An idea that started in Seattle’s public library has spread throughout America and beyond. The concept is simple: help to build a sense of community in a city by getting everyone to read the same book at the same time.
In addition to encouraging reading as a pursuit (追求) to be enjoyed by all, the program allows strangers to communicate by discussing the book on the bus, as well as promoting reading as an experience to be shared in families and schools. The idea came from Seattle librarian Nancy Pearl who launched (发起）the "If All of Seattle Read the Same Book " project in 1998. Her original program used author visits, study guides and book discussion groups to bring people together with a book, but the idea has since expanded to many other American cities, and even to Hongkong.
In Chicago, the mayor(市长）appeared on television to announce the choice of To Kill a Mockingbird as the first book in the "One Book, One Chicago" program. As a result, reading clubs and neighbourhood groups sprang up around the city. Across the US, stories emerged of parents and children reading to each other at night and strangers chatting away on the bus about plot and character.
The only problem arose in New York , where local readers could not decide on one book to represent the huge and diverse population. This may show that the idea works best in medium-sized cities or large towns, where a greater sense of unity(一致）can be achieved .Or it may show that New Yorkers rather missed the point ,putting all their energy
And passion into the choice of the book rather than discussion about a book itself.
Ultimately, as Nancy points out, the level of success is not measured by how many people read a book, but by how many people are enriched by the process, or have enjoyed speaking to someone with whom they would not otherwise have shared a word.
【小题1】What is the purpose of the project launched by Nancy?

A．To invite authors to guide readers.

B．To encourage people to read and share.

C．To involve people in community service.

D．To promote the friendship between cities.

【小题2】Why was it difficult for New Yorkers to carry out the project?

A．They had little interest in reading.

B．They were too busy to read a book.

C．They came from many different backgrounds

D．T hey lacked support from the local government

【小题3】According to the passage, where would the project be more easily carried out?

A．In large communities with little sense of unity

B．In large cities where libraries are far from home

C．In medium-sized cities with a diverse population

D．In large towns where agreement can be quickly reached

【小题4】 The underlined words “shared a word” in Paragraph 5 probably mean     

A．exchanged ideas with each other

B．discussed the meaning of a word

C．gained life experience

D．used the same language

【小题5】 According to Nancy, the degree of students of the project is judged by________

A．the careful selection of a proper book

B．the growing popularity of the writers

C．the number of people who benefit from reading.

D．the number of books that each person reads.

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” in Paragraph One, 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】The underlined word “deterrent” most probably refers to something that ________.

A．keeps someone from taking action	B．helps to move the traffic
C．attracts people’s attention	D．brings someone a financial burden

【小题3】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4】 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5】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.

Faced with a tough job market, fresh graduates are dreaming of running their own businesses instead．But a recent survey has showed that such ambitions lack the required support and remain just that—dreams．
The Shanghai Municipal Employment Promotion Center poll of 1,276 graduates in several universities and colleges in the city, released last Friday, showed 59．78 percent of respondents considered the possibility of setting up a company or at least a small store． "But they just stop at the ’thinking’ stage," it stated．
Respondents put the top reasons for not going it alone down to a shortage of investment and a lack of business opportunity．They also listed lack of business experience and social networks, the need tor advanced study and objections from family members as factors that stood in their way．
More than 90 percent of the interviewees said they would rather take up a job after graduating and then consider starting their own business two or three years down the road．
Guo Bing, a senior student in Shanghai International Studies University majoring in English, decided he wanted to be his own boss last year．But he is looking for a job first． "If I fail to find a satisfying job, I would like to establish a company in exhibition services," Guo said．
The Shanghai native has some relatives working in a local printing plant．With their help, Guo hopes to produce exhibition brochures(小册子） at a relatively low price．He is also confident that his English language skills can help him do well in the industry．
"Social networking is an important factor leading to business success," Guo said． Guo said that the shortage of graduate jobs is the main reason driving more university students to set up a business right after their graduation．
Jiang said the university sets up a business guide learn made of government officials and professionals．They regularly give training courses to students who show an interest in having their own business．The parents of university graduates are more willing to help their children start up alone, the survey showed．"Once you win the support of your family, you have won half the battle," Guo added．
【小题1】Which of the following can be the best title?
A．A Tough Job Market                  B．Graduates Dream of Being Boss
C．The Ambitious Fresh Graduates           D, The Story ot Guo Bing
【小题2】Which of the following does NOT stop fresh graduates realizing their dreams of being bosses?

