Sitting on the peaceful coast of Galapagos Islands. Ecuador, watching the sun move quietly into the sea, you shouldn't forget that Charles Darwin (1809-1882) arrived here in 1835. He stayed on the islands for five weeks, observing various animals. This finally inspired (启发) his famous work, On the Origin of Species. You can certainly follow Darwin's footsteps and enjoy a trip from four to seven days to the islands. The islands are certainly a paradise (天堂) for wildlife, as there are no natural killers on the islands and the number of boats and visitors is under government control. Though you cannot walk freely as Darwin did about 200 years ago, each day is as impressive as it could be. The most well-known animal of the Galapagos is the giant tortoise(巨型海龟), which can be seen moving slowly around the highlands of Sanra Cruz, the second largest island in the archipelago(群岛). Some of these creatures are so old that they might have been seen in their youth by Darwin himself. Despite strict control over activities and timing, your stay on the Galapagos will be remembered as a chain of incomparable pictures: diving with sea lions that swim and play within inches of you; feeling small sharks touch your feet as you swim; and, most magically, seeing a whale and her baby surface with a great breath of air. Travelling between the islands and observing the wildlife that so inspired Darwin, you will feel as though you are getting a special view of an untouched world. At night you will sleep on board the ship, leaving the wildlife in complete occupation of the islands, which are as undisturbed now as they have been since the beginning of time.
小题1: What do we know about Darwin's visit to the islands?

A．He studied different creatures on the islands

B．He completed his famous book on the islands

C．He was touched by the geography of the islands

D．He was attracted by well-known animals of the islands

小题2:  Which of the following plays a role in making the islands "a paradise for wildlife"?

A．Animals on the islands feed on grass.

B．Local government forbids killing wildlife.

C．People cannot visit the islands as they wish.

D．Tourists are not allowed to touch the animals.

小题3:  Your stay on the islands will be most impressive mainly because of_________.

A．The beautiful sea views

B．Darwin's inspiring trip

C．a closer view of animals

D．various daring activities

小题4:  Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?

A．A Unique Attraction for Wildlife Lovers

B．Calapagos as a Paradise for Adventures

C．Charles Darwin as a Symbol of Galapagos

D．A Successful Example of Wildlife Protection

A few common misconceptions. Beauty is only skin-deep. One' s physical assets and liabilities don' t count all that much in a managerial career. A woman should always try to look her best.
Over the last 30 years, social scientists have conducted more than 1,000 studies of how we react to beautiful and not- so-beautiful people. The virtually unanimous conclusion: Looks do matter, more than most of us realize. The data suggest, for example, the physically attractive individuals are more likely to be treated well by their parents, sought out as friends, and pursued romantically. With the possible exception of women seeking managerial jobs they are also more likely to be hired, paid well, and promoted.
Un-American, you say, unfair and extremely unbelievable? Once again, the scientists have caught us mouthing pieties (虔诚) while acting just the contrary. Their typical experiment works something like this. They give each member of a group--college students, perhaps, or teachers or corporate personnel managers a piece of paper relating an individual' s accomplishments. Attached to the paper is a photograph. While the papers all say exactly the same thing the pictures are different. Some show a strikingly attractive person, some an average-looking character, and some an unusually unattractive human being. Group members are asked to rate the individual on certain attributes, anything from personal warmth to the likelihood that he or she will be promoted.
Almost invariably, the better looking the person in the picture, the higher the person is rated. In the phrase, borrowed from Sappho, that the social scientists use to sum up the common perception, what is beautiful is good.
In business, however, good looks cut both ways for women, and deeper than for men. A Utah State University professor, who is an authority on the subject, explains: In terms of their careers, the impact of physical attractiveness on males is only modest. But its potential impact on females can be tremendous, making it easier, for example, for the more attractive to get jobs where they are in the public eye. on another note, though, there is enough literature now for us to conclude that attractive women who aspire (追求) to managerial positions do not get on as well as who may be less attractive.
小题1: In "Beauty is only skin-deep", "skin-deep" can be replaced by______.

A．decorating

B．superficial

C．expressive

D．demanding

小题2: "One's physical assets and liabilities don' t count all that much in a managerial career."(paral) can be interpretated as______.

