At 21，Ricardo Semler became boss of his father's business in Brazil，Semco，which sold parts for ships. Semler Junior worked like a mad man，from 7：30 am，until midnight every day. One afternoon，while touring a factory in New York，he broke down. The doctor who treated him said，"There's nothing wrong with you. But if you continue like this, you'll find a new home in our hospital. "Semler got the message. He changed the way he worked. In fact，he changed the ways his employees worked too.

    He let his workers take more responsibility so that they would be the ones worrying when things went wrong. He allowed them to set their own salaries，and he cut all the jobs he thought were unnecessary，like receptionists and secretaries. This saved money and brought more equality(平等）to the company. "Everyone at Semco，even top managers，meets guests in reception，does the photocopying，sends faxes，types letters and dials the phone."

    He completely reorganized the office：instead of walls，they have plants at Semco，so bosses can't shut themselves away from everyone else. And the workers are free to decorate their workspace as they want. As for uniforms，some people wear suits and others wear T-shirts.

    Semco has flexible （灵活的）working hours：the employees decide when they need to arrive at work. Also，Semco lets its workers use the company's machines for their own projects，and makes them take holidays for at least thirty days a year.

    It sounds perfect，but does it work? The answer is in the numbers：in the last six years，Semco's revenues （收入）have gone from $35 million to $212 million. The company has grown from eight hundred employees to 3，000. Why?

    Semler says it's because of "peer pressure". Peer pressure makes employees work hard for everyone else. If someone isn't doing his job well，the other workers will not allow the situation to continue. In other words，Ricardo Semler treats his workers like adults rather than children, and expects them to act like responsible adults. And they do.

1.Why did Semler change the way he and his employees worked?

A. Because he went crazy because of overwork.

B. Because he had to receive treatment in hospital.

C. Because his father asked him to.

D. Because the doctor warned him of the danger of overwork.

2.Semler made a variety of changes in his company Except that__________.

A. the number of the employees is reduced to save money

B. the employees can take only 30 days off for holiday every year.

C. flexible working hours were introduced       

D. the employees enjoyed a lot of freedom

3.What’s the main idea of Paragraph five?

A. Ricardo Semler’s new management method succeeded.

B. Ricardo Semler’s idea sounded perfect but not practical.

C. The company earned a lot of money.        

D. The reason for his success.

4.In his company, what does Ricardo Semler value most?

A. freedom          B. rules           C. responsibility        D. hard work

In countries around the world, food has been used to celebrate at our holidays, our rituals and our family gatherings. The food eaten at holiday time has made the deepest impact on our culture and memories. Different holidays bring different types of food. Much of the food we eat during the holidays comes from old traditions handed down for hundreds of years.

New Year's Eve always brings parties and get-togethers, but where you live in the world may determine what food graces your table. In the southern US, partiers eat black eyed peas, which are thought to bring good luck and prosperity(繁荣). The Japanese also eat food for good luck on New Year's, but their choice is red snapper, the color red being considered good luck in Japan. The Jewish celebrate New Year by eating apples dipped in honey and in Madrid, Spain the last minutes of the New Year are counted down with the popping of grapes into the mouth. A pet is a cake prepared by the Greek with a coin baked into it. The person who gets the slice of cake with the coin in it should have good luck in the upcoming year.  

In the United States, a typical Christmas feast can contain a variety of foods ranging from turkey to chicken, from ham to goose, but other countries celebrate this holiday differently. Perhaps these choices have been taken from the traditions of our heritage(遗产). In Denmark, a traditional Christmas meal is roast goose, Greece, leg of lamb. Traditionally, Italians keep their Christmas Eve meal meatless. The traditional Christmas dinner in New Zealand is a picnic eaten on the beach.  

Though holidays around the world are celebrated in different ways, it is food, feast and family that bring us together.

1.According to the passage, in different holidays people usually ______.

A. have different kinds of food to eat

B. recall the interesting life when they were young

C. have a wide variety of parties.

D. get together to play games.

2.All the following can bring people good luck except_____.

A. a cake with a coin

B. red snapper

C. black eyed peas

D. apples dipped in honey.

3.We can know from the third paragraph that ______.

A. roast goose is American’s favorite food during Christmas

B. people in Denmark and Greece share the same food during Christmas

C. Italians don’t have meat during Christmas

D. people in New Zealand like playing games on the beach 

4.Which of the following can be the main idea of the passage?

A. Holiday foods vary from culture to culture.

B. Different countries have different cultures.

C. People have a good appetite during holiday.

D. Different foods are served during Christmas.

He is talent and charm(魅力) have made him the No.1 Chinese classical artist in the world. He played in the grand Beijing Olympic opening ceremony last summer, watched by a TV audience of 5 billion.

Lang Lang, 26, is the first Chinese pianist to play with the world’s top orchestras, making his debut at the Carnegie Hall in New York at 18, while still a student.

Lang Lang’s charm and fondness for sharp clothes make him a natural fit to represent（代表）China’s new international image. According to the British newspaper the Times, “The Lang Lang effect” is responsible for driving 36 million Chinese children to learn the piano.

