From their beginnings New England towns had a special democratic system of government. At a stated time all the citizens would assemble at a town meeting, where they would discuss local problems and express opinions freely. They also elected the town’s officials at these gatherings and made decisions about the taxes they would pay and about other community matters. These meetings were usually held at the town hall, which was located in the central square.

In the eighteenth-century town meetings, only men who owned property and who were church members actually voted, although everyone present was allowed to express their opinions. Later, all citizens were allowed to vote. Thus the town meeting became truly democratic. Town meetings are still common in New England communities.

In recent years the town meeting idea has been widely imitated. There are open sessions of this kind on radio and television. Occasionally a meeting of this type is called by a government agency in order to give an opportunity for free and open discussion on current problems and policies.

1.At a town meeting, people do the following things EXCEPT __________. 

2.In the 18th century, who had the right to vote?  

3.Why has the town meeting been widely imitated? 

4.According to the passage, which of the following statements is NOT true? 

5.This passage mainly talks about _______.  

There are four types of persons who go to work part-time. These include retirees who want a bit more income or socialization, parents who want to spend more time with their children, college and high school students and temporary agency workers who want more experience. Many people enjoy the advantages of working part-time, but benefits are rarely offered to part-time employees.
Most people are hoping for health insurance and retirement benefits when taking a job. Traditionally, companies only offer benefits to employees who work 30 hours or more a week. This is only a 25% reduction in hours, so it doesn’t free up a lot of time for the employee who needs part-time hours. Even when a part-timer is offered health benefits, he is rarely offered paid time off and retirement benefits. Dental benefits are almost never offered to part-time employees.
Many businesses hire part-time employees for the simple reason of saving money. If they work less than a certain number of hours, the employers don’t need to pay for benefits. There are companies, however, that are beginning to offer benefits to part-time employees. This includes benefits for health, paid time off and retirement plans. Some companies have begun to offer this in order to take in high quality, trained professionals who just want part-time hours. If a company wants a qualified employee, it will have to compete with other companies. People who may only want to work part-time may be forced to take a full-time job to get the benefits. Companies who offer benefits to part-timers have an advantage by offering more choices to their employees in terms of hours.
Conducting an Internet search is probably the quickest way to find companies that provide benefits for part-time employees. Many large corporations like Starbucks, Barnes & Noble and Whole Foods offer benefits to part-time employees among other things. Look for companies that offer a team approach to their employees. Employees are given choices and part of decision-making in the business. Businesses that allow employee input are more likely to offer benefits to part-timers.

1. 1.

   People prefer to work part-time mainly because they __________.

   1. A.
      don’t want to spend more time on work
   2. B.
      have so many household and social affairs
   3. C.
      hope to have more money, time and experience
   4. D.
      only expect to make more friends
2. 2.

   From the second paragraph we can learn that part-timers _______.

   1. A.
      can enjoy as many benefits as full-timers
   2. B.
      prefer retirement benefits to health insurance
   3. C.
      often retire without enjoying any benefit
   4. D.
      often enjoy fewer benefits than full-timers
3. 3.

   What’s the advantage of hiring part-time employees?

   1. A.
      They don’t need the insurance.
   2. B.
      They can save employers some money.
   3. C.
      They have no choice but to work hard.
   4. D.
      They can be also changed into full-timers.
4. 4.

   We can infer from the last paragraph that _________.

   1. A.
      it’s easy to find companies providing benefits
   2. B.
      companies not allowing employee input don’t offer any benefit to part-timers
   3. C.
      Starbucks in England doesn’t provide benefits to full-timers
   4. D.
      employees are often forced to choose their jobs

