A woman from Japan ，who had visited major businesses and investment companies in New York City ，was telling a friend about her trip to the US．"I studied English before I left home．But I still was not sure that people were speaking English."

Her problem is easy to understand．Americans in business are like people who are in business anywhere．They have a language of their own．Some of the words and expressions deal with the special areas of their work．Other expressions are borrowed from different kinds of work such as the theater and movie industry.

One such saying is get your act together.

When things go wrong in a business, an employer may get angry．He may shout, "Stop making mistakes．Get your act together."

Or, if the employer is calmer, he may say, "Let us get our act together."

Either way, the meaning is the same．Getting your act together is getting organized．In business, it usually means to develop a calm and orderly plan of action.

It is difficult to tell exactly where the saying began．Perhaps one of the actors was nervous and made a lot of mistakes．The director may have said, "Calm down, now．Get your act together."

Word expert James Rogers says the expression was common by the late 1970s．He says the Manchester Guardian newspaper used it in 1978．The newspaper said a reform policy required that the British government get its act together.

Now, this expression is heard often when officials of a company meet．One company even called its yearly report, "Getting Our Act Together."

1．Paragraph1 is written mainly to _______

　 A．tell us the Japanese woman’s English is poor

　 B．lead to the subject in the whole passage

　 C．tell us it is important to grasp spoken English

　 D．tell us traveling in the US is very difficult

2．The reason why the woman was not sure that people were speaking English was that ______

　 A．they speak too fast to follow

　 B．they didn’t want the woman to learn their experience

　 C．they have some special words and expressions of their own in their field .

　 D．they are from theater and movie industry

3．The saying “ get your act together” in Paragraph 4 means _______

　 A．Don’t do that again 　　　 B．You are dismissed

　 C．Calm down 　　　　　　　　　 D．Get organized

4．We can infer that the saying “get your act together.” ________

　 A．began from movie industry.

　 B．was created by Word expert James Rogers in the 1970s

　 C．is used commonly in businesses and investment companies at present

　 D．was first used by the Manchester Guardian newspaper

English Language and Culture Program
If you wish to improve your English-language skills as well as your understanding of the Canadian cultural context, the courses offered by ELC Evening are for you. Whether your goals are academic, business or immigration-related, there is a course to meet your needs．
Evening course tuition:$490,0．
All evening courses run for 10 weeks．A $50 discount is available to returning students or students attending two or more courses．
ELC 550
Mondays, July 7 - September 22, 2008August 4 & September 11- HOLIDAY
Mondays, October 6-December 15．2008 October 13-HOLIDAY
This course is designed for non-native Englisli speakers who wish to take the 1ELTS （International English Language Testing System） exam．Each week, participants （参加者）focus on specific modules of the test （speaking, reading, listening, and writing） to develop and improve the skills they need to succeed on the exam．
ELC 552
Tuesdays, Aprils8-June 10,2008
Tuesdays, October 7 - December．16, 2008 November 11 - HOLIDAY
This course is designed for participants who wish to improve their fluency and expressiveness in English．Production skills will be targeted, including pronunciation, intonation, rhythm, and stress．Participants are required to complete weekly in-class assignments （任务）, including speeches, monologues, interviews, and role-plays．
ELC 554
Wednesdays, July 9 - September 10．2008
Wednesdays, October 8 -December 10．2008
This course is designed for non-native English-speaking university and college participants who wish to improve their academic leading and writing skills．This course gives participants the tools required for presenting information and building persuasive arguments in clear and cohesive written forms．
ELC 555
Thursdays, July 10 - September 11, 2008
Thursdays, October 9 - December 11, 2008
This course is designed for non-native English speakers who are either working or planning to work in a business environment．Areas of focus include handling telephone conversations, networking, participating in meetings, negotiating, making presentations, and conducting interviews．
【小题1】One only needs to pay $440 if he ______．

English Language and Culture Program

If you wish to improve your English-language skills as well as your understanding of the Canadian cultural context, the courses offered by ELC Evening are for you. Whether your goals are academic, business or immigration-related, there is a course to meet your needs．

Evening course tuition:$490,0．

All evening courses run for 10 weeks．A $50 discount is available to returning students or students attending two or more courses．

ELC 550

Mondays, July 7 - September 22, 2008August 4 & September 11- HOLIDAY

Mondays, October 6-December 15．2008 October 13-HOLIDAY

This course is designed for non-native Englisli speakers who wish to take the 1ELTS （International English Language Testing System） exam．Each week, participants （参加者）focus on specific modules of the test （speaking, reading, listening, and writing） to develop and improve the skills they need to succeed on the exam．

ELC 552

Tuesdays, Aprils8-June 10,2008

Tuesdays, October 7 - December．16, 2008 November 11 - HOLIDAY

This course is designed for participants who wish to improve their fluency and expressiveness in English．Production skills will be targeted, including pronunciation, intonation, rhythm, and stress．Participants are required to complete weekly in-class assignments （任务）, including speeches, monologues, interviews, and role-plays．

ELC 554

Wednesdays, July 9 - September 10．2008

Wednesdays, October 8 -December 10．2008

This course is designed for non-native English-speaking university and college participants who wish to improve their academic leading and writing skills．This course gives participants the tools required for presenting information and building persuasive arguments in clear and cohesive written forms．

ELC 555

Thursdays, July 10 - September 11, 2008

Thursdays, October 9 - December 11, 2008

This course is designed for non-native English speakers who are either working or planning to work in a business environment．Areas of focus include handling telephone conversations, networking, participating in meetings, negotiating, making presentations, and conducting interviews．

1.One only needs to pay $440 if he ______．

2.Which is the proper time for one who wants to find a job in business field?

