The food was good, _______ he had little appetite (食欲).

A．so

B．otherwise

C．however

D．but

 

As a disabled person, I often feel I have two jobs．There's my normal job working as a radio producer and there’s my role managing a team of carers （otherwise called personal assistants）．Of the two jobs, being a radio producer is considerably easier．One of the hardest aspects of being a PA employer and needing 24-hour care is that you never feel “off duty”．At any time a PA could present me with an issue or concern that needs handling．

There was an occasion when a previous PA came into my bedroom one morning to get me up and began complaining straight away that I had paid her the wrong amount that week．Another former PA once called me on a Saturday evening to ask if she could book some annual leave．

Once the booking is confirmed, the worry about not having a carer at all is replaced by concern over who the carer is．My agency tries very hard to send me carers who’ve helped me before, but obviously if you book agency care at short notice you just have to accept whoever is available．When an agency sends me a carer who is new to me, I have to explain my needs from scratch．

Of course, no organisation is never wrong and care agencies are no exception．When an agency makes a mistake and a carer fails to turn up, the impact on my life can be frustrating and distressing．It might mean I’m unable to get up in the morning and am stuck in bed for hours staring at the ceiling, waiting for a carer to arrive．It might mean I’m late for work or have to miss an appointment．Fortunately, over the last decade I’ve seen a considerable improvement in the quality of service care agencies provide．Most of the time, I’m pleased to say, the agencies I use are caring, organised and reliable．

When a home PA is off sick, life can be stressful but when a work PA is ill, the consequences can be more serious．At home it doesn’t matter if tasks don’t get done or take longer because the agency carer is less experienced at helping me than my permanent PAs．The only person affected is myself．However, at work I have to meet deadlines and if I don’t do my job properly, then not only will it create extra problems for my colleagues but it could also affect the quality of the programme I'm working on．

Luckily, I employ two full-time permanent PAs so when one is absent I usually still have the other one with me．On a normal day the work PAs share out the hours equally between them．

Covering a PA’s sickness not only creates practical problems, it can also be a financial headache．Agency care is expensive．For this reason, a PA who doesn’t need much sick leave is worth her weight in gold．

1．The passage is mainly about __________________．

      A．social relation                        B．housework and work

      C．social care                         D．sickness and treatment

2．Being a PA employer, the author feels she is always “on duty” because__________________．

      A．she takes up two jobs---- working as radio producer and managing a team of carers．

      B．some employees are either less experienced or considerably lazy．

      C．she has to get up early in the morning and go to bed late at night．

      D．a personal assistant may bring much trouble to her anytime．

3．What does the author think of the service of the care agencies?

      A．The quality of service care agencies offer has improved a lot．

      B．Her care agencies never make any mistakes．

      C．Her care agencies take good care of her．

      D．The service her care agencies provide needs considerable improvement．

4．Why can the consequences be more serious when a work PA is ill?

      A．Because a work PA is less efficient than a home PA

      B．Because the author’s poor work has an effect on her colleagues with no care．

      C．Because on a normal day a work PA has much important work to do．

      D．Because the absence of a PA can cause financial problems．

Dear Economist，

My newly­wedded 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 tighterknit(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 low­and­middle­income 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

68. What concerned Brian Gee so much that he wrote the letter?

A. His wife refuses to shop at Walmart.

B. They are faced with a divorce.

C. They  can't  afford  the  costs  of  shopping  at    Walmart.

D. They are in conflict about shopping at Walmart.

 

69．Brian Gee's wife tends to hold the opinion that________.

A. it is wrong for Walmart to depress its employees' wages

B. consumers' lives have improved thanks to Walmart

C. Walmart's business operation increased productivity in economy

D. Walmart's business increases global trade

70．What can be inferred from the reply letter?

A. Some employees accept the low pay to keep the job.

B. Walmart appeals to only poor consumers and poor employees.

C. Employees suffer from Walmart's low prices more than consumers.

D. Jason Furman, a New York University economist，spoke highly of Walmart.

 

第二节  完形填空（共20小题；每小题1．5分，满分30分）

    阅读下面短文，从短文后各题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。

    In my friends’eyes I am a lucky dog. Beijing Foreign Studies University （BFSU） had   __36  me 49 days before the “big day”.

The college entrance exam lost its   37   to me. It became a problem that others would have to deal with.   38  , like all my friends and everyone else around me, I worked hard every   __39__ of the way in order to achieve my goal.

The chance to take BFSU’s pre - test was a turning point in high school. It was a dilemma（困难的抉择）at first because BFSU  40  on the humanities （人文科学）and I had never  41__ that route. I did not make up my mind  42   my teacher told me that nobody should ever  43__ an opportunity. Having  44   with the decision all night, I decided at least to give it a go. The following week, I   45   no effort in getting fully prepared for BFSU’s test. I worked so hard that I often   46   myself studying at my desk at four o’clock in the morning. I   47   began to understand the saying, “No pains, no gains.”