A．The lack of business opportunity and investment．

B．The shortage of business experience.

C．Less skilled English language．

D．Their family members’ objections．

【小题3】In the view of Guo Bing, what ’is the key factor -that makes fresh graduates dream of being boss soon after graduation?

A．Their family don’t support them．	B．Their social networking is not good．
C．There are not enough graduate jobs．	D．They want to achieve greater success．

【小题4】All the following statements are true about Guo Bing EXCEPT _____．

A．He has started his own business with the help of his relatives．

B．English is his major in the university．

C．He is trying to find a job which can satisfies him．

D．He is a Shanghai native．

【小题5】Who is this article mostly intended for?

A．The parents whose child goes to university soon.

B．Those who will graduate from university．

C．Those who want to be bosses．

D．The officials who work in the government．

Most Americans get what money they have from their work; that is, they earn an income from wages or salaries. The richest Americans, however, get most of their money from what they own — their stocks, bonds, real estate, and other forms of property, or wealth. Although there are few accurate statistics to go by, wealth in American society appears to be concentrated in very few hands. More than 20 percent of everything that can be privately owned is held by less than one percent of the adult population and more than 75 percent of all wealth is owned by 20 percent of American adults. The plain fact is that most Americans have no wealth at all aside from their homes, automobiles, and a small amount of savings.
Income in the United States is not as highly concentrated as wealth. In 1917 the richest 10 percent of American families received 26.1 percent of all income, while the poorest 10 percent received 17 percent, mainly from Social Security and other government payments. The most striking aspect of income distribution is that it has not changed significantly since the end of World War II. Although economic growth has roughly doubled real disposable (可自由使用的) family income (the money left after taxes and adjusted for inflation) over the last generation, the size of the shares given to the rich and the poor is about the same. By any measure economic inequality is great in the United States.
The reality behind these statistics is that a large number of Americans are poor. In 1918, 14 percent of the population was living below the federal government’s poverty line, which at that time was an annual income of $ 9 287 for a nonfarm family of two adults and two children. In other words, about one out of seven Americans over 31 million people was officially considered unable to buy the basic necessities of food, clothes, and shelter. The suggested poverty line in 1981 would have been an income of about $11, 200 for a family of four. By this relative definition, about 20 percent of the population or more than 45 million Americans are poor.
【小题1】What does the majority of the Americans have in terms of wealth?

A．Their income and savings.

B．Their house, cars and small amounts of savings.

C．Everything they own in their homes.

D．Actually, they have no wealth at all.

【小题2】What is the percentage of wealth that is in the hands of most Americans?

A．Less than 25%.	B．More than 25%.
C．More than 75%.	D．Less than 20%.

【小题3】Why is economic inequality still great in the US in spite of the economic growth?

A．Because the economic growth has widened the gap of the family income between the rich and the poor.

B．Because income in the US is still concentrated in the hands of the richest 10% of American families.

C．Because the proportion of income received by the rich and the poor remains almost the same as in 1917.

D．Because some Americans made great fortunes during the Second World War.

【小题4】What can we learn from comparison of the two poverty lines in the last paragraph?

A．The poverty line of 1918 is more favorable to the poor than that of 1981.

B．The 1981 line didn’t leave much to the poor.

C．There were more Americans who were officially poor by the 1918 line.

D．There were more Americans who were officially poor by the 1981 line.

【小题5】From the last two sentences we can see that 1981 government’s poverty line _______.

A．was of no good for the poor	B．was officially approved
C．was not helpful to the poor	D．was not put into operation then

Internet dating has become one of the biggest and most successful business ventures on the Internet．Basically, Internet dating is a way to meet people for either friendship or dating without actually having to meet them in person first．
The first thing to do it you decide to try Internet dating is to build your profile （简介） which can include your hobbies, hopes for the future, and so on．A photograph is optional, but many sites claim that a photograph increases the number of people who look at your profile．Many Internet dating sites will charge a one-lime registration fee to use their services.
Internet dating makes it possible to meet people from all over the world．You can even narrow the search down to your area by zip code．Another advantage is that you can communicate by e-mail before you meet in person．Thousands of people have met, fallen in love, and married through Internet dating．It is an excellent way for shy people to meet．It is also a way for people with busy lives to connect with others, and an easy way to meet people who share your interests．
Just as in traditional dating and love, there are some pitfalls to be aware of in Internet dating．The person you have been talking to on the Net may not be who they say they are, Be very aware that there are some people who misrepresent their appearance or private details, such as marital status, income, and so on, for their own reasons．It would not be the first time that someone has been taken in, and talk shows are full of cheating partners who have been caught dating over the Internet in their spare time．Nevertheless, taking a few simple precautions should help ensure that your Internet dating experience is fun．
【小题1】The purpose of writing the passage is to _____．

A．persuade readers to go dating on the Internet

B．inform us how to date on the Internet

C．warn readers against web love

D．introduce Internet dating to us

【小题2】Which of the following is a must to make an Internet dating possible?

