American cities are similar to other cities around the world — American cities are changing, just as American society is changing. After World War Two, the population of most large American cities decreased; however, the population in many Sun Belt cities increase. 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 became wealthier. They moved out of their apartments in the city to buy their own homes. They bought houses in the suburbs.

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 the city. They prefer the city to the suburbs because their jobs are there, or they just enjoy the excitement and possibilities that the city offers.

    This population shifting 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.

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.

Why did American city residents want to live in the suburbs after World War Two? Because ______.

   A. older American cities were disappearing     B. they got richer and needed more space.

   C. cities only provided them with apartments D. they could hardly afford to live in the city.

According to the 3^rd 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

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

Travel Unaccompanied

Now many young people are traveling around the world on their own, not because they have no one to travel with, but because they prefer to go alone．

Kristina Wegscheider from California first traveled alone when she was at college and believes that it is something everyone should do at least once in their life. “It opens up your mind to new things and pushes you out of your comfort zone.” Wegscheider has visited 46 countries covering all seven continents．

In foreign countries, with no one to help you read a map, look after you if you get ill, or lend you money if your wallet is stolen. It is challenging. This is what drives young people to travel alone．It is seen as character building and a chance to prove that they can make it on their own．

Chris Richardson decided to leave his sales job in Australia to go traveling last year．He set up a website, The Aussie Nomad, to document his adventures. He said he wished he had traveled alone earlier. “The people you meet, the places you visit, or the things you do, everything is up to you and it forces you to grow as a person,” said the 30-year-old．

Richardson describes traveling alone like “a shot in the arm”, which “makes you a more confident person that was ready to deal with anything”. He said: “The feeling of having conquered something on my own is a major part of what drives me each day when I’m dealing with a difficult task. I walk around with my head up because I know deep down inside that nothing is impossible if you try.”

The great 19th century explorer John Muir once said: “Only by going alone in silence can one truly get into the heart of the wilderness.”

1.Which of the following will Kristina Wegscheider agree with?

A. Traveling alone is a necessary experience for everyone.

B. It is more meaningful to travel in foreign countries.

C. It is comfortable to travel around without a friend.

D. Traveling abroad helps people to find new things.

2.Traveling alone is challenging because         .

A. it will finally build your character

B. you have to make things on your own

C. you depend on yourself whatever happens

D. it is hard for you to prove yourself to others

3.What can we infer about Chris Richardson?

A. He started traveling at an early age．          B. He was once shot in the arm.

C. His website inspires others a lot.      D. He used to work as a salesman．

B
For a song to become popular, people need to bear it.  In order for people　to hear it, the program directors at radio stations have to play it on the air. A song’s popularity is directly related to how often it is played. That is a big responsibility for program directors. How do they decide what gets played and what doesn’t?
In the past, disc jockeys(音乐节目主持人) decided what music was played on the radio. These DJs had an ear for music and an understanding of what their audience wanted to hear. Today, that is all changing. Most major radio stations are owned by a few large national businesses. The decision of what gets played on the radio is made by executives(主管) who have little or no interest in music. They do, however, know how to run a business, and they know what sells. So, the music industry designs and creates pop entertainers, and executives in the radio industry make sure that their music is played on the radio. This explains why you do not often hear anything new and fresh on the radio. The executives do not want to give air time to music that has not been tested on the market. It is too risky. They prefer to go with music that they already know will sell. They know it will sell because it sold last week and last month and last year. They just have to change it a little.
One of the most criticized(批评) practices in the music industry is the practice of “payola”. This is when record companies pay radio stations to play the music of a given artist. This practice makes many people lose trust in the music industry and is therefore against the law. A radio station can accept money in exchange for air time of a song, but they have to make it clear that the song is being played because its air time was paid for. They cannot present the song as if it were part of the normal play schedule(时刻表).
Payola affects both artists and audiences. The artists who work with small record companies that cannot pay a lot of money to radio stations have a much harder time getting exposure. It creates an unfair playing field. Music lovers suffer because they are not able to hear all the music that is available.
60. According to the passage, most major radio stations belong to       .
A. national businesses                      B. program directors   
C. pop entertainers                         D. record companies
61. “Payola” is the practice of        .
A. artists paying radio stations to play their songs
B. record companies buying air time for certain music
C. radio station paying record company for new songs
D. program directors deciding what music gets played
62. Who can make the largest profits from payola?
A. Disc Jockeys.                               B. The given artists.
C.  Business executives.                        D. Program directors.
63. It can be concluded from the passage that the author        .
A. has a positive attitude towards the practice of “payola”
B. is dissatisfied with the present situation in music industry
C. is calling for a change in the normal play schedule
D. thinks that the radio stations are doing the right thing

    American cities are similar to other cities around the world: American cities are changing, just as American society is changing. After World War Two, the population of most large American cities decreased; however, the population in many Sun Belt cities increase. 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 became weathier. 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 the city. They prefer the city to the suburbs because their jobs are there; or they just enjoy the excitement and possiblilies 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 meney 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.

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.

Why did American city residents want to live in the suburbs after World War Two?

   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 to live in the city.

According to the 4^th 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

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

As societies develop,their members start to see things not so much according to what they need,but according to what they want.When people have enough money,these wants become demands.

Now,it’s important for the managers in a company to understand what their customers want if they are going to develop effective marketing strategies(策略).There are various ways of doing this.One way at supermarkets(超市),for example,is to interview(采访)customers while they’re doing their shopping.They can be asked what they prefer to buy and then the results of the research can be studied.This provides information on which to base future marketing strategies.It’s also quite normal for top managers from department stores to spend a day or two each month visiting stores and mixing freely with the public,as if they were ordinary customers,to get an idea of how customers act.

Another way to get information from customers is to give them something.For example,some fast food restaurants give away tickets in magazines or on the street that permit customers to get part of their meal for nothing.As well as being a good way of attracting customers into the restaurants to spend their money,it also allows the managers to get a feel for where to attract customers and which age-groups to attract.

Another strategy used at some well-known parks such as Disneyland is for top managers to spend at least one day in their work,touring the park dressed as Mickey Mouse or something like that.This provides them with a perfect chance to examine the scene and watch the customers without being noticed.

The text is designed for ________.

A.managers                                                     B.salesmen

C.researchers                                                   D.customers

Which of the following can help managers get useful information?

A.Visiting customers themselves.

B.Giving customers free food on the street.

C.Visiting parks as ordinary customers.

D.Asking customers questions at supermarkets.

What does the word“this”underlined in the last sentence refer to?

A.Visiting Disneyland.

B.Wearing attractive clothes.

C.Acting Mickey Mouse.

D.Dressing up and walking around.

The main idea of the text is ________.

A.how to do market research

B.how to develop marketing strategies

C.how to find out customers’ social needs

D.how to encourage customers to spend more money