With a £4 million ITV contract（合同） in her pocket and an engagement （婚约） to her England footballer boyfriend, it's been a good year for Christine Bleakley．Perhaps it's no wonder, as the TV presenter is 31, the age at which women are the most attractive, according to a survey．
While the average British woman of 31 may be married with a child, the survey noted they are at a wonderful age because they have not only youthful beauty but also more confidence and a better sense of style than flesh-faced teenagers．
Some 70 percent of more than 2,000 men and women surveyed considered confidence as a key factor in making a woman attractive, ahead of the 67 percent who included physical beauty and 47 percent who looked for a sense of style．Almost two thirds of the women agreed with the opinion "With age, comes beauty", and over half said that as they age they do away with their insecurities and feel more beautiful, while 55 percent felt they knew the best make-up to wear．
Self-confidence varied widely across the country in the survey: London women emerged as the most confident about their looks, with 37 percent describing themselves as beautiful, compared with just 28 percent of Welsh women．Meanwhile, East Midlands women spend the most on beauty programs —£129．69 monthly—compared with a national average of £105．50．
The research was carried on for TV shopping channel QVC to mark the launch of its "Beauty Month"．QVC marketing director Sue Leeson said: "This research shows what many have always suspected — real beauty is about more than just good looks but a combination of confidence, style and personality, too．”
【小题1】Which of the following doesn't have much to do with a woman's beauty?

A．Being famous and independent．	B．Having self-confidence．
C．Looking young and stylish．	D．Wearing proper make-up．

【小题2】In the survey_______________ think attractive women should possess a sense of style．

A．nearly 1,000 women	B．more than 1,000 women
C．nearly half the participants	D．55 percent of the women

【小题3】Which fact shows that a woman is confident?

A．Paying little attention to style．

B．Wearing expensive make-up．

C．Considering herself as beautiful．

D．Spending much on beauty programs．

E

Devon, 17, is used to paying her own cell phone and car expenses. But lately it's been harder. The family she baby-sits for hasn’t been calling as much as usual and she couldn't find a job over the summer. Devon's dad said it's a sign of the tough economy. He told her he's feeling the pinch too and that he had to use her college fund to pay the loan(货款).

This kind of money troubles isn't strange to common families these days. In fact, it's hard to avoid news about the economy on the screen of the TV or the computers recently. It can seem a bit worry and some families are hit really hard.

For most people, the big problem is that things cost more at a time when they have less money to spend. But higher prices aren't the only problem. Many people are having a tough time making payments on some types of home loans.

Therefore, some families are cutting back on what they spend. For example, eating out less, staying home instead of going on vacation, moving to a less expensive house and so on.

However, as discouraging as things may seem now, the good news is that the economy always gets back on track after a while. Jobs may be hard to find, but the slow economy can open up new opportunities. The couple Devon babysat for might cut back on evening's out, but they could be interested in hiring her for after-school care. Perhaps it's time to sell her old toys and baby gear (设备)in the basement(地下室) or help others sell these items online if she is-good at it. She could charge them a fee to sell their old stuff(东西).

72. What does the underlined phrase in the first paragraph refer to?

A. Getting hurt.               B. Short of money.

C. Out of work.               D. Receiving less calls.

73. According to the passage, what constantly appears on the screen nowadays?

A. News on the tough economy.         B. Devon's family troubles.

C. Advertisements for babysitters.        D. Information on yard sales.

74. What do people do to overcome the tough economy?

A. To strike for high pay.      B. To open a new store to sell toys.

C. To cut down their expense.  D. To move to other places for vocations.

75. The passage is mainly about       ．

A. Devon's own family money troubles    B. family troubles' made by tough economy

C. ways of solving the slow economy    D. the increasing prices and expenses

 

We can achieve knowledge either actively or passively. We achieve it actively by direct experience, by testing and proving an idea, or by reasoning.

   We achieve knowledge passively by being told by someone else. Most of the learning that takes place in the classroom and the kind that happens when we watch TV or read newspapers or magazines is passive. Conditioned as we are to passive learning, it’s not surprising that we depend on it in our everyday communication with friends and co-workers.

   Unfortunately, passive learning has a serious problem. It makes us tend to accept what we are told even when it is little more than hearsay and rumor.

   Did you ever play the game Rumor? It begins when one person writes down a message but doesn’t show it to anyone. Then the person whispers it, word for word, to another person. That person, in turn, whispers it to still another, and so on, through all the people playing the game. The last person writes down the message word for word as he or she hears it. Then the two written statements are compared. Typically, the original message has changed.

   That’s what happens in daily life. The simple fact that people repeat a story in their own words changes the story. Then , too, most people listen imperfectly. And many enjoy adding their own creative touch to a story, trying to improve on it, stamping(打上标记) it with their own personal style, Yet those who hear it think they know.

