It would be unwise to _______ much significance ________ these opinions.

I came to study in the United States a year ago .Yet I did not know the real American society until I was injured in a car accident because after the accident I had to see a doctor and go to court.

After the accident .my roommate called a doctor for me. I was very grateful and determined to repay him one day. But the next day, he asked me to pay him $200 for what he had done. I was astonished. He had good reason to charge me, he said. And if I wanted to collect money from the person who was responsible for my injury, I’d have to have a good lawyer. And only a good doctor can help me get a good lawyer .Now that he had helped me find a good doctor, it was only fair that I should pay him.

But every day I went to see the doctor, I had to wait about 50 minutes. He would see two or three patients at the same time, and often stop treating one so as to see another. Yet he charged me $115 each time .The final examination report consisted of ten lines, and it cost me $215.

My lawyer was all smiles the first time we met. But after that he avoided seeing me at all. He knew very well the other party was responsible for the accident, yet he hardly did anything. He simply waited to collect his money. He was so irresponsible that I decided to dismiss him. And he made me pay him $770.

Now I had to act as my own lawyer. Due to my inexperience, I told the insurance company the date I was leaving America. Knowing that, they played for time…and I left without getting a cent.

My experiences taught me two things about America: firstly, in a country like America money is everything. It is more important than friendship, honor or professional morality (道德). Secondly, foreigners are still being unfairly treated. So when we talk about America, we should see both its good and bad sides.

1.The author’s roommate offered to help him because________.

2. A good doctor is essential for the author to __________.

3.The word“charge”in the third paragraph means_________ .

4.Both the doctor and the lawyer in this passage are very__________.

5.What conclusion can you draw from the story?

I came to study in the United States a year ago .Yet I did not know the real American society until I was injured in a car accident because after the accident I had to see a doctor and go to court.

After the accident .my roommate called a doctor for me. I was very grateful and determined to repay him one day. But the next day, he asked me to pay him $200 for what he had done. I was astonished. He had good reason to charge me, he said. And if I wanted to collect money from the person who was responsible for my injury, I’d have to have a good lawyer. And only a good doctor can help me get a good lawyer .Now that he had helped me find a good doctor, it was only fair that I should pay him.

But every day I went to see the doctor, I had to wait about 50 minutes. He would see two or three patients at the same time, and often stop treating one so as to see another. Yet he charged me $115 each time .The final examination report was made up of ten lines, and it cost me $215.

My lawyer was all smiles the first time we met. But after that he avoided seeing me at all. He knew very well the other party was responsible for the accident, yet he hardly did anything. He simply waited to collect his money. He was so irresponsible that I decided to dismiss(解雇) him. And he made me pay him $770.

Now I had to act as my own lawyer. Due to my inexperience, I told the insurance company（保险公司） the date I was leaving America. Knowing that, they played for time…and I left without getting a cent.

1.A good doctor is necessary and important for the author to __________.

A．be properly treated

B．talk with the person responsible for the accident

C．recover before he leaves America

D．eventually get the responsible party to pay for his injury

2.The word “charge” in the third paragraph means_________ .

A．be responsible     B．accuse            C．ask as a price       D．claim

3.Both the doctor and the lawyer in this passage are very__________.

A．friendly           B．selfish            C．professional       D．busy

4.What conclusion can you draw from the story?

A．Going to court is something very common in America.

B．One must be very careful while driving a car.

C．There are more bad sides in America than good sides.

D．Money is more important than other things in the US.

Women are on their way to holding more than half of all American jobs. The latest government report shows that their share of nonfarm jobs nearly reached fifty percent in September.

Not only have more and more women entered the labor market over the years, but the depression has been harder on men. In October the unemployment rate for men was almost eleven percent compared to eight percent for women.

Industries that traditionally use lots of men have suffered deep cuts. For example, manufacturing and building lost more jobs last month. But health care and temporary employment services have had job growth. Both of those industries employ high percentages of women.

Thirty years ago, women earned sixty-two cents for every dollar that men earned. Now, for those who usually work full time, women earn about eighty percent of what men earn. And women hold fifty-one percent of good-paying management and professional jobs.

Yet a study released Thursday said men still hold about nine out of every ten top positions at the four hundred large companies in California. The results have remained largely unchanged in live years of studies from the University of California, Davis.

Also, a new research paper in the journal Sex Roles looks at the experiences of women who are the main earners in their family. Rebecca Meisenbach at the University of Missouri in Columbia interviewed fifteen women. She found they all valued their independence and many enjoyed having the power of control, though not all wanted it.

But they also felt pressure, worry and guilt. Partly that was because of cultural expectations that working women will still take care of the children. Also, men who are not the main earners may feel threatened.

The job market continues to suffer the effects of last year’s financial crash. Now, a judgment has been reached in the first case involving charges of criminal wrongdoing on Wall Street.

Last week, the government lost its case against two managers at Bear Stearns, the first investment bank to fail last year. A jury found Ralph Cioffi and Matthew Tannin not guilty of lying to investors.

The hedge funds they supervised lost their value in two thousand seven. But jurors said there was no clear evidence that they meant to mislead investors.

The Justice Department continues to investigate other companies.

1.Why is the unemployment rate for men higher.

  A. Because there are more men workers in industries.

B. Because many industries mainly employing men now don’t need so many workers.

C. More and more women take the place of men.

D. Because health care and temporary employment services don’t employ men.

2.It can be inferred from the passage that __________.

  A. women haven’t got complete equality as men

B. only by becoming the main earners in their family can women gain a high position

C. all women now value independence and the power of control

D. taking care of children is now shared by men and women

3.Which of the following is TRUE?

  A. Men hate that women earn more money.

B. It is commonly believed that women should take care of children.

C. The job market has recovered from the effect of the financial crisis.

D. Now women working full time earn more than men.

4. Why does the government accuse two managers?

  A. They contributed to the financial crash.     B. They led a corrupt life.

C. They lied to investors.                   D. A jury found them misleading investors.

完形填空（共20小题；每小题。1.5分，满分30分）
There are going to be moments in life when you must make very important decisions. You will find many people 36 to offer you advice if you ask for it (and even if you don’t), but always remember that the life you  37   is yours and nobody else’s. It’s important to decide for yourself what’s important to you and what you want before you   38   others. Because while there will be times  39 outside advice proves wise, there will be at least as many times when it proves completely  40.. The only way to really evaluate other folks’ advice is to first learn everything that you can about whatever challenge you are  41  . Once you’ve done that, in most cases you should be able to make a wise decision  42   anyway.
You were  43   with the ability to decide what is and what isn’t in your best interest. Most of the time, you will make the right decision and   44   the appropriate actions, and in thinking for yourself, you will become far more successful than if you had gone against your own  45  .
Early on in my investment career, I made the mistake of   46  a few important business decisions on colleagues’ opinions instead of conducting the   47   necessary to make a wise decision. It wasn’t due to   48   on my part; no one could ever accuse me of that. But, being   49   to Wall Street, I intended to assume that my more senior   50 knew more than I did, and so I   51   too much significance to their opinions.
You know what happened? Each of those investments ended in   52 . Eventually I stopped allowing myself to be influenced by   53   and began doing the work myself and making my own decisions. It took me until I was almost 30 years old to   54   this—it’s never too late for a person to change his approach both to   55  and to life.