STRANGERS parties go wild these days. The main idea of them is to never let the people know who their matches are until the last minute. These are some popular practices that are storming the world’s youth on this V-day.
Speed dating
It’s exactly what the name implies. Complete with a timer, a whistle and 50 willing singles, speed dating is not the traditional dinner and a movie type of first date. Singles pay US $35 for three minutes with more than two dozen future dates. They ask questions and try to get to know each other. At the sound of a whistle, they do the same thing all over again―25 times in all.
Lock and key party
Women are given a lock and men are given a key, upon arriving at the party. Each key and lock has several matches. One can hunt for his/her later-to-be sweetheart in various groups, and try out the key or lock. Each time a lock and key match the pair are entered into a ballot (票数） for top prizes!
Dinner in the dark
Waiters wearing night vision glasses guide the guests through the pitch-black dining room. They are seated at the table and familiarized with the wine glass and plate. Food is handled with the fingers. People will not see the food they are eating or the guests at their table until the dessert course. At that moment, dining partners will appear.
Message party
Have A Cocktail, Leave A Message! When you arrive, you get a tag with a number and a pad of post-it notes. If you see someone you like, write a message on the message board. But wait… You’ve got a message… Go and collect it! You can make new friends and win lots of gifts. The more messages you leave on the bulletin board, the more chances you have of winning prizes.
【小题1】What do you think the similarities of these parties are?

A．All the parties have very strict rules for their members.

B．If you want to go to any of the parties, you have to buy a ticket.

C．All the parties are aimed at strangers who want to be lovers.

D．All the parties are suitable not only for the young but for the old.

【小题2】 In which party does a participant have to be careful with the time?

A．Speed dating.	B．Lock and key party.
C．Dinner in the dark.	D．Message party.

【小题3】If you go to the Dinner in the dark, ________.

A．you have to wear night vision glasses

B．you have to eat with your hands

C．guests eat all the courses in the darkness

D．your dining partners will help you choose the food

【小题4】 How many of the parties offer gifts or prizes?

A．1.

B．2.

C．3.

D．4.

单词拼写:  根据首字母或汉语提示写出下列单词(每空0.5分，共计8分)

1. After e__________ was cut off, the lights went out.

2. A man should be ________ （判断）by his deeds, not by his words.

3. I felt highly __________（荣幸）by your trust..

4. Dead and ______ （受伤的）people lay everywhere after the terrible accident.

5. The old left an estate（保险）of two ______（百万）dollars when he died.

6. It is natural for children to have different v_____ from their parents.

7. According to the weather f_______, it’s going to stay cold for the rest of the week.

8.The plane is flying at an _______（海拔）of 25,000 feet.

9. Wish you a pleasant j___________!

10. That old bike is his only means of _________. （交通工具）.

11. How many people were p_______ at the meeting?

12．The _______（东部的）coastline of China is very long

13. His interest in maths _________（逐渐地）increases.

14. He said it would rain, but I __________ （不同意）with him.

15. Let me give you some a______ on how to learn English.

16. Don’t stay o________ since the weather is so cold.

The rise of multinational corporations （跨国公司）, global marketing, new communications technologies, and shrinking cultural differences have led to an unparalleled increase in global public relations or PR．

　　Surprisingly, since modern PR was largely an American invention, America’s relations is being threatened by PR efforts in other countries. Ten years ago, for example, the world’s top five public relations agencies were American-owned． In 1991, only one was． The British in particular are becoming more sophisticated and creative． A recent survey found that more than half of all British companies include PR as part of their corporate （公司的） planning activities, compared to about one-third of U.S. companies．It may not be long before London replaces New York as the capital of PR．

　　Why is America lagging behind in the global PR race? Firstly, Americans as a whole tend to be fairly provincial and take more of an interest in local affairs． Knowledge of world geography, for example, has never been strong in this country． Secondly, Americans lag behind their European and Asian counterparts （相对应的人） in knowing a second language． Less than 5 percent of Burson—Marshall’s U．S．employees know two languages． Ogilvy and Mather have about the same percentage． Conversely, some European firms have half or more of their employees fluent in a second language． Finally, people involved in PR abroad tend to keep a closer eye on international affairs． In the financial PR area, for instance, most Americans read the Wall Street Journal． Overseas, their counterparts read the Journal as well as the Financial Times of London and The Economist, publications not often read in this country．

Perhaps the PR industry might take a lesson from Ted Turner of CNN （Cable News Network）． Turner recently announced that the word “foreign” would no longer be used on CNN news

broadcasts. According to Turner, global communications have made the nations of the world so interdependent that there is no longer any such thing as foreign．

1.Compared with the American PR personnel, what is/are an advantage (s) of the non-Americans involved in PR?

A． They tend to be more internationally minded

B． They speak more and better foreign languages．

C． They usually pay more attention to global financial situation．

D． Both A and B．

2.What is the immediate cause of the downfall of America’s public relations?

A．The number of US public relations agencies had greatly decreased by 1991．

B．Other countries have increased their efforts in public relations．

C．On the global scale, cultural differences have significantly shrunk．

D．The British companies are becoming especially sophisticated and creative in public relations．

3.It could be inferred that the author of the passage is______．

A．an American       B．a Briton           C．Ted Turner         D．an Asian

4.The underlined word “provincial” in paragraph 3 could possibly mean “      ”．

A．strict in thinking                        B．like people from rural areas

C．limited in outlook                       D．interested in geographical knowledge

 

My sister Daisy worked at Standard Bank in Malawi. When she        

got m      , we were all excited. She invited me to her house to           1.___________

help her open the gifts and s        some thank-you notes to all         2.___________

the _________(亲戚）and friends that came to the wedding party.            3____________

While_________ (仔细地) going through the gifts, we came across this        4.___________

nice vase. Inside ______was a note that read, “You might not know me.     5.__________

My name is Bill. I often v      Standard Bank for business. In the         6. __________

past years you have helped me a lot when I was _______ trouble.        7.__________

I will never forget __________ you did. God bless you.”                   8.___________

It was impossible for us to w__________ a thank-you note back to        9.___________

this person for there was no name or _________( 地址) so we decided to     10.____________