America is growing older. Fifty years ago, only 4 out of every 100 people in the United States were 65 or older. Today, 10 out of every 100 Americans are over 65. The aging of the population will affect （影响） American society in many ways --- education, medicine, and business. Quietly, the graying of America has made us a very different society - one in which people have a quite different idea of what kind of behavior （行为）is suitable （合适） at different ages.
A person’s age no longer tells you anything about his/her social position, marriage or health. There’s no longer a particular year in which one goes to school or goes to work or gets married or starts a family. The social clock that kept us on time and told us when to go to school, get a job, or stop working isn’t as strong as it used to be. It doesn’t surprise us to hear of a 29-year-old university president or a 35-year-old grandmother, or a 70-year-old man who has become a father for the first time. Public ideas are changing.
Many people say, ‘I am much younger than my mother -  or my father - was at my age.’ No one says ‘Act your age’ anymore. We’ve stopped looking with surprise at older people who act in youthful ways.
【小题1】From the passage, we know in America____.

A．they used to go to school or stop work at a certain age

B．people won’t tell you their social position

C．the children no longer go to school.

D．people hold the old ideas about the age as before

【小题2】It can be learnt from the text that the aging of the population in America         .

A．has made people feel younger

B．has changed people’s social position

C．has changed people’s understanding of age

D．has slowed down the country’s social development

【小题3】The underlined word ‘one’ refers to          .

A．a society

B．America

C．a place

D．population

【小题4】‘Act your age’ means people should _______  .

A．be active when they are old

B．do the right thing at the right age

C．show respect for their parents young or old

D．take more physical exercise suitable to their age

【小题5】 If a 25-year-old man becomes general manager of a big firm, the writer of the text would most probably consider it       .

A．normal

B．wonderful

C．unbelievable

D．unreasonable

  A new generation addiction is quickly spreading all over the world. Weboholism, a twentieth century disease, affects people from different ages. They surf the net, use e-mail and speak in chat rooms. They spend many hours on the computer, and it becomes a compulsive habit. They cannot stop, and it affects their lives.
Ten years ago, no one thought that using computers could become compulsive behavior that could affect the social and physical life of computer users. This obsessional behavior has affected teenagers and college students. They are likely to log on computers and spend long hours at different websites.
They become hooked on computers and gradually their social and school life is affected by this situation. They spend all free time surfing and don’t concentrate on homework, so this addiction influences their grades and success at school. Because they can find everything on the websites, they hang out there. Moreover, this addiction to websites influences their social life.
They spend more time in front of computers than with their friends. The relation with their friends changes. The virtual life becomes more important than their real life. They have a new language that they speak in the chat rooms and it causes cultural changes in society.
Because of the change in their behavior, they begin to isolate themselves from the society and live with their virtual friends. They share their emotions and feelings with friends who they have never met in their life. Although they feel confident on the computer, they are not confident with real live friends they have known all their life. It is a problem for the future. This addictive behavior is beginning to affect all the world.
【小题1】The author’s attitude towards weboholism is that of being______.

A．optimistic

B．positive

C．oppositive

D．acceptable、

【小题2】The main idea of the passage is about__________.

A．the cause of weboholism	B．the advantage of weboholism
C．the popularity of weboholism	D．the influence of weboholism

【小题3】 The underlined word “obsessional” in the second paragraph most probably means “________”.

A．attractive	B．addictive
C．professional	D．potential

【小题4】We can infer from the passage that_______.

A．weboholism has the greatest effect on teenagers

B．students can hardly balance real and virtual life

C．people are addicted to games on the Internet

D．virtual life is more vivid and attractive anyway

【小题5】 Which of the following is NOT true of weboholism?

A．It contributes to the development of the web.

B．The chat room language may change social culture.

C．The problem will be getting more and more serious later.

D．People addicted to the web often become inactive in real life.

