Diana Jacobs thought her family had a workable plan to pay for college for her 21-year-old twin sons: a combination of savings, income, scholarships, and a modest amount of borrowing. Then her husband lost his job, and the plan fell apart.
“I have two kids in college, and I want to say ‘come home,’ but at the same time I want to provide them with a good education,” says Jacobs.
The Jacobs family did work out a solution: They asked and received more aid form the schools, and each son increased his borrowing to the maximum amount through the federal loan (貸款) program. They will each graduate with $20,000 of debt, but at least they will be able to finish school.
With unemployment rising, financial aid administrators expect to hear more families like the Jacobs. More students are applying for aid, and more families expect to need student loans. College administrators are concerned that they will not have enough aid money to go around.
At the same time, tuition（學(xué)費(fèi)）continues to rise. A report from the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education found that college tuition and fees increased 439% from 1982 to 2007, while average family income rose just 147%. Student borrowing has more than doubled in the last decade,
“If we go on this way for another 25years, we won’t have an affordable system of higher education,” says Patrick M. Callan, president of the center. “The middle class families have been financing it through debt. They will send kids to college whatever it takes, even if that means a huge amount of debt.”
Financial aid administrators have been having a hard time as many companies decide that student loans are not profitable enough and have stopped making them. The good news, however, is that federal loans account for about three quarters of student borrowing, and the government says that money will flow uninterrupted.
小題1:
According to Paragraph 1, why did the plan of Jacobs family fail?

A．The twins wasted too much money.

B．The father was out of work.

C．Their saving ran out.

D．The family fell apart.

小題2:
How did the Jacobs manage to solve their problem?

A．They asked their kids to come home.

B．They borrowed $20,000 from the school.

C．They encouraged their twin sons to do part-time jobs.

D．They got help from the school and the federal government.

小題3:
Financial aid administrators believe that _______.

A．more families will face the same problem as the Jacobses

B．the government will receive more letters of complaint

C．college tuition fees will double soon

D．America’s unemployment will fall

小題4:
What can we learn about the middle class families from the text?

A．They blamed the government for the tuition increase.

B．Their income remained steady in the last decade.

C．They will try their best to send kids to college.

D．Their debts will be paid off within 25 years.

小題5:
According to the last paragraph, the government will      .

A．provide most students will scholarships

B．dismiss some financial aid administrators

C．stop the companies from making student loans

D．go on providing financial support for college students

In business, there is a speed difference: It's the difference between how important a firms leaders say speed is to their competitive (競(jìng)爭(zhēng)的) strategy（策略）and how fast the company actually moves. The difference is important regardless of industry and company size .Companies fearful of losing their competitive advantage spend much time and money looking for ways to pick up the speed.
In our study of 343 businesses, the companies that choose to go, go, go to try to gain an edge ended up with lower sales and operating incomes than those that paused at key moments to make sure they were on the right track, What’s more, the firms that “slowed down to speed up “improved their top and bottom lines, averaging 40% higher sales and 52% higher operating incomes over a three-year period.
How did they disobey the laws of business physics, taking more time than competitors yet performing better? They thought differently about what “slower” and “faster” mean. Firms sometimes fail to understand the difference between operation speed (moving quickly )and strategic speed (reducing the time it takes to deliver value ).Simply increasing the speed of production, for example ,may be one way to try to reduce the speed difference .But that often leads to reduced value over time, in the form of lower-quality products and services.
In our study, higher-performing companies with strategic speed always made changes when necessary. They became more open to ideas and discussion. They encouraged new ways of thinking. And they allowed time to look back and learn. By contrast (相比而言), performance suffered at firms that moved fast all the time, paid too much attention to improving efficiency, stuck to tested methods, didn’t develop team spirit among their employees, and had little time thinking about changes.
Strategic speed serves as a kind of leadership. Teams that regularly take time to get things right , rather than plough ahead full bore , are more successful in meeting their business goals . That kind of strategy must come from the top.
小題1: What does the underlined part “gain an edge ”in Paragraph 2 mean ? 

A．Increase the speