A famous foreign company that invested in China wanted to employ a reception secretary for its public relation department.

    A beautiful girl with a master degree in electric engineering became a winning candidate(候选人) through the difficult process of employment. At its last stage she faced an oral test together with another girl who was her equal not only in good looks but also in education standard. The girl we talk about was confident in herself and successful in the oral test. It seemed that she would get the chance. The examiner told her on behalf of the company that she could come to office of company next Monday as a new employee. At last he asked her, “Have you anything else to say? Shocked by the unexpected question, the beautiful girl was quite at a loss, saying with hesitation(犹豫不决),”“I have to talk with my parents before I give an answer.”Surprised, the examiner said calmly,“In that case, let’s wait till you are ready.”

    The next day the girl came to tell that her parents agreed to her beginning work next Monday. But the examiner said regretfully,“Sorry, the job position is filled by another suitable candidate. You had better have a try in another place.”The beautiful girl was surprised. She asked for an explanation and was told,“What is needed here is a person who knows her own mind.”

 That was how a good opportunity slipped away right under the nose of a beautiful girl.

What did the examiner value most?

A．One’s beautiful looks.    B．One’s knowledge.

C．One’s young age.          D．One’s independence.

It can be inferred from the passage that ________.

A．the other girl who failed at the last oral test was most likely to get the job

B．another girl chosen in next test held the company

C．the company lost its best employee

D．the examiner was surprised at his first choice

Why did the beautiful girl want to ask her parents for advice?

A．She didn’t know what to do.

B．She couldn’t answer the question.

C．She hadn’t expected the examiner would ask such a question.

D．Her parents would scold her if she agreed without their permission.

The best title of this passage probably is ________.

A．Make your decision quickly    B．Have your own judgment

C．Seize your chance in time      D．Hesitation leads to failure     

C

By far the most common difficulty in studying is simple failure to get down to regular concentrated work. This difficulty is much greater for those who do not work to a plan and have no regular routine of study. Many students muddle (胡乱对付) along, doing a bit of this subject or that, as the mood takes them, or letting their set work pile up until the last possible moment.

    Few students work to a set timetable. They say that if they did work out a timetable for themselves they would not keep to it, or would have to change it frequently, since they can never predict from one day to the next what their activities will be.

No doubt some students are more willing to accept a regular routine than others. There are many who shy away from a self-controlled weekly timetable, and dislike being tied down to a fixed program of work. Many able students state that they work in cycles. When they become interested in a topic, they work on it attentively for three or four days at a time. On other days they avoid work completely. It has to be admitted that we do not fully understand the motivation (动机)to work.. Most people over 25 years of age have become used to routine, and the majority of real productive workers set aside regular hours for the more important areas of their work. The “tough-minded” school doesn’t fully accept the idea that good work can only be done naturally, under the influence of inspiration.

Those who believe that they need only work and study as the fit takes them have a mistaken belief either in their own talent or in the value of “freedom”. In fact, freedom from control and discipline（纪律）leads to unhappiness rather than to “self-expression” or “personality development”. Our society insists on regular habits, timekeeping and punctuality (准时), and whether we like it or not, if we mean to make our way in society, we have to meet its demands.

The most widespread problem in applying oneself to study is ______.

    A．changing from one subject to another

    B．the failure to keep to a set timetable of work

    C．the unwillingness to follow a systematic plan

    D．working on a subject only when one feels like it

Which of the following is true?

    A．Many students are not interested in using self-controlled timetable.

    B．Many students don’t like being told to study to a fixed timetable.

    C．Most people of over 25 years of age don’t work to a set timetable.

    D．Tough-minded people agree that good job is done naturally

The underlined part “as the fit takes them” in paragraph 4 probably means ______.

    A．when they have the energy   

    B．when they are in the mood

    C．when they feel fit      

    D．when they find conditions are suitable

A suitable title for the passage might be ______.

    A．Attitudes to Study   B．A study Plan

    C．The Difficulties in Studying D．Study and Self-discipline

Last July, my 12-year-old car died on California’s Santa Ana Freeway. It was an hour before sunset, and I was 25 miles from home. I couldn’t reach anyone to pick me up, so I decided to take a bus. Not knowing the routes, I figured I’d just head east.

A bus pulled up, and I asked the driver how far she was going. “Four more lights,” she said. There was another bus I could take from there. This clearly was going to be a long night.

She dropped me off at the end of her route and told me which bus to look for. After waiting 30 minutes, I began to think about a very expensive taxi ride home. Then a bus pulled up. There was no lighted number above its windshield(挡风玻璃). It was out of service. But the door opened, and I was surprised to find that it was the same driver.

“I just can’t leave you here,” she said. “This isn’t the nicest place. I’ll give you a ride home.”

“You’ll drive me home in the bus?” I asked, perplexed(困惑).

“No, I’ll take you in my car,” she said.

“It’s a long way,” I protested.

“Come on, ” she said. “I have nothing else to do.”

