Remembering names is an important social skill．Here are some ways to master it．

Recite and repeat in conversation．

    When you hear a person’s name，repeat it．Immediately say it to yourself several times without moving your lips．You could also repeat the name in a way that does not sound forced or artificial．

    Ask the other person to recite and repeat．

    You can let other people help you remember their names．After you’ve been introduced to someone，ask that person to spell the name and pronounce it correctly for you．Most people will be pleased by the effort you’re making to learn their names．

Admit you don’t know．

    Admitting that you can’t remember someone’s name can actually make people relaxed．Most of them will feel sympathy if you say, “I’m working to remember names better．Yours is right on the tip of my tongue．What is it again?”

    Use associations．

    Link each person yon meet with one thing you find interesting or unusual．For example，you could make a mental note: "Vicki Cheng -- tall, black hair. " To reinforce (加强) your associations, write them on a small card as soon as possible.

    Limit the number of new names you learn at one time.

    When meeting a group of people, concentrate on remembering just two or three names. Free yourself from remembering every one. Few of the people in mass introductions expect you to remember their names. Another way is to limit yourself to learning just first names. Last names can come later.

     Go early.

     Consider going early to conferences, parties and classes. Sometimes just a few people show up on time. That's fewer names for you to remember. And as more people arrive, you can hear them being introduced to others -- an automatic review for you.

1．How will most people feel when you try hard to remember their names?

  A．They will be moved.                   B．They will be annoyed.

C．They will be delighted.                 D．They will be discouraged.

2．If you can't remember someone's name, you may __

   A．tell him the truth                      B．tell him a white lie

   C．ask him for pity                       D．ask others to help you

3．When you meet a group of people, it is better to remember __

   A．all their names                        B．a couple of names first

   C．just their last names                    D．as many names as possible

4．What does the text mainly tell us?

   A．Tips on an important social skill.         B．Importance of attending parties.

C．How to make use of associations.         D．How to recite and repeat names.

The year 2009 is the Year of Ox. The ox is a representative of the fanning culture of China. In the farming economy (经济), oxen are the major animals pulling plows (犁).

    Of course, the good of oxen is not limited to plowing. In fact, they are seen as "boats on land" for their ability to carry loads. Besides, the whole body of an ox is full of treasures. Their meat and milk are food full of nutrition, and their skin can be used to make clothes and shoes. With all these qualities, oxen are regarded as generous creatures.

    In the past, oxen played an important role in the spiritual life of the Chinese. Even today, oxen still play a special part in some folk activities. For example, some people who1ive in southwest China will cook cattle bone soup and share it among family members when holding the ceremony for children who reach 13. They believe that the cattle bone soup represents the blood relationship among family members. In order to express their love for oxen, people in some other areas will run to shake off diseases on the 16th day of the first month by the lunar calendar (农历), and during their run they will take their oxen along, which indicates they regard the creature as human.

    Because of the contribution of oxen in their lives, the Chinese people are very grateful to the animal. In addition, the use of oxen in ceremonies and the thanks people owe to oxen help to develop various traditional customs, which becomes an important part of the folk culture of the Chinese nation.

1．The words "boats on land" underlined in Paragraph 2 refer to __

   A．animals for taking goods                B．creatures for pulling plows

   C．treasures of the folk culture              D．tools in the farming economy

2．From the third paragraph, we know that __.

   A．oxen are no more important today than in the past

   B．ceremonies are held when people cook cattle bone soup

C．oxen are treated as human in some areas of China

   D．people run with oxen to shake off diseases every month

3．Which of the following helps to develop traditional customs?

   A．The special role of oxen in farming.

B．People's respect and love for oxen.

C．The practical value of an ox's body.

D．The contribution of oxen to the economy.

4．Why does the author write the text?

   A．To stress the importance of oxen in farming.

B．To introduce the Chinese folk culture.

   C．To describe how to celebrate the Year of Ox.

   D．To explain how to develop agriculture with oxen.

Sometimes, the simplest ideas are the best. For example, to absorb heat from the sun to heat water, you need large, flat, black surfaces. One way to do that is to build those surfaces specially, on the roofs of buildings. But why go to all that trouble when cities are full of black surfaces already, in the form of asphalt (柏油) roads?

    Ten years ago, this thought came into the mind of Arian de Bondt, a Dutch engineer. He finally persuaded his boss to follow it up. The result is that their building is now heated in winter and cooled in summer by a system that relies on the surface of the road outside.

    The heat-collector is a system of connected water pipes. Most of them ran from one side of the street to the other, just under the asphalt road. Some, however, dive deep into the ground.

