The Colonel asks Ashenden a good many questions and then suggested that he had particular qualifications for the Secret Service. Ashenden knew several European languages and the fact that he was a writer provided excellent cover: on the pretext that he was writing a book he could, without attracting attention, visit any neutral country.

   It was while they were discussing this point that the Colonel said, "You know you might get material that would be very useful to you in your work. I'll tell you an incident that occurred only recently. Very dramatic. A foreign government minister went down to a Mediterranean resort to recover from a cold and he had some very important documents with him that he kept in a dispatch case(公文箱). A day or two after he arrived, he picked up a beautiful blonde at some restaurant or other, and he got very friendly with her. He took her back to his hotel, and when he came to himself in the morning, the lady and the dispatch-case had disappeared. They had one or two drinks up in his room and his theory is that when his back was turned the woman slipped a drug in his glass.

   "Do you mean to say that happened the other day?" said Ashenden.

   "The week before last."

   "Impossible," cried Ashenden. "Why! We've been putting that incident on the stage for sixty years, we've written it in a thousand novels. Do you mean to say that life has only just caught up with us?"

   "Well, I can guarantee the truth of the story." said the Colonel, "And believe me, the government has been put to no end of trouble by the loss of the documents."

   "Well sir, if you can't do better than that in the Secret Service," sighed Ashenden, " I'm afraid that as a source of inspiration to the writer of fiction, it's washout."

51． How did the Colonel suggest that Ashenden's being a writer would relate to his work as a spy?

A. It would make traveling abroad more possible.

B. It would make it easier for him to meet people.

C. It would enable him to avoid arousing suspicion.

D. It would enable him to use the languages he knew.

52．The reason for the Minister's trip was ________ .

A. to fetch some documents                                     B. to get over an illness

C. to meet a spy                                                      D. to deliver some papers

53．According to the Colonel the incident happened _______ .

A. a few days before                                        B. a few weeks before

C. two weeks before                                        D. sixty years before

54．Ashenden cried 'Impossible' after hearing the Colonel's story because he thought ______ .

A. it could not possibly happen                                 B. it was too embarrassing

C. it was too close to fiction                                    D. it was too recent

阅读下列文，从每题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳答案。

There were two interesting news items in the paper a few years ago. One was about a man who received a bill from the telephone company for $ 999 990—for three months. The other was about a man who received $ 2000 a month-for doing nothing.

    The connection between the two news items is simple: computers—the best inventions of the twentieth century. The telephone bill came from a computer which made a terrifying mistake; that man's bill was only $ 23.36. The other item was not so amusing. A man walked into the unguarded computer room of a large packaged food company and expertly programmed the computer (给计算机编程序) to pay him $ 2 000 a month for raw meat which he “supplied” to the company. Of course he never sent the meat, but he certainly received the money. The computer wrote out a bill, and even “signed” it. It was only a random (随便的) check that uncovered the trick. It could be happening in thousands of other companies all over the world.

    Computers are not the magic workers that some people say they are. They make mistakes; they are sometimes slower than human beings and they are easily fooled. The US used to conscript (征兵) people with the help of a computer. The army sent out a card, which had to be filled in and sent back. It was easy to avoid being called up simply by spreading candle-wax on the card. The computer couldn't read the card, and did nothing with it.

    It's our everyday life that computers cause many problems. Let's get back to using people instead of computers, before a mistake that we can't put right.

1．In the first paragraph we know ________.

    A. the paper is telling a lie

    B. the first sentence is the topic sentence

    C. the two news items made people surprised

    D. if a man did nothing at all for the telephone company, he would still get $ 2 000 a month

2．The man was given $ 999 999 because  ________.

    A. the computer made a big mistake

    B. he worked very hard

    C. he programmed the computer to pay him so much money for raw meat

    D. his work was very difficult to do and the pay was certainly high

3．The main idea of the second paragraph is that  ________.

    A. the computers are magic workers

    B. the computers can do anything as man

    C. the computers can write out a bill and even sign it

    D. the computers sometimes also make big mistakes

4．Computers ________.

    A. were used to conscript people

    B. are usually faster than human beings

    C. are not so miracle (神奇的) as people expect

    D. were not easily controlled and always fooled human beings

5．The writer's main idea is __________________.

    A. we'd better use people instead of computers in our everyday life

    B. we should not use computers because they always make mistakes

    C. computers are widely used in our everyday life

D. if we want to work well, don’t use the computers

阅读理解

阅读下列文，从每题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳答案。

There were two interesting news items in the paper a few years ago. One was about a man who received a bill from the telephone company for $ 999 990—for three months. The other was about a man who received $ 2000 a month-for doing nothing.

    The connection between the two news items is simple: computers—the best inventions of the twentieth century. The telephone bill came from a computer which made a terrifying mistake; that man's bill was only $ 23.36. The other item was not so amusing. A man walked into the unguarded computer room of a large packaged food company and expertly programmed the computer (给计算机编程序) to pay him $ 2 000 a month for raw meat which he “supplied” to the company. Of course he never sent the meat, but he certainly received the money. The computer wrote out a bill, and even “signed” it. It was only a random (随便的) check that uncovered the trick. It could be happening in thousands of other companies all over the world.

    Computers are not the magic workers that some people say they are. They make mistakes; they are sometimes slower than human beings and they are easily fooled. The US used to conscript (征兵) people with the help of a computer. The army sent out a card, which had to be filled in and sent back. It was easy to avoid being called up simply by spreading candle-wax on the card. The computer couldn't read the card, and did nothing with it.