3.ELC 554 is most suitable for ______．

4.ELC 550 mainly focuses on ______．

5.A student who mainly wants to improve his spoken English can attend           ．

English Language and Culture Program
If you wish to improve your English-language skills as well as your understanding of the Canadian cultural context, the courses offered by ELC Evening are for you. Whether your goals are academic, business or immigration-related, there is a course to meet your needs．
Evening course tuition:$490,0．
All evening courses run for 10 weeks．A $50 discount is available to returning students or students attending two or more courses．
ELC 550
Mondays, July 7 - September 22, 2008August 4 & September 11- HOLIDAY
Mondays, October 6-December 15．2008 October 13-HOLIDAY
This course is designed for non-native Englisli speakers who wish to take the 1ELTS （International English Language Testing System） exam．Each week, participants （参加者）focus on specific modules of the test （speaking, reading, listening, and writing） to develop and improve the skills they need to succeed on the exam．
ELC 552
Tuesdays, Aprils8-June 10,2008
Tuesdays, October 7 - December．16, 2008 November 11 - HOLIDAY
This course is designed for participants who wish to improve their fluency and expressiveness in English．Production skills will be targeted, including pronunciation, intonation, rhythm, and stress．Participants are required to complete weekly in-class assignments （任务）, including speeches, monologues, interviews, and role-plays．
ELC 554
Wednesdays, July 9 - September 10．2008
Wednesdays, October 8 -December 10．2008
This course is designed for non-native English-speaking university and college participants who wish to improve their academic leading and writing skills．This course gives participants the tools required for presenting information and building persuasive arguments in clear and cohesive written forms．
ELC 555
Thursdays, July 10 - September 11, 2008
Thursdays, October 9 - December 11, 2008
This course is designed for non-native English speakers who are either working or planning to work in a business environment．Areas of focus include handling telephone conversations, networking, participating in meetings, negotiating, making presentations, and conducting interviews．

1. 1.

   One only needs to pay $440 if he ______．

   1. A.
      attends 10 weeks' evening course
   2. B.
      attends the evening courses for a second lime
   3. C.
      finds others to take the evening course together
   4. D.
      recommends another person to take one ot the evening courses
2. 2.

   Which is the proper time for one who wants to find a job in business field?

   1. A.
      Mondays, October 6 - December 15, 2008．
   2. B.
      Tuesdays, October 7 - December 16,2008．
   3. C.
      Wednesdays, October 8 - December 10, 2008．
   4. D.
      Thursdays, October 9 - December 11, 2008．
3. 3.

   ELC 554 is most suitable for ______．

   1. A.
      a newspaper reporter
   2. B.
      a university student
   3. C.
      a businessman
   4. D.
      a high school student
4. 4.

   ELC 550 mainly focuses on ______．

   1. A.
      college preparations
   2. B.
      fluency and expressiveness in English
   3. C.
      the skills needed to pass an exam
   4. D.
      basic English knowledge
5. 5.

   A student who mainly wants to improve his spoken English can attend ______．

   1. A.
      ELC 550
   2. B.
      ELC 552
   3. C.
      ELC 554
   4. D.
      ELC 555

Literature is a term used to describe written as well as spoken material．Generally speaking, it is often used to describe anything from creative imagination, including works of poetry, drama and fiction．

       Then why read literature, since it is often imaginary and seems unconnected with real life?

       A lot of us read literature for pleasure and relaxation．It’s always pleasant to read some interesting books, such as comedies and novels, in our spare time．In a modern life full of pressure, it is our common desire to read some imaginary works and seek relaxation from the stress in life．

       Reading literature is more than fun; it also enables us to acquire knowledge．As a general rule, literature represents a language or a people, and it often gives us an insight（洞察力）into the traditions, customs, beliefs, attitudes and values of the age in which it was written．

       Sometimes literature can even offer us new, creative ways to have a better understanding of the world．It helps us make sense of the world around us．It introduces us to new worlds of experiences．We enjoy the comedy and the tragedy of poems, stories and plays; and we may even grow through our literary journey with books．Eventually, we may discover meaning in literature by looking at what the author says and how he/she says it．In a sense, we explore the human condition and analyze how and why people think the way they think and feel the way they feel．Literature enables us to think analytically and promotes open minds．We see the world through the eyes of different cultures and in turn learn the ways to deal with things that happen around．

       So we can definitely say literature is of great importance to us．Why not get going with one poem, drama or fiction at once?