    When the street surface gets hot in summer, water pumped through the pipes picks up this heat and takes it underground through one of the diving pipes. At a depth of 100 metres lies a natural aquifer (蓄水层) into which several heat exchangers (交换器) have been built. The hot water from the street runs through these exchangers, warming the ground-water, before returning to the surface through another pipe. The aquifer is thus used as a heat store.

    In winter, the working system is changed slightly. Water is pumped through the heat exchangers to pick up the heat stored during summer. This water goes into the building and is used to warm the place up. After performing that task, it is pumped under the asphalt and its remaining heat keeps the road free of snow and ice.

1．Which of the following is true according to the first two paragraphs?

A．Arian de Bondt got his idea from his boss.

B．Large, flat, black surfaces need to be built in cities.

C．The Dutch engineer's system has been widely used.

D．Heat can also be collected from asphalt roads.

2．For what purpose are the diving pipes used?

   A．To absorb heat from the sun.

B．To store heat for future use.

C．To turn solar energy into heat energy.

   D．To carry heat down below the surface.

3．From the last paragraph we can learn that __

   A．some pipes have to be re-arranged in winter

   B．the system can do more than warming up the building

   C．the exchangers will pick up heat from the street surface

   D．less heat may be collected in winter than in summer

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

A．What we shall do if the system goes wrong.

B．What we shall do if there are no asphalt road.

C．How the system cools the building in summer.

D．How the system collects heat in spring and autumn.

A rainforest is an area covered by tall trees with the total high rainfall spreading quite equally through the year and the temperature rarely dipping below l6℃．Rainforests have a great effect on the world environment because they can take in heat from the sun and adjust the climate．Without the forest cover，these areas would reflect more heat into the atmosphere，warming the rest of the world. Losing the rainforests may also influence wind and rainfall patterns，potentially causing certain natural disasters all over the world．

   In the past hundred years，humans have begun destroying rainforests in search of three major resources(资源)：land for crops，wood for paper and other products，land for raising farm animals．This action affects the environment as a whole．For example，a lot of carbon dioxide(二氧化碳)in the air comes from burning the rainforests．People obviously have a need for the resources we gain from cutting trees but we will suffer much more than we will benefit.

   There are two main reasons for this．Firstly，when people cut down trees，generally they can only use the land for a year or two．Secondly，cutting large sections of rainforests may provide a good supply of wood right now，but in the long run it actually reduces the world’s wood supply．

    Rainforests are often called the world’s drug store．More than 25％ of the medicines we use today come from plants in rainforests．However，fewer than l％of rainforest plants have been examined for their medical value．It is extremely likely that our best chance to cure diseases lies somewhere in the world’s shrinking rainforests．

1．Rainforests can help to adjust the climate because they                ．

  A．reflect more heat into the atmosphere

  B．bring about high rainfall throughout the world

  C．rarely cause the temperature to drop lower than l6℃

  D．reduce the effect of heat from the sun on the earth

2．What does the word “this” underlined in the third paragraph refer to?

  A．We will lose much more than we can gain．

  B．Humans have begun destroying rainforests．

  C．People have a strong desire for resources．

  D．Much carbon dioxide comes from burning rainforests．

3．It can be inferred from the text that                ．  

A．we can get enough resources without rainforests

  B．there is great medicine potential in rainforests

  C．we will grow fewer kinds of crops in the gained land

  D．the level of annual rainfall affects wind patterns

4．What might be the best title for the text?

  A．How to Save Rainforests

  B．How to Protect Nature

C．Rainforests and the Environment

D．Rainforests and Medical Development

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。

   Many people need guidance in choosing a career (职业). Fortunately, there is much information on the Web about job opportunities (机会). With all the information available, it's not surprising that people can feel confused. So if you're ready to start your first job or change careers, where do you begin?

   The Occupation Handbook is a good resource. Regularly updated, the Handbook is available as a book and on-line. Not only is information provided about the United States as a whole, but readers can easily search for information about their particular state. You can read about the fastest-growing occupations in the area where you live and find out what they are like. You can also learn how to apply for jobs.

   Take, for example, Nadia's situation. Nadia was a doctor's assistant in Iran, and her goal in the United States is to become a nurse. However, she needs to work while she is studying nursing. She is interested in becoming a medical assistant to help work her way through college. When going on-line to the Handbook and searching under "medical assistant", Nadia is happy to read that this is expected to be one of the fastest-growing careers through 2010. Besides, job opportunities are even better for people with experience. She discovers that medical assistants not only have to do some office work, but have medical responsibilities as well. Nadia decides this job will be interesting and will also provide excellent experience for her nursing career.

   The Occupation Handbook is just an example of websites that can help you plan a new career. When you have found information about some different careers, you will be ready to talk to career advisers. Choosing your future career is an extremely important decision. It's worth taking the time and finding as much information as you can.