    It's our everyday life that computers cause many problems. Let's get back to using people instead of computers, before a mistake that we can't put right.

1．In the first paragraph we know ________.

    A. the paper is telling a lie

    B. the first sentence is the topic sentence

    C. the two news items made people surprised

    D. if a man did nothing at all for the telephone company, he would still get $ 2 000 a month

2．The man was given $ 999 999 because  ________.

    A. the computer made a big mistake

    B. he worked very hard

    C. he programmed the computer to pay him so much money for raw meat

    D. his work was very difficult to do and the pay was certainly high

3．The main idea of the second paragraph is that  ________.

    A. the computers are magic workers

    B. the computers can do anything as man

    C. the computers can write out a bill and even sign it

    D. the computers sometimes also make big mistakes

4．Computers ________.

    A. were used to conscript people

    B. are usually faster than human beings

    C. are not so miracle (神奇的) as people expect

    D. were not easily controlled and always fooled human beings

5．The writer's main idea is __________________.

    A. we'd better use people instead of computers in our everyday life

    B. we should not use computers because they always make mistakes

    C. computers are widely used in our everyday life

D. if we want to work well, don’t use the computers

    By far the most common difficulty in study is simple failure to get down to regular concentrated work. This difficulty is much greater for those who do not work to a plan and have no regular routine of study. Many students muddle along, doing a bit of this subject or that, as the mood takes them, or letting their set work pile up until the last possible moment.
Few students work to a set timetable. They say that if they did work out a timetable for themselves they would not keep to it, or would have to change it frequently, since they can never predict (foresee) from one day to the next what their activities will be.
No doubt some students take much more kindly to a regular routine than others. There are many who shy away from a self-controlled weekly timetable, and dislike being tied down to a fixed programme of work . Many able students state that they work in cycles. When they become interested in a topic they work on it attentively for three or four days at a time. On other days they avoid work completely. It has to be admitted that we do not fully understand the motivation to work. Most people over 25 years of age have become used to a work routine, and the majority of really productive workers set aside regular hours for the more important areas of their work. The “tough-minded” school of workers doesn’t fully accept the idea that good work can only be done naturally, under the influence of inspiration.
Those who believe that they need only work and study as the fit takes them have a mistaken belief either in their own talent or in the value of “freedom”. Freedom from control and discipline  leads to unhappiness rather than to “self-expression” or “personality development”. Our society insists on regular habits, timekeeping and punctuality (准时), and whether we like it or not, if we mean to make our way in society, we have to meet its demands.
63．The most widespread problem in applying oneself to study is ________.
A. changing from one subject to another
B. the failure to keep to a set timetable of work
C. the unwillingness to follow a systematic plan
D. working on a subject only when one feels like it
64．Which of the following is true ?
A. Many students are not interested in using a self-controlled timetable.
B. Many students don’t like being told to study to a fixed timetable.
C. Most people over 25 years of age don’t work to a set timetable.
D. Tough-minded people agree that good work is done naturally.
65．The underlined part “as the fit takes them” in paragraph 4 means ________.
A. when they have the energy                                               B. when they are in the mood
C. when they feel fit                                                        D. when they find conditions suitable
66．A suitable title for the passage might be ________.
A. Attitudes to Study                                                      B. A study Plan
C. The Difficulties of Studying                             D. Study and Self-discipline

阅读理解

阅读下列短文，从每题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中选出最佳选项。

　　When a consumer (消费者) finds that something he or she bought is faulty or in some other way does not live up to what the producer says for it, the first step is to present the warranty(保单), or any other records that might help, at the store of buying. In most cases, this action will produce results. However, if it does not, there are various means the consumer may use to gain satisfaction.

　　A simple and common method used by many consumers is to complain(投诉) directly to the store manager. In general, the“higher up”the consumer takes his or her complaint, the faster he or she can expect it to be settled. In such a case, it is usually in the consumer’s favour, taking it as true that he or she has a just right.

　　Consumers should complain in person whenever possible, but if they cannot get to the place of buying, it is acceptable to phone or write the complaint in a letter.

　Complaining is usually most effective when it is done politely but firmly, and especially when the consumer can show clearly what is wrong. If this cannot be done, the consumer will succeed by presenting specific information as to what is wrong, rather than by making general statements. For example,“The left speaker does not work at all and the sound coming out of the right one is unclear”is better that“This stereo (立体音响) does not work.”

　　The store manager may advise the consumer to write to the producer, if so, the consumer should do this, stating the complaint as politely and firmly as possible. But if a polite complaint does not achieve the expected result, the consumer can go a step further. He or she can threaten(恐吓) to take the seller to the court or report the seller to a public organization responsible for protecting consumers’ right.

1．When a consumer finds what he bought has a fault in it, he should first ________.

[　　]

A．complain personally to the manager

B．show something provable in written form to the store

C．threaten to take the matter to court

D．write a firm letter of complaint to the store

2．If a consumer wants a quick settlement of his problem, it’s better to complain to ________.

[　　]

A．a shop assistant

B．the producer

C．a public organization

D．the store manager

3．The most effective complaint about what was bought can be made by ________.

[　　]

A．showing the fault of it to the producer

B．saying firmly it is of poor quality

C．asking politely to change it

D．explaining exactly what is wrong with it

4．The passage tells us ________.

[　　]

A．how to make the complaint have a good effect

B．how to settle a consumer’s complaint

C．how to avoid buying something wrong

D．how to deal with complaints from consumers??