A．whether or not one looks good or bad, it doesn' t affect much one' s managerial career

B．in one' s managerial career, he may deal with cases like assets and liabilities

C．in one' s managerial career, he may rarely deal with cases like assets and liabilities

D．whether or not one looks good or bad, it may affect much one' s managerial career

小题3:  The result of research carried out by social scientists show that______.

A．people do not realize the importance of looking one' s best

B．women in pursuit of managerial jobs are not likely to be paid well

C．good -looking women aspire to managerial positions

D．attractive people generally have an advantage over those who are not

小题4: "Good looks cut both ways for women" (Para.5) means that______.

A．attractive women have tremendous potential impact on public job

B．good-looking women always get the best of everything

C．being attractive is not always an advantage for women

D．attractive women do not do as well as unattractive women in managerial positions

小题5:  It can be inferred from the passage that in the business world______.

A．handsome men are not affected as much by their looks as attractive women are

B．physically attractive women who are in the public eye usually do quite well

C．physically attractive men and women who are in the public eye usually get along quite well

D．good looks are important for women as they are for men

Blind imitation (模仿)is self-destruction. To those who do not recognize their unique worth. Imitation appears attractive: to those who know their strength. Imitation is unacceptable.
In the early stages of skill or character development, imitation is helpful. When I first learned to cook, I used recipes (菜谱) and turned out some tasty dishes. But soon I grew bored. Why follow someone else’s way of cooking when I could create my own? Imitating role models is like using training wheels on a child’s bicycle; they help you get going, but once you find your own balance, you fly faster and farther without relying on them.
In daily life, imitation can hurt us if we subconsciously (下意识地) hold poor role models. If, as a child, you observed people whose lives were bad, you may have accepted their fear and pain as normal and gone on to follow what they did. If you do not make strong choices for yourself, you will get the results of the weak choices of others.
In the field of entertainment, our culture glorifies celebrities. Those stars look great on screen. But when they step off screen, their personal lives may be disastrous. If you are going to follow someone, focus on their talent, not their bad character or unacceptable behaviors.
Blessed is the person willing to act on their sudden desire to create something unique. Think of the movies, books, teachers, and friends that have affected you most deeply. They touched you because their creations were motivated by inspiration, not desperation. The world is changed not by those who do what has been done before them, but by those who do what has been done inside them. Creative people have an endless resource of ideas. The problem a creator faces is not running out of material; it is what to do with the material knocking at the door of imagination.
Syudy your role models, accept the gifts they have given, and leave behind what does not server. Then you can say,” I stand on the shoulders of my ancestors” tragedies and tory, and know that they are cheering on.
小题1: Imitation proves useful when you        .

A．know you are unique

B．lose the balance of life

C．begin to learn something new

D．get tired of routine practice

小题2:  To avoid the bad result of imitation, we should________.

A．forget daily fear and pain

B．choose the right example

C．ask others for decisions

D．stay away from stars

小题3:.Acording to the author. The world moves on because of those who are          .

A．desperate to intruence others with their knowledge

B．ready to turn their original ideas into reality

C．eager to discover what their ancestors did

D．willing to accept others’ ideas

小题4: The trouble a creator faces is          .

A．the lack of strong motivation

B．the absence of practical ideas

C．how to search for more materials

D．how to use imagination creatively

小题5: What is the author’s purpose in writing this passage?

A．To highlight the importance of creatively.

B．To criticize the characters of role models.

C．To compare imitation with creation.

D．To explain the meaning of success.

We're all connected. You can send an e-mail message to a friend, and your friend can pass it on to one of his or her friends, and that friend can do the same, continuing the chain. Eventually, your message could reach just about anyone in the world, and it might take only five to seven e-mails for the message to get there.
Scientists recently tested that idea in a study involving 24,000 people. Participants had to try to get a message forwarded to one of 18 randomly chosen people. Each participant started by sending one e-mail to someone they knew. Recipients could then forward the e-mail once to someone they knew, and so on.
Targets, who were randomly assigned by researchers from Columbia University in New York, lived in 13 countries. They included an Australian police officer, a Norwegian veterinarian, and a college professor.
Out of 24,000 chains, only 384 reached their goal. The rest petered out, usually because one of the recipients was either too busy to forward the message or thought it was junk mail.
The links that reached their goal made it in an average of 4.05 e-mails. Based on the lengths of the failed chains, the researchers estimated that two strangers could generally make contact in five to seven e-mails.
The most successful chains relied on casual acquaintances rather than close friends. That's because your close friends know each other whereas your acquaintances tend to know people you don't know. The phenomenon, known as the strength of weak ties, explains why people tend to get jobs through people they know casually but aren't that close to.
So, start networking and instant messaging now. As they say in show business: It's all about who you know.
小题1: If you want to get into touch with a stranger in the world, how many e-mails might it take for the message to reach him/her?

