It was late in the afternoon, and I was putting the final touch on a piece of writing that I was feeling pretty good about. I wanted to save it, but my cursor(光标) had frozen. I tried to shut the computer down, and it seized up altogether. Unsure of what else to do, I yanked (用力猛拉) the battery out.

Unfortunately, Windows had been in the midst of a crucial（紧要关头） undertaking. The next morning, when I turned my computer back on, it informed me that a file had been corrupted and Windows would not load. Then, it offered to repair itself by using the Windows Setup CD.

I opened the special drawer where I keep CDs. But no Windows CD in there. I was forced to call the computer company's Global Support Centre. My call was answered by a woman in some unnamed, far-off land. I find it annoying to make small talk with someone when I don't know what continent they're standing on. Suppose I were to comment on the beautiful weather we've been having when there was a monsoon(季风) at the other end of the phone? So I got right to the point.

"My computer is telling me a file is corrupted and it wants to fix itself, but I don't have the Windows Setup CD."

"So you're having a problem with your Windows Setup CD." She has apparently been dozing and, having come to just as the sentence ended, was attempting to cover for her inattention.

It quickly became clear that the woman was not a computer technician. Her job was to serve as a gatekeeper. Her only duty, as far as I could tell, was to raise global stress levels.

To make me disappear, the woman gave me the phone number for Windows' creator, Microsoft. This is like giving someone the phone number for, I don't know, North America. Besides, the CD worked; I just didn't have it. No matter how many times I repeated my story, we came back to the same place. She was calm and polite.

When my voice hit a certain decibel (分贝), I was passed along, like a hot, irritable potato, to a technician.

"You don't have the Windows Setup CD, ma'am, because you don't need it," he explained cheerfully.

"Windows came preinstalled on your computer!"

"But I do need it."

"Yes, but you don't have it." We went on like this for a while. Finally, he offered to walk me through the use of a different CD, one that would erase my entire system. "Of course, you'd lose all your e-mail, your documents, your photos." It was like offering to drop a safe on my head to cure my headache. "You might be able to recover them, but it would be expensive." He sounded delighted. "And it's not covered by the warranty (产品保证书)!"  The safe began to seem like a good idea, provided it was full.

I hung up the phone and drove my computer to a small, friendly repair place I'd heard about. A smart, helpful man dug out a Windows CD and told me it wouldn't be a problem. An hour later, he called to let me know it was ready. I thanked him, and we chatted about the weather, which was the same outside my window as it was outside his.

1.Why did the author shut down her computer abruptly?

A．She had saved what she had written.

B．She couldn't move the cursor.

C．The computer refused to work.

D．The computer offered to repair itself.

2.Which of the following is the author's opinion about the woman at the Global Support Centre?

A．She sounded helpful and knowledgeable.

B．She was there to make callers frustrated.

C．She was able to solve her computer problem.

D．She was quick to pass her along to a technician.

3.According to the passage, the solution offered by the technician was_________________.

A．effective          B．economical        C．unpractical        D．unsatisfied

4. "It was like offering to drop a safe on my head to cure my headache" in the last but one paragraph means that_____________________.

A．the technician's proposal would make things even worse

B．the technician's proposal could eventually solve the problem

C．files stored on her computer were like a safe

D．erasing the entire system was like curing a headache

5.It can be inferred from the passage that the differences between the Global Support Centre and the local repair shop lie in all the followings except ________________.

A．efficiency         B．location           C．setup CDs         D．attitude

 

No one wants to look silly or do the wrong thing at a new job. It’s important to make the right impression (印象) from the first day. You will face new people. You will be in a new place. It may be difficult to know what to do. Here are seven tips to help you make it through the first days at a new job:

1. First impression is important. Make sure you make a good one. Before your first day, find out if your new job has a dress code. If so, be sure to follow it. No matter what you wear, always be neat (整洁) and clean.

2. Get to work on time. Employers value workers who come to work on time. Give yourself an extra 15 minutes to make sure you arrive on time.

3. Pay attention to introduction. One of the first things that your supervisor (主管) may do is to introduce you to co-workers. These co-workers will be important to you. They are the ones who will answer your questions when the boss isn’t around.

4. Ask plenty of questions. Make sure that your supervisor has told you what your are expected to do. If he or she has not told you your job duties, ask for a list. Set daily and weekly goals for yourself.

5. Don't make personal phone calls. You should never make personal phone calls to your friends and family unless it's an emergency.

6. Don’t take too long for lunch. What’s the lunch-hour policy at your new job? You can find out from your supervisor or your company’s personnel department(人事部门). For example, do people eat at their desks or does everyone take a full hour outside the workplace?

