When Johnson called again, the manager received him very politely. “That is a most remarkable oil you brought us, Mr Johnson,” he said. Johnson nodded his smooth, dark head. That was something he knew very well. “I’ve never seen anything like it,” the manager admitted. Johnson nodded again. “No?” he said politely. Then he added, “But I think you will, sir. A very great deal of it.” He appeared to think for a moment. “I think you will find it will be on sale seven, perhaps, eight years from now.” He smiled.

The manager thought that was uncertain. He said, “It is better than our fish oils. I admit that.” “So I am told, sir,” agreed Johnson.

“Have you any plans to produce it yourself, Mr Johnson?”

Johnson smiled again. “Would I be showing it to you if I had?”

“We might add some chemicals to one of our own fish oils,” said the manager.

“It would be expensive to do that, even if you could.” Johnson said gently. “Besides,” he added, “I am told that this oil will be much cheaper than your best fish oils. Cheaper than any vegetable oil, in fact.”

“Perhaps,” said the manager. “Well, I suppose you want to make an arrangement, Mr Johnson, Shall we discuss it?”

“Of course,” said Johnson. “There are two ways of dealing with a situation of this sort. The usual one is to prevent it altogether or at least to delay it as long as possible. That is, of course, the best way,” The manager nodded. He knew plenty about all that.

“But I am so sorry for you, because, you see, that is not possible this time.” The manager had his doubts, but all he said was an inquiring(asking), “Oh?”

“The other way,” continued Johnson, “is to produce yourself before the trouble starts.”

The manager thought of adding chemicals to the fish oil to make it ________.

A. cheaper than the new oil          B. more quickly

C. more expensive                       D. as good as the new oil

Johnson’s new oil would be ________.

A. more expensive than fish oil, but better

B. less expensive, and better

C. less expensive, but not good

D. more expensive, and not so good

Johnson expressed his regret that the manager ________.

A. could not stop the new oil being made

B. would never know how to make it

C. had spent a lot of money on it

D. didn’t know enough about it

Johnson showed his new oil to the manager because he wanted ________.

A. to produce it himselfB. to prevent it being produced

C. to be paid not to produce it 　D. the manager to produce it

People say teenagers are no good. They make too much noise in shopping malls; they drive recklessly（不顾一切地） up and down America’s main streets; they carry chips on their shoulders as big as the Sears Tower. And at least some of the time those things are true. But we shouldn’t forget that there are hard moments in the life of a teenager too.

I watched such a moment not long ago at a woman’s funeral. I didn’t expect the event to affect me. Through much of the ceremony, in fact, I remained unmoved.

The teenage grandson stepped forward. With his very first deep breath, every heart in that church was achingly reminded of something we had all forgotten. Softly he began: “I want to share a few values that Nana taught me. She never failed to see light in any situation. When our family dog would truely attract her, what would Nana say? ‘oh, what beautiful barking that dog has!’ That was Nana. ”

“She was a strong woman who often lived in the shadow of my grandpa, who was a successful businessman in this city. But she was the one behind the scenes who provided the strength and support for my grandpa’s career,” he said, with a voice now trembling, “That was Nana’s way.”

Through a low sob, he continued, “Whenever she did anything worth recognition, you’d have to hear about it from a different source, because she was never one to show off.”

Finally, in a voice breaking free of sorrow, he looked up and said, “Nana taught me courage. She put up an incredible fight to the end, when she died peacefully, which is how she lived her life. That was Nana’s way, and I hope I can carry on in the same manner.”

There are no hearts as sensitive as those of teenagers, because everything is happening to them for the first time. The trouble with teenagers is that they haven’t learned to be controlled.

When that boy rose to speak about the woman who surely had been his truest and dearest friend, his honest voice dragged each of us out into the open where we could no longer hide in the calm ceremony . He exposed us to the truth about this very real woman who believed in a boy who probably tried the patience of many adults. He reminded us that his grandmother was more than another dot on the chart of life and death.

All over again we felt those powerful losses crossing our own hearts, and we knew that when you say good-bye to something happy, something young in yourself. And that something never really returns, and the pain never really goes away.