After I had been   48  , my friends asked me if I  49   not being able to achieve my   __50__ dream. And yes, I sometimes   51   what would have happened if I had kept on moving. But I have no regrets. As a 19 - year - old girl, I don’t have a clear view of my   52   . But after I got to BFSU’s campus and saw devoted professors and students, I realized that this is the place for me to make a（n）  53   in society.

Recently, I have been busy helping my classmates put their school registration（报名表）in __54   . We all used to work so hard together. Without as much pressure from the examination as before, I   55   every opportunity to do whatever I can for my classmates. I hope they can make use of their precious time to prepare for the war, the university entrance examination. And I hope that they can win this battle.

36. A. allowed     B. permitted    C. admitted      D. approved

37. A. pressure         B. importance C. advantage   D. strength

38. A. Besides     B. Otherwise   C. However      D. Indeed

39. A. step            B. moment       C. minute              D. action

40. A. rests          B. depends       C. bases       D. focuses

41. A. heard         B. considered  C. seen         D. met

42. A. until            B. unless      C. when       D. before

43. A. miss           B. risk           C. take         D. catch

44. A. stayed       B. competed    C. struggled     D. complained

45. A. spared       B. took         C. shared     D. avoided

46. A. forced        B. made       C. promoted    D. found

47. A. gradually        B. suddenly      C. quickly D. naturally

48. A. hired          B. accepted      C. received       D. elected

49. A. hated         B. rememberedC. regretted   D. minded

50. A. satisfactory  B. unique         C. big            D. original

51. A. wonder      B. doubt       C. question       D. ask

52. A. past            B. future      C. present        D. experience

53. A. opportunity  B. chance        C. difference    D. sense

54. A. number     B. order       C. size          D. amount

55. A. appreciate     B. issue        C. understand D. change

 

第二节  完形填空（共20小题；每小题1．5分，满分30分）

    阅读下面短文，从短文后各题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。

    In my friends’eyes I am a lucky dog. Beijing Foreign Studies University （BFSU） had   __36  me 49 days before the “big day”.

The college entrance exam lost its   37   to me. It became a problem that others would have to deal with.   38  , like all my friends and everyone else around me, I worked hard every   __39__ of the way in order to achieve my goal.

The chance to take BFSU’s pre - test was a turning point in high school. It was a dilemma（困难的抉择）at first because BFSU  40  on the humanities （人文科学）and I had never  41__ that route. I did not make up my mind  42   my teacher told me that nobody should ever  43__ an opportunity. Having  44   with the decision all night, I decided at least to give it a go. The following week, I   45   no effort in getting fully prepared for BFSU’s test. I worked so hard that I often   46   myself studying at my desk at four o’clock in the morning. I   47   began to understand the saying, “No pains, no gains.”

After I had been   48  , my friends asked me if I  49   not being able to achieve my   __50__ dream. And yes, I sometimes   51   what would have happened if I had kept on moving. But I have no regrets. As a 19 - year - old girl, I don’t have a clear view of my   52   . But after I got to BFSU’s campus and saw devoted professors and students, I realized that this is the place for me to make a（n）  53   in society.

Recently, I have been busy helping my classmates put their school registration（报名表）in __54   . We all used to work so hard together. Without as much pressure from the examination as before, I   55   every opportunity to do whatever I can for my classmates. I hope they can make use of their precious time to prepare for the war, the university entrance examination. And I hope that they can win this battle.

36. A. allowed           B. permitted   C. admitted     D. approved

37. A. pressure       B. importance C. advantage   D. strength

38. A. Besides     B. Otherwise   C. However    D. Indeed

39. A. step          B. moment     C. minute           D. action

40. A. rests         B. depends      C. bases       D. focuses

41. A. heard       B. considered  C. seen        D. met

42. A. until         B. unless     C. when      D. before

43. A. miss         B. risk         C. take        D. catch

44. A. stayed      B. competed   C. struggled    D. complained

45. A. spared      B. took        C. shared     D. avoided

46. A. forced      B. made      C. promoted   D. found

47. A. gradually     B. suddenly    C. quickly      D. naturally

48. A. hired        B. accepted     C. received     D. elected

49. A. hated        B. rememberedC. regretted    D. minded

50. A. satisfactory  B. unique      C. big         D. original

51. A. wonder     B. doubt      C. question     D. ask

52. A. past          B. future     C. present       D. experience

53. A. opportunity  B. chance     C. difference   D. sense

54. A. number           B. order      C. size         D. amount

55. A. appreciate    B. issue       C. understand  D. change