If Confucius（孔子）were still alive today and could celebrate his September 28 birthday with a big cake, there would be a lot of candles． He’d need a fan or a strong wind to help him put them out．
While many people in China will remember Confucius on his special day, few people in the United States will give him a passing thought． It’s nothing personal． Most Americans don’t even remember the birthdays of their own national heroes．
But this doesn’t mean that Americans don’t care about Confucius． In many ways he has become a bridge that foreigners must cross if they want to reach a deeper understanding of China．
In the past two decades, the Chinese studies programs have gained huge popularity in Western universities． More recently, the Chinese government has set up Confucius Institutes in more than 80 countries． These schools teach both Chinese language and culture． The main courses of Chinese culture usually included Chinese art, history and philosophy． Some social scientists suggest that Westerners should take advantage of the ancient Chinese wisdom to make up for the drawbacks of Westerners philosophy． Students in the United States, at the same time, are racing to learn Chinese． So they will be ready for life in a world where China is an equal power with the United States． Businessmen who hope to make money in China are reading books about Confucius to understand their Chinese customers． 
So the old thinker’s ideas are still alive and well．
Today China attracts the West more than ever, and it will need more teachers to introduce Confucius and Chinese culture to the West．
As for the old thinker, he will not soon be forgotten by people in the West, even if his birthday is．
小题1:The opening paragraph is mainly intended to _______．

A．provide some key facts about Confucius

B．attract the readers’ interest in the subject

C．show great respect for the ancient thinker

D．prove the popularity of modern birthday celebrations

小题2:We can learn from Paragraph 4 that American students_______．

A．have a great interest in studying Chinese

B．take an active part in Chinese competitions

C．try to get high scores in Chinese exams

D．fight for a chance to learn Chinese

小题3:What is the best title for the passage?

A．Forgotten Wisdom in America

B．Huge Fans of the Chinese Language

C．Chinese Culture for Westerners

D．Old Thinker with a Big Future

小题4:The passage is likely to appear in _______．

A．a biography	B．a history paper
C．a newspaper	D．a philosophy textbook

English Language and Culture Program
If you wish to improve your English-language skills as well as your understanding of the Canadian cultural context, the courses offered by ELC Evening are for you. Whether your goals are academic, business or immigration-related, there is a course to meet your needs．
Evening course tuition:$490,0．
All evening courses run for 10 weeks．A $50 discount is available to returning students or students attending two or more courses．
ELC 550
Mondays, July 7 - September 22, 2008August 4 & September 11- HOLIDAY
Mondays, October 6-December 15．2008 October 13-HOLIDAY
This course is designed for non-native Englisli speakers who wish to take the 1ELTS （International English Language Testing System） exam．Each week, participants （参加者）focus on specific modules of the test （speaking, reading, listening, and writing） to develop and improve the skills they need to succeed on the exam．
ELC 552
Tuesdays, Aprils8-June 10,2008
Tuesdays, October 7 - December．16, 2008 November 11 - HOLIDAY
This course is designed for participants who wish to improve their fluency and expressiveness in English．Production skills will be targeted, including pronunciation, intonation, rhythm, and stress．Participants are required to complete weekly in-class assignments （任务）, including speeches, monologues, interviews, and role-plays．
ELC 554
Wednesdays, July 9 - September 10．2008
Wednesdays, October 8 -December 10．2008
This course is designed for non-native English-speaking university and college participants who wish to improve their academic leading and writing skills．This course gives participants the tools required for presenting information and building persuasive arguments in clear and cohesive written forms．
ELC 555
Thursdays, July 10 - September 11, 2008
Thursdays, October 9 - December 11, 2008
This course is designed for non-native English speakers who are either working or planning to work in a business environment．Areas of focus include handling telephone conversations, networking, participating in meetings, negotiating, making presentations, and conducting interviews．
小题1:One only needs to pay $440 if he ______．

A．attends 10 weeks' evening course

B．attends the evening courses for a second lime

C．finds others to take the evening course together

D．recommends another person to take one ot the evening courses

小题2:Which is the proper time for one who wants to find a job in business field?