For many people,  there is only one good reason to go to an amusement park: the roller coaster. But why do People go on roller coasters?
"Where else in the world can you scream at the top of your lungs and throw your arms in the air?"  Frank Farley asks. "If you did that in most other places, they'd take you to your parents and probably put you through a psychological evaluation  (心理检查)."  Farley is a psychologist at Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Roller coasters are often attractive to kids whose lives are stressful or controlled.  "Roller coasters are a way of breaking out of the humdrum (单调 ) of everyday life.  You can let it all go and scream and shout or do whatever you want," Farley says. It has been proved that many adults feel the same way.
Compared with skateboarding, extreme mountain biking, and other adventure sports, riding roller coasters is safe. Parents usually don't mind when kids go on coasters.  Roller coasters also have a way of bringing people together.  Riders share the thrill and adventure of surviving what feels like an extreme experience.
Whether you like to ride a roller coaster may depend on your personality.  Psychologists say that there is a certain type of person that naturally seeks out extreme experiences. "They enjoy things like change, variety, and intensity (强度)," says Farley. "These people are actually attracted to thrills."  He describes such people as having Type-T personalities ("T" stands for thrill).
He also believes that these thrill seekers are more adventurous and creative than other people. Albert Einstein was a Type T. "If nobody liked to seek stimulation (刺激)," he argues, "the human race wouldn't be where it is today."
1. What is the passage mainly about?
A. The disadvantages of roller coasters.
B. The characteristics of roller coasters.
C. Why many people enjoy roller coasters.
D. How people act when riding roller coasters.
2. According to Farley, what will most people feel after riding a roller coaster?
A. Scared.          B. Confident.    C. Nervous.       D. Relaxed.
3. If a person is a Type T, he seems to           .
A. enjoy adventure sports
B. dislike riding roller coasters
C. like popular sports
D. work well with others
4. According to Farley, to our society, people with Type-T personalities are __
A. dangerous            B. important    C. useless               D. harmful

From their beginnings New England towns had a special democratic system of government. At a stated time all the citizens would assemble at a town meeting, where they would discuss local problems and express opinions freely. They also elected the town’s officials at these gatherings and made decisions about the taxes they would pay and about other community matters. These meetings were usually held at the town hall, which was located in the central square.

In the eighteenth-century town meetings, only men who owned property and who were church members actually voted, although everyone present was allowed to express their opinions. Later, all citizens were allowed to vote. Thus the town meeting became truly democratic. Town meetings are still common in New England communities.

In recent years the town meeting idea has been widely imitated. There are open sessions of this kind on radio and television. Occasionally a meeting of this type is called by a government agency in order to give an opportunity for free and open discussion on current problems and policies.

1.At a town meeting, people do the following things EXCEPT __________. 

A．express their opinions about the government

B．elect officials of the towns

C．make a decision about whom they should marry

D．discuss some community matters

2.In the 18th century, who had the right to vote?  

A．All the citizens.

B．All the men except those who were church members.

C．The rich.

D．The rich men and the church members.

3.Why has the town meeting been widely imitated? 

A．Because many people are interested in it.

B．Because it is very democratic.

C．Because many people enjoy themselves at town meetings.

D．Because sometimes government agencies call them.

4.According to the passage, which of the following statements is NOT true? 

A．Citizens can elect the officials in the town meeting.

B．In recent years, town meetings are often called by a government agency.

C．People can say what they want to say at the town meeting.

D．Nowadays this kind of meeting is also held on radio and television.

5.This passage mainly talks about _______.  

A．the New England town meeting             B．modern town meetings

C．a democratic meeting                    D．New England towns

Successful films and TV programs make large amounts of money, and so do the performers who appear in them. A few big shows can make a rock musician a millionaire（百万富翁） in a very short time. High art, however, has serious financial（财政的） problems. It costs more to put on an opera（歌剧）concert, or ballet（芭蕾） than the sale of tickets can bring in. Men and women interested in high art are always being asked to give money to make future performance possible. Small government subsidies（津贴） have also helped to support the arts in the last few years.

56. It is easier for ______ to make money.

  A. an opera performer          B. a pianist    

C. a ballet actor               D. A rock musician

57. High art has financial problems because ________.

no people would offer money for it      

it is not supported by the government

it cost much but not many people enjoy it 

prices of tickets for it are not high enough

58. The government has given ________ money to support _______ in the last few years.

  A. a large amount of… high art              B. a small amount of… high art

  C. little… all kinds of art                   D. plenty of… popular art

59. From the passage we can concluded (推断) that ________.

A. high art is not enjoyed by young people

B. successful films and TV programs are called high arts

C. all people enjoy popular art instead of high art

D. most people like popular art better than high art