Dear Economist,
My newly-wedded 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 tighter-knit(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 low-and-middle-income 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
【小题1】What concerns Brian Gee so much that he wrote the letter?

第二部分　阅读理解（共20小题，每小题2分;满分40分）
第一节　阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项（Ａ、Ｂ、Ｃ、Ｄ）中，选出最佳选项。
A
As computers become all the more popular in China, Chinese people are increasingly relying on computer keyboards to input Chinese characters．But if they use the computer too much, they may end up forgetting the exact strokes（笔画）of each Chinese character when writing on paper．Experts suggest people, especially students, write by hand more．
Do you write by hand more or type more? In Beijing, students start using a computer as early as primary school．And computer dependence is more wide-spread among university students．Almost all their assignments and essays are typed on a computer．
All the students interviewed say they usually use a computer．
It's faster and easier to correct if using a computer．And that's why computers are being applied more and more often to modern education．But when people are taking stock in computers increasingly, problems appear．
"When I'm writing with a pen, I find I often can't remember how to write a character, though I feel I’m familiar with it．"
"I'm not in the mood to write when faced with a pen and paper．"
Many students don't feel this is something to worry about．Now that it's more convenient and efficient to write on a computer, why bother to handwrite?
Many educators think differently．Shi Liwei , the headmaster of a famous primary school in the capital said "Chinese characters enjoy both practical and aesthetic(审美的) value．But those characters typed with computer keyboards only maintain their practical value．All the artistic beauty of the characters is lost．And handwriting contains the writer's emotion．Through one's handwriting, people can get to know one's thinking and personality．Beautiful writing will give people a better first impression of them"
To encourage students to handwrite more, many primary schools in Beijing have made writing classes compulsory(必修的)and in universities, some professors are asking students to turn in their homework and essays written by hand．
56．Which of the following can best serve as the title of the passage?
A．The Importance of Handwriting and Typing．
B．To Type or To Hand Write
C．Writing By Computer Will Replace Writing By Hand
D．Practical and Aesthetic Value of Chinese Characters．
57．The students interviewed prefer to write using a computer mainly because______．
A．they are usually asked to e-mail their Homework and Essays
B．they can correct the mistakes they make quickly and conveniently 
C．they find it not easy to remember how to write a character
D．computers have become a trend and fashion in China．
58．Which of the following statements is NOT TRUE of the advantages of handwriting?
A．Handwriting contains the writer's emotion ．
B．The writer’s thinking and personality are shown in his or her handwriting,
C．Handwriting can impress people well and build one’s self-confidence
D．Chinese characters enjoy both practical and aesthetic value．
59．The underlind expression “taking stock in”(Paragraph 4) probably means_____．
A．getting bored with     B．getting dependent on 
C．becoming crazy about             D．getting curious about
60．We can draw the conclusion from the passage that_______．
A．more and more students will give up writing on a computer
B．writing by hand will give way to typing by computer one day
C．more and more students will pay attention to handwriting
D．the typing article better expresses one’s emotion and quality

　　On May 21, 2000, some American scientists were working at the computers to look for information they needed . Suddenly they saw a lot of very bright red spots crossing the computers’ screens. At the same time the computers were working much slower. To find out what was happening they stopped their work to check some parts of the computers. To their horror, they found out that most of their stored information was got rid of by computer viruses (病毒). Obviously all these computers had been infected by computer viruses.

It is said that the computer viruses were made by two or three Philippine young men fond of playing tricks. They all had excellent education. They created the viruses just to show their intelligence. The kind of computer virus is named I Love You Virus. This virus can hide in computers for long. When the time comes they will attack the computers by lowering the important functions, damaging their normal programs or even getting rid of a great deal of information which operators of the computers often use or store, what’s worse, it still can reproduce itself in great quantities within a short time.

We come to know that “I Love You” Virus often attacks computers on Mondays and that it is spreading to many computers in the world. Among the countries that suffered computer viruses last year are Britain, Australia, Switzerland and the USA. Those who made the computer muses have been found out slowly and carefully. But till now, how to get rid of the terrible viruses remains a problem.

1.When the viruses attack the computers, the computers will work _______.

　　A. normally　B. abnormally　C. faster　D. well

2 .Two or three Philippine young men created the computer viruses to _______.

　　A. damage the computers

　　B. test their ability quickly

　　C. tell the world that they were intelligent

　　D. play a trick in operators of the computers

3. According to the passage, computer viruses seem to________.

　　A. have been in nature for years

　　B. exist in any computers

　　C. be able to be got rid of in the near future

　　D. be difficult to get rid of at present

4.The most serious damage caused by the viruses is that_______.