A．Mondays, October 6 - December 15, 2008．

B．Tuesdays, October 7 - December 16,2008．

C．Wednesdays, October 8 - December 10, 2008．

D．Thursdays, October 9 - December 11, 2008．

小题3:ELC 554 is most suitable for ______．

A．a newspaper reporter	B．a university student
C．a businessman	D．a high school student

小题4:ELC 550 mainly focuses on ______．

A．college preparations

B．fluency and expressiveness in English

C．the skills needed to pass an exam

D．basic English knowledge

小题5:A student who mainly wants to improve his spoken English can attend           ．

A．ELC 550

B．ELC 552

C．ELC 554

D．ELC 555

                            B
　　What is language for? Some people seem to think it's for practicing grammar rules and learning lists of words—the longer the lists，the better. That's wrong. Language is for the exchange（交流）of ideas and information. It's meaningless knowing all about a language if you can't use it freely. Many students I have met know hundreds of grammar rules, but they can't speak correctly or fluently. They are afraid of making mistakes. One shouldn't be afraid of making mistakes when speaking a foreign language. Native speakers make mistakes and break rules, too. Bernard saw once wrote, "Foreigners often speak English too correctly." But the mistakes that native speakers make are different from those that Chinese students make. They're English mistakes in the English language. And if enough native speakers break a rule, it is no longer a rule. What used to be wrong becomes right. People not only make history, they make language. But a people can only make its own language. It can't make another people's language. So Chinese students of English should pay attention to grammar, but they shouldn't overdo（做过头）it. They should put communication first.　
小题1:Language is used to ________.
A. express oneself　　　        B. practice grammar rules
B. talk with foreigners only    D. learn lists of words
小题2:Generally, when an American or an Englishman speaks English, he ________.

A．never makes mistakes	B．often makes mistakes
C．can't avoid making mistakes	D．always makes mistakes

小题3:"Foreigners often speak English too correctly. "This sentence means that ________.

A．foreigners speak correct English

B．foreigners speak incorrect English

C．foreigners speak English according to the grammar rules

D．foreigners never make mistakes when they speak English

小题4:If too many native speakers break a rule, ________.

A．what they use will become right	B．they are against the law
C．they should say sorry to others	D．they will become heroes

小题5:When we speak a foreign language, we should ________.

A．speak in Chinese way	B．speak by the rules
C．speak to native speakers	D．not be afraid of making mistakes

“Mum, what does it mean when someone tells you that they have a skeleton (骨骼) in the closet (衣橱)?” Jessica asked. “A skeleton in the closet?” her mother paused thoughtfully. “Well, it’s something that you would rather not have anyone else know about. For example, if in the past, someone in Dad’s family had been arrested for stealing a horse, it would be ‘a skeleton in his family’s closet’. He really wouldn’t want any neighbor to know about it.”
“Why pick on my family?” Jessica’s father said with anger. “Your family history isn’t so good, you know. Wasn’t you great-great grandfather a prisoner who was transported to Australia for his crimes?” “Yes, but people these days say that you are not a real Australian unless your ancestors arrived as prisoners.” “Gosh, sorry for my asking. I think I understand now,” Jessica cut in before things grew worse.
After dinner, the house was very quiet. Jessica’s parents were still quite angry with each other. Her mother was ironing clothes and every now and then she glared at her husband, who hid behind his newspaper, pretending to read. When she finished, she gathered the freshly pressed clothes in her arms and walked to Jessica’s closet. Just as she opened the door and reached in to hang a skirt, a bony arm stuck out from the dark depths and a bundle of white bones fell to the floor. Jessica’s mother sank into a faint (晕倒), waking only when Jessica put a cold, wet cloth on her forehead. She looked up to see the worried faces of her husband and daughter.
“What happened? Where am I?” she asked. “You just destroyed the school’s skeleton, Mum,” explained Jessica. “I brought it home to help me with my health project. I meant to tell you, but it seemed that as soon as I mentioned skeletons and closets, it caused a problem between you and Dad.” Jessica looked in amazement as her parents began to laugh madly. “They’re both crazy,” she thought.
小题1:According to Jessica’s mother, “a skeleton in the closet” means ______.

A．a family honor

B．a family secret

C．a family story

D．a family treasure

小题2: What can we learn about some Australian’s ancestors from Paragraph 2?

A．They were brought to Australia as prisoners.

B．They were the earliest people living in Australia.

C．They were involved in some crimes in Australia.

D．They were not regarded as criminals in their days.

小题3: Jessica’s mother fell down into a faint because she was ______.

A．knocked

B．frightened

C．injured

D．surprised

小题4: Why did Jessica bring a skeleton home?

A．She was very curious about it.

B．She planned to keep it for fun.

C．She needed it for her school task.

D．She intended to scare her parents.

小题5: Jessica’s parents laughed madly at the end of the story probably because ______.