It is pretty much a one-way street. While it may be common for university researchers to try their luck in the commercial world, there is very little traffic in the opposite direction. Pay has always been the biggest deterrent, as people with families often feel they cannot afford the drop in salary when moving to a university job. For some industrial scientists, however, the attractions of academia (学术界) outweigh any financial considerations.
Helen Lee took a 70% cut in salary when she moved from a senior post in Abbott Laboratories to a medical department at the University of Cambridge. Her main reason for returning to academia mid-career was to take advantage of the greater freedom to choose research questions. Some areas of inquiry have few prospects of a commercial return, and Lee’s is one of them.
The impact of a salary cut is probably less severe for a scientist in the early stages of a career. Guy Grant, now a research associate at the Unilever Centre for Molecular Informatics at the University of Cambridge, spent two years working for a pharmaceutical (制药的) company before returning to university as a post-doctoral researcher. He took a 30% salary cut but felt it worthwhile for the greater intellectual opportunities.
Higher up the ladder, where a pay cut is usually more significant, the demand for scientists with a wealth of experience in industry is forcing universities to make the transition (转换) to academia more attractive, according to Lee. Industrial scientists tend to receive training that academics do not, such as how to build a multidisciplinary team, manage budgets and negotiate contracts. They are also well placed to bring something extra to the teaching side of an academic role that will help students get a job when they graduate, says Lee, perhaps experience in manufacturing practice or product development. “Only a small number of undergraduates will continue in an academic career. So someone leaving university who already has the skills needed to work in an industrial lab has far more potential in the job market than someone who has spent all their time on a narrow research project.”
【小题1】By “a one-way street” (Line 1, Para. 1), the author means ________.

A．university researchers know little about the commercial world

B．there is little exchange between industry and academia

C．few industrial scientists would quit to work in a university

D．few university professors are willing to do industrial research

【小题2】What was Helen Lee’s major consideration when she changed her job in the middle of her career?

A．Flexible work hours.	B．Her research interests.
C．Her preference for the lifestyle on campus.	D．Prospects of academic accomplishments.

【小题3】Guy Grant chose to work as a researcher at Cambridge in order to ________.

A．do financially more rewarding work	B．raise his status in the academic world
C．enrich his experience in medical research	D．exploit better intellectual opportunities

【小题4】What contribution can industrial scientists make when they come to teach in a university?

A．Increase its graduates’ competitiveness in the job market.

B．Develop its students’ potential in research.

C．Help it to obtain financial support from industry.

D．Gear its research towards practical applications.

You are enjoying the beautiful scenery in a quiet place, but suddenly the peace and quiet is interrupted（打断）by the noisy sound of a cellphone(手机)! Cellphones are everywhere, and some people don’t know what the limits of cellphone use are.
For me, it’s just a matter of education, good manners, and common sense. If I go to a beautiful place, it is because I want to enjoy nature. I can do it, but without bothering (打扰) other people.
Nowadays, that’s the biggest problem. People disturb other people, first with the ringing of their cellphones and then with their conversations because they usually speak very loudly. Not everybody in a public place should have to listen to private conversations (私人谈话). Even more annoying, you hear just one part of the conversation.
People need to learn how to use cellphones correctly. If there is an emergency (紧急情况)，cellphones are acceptable, but remember that just a few years ago few people had cellphones and the whole society survived!
But again, not everybody wants to listen to other people’s private conversations. It’s like smoking. People don’t want to be bothered by smokers. Our society has to learn to respect other people.
Sometimes when you are talking to someone, that person interrupts the conversation because of a cellphone call, without saying “I’m sorry.” That is bad manners. They don’t know how to respect other people. It’s just common sense! But our society is sometimes so “common senseless!” So, we have to write some rules to prohibit（禁止）cellphone use in some places.
【小题1】What could be the best title for the passage?

A．Cellphone Manners Are a Must	B．How to Use Cellphones
C．Don’t Disturb Others	D．The Popularity (流行) of Cellphones

【小题2】According to the author, what is the biggest problem nowadays?

A．People are disturbed by those who use cellphones.

B．People can’t hear the other part of the conversation.

C．Private conversations are carried out on cellphones.

D．Not everyone uses a cellphone in public places.

【小题3】By saying “People don’t want to be bothered by smokers” (Para. 5), the author  really means _____.

A．smoking also does harm to other people’s health

B．people don’t want to listen to others talk

C．people don’t want to be bothered by cellphone talkers

D．some people don’t want others to smoke

【小题4】Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?

A．If we interrupt the conversation with a cellphone call, we should say sorry.

B．Some of the cellphone users don’t have good manners.

C．Before using cellphones, we must know how to respect others.

D．People who use cellphones are not interested in beautiful scenery at all.