7. Never be the first one to leave. Observe how your co-workers behave around quitting (离开) time. It does no good for you to be eager to leave.

Which is the best title for the passage?

  A. Tips On First Days At a New Job    B. How to Do a Job Well

  C. Be the Last to Leave              D. Ways to Find a New Job

From the last two paragraphs, we can infer that the most important rule we should follow is ______.

 A. to have lunch outside the workplace   B. to do as other people do

 C. not to be the first to leave after work   D. to pay attention to introductions

The underlined phrase “a dress code” (Para. 2) means ______.

A. a beautiful dress        B. a place where a dress can be placed 

C. a neat and clean dress    D. a rule about what you can wear to work

Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?

A. You should not make personal calls unless very necessary.

B. Co-workers will be important to you when the boss is out.

C. You shouldn’t ask any questions in case you trouble others.

D. Leave an extra 15 minutes earlier to make sure you won’t be late.

假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌写的以下作文。文中共有10处语言错误，要求你在错误的地方增加、删除或修改某个单词。

增加： 在缺词处加一个漏词符号（∧），并在其下面写上该加的词。

删除： 把多余的词用斜线（﹨）划掉。

修改： 在错的词下划一横线，并在该词下面写上修改后的词。

注意：1. 每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；

2. 只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分。

Yesterday evening Alice was busy prepare for her tomorrow’s test when suddenly loud noises came into her room. Her neighbor was watching football match on TV in his room. The noises were so loudly that she couldn’t go on studying. She covered her ear with her hands, try to keep the noises out, and it was no use. Alice got impatient. So she has to go to explain his difficulty. After hearing that she said, her neighbor apologized and turned down the TV immediately. Alice thanked to him and went back to continue her study.

 

There is only one winner and in this case it is Gina Rinehart who has won it all. In her own words, "beauty is an iron mine", Gina suggested her recipe for glory and fame. She has been announced as the richest woman of the world by BRW (formerly Business Review Weekly) in May 2012. Let's read more about her life and journey to the top.   

Georgina "Gina" Hope Rinehart was born on 9th February, 1954 in Perth, Western Australia, to Hope Margaret Nicholas and Lang Hancock, the mining king. Her father discovered one of the world's biggest reserves in the early 1950s. Gina gained lots of knowledge of the iron-ore industry while working with her father. She married an Englishman Greg Milton, at the age of 19 and together they had two children, John Langley and Bianca Hope. Soon the marriage broke off and she remarried in 1983. Frank Rinehart and Gina had two children: Ginia and Hope. Frank died in 1990. Since then, Gina has devoted herself to her work and empire.

She was the sole heir (唯一继承人) of her family's wealth. Then after her father died in 1992, she started her professional career as the Executive Chairman of Hancock Prospecting Pty Limited (HPPL) and other privately owned group of companies. At that time, the company centered its functioning to mining-related explorations and accumulation of vast mining leases (租约). From there, Rinehart worked her way towards transforming the leases into profit earning mines. She also worked together with other companies to raise capital. Her efforts made the business increase three times in 2011 as much as before.  

At home, Rinehart was working to expand the family business, but she did not satisfy herself with it. In 2010, she stepped into the media industry by acquiring 10% stake (股份) in Ten Network Holdings. Afterwards, she went on to hold stake in Fairfax Media, proving that mining is not her only interest. In June 2012, by increasing her stake in Fairfax to 18.67%, she became the largest stakeholder in the company. With this, she now stands at the head of $US 29.3 billion worth of an empire. Two new projects related to the mining sector in Central Queensland and Roy Hill are expected to begin in 2013.

Gina Rinehart has made her way from being Australia's Richest Woman to Australia's Richest Person and then to World's Richest Woman.

1.According to Gina Rinehart, what makes her successful and famous?

A．Her own beauty.    B．Her wealth.        C．Her family.         D．The iron-ore industry.

2.What’s the main idea of the second paragraph?

A．Gina Rinehart’s business career.           B．Gina Rinehart’s education.

C．Gina Rinehart’s life and family.            D．Gina Rinehart’s two marriages.

3.How old was Gina Rinehart when she succeeded her father?

A．She was 58 yeas old.                     B．She was 62 years old.

C．She was 38 years old.                    D．She was 36 years old.

4.After being the Executive Chairman, Gina Rinehart made several reforms EXCEPT ______.

A．stepping into the media industry

B．transforming the leases into profit earning mines

C．working together with other companies to raise capital

D．focusing on mining-related explorations and accumulation of vast mining leases

5.Which of the following can best describe Gina Rinehart?

A．Poorly-educated.   B．Stubborn.         C．Hardworking.       D．Modest.