A few days ago I asked my sons’ governess（女家庭教师）Julia to come into my study. “Be seated, Julia, ”I said, “Let’s settle our accounts. I guess you most likely need some money, but maybe you’re too polite to mention it. Now then, we agreed on thirty dollars a month...”
  “Forty.”
  “No, thirty. I made a note of it. I always pay our governess thirty. Well, um, you’ve been here two months, so...”
  “Two months and five days.”
  “Exactly two months. I made a special note of it. That means you have sixty dollars coming to you. Take off nine Sundays... you know you didn’t work with Tom on Sundays, you only took walks. And three holidays... ”Julia was biting her finger nail nervously, her face red, but - not a word.
  “Three holidays, therefore take off twelve dollars. Four days Tom was sick and there were no lessons, as you were occupied only with Dick. Three days you had a toothache and my wife gave you permission not to work after lunch. Twelve and seven - nineteen. Take nineteen off ... that leaves. hmm.... forty one dollars. Correct？”
  Julia’s left eye reddened with tears welling up. Her chin trembled; she coughed nervously and blew her nose, but - still not a word.
  “Around New Year’s Day you broke a teacup and a saucer; take off two dollars. The cup cost more, it was a treasure of the family, but- forget it. When didn’t I take a loss! Then, due to your neglect （疏忽）, Tom climbed a tree and tore his jacket; take away ten. Also due to your carelessness the maid stole Dick’s shoes. You ought to watch everything! You get paid for it. So, that means five more dollars off. The tenth of January I gave ten dollars.”
  “You didn’t. ”sobbed Julia.
  “But I made a note of it.”
  “Well... if you say so.”
  “Take twenty seven from forty one -that leaves fourteen.”
  Both her eyes were filled with tears. Beads of sweat stood on the thin pretty little nose. Poor girl!
  “Only once was I given any money,” she whispered, her voice trembling, “and that was by your wife. Three dollars, nothing more.”
  “Really? You see now, and I didn’t know that! Take three from fourteen.. leaves eleven. Here’s your money, my dear. Three, three, three, one and one. Here it is !”
  I handed her eleven dollars. She took them and pocketed them.
  “Merci （法语: 谢谢）,”she whispered.
  I jumped to my feet and started pacing the room. I was overcome with anger. “For what, this - ‘merci’?” I asked.
  “For the money. ”
  “But you know I’ve cheated you - robbed you ! I have actually stolen from you ! Why this‘merci’？”
  “In my other places they didn’t give me anything at all.”
  “They didn’t give you anything? No wonder! I played a little joke on you, a cruel lesson, just to teach you... I m going to give you all the eighty dollars! Here they are in the envelope all ready for you... Is it really possible to be so spineless （懦弱）?Why didn’t you protest? Why were you silent? Is it possible in this world to be without teeth and claws（爪）―to be such a fool?”
  Embarrassed, she smiled. And I could read her expression,“It is possible.”
  I asked her pardon for the cruel lesson and, to her great surprise, gave her the eighty dollars. She murmured her little“merci”several times and went out. I looked after her and thought,“How easy it is to crush the weak in this world !”

  63．While talking to Julia, the wrier expected from her ________.
  A. a protest             B. gratitude
  C. obedience           D. an explanation
  64．What shocked the writer was Julia’s ________.
  A. nervousness in front of her boss
  B. acceptance of injustice
  C. shyness when talking about money
  D. reluctance to express herself
  65．The writer said, “Is it possible in this world to be without teeth and claws?” He was actually telling the governess ________.
  A. to be more aggressive
  B. to be more careful in her work
  C. to protect her right
  D. to live independently
  66．At the end of the story, the writer said,“ How easy it is to crush the weak in this world!”to show ________.
  A. his understanding of Julia’s anxiety
  B. his worry about Julia’s future
  C. his concern on the living condition of working - class people
  D. his sympathy for the mental state of those exploited
  67．From the story, we can tell that Julia’s employer was ________.
  A. greedy but honest
  B. ill - tempered but warm - hearted
  C. strict but forgiving
  D. none of the above

A few months before I was born, my Dad met a stranger who was new to our small town. From the beginning, Dad was fascinated with this enchanting newcomer and soon invited him to live with our family. The stranger was quickly accepted and was around to welcome me into the world a few months later.

As I grew up, I never questioned his place in my family. In my young mind, he had a special position. My parents were complementary instructors：Mom taught me the words, and Dad taught me to obey them. But the stranger... He was our storyteller. He would keep us spellbound for hours on end with adventures, mysteries and comedies(喜剧).

If I wanted to know anything about politics，history or science，he always knew the answers about the past, understood the present and even seemed able to predict the future! He made me laugh, and he made me cry. The stranger never stopped talking, but Dad didn't seem to mind.

I now know that my early concepts about relationship were influenced strongly by the stranger. Time after time, he opposed the values of my parents, yet he was seldom blamed...and NEVER asked to leave.