Surfing the Internet for fun will make you a better employee, according to an Australian study.
The University of Melbourne study shows that people who use the Internet for their own reasons at work are about 9 percent more productive than those who do not. Study author Brent Coker said, “Surfing the Internet at times helps increase an employee’s attention.”
“People need to relax for a bit to get back their attention,” Coker said on the university’s website. “Having a short break, such as a quick surfing of the Internet, helps the mind to rest itself, leading to a higher total Internet attention for a day’s work, and as a result, increases productivity(生产效率),”he said.
According to the study of 300 workers, 70 percent of people who use the Internet at work surf the Internet for their own reasons during office hours. Among the most popular surfing activities are searching for information about products, reading online news, playing online games and watching videos. “Firms spend a lot of money on software to block their employees from watching video, using social networking sites or shopping online,” said Coker. “That’s not always a good idea.”
However, Coker said the study looked at people who surfed the Internet in moderation (适度), or were on the Internet for less than 20 percent of their total time in the office. “Those who spend too much time surfing the Internet will have a lower productivity than those without,” he said.
【小题1】 What does the University of Melbourne study mainly show?

A．People who surf the Internet are good employees.

B．Not everyone surfs the Internet for fun during office hours.

C．Surfing the Internet for fun during office hours increases productivity.

D．The Internet is becoming more and more important in people’s life.

【小题2】According to Paragraph 3, Brent Coker would most probably agree that______.

A．the longer a person’s mind rests ,the better attention he will have

B．surfing the Internet is the best way to increase productivity

C．workers should have a long break during office hours

D．Workers should let their minds rest now and then

【小题3】 Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the passage as one of the most popular surfing activities?

A．Watching videos.	B．Reading online news.
C．Reading online novels	D．Playing online games.

【小题4】The underlined word “block” in Paragrap4 means “_____”.

A．prevent

B．cycle

C．burst

D．breathe

【小题5】What can we infer form the last paragraph?

A．Spending too much time surfing the Internet reduces productivity.

B．Those who never surf the Internet have the lowest productivity.

C．Most people don’t surf the Internet in moderation during office hours.

D．People should spend as little time as possible surfing the Internet.

What does it mean to say that we live in a world of persuasion? It means that we live among competing interests. Your roommate’s need to study for an exam may take priority（优先）over pizza. Your instructor may have good reasons not to change your grade. And the object of your romantic interest may have other choices.
　　In such a world, persuasion is the art of getting others to give fair and favorable consideration to our point of view. When we persuade, we want to influence how others believe and behave. We may not always prevail— other points of view may be more persuasive, depending on the listener, the situation, and the merits of the case. But when we practice the art of persuasion, we try to ensure that our position receives the attention it deserves.
　　Some people, however, object to the very idea of persuasion. They may regard it as an unwelcome interruption into their lives. Just the opposite, we believe that persuasion is unavoidable — to live is to persuade. Persuasion may be ethical（合乎道义的）or unethical, selfless or selfish, inspiring or degrading. Persuaders may enlighten our minds or catch our vulnerability(弱点). Ethical persuasion, however, calls on sound reasoning and is sensitive to the feelings and needs of listeners. Such persuasion can help us apply the wisdom of the past to the decisions we now must make. Therefore, the most basic part of education is learning to resist the one kind of persuasion and to encourage and practice the other.
　　Beyond its personal importance to us, persuasion is necessary to society. The right to persuade and be persuaded is the bedrock of the American political system, guaranteed by the First Amendment to the Constitution（美国宪法）.
【小题1】According to the passage, persuasion means ________.

A．changing others’ point of view

B．exercising power over other people

C．getting other people to consider your point of view

D．getting people to agree with you and do what you want

【小题2】The underlined word in the second paragraph “prevail” means“________”.

A．win

B．fail

C．speak

D．listen

【小题3】The passage states that some people object to persuasion because they think it is ________.

A．a danger to society	B．difficult to do well
C．unwelcome behavior	D．never successful

【小题4】The passage mainly discusses ________.

A．people’s different opinions towards persuasion

B．the reasons why people persuade

C．that persuasion is both good and bad

D．that persuasion is important and it is all around us

When I was an official of a school in Palo Alto, California, Polly Tyner, the president of our board, wrote a letter that was printed in the Palo Alto Times. Polly’s son, Jim, had great difficulty in school. He was classified as the educationally handicapped and required a great deal of patience on the part of his parents and teachers. But Jim was a happy kid with a great smile that lit up the room. His parents knew his difficulties, but they always tried to help him see his strengths so that he could walk with pride. Shortly after Jim finished high school, he was killed in a motorcycle accident. After his death, his mother submitted this letter to the newspaper.
“Today we buried our 20-year-old son. He was killed in a motorcycle accident on Friday night. How I wish I had known that the last time I had talked to him would be the last time. If I had only known that, I would have said to him, ‘Jim, I love you and I’m always so proud of you.’ I would have taken the time to count the many blessings he had brought to the lives of the people who loved him. I would have taken the time to appreciate his beautiful smile, his laughter, and his genuine love to other people.
“When I put all the good things on the scale and try to balance them with all the irritating (恼人的) things such as the radio that was always too loud, the haircut that wasn’t to our liking, the dirty socks under the bed, etc., I find that the irritations really don’t amount to much.
“I won’t get another chance to tell my son all that I would have wanted him to hear, but, other parents, do have a chance. Tell your young people what you would want them to hear as if it may be your last conversation. The last time I talked to Jim was the morning of the day when he died. He called me to say, ‘Hi, Mom! I just called to say I love you. You have to go to work now. Bye.’ That day, he gave me something to treasure forever. ”
If there is any purpose at all for Jim’s death, maybe it is to make others appreciate life more and to tell people, especially family members, that they should take the time to let each other know just how much they care. You may never have another chance. Do it today!
【小题1】Who was Jim?

