When a group of children politely stop a conversation with you, saying: “We have to go to work now,” you’re left feeling surprised and certainly uneasy. After all, this is the 1990s and the idea of children working is just unthinkable. That is, until you are told that they are all pupils of stage schools, and that the “work” they go off to is to go on the stage in a theatre.

　　Stage schools often act as agencies（代理机构）to supply children for stage and television work. More worthy of the name “stage school” are those few places where children attend full time, with a training for the theatre and a general education.

　　A visit to such schools will leave you in no doubt that the children enjoy themselves. After all, what lively children wouldn’t settle for spending only half the day doing ordinary school work, and acting, singing or dancing their way through the other half of the day?

　Then of course there are times for the children to make a name and make a little money in some big shows. Some stage schools give their children too much professional work at such a young age. But the law is very tight on the amount they can do. Those under 13 are limited to 40 days in the year; those over 13 to 80 days.

　The schools themselves admit that not all children will be successful in the profession for which they are being trained. So what happens to those who don’t make it? While all the leading schools say they place great importance on children getting good study results, the facts seem to suggest this is not always the case.

　People would stop feeling uneasy when realizing that the children they’re talking to________.

　　  A. attend a stage school　　　　  B. are going to the theatre

　　  C. have got some work to do 　　  D. love singing and dancing

　　 In the writer’s opinion, a good stage school should ________.

　　  A. produce star performers

　　  B. help pupils improve their study skills

　　  C. train pupils in language and performing arts

　　  D. provide a general education and stage training.

　“Professional work” as used in the text means ________.

　　  A. ordinary school work　　　　　  B. money-making performances

　　  C. stage training at school 　 　  D. acting, singing or dancing after class

　 Which of the following best describes how the writer feels about stage schools?

　　  A. He thinks highly of what they have to offer.　　　　

　　  B. He favours an early start in the training of performing arts.

　　  C. He feels uncomfortable about children putting on night shows.

　　  D. He doubts the standard of ordinary education they have reached.

阅读理解

　　Americans are always in a hurry, they seem to be under permanent pressure to think that there is something more to do the next moment. This fast pace is reflected in the popularity of fast-food restaurants, one-stop stations and micro-ovens. They hate to waste their time and would frown if their time is wasted by interruptions or by poor service. They appreciate the practice of doing things as quickly as possible, as in their eyes,“patience is the virtue of asses.”

　　In contract, people in Indonesia believe in“rubber time”, to the extent that time can stretch or shrink. In Africa, people who do something in a rush are actually asking for trouble; they'd be suspected of trying to cheat! In their culture, a slow unusual, worth doubt.

　　Here is a contract between the slow pace people (SPP) and the fast pace people(FPP);

　　◇SPP－Consider an appointment as a target to achieve, if possible.

　　　FPP－take a promise seriously and try to keep it by all means.

　　◇SPP－are dedicated to people and human relationship.

　　　FPP－are devoted to work rather than to human relationship.

　　　SPP－change plans easily.

　　　FPP－follow and stick to the plans.

　　◇SPP－decide to be punctual or not based on human relationship.

　　　FPP－stress punctuality.

　　◇SPP－show strong tendency to build lifetime friendship.

　　　FPP-are used to short-term relationship.

(1)Which of the following statements indicates that Americans are leading a fast-pace life?

[　　]

A．Americans have modern kitchen equipment.

B．Fast-food restaurants are popular with Americans.

C．Almost every American family owns a car.

D．There are a lot of railway stations in the United States.

(2)The underlined phrase“one-stop stations”probably means ________.

[　　]

A．A bus stop is not far from one another

B．There are a number of police stations in the United States

C．There are a lot of gas stations here and there, and it is one-stop distance between them.

D．It is a long way from a gas station to the next one

(3)In which country people who do something in a rush are suspected of trying to cheat?

[　　]

A．Venezuela　　　　　　B．Italy

C．Vietnam　　　　　　　D．Zambia

(4)If a person cares more for human relationship than his job, he must belong to ________.

[　　]

A．the fast pace people

B．the slow pace people

C．the lazy people

D．the clever people

It is pretty much a one-way street. While it may be common for university researchers to try their luck in the commercial world, there is very little traffic in the opposite direction. Pay has always been the biggest deterrent, as people with families often feel they cannot afford the drop in salary when moving to a university job. For some industrial scientists, however, the attractions of academia (学术界) outweigh any financial considerations.

　　Helen Lee took a 70% cut in salary when she moved from a senior post in Abbott Laboratories to a medical department at the University of Cambridge. Her main reason for returning to academia mid-career was to take advantage of the greater freedom to choose research questions. Some areas of inquiry have few prospects(前景) of a commercial return, and Lee’s is one of them.

　　The impact of a salary cut is probably less serious for a scientist in the early stages of a career. Guy Grant, now a research associate at the Unilever Centre for Molecular Informatics at the University of Cambridge, spent two years working for a pharmaceutical (制药的) company before returning to university as a post-doctoral researcher. He took a 30% salary cut but felt it worthwhile for the greater intellectual(智力的) opportunities.

　　Higher up the ladder, where a pay cut is usually more significant, the demand for scientists with a wealth of experience in industry is forcing universities to make the transition (转换) to academia more attractive, according to Lee. Industrial scientists tend to receive training that academics do not, such as how to build a multidisciplinary(包括各种学科的) team, manage budgets and negotiate(谈判) contracts. They are also well placed to bring something extra to the teaching side of an academic role that will help students get a job when they graduate, says Lee, perhaps experience in manufacturing practice or product development. “Only a small number of undergraduates will continue in an academic career. So someone leaving university who already has the skills needed to work in an industrial lab has far more potential in the job market than someone who has spent all their time on a narrow research project.”