阅读下面短文，按照句子结构的语法性和上下文连贯的要求，在空格处填人一个适当的词或使用括号中词语的正确形式填空。

    Jane was walking round the department store．She remembered how difficult _1_ was to choose a suitable Christmas present for her father．She wished that he was as easy _2_ (please) as her mother，who was always delighted with perfume．

    Besides，shopping at this time of the year was not _3_ pleasant experience：people stepped on your feet or _4_ (push) you with their elbows(肘部)，hurrying ahead to get to a bargain．

    Jane paused in front of a counter _5_ some attractive ties were on display．“They are real silk，” the assistant tried to attract her．“ Worth double the price．” But Jane knew from past experience that her _6_ (choose) of ties hardly ever pleased her father．

    Jane stopped where a small crowd of men had gathered．She found some good quality pipes _7_ sale．She did not hesitate for long：although her father smoked a pipe only once in a while，  she knew that this was a present which was bound to please _8_．

    When Jane got home，with her small but well-chosen present in her bag，her parents were already _9_ table having supper．Her mother was excited．“Your father has at last decided to stop smoking，” Jane _10_ (inform)．

Lisa was running late．Lisa，25，had a lot to do at work，plus visitors on the way：her parents were coming in for Thanksgiving from her hometown．But as she hurried down the subway stairs， she started to feel uncomfortably warm．By the time she got to the platform，Lisa felt weak and tired--maybe it hadn’t been a good idea to give blood the night before，she thought．She rested herself against a post close to the tracks．

    Several yards away，Frank，43，and his girlfriend，Jennifer，found a spot close to where the front of the train would stop．They were deep in discussion about a house they were thinking of buying．

    But when he heard the scream，followed by someone yelling，“Oh，my God，she fell in!” Frank didn’t hesitate．He jumped down to the tracks and ran some 40 feet toward the body lying on the rails．“ No! Not you!”his girlfriend screamed after him．

    She was right to be alarmed．By the time Frank reached Lisa，he could feel the tracks shaking and see the light coming．The train was about 20 seconds from the station．

    It was hard to lift her．She was just out．But he managed to raise her the four feet to the platform so that bystanders could hold her by the arms and drag her away from the edge．That was where Lisa briefly regained consciousness，felt herself being pulled along the ground，and saw someone else holding her purse．

    Lisa thought she’d been robbed．A woman held her hand and a man gave his shirt to help stop the blood pouring from her head．And she tried to talk but she couldn’t，and that was when she realized how much pain she was in．

    Police and fire officials soon arrived，and Frank told the story to an officer．Jennifer said her  boyfriend was calm on their 40一minute train ride downtown---just as he had been seconds after the rescue，which made her think about her reaction at the time．“I saw the train coming and I was thinking he was going to die，” she explained．

1．What was the most probable cause for Lisa’s weakness?

    A．She had run a long way．

    B．She felt hot in the subway．

    C．She had done a 1ot of work．

    D．She had donated blood the night before．

2．Why did Jennifer try to stop her boyfriend?

    A．Because they would miss their train．

    B．Because he didn’t see the train coming．

    C．Because she was sure Lisa was hard to lift．

    D．Because she was afraid the train would kill him．

3．How did Frank save Lisa?

    A．By lifting her to the platform．

    B．By helping her rise to her feet．

    C．By pulling her along the ground．

    D．By dragging her away from the edge．

4．When did Lisa become conscious again?

    A．When the train was leaving．

    B．After she was back on the platform．

    C．After the police and fire officials came．

    D．When a man was cleaning the blood from her head．

5．The passage is intended to _____________.

    A．warn us of the danger in the subway

    B．show us how to save people in the subway

    C．tell us about a subway rescue

    D．report a traffic accident

We once had a poster competition in our fifth grade art class．

   “You could win prizes，”our teacher told us as she wrote the poster information on the blackboard．She passed out sheets of construction paper while continuing，“The first prize is ten dollars．You just have to make sure that the words on the blackboard appear somewhere on your poster．”

    We studied the board critically．Some of us looked with one eye and held up certain colors against the blackboard，rocking the sheets to the right or left while we conjured up our designs．Others twisted their hair around their fingers or chewed their erasers while deep in thought．We had plans for that ten—dollar grand prize，each and every one of us．I'm going to spend mine on candies，one hopeful would announce，while another practiced looking serious，wise and rich．

    Everyone in the class made a poster．Some of us used parts of those fancy paper napkins，while others used nothing but colored construction paper．Some of us used big designs，and some of us preferred to gather our art tidily down in one comer of our poster and let the space draw the viewer's attention to it．Some of us would wander past the good students’ desks and then return to our own projects with a growing sense of hopelessness．It was yet another grown-up trick of the sort they seemed especially fond of, making all of us believe we had a fair chance，and then always—always--rewarding the same old winners．

    I believe I drew a sailboat，but I can’t say that with any certainty．I made it．I admired it．I determined it to be the very best of all of the posters I had seen，and then I turned it in．

    Minutes passed．

    No one came along to give me the grand prize，and then someone distracted me，and I probably never would have thought about that poster again．

    I was still sitting at my desk，thinking，What poster? when the teacher gave me an envelope with a ten—dollar bill in it and everyone in the class applauded for me．

1．What was the teacher's requirement for the poster?

