The Fourth "21th Century Cup" National English Speaking Competition is to be held in Shanghai.

　　Organizers: China Daily and Shanghai Broadcasting Network.

　　Co-ordinater: China University English Speaking Association （CUESA）.

　　Co-sponsors （联办单位）: English Speaking Union （ESU）, Lotus Software （China）Co. Ltd. , Times Publishing Group of Singapore, Hilton Shanghai, Pearson Education, Foreign Language Teaching & Research Press.

　　Date: March 26 （ Friday）, 1999.

　　Place: Hilton Shanghai.

　　Competition Format （形式） : Each student will present a prepared speech on the given topic, followed by a three -minute off - hand speech and a three - minute question and answer period with the judges.

　　Prepared speech period: six minutes.

　　Q & A period: three minutes.

　　Speech topic: People and Nature: In search of harmony （和谐）in a new age ＋ your personal opinion. （Topice for the off hand speech will be given on the day of competition）.

　　Prizes: Besides books and certificates （证书）, the top two winners will be offered scholarships（奖学金） to travel to the annual international English -speaking competition which will be held by the English Speaking Union in London in May, 1999. The third and fourth place winners will be offered a study trip to Singapore, sponsored by the Times Publishing Group. The fifth through 10th place winners will be offered cash prizes. All the competitors will receive certificates from the English Speaking Union and book prizes provided by Pearson Education and Foreign Language Teaching & Research Press. The teachers of the top winners will also receive a one - year membership to the International Association of Teachers of English as a Foreign Language（IATEFL）

　The main purpose of this passage is ________.

　　A. to invite you to take part in the competition

　　B. to tell you some information of the competition

　　C. to help to improve your spoken English

　　D. to show you how to win the competition

　　Which of the following is NOT mentioned about the Shanghai English Speaking Competition?________.

　　A. Where and when it will take place.

　　B. Its program.

　　C. What each winner will be offered.

　　D. The number of its competitors.

　　Suppose you get the sixth place, you'll________ .

　　A. travel to London for free.

　　B. become a one - year member of IATEFL

　　C. get some money , some books and a certificate

　　D. get a chance to study in Singapore

　An "off- hand speech"is________.

　　A. a speech not longer than three minutes

　　B. a speech without preparation

　　C. a speech with a piece of paper in hand

　　D. a speech which is well prepared

In a city of south India lived a young man who was always dreaming of becoming rich. He often heard about some traders in his city who gathered a great deal of   1    in the course of their travels across the world. He believed he could also make a great achievement although he didn’t have any   2   in business at all. So, one fine day, the young man set out on a long   3

in search of trade opportunities.

   4    though, he did not become as rich as he had thought he would. Worse, he spent more money on his travels than he   5    in the course of his trade. All this made him feel confused and   6   , but he refused to return home without   7   .

One day, while he was wandering on the shore in a seaside town, his eyes   8    on　an object which he thought should be a large ship at a distance.

“When I become rich, I shall buy a ship just like that one and   9    around the world,” he said ambitiously. Then he waited to see the ship enter the harbor. As the ship got closer, it lost its   10    dimensions(规模) and looked more like a small boat. When the boat reached the   11   , the young man let out a big heavy sigh because he discovered that it was only a bunch of logs tied together. He was terribly   12   to see such a raft(木筏).

Finally he understood. Just as he   13    a lot of time on fruitless speculation(猜想) about the “ship”, his expectations of getting   14    was also without any real basis. Therefore, he decided to return home and    15     up a more practical job.

