第二部分：阅读理解（本题有两小节，第一节共20小题，每小题2分；第二节共5小题，每小题2分；满分50分）

第一节：阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中，选出最佳选项。

The Pillow

         At the age of sixteen, I joined a volunteer group with my dad. I went on my first volunteer project in West Virginia. On the night we arrived, we discovered that “our family” was living in a trailer (拖车) that was in poor condition. A crew had been working on it for two weeks, but every time they finished one problem, another surfaced.

         We decided the only reasonable solution was to build a new house—something unusual but necessary under these circumstances. The family was overjoyed with their new house that was twenty by thirty feet with three bedrooms, a bath and a kitchen.

         On Tuesday of that week, while we ate lunch together, I asked the family’s three boys, Josh, Eric and Ryan, “What do you want for your new room?” Expecting toys and other gadgets that children usually ask for, we were astonished when Josh responded, “I just want a bed.”

         The boys had never slept in a bed! They were accustomed to plastic mats. That night we had a meeting and decided that beds would be the perfect gift. On Thursday night, a few adults in our group drove to the nearest city and bought beds and new bedding.

         When we saw the delivery truck coming, we told the family about the surprise. We could hardly contain ourselves. It was like watching excited children on Christmas morning.

         That afternoon, as we fitted the frames of the beds together, Eric ran into the house to watch us. Too dirty to enter his room, he observed with wide-eyed enthusiasm from the doorway.

         As my father slipped a pillowcase onto one of the pillows, Eric asked, “What is that?”

         “A pillow,” he replied.

         “What do you do with it?” Eric continued to ask.

“When you go to sleep, you put your head on it,” I answered softly. Tears came to my eyes as my father handed Eric the pillow.

         “Oh…that’s soft,” he said, hugging it tightly.

         Now, when my sister or I start to ask for something that seems urgent, my dad gently asks, “Do you have a pillow?”

We know exactly what he means.

1. The writer’s first volunteer project was ______.

         A. working on a poor trailer   B. helping a poor family

         C. donating beds and bedding          D. dealing with a housing problem

2. On hearing Josh’s answer, the writer was shocked because ______. 

   A. the family lived in a trailer           B. he expected to get some toys

   C. he didn’t know what a bed was           D. the boys had no bed to sleep in

3. From the passage, we can learn that Eric had never seen ______ before.

         A. a trailer       B. a truck         C. a pillow       D. a house

4. By saying “Do you have a pillow?”, the writer’s father means that ______.  

         A. what they want to get may be unnecessary       B. they should not waste money on small things

         C. they should do more volunteer work for the poor     D. what he will buy is not what they want but a pillow

 

第二部分：阅读理解（本题有两小节，第一节共20小题，每小题2分；第二节共5小题，每小题2分；满分50分）

第一节：阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中，选出最佳选项。

The Pillow

       At the age of sixteen, I joined a volunteer group with my dad. I went on my first volunteer project in West Virginia. On the night we arrived, we discovered that “our family” was living in a trailer (拖车) that was in poor condition. A crew had been working on it for two weeks, but every time they finished one problem, another surfaced.

       We decided the only reasonable solution was to build a new house—something unusual but necessary under these circumstances. The family was overjoyed with their new house that was twenty by thirty feet with three bedrooms, a bath and a kitchen.

       On Tuesday of that week, while we ate lunch together, I asked the family’s three boys, Josh, Eric and Ryan, “What do you want for your new room?” Expecting toys and other gadgets that children usually ask for, we were astonished when Josh responded, “I just want a bed.”

       The boys had never slept in a bed! They were accustomed to plastic mats. That night we had a meeting and decided that beds would be the perfect gift. On Thursday night, a few adults in our group drove to the nearest city and bought beds and new bedding.

       When we saw the delivery truck coming, we told the family about the surprise. We could hardly contain ourselves. It was like watching excited children on Christmas morning.

       That afternoon, as we fitted the frames of the beds together, Eric ran into the house to watch us. Too dirty to enter his room, he observed with wide-eyed enthusiasm from the doorway.

       As my father slipped a pillowcase onto one of the pillows, Eric asked, “What is that?”

       “A pillow,” he replied.

       “What do you do with it?” Eric continued to ask.

“When you go to sleep, you put your head on it,” I answered softly. Tears came to my eyes as my father handed Eric the pillow.

       “Oh…that’s soft,” he said, hugging it tightly.

       Now, when my sister or I start to ask for something that seems urgent, my dad gently asks, “Do you have a pillow?”

We know exactly what he means.

1. The writer’s first volunteer project was ______.

       A. working on a poor trailer        B. helping a poor family

       C. donating beds and bedding       D. dealing with a housing problem

2. On hearing Josh’s answer, the writer was shocked because ______. 

   A. the family lived in a trailer       B. he expected to get some toys

   C. he didn’t know what a bed was        D. the boys had no bed to sleep in

3. From the passage, we can learn that Eric had never seen ______ before.

       A. a trailer     B. a truck      C. a pillow     D. a house

4. By saying “Do you have a pillow?”, the writer’s father means that ______.  

       A. what they want to get may be unnecessary      B. they should not waste money on small things

       C. they should do more volunteer work for the poor   D. what he will buy is not what they want but a pillow

Time to stop excuses for lateness

There are always a couple of people in every office who are habitually late for work. How should a manager handle the problem in a multicultural environment? Should he be patient because different cultures have their own concepts of time? Or should he take disciplinary action?