Now in China children are learning Chopin(肖邦) and Western orchestras are touring Chinese cities, but can China ever export（出口）its own music to the west? Lang is trying. His cooperation with the London Symphony Orchestras this month includes a performance of Dragon Songs, an album of traditional Chinese classics.

  Behind the international recognition, however, is a fascinating story of a gifted child. Lang grew up with his father’s own musical ambition and high expectations. It is not hard to imagine how boring it must be to practice the piano every day. Lang said that he once hated his hands and the piano. He injured his right hand six years ago and had to rest. “That was the best month,” he says, without hesitation. “I had a date. I saw a Broadway show and saw Britney Spears in concert.”

1.Which of the following is NOT the reason why Lang Lang is the No.1 Chinese classical artist in the world?

A. He played in the Beijing Olympic opening ceremony last summer.

B. He has as many as 5 billions fans in China.

C. He is the first Chinese pianist to play with the world’s top orchestras.

D. He plays the piano so well and has a good international image.

2.The underlined word “debut” in the second paragraph probably means____.

A. first class       B. first performance      C. first plan         D. first choice

3.Which of the following statements about Lang is true?

A. He has 36 million Chinese students in China.

B. He is touring China giving concerts.

C. He is trying to export Chinese music to western countries.

D. He only played traditional Chinese classics in his cooperation with the London Symphony Orchestra.

4.From the last paragraph we can infer _____.

A. Lang didn’t like his father when he was little

B. he was happy to practice the piano everyday 

C. his father’s desire and expectations played an important role in his childhood

D. he injured his right hand on purpose six years ago

There has been a large increase in the number of natural disasters over the past few years, and it is believed that global warming and climate change could cause even more disasters in thefuture. Some of the world’s leading cities are facing disasters like floods and heat waves.

London

London’s flood defences are getting older. Since 1982, the Thames Barrier(水闸)has protected the city from the threat (威胁)of flooding, but it was only designed to last until 2030 and close once every two or three years. About 31 years later the barrier now closes five or six times a year and according to Environment Agency predictions, by 2050 the barrier will be closed on almost every tide if the problem is not solved

There are 26 underground stations, 400 schools, 16 hospitals, an airport and 80 billion worth of property(财产）in London’s flood risk area, so large scale flooding would be disastrous.

Paris

Over a six week period in July and August 2003, more than 1 1,400—mainly elderly people—died in France from dehydration(脱水)and extremely high body temperature in a deadly heat wave. Heat waves of similar intensity(强度)are expected every seven years by 2050, so what can be done to make sure such a disaster does not happen again?

One solution is to have air-conditioners installed（安装）in elderly care homes. But this is considered a short-term solution, as the increase in demand for electricity also increases carbon emissions(排放).

In Paris the local authorities are encouraging architects to design new types of buildings such as the building “Flower Tower,” which uses a covering of bamboo to act as a natural air-conditioner.

Shanghai

Shanghai is the fastest growing city on Earth. It has a population of 18 million and is only 4 meters above sea level. Sea levels are predicted to rise by 20 cm within the next century.

About 250，000 people move to Shanghai every year in search of work, placing extra demands on energy consumption（消耗）. China depends heavily on coal—fired power stations, but these emissions increase temperatures and, in turn, warmer seas increase the risk of typhoons.

1.What problem should be settled now in London?

A. How to protect the city’s property

B. Where to build its flood defences

C. How to use the Thames Barrier to protect the city

D. How to improve the function of the old flood defences

2.Which of the following measures can’t solve the heat wave disaster in Paris?

A. Putting up new types of buildings with a covering of bamboo.

B. Having air-conditioners installed in elderly care homes.

C. Forbidding the city to build “Flower Tower”.

D. Encouraging architects to design new types of buildings.

3.The major threats to Shanghai are __________.

A. increasing population and coal-fired power stations

B. rising sea levels and typhoons

C. extremely high temperature and rising sea levels

D. extra demands on energy consumption and typhoons

4.The purpose of the passage is __________.

A. to tell us how to protect the big cities

B. to give advice on how to defend natural disasters

C. to explain what causes flood and heat waves

D. to warn us of the increasing natural disasters in big cities

C.O.P.D(慢性障碍性肺病) blocks air flow through the lungs. It makes breathing difficult. The leading cause of C.O.P.D. is cigarette smoking. Experts at the National Institutes of Health in the United States say there is no cure to the damage to the lungs.

Dawn Demeo is an assistant professor at Harvard Medical School in Boston, Massachusetts. She said, “By 2020, C.O.P.D. may be the third leading cause of death across the world.”

C.O.P.D. is a new name for emphysema（肺气肿） and chronic bronchitis（慢性支气管炎）. These are the two most common forms of the disease. Many people with C.O.P.D. have both of them. And Doctor Demeo says more women than men now die from the disease.

She is the lead author of a study by a team from Harvard’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital and the University of Bergen in Norway. The new study adds to findings that women may be more at risk than men from the damaging effects of smoking.