A．they were quite crazy

B．they realized their misunderstanding

C．they were overexcited

D．they both thought they had won the quarrel

Concern with money, and then more money, in order to buy the conveniences and luxuries of modern life, has brought great changes to the lives of most Frenchmen. More people are working harder than ever before in France. In the cities the traditional leisurely midday meal is disappearing. Offices, shops, and factories are discovering the great efficiency of a short lunch hour in company lunch rooms. In almost all lines of work emphasis now falls on ever increasing output. Thus the “typical” Frenchman produces more, earns more, and buys more consumer goods than his counterpart of only a generation ago. He gains in creature comfort and ease of life. What he loses to some extent is his sense of personal uniqueness, or individuality.
Some say that France has been Americanized. This is because the United States is a world symbol of the technological society and its consumer products. The so called Americanization of France has its critics. They fear that “assembly line life” will lead to the disappearance of the pleasures of the more graceful and leisurely (but less productive) old French style. What will happen, they ask, to taste, elegance, and the cultivation of the good things in life to joy in the smell of a freshly picked apple, a stroll by the river, or just happy hours of conversation in a local café?
Since the late 1950s life in France has indeed taken on qualities of rush, tension, and the pursuit of material gain. Some of the strongest critics of the new way of life are the young, especially university students. They are concerned with the future, and they fear that France is threatened by the triumph of this competitive, goods-oriented culture. Occasionally, they have reacted against the trend with considerable violence.
In spite of the critics, however, countless Frenchmen are committed to keeping France in the forefront of the modern economic world. They find that the present life brings more rewards, conveniences, and pleasures than that of the past. They believe that a modern, industrial France is preferable to the old.
小题1:Which of the following is a feature of the old French way of life?

A．Leisure, elegance, and efficiency

B．Elegance, efficiency, and taste

C．Leisure, elegance, and taste

D．Elegance, efficiency, and leisure

小题2:Which of the following is NOT true about Frenchmen?

A．Many of them prefer the modern life style.

B．They actually enjoy working at the assembly line.

C．They are more concerned with money than before.

D．They are more competitive than the old generation.

小题3:The passage suggests that _________.

A．in pursuing material gains the French are suffering losses elsewhere

B．it’s now unlikely to see a Frenchman enjoying a stroll by the river

C．the French are fed up with the smell of freshly picked apples

D．great changes have occurred in the life style of all Frenchmen

小题4:Which of the following is true about the critics?

A．Critics are greater in number than people enjoying the new way of life.

B．Students critics are greater in number than critics in other fields.

C．Students critics have, on occasion, resorted to violent means against the trend.

D．Critics are concerned solely with the present and not the future.

小题5:Which of the following best states the main idea of the passage?

A．Changes in the French Way of Life

B．Criticism of the New Life Style

C．The Americanization of France

D．Features of the New Way of Life

March, April and May are months full of festivals and events all over the world. Here are some wonderful festivals around the world that happen in spring.
SongKran--Thailand
Dates: 13^th-15th, April
In Thailand, it’s time to celebrate the coming monsoon season, which will bring the rain many people have been looking forward to. They celebrate it with a festival called Songkran, when people head out to the streets with water guns to spray(喷，洒）everyone who walks past. If you walk on the streets where the festival is celebrated, prepare to get soaked!
Naghol--Vanuatu
Dates: Every Saturday from April to May
Every year, villagers come together to celebrate the harvest of yams, an important part in the peopls’s diet in Vanuatu. The festival is most famous for its “land diving ceremony”. During the ceremony men and boys dive to the ground from high wooden towers with only two thin vines attached(附于)to their ankles(脚踝）. The divers’ heads have to lightly touch the ground when they jump---something very dangerous if the vines are not measured（测量）properly.
Cherry Blossom Viewing ---Japan
Dates: The cherry blossom season is different from year to year depending on the weather forecast.
The cherry blossom season has huge importance to the people of Japan, who celebrate the days when the flowers finally blossom. Only a few days later, the petals(花瓣） fall to the ground, like pink snowflakes. This is one of the most beautiful things to see. In Japan, almost everyone has picnics in the parks to view the flowers.
Sinhalese New Year--Sri Lanka
Dates: 13^th or 14^th, April
Just like in many other countries in South an South East Asia, this is the time when the Sinhalese celebrate the traditional New Year, an ancient celebration which marks the end of the harvest season and is one of two times of the year when the sun is straight above Sri Lanka. There are a lot of delicious foods during the celebration.
小题1:. What does the underlined word “ soaked” in Paragraph 2 probably mean?

A．tired

B．wet

C．crazy

D．interested

小题2:The writer thinks that the “land diving ceremony” can be dangerous for the divers because ___________.