    A．It must appear in time．

    B．It must be done in class．

    C．It must be done on a construction sheet．

    D．It must include the words on the blackboard．

2．The underlined phrase in paragraph 3 most probably means _____________．

    A．formed an idea for

    B．made an outline for

    C．made some space for

    D．chose some colors for

3．After the teacher’s words，all the students in the class _________．

    A．1ooked very serious

    B．thought they would be rich

    C．began to think about their designs

    D．began to play games

4．After seeing the good students’ designs，some students _________．

    A．1oved their own designs more

    B．thought they had a fair chance

C．put their own designs in a corner

    D．thought they would not win the prize

5．We can infer from the passage that the author ______________．

    A．enjoyed grown—up tricks very much

    B．1oved poster competitions very much

    C．felt surprised to win the competition

    D．became wise and rich after the competition

A few years ago I had an “aha!’ moment regarding handwriting．

I had in my hand a sheet of paper with handwritten instructions on it for some sort of editorial task．It occurred at first that I did not recognize the handwriting，and then I realized whose it must be．I finally became aware of the fact that I had been working with this colleague for at least a year，maybe two，and yet I did not recognize her handwriting at that point．

    It was a very important event in the computerization of life—a sign that the informal，friendly communication of people working together in an office had changed from notes in pen to instant messages and emails．There was a time when our workdays were filled with little letters，and we recognized one another's handwriting the way we knew voices or faces．

    As a child visiting my father’s office，I was pleased to recognize，in little notes on the desks of his staff，the same handwriting I would see at home in the notes he would leave on the fridge—except that those notes were signed“dad”instead of“RFW”．

    All this has been on my mind because of the talk about The Rise and Fall of Handwriting，a book by Florey．She shows in her book a deep concern about the fall of handwriting and the failure of schools to teach children to write well，but many others argue that people in a digital age can’t be expected to learn to hold a pen．

    I don’t buy it．

    I don’t want to see anyone cut off from the expressive，personal associations that a pen still promotes better than a digital keyboard does．For many a biographer，part of really getting to know their subjects is learning to read their handwriting．

    What some people advocate is teaching one of the many attractive handwritings based on the handwriting of 16th—century Italy．That may sound impossibly grand—as if they want kids to learn to draw by copying classical paintings．However，they have worked in many school systems．

1．Why was the author surprised at not recognizing his colleague’s handwriting?

    A．He had worked with his colleague long enough．

    B．His colleague’s handwriting was so beautiful．

    C．His colleague’s handwriting was so terrible．

    D．He still had a lot of work to do．

2．People working together in an office used to ____________．

    A．talk more about handwriting

    B．take more notes on workdays

    C．know better one another's handwriting

    D．communicate better with one another

3．The author’s father wrote notes in pen _________．

    A．to both his family and his staff

    B．to his family in small letters

    C．to his family on the fridge

    D．to his staff on the desk

4．According to the author，handwritten notes _______．

    A．are harder to teach in schools

    B．attract more attention

    C．are used only between friends

    D．carry more message

5．We can learn from the passage that the author __________．

    A．thinks it impossible to teach handwriting

    B．does not want to lose handwriting

    C．puts the blame on the computer

    D．does not agree with Florey

你是校报小记者，最近进行了一次采访。以下是这次采访的情况：

    时间：上周末

    对象：眼科医生(eye-doctor)王教授

    主题：我国中小学生近视(short-sightedness)问题

    基本信息：(1 ) 发生率：略高于50％

              (2 ) 人数：世界第一

    专家解读：(1 ) 原因：很复杂

              (2 ) 治疗：没有哪一种药物能治愈近视

              (3 ) 建议：不要过度用眼；多参加户外活动

              (4 ) 特别提示：如何握笔也和近视有关

[写作内容]

    根据以上情况写一篇采访报道，并包括如下内容：

1．采访的时间、对象和主题；

2．中小学生近视的发生率及人数；

3．专家解读。

[写作要求]

    只能使用5个句子表达全部内容。

[评分标准]

    句子结构准确，信息内容完整，篇章结构连贯。