In the first paragraph, the writer gave some examples to_____.

A. support his idea that young people are no good.

B. introduce his point of view about young people.

C. tell people every coin has its two sides.

D. young people often make mistakes.

From the boy’s speech, we know _____.

A. his grandmother had great influence on him.

B. they had a dog which often attacked people

C. people had forgotten her until the boy appeared..

D. his grandmother was so weak that she is always living in the shadow of his grandpa

Which of the following statements is true?

A. The boy ‘s speech moved no one present at the funeral except the writer.

B. The boy’s being good at expressing himself enabled him to draw everyone’s attention.

C. The boy was too grieved to accept the fact that his grandmother had passed away.

D. The writer didn’t expect the event would affect him.

What words can best describe grandmother’s quality?

A. weak, mild and modest.

B.. easygoing, cautious and considerate

C. sensitive and hard on others.

D, patient, optimistic, strong and helpful.

The passage tells the readers____.

A. facing certain bitter facts help young people to grow.

B. young people have to control themselves

C. the adults should learn from the young.

D. the adults should teach the young how to be brave

Experts say that it is not easy to get used to life in a new culture. “Culture shock” is the term specialists use when talking about the feelings that people have in a new environment. “There are three stages of culture shock,” say the specialists. In the first stage, the newcomers like their new environment. Then, when the fresh experience dies, they begin to hate the city, the country, the people, and everything else. In the last stage, the newcomers begin to adjust to their surroundings and, as a result, enjoy their life more.

　　There are some obvious factors in culture shock. The weather may be unpleasant. The customs may be different. The public service systems---the telephone, post office, or transportation---may be difficult to work out. The simplest things seem to be big problems. The language may be difficult.

　　Who feels culture shock? Everyone does in this way or that. But culture shock surprises most people. Very often the people having the worst culture shock are those who never had any difficulties in their home countries and were successful in their community. Coming to a new country, these people find they do not have the same established positions. They find themselves without a role, almost without an identity.

　　They have to build a new self-image.

　　Culture shock gives rises to a feeling of disorientation (迷惘). This feeling may be homesickness. When homesick, people feel like staying inside all the time. They want to protect themselves from the strange environment, and create and escape inside their room for a sense of security. This escape does solve the problem of culture shock for the short term, but it does nothing to make the person familiar with the culture. Getting to know the new environment and gaining experience are the long-term solutions to the problem of culture shock. 

1. When people move to a new country, they _________.

A. will get used to their new surroundings with difficulty

B. have well prepared for the new surroundings

C. will get used to the culture of the country quickly

D. will never be familiar with culture of the country

2.According to the passage, factors that give rise to culture shock include all of the following except __________.

A. language communication              B. weather conditions and customs

C. public service systems                D. homesickness 

3.When people are homesick, they tend to ________.

A. find some people to talk to             B. go outside to have a walk [来源:Z#xx#k.Com]

C. visit their friends far away             D. stay indoors all the time

4.The writer tells us that the best way to overcome culture shock is to _______.

A. protect ourselves from unfamiliar environment    B. develop a strange sense of self-protection

C. get familiar with new culture                  D. return to our own country

 

Crosstalk(相声)，a traditional form of comic storytelling，is making a comeback in China’s tea houses and theaters．

   Audiences can laugh the night away every Saturday at the Qianxiangyi Teahouse in Tianjin，entertained by the apprentices(学徒)of Hou Baolin，Ma Sanli or Yin Shoushan—all leading crosstalk artists of years past—for only 20 yuan($2．40)．

   The success in Tianjin has also caused the rejuvenation(复活) of crosstalk in Beijing and other places．

   Although the art form originated in Beijing in the Qing Dynasty(1644-1911)，Tianjin became a place where rising stars formed their styles and new pieces were tried out．The city was well—known nationwide for the quality of its crosstalk performances．

Known in Chinese as xiangsheng(1iterally，“face and voice”)，crosstalk was the predominant(支配的)form of comedy throughout most of the 20th century．In the old days in Tianjin and elsewhere，temple fairs and markets were the main places for crosstalkers to perform，although they occasionally also appeared in teahouses or theaters．