A．The child of the Tyners’.	B．The writer’s relative.
C．The president of a school board.	D．An official of a school.

【小题2】 What’s the meaning of the underlined phrase “the educationally handicapped”?

A．The learning difficulty.	B．The physical problems.
C．The psychological problems.	D．The communication difficulty.

【小题3】According to the writer, which of the following about Jim is TRUE？

A．He was always sad about his school marks.

B．His parents always scolded him about his bad school marks.

C．His study needed more attention from his parents and teachers.

D．He was killed in a car accident.

【小题4】The purpose of Polly’s letter is to                .

A．memorize her son

B．teach parents to appreciate their children

C．teach children how to be good boys

D．give some advice on how to deal with children’s problems

When did you last visit a shopping mall? In many places, the answer would be “last weekend”. Some people go even more often. Why? For one thing, malls offer goods and services that people need all in one place : food, clothing, things for their houses, entertainment，and even medical services. So, are mallsone of the highlights of modern civilization? Environmental activists would say “No!” They would go even further and say that consumer behavior is causing a huge environmental disaster. They cause consumers of ignorance of the side effect of their shopping—urban sprawl (城市杂乱无序拓展的地区）.
Social scientists agree that patterns of development have changed the landscape a great deal in the last half century. Prior to 1950，most people lived in towns or cities and either walked to work or took public transportation. Only very wealthy people had automobiles. Farmers lived in rural areas or isolated villages and came into town only when they needed things they couldn’t produce themselves. If you gazed at the landscape you would see towns surrounded by countryside. Then a massive change occurred.
Automobiles became affordable and people were quick to adopt them. Now ambitious workers could live in the suburbs, the areas just outside cities, which started to grow rapidly. As long as there was lots of cheap land in the suburbs, no one paid much attention to the usage of that land. Malls, fast food restaurants, cinemas, and car dealerships spread out in large, flat buildings. These one - storey buildings and their parking lot took up a great deal of space. Well - meaning farmers thought they were better off selling their land than growing crops. In ignorance, no one realized that once the land was built up in urban sprawl, the good farming land would be ruined forever. There was no way to preserve it.
Only in recent years have people come to mourn the old way of life as they have developed insight into the problems of unconditional growth. Now people realize that urban sprawl has come with serious environmental problems. The negative aspects of sprawl include air and water pollution, loss of agricultural land, traffic jams, and the death of businesses in the old town centers. Many scholars think the time has come to analyze the problems better so we can develop appropriate policies to control further sprawl. Some think the best way to do is to educate citizens about their priceless environment.
【小题1】What is mainly discussed in the passage?

A．Urban sprawl	B．Weekend fun
C．New automobiles	D．Isolated villages

【小题2】Who do activists blame for environmental problems?

A．Endangered animals.	B．Unthinking shoppers.
C．Shopping mall owners.	D．Ambitious farmers.

【小题3】What does the underlined word “They” refer to in the first paragraph?.

A．Activists

B．Malls.

C．Farmers.

D．Scientists.

【小题4】What is the scholars’ attitude toward urban sprawl?

A．Respectful.

B．Pessimistic.

C．Disapproving.

D．Doubtful.

