McDonald's is the world single biggest food provider with annual sales of around $12.4bn. And the company's symbol Ronald McDonald is now （or so the company claims） the word's most recognized person after Santa Claus.

　　The first McDonald's restaurant was opened in San Bernardino, California, in 1948 by brothers Mac and Richard “Dick” McDonald. Mac ran the restaurant side; Dick was the marketing genius. He had already invented the drive-in laundry and had been the first person to use neon lights in advertising. Now he spotted the gap in the post-war, baby-boom market for cheap, family-orientated restaurants with simple menus, standardized food and efficient service.

　　After a slow start, business began to boom. By 1954, the brothers were joined by another entrepreneur, a kitchen equipment salesman called Ray A Kroc who owned the franchise to the Multimixer, milk shake maker used throughout the McDonald's chain. A year later, Kroc had bought the McDonald brothers' chain of 25 franchises for the equivalent of around $70m（￡44m）. Dick remained with the company until the Seventies, when he and Kroc fell out over Kroc's claim that the chain was his creation.

　　Today, an almost Stalinist cult of personality surrounds Kroc （who died in 1984） at McDonald's, while the brothers who gave the company its name have all but been written out of its history. But though Kroc did not found McDonald's, he was certainly responsible for the empire-building philosophy which led to its world domination. He ushered in such essential contributions to international cuisine as the Big Mac （1968） and the Egg McMuffin （1973）; and helped launch Ronald McDonald —— “in any language he means fun” —— on to television in 1963.

　　Every three hours, a new McDonald's franchise opens somewhere in the world; it can be found in more than 100 countries including India （vegetarian-only to avoid offending the non-beef-eating populace） and Israel （non kosher, despite fierce local objection）. McDonald's chain embodied the thrusting, can-do spirit of Fifties America with staff mottoes such as “If you've got time to lean, you've go time to clean.”

1. McDonald's was founded _____.

A. by a kitchen equipment salesman

B. in California.

C. by a marketing genius called Dick McDonald.

D. after the first World War.

2.What do we know about McDonald's brothers?

A. They were not McDonald's founders although they named the restaurant.

B. Their business was still in depression after several years.

C. They had clear job separation on business.

D. They sold their restaurant to a salesman in 1954.

3. Which is not Kroc's contribution to McDonald's ?

A. He launched the restaurant image Ronald McDonald on to television.

B. Under his lead, international cuisine as the Big Mac and the Egg McMuffin earned worldwide fame

C. He spotted the gap in postwar market for cheap, family-orientated restaurants.

D. He built McDonald's empire with a philosophy which led to its world domination.

4.Which statement is true according to the passage?

A. The single biggest food provider was however, not named after its founder

B. The international cuisine as the Big Mac, a beef hamburger, is provided every chain restaurant in the world.

C. Employees in McDonald's have no time to lean.

D. The symbol Ronald McDonald, means fun in any language, is said to the word most recognized person after Santa Claus.

The Fourth “21st 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. （Topics 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）

1.The main purpose of this passage is ________.

　　A. to invite you to take part in the competition

　　B. to tell you some information about the competition

　　C. to help to improve your spoken English

　　D. to show you how to win the competition

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

　　A. Where and when it will take place.

　　B. Its programs.

　　C. What each winner will be offered.

　　D. The number of its competitors.

3.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

4. 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

　The Times of London has started an important new service-e-paper. It's quite different form the current online service, but exactly the same as tile printed newspaper back in Britain. The News, Sport, Business section, T2, The Game (even Monday), the classifieds, even the crossword are all laid out just as in the paper. It's the actual paper without the paper. To try a free demonstration, click the button below.

　　Now you can access The Times newspaper as it is printed from 5 am GMT on the day of publication. For the first time, wherever you are outside the UK, you can get today's newspaper on your screen from just 24p per day.

　　In addition to the new e-paper, subscribing（订阅）to Times online gives you the complete Newspaper Edition Headline List, as well as full access to the Times online website and all associated online services.

　　Your subscription now brings you daily access to：

　　The new e-paper edition

　　The Times online website and services

　　The Newspaper Edition Headline List

　　You can pay in any one of the following ways：

　　One of monthly subscription：￡7.50

　　Monthly payment scheme：￡6.50 per month

　　Annual payment scheme：￡75.00 per year

(1) Where can this ad be found?

[　　]

(2) The underlined sentence“It's the actual paper without the paper” means_______.

[　　]

A．information in e-paper can be received free of charge

B．information in e-paper is given without being printed

C．information in e-paper cannot be found in any other papers

D．information in e-paper is limited to only a few fields

(3) According to the advertisement, ________.

[　　]

A．the more papers you subscribe to, the less you will have to pay

B．the longer your subscription to the paper is, the less you will have to pay

C．The Times newspaper is printed in different parts of the world

D．what happen in the late afternoon appear in the same day's Times

The Fourth “21st 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. （Topics 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 about 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 programs.

　　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

With the start of BBC World Service Television, millions of viewers in Asia and America can now watch the Corporation's news coverage, as well as listen to it.  
And of course in Britain listeners and viewers can tune in to two BBC television channels, five BBC national radio services and dozens of local radio station. They are brought sport, comedy, drama, music, news and current affairs, education, religion, parliamentary coverage, children's programmes and films for an annual license fee of ￡83 per household.
It is a remarkable record, stretching back over 70 years - yet the BBC's future is now in doubt. The Corporation will survive as a publicly-funded broadcasting organization, at least for the time being, but its role, its size and its programmes are now the subject of a nation-wide debate in Britain.
The debate was launched by the Government, which invited anyone with an opinion of the BBC - including ordinary listeners and viewers - to say what was good or bad about the Corporation, and even whether they thought it was worth keeping. The reason for its inquiry is that the BBC's royal charter runs out in 1996 and it must decide whether to keep the organization as it is, or to make changes.
Defenders of the Corporation - of whom there are many - are fond of quoting the American slogan. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. The BBC ain't broke, they say, by which they mean it is not broken (as distinct from the word broke, meaning having no money), so why bother to change it?
Yet the BBC will have toks5u change, because the broadcasting world around it is changing. The commercial TV channels － ITV and Channel 4－ were required by the Thatcher Government's Broadcasting Act to become more commercial, competing with each other for advertisers, and cutting costs and jobs. But it is the arrival of new satellite channels - funded partly by advertising and partly by viewers' subscriptions - which will bring about the biggest changes in the long term.
56. The world famous BBC now faces ________.
A. the problem of new coverage　　               B. an uncertain prospect
C. inquiries by the general public　                D. shrinkage of audience
57. In the passage, which of the following about the BBC is not mentioned as the key issue?
A. Extension of its TV service to Far East.
B. Programmes as the subject of a nation-wide debate.
C. Potentials for further international co-operations.
D. Its existence as a broadcasting organization.
58. The BBC's royal charter （line 4, paragraph 4） stands for ________.
A. the financial support from the royal family      B. the privileges granted by the Queen
C. a contract with the Queen  　　                      D. a unique relationship with the royal family
59. The foremost reason why the BBC has to readjust itself is no other than ________.　　　　　　　　
A. the emergence of commercial TV channels
B. the enforcement of Broadcasting Act by the government
C. the urgent necessity to reduce costs and jobs
D. the challenge of new satellite channels