A. 5 to 7

B. 18

C. 13

D. 384

小题2: Which of the following is Not true about the test?

A. 24,000 people took part in the study and sent e-mails to people they knew.

B. The 18 targets were chosen by chance.

C. About 98.4% of the mails didn’t reach their goal because some people were too busy or they mistook the message for junk mail.

D. The targets come from 13 countries, such as Australia, Norway and New York.

小题3: What does the word “estimate” mean in the passage?

A. make sure

B. suppose

C. think over

D. imagine

小题4: Why do people tend to get jobs more easily through casual acquaintances than close friends?

A. Because close friends don’t talk with each other so much.

B. Because casual acquaintances can help you know more people and make more friends.

C. Because close friends don’t spend so much time gathering together.

D. Because casual acquaintances are kinder and more willing to help others.

小题5:  In which part of a newspaper will readers read this passage?

A. Culture

B. Entertainment

C. Information and Technology

D. Health

Police fired tear gas and arrested more than 5,000 passively resisting protestors Friday in an attempt to break up the largest antinuclear demonstration ever staged in the United States. More than 135,000 demonstrators confronted police on the construction site of a 1,000-megawatt nuclear power plant scheduled to provide power to most of southern New Hampshire. Organizers of the huge demonstration said, the protest was continuing despite the police actions. More demonstrators were arriving to keep up the pressure on state authorities to cancel the project. The demonstrator had charged that the project was unsafe in the densely populated area, would create thermal pollution in the bay, and had no acceptable means for disposing of its radioactive wasters. The demonstrations would go on until the jails and the courts were so overloaded that the state judicial system would collapse.
Governor Stanforth Thumper insisted that there would be no reconsideration of the power project and no delay in its construction set for completion in three years. “This project will begin on time and the people of this state will begin to receive its benefits on schedule. Those who break the law in misguided attempts to sabotage the project will be dealt with according to the law,” he said. And police called in reinforcements from all over the state to handle the disturbances.
The protests began before dawn Friday when several thousand demonstrators broke through police lines around the cordoned-off construction site. They carried placards that read “No Nukes is Good Nukes,” “Sunpower, Not Nuclear Power,” and “Stop Private Profits from Public Peril.” They defied police order to move from the area. Tear gas canisters fired by police failed to dislodge the protestors who had come prepared with their own gas masks or facecloths. Finally gas-masked and helmeted police charged into the crowd to drag off the demonstrators one by one. The protestors did not resist police, but refused to walk away under their own power. Those arrested would be charged with unlawful assembly, trespassing, and disturbing the peace.
小题1:What were the demonstrators protesting about?
[A] Private profits.
[B]Nuclear Power Station.
[C] The project of nuclear power construction.
[D] Public peril.
小题2:Who had gas-masks?
[A] Everybody.
[B]A part of the protestors.
[C] Policemen.
[D] Both B and C.
小题3:.Which of the following was NOT mentioned as a reason for the demonstration?
[A] Public transportation.
[B]Public peril.
[C] Pollution.
[D] Disposal of wastes.
小题4:.With whom were the jails and courts overloaded?
[A] With prisoners.
[B]With arrested demonstrators.
[C] With criminals.
[D] With protestors.
小题5:What is the attitude of Governor Stanforth Thumper toward the power project and the demonstration?
[A] stubborn.
[B]insistent.
[C] insolvable.
[D] remissible.
Vocabulary
1.tear gas          瓦斯
2.passively resisting protestor    不抵抗的抗议者
3.stage          发起，举行，上演
4.break up             驱散，终止
5.cordon          警戒线，警戒
6.nuke          （美俚）核武器，核电站
7.defy          公然蔑视/反抗
8.canister       罐，筒，榴霰弹筒
9.islodge          赶走
10.charge          冲锋，向前冲
11.trespass       非法侵入，扰乱