Scholars tell us that Westerners and Asians approach time differently. Culturally, Westerners live more in the present and the near future. Asians live more in the ancient past or in the distant future.

Asians try to avoid a neurotic(神经过敏的) slavery to time, viewing life as a passing moment in eternity(来世). They enjoy the sense of “zero gravity” that comes from traveling without an immediate goal or an urgent objective.

  To many Asians, life is a long journey and happiness is simply not a matter of time. Instead of rushing, they prefer to maintain a steady pace. Quietly watching the seasons change or children grow is certainly not considered a waste of time.

  Westerners believe that happiness is just over the next hill. A little more time, money or struggle will get them there. Americans, in particular, live by time-pressing schedules and deadlines.

  But how does this insight relate to the need for punctuality(守时) in the office? Should we infer from this difference in cultural outlook that it’s justified for some employees to be late in today’s office life? Does it mean that a manager should disregard punctuality as an office discipline?

On the surface, it might seem that a manager may have to be more tolerant about punctuality with some cultural groups than others. But this is unwarranted in an urban civilization. It would have belief in the academic literature that implies the time orientation(定向) in such a culture is inferior to that in the west.

  This confuses two entirely different things: observance of punctuality and the philosophical opinions of time.

A person’s belief that time is measured in centuries rather than in seconds has nothing to do with his ability to show up on time at the office every day. No Asian employee would ever use a cultural excuse for being late. He may certainly employ more modern excuses such as a traffic jam, a slow watch, or a parking problem. These excuses are the same as those used by the office worker in the West. Why is it considered acceptable to be consistently late for these reasons in Asia, while in the West such a person would be considered undependable and untrustworthy?

The problem is, perhaps, is that in our social life in Asia we tend to be more tolerant of friends and relatives who makes us wait for an hour at the downtown area. We don’t think they are taking our friendship and affection for granted. We don’t consider them guilty of disrespect. What is worse, we let them exonerate(免受责备) themselves with doubtful excuses.

But how we react to latecomers in our social lives is a matter of individual choice. In the world of modern business we can’t afford that flexibility.

No body minds if a person is late to work once in a blue moon. Punctuality should not be allowed to become a fashion. But in the office environment, there has to be a climate of discipline in which a people respect the keeping of time.

Even in those companies which maintain flexible time, there are set hours when employees must be present in the office. Some companies may choose to stagger the opening and closing of their offices to enable employees to avoid the rush hour. But that doesn’t mean there is no longer a need for punctuality.

Being late is, generally, a problem relating to a small number of employees. A manager should try to break their bad habits through suggestions, repeatedly if required. It’s not an easy task and in some cases, it requires a fair amount of patience.

72. What is the main idea of this passage?

A. Cultural conceptions can not become excuses for being late.

B. It is high time that Asians get rid of the bad habit of being late.

C. Managers should do more to stop employees from being late.

D. Suggestions have been given to help Asians avoid being late.

73. Which of the following is true according to the author?

A. Asians lay more emphasis on punctuality than Americans do.

B. Americans lay more emphasis on punctuality than Asians do.

C. The author thinks highly of Asians’ patience and tolerance.

D. Americans are more patient and more tolerant than Asians.

74. What does the word “stagger ”in the last paragraph but one mean in this passage ?

A. cause to hesitate or doubt                          B. arrange for different reasons and purposes  

C. walk in an unsteady way                  D. arrange not to come at the same time

75. What is the author’s attitude towards the habitual lateness for work?

A. Neutral                 B. Positive         C. Negative                D. indifferent

Rules of safety are made to keep people from getting hurt. It is important for everyone to learn how to live safely while at home, work, or play. You should always remember this. Put safety first.

Safety can be practiced at home by following some simple rules. Use ladders instead of stepping up on tables and chairs. Keep stairs well lighted and clear of things for someone to trip over. Fasten down loose rugs. Turn handles of pots inward from the edges of stoves. Keep matches and medicines out of the reach of small children.Keep electric wiring in good repair.

Safety at work has been getting attention from groups of people for many years. Safer machines have been built to cut down on accidents.  Red  lights  warn  when equipment is out of order and is not to be used. The proper shoes, gloves, robes, hats, or coats help protect workers on the job.

Safety at play is important, too. Children should use swings and slides properly. Common sense by people boating and swimming will also help everyone around stay safe. Good manners and care for others are part of safety.

Living safely can be fun for you as well as for those around you, You will be able to help others think before they act. Try to work for safety in everything you do.

Which of the following statements is not included in the rules listed in the passage?

A. Use ladders to reach a high place or object,

B. Light stairs all the time.

C. Keep wires in good condition.

D. Keep matches out of the reach of small children.

The first sentence in the third paragraph implies______.

A. people .have been absorbed in safety at  work for many years

B. safety at work has been an attractive problem for a long time

C. safety at work has drawn people's attention since many years ago

D. people paid more and more attention to safety at work

From the last paragraph we know that_____.

A. living safely is meaningful              B. you can help others think and do

C .we should try to work well              D .all of the above

This passage mainly teaches us_______.

A. how to behave well                 B .what we should pay attention to at work

C. we should do things safely              D. rules of safely