1. A. energy               B. knowledge            C. resource                 D. fortune

2. A. expectation        B. experience             C. interest                   D. ambition

3. A. journey             B. partnership           C. vacation                 D. period

4. A. Unreasonably      B. Unbelievably         C. Unconsciously         D. Unfortunately

5. A. begged             B. borrowed            C. earned                   D. adopted

6. A. uncertain            B. excited                 C. patient                    D. indifferent

7. A. hesitation           B. success                 C. problem                 D. income

8. A. depended          B. focused                 C. insisted                D. lived

9. A. show                 B. turn                      C. sail                   D. fly

10. A. correct          B. formal                C. real                     D. grand

11. A. bank              B. shore                    C. ocean                   D. bottom

12. A. disappointed     B. pleased                 C. puzzled               D. astonished

13. A. saved               B. valued                C. wasted                       D. created

14. A. rich               B. learned                 C. smart                D. strong

15. A. set                B. gave                     C. made                     D. took

Someday a stranger will read your e-mail without your permission or scan the websites you’ve visited. Or perhaps someone will casually glance through your credit card purchases or cell phone bills to find out your shopping preferences or calling habits.
In fact, it’s likely some of these things have already happened to you. Who would watch you without your permission? It might be a spouse, a girlfriend（配偶）, a marketing company, a boss, a cop or a criminal, Whoever it is, they will see you in a way you never intended to be seen -- the 21st century equivalent of being caught naked.
Psychologists tell us boundaries are healthy, that it’s important to reveal yourself to friends, family and lovers in stages, at appropriate times. But few boundaries remain. The digital bread crumbs （面包屑）you leave everywhere make it easy for strangers to reconstruct who you are, where you are and what you like. In some cases, a simple Google search can reveal（泄露）what you think. Like it or not, increasingly we live in a world where you simply cannot keep a secret.
The key question is: Does that matter?
For many Americans, the answer apparently is "no."
When opinion polls ask Americans about privacy, most say they are concerned about losing it A survey found an overwhelming pessimism（悲观）about privacy, with 60 percent of respondents saying they feel their privacy is "slipping away, and that bothers me."
But people say one thing and do another. Only a tiny fraction of Americans change any behaviors in an effort to preserve their privacy. Few people turn down a discount at tollbooths （收费处）to avoid using the EZ-Pass system that can track automobile movements. And few turn down supermarket loyalty cards. Privacy economist Alessandro Acquisti has run a series of tests that reveal people will surrender personal information like Social Security numbers just to get their hands on a pitiful 50-cents-off coupon (优惠券).
But privacy does matter -- at least sometimes. It’s like health: When you have it, you don’t notice it. Only when it’s gone do you wish you’d done more to protect it.
【小题1】What would psychologists advise on the relationships between friends?

Someday a stranger will read your e-mail without your permission or scan the Website you’ve visited，Or perhaps someone will casually glance through your credit card purchases or cell phone bills to find out your shopping preferences or calling habits.

In fact, it’s likely some of these things have already happened to you. Who would watch you without your permission? It might be a spouse, a girl friend, a marketing company, a boss, a cop or a criminal. Whoever it is, they will see you in a way you never intended to be seen --- the 21st century equivalent of being caught naked.

Psychologists tell us boundaries are healthy, that it's important to reveal yourself to friends, family and lovers in stages, at appropriate times.But few boundaries remain. The digital bread crumbs (碎屑) you leave everywhere make it easy for strangers to reconstruct who you are, where you are and what you like. In some cases, a simple Google search can reveal what you think. Like it or not, increasingly we live in a world where you simply cannot keep a secret.

The key question is: Does that matter?

For many Americans, the answer apparently is “no.”

When opinion polls ask Americans about privacy, most say they are concerned about losing it. A survey found an overwhelming pessimism about privacy, with 60 percent of respondents saying they feel their privacy is “slipping away, and that bothers me.”

But people say one thing and do another. Only a tiny fraction of Americans change any behaviors in an effort to preserve their privacy. Few people turn down a discount at tollbooths (收费站) to avoid using the EZ-Pass system that can track automobile movements. And few turn down supermarket loyalty cards. Privacy economist Alessandro Acauisti has run a series of tests that reveal people will surrender personal information like Social Security numbers just to get their hands on a pitiful 50-cents-off coupon (优惠卷).

But privacy does matter - at least sometimes. It’s like health: When you have it, you don’t notice it. Only when it’s gone do you wish you’d done more to protect it.

1.What does the author mean by saying “the 21st century equivalent of being caught naked” (Para. 2)?

A. People tend to be more frank with each other in the information age.

B. In the 21st century people try every means to look into others’ secrets.

C. People's personal information is easily accessed without their knowledge.

D. Criminals are easily caught on the spot with advanced technology.

2.What would psychologists advise on the relationships between friends?

A. Friends should open their hearts to each other.

B. There should be a distance even between friends.

C. Friends should always be faithful to each other.

D. There should be fewer disputes between friends.

3.Why does the author say “we live in a world where you simply cannot keep a secret” ( para. 3)?

A. People leave traces around when using modern technology.

B. Modern society has finally evolved into an open society.

C. There are always people who are curious about others’ affairs.

D.Many search engines profit by revealing people’s identities.

4.What do most Americans do with regard to privacy protection?

A. They change behaviors that might disclose their identity.

B. They use various loyalty cards for business transactions.

C. They talk a lot but hardly do anything about it.

D. They rely most and more on electronic devices.

5.According to the passage, privacy is like health in that ??????? .

A. people will make every effort to keep it

B. its importance is rarely understood

C. it is something that can easily be lost

D. people don’t cherish it until they lose it

If you asked high school girls to name their favorite sports, most would probably say basketball or volleyball. I happen to be one of the few girls who would 　36　:surfing. But isn’t that a boy thing? Some people 　37　.Most certainly not.?
I started surfing about five years ago and　38　in love with the sport on the very first day. Riding that first 　39　 was the best feeling I had ever experienced.?
When I try to 　40　 surfing with other things, I find it very difficult because, in my ___41_　,there’s nothing like it. It involves body,　42　,and soul. There’s sand between my toes and cool, salt water all 　43　 us. The feeling I get when I’m surfing across that 　44　,becoming one with the 　45　,is like I’m weightless.?
The one thing I can 　46　 from surfing and not any other sport is endless challenge. You can never be the “best surfer” because the ocean 　47　 an uncountable variety of waves that nobody can ever master. The variations of surfing styles are wonderful. Some surfers are free and flowing; others are very aggressive and 　48　.All of these things attract me to surfing and make it ?　49　 ? from any other sport.?
I’ve 　50　 to tell every girl I know to do something that people don’t think girls can do. It’s part of being human to advance to new 　51　,so shouldn’t it be expected that girls should step up and start 　52　 the limits of things boys and men used to dominate??
There’re women 　53　 side by side with the President of our country, so why not side by side with the boys 　54　 the football team or out in the water surfing? Give girls a chance to __55　, and they will.?