter pen．The length of a pen can  9  influence comfort．A pen that is too  10   can easily feel top-heavy and unstable．

Then，the writing point of the pen should11  the ink to flow evenly（均匀的） while that pen remains in touch with the paper 12   will make it possible for you to create a   13  line of writing．The point should also be sensitive enough to  14  ink from running when the pen is lifted．A point that does not block the   15  may leave drops of ink，  16  you pick the pen up and put it down again．

__17  ，the pen should make a thick，dark line．Fine-line pens may   18   bad handwriting，but fine，delicate lines do not command  19   next to printed text，as，  20 ， a signature on a printed letter．A broader line，on the other hand，gives an impression of confidence and authority （权威）.

1．A．many                    B．few                     C．pleasant              D．important

2．A．looks             B．reason                   C．value                D．advantages

3．A．once                    B．if                       C．because              D．though

4．A．convenient              B．practical               C．strange                D．difficult

5．A．heavy                      B．easy                       C．hard              D．safe

6．A．taking          B．finding               C．determining          D．seeking

7．A．stronger             B．weaker               C．smaller              D．larger

8．A．prefer               B．recommend           C．prepare               D．demand

9．A．hardly                B．also                    C．never                 D．still

10．A．thick              B．light               C．long                 D．soft

11．A．change             B．allow            C．reduce                D．press

12．A．They              B．One                  C．This                  D．Some

13．A．thin                   B．rough               C．black               D．smooth

14．A．prevent              B．free                C．protect             D．remove

15．A．way                 B．sight               C．flow               D．stream

16．A．so                   B．as                 C．and                 D．yet

17．A．Meanwhile            B．Generally           C．Afterwards          D．Finally

18．A．show up             B．differ from         C．break down          D．compensate for

19．A．attention              B．support            C．respect                     D．admission

20．A．at most              B．for example        C．in brief               D．on purpose

The engineer Camillo Olivetti was 40 years old when he started the company in 1908．At his factory in Ivrea，he designed and produced the first Italian typewriter．Today the company’s head office is still in Ivrea，near Turin，but the company is much larger than it was in those days and there are offices all around the world．

By 1930 there was a staff of 700 and the company turned out 13，000 machines a year．Some went to customers in Italy，but Olivetti exported more typewriters to other countries．

Camillo’s son，Adriano，started working for the company in 1924 and later he became the boss．He introduced a standard speed for the production line and he employed technology and design specialists．The company developed new and better typewriters and the calculators（计算器）．In 1959 it produced the ELEA computer system．This was the first mainframe（主机）computer designed and made in Italy．

After Adriano died in 1960，the company had a period of financial problems．Other companies，especially the Japanese，made faster progress in electronic technology than the Italian company．

In 1978，Carlo de Benedetti became the new boss．Olivetti increased its marking and service networks and made agreements with other companies to design and produce more advanced office equipment．Soon it became one of the world’s leading companies in information technology and communications．There are now five independent companies in the Olivetti group- one for personal computers，one for other office equipment，one for systems and services，and two for telecommunications．

1．From the text we learn that__________．

A．by 1930 Olivetti produced 13，000 typewriters a year

B．Olivetti earned more in the 1960s than in the 1950s

C．some of Olivetti’s 700 staff regularly visited customers in Italy

D．Olivetti set up offices in other countries from the very beginning

2．What was probably the direct result of Olivetti’s falling behind in electronic technology?

A．Adriano’s death．                               B．A period of financial problem

C．its faster progress                             D．Its agreements with other companies

3．What do we know about Olivetti?

A．It produced the best typewriter in the word．

B．It designed the word’s first mainframe computer．

C．It exported more typewriter than other computer．

D．It has five independent companies with its head office in Ivrea．

4．The best title for the text would be___________．

A．The Origin of Olivetti                      B．The Success of Olivetti

C．The History of Olivetti                     D．The Production of Olivetti

Have you ever wondered?

1．Why do airplanes take longer to fly west than east?

It can take five hours to go west-east from New York（NY） to London but seven hours to travel east-west from London to NY．The reason for the difference is an atmospheric phenomenon know as the jet（喷射）stream．The jet stream is a very high altitude wind which always blows from the west to the east across the Atlantic．The planes movement a constants air speed thus go faster in the west-east direction when the air moving with the wind than in the opposite direction．

2．What would happen if the gravity on Earth was suddenly turned off?