Businesses are witnessing a difficult time, which has in turn produced influence on consumers’ desire to go green. However, shoppers are still laying stress on environmental concerns.
Two thirds of customers say that environmental considerations inform their purchases to the same degree as they did a year ago, while more than a quarter say that they are now even better aware of the environmental effect on what they buy.
This may help to influence how shops store goods on their shelves. And the companies should still make efforts to become more environmentally friendly. Two out of three people think it is important to buy from environmentally responsible companies, with about one in seven saying that they had even decided to take their custom elsewhere if they felt a company’s environmental reputation was not good enough.
Harry Morrison, chief executive（主管）of the Carbon Trust, sympathizes：“I understand this situation where survival is very important now. But from environmental considerations, the clock is ticking—we don’t have much time. In addition, cutting carbon has an immediate effect as costs drop and a medium-term benefit for the brand.”
Larger companies have an extra motivation to look at reducing their carbon footprint, as new rules next year will require businesses to buy carbon allowances to make up for their emissions（排放）. Those that have taken early action will have a head start. More than two thirds of consumers are not clear about which companies are environmentally responsible. This suggests that firms that are able to relay clearly their message to the public will be in a pole position to attract shoppers.
The Carbon Trust believes that it can help by informing customers about the good work companies are doing. “When companies are granted（授予）the standard, they can use a logo（标识）in all their marketing which makes it clear that they are working towards cutting emissions,” Mr. Morrison said.
小题1: What’s the main idea of the passage?

A．Businesses are finding ways to send their message to the shoppers.

B．Companies will soon get information about cutting carbon emissions.

C．Firms are making efforts to encourage customers to keep goods at home.

D．Firms are urged to cut carbon emissions by shoppers’ environmental awareness.

小题2: The underlined word “inform” in Paragraph 2 probably means“      ”.

A．affect

B．change

C．disturb

D．reject

小题3:According to Harry Morrison, businesses          .

A．will benefit from cutting carbon emissions

B．should buy carbon allowances for shoppers

C．are required to make up for their carbon emissions

D．have encouraged shoppers to take their custom elsewhere

小题4:We can learn from the passage that businesses will        .

A．have a strong desire to reduce costs

B．use the same logo in their marketing

C．gain advantages by taking early action

D．attract more shoppers by storing goods

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。
A
Shakespeare's Birthplace and Exhibition of Shakespeare's World
Welcome to the world-famous house where William Shakespeare was born in 1564 and where he grew up. The property(房产)remained in the ownership of
Shakespeare’s family until 1806.The House has welcomed visitors traveling  from all over the word ,for over 250 years.
Enter though the Visitors’ Centre and see the highly-praised exhibition Shakespeare’s World, a lively and full introduction to the life and work of  Shakespeare.
Stand in the rooms-where Shakespeare grew up.
Discover examples of furniture and needle work from Shakespeare’s period.
Enjoy the traditional(传统的)English garden, planted with trees and flowers mentioned in the poet’s works.
pThe Birthplace is within easy walking distance of all the car parks shown on the map; nearest is Windsor Street(3 minutes’ walk).
The House may present difficulties but the Visitors’ Centre, its exhibition, and the garden are accessible(可进入的)to wheelchair user.
 The Shakespeare Coffee House (opposite the Birthplace).

ADMISSION: Adult ￡4.90 Child ￡2.20 Family ￡12.0 (2 adults +up to 3 children)

OPENING TIMES: 20 Mar to 19 Oct Mon to Sat: 9:00am to 5:00pm Sun:9:30am to 5:00pm 20 Oct to 19Mar Mon to Sat:9:30am to 4:00pm Sun:10:00am to 4:00pm

OPENING TIMES: 20 Mar to 19 Oct Mon to Sat: 9:00am to 5:00pm Sun:9:30am to 5:00pm 20 Oct to 19Mar Mon to Sat:9:30am to 4:00pm Sun:10:00am to 4:00pm

 
小题1:. How much is the admission for a family of two grown-ups and two children?