   This process is also found among scholars and authors: A statement of opinion by one writer may be re-stated as a fact by another, who may in turn be quoted by yet another; and this process may continue, unless it occurs to someone to question the facts on which the original writer based his opinion or to challenge the interpretation he placed upon those facts.

According to the passage, passive learning may occur in _____.

   A. doing a medical experiment         B. solving a math problem

   C. visiting an exhibition               D. doing scientific reasoning

The underlined word “it” in Paragragh 2 refers to ______.

   A. active learning             B. knowledge

   C. communication             D. passive learning

The author mentions the game Rumor to show that ______.

   A. a message may be changed when being passed on

   B. a message should be delivered in different ways

   C. people may have problems with their sense of hearing

   D. people tend not to believe in what they know as rumor

What can we infer from the passage?

   A. Active learning is less important.

   B. Passive learning may not be reliable.

   C. Active learning occurs more frequently.

   D. Passive learning is not found among scholars.

I grew up in a house where the TV was seldom turned on and with one wall in my bedroom entirely lined with bookshelves, most of my childhood was spent on books I could get hold of. In fact, I grew up thinking of reading as natural as breathing and books unbelievably powerful in shaping perspectives (观点) by creating worlds we could step into, take part in and live in.

With this unshakable belief, I, at fourteen, decided to become a writer. Here too, reading became useful. Every writer starts off knowing that he has something to say, but being unable to find the right ways to say it. He has to find his own voice by reading widely and discovering which parts of the writers he agrees or disagrees with, or agrees with so strongly that it reshapes his own world. He cannot write without loving to read, because only through reading other people’s writing can one discover what works, what doesn’t and, in the end, together with lots of practice, what voice he has.

Now I am in college, and have come to realize how important it is to read fiction (文学作品)．As a. law student, my reading is in fact limited to subject matter—the volume (量) of what I have to read for classes every week means there is little time to read anything else. Such reading made it all the clearer to me that I live in a very small part in this great place called life. Reading fiction reminds me that there is life beyond my own. It allows me to travel across the high seas and along the Silk Road, all from the comfort of my own armchair, to experience, though secondhand, exciting experiences that I wouldn't necessarily be able to have in my lifetime.

1.What can be inferred about the author as a child?

A.  He never watched TV.

B.  He read what he had to.

C.  He found reading unbelievable.

D.  He considered reading part of his life.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             

2. The underlined word "voice" in the second paragraph most probably means “       ”.

A.  an idea     

B.  a sound quality

C.  a way of writing

D.  a  world to write about

3.What effect does reading have on the author?

A.  It helps him to realize his dream.

B.  It opens up a wider world for him.

C.  It makes his college life more interesting.

D.  It increases his interest in worldwide travel.

4.Which of the following can be the best title of this text?

A.  Why do I read?

B.  How do I read?

C.  What do I read? 

D.  When do I read?

 

We can achieve knowledge either actively or passively（被动地）. We achieve it actively by direct experience, by testing and proving an idea, or by reasoning.

We achieve knowledge passively by being told by someone else. Most of the learning that takes place in the classroom and the kind that happens when we watch TV or read newspapers or magazines is passive. Conditioned as we are to passive learning, it’s not surprising that we depend on it in our everyday communication with friends and co-workers.

Unfortunately, passive learning has a serious problem. It makes us tend to accept what we are told even when it is little more than hearsay and rumor(谣言).

Did you ever play the game Rumor? It begins when one person writes down a message but doesn’t show it to anyone. Then the person whispers it, word for word, to another person. That person, in turn, whispers it to still another, and so on, through all the people playing the game. The last person writes down the message word for word as he or she hears it. Then the two written statements are compared. Typically, the original message has changed.

That’s what happens in daily life. The simple fact that people repeat a story in their own words changes the story. Then, too, most people listen imperfectly. And many enjoy adding their own creative touch to a story, trying to improve on it, stamping（打上标记）it with their own personal style. Yet those who hear it think they know.

This process is also found among scholars and authors: A statement of opinion by one writer may be re-stated as fact by another, who may in turn be quoted by yet another; and this process may continue, unless it occurs to someone to question the facts on which the original writer based his opinion or to challenge the interpretation he placed upon those facts.

According to the passage, passive learning may occur in _______.

   A. doing a medical experiment       B. solving a math problem

   C. visiting an exhibition            D. doing scientific reasoning

The underlined word “it” in Paragraph 2 refers to _____.

   A. active learning    B. knowledge   C. communication    D. passive learning

The author mentions the game Rumor to show that _____.

   A. a message may be changed when being passed on

   B. a message should be delivered in different ways

   C. people may have problems with their sense of hearing

   D. people tend not to believe in what they know as rumor

What can we infer from the passage?

   A. Active learning is less important.          B. Passive learning may not be reliable.

   C. Active learning occurs more frequently.

   D. Passive learning is not found among scholars.