A．the divers may fall onto the ground if the thin vines break

B．the divers may bump into （撞在…上）the wooden tower on the way down

C．the divers’ ankles may get injured if the vines are tied too tightly

D．the divers may injure（伤害）their heads if the vines aren’t measured properly

小题3:We can learn from the passage that__________________.

A．the Cherry Blossom Celebration usually lasts a long time in Japan

B．the Cherry Blossom Celebration is the most important festival in Japan

C．the time for the Cherry Blossom Celebration in Japan can be different yearly

D．people usually stay at home for celebration during the cherry blossom season.

Mark Zukerberg is the founder and CEO of Facebook, an extremely popular social working website that started in the United States.
Now, millions of student users visit Facebook daily and the website is one of the top ten widely visited sites on the Internet worldwide. College and high school students use Facebook to communicate with friends and share both information and pictures for free. The company earns money through advertising.
Many other companies have been rumored(谣传）to be interested in buying Facebook. Just a few years after Mark started the company, he was approached by Terry Semel, who was the CEO of Yahoo. Terry offered Mark one billion dollars($1,000,000,000) to sell Facebook to Yahoo. Mark said no, though. He stands behind his dreams at the very beginning. He knows the value of the company could fall down; however, he is in this to build something unbelievable, not be bought out by another company.
Maybe he was smart. Now Facebook is rumored to be worth billions of dollars and bigger companies like Microsoft or Google want a share of the company. Some private firms are also interested. Facebook could sell 15billion dollars if Mark decides to sell it at all. Perhaps Mark will just keep working from his California office to continue his dream of building something cool.
小题1:.Facebook makes money from _____ .

A．members

B．advertisements

C．pictures

D．students

小题2:.Terry Semel was the CEO of _______.

A．Microsoft

B．Facebook

C．Google

D．Yahoo

小题3:.Which of the following words best describes Mark Zukerberg according to the passage?

A．Determined

B．Humorous

C．Gentle

D．Selfless

We are all interested in equality, but while some people try to protect the school and examination system in the name of equality, others, still in the name of equality, want only to destroy it.
Any society which is interested in equality of opportunity and standards of achievement must regularly test its pupils. The standards may be changed — no examination is perfect — but to have no tests or examination would mean the end of equality and of standards. There are groups of people who oppose this view and who do not believe either in examinations or in any controls in schools or on teachers. This would mean that everything would depend on luck since every pupil would depend on the efficiency the values and the purpose of each teacher.
Without examinations, employers will look for employees from the highly respected schools and from families known to them — a form of favouritism will replace equality at the moment. The bright child from an ill-respected school can show certificates to prove he or she is suitable for a job, while the lack of certificate indicates the unsuitability of a dull child attending a well-respected school. This defense of excellence and opportunity would disappear if examinations were taken away, and the bright child from a poor family would be a prisoner of his or her school’s reputation, unable to compete for employment with the child from the favoured school.
The opponents of the examination system suggest that examinations are an evil force because they show differences between pupils. According to these people, there must be no special, different, academic class. They have even suggested that there should be no form of difference in sport or any other area: all jobs or posts should be filled by unsystematic selection. The selection would be made by people who themselves are probably selected by some computer.
小题1: The word “favouritism” in paragraph 3 is used to describe the phenomenon that         .

A．bright children also need certificates to get satisfying jobs.

B．poor children with certificates are favoured in job markets.

C．children from well-respected schools tend to have good jobs.

D．children attending ordinary schools achieve great success.

小题2:. What would happen if examinations were taken away according to the author?

A．Schools for bright children would lose their reputation.

B．There would be more opportunities and excellence.

C．Children from poor families would be able to change their schools.

D．Children’s job opportunity would be affected by their school reputation.

小题3:. The opponents of the examination system will agree that           .

A．jobs should not be assigned by systematic selection

B．computers should be selected to take over many jobs.

C．special classes are necessary to keep the school standards

D．schools with academic subjects should be done away with

小题4:. The passage mainly focuses on            .