A．＄9.80

B．＄12.00

C．＄14.20

D．＄16.40

小题2: Where is the nearest parking place to Shakespeare’s Birthplace?

A．Behind the exhibition hall.

B．Opposite the Visitors’ Centre.

C．At Windsor street.

D．Near the Coffee House.

小题3: A wheelchair user may need help to enter         .
A. the House     B the garden    C. the Visitor’s Centre    D. the exhibition hall

   Many people think a telephone is essential. But I think it is a pest and a time waster. Very often you find it impossible to escape from some idle or curious chatter-box, or from somebody who wants something for nothing. If you have a telephone in your own house, you will admit that it tends to ring when you are asleep, or in the middle of a meal or a conversation, or when you are just going out, or when you are taking your bath. Are you strong minded enough to ignore it, to say to yourself,“Ah, well, it will all be the same in a hundred years’ time” You are not. You think there may be some important news or messages for you. I can assure you that if a message is really important it will reach you sooner or later. Have you never rushed dripping from the bath, or chewing from the table, or dazed from the bed, only to be told that you are a wrong number?
But you will say, you need not have your name printed in the telephone directory, and you can have a telephone which is only usable for outgoing calls. Besides, you will say, isn’t it important to have a telephone in case of emergency—illness, an accident, or fire? Of course, you are right, but here in a thickly populated country like England one is seldom far from a telephone in case of dreadful necessity.
I think perhaps I had better try to justify myself by trying to prove that what I like is good. I admit that in different circumstances—if I were a tycoon(business VIP),for instance, or bed ridden I might find a telephone essential. But then if I were a taxi-driver I should find a car essential.
Let me put it another way: there are two things for which the English seem to show particular talent; one is mechanical invention, the other is literature. My own business happens to be with the use of words but I see I must now stop using them. For I have just been handed a slip of paper to say that somebody is waiting to speak to me on the telephone. I think I had better answer it. After all, one never knows, it may be something important.
小题1:The passage is mainly discussing _______.

A．that we should be strong enough to ignore a phone call

B．that important message will reach you sooner or later

C．whether it’s necessary to answer all phone calls

D．whether it is necessary to have a telephone

小题2:Judging from the passage, who is strong-minded enough to ignore a phone call?

A．The author.	B．A tycoon.
C．A taxi-driver.	D．Hardly anyone.

小题3:According to the passage, the author________.

A．thinks the telephone should go out of our life

B．likes to be different from other people

C．thinks the telephone is annoying

D．speaks favourably of a telephone

小题4:In the author’s opinion, which of the following is NOT true?

A．Nearly everyone has been told a wrong number.

B．It’s necessary for everyone to have a telephone.

C．He himself can not decide whether to answer a call.

D．A telephone directory may bring in unexpected calls.

In the US, people prefer waiting for a table to sitting with people they don’t know. If you are sitting at a table with people you don’t know, it is impolite to light up a cigarette without asking if it will trouble them.
At American restaurant and coffee shops you are usually served cold water before you order. You may find the bread and butter is free, and if you order coffee, you may get a free refill(再装满).
Most cities and towns have no rules about opening and closing time for stores or restaurants, though they usually do make rules for bars. Especially in large cities, stores may be open 24 hours a day.
Serving in restaurant is often large, too large for many people. If you can’t finish your meal but would like to enjoy the food later, ask your waitress or waiter for a “doggie bag”. It may have a picture of a dog on it, but everyone knows you’re taking the food for yourself. Supper and dinner are both words for the evening meal. Some people have “Sunday dinner”. This is an especially big noon meal.
Tips are not usually added to the check. They are not included in the price of the meal, either. A tip of about 15% of the price of a meal is expected and you should leave it on the table when you leave. In some restaurants, a check is brought on a plate and you put your money there. Then the waiter or waitress brings you your change.
小题1:If you are walking in New York, you will find that _____.

A．you can go to the bars any time you like

B．stores may be open for the customers a day

C．restaurants have some rules about foreigners

D．closing time is often decided by the managers

小题2:When you are taking a “doggie bag” on the street, we know that _____.

