55. When you meet a group of people, it is better to remember __

A. a couple of names first　　　　　　　　 　 B. all their names

C. just their last names　　　　　　 　　　　　　　 D. as many names as possible

54. If you can’t remember someone’s name, you may __

A. ask him for pity　　　　　　　　　 B. tell him a white lie

C. tell him the truth　　　　　　　　　 D. ask others to help you

53. How will most people feel when you try hard to remember their names?

A. They will be moved.　　　　　　　 B. They will be annoyed.

C. They will be discouraged.　　　　　 D. They will be delighted.

52. Which one below is the same meaning as the underlined word in paragraph3 ?

A. evaluating　　　 B. valuing　　　　　　　　　　 C. calculating　　　　　　　 D. realizing

D

Remembering names is an important social skill. Here are some ways to master it.

Recite and repeat in conversation.

When you hear a person’s name，repeat it. Immediately say it to yourself several times without moving your lips. You could also repeat the name in a way that does not sound forced or artificial.

Ask the other person to recite and repeat.

You can let other people help you remember their names. After you’ve been introduced to someone，ask that person to spell the name and pronounce it correctly for you. Most people will be pleased by the effort you’re making to learn their names.

Admit you don’t know.

Admitting that you can’t remember someone’s name can actually make people relaxed. Most of them will feel sympathy if you say. “I’m working to remember names better. Yours is right on the tip of my tongue. What is it again?”

Use associations.

Link each person you meet with one thing you find interesting or unusual. For example，you could make a mental note: "Vicki Cheng -- tall, black hair.” To reinforce you’re your associations, write them on a small card as soon as possible.

Limit the number of new names you learn at one time.

When meeting a group of people, concentrate on remembering just two or three names. Free yourself from remembering every one. Few of the people in mass introductions expect you to remember their names. Another way is to limit yourself to learning just first names. Last names can come later.

Go early.

Consider going early to conferences, parties and classes. Sometimes just a few people show up on time. That’s fewer names for you to remember. And as more people arrive, you can hear them being introduced to others-an automatic review for you.

51. What is the writer worrying about?

A. Many US software specialists are working for Japan.

B. The quality problem has become a worldwide problem.

C. The US will no longer be the first software player in the world.

D. India and Japan are joining hands to compete with the US.

50. By what means did Japan grab its large market share by the 1970s and the 1980s?

A. Its products were cheaper in price and better in quality.

B. Its advertising was most successful.

C. The US hardware industry was lagging behind

D. Japan hired a lot of Indian software specialists.

49. Which of the following statements about Humphrey is true?

A. He is now still an IBM employer.　　　　　　　 B. He has worked for IBM for 37 years.

C. The US pays much attention to his quality advice.　 D. India honors him highly.

48. What country has more highest-rating companies in the world than any other country has?

A. The US. 　　　　　　　　 B. India. 　　　　　　　 　　　 C. Brazil. 　　　　　　　　　　 D. Germany.

47. What are volunteers for an experiment over the Internet supposed to do?

A. To interview people online. 　　　　　 B. To do some house work.

C. To offer advice on Child Aid　　　 D. To provide language exercises.

C

If U. S. software companies don’t pay more attention to quality, they could kiss their business good-bye. Both India and Brazil are developing a world-class software industry. Their weapon is quality and one of their jobs is to attract the top U. S. quality specialists whose voices are not listened to in their country.

Already, of the world’s 12 software houses that have earned the highest rating in the world, seven are in India. That’s largely because they have used new methods rejected by American software specialists. For example, for decades, quality specialists, W. Edwards Deming and J. M. Juran had urged U. S. software companies to change their attitudes to quality. But their quality call mainly fell on deaf ears in the U. S -- but not in Japan. By the 1970s and 1980s, Japan was grabbing market share with better, cheaper products. They used Deming’s and Juran’s ideas to bring down the cost of good quality to as little as 5% of total production costs. In U. S. factories, the cost of quality then was 10 times as high: 50%. In software, it still is.

Watts S. Humphrey spent 27 years at IBM heading up software production and then quality assurance. But his advice was seldom paid attention to. He retired from IBM in 1986. In 1987, he worked out a system for assessing and improving software quality. It has proved its value time and again. For example, in 1990 the cost of quality at Raytheon Electronics Systems was almost 60% of total software production costs. It fell to 15% in 1996 and has since further dropped to below 10%.

Like Deming and Juran, Humphrey seems to be winning more praises overseas than at home. The Indian government and several companies have just founded the Watts Humphrey Software Quality Institute at the Software Technology Park in Chennai, India. Let’s hope that U. S. lead in software will not be eaten up by its quality problems.

46. If Mrs. Black in the US hopes to learn some Chinese at home, she may contact _______.

A. takeaction@betterworld. com　　 B. ram3462@hotmail. com

C. club3864@hotmail. com　　　　 D. staff@youth. org