Supposing we could magically turn off gravity．Would buildings and other structures（建筑物） float away? What happened would depend on how strongly the things were attached to the Earth．The Earth is moving at quite a speed moving at over a thousand miles per hour．If you turn something around your head on a string（细绳），it goes around in a circle until you let go of the string．Then it flies off in a straight line．‘Switching off’ gravity would be like letting go of the string．Things not attacked to the Earth would fly off in a straight line．People in buildings would suddenly shoot upwards at a great speed until they hit the ceiling．Most things would fly off into space．

1．What information can we get from the first passage?

A．It is the jet stream that affects how fast airplanes fly．

B．Planes go slower when they are moving with the wind．

C．It takes more time to fly from NY to London than from London to NY．

D．The jet stream always blows from the east to the west across the Atlantic．

2．The word“shoot”underlined in the 2nd passage probably means“______”．

A．send for           B．move quickly           C．come out                D．grow quickly

3．It can be interred that without gravity ______．

A．buildings and other structures would float away

B．trees and buildings would not so easily fly off

C．something around your head would not float away

D．everything outside buildings would fly off into space

4．Where can we most probably read this text?

A．In s research paper                                     B．In a short story．

C．In a travel magazine．                                 D．In a student’s book．

American cities are similar to other cities around the world; In every country, cities reflect the values of the culture．American cities are changing，just as American society is changing．

After World War Ⅱ，the population of most large American cities decreased; however, the population in many Sun Belt cities increased．Los Angeles and Houston are cities where population shifts（转移）to and from the city reflect the changing values of American society．In the late 1940s and early 1950s，city residents（居民）became wealthier．They had more children so they needed more space. They moved out of their apartments in the city to buy their own homes．They bought houses in the suburbs（郊区）．

Now things are changing．The children of the people who left the cities in the 1950s are now adults．Many，unlike their parents，want to live in the cities．They continue to move to Sun Belt cities and older ones of the Northeast and Midwest．Many young professionals are moving back into city．They prefer the city to the suburbs because their jobs are there; or they jus enjoy the excitement and possibilities that the city offers．

This population shift is bringing problems as well as benefits．Countless poor people must leave their apartments in the city because the owners want to sell the buildings or make apartments for sale instead of for rent．In the 1950s，many poor people did not have enough money to move to the suburbs; now many of these same people do not have enough money to stay in the cities．

Only a few years ago，people thought that the older American cities were dying．Some city residents now see a bright new future. Others see only problems and conflicts．One thing is sure :many dying cities are alive again．

1．What does the author think of cities all over the world?

A．They are alive．                                         B．They are hopeless．

C．They are similar．                                      D．They are different．

2．Why did American city residents want to live in the suburbs after World War Ⅱ?

A．Because older American cities were dying．

B．Because they were richer and needed more space．

C．Because cities contained the worst parts of society．

D．Because they could hardly afford a live in the city．

3．According to the 4th paragraph，a great many poor people in American cities______．

A．are faced with housing problems

B．are forced to move to the suburbs

C．want to sell their buildings

D．need more money for daily expenses

4．We can conclude from the text that ______．

A．American cities are changing for the worse

B．people have different views on American cities

C．many people are now moving from American cities

D．the population is decreasing in older American cities

My father was 44 and knew he wasn’t going to make it to 45．He wrote me a letter and hoped that something in it would help me for the rest of my life．

Since the day I was 12 and first read his letter，some of his words have lived in my heart．One part always stands out．“Right now，you are pretending to be a time-killer．But I know that one day，you will do something great that will set you among the very best．”Knowing that my dad believed in me gave me permission to believe in myself．“You will do something great．” He didn’t know what that would be，and neither did I，but at times in my life when I’ve felt proud of myself，I remember his words and wish he were here so I could ask．“Is this what you were talking about，Dad? Should I keep going?”

A long way from 12 now，I realize he would have been proud when I made any progress．Lately，though，I’ve come to believe he’d want me to move on to what comes next: to be proud of，and believe in，somebody else．It’s time to start writing my own letters to my children．Our children look to us with the same unanswered question we had．Our kids don’t hold back because they’re afraid to fail．They’re only afraid of failing us．They don’t worry about being disappointed．Their fear－as mine was until my father’s letter－is of being a disappointment．

Give your children permission to succeed．They’re waiting for you to believe in them．I always knew way parents loved me．But trust me: That belief will be more complete，that love will be more real，and their belief in themselves will be greater if you write the words on their hearts; “Don’t worry; you’ll do something great．” Not having that blessing from their parents may be the only thing holding them back．

1．We learn from the text that the author ________．

A．lost his father when he was young

B．worked hard before he read his father’s letter

C．asked his father permission to believe in himself

D．knew exactly what thing his father wanted him to do

2．What does the author tell us in the 3rd paragraph?

