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

 

Thousands of dead red-winged blackbirds fell from the sky in an Arkansas town on New Year’s Eve after massive injuries, tests by Arkansas officials concluded on Monday. Some 5,000 birds mysteriously fell from the sky in Beebe, Arkansas after dark on New Year’s Eve. “The birds suffered from acute physical injuries leading to internal hemorrhage（大量出血） and death. There was no sign of infectious disease,” the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission said in a statement. The birds were otherwise healthy, it said.
One theory is that birds were frightened by New Year's fireworks and flew into buildings or other objects. “Loud noises were reported shortly before the birds began to fall from the sky,” the statement said, adding that blackbirds have poor night vision and seldom fly at night.
　　Another theory was that severe weather such as lightning accounted for the loud noises but this was discounted because the violent weather had already left the area. “We’re leaning more toward a stress event," said Arkansas Game and Fish Commission spokesman Keith Stephens.
The commission also is trying to determine what caused the deaths of up to 100,000 fish over a 20-mile stretch of the Arkansas River near a dam in Ozark, 125 miles west of Beebe. The fish were discovered on December 30. Stephens said the commission expected results on the fish tests in probably a month. Since almost all the fish were one species -- bottom-feeding drum, Stephens said, the test was very important. Stephens also said: “The events do not appear related.” Both that section of the river and the air at the site of the bird deaths were tested for toxins(毒素). Beebe is a town of about 4,500 people located 30 miles northeast of the state capital.
【小题1】What is NOT the probable reason why the dead red-winged blackbirds fell from the sky?

A．Internal hemorrhage	B．Fireworks
C．Lightning weather	D．Murder

【小题2】In the third paragraph, the underlined word discounted probably mean________.

A．not to reduce cost	B．not to believe
C．to make up a part	D．to explain mystery

【小题3】According to Stephens, we can infer the probable cause of the dead fish is _________.[来

A．cold weather	B．poor management
C．disease	D．lack of food

【小题4】The passage is mainly developed by __________.

A．analyzing causes	B．making comparisons
C．examining differences	D．following the time order

　　In the northeast of the USA there are six small states. Together they are called New England. The most important state of New England is Massachusetts. Its capital city is Boston, with a population of just over half a million, which is the biggest city in New England. Greater Boston is make up of 78 cities and towns. It has a population of nearly 3 million, which is half the population of Massachusetts.

　　Boston was founded in 1630. The American Revolution began here when the people of Boston took up their arms to fight their English rulers.

　　The Boston tea is famous in America. Americans were very fond of tea, and much tea was brought to the port of Boston. The British government was looking for more ways to get money out of America. So it put a big tax on tea. They made the Bostonians angry. They rushed to the port and then onto a ship there. They threw all the tea into sea. This led to a war between the people of Boston and the British soldiers.

　　Thus the American Revolution began.

(1) What do you think Greater Boston is?

[　　]

A．Another name for Boston City.

B．Another city in Massachusetts.

C．An area in Massachusetts where Boston is.

D．A city that is greater than the city of Boston.

(2) The state of Massachusetts has a population of ________.

[　　]

(3) The British government put a big tax on tea because ________.

[　　]

A．it could greatly benefit from it

B．the American people liked tea very much

C．the people of Boston often drank tea

D．tea was too expensive at that time

(4) The American Revolution began when ________.

[　　]

A．Boston was founded in 1630

B．the Bostonians did not take their fate lying down

C．the people of Boston had no tea to drink

D．tea was first brought to the pert of Boston

Thousands of dead red-winged blackbirds fell from the sky in an Arkansas town on New Year’s Eve after massive injuries, tests by Arkansas officials concluded on Monday. Some 5,000 birds mysteriously fell from the sky in Beebe, Arkansas after dark on New Year’s Eve. “The birds suffered from acute physical injuries leading to internal hemorrhage（大量出血） and death. There was no sign of infectious disease,” the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission said in a statement. The birds were otherwise healthy, it said.

One theory is that birds were frightened by New Year's fireworks and flew into buildings or other objects. “Loud noises were reported shortly before the birds began to fall from the sky,” the statement said, adding that blackbirds have poor night vision and seldom fly at night.

　　Another theory was that severe weather such as lightning accounted for the loud noises but this was discounted because the violent weather had already left the area. “We’re leaning more toward a stress event," said Arkansas Game and Fish Commission spokesman Keith Stephens.

The commission also is trying to determine what caused the deaths of up to 100,000 fish over a 20-mile stretch of the Arkansas River near a dam in Ozark, 125 miles west of Beebe. The fish were discovered on December 30. Stephens said the commission expected results on the fish tests in probably a month. Since almost all the fish were one species -- bottom-feeding drum, Stephens said, the test was very important. Stephens also said: “The events do not appear related.” Both that section of the river and the air at the site of the bird deaths were tested for toxins(毒素). Beebe is a town of about 4,500 people located 30 miles northeast of the state capital.

1.What is NOT the probable reason why the dead red-winged blackbirds fell from the sky?

A. Internal hemorrhage                  B. Fireworks

C. Lightning weather                            D. Murder

2.In the third paragraph, the underlined word discounted probably mean________.

A. not to reduce cost                            B. not to believe

C. to make up a part                            D. to explain mystery

3.According to Stephens, we can infer the probable cause of the dead fish is _________.[来

A. cold weather                                   B. poor management  

C. disease                                    D. lack of food

4.The passage is mainly developed by __________.

A. analyzing causes                             B. making comparisons

C. examining differences              D. following the time order

 

Valencia is in the east part of Spain(西班牙). It has a port on the sea, two miles away on the coast. It is the capital of a province that is also named Valencia.
The city is a market centre for what is produced by the land around the city. Most of the city’s money is made from farming. It is also a busy business city, with ships, railways, clothes and machine factories.
Valencia has an old part with white buildings, colored roofs, and narrow streets. The modern part has long, wide streets and new buildings. Valencia is well known for its parks and gardens. It has many old churches and museums. The University in the centre of the city was built in the 13th century.
The city of Valencia has been known since the 2nd century. In the 8th century it was the capital of Spain. There is also an important city in Venezuela(委内瑞拉)named Valencia.
【小题1】From the text, how many places have the name Valencia?

A．One.

B．Two.

C．Three.

D．Four.

【小题2】What is the main difference between the two parts of the city?

A．The color of the buildings.	B．The length of the streets.
C．The age of the buildings.	D．The color of the roofs.

【小题3】When was Valencia the most important city in Spain?

A．2nd century.

B．8th century.

C．13th century.

D．20th century.

【小题4】What is Valencia famous for?

A．Its seaport.	B．Its University.
C．Its churches and museums.	D．Its parks and gardens.

【小题5】The main income of the city of Valencia is from its_____.

A．markets.

B．business.

C．factories.

D．farming.