More than fifty years have passed since the stranger moved in with our family. He has blended(融合) right in but is not nearly as fascinating as he was at first. Still, if you were to walk into my parent's room today, you would still find him sitting over in his corner, waiting for someone to listen to him talk and watch him draw his pictures. His name?

We just call him...“TV”.

He has a younger sister now. We call her “Computer”.

56．When the stranger came to live with our family, he was ________.

A. ignored by the children                     B. driven away for no reason

C. abandoned because it was too noisy         D. accepted by every family member

57．The stranger can do all the following things EXCEPT that he can ________.

A. tell us some funny stories                  B. reject our proposals(提议)

C. influence the children's character                 D. predict the future

58．The underlined word “spellbound” in Paragraph 2 most probably means ________.

A. concentrated                                          B. puzzled

C. fascinated                                            D. astonished

59．What can we learn from the last three paragraphs of the passage?

A. The computer is more advanced and has gained greater popularity.

B. Old as he is，we like the stranger best.

C. The TV set is out of fashion and often breaks down.

D. We decide to throw the TV set away immediately.

A few months before I was born, my Dad met a stranger who was new to our small town. From the beginning, Dad was fascinated with this enchanting newcomer and soon invited him to live with our family. The stranger was quickly accepted and was around to welcome me into the world a few months later.

As I grew up, I never questioned his place in my family. In my young mind, he had a special position. My parents were complementary instructors：Mom taught me the words, and Dad taught me to obey them. But the stranger... He was our storyteller. He would keep us spellbound for hours on end with adventures, mysteries and comedies(喜剧).

If I wanted to know anything about politics，history or science，he always knew the answers about the past, understood the present and even seemed able to predict the future! He made me laugh, and he made me cry. The stranger never stopped talking, but Dad didn't seem to mind.

I now know that my early concepts about relationship were influenced strongly by the stranger. Time after time, he opposed the values of my parents, yet he was seldom blamed...and NEVER asked to leave.

More than fifty years have passed since the stranger moved in with our family. He has blended(融合) right in but is not nearly as fascinating as he was at first. Still, if you were to walk into my parent's room today, you would still find him sitting over in his corner, waiting for someone to listen to him talk and watch him draw his pictures. His name?

We just call him...“TV”.

He has a younger sister now. We call her “Computer”.

51．The stranger can do all the following things EXCEPT that he can ________.

A. tell us some funny stories                  B. reject our proposals(提议)

C. influence the children's character             D. predict the future

52．The underlined word “spellbound” in Paragraph 2 most probably means ________.

A. concentrated     B. puzzled   C. fascinated    D. astonished

53．What can we learn from the last three paragraphs of the passage?

A. The computer is more advanced and has gained greater popularity.

B. Old as he is，we like the stranger best.

C. The TV set is out of fashion and often breaks down.

D. We decide to throw the TV set away immediately.

Dear Economist，

My newly­wedded wife and I are deeply in love. There is, however, one issue that threatens the happiness of our marriage. I absolutely insist on shopping at Walmart. My  wife, meanwhile, would  rather  avoid Walmart at all costs. I have recently tried to convince her that not only does Walmart offer the lowest prices known to man, but that the chain is also a force for good—lower prices mean better standards of living for all consumers, increased global trade means a tighterknit(紧密团结的) international community, and efficient operations translate into higher productivity growth for the economy. My wife complains about poor labour policies, the fact that Walmart squeezes suppliers, and that it puts local shops out of business.

Who is right? Will our marriage survive?

Brian Gee

Dear Brian，

I have to agree with you about Walmart. Jason Furman，then an economist at New York University, now an adviser to President Obama, famously argued in 2005 that Walmart was unwittingly (不知不觉地) a  progressive success story.The chain's prices don't much affect me(I prefer Whole Foods)but Furman estimated  that they benefited low­and­middle­income Americans to  the sum of around $250 billion a year.

Walmart does not pay much, so it may depress  wages.Then again, it may increase wages by offering jobs to the otherwise—unemployed. Either way, the benefits of low prices to Walmart shoppers far outweigh any seemingly reasonable costs to Walmart employees. And while it is true that Walmart employees tend to be poor，the same is true of Walmart shoppers.

Armed with this information you can face your wife with confidence. You are sure to win the conversation. The divorce is likely to be more argued.

Economist

68. What concerned Brian Gee so much that he wrote the letter?

A. His wife refuses to shop at Walmart.

B. They are faced with a divorce.

C. They  can't  afford  the  costs  of  shopping  at    Walmart.

D. They are in conflict about shopping at Walmart.

69．Brian Gee's wife tends to hold the opinion that________.

A. it is wrong for Walmart to depress its employees' wages

B. consumers' lives have improved thanks to Walmart

C. Walmart's business operation increased productivity in economy

D. Walmart's business increases global trade

70．What can be inferred from the reply letter?

A. Some employees accept the low pay to keep the job.

B. Walmart appeals to only poor consumers and poor employees.

C. Employees suffer from Walmart's low prices more than consumers.

D. Jason Furman, a New York University economist，spoke highly of Walmart.