阅读理解：阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项．

　　Facing a slowly reviving(复苏) economy and competition from unemployed workers, nearly one-third of this spring's 1,200,000 college graduates could remain jobless six months after receiving their diplomas(文凭)-a delay that may affect their earnings for years to come. Based on national projections, as many as 360,000 of them could still be looking for work as 2003 approaches. According to a long-term study, unemployment early in a career can be felt over a period of years because it delays the experience and training that typically lead to higher salaries.

　　The competition will be fierce for first-time job-seekers this year. Not only are there fewer openings, but the pool of candidates(候选人) is bigger. In addition to their classmates, graduates will be competing with jobless people formerly in the workforce for one to three years, some of whom may be willing in this uncertain economy to accept entry-level pay.

　　Firms surveyed by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) plan to hire 20% fewer college graduates in 2001－2002 than in the spring graduates. In addition, 10% of college graduates typically remain unemployed and are not registered(注册) in graduate school six months after graduation, according to informal surveys by NACE.

　　Competition from laid-off (下岗) workers alone could extend the job search into the six-month range. College students are also facing the new business realities of increased outsourcing(外购), record downsizing, and cautious(谨慎的) employers careful for another sudden economic jolt(波动) such as that caused by Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Some enterprises' leaders do not see the economy recovering until 2003.

1．All of the following are the disadvantages caused by unemployment early on a career EXCEPT ________.

[　　]

2．The one that does not contribute to the fierce competition for first-time job-seekers this year is ________.

[　　]

A．reduction of position vacancies(空缺)

B．more job-seekers

C．competition from laid-off workers

D．falling pay

3．From Paragraph 3 we can learn that________.

[　　]

A．many firms intend to employ laid-off workers rather than college graduates

B．many firms intend to employ fewer college graduates because of the slowing reviving economy

C．more and more college graduates attend graduate school because of difficulty in job hunting

D．10% of college graduates cannot find a job after they leave campus

4．The main reason that delays college graduates' employment by half a year is ________.

[　　]

A．competition from laid-off workers

B．increased outsourcing

C．record downsizing

D．the economic jolt caused by the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks

5．In his next paragraph, the author may talk about________.

[　　]

A．the economic influences caused by the Sept.11 terrorist attacks

B．how to help firms recover from recession(衰退)

C．how to help the economy recover from recession

D．how to help college graduates be successful in job seeking

Violin prodigies（神童）, I learned, have come in distinct waves from distinct regions. Most of the great performers of the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries were born and brought up in Russia and Eastern Europe. I asked Isaac Stern, one of the world’s greatest violinists, the reason for this phenomenon. “It’s very clear, “he told me. “They were all Jews and Jews at the time were severely oppressed and ill-treated in that part of the world. They were not allowed into the professional fields, but they were allowed to achieve excellence on a concert stage.” As a result, every Jewish parent’s dream was to have a child in the music school because it was a passport to the West.
Another element in the emergence of prodigies, I found, is a society that values excellence in a certain field and is able to nurture (培育) talent. Nowadays the most nurturing societies seem to be in the Far East. “In Japan, a most competitive society with stronger discipline than ours,” says Isaac Stern, “children are ready to test their limits every day in many fields, including music. When Western music came to Japan after World War II, that music not only became part of their daily lives, but it became a discipline as well.” The Koreans and Chinese, as we know, are just as highly motivated as the Japanese.
That’s a good thing, because even prodigies must work hard. Next to hard work, biological inheritance plays an important role in the making of a prodigy. J. S. Bach, for example, was the top of several generations of musicians, and four of his sons had significant careers in music.
【小题1】Jewish parents in Eastern Europe longed for their children to attend music school because ______.   

My daughter ________ get up late, but now she ________ rising early in the morning．

1. A.
   was used to; is used to
2. B.
   used to; was used to
3. C.
   was used to; used to
4. D.
   used to; is used to

第三部分：阅读理解
A
In the United States, it is not customary to telephone someone very early in the morning. If you telephone him early in the day, while he is shaving or having breakfast, the time of the call shows that the matter is very important and requires immediate attention. The same meaning is attached to telephone calls made after 11:00 p.m. If someone receives a call during sleeping hours, he assumes it’s a matter of life of death. The time chosen for the call communications its importance.
In social life, time plays a very important part. In the U.S.A. guests tend to feel they are not highly regarded if the invitation to a dinner party is extended only three or four days before the party date. But it is not true in all countries. In other areas of the world, it may be considered foolish to make an appointment too far in advance because plans which are made for a date more than a week away tend to be forgotten. The meaning of time differs in different parts of the world. Thus, misunderstandings arise between people from cultures that treat time differently. Promptness is valued highly in American life. For example, if people are not prompt, they may be regarded as impolite or not fully responsible. In the A.S. no one would think of keeping a business associate waiting for an hour, it would be too impolite. A person who is 5 minutes late will say a few words of explanation, though perhaps he will not complete the sentence.
41. If one makes a telephone call at dawn, this would mean ____.
A. the matter is of value            B. the matter is somewhat important
C. the matter requires attention      D. it is a matter of life or death
42. According to the passage, time plays an important role in ____.
A. everyday life      B. school life   C. communications   D. private life
43. According to the passage, the author of the article may agree that ____.
A. it is not appropriate to send your invitation cards only three or four days before a dinner party date in U. S. A.
B. it is impolite to be prompt
C. it is best for one to make telephone calls at night because it costs much less
D. if one is less than 5 minutes late, he has to make a short apology
44. The best title for this passage is “ ____”.
A. Time and tide wait for no man             B. The importance of time     
C. The importance of an announcement        D. The voices of time

CARDIFF, Wales  Poets, singers and musicians from across the globe gathered in Wales to celebrate the tradition(传统) of storytelling.
“It might seem strange that people still want to listen in age of watching television, but this is an unusual art form whose time has come again,” said David Ambrose, director of Beyond the Border, an international storytelling festival(节) in Wales.
“Some of the tales, like those the Inuit from Canada, are thousands years old. So our storytellers have come from distant lands to connect us with the distance of time,” he said early this month.
Two Inuit women, both in their mid 60s, are among the few remaining who can do Kntadjait, or throat singing, which has few words and much sound. Their art is governed by the cold of their surroundings, forcing them to say little but listen attentively.
Ambrose started the festival in 1993, after several years of working with those reviving (coming back into use or existence) storytelling in Wales.
“It came out of a group of people who wanted to reconnect with traditions. and as all the Welsh are storytellers, it was in good hands here.” Ambrose said.
56. Ambrose believes that the art of storytelling _______.
A. will be more popular than TV      B. will be popular again
C. started in Wales           D. are in the hands of some old people
57. From the tales told by the Inuit, people can learn _______.
A. about their life as early as thousands of years ago
B. why they tell the stories in a throat-singing way
C. how cold it has been where the Inuit live
D. how difficult it is to understand the Inuit
58. According to the writer, which of the following is NOT true?
A. Storytelling once stopped in Wales.
B. Storytelling has a long history in Wales.
C. Storytelling is always well received in Wales.
D. Storytelling did not come back until 1993 in Wales.
59. The underlined phrase in good hands means _______.
A. controlled by rich people     B. grasped by good storytellers
C. taken good care of                D. protected by kind people