1.By “a one-way street” in the first paragraph, the author means ________.

A．university researchers know little about the commercial world

B．there is little exchange between industry and academia

C．few industrial scientists would quit to work in a university

D．few university professors are willing to do industrial research

2.The word “deterrent” most probably refers to something that _____.

A．keeps someone from taking action

B．helps to move the traffic

C．attracts people’s attention

D．brings someone a financial burden

3.What was Helen Lee’s major consideration when she changed her job in the middle of her career?

A．Flexible work hours.

B．Her research interests.

C．Her preference for the lifestyle on campus.

D．Prospects of academic accomplishments.

4.Guy Grant chose to work as a researcher at Cambridge in order to ________.

A．do financially more rewarding work

B．raise his status in the academic world

C．enrich his experience in medical research

D．have better intellectual opportunities

5.What contribution can industrial scientists make when they come to teach in a university?

A．Increase its graduates’ competitiveness in the job market

B．Develop its students’ potential in research.

C．Help it to obtain financial support from industry.

D．Adapt its research to practical applications.

The appeal of advertising to buying motives can have both negative and positive effects. Consumers may be convinced to buy a product of poor quality or high price because of an advertisement. For example, some advertisers have appealed to people’s desire for better fuel economy for their cars by advertising automotive products that improve gasoline mileage. Some of the products work. Others are worthless and a waste of consumers’ money.
Sometimes advertising is intentionally misleading. A few years ago a brand of
bread was offered to dieters (节食者) with the message that there were fewer calories in every slice. It turned out that the bread was not dietetic (适合于节食的), but just regular bread. There were fewer calories because it was sliced very thin, but there were the same number of calories in every loaf.
　　On the positive side, emotional appeals may respond to a consumer’s real concerns. Consider fire insurance. Fire insurance may be sold by appealing to fear of loss. But fear of loss is the real reason for fire insurance. The security of knowing that property is protected by insurance makes the purchase of fire insurance a worthwhile investment for most people. If consumers consider the quality of the insurance plans as well as the message in the ads, they will benefit from the advertising.
　　Each consumer must evaluate her or his own situation. Are the benefits of the product important enough to justify buying it? Advertising is intended to appeal to consumers, but it does not force them to buy the product. Consumers still control the final buying decision.
56. Advertising can persuade the consumer to buy worthless products by _________.
　 A. stressing their high quality
　 B. convincing him of their low price
　 C. maintaining a balance between quality and price
　 D. appealing to his buying motives
57. The reason why the bread advertisement is misleading is that ________.
　 A. thin slices of bread could contain more calories
　 B. the loaf was cut into regular slices
　 C. the bread was not genuine bread
　 D. the total number of calories in the loaf remained the same
58. The passage tells us that _______.
　 A. sometimes advertisements really sell what the consumer needs
　 B. advertisements occasionally force consumers into buying things they don’t need
　 C. the buying motives of consumers are controlled by advertisements
　 D. fire insurance is seldom a worthwhile investment
59. It can be inferred from the passage that a smart consumer should ________.
　 A. think carefully about the benefits described in the advertisements
　 B. guard against the deceiving nature of advertisements
　 C. be familiar with various advertising strategies
　 D. avoid buying products that have strong emotional appeal
60. The passage is mainly about ________.
　 A. how to make a wise buying decision
　 B. ways to protect the interests of the consumer
　 C. the positive and negative aspects of advertising
　 D. the function of advertisements in promoting sales

Clothes play a critical part in the conclusions we reach about who people are, who they are not, and who they would like to be. They tell us a good deal about the wearer′s background, personality, status, mood, and social outlook.
　　Since clothes are such an important source of social information, we can use them to influence people′s impression of us. Our appearance takes on particular significance in the initial phases of interaction. An elderly middle-class man or woman may be alienated (疏远) by a young adult who is dressed in an unconventional manner, regardless of the person′s education, background, or interests.
　　People tend to agree on what certain types of clothes mean. Adolescent girls can easily agree on the lifestyles of girls who wear certain outfits (套装), including the number of boyfriends they likely have had and whether they smoke or drink. Newscasters and announcers on TV are considered to be more convincing, honest, and competent when they are dressed conservatively. College students who view themselves as taking an active role in their interpersonal relationships say the costumes they wear change the way they feel about themselves and how they act. Perhaps you have used clothing to gain confidence when you face a stressful situation, such as a job interview, or a court appearance.
　　In the workplace, men have long had well-defined role models for achieving success. It has been otherwise for women. A good many women in the business world are uncertain about the appropriate mixture of “masculine”（男性）and “feminine”（女性）characteristics they should convey to men.
　　Male administrators tend to judge women more favorably for managerial positions when the women display less “feminine” grooming (打扮)— shorter hair, moderate use of make-up, and plain tailored clothing. As one male administrator confessed, “An attractive woman is definitely going to get a longer interview, but she won′t get a job.”
57. According to paragraph two, an elderly middle-class man and     unconventionally-dressed young man are unlikely to____.
A. understand each other's lifestyle
B. share the same background or interests
C. influence their impressions of each other
D. interact in a positive way
58. The author uses the newscasters' example to show the idea that____.
A. certain clothing gives people more confidence
B. clothes have nothing to do with one's abilities
C. we tend to label people by their clothes
D. competent people always dress conventionally
59. Men's professional clothing can best be described as "_____".
A. conventional                B. individualistic
C. out-of-date                 D. changeless
60. How should professional women dress according to the passage?
A. They must be dressed conservatively.
B. They don't have a certain dressing style to follow.
C. They choose either masculine or feminine clothing.
D. They can't wear unconventional outfits.