    Crosstalk pieces draw on every aspect of Chinese culture，from history and folk tales to social issues of the time．Although there’re hundreds of traditional pieces，they’re constantly rewritten to suit the times and the audience, while new works are written as well．It’s one of the features that have made crosstalk a

 public art form throughout its history．

    “Crosstalk was in the doldrums(萎靡不振)with competition from other art forms，especially TV，”said Wang Xiaochun，headmaster of the Northern Storytelling Arts School of China(NSAS)．“But it has regained its status with crosstalk fans，especially young people，growing aware of its rare qualities．”

    “More and more students are coming to NSAS to study crosstalk，including some girl students，”said Wang, “They’re sure that crosstalk will have a strong market.”

Crosstalk means“__________ ”in Chinese．

   A．storytelling    B．face and voice    C．folk tale  D．dialogue

According to the text, crosstalk is so popular throughout its history because____________．

  A．it is constantly changed and renewed    B．it is often performed at temple fairs

  C．it is different from other arts           D．it is comic and humourous

Crosstalk makes a comeback mainly because__________．

  A．it is a popular traditional art after all

  B．the pieces contain some famous folk tales

  C．the crosstalkers make it return to teahouses

  D．the pieces are made to suit the times and the audience

We can learn that the future of crosstalk first lies in ____________．

  A．setting up more storytelling art schools     B．beating TV and other arts

  C．young people’s awareness of its value      D．a strong market

Every year many students went to the college bookstore to purchase the different textbooks that they need for their classes. Little do these students realize that, in doing so, they are throwing good money away. It may sound unbelievable but textbooks, in some cases, actually cost as much as, if not more than, college fees.

Many people think that college bookstores are the most convenient source for textbooks. Titles are usually kept and students may purchase new textbooks or choose to buy second-hand books and save money. But the money saved by purchasing second-hand textbooks from college bookstores is small compared to the amount they could save by shopping online.

More and more online booksellers have begun selling textbooks at heavily discounted prices. Online second-hand bookstores are another source for college books as they keep a large number of textbooks, which means sizable savings for students. Students should avoid purchasing their textbooks at the first store that they surf online since there are so many ‘unreal’ booksellers on the Net. Price isn't the only factor to consider when making an online purchase. Students should also consider shopping costs and delivery time when making their decision.

Online auctions(拍卖) are another option for students seeking a bargain. This option, however, has its pros and cons. A plus is that students can get incredibly cheap books. One problem is that while online bookstores have a system in place that ensure you receive your order within a reasonable amount of time, with an auction purchase, however, you  must depend on the auction seller's timetable.

One way that students can really save is by getting books for free. Project Gutenberg is one resource that English majors will find invaluable. Here students can legally download a huge collection of classic novels. In the past students needing help with their studies would often have to spend a lot of money buying expensive study guides. Today that is no longer the case. Cash-strapped students can now visit the website SparkNotes for free downloadable study guides as well as classics.

1.Which of the following is the best title of this passage?

A．Learning to Save on Textbooks             B．Why Buy Textbooks

C．Online Shopping                        D．Tips for Buying Secondhand Textbooks

2.Which of the following is NOT mentioned as a source to obtain textbooks ?

A．College bookstores.                     B．Online used bookstores.

C．Online auctions.                        D．Second-hand bookstore centres.

3.The underlined expression “pros and cons” (paragraph 4) is closest in meaning to __________.

A．professionals and conservatives            B．joy and sadness

C．advantages and disadvantages              D．processes and conditions

4.According to the passage, Project Gutenberg is probably __________.

A．a government project aimed at helping English majors

B．a project to help poor students get free learning materials

C．a website for English majors to get the guides from language experts

D．a website for students to get free sources for English learning

5.From the passage, we can learn that__________.

A．the cost of textbooks in college is low compared to the amount spent on tuition

B．online auctions are perfect for students seeking text books

C．students should visit many websites before buying their books

D．students should consider shopping costs and delivery time above all else when making their buying decision