The team examined results from a Norwegian study of 954 people with C.O.P.D. Inga-Cecilie Soerheim co-wrote the team’s findings. Doctor Soerheim says they show that women suffered the same level of C.O.P.D.as men. But the female smokers were younger and had smoked a lot less.

The team also looked at two groups among the people in the study. These were people under the age of 60 and those who had smoked for less than 20 years. In both cases, women had more serious C.O.P.D. and a greater loss of lung function (功能）than men.

1.Which of the following statements about C.O.P.D is NOT true ______.

A. Cigarette smoking is likely to cause C.O.P.D.

B. C.O.P.D. makes it hard for a person to breathe

C. C.O.P.D will be one of the most life-threatening diseases.

D. Many people with C.O.P.D. have either emphysema or chronic bronchitis.

2.It can be known from the study that_____.

A. female smokers die faster than male ones.  

B. women are more likely to suffer from the damaging effects of smoking than men.

C. women who suffer the same level of C.O.P.D as men were older and weaker.

D. in the group of people under the age of 60, men suffered more from C.O.P.D than women.

3.Which of the following can be the best title for the passage?

A .Smoking Kills

B. Smoking Triggers Diseases

C. The Leading Causes of C.O.P.D.

D. Women Suffers More from C.O.P.D. than Men  

4.In which part of a newspaper would you most probably read this passage?

A. Science      B. Health report      C .Education      D. Business report

请根据首字母或汉语提示完成句子。

1.Selling cigarettes to teens is considered i_________ in many countries.

2.I r________ Tom at the sight of him in the street though we haven’t seen each other for years.

3.People often judge you by the first i___________ you make.

4.I would a___________ it if you carry the box for me.

5.He is proud that his son has been a___________ to Oxford University.

6.We __________(交换) our addresses when we met for the first time.

7.Doctors are aiming to _______________(集中) more on prevention than cure.

8.Do you like a live show or a ______________(录制的) show ?

9.That did great harm to the health of those _________ (上瘾的) to drugs

10.He was so lucky that he ________ (幸存) the traffic accident.

短文填空 （共5小题；每小题1分，满分5分）

By the time he was 14, Mozart had    1.    many pieces for the harpsichord, piano and violin, as well as for orchestras. While he was still a    2.   , Mozart was already a big star and   3.     Europe giving concerts. Haydn met Mozart in 1781 and was very   4.    with him. “He is the greatest composer the world has known,” he said. The two were friends until Mozart’s    5.    in 1791.

假如你是李华。你的朋友Mike 染上了烟瘾，请你写一封信说服他戒烟。

要点如下:

词数：100-120 左右，信的开头和结尾已给出。

Dear Mike,

Recently I have noticed that you are addicted to smoking. 

__________________________________________________________________                

_____________________________________________________________________       _    

________________________________________________________________       _____  _

     Quitting smoking is not as hard as you think. If you keep trying you will succeed.

                                                               Yours,

                                                               Li Hua

What do you do if you don't get into your first choice of university? That's the question      faces thousands of students in Britain every year.

Many students turn to Clearing, an education agency that helps      (find) university places for students at the last moment.       students don't have enough marks to get into their first choice of universities, Clearing tells them about places available at other universities, though they might have to study another subject.

But this year has seen a record number of students      want to study in universities. This means that there's been a fiecer competition for university places than usual. Education officials say six students competed for one place. It’s said almost 190,000 students still don't have a place in a university. That's a rise of over 46,000 students from last year.

       (face) with these numbers, some students are going to be disappointed, others might be thinking of an interesting choice: studying abroad. The University of Nottingham, for example, is offering places in Ningbo, near Shanghai.

                 the problems with university entrance, the UK's Higher Education Minister, David Willetts, encourages students to study at home or to learn one kind of skills, such as cooking, hairdressing and so on .      some people say that rising university costs, less hope to find jobs in the future, and a drop in graduate recruitment（大学招生）mean it's      (bad) time to be a university student in the UK.

If you want to find out a piece of information about anything, the best place to search       it is Wikipedia. This online encyclopedia is      (write) by thousands of people around the world. Anyone can add or change the information if he or she finds it not correct or not well written. In this way, people who know a lot about a certain subject can write about it              they are not university professors.

 What is more, Wikipedia includes articles written in about 253 languages. This fact makes it      of the few websites (???) on the Internet that are truly international. It was started in 2001 by Larry Sanger and Jimmy Wales, as a free online English-language encyclopedia project. By April 2008, over 10 million articles        ________( put on) Wikipedia. A quarter of the articles are in English. Wikipedia is also a place        people can find the latest news.

However, Wikipedia has its own problems. There have been many complaints that some of the information on Wikipedia is not accurate and some important subjects are not included. This has led to arguments between the writers of the articles. The people      (run) Wikipedia say that the accuracy of the information is improving and that it is one of the top 20 visited websites on the Internet.

 So, if you are looking for some information, why not      (try) Wikipedia?