　　A. the computer’s funtions are lowered

　　B. the normal programs are damaged

　　C. all the information stored in the computers is gone

　　D. the computers infected by the viruses can no longer be used

5. According to the passage, which of the following is true?

　　A. Scientists are trying to find a way to get rid of the viruses.

　　B. The viruses will come to the new computer after staying in the old one for some time.

　　C. Last year four countries found their computers were infected by 　　viruses.

　　D. The “I Love You” Virus is a great harm to human health.

　　World top-ranked badminton player Lin Dan said last Friday that he was a better player than Taufik Hidayat in the year of 2006 despite losing the Asian Games single title to the Indonesian Olympic champion.
　　“I have ranked No.1 in the world for two straight years and I think people can easily come to a conclusion on who is a better player for the whole year,” said Lin Dan, also known as Super Dan in the badminton world because of his marvelous performance in the sport.
　　Hidayat beat Lin 21-15, 22-20 to give Indonesia its second gold medal in Doha on December 9, retaining his Asian Games singles title and avenging(报仇) two losses to the badminton world champion.
　　Lin, 23, led China to the men’s team title after defeating Hidayat twice in three days, in the preliminary round and in the semifinals of the Asian Games.
　　In their third meeting, Lin came up against a better-prepared Hidayat than he had encountered previously.
　　Hidayat was cheered on by the noisy support from dancing and flag-waving Indonesian fans, who had converted the badminton arena into a national celebration even before the two players stepped on to the court.
　　There’s been a lot of acrimony(言语的刻毒) between Hidayat and Lin, who this year won the single title in the world championships after former champion Hidayat crashed out in the quarterfinals.
　　In Doha, Hidayat was quoted as calling Lin “arrogant” before the event began, but the two stars played down the rift.
　　“It’s no problem, we’re close friends,” said Hidayat. “The media fabricated it.”
　　Lin said last Friday in Beijing that he and Hidayat remain friends despite all the rumors.
　　“There is no problem between Taufik and me although we don’t talk to each other very much;” said Lin. “Media tends to make up things in order to make their stories juicy.”
26. What does the underlined word “fabricated” mean?
A. made up             B. reported         C. discovered      D. found out
27. What is the relationship between the two players like?
A. They are only opponents.        
B. Lin looks down upon Hidayat.
C. They both think they are friends.
D. The media has worsened the relationship between them.
28. Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?
A. Lin beat Hidayat in all the games of 2006.
B. Lin won the single title in the world championships in 2006.
C. Indonesian fans held a national celebration after the two players stepped ontothe court.
D. Hidayat beat Lin 21-15, 22-20 to give Indonesia its first gold medal in Doha on the ninth of December
29. This passage implies that____________________________.
A. Hidayat was in a better prepared condition than Lin in the Asian Games
B. Lin helped to win the men’s team title in the Asian Games of 2006
C. Both of them are the best badminton players in the world
D. Media tends to make up rumors
30. What is the best title for this passage?
A. Opponents Become Good Friends                  B. True Friendship
C. World Top-ranked Badminton Players            D. Who Is a Better Player?

IV．阅读理解（共20小题；每小题2分，满分40分）
　　阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项（A，B，C和D）中，选出最佳选项。
　　With her beautiful looks, cheerful character and strong spirit, Karena Lam（林嘉欣）is making waves among Chinese movie fans and professionals （专业人士）.
　　The Canada - born actress won the Golden Horse Best Supporting Actress and Best New Performer awards （金马奖最佳女配角和最佳新人奖）for her role in “July Rhapsody” （《男人四十》）in Taiwan on November 16．She won the same titles at the HongKong Film Awards in April, 2002.
　　Lam played a wifful （任性的）high school girl in the film and her idol （偶像）Jacky Cheung （张学友）played the girl 's middle - aged teacher.
　　Her awards have made her the person to watch in Hong Kong and Taiwan cinema. But the 24-year-old girl thinks the awards have put more pressure on her and given her new challenges （挑战）.
　　Besides Jacky Cheung, Lam has appeared alongside other top Hong Kong stars. Last year she starred with Leslie Cheung （张国荣）in“ Inner Senses ” （《异度空间》）and this year she acted with Nicholas Tse （谢霆锋）in“ Tiramisu” （《恋爱行星》）. Is there anything that can stop Lam's success?
　　“I have learnt that ff someone is trying to hurt you, the best revenge （报复）is to keep living happily and having a good life.That’s what I did, ” she said.
　　She is an optimist （乐天派）and determined to be successful. “I always have a way of finding my own happiness. I know what's going to make me smile, and I go for it, ”she said.
　　Two films—a comedy and a love - story are waiting for her and she plans to release （首次上演）her first Cantonese （粤语）album next summer.
41．According to the passage, which of the following shows the right order of what Lam did or will do?
　　a．To star with Leslie Cheung in“Inner Senses.”
　　b．To win the Golden Horse Best Supporting Actress and Best New Performer awards for her role in“ July Rhapsody.”
　　c．To release her first cantones album.
　　d．To act with Nicholas Tse in“ Tiramisu. ”
　　e．To win the Hong Kong Film Awards.
　　A. b, e, a, d, c　　　B. c, a, d, e, b     C. e, b, d, c, a　　　D. a, d, e, b, c
　42．In“Inner Senses” Lam was one of the________performers.
　　A. supporting　　B. chief　　　　　 C. ordinary　　　D. learned
　43．The underlined phrase“make waves” probably means________.
　　A. gain much attention　　　B. make trouble
　　C. sing and dance　　  D. fan the flames of disorder