As we drove from the station in her car, she began telling me a story. A few days earlier, her brother had run out of gas. A good Samaritan picked him up, took him to a service station and then back to his car. “I’m just passing the favor along, ” she said.

When I offered her money as a thank-you, she wouldn’t hear of it. “That wouldn’t make it a favor, ” she said. “Just do something nice for somebody. Pass it along.”

1. Why did the writer say that he would have a long night?

A. He wondered how long he had to wait for the next bus.   B. No driver would give him a ride.

C. He didn’t know the routes.                            D. He perhaps would have to take a taxi.

2. Judging from its context, the place where the writer waited for the second bus was _______.

A. very quiet and peaceful                 B. dark without street lights

C. neither clean nor beautiful              D. a little unsafe

3. Why did the writer change his mind after waiting for 30 minutes at the end of the route?

A. No bus would come at the time.          B. A taxi ride would be more comfortable.

C. He became impatient and a bit worried.   D. He knew the driver would never return.

4. The bus driver drove the writer home later because ________.

A. she happened to go in the same direction  B. she wanted to do something good for other people

C. her brother told her to do so              D. she wanted to earn more money

5. The bus driver hoped that the writer ________

A. would do as she did                     B. would keep her in memory

C. would give the money to others          D. would do her a favor

Last year my wife and I spent a most interesting month in Turkey. Before we left, we were reminded of the difficulties of driving in Turkey. We certainly did not find this to be the case and, except for a few places in faraway mountainous areas, the roads were wide, and well-paved (铺). We drove for 12 days along the Western Coast of Turkey and had no problems at all. We found the Turkish drivers very polite and well-educated. We also found that eating lunch in the smaller towns was difficult so we picnicked almost every day.

    The following day after our arrival was Turkey’s Children’s Day, started by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk. Ataturk loved children and he often said, “Children are a new beginning of tomorrow.” He even devoted the day 23rd of April to the children which today is celebrated as Children’s Day as well as the date when the Republic of Turkey was founded.

    On that day certain children are picked to take over the places of the government, and a lucky kid will be the president of Turkey for a whole day. He can decide what’s going to happen and whether or not he is going to have the president next to him. There are a very large number of possibilities of things he can do but some shops aren’t open because they are celebrating the day as well.

    All in all, it was a more enjoyable trip. I would recommend (推荐) a trip to Turkey to anyone with an adventurous spirit!

Before the author and his wife went on a trip to Turkey, they were told that ________.

A. it was difficult to travel in Turkey

B. it was not easy to drive in Turkey

C. the streets in Turkey were dangerous

D. there were many mountain roads

What do we know from the first paragraph?

A. Places in mountainous areas were difficult to reach.

B. It took the couple 12 days to drive to Turkey.

C. The Turkish drivers had good manners.

D. It was difficult to eat meals in Turkey.

The underlined word “He” in paragraph 3 refers to “________”.

A. everyone of us              B. the government

C. the president of Turkey    D. the lucky child

What can be inferred(推断) from the passage?

A. The couple had little difficulty making their way in Turkey.

B. Turkey doesn’t celebrate International Children’s Day.

C. The author joined in celebrating Turkey’s Children’s Day.

D. On Turkey’s Children’s Day, everyone had holidays.

A teacher of English as a second language is the 2004 Teacher of the Year in the United States .Kathy Mellor of Rhode Island will spend the next year as an international spokeswoman for education. President Bush and his wife, Laura ,honored her during a ceremony at the White House last week.

   For the past nineteen years ,Kathy Mellor has taught English as a second language at Davisville Middle School in North Kingstown, Rhode Island ,in the northeastern United States .She redesigned the program for E.S.L students at her school to provide each student with one to three periods per day in classes for English learners .How much instruction the students get depends on their level of skill in listening ,speaking ,reading and writing. The amount of time they spend in these classes in reduced as their level of English increases.

   A teacher describes this as the most successful E.S.L. program in North Kingstown. She also praises Kathy Mellor for providing help to students and their families by forming a local parents group for speakers of other languages .This improved their ability to help their children.

   Kathy Mellor earned a master’s degree in education from Rhode Island College. She studied teaching English as a second language.

   She was chosen for the national honor of Teacher of the Year from among top teachers in each of the fifty states .As Teacher of the Year ,Kathy Mellor will travel around the United States and to other countries .She will talk about the importance of education and the work of teachers.

This passage is mainly about________.

    A．Teacher of the Year 2004 in the United States

    B．Ms Mellor’s English teaching instruction

    C．Ms Mellor’s teaching skills of learning English

    D．praises to Ms Mellor from other teachers

What does “E.S.L.” in the passage stand for?

    A．English study learners.             B．English speaking and listening.

    C．English special learners.           D．English as a second language.

From this passage we can learn that ________.

    A．middle school teachers from each state are honored Teachers of the Year

    B．middle school teachers in the USA have to get master’s degrees

    C．Ms Mellor’s students have no problems in learning English

D．the American government pays much attention to education