Until recently, women in advertisements wore one of three things — an apron, an attractive dress or a frown. Although that is now changing, many women still feel angry about offending advertisements. “This ad degrades women.” they protested（抗议）.Why does this sort of advertising exist? How can advertisers and ad agencies still produce, sometimes, after months of research, advertising that offends the consumer?
The ASA, the body which deals with complaints about print media, is carrying out research into how women feel about the way they are pictured in advertisements. Its conclusions are likely to be what the advertising industry already knows: although women are often annoyed by the ads, few feel strong enough to complain.
Women are not the only victims of poor and boring stereotypes（老套）— in many TV commercials men are seen either as useless, childish fools who are unable to perform the simplest household tasks, or as inconsiderate fellows, always on the lookout for an escape to the pub. But it is women who seem to suffer more from the industry’s inability to put people into an authentic present-day situation. Yet according to Emma Bennett, director of a London advertising agency, women are not aggressive or extremely angry about those stereotypes and sexist （歧视妇女）advertising. “They just find it annoying or tiresome.”
She says that it is not advertising’s use of the housewife role that bothers women, but the way in which it is handled. “The most important thing is the advertisement’s tone of voice. Women hate being insincerely praised or given desperately down-to-earth common-sense advice.”
In the end, the responsibility for good advertising must be shared between the advertiser, the advertising agency and the consumer. Advertising does not set trends but it reflects them. It is up to the consumer to tell advertisers where they fail, and the process of change will remain slow until people on the receiving end take the business seriously and make their –feelings known.
【小题1】Despite recent changes in attitudes, some advertisements still fail to        .

A．change women’s opinions of themselves

B．show any understanding of consumers’ feelings

C．persuade the public to buy certain products

D．meet the needs of the advertising industry

【小题2】According to the writer, the commonest fault of present-day advertising is to         .

A．condemn the role of the housewife	B．ignore protests about advertisements
C．present a misleading image of women	D．picture the activities of men wrongly

【小题3】Emma Bennett suggests that advertisement ought to        .

A．give further emphasis to practical advice

B．change their style rather than their content

C．use male images instead of female ones

D．sing higher praise for women than before

【小题4】We can learn from the passage that advertising industry should         .

A．take its job more eagerly	B．do more pioneering work
C．take notice of the public opinion	D．concentrate on the products advertised

Fun is, in fact, a word heard far more frequently in families today than in the past, when "duty’’ and "responsibility" were often the words used.
Parents today are more youthful in appearance and attitudes. Their clothes and hair-styles are more casual, helping to bridge the divide. Those who are athletically inclined also enjoy Rollerblading, snowboarding, and rock-climbing with their children.
For the past three years, Kathy and Phil Dalby have spent at least one evening a week at a climbing gym with their three children. "It’s great to be able to work together," Mrs Dalby says. "We discuss various climbs and where the hard parts are. Sometimes that leads to other Conversations. We’re definitely closer."
A popular movement of parent effectiveness training in the 1970s has helped to reshape generational roles. The philosophy encourages children to describe their feelings about various situations. As a result, says Robert Billingham, a family-studies professor at Indiana University, "Parents and children began talking to each other in ways they had not before."
On the plus side, he adds, these conversations made parents realize that children may have important thoughts or feelings that adults need to be aware of.
But Professor Billingham also sees a downside: Many parents started making decisions based on what their child wanted. "The power shifted to children. Parents said, ’I have to focus on making my child happy’, as opposed to ’I have to act as a parent most appropriately’."
Other changes are occurring as the ranks of working mothers grow.  Time-short parents encourage children’s independence, making them more responsible for themselves. "They’ll say, ’We trust you to make the right decisions’ (whether they’re ready to assume the responsibility or not) ,"says Billingham.
The self-esteem movement of the past quarter-century has also affected the family dynamics (原动力). Some parents worry that if they tell their child no, it will hurt the child’s self-esteem.
【小题1】What’s the trend in parent-child relationship mentioned in the passage?

A．Parents are chasing after fashion and ignoring the feelings of their children.

B．More parents and children are sharing the same enthusiasm for a certain sport.

C．Parents are taking more responsibility and setting more limits for their children.

D．The generation gap is narrowing and parents are respecting their children’s thoughts more.

【小题2】Which of the following has NOT contributed to the change in the parent-child relationship?

A．Younger parents.	B．Parent effectiveness training.
C．More working mothers.	D．The self-esteem movement.

【小题3】 What’s Billingham’s attitude towards parents who make children more responsible for themselves?

A．He supports them.	B．He admires them.
C．He disagrees with them.	D．He thinks they’re unreasonable.

【小题4】What will probably be discussed following the last paragraph?

A．The effect of more working mothers on children’ s education.

B．The benefits of the new relationship between parents and children.

C．The importance of self-esteem and ways to develop children’s self-esteem.

D．The risks of setting no rules and some suggestions on how to have a balanced attitude.

【小题5】What’s the best title for the text?

A．Parents and Children as Friends.	B．Parents and Professors as Debaters.
C．Growing Mutual Understanding.	D．Disappearing Responsibility.