A．Children need their parents’ letters．

B．Children are afraid to be disappointed．

C．His children’s fear of failure held them back．

D．His father’s letter removed his fear of failing his parents．

3．Which of the following is true of the author?

A．He got no access to success．

B．He wrote back to his father at 12．

C．He was sure his parents loved him．

D．He once asked his father about the letter．

4．The main purpose of the text is to _______．

A．describe children’s thinking

B．answer some questions children have

C．stress the importance of communication

D．advise parents to encourage their children

The need to feed a growing population is putting much pressure on the world’s supply of water．With 97% of the world’s water too salty to be drunk or used in agriculture，the worldwide supply of water needs careful management，especially in agriculture．Although the idea of a water shortage（短缺）seems strange to someone fortunate enough to live in a high rainfall country，many of the world’s agricultural industries experience constant water shortages．

Although dams can be built to store water for agricultural use in dry areas and dry seasons，the costs of water redistribution（重新分配）are very high．Not only is there the cost of the engineering itself，but there is also an environmental cost to be considered．Where valleys（山谷）are flooded to create dams，houses are lost and wildlife homes destroyed．Besides，water may flow easily through pipes to fields，but it cannot be transported from one side of the world to the other．Each country must therefore rely on the management of its own water to supply its farming requirements．

This is particularly troubling for countries with agricultural industries in areas dependent on irrigation（灌溉）．In Texas，farmers’ overuse of irrigation water be resulted in a 25% reduction of the water stores．In the Central Valley area of south eastern USA，a huge water engineering project provided water for farming in dry valleys，but much of the water use has been poorly managed．

Saudi Arabia’s attempts to grow wheat in desert areas have been the pumping of huge quantities of irrigation water from underground reserves．Because there is no rainfall in these areas，such reserves can only decrease，and it is believed that fifty years of pumping will see them run dry．

1．From the first two paragraphs we learn that _______．

A．much of the world’s water is available for use

B．people in high rainfall countries feel lucky

C．the costs of water redistribution should be considered

D．water can be easily carried through pipes across the world

2．Which of the following is true?

A．The water stores in Texas have been reduced by 75%．

B．Most industries in the world suffer from water shortages．

C．The underground water in Saudi Arabia might run out in 50 years．

D．Good management of water use resulted from the project in the Central Valley．

3．What is most likely to be discussed in the paragraph that follows?

A．Steps to improving water use management．

B．Ways to reduce the costs of building dams．

C．Measured to deal with worldwide water shortages．

D．Approaches to handling the pressure on water supply．

4．The text is mainly about        ．

A．water supply and increasing population

B．water use management and agriculture

C．water redistribution and wildlife protection

D．water shortages and environmental protection．

阅读下面短文，根据所读内容在表格中的空白处填入恰当的单词。

注意：每个空格只填一个单词。

When difficult people express themselves orally，they generally want at least two things: they’ve been heard and they’ve been understood．As a good communicator should be a good listener，five steps are advocated toward good listening．

The first step is cooperating（合作）．How does a difficult person know that you’re listening and understanding? In fact，it’s through the way you look and sound while he is talking．You may help him to fully express his thoughts and feelings．You do this by nodding your head in agreement，making certain sounds of understanding．

When the person begins to repeat what’s been said，it’s a signal of step two: turning back．It means that you repeat back some words he is using，sending a clear signal that you’ve listening carefully and that you think what he is saying is important．

Having heard what he has to say，the next step is clarifying．At this point，you start to gather information about what is being communicated．Ask same open-ended questions，which will allow you to figure out what intention he is hoping to satisfy．

The fourth step is to summarize（概括）what you’ve heard．This allows you to make sure that both you and the difficult person are on the same page．When you do this，two things happen．First，if you’ve missed something，he can fill in the details（细节）．Second，you’ve shown that you’re making an effort to understand completely．This increases possibility of gaining cooperation from him．

Having listened carefully，you’ve now arrived at the point of confirming with the person that he feels satisfied that this thoughts have been fully voiced．Ask if he feels understood．

Then enough sincere listening，questioning，and remembering are brought together，understanding is usually achieved and a difficult person becomes less difficult and more cooperative．

假如你将参加某英语杂志社开展的一次征文活动，征文的内容要求你在电视、手机（cell）和网络三者中，放弃其中一个并陈述理由。请你以“Which would you give the TV，cell，or Web”为题，写一篇英语短文。

注意：1．字数100左右；

2．可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。

_______ at my classmates' faces, I read the same excitement in their eyes.

A. Looking              B. Look             C. To look            D. Looked

In the spoken English of some areas in the US, the “r” sounds at the end of the words _______.

A. are dropped                                   B. drop

C. are being dropped                               D. have dropped