Five years ago, David Smith wore an expensive suit to work every day. “I was a clothes addict,” jokes. “I used to carry a fresh suit to work with me so I could change if my clothes got wrinkled.” Today David wears casual clothes---khaki pants and sports shirt---to the office. He hardly ever wears necktie. “I’m working harder than ever,” David says, “and I need to feel comfortable.”
More and more companies are allowing their office workers to wear casual clothes to work in the United States. The change from formal to casual office wear has been gradual. In the early 1990s, many companies allowed their employees to wear casual clothes on Friday (but only on Friday). This became known as “dress-down Friday” or “casual Friday.” “What started out as an extra one-day-a-week benefit for employees has really become an everyday thing,” said business consultant Maisly Jones.
Why have so many companies started allowing their employees to wear casual clothes? One reason is that it’s easier for a company to attract new employees if it has a casual dress code. “A lot of young people don’t want to dress up for work,” says the owner of a software company, “so it’s hard to hire people if you have a conservative dress code.” Another reason is that people seem happier and more productive when they are wearing comfortable clothes. In a study conducted by Levi Strauss and Company, 85 percent of employers said that they believe that casual dress improves employee morale. Only 4 percent of employers said that casual dress has a negative impact on productive. Supporters of casual office wear also argue that a casual dress code helps them save money. “Suits are expensive, if you have to wear one every day,” one person said. “For the same amount of money, you can buy a lot more casual clothes.”
【小题1】David Smith refers to himself as having been “a clothes addict” because_______.

As a teenager, I felt I was always letting people down. I was rebellious(叛逆)on the outside,      on the inside I wanted people to     .

Once I left home to hitchhike(搭便车)to California with my friend Penelope. The trip wasn’t     , and there were many times I didn’t feel safe. One situation in particular       me grateful to still be alive. When I returned home, I was different—not so outwardly sure of myself.

I was happy to be home. But then I noticed that Penelope, who was       with us, was wearing my clothes. And my       seemed to like her better than me. I wondered if I would be       if I weren’t there. I told my mom, and she explained that       Penelope was a lovely girl, no one could       me. I pointed out, “She is more patient and is neater than I have ever been.” My mom said these were wonderful      , but I was the only person who could fill my      . She made me realize that even with my      , —and they were many—I was a loved member of the family who couldn’t be replaced.

I became a searcher,       who I was and what made me unique. My       of myself was changing. I wanted a solid base to start from. I started to resist pressure to       in ways that I didn’t like any more, and I       who I really was. I came to feel much more       that no one can ever take my place.

Each of us       a unique place in the world. You are special, no matter what others say or what you may think. So       about being replaced. You       be.

1.A. and    B. but        C. as D. for

2.A. leave B. replace C. receive D. like

3.A. easy   B. hard      C. fun        D. long

4.A. made B. kept      C. left        D. forced

5.A. playing       B. eating   C. staying  D. travelling

6.A. family         B. friends  C. relatives        D. neighbors

7.A. loved B. mentioned    C. cared    D. missed

8.A. since B. as C. while     D. unless

9.A. scold B. compare        C. replace D. match

10.A. qualities   B. girls       C. people  D. times

11.A. character          B. role       C. task       D. form

12.A. faults        B. advantages    C. manners        D. pities

13.A. looking at          B. looking back C. seeking out   D. giving up

14.A. picture     B. view      C. sense    D. advice

15.A. think         B. learn     C. change D. act

16.A. hated       B. celebrated    C. wished  D. expected

17.A. sure          B. doubtful        C. happy   D. lonely

18.A. takes        B. catches C. seizes    D. holds

19.A. talk  B. forget   C. care      D. argue

20.A. mustn’t B. shouldn’t    C. can’t  D. needn’t

People often fall ill because of me. 36  , they can hardly blame me; it is largely their own 37 .A tired person may get 38 , especially when he goes to crowded places with polluted air. A sudden change in 39 is another factor. In hot summer, people turn on the air-conditioner upon returning home. They will catch a cold easily.  

My latest victim is an energetic student. After school, he played football hard for two hours. Though 40  , he still went to the cinema .Then he got back home and took a cold shower immediately.  

I seized this golden chance to 41 him .He reacted ,trying to 42 me , but I was already 43 deep in his throat. He kept sneezing（打喷嚏） and his nose was running. 44 he put on some warm clothes, it didn’t work, for there were too many of us. Besides, his sore throat kept 45 him, and he developed a cough to force me and my family out, but  46 .  

The next day he couldn’t go to 47  . He had lost his appetite and was not as 48 as before. His mother made him orange juice every few hours for more vitamin C, which would help his 49  

For two days he was 50 by his mother. As he rested more, his defense strengthened and I began to feel the 51  . I knew I had to 52 him before long. But I am not the one who gives up easily, and I made every effort to fight back. 53  , it was my turn to feel 54 now, for his defense system was starting an all-out attack against me. I became 55 and finally my time was over.  

Do you know what I am?  

Last year, on report card day, my son and a group of his 13-year-old friends piled into the back seat of my car, ready for the last-day-of-school party at McDonald's. “Jack got a laptop for getting straight A's, and Laurie got a cell-phone,” one boy said. “Oh, yeah, and Sarah got an iPod Nano, and she's only in third grade,” said another. “And how about Brian? He got $10 for each A.”

I suddenly became concerned. These payoffs might get parents through grammar school, but what about high school and beyond? What would be left after the electric guitar, the cell-phone, and the DVD player?       

I saw the road ahead: As the homework load increased, my income would decrease. I saw my comfortable lifestyle disappear before my eyes---no more of those $5 bags of already-peeled organic（施有机肥料的）carrots. No more organic anything!            

I started to feel surprised and nervous. Would every goal achieved by my two children fetch a reward? A high grade point average? A good class ranking? Would sports achievements be included in this reward system: soccer goals, touchdowns（橄榄球底线得分）? What about the orchestra（管弦乐队）? Would first chair pay more than second? I'd be penniless by eighth-grade graduation.

“We never paid anything for good grades,” said my neighbor across the street, whose son was recently accepted at MIT. “He just did it on his own. Maybe once in a while we went out for pizza, but that's about it.”

Don't you just hate that? We're all running around looking for the MP3 player with the most updates, and she’s spending a few dollars on pizza. She gets motivation; we get negotiation. And what about the primary grades? What do these students get? “When the teacher asked if anyone got rewards for good grades, everyone in my class raised their hands and said they got ice cream cones (蛋卷),” said one third-grader.

1.What's the best title for the passage?

A．Tips on Paying Kids for Good Grades

B．New Trends in Paying Kids for Good Grades

C．Good Grades Mean Good Rewards

D．Don't Pay Kids for Good Grades

2.What does the underlined sentence in the third paragraph probably mean?

A．Taking care of my children would influence my work.

B．I would spend less money on my children's good grades.

C．More rewards would be needed as my children grow up.

D．Reducing my children's homework load would cost me a lot.

3.It can be inferred from the passage that ________. 

A．if you buy children pizza as a reward, they will work harder

B．if you pay kids for good grades, they will take it for granted

C．children will not ask for rewards when they enter high school

D．good grades won't help kids make great progress in the future

4.The author takes her neighbor as an example to show _______.

A．pizza is the best way to motivate children

B．it is necessary to reward children for their good grades.

C．getting rewards for good grades is common nowadays

D．rewards are not the only way to motivate children

I needed to buy a digital camera, one that was simply good at taking good snaps (快照), maybe occasionally for magazines. Being the cautious type, I fancied a reliable brand. So I went on the net, spent 15 minutes reading product reviews on good websites, wrote down the names of three top recommendations and headed for my nearest big friendly camera store. There in the cupboard was one of the cameras on my list. And it was on special offer. Oh joy. I pointed at it and asked an assistant, “Can I have one of those?” He looked perturbed (不安).“Do you want to try it first?" he said. It didn't quite sound like a question. "Do I need to?" I replied. "There's nothing wrong with it?" This made him look a bit insulted and I started to feel bad. "No, no. But you should try it," he said encouragingly." Compare it with the others. "

     I looked across at the others: shelves of similar cameras placed along the wall, offering a wide range of slightly different prices and discounts, with each company selling a range of models based around the same basic box. With so many models to choose from, it seemed that I would have to spend hours weighing X against Y, always trying to take Z and possibly H into account at the same time. But when I had finished, I would still have only the same two certainties that I had entered the store with: first, soon after I carried my new camera out of the shop, it would be worth half what I paid for it; and second, my wonderful camera would very quickly be replaced by a new model.

     But something in the human soul whispers that you can beat these traps by making the right choice, the clever choice, the wise choice. In the end, I agreed to try the model I had chosen. The assistant seemed a sincere man. So I let him take out my chosen camera from the cupboard, show how it took excellent pictures of my fellow shoppers... and when he started to introduce the special features, I interrupted to ask whether I needed to buy a carry-case and a memory card as well.

      Why do we think that new options (选择) still offer us anything new? Perhaps it is because they offer an opportunity to avoid facing the fact that our real choices in this culture are far more limited than we would like to imagine.

1. The shop assistant insisted that the writer should __ .

     A. try the camera to see if there was anything wrong with it

     B. compare the camera he had chosen with the others

     C. get more information about different companies

     D. trust him and stop asking questions

2. What does the writer mean by "it would be worth half what I paid for it"  (Paragraph 2) ?

     A. He should get a 50% discount.

     B. The price of the camera was unreasonably high.

     C. The quality of the camera was not good.

     D. The camera would soon fall in value.

3. The writer decided to try the model he had chosen because he __ .

     A. knew very little about it

     B. didn't trust the shop assistant

     C. wanted to make sure the one he chose would be the best

     D. had a special interest in taking pictures of his fellow shoppers

4. It can be inferred from the passage that in the writer's opinion, __

     A. people waste too much money on cameras

     B. cameras have become an important part of our daily life

     C. we don't actually need so many choices when buying a product

     D. famous companies care more about profit than quality