A．A photo．

B．A profile．

C．Money．

D．Business experience．

【小题3】One advantage of Internet dating is that _____．

A．you can avoid a face-to-face meeting in the beginning

B．you’re sure to find a partner with the same interests

C．you’ll find absolutely dependable information of others

D．you’ll gain fame and money overnight

【小题4】What is probably talked about following the last paragraph?

A．Traditional dating．	B．Hidden advantages．
C．Safety measures．	D．Romantic love．

【小题5】The underlined word "pitfalls" in Paragraph  4 most probably means ______

A．rules

B．trends

C．problems

D．skills

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.
【小题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.

【小题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

【小题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.

【小题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.

In our culture, the sources of what we call a sense of “mastery”— feeling important and worthwhile — and the sources of what we call a sense of “pleasure”— finding life enjoyable — are not always the same．Women often are told “You can’t have it all.” Sometimes what the speaker really is saying is: “You choose a career, so you can’t expect to have closer relationships or a happy family life.” or “You have a wonderful husband and children — what’s all this about wanting a career?” But women need to understand and develop both aspects of well-being, if they are to feel good about themselves.
Our study shows that, for women, well-being has two aspects．One is mastery, which includes self-respect, a sense of control over your life, and low levels of anxiety and depression．Mastery is closely related to the “doing” side of life, to work and activity．Pleasure is the other aspect, and it is made up of happiness, satisfaction and optimism．It is tied more closely to the “feeling” side of life．The two are independent of each other．A woman could be high in mastery and low in pleasure, and vice versa（反之亦然）．For example, a woman who has a good job, but whose mother has just died, might be feeling very good about herself and in control of her work life, but the pleasure side could be damaged for a time.
The concepts of mastery and pleasure can help us identify the sources of well-being for women, and correct past mistakes．In the past, women were encouraged to look only at the feeling side of life as the source of all well-being．But we know that both mastery and pleasure are important．And mastery seems to be achieved largely through work．In our study, all the groups of employed women were valued significantly higher in mastery than women who were not employed.
A woman’s well-being is developed when she takes on multiple roles．At least by middle adulthood, the women who were involved in a combination of roles — marriages, motherhood, and employment — were the highest in well-being, in spite of warnings about stress and strain.
【小题1】It can be inferred from the first paragraph that ________.

A．for women, a sense of “mastery” is more important than a sense of “pleasure”

B．for women, a sense of “pleasure” is more important than a sense of “mastery”

C．women can’t have a sense of “mastery” and a sense of “pleasure” at the same time

D．a sense of “mastery” and a sense of “pleasure” are both necessary to women

【小题2】The author’s attitude towards women having a career is________.

A．negative	B．positive
C．indifferent	D．realistic

【小题3】One can conclude from the passage that if a woman takes on several social roles, ________.

A．it will be easier for her to overcome stress and strain

B．she will be more successful in her career

C．her chances of getting promoted will be greater

D．her life will be richer and more meaningful

【小题4】Which of the following can be considered as a source of “pleasure” for women?

A．Family life	B．Multiple roles in society
C．Regular employment	D．Freedom from anxiety

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 a compulsive
behavior that could affect the social and physical life of computer users. This obsessive 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 schools. 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 life friends they have known all their life. lt is a problem for the future. This addictive behavior is beginning to affect the whole world.
【小题1】 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2】 The underlined word"obsessive" in the second paragraph most probably means    

A．attractive

B．addictive

C．professional

D．potential

【小题3】 We can learn from the passage that                .

A．weboholism has the greatest effect on teenagers

B．teeangers can hardly balance real and virtual life

C．people are addicted to games on the lnternet

D．virtual life is more vivid and attractive anyway

【小题4】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 have a negative influence on our future.