A．schools and certificates	B．examination and equality
C．opportunity and employment	D．standards and reputation

Holiday Inns and McDonald’s. both saw unmatched growth in the 1960s. Their growth opened another direct business operation—franchising.
These operations have the same general pattern. The franchisor, the parent company, first establishes a successful retail business. As it expands, it sees a profit potential in offering others the right to open similar business under its name. The parent company’s methods and means of identification with consumers are included in this right. The parent company supplies skill, and may build and rent stores to franchisees. For these advantages the franchisee pays the franchisor a considerable fee. However, some of the advantages and disadvantages are different.
By extending a “proven” marketing method, a parent can profit in several ways. First, the franchisee’s purchase price gives the parent an immediate return on the plan. Then the sale of supplies to the franchisee provides a continuing source of profits. As new businesses are added and the company’s reputation spreads, the values of the franchise increases and sales of franchises become easier. The snowballing effect can be dramatic. Such growth, too, bring into play the economies of scale. Regional or national advertising that might be financially impossible for a franchisor with 20 franchises could be profitable for one with 40.
The parent, then, finds immediate gains from the opportunity to expand markets on the basis of reputation alone, without having to put up capital or take the risk of owning retail stores. Added to this advantage is a less obvious but material one, Skilled, responsible retail managers are rare. People who invest their capital in franchises, though, probably come closer to the ideal than do paid managers. In fact, the franchisee is an independent store operator working for the franchisor, but without an independent’s freedom to drop supplies at will. Of course the factory’s costs of selling supplies are less. But also certainly the franchisee buying goods that have had broad consumer acceptance will not casually change supplies, even when the contract permits. If the hamburger is not what the customer expected, they may not return. Having paid for the goodwill, the franchisee won’t thoughtlessly destroy it.
小题1: Franchising refers to a business operation in which a successful parent company          .

A．sells name-brand goods to a private investor

B．rents proven ideas and techniques for investment

C．sells the right, the guidance to a business under its name

D．takes no advertising responsibility for individual investors

小题2:. The advantages of franchising to the parent company are all the following EXCEPT      .

A．an immediate investment return

B．the profit from the sale of supplies

C．the ownership of additional retail stores

D．the possibility of profitable advertising

小题3: The passage mainly tells the reader          .

A．the advantages and disadvantages of franchising

B．the benefits of franchising to the franchisor

C．the unmatched economic growth in the 1960’s

D．some regional and national business operation

小题4:. What will the author probably discuss after the last paragraph?

A．More advantages of franchising.

B．Negative aspects related to franchising.

C．The standard of consumer acceptance.

D．Risks of investment besides franchising

Recently, a professor of philosophy in the U. S. has written a book called Money and the Meaning of Life. He has discovered that how we   41  money in our day-to-day life has more meaning than we usually think. One of the exercises he asked his students to do is to   42  every penny they spend for a week.   43  they spend their money, they can see what they really   44  in life.
He says our relation with others often becomes clearly   45  when money enters the picture. You might have   46  with somebody and you think that you are very good friends. But you will   47  him only when you ask him to lend you some money. If he does, it brings   48  to the friendship that seems stronger than ever before. Or it can suddenly  49 the friendship if he doesn’t.
Since money is so important to us, we consider those who possess a lot of it   50  very important. The author interviewed some millionaires for   51 . Question: What is  52  thing you have discovered about being rich, because you are a self-made man? Answer: What makes me surprised most is how people give me  53 . I am nothing. I don’t know much. All I   54  money
People just   55  making more and more money, but what is it   56 ? How much do I need for a given purpose in my life? In his book, the professor uncovered an important need in modern society: to bring back   57  that money is an instrument   58  the end．  59  plays an important role in the material world, but expecting money to give happiness may be  60   the meaning of life.

小题1:	A．get through B．deal with C．give away D．look after

小题2:	A．keep a record of B．run out of C．keep up with D．use up

小题3:	A．In this way B．By this means C．By the way D．From the way

小题4:	A．insist B．value C．dream D．offer

小题5:	A．doubtful B．uncertain C．definite D．distrustful

小题6:	A．poor relation B．a quarrel C．words D．wonderful friendship

小题7:	A．know B．recognize C．respect D．admire

小题8:	A．everything B．nothing C．anything D．something

小题9:	A．strengthen B．weaken C．threaten D．protect

小题10:

A．is B．to be C．being D．is to be

小题11:

A．his family B．his friends C．much money D．his book

小题12:

A．the most surprising B．the less surprising C．the most surprised D．a most surprising

小题13:

A．so less respect B．so much respect C．so much money D．so much envy

小题14:

A．have is B．am has C．have but D．am to be

小题15:

A．pay no attention to B．make no sense of C．have an idea of D．lose consciousness of

小题16:

A．against B．by C．beyond D．for

小题17:

A．the design B．the idea C．the plan D．the argument

小题18:

A．rather than B．more than C．other than D．less than

小题19:

A．Spirit B．Friendship C．Money D．Character

小题20:

A．missing B．getting C．receiving D．understanding