A．you have bought some food for your dogs

B．you are taking the rest of food for your dogs

C．you will take the food home and enjoy it later

D．you have put a dog in the bag and take it home

小题3:What can we learn from the last paragraph?

A．Tips belong to a part of the price of the meal.

B．Tips have become an essential part of the life.

C．Tips are important in the US for the restaurant.

D．You can provide the tips for the manager directly.

His ignorance was as remarkable as his knowledge. Of contemporary literature, philosophy and politics he appeared to know next to nothing. Upon my quoting Thomas Carlyle, he inquired in the naivest way who he might be and what he had done. My surprise reached a climax, however, when I found incidentally that he was ignorant of the Copernican Theory and of the composition of the Solar system.
“You appear to be astonished, ” Holmes said, smiling at my expression. “Now that I do know it I shall do my best to forget it. You see, I consider that a man’s brain originally is like a little empty attic, and you have to stock it with such furniture as you choose: A fool takes in all the lumber of every sort that he comes across, so that the knowledge which might be useful to him gets crowded out, or at best jumbled up with a lot of other things, so that he has difficulty in laying his hand upon it. It is a mistake to think that the little room has elastic walls and can distend to any extent. Depend upon it, there comes a time when for every addition of knowledge you forget something that you know before. It is of the highest importance, therefore, not to have useless facts elbowing out the useful ones.”
“But the Solar System! ” I protested.
“What the deuce is it to me?” he interrupted impatiently.
One morning, I picked up a magazine from the table and attempted to while away the time with it, while my companion munched silently at his toast. One of the articles had a pencil mark at the heading, and I naturally began to run my eye through it.
Its somewhat ambitious title was “The Book of Life, ” and it attempted to show how much an observant man might learn by an accurate and systematic examination of all that came in his way. It struck me as being a remarkable mixture of shrewdness and of absurdity. The reasoning was close and intense, but the deduction appeared to me to be far-fetched and exaggerated. The writer claimed by a momentary expression, a twitch of a muscle or a glance of an eye, to fathom a man’s inmost thought. Deceit, according to him, was impossibility in the case of one trained to observation and analysis. His conclusions were as infallible as so many propositions of Euclid. So startling would his results appear to the uninitiated that until they learned the processes by which he had arrived at them they might well consider him as a necromancer.
“From a drop of water, ”said the writer, “a logician could infer the possibility of an Atlantic. So all life is a great chain, the nature of which is known whenever we are shown a single link of it. Like all other arts, the science of Deduction and Analysis is one which can be acquired by long and patient study, nor is life long enough to allow any mortal to attain the highest possible perfection in it. ”
This smartly written piece of theory I could not accept until a succession of evidences justified it.
小题1: What is the author’s attitude toward Holmes?
[A]Praising.
[B]Critical.
[C]Ironical.
[D]Distaste.
小题2: What way did the author take to stick out Holmes’ uniqueness?
[A]By deduction.
[B]By explanation.
[C]By contrast.
[D]By analysis.
小题3: What was the Holmes’ idea about knowledge-learning?
[A]Learning what every body learned.
[B]Learning what was useful to you.
[C]Learning whatever you came across.
[D]Learning what was different to you.
小题4: What did the article mentioned in the passage talk about?
[A]One may master the way of reasoning through observation.
[B]One may become rather critical through observation and analysis.
[C]One may become rather sharp through observation and analysis.
[D]One may become practical through observation and analysis.
Vocabulary
1.Thomas Carlyle      托马斯?卡莱尔 1795-1881美国作家、历史家、哲学家
2.jumble (up)      搞乱，使混乱
3.lay hand on (upon) sth.  抓住，找到
4.at best          最好的情况下
5.elbow out (off)      用胳膊肘挤出，推出
6.deuce =" devil"      what the deuce is it to me?   
这里表示福尔摩斯的厌恶心理。
义：这倒霉的词儿与我有什么关系？      
7.while away the time      消磨/打发时间
8.shrewdness      机敏，敏锐，犀利
9.far-fetched      牵强附会，不自然
10.fathom         看穿/透，推测，探索
11.infallible      一贯正确
12.uninitiated     对某事无知的
13.Euclid        欧几里德（古希腊数学家）
14.necromancer     巫师