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

【小题5】The author’s attitude towards weboholism is that of being         

A．objective

B．positive

C．opposed

D．acceptable

Being sociable looks like a good way to add years to your life. Relationships with family, friends, neighbours, even pets, will all do the trick, but the biggest longevity (长寿) boost seems to come from marriage or an equivalent relationship. The effect was first noted in 1858 by William Farr, who wrote that widows (寡妇)and widowers  were at a much higher risk of dying than their married peers. Studies since then suggest that marriage could add as much as seven years to a man’s life and two to a woman’s. The effect holds for all causes of death, whether illness, accident or self-harm.
　　Even if the odds are stacked against you, marriage can more than compensate. Linda Waite of the University of Chicago has found that a married older man with heart disease can expect to live nearly four years longer than an unmarried man with a healthy heart. Likewise, a married man who smokes more than a pack a day is likely to live as long as a divorced man who doesn’t smoke. There’s a flip side, however, as partners are more likely to become ill or die in the couple of years following their spouse’s death, and caring for a spouse with mental disorder can leave you with some of the same severe problems. Even so, the odds favour marriage. In a 30-year study of more than 10,000 people, Nicholas Christakis of Harvard Medical School describes how all kinds of social networks have similar effects.
　　So how does it work? The effects are complex, affected by socio-economic factors, health-service provision, emotional support and other more physiological (生理的) mechanisms. For example, social contact can boost development of the brain and immune system, leading to better health and less chance of depression later in life. People in supportive relationships may handle stress better. Then there are the psychological benefits of a supportive partner.
　　A life partner, children and good friends are all recommended if you aim to live to 100. The ultimate social network is still being mapped out, but Christakis says: “People are interconnected, so their health is interconnected.”
【小题1】William Farr’s study and other studies show that _________.

A．social life provides an effective cure for illness

B．being sociable helps improve one’s quality of life

C．women benefit more than men from marriage

D．marriage contributes a great deal to longevity

【小题2】Linda Waite’s studies support the idea that _________.

A．older men should quit smoking to stay healthy

B．marriage can help make up for ill health

C．the married are happier than the unmarried

D．unmarried people are likely to suffer in later life

【小题3】It can be inferred from the context that the “flip side” (Line 4, Para. 2) refers to _________.

A．the disadvantages of being married

B．the emotional problems arising from marriage

C．the responsibility of taking care of one’s family

D．the consequence of a broken marriage

【小题4】 What does the author say about social networks?

A．They have effects similar to those of a marriage.

B．They help develop people’s community spirit.

C．They provide timely support for those in need.

D．They help relieve people of their life’s burdens.

【小题5】What can be inferred from the last paragraph?

A．It’s important that we develop a social network when young.

B．To stay healthy, one should have a proper social network.

C．Getting a divorce means risking a reduced life span.

D．We should share our social networks with each other.

Foresters are people who work with trees and know a lot about them. Occasionally, foresters have problems, and the foresters in southern Indiana have had many problems.
The foresters were doing an experiment. They wanted to grow walnut (胡桃) trees by planting walnuts in the ground. If they succeeded, the foresters would be able to control the location of the trees. Also, this method would be much cheaper than transplanting or moving nut trees that were grown in plant nurseries (苗圃) . So the foresters planted their walnuts, and that’s when the squirrels (松鼠) started causing trouble. Shortly after the nuts were planted, the squirrels dug them up for tasty snacks (快餐) .
The foresters tried to keep the squirrels away from the walnuts. Mothballs (卫生球) were used as a warning, but they didn’t work. Then, the foresters tried dipping the walnuts in kerosene (煤油) ,  but that didn’t stop the squirrels either. The foresters continue to search for a method that will really work. But until they find one, the squirrels can continue to have their walnut snacks and the foresters will have to transplant trees!
【小题1】Foresters are people who        .

A．look after the forest and work with trees

B．feed squirrels in the forest

C．catch squirrels that steal walnuts

D．transplant trees

【小题2】What were the foresters trying to do with the walnuts?

A．Plant food for squirrels.	B．Control the location of the trees.
C．Move the trees closer to the squirrels.	D．Get squirrels to eat them.

【小题3】The underlined word “transplanting” probably means “       ”.

A．planting

B．moving

C．growing

D．buying

【小题4】What did the squirrels do to the walnuts that were dipped in kerosene?

A．Left them alone.	B．Continued to eat them.
C．Hid them in trees	D．Put them into the earth.

【小题5】According to the story, which of the following is not true?

A．Mothballs didn’t prove to be a good method of stopping the squirrels from eating the walnuts.

B．The squirrels found the walnuts tasty.

C．The squirrels started eating mothballs instead of walnuts.

D．The forester haven’t found a good way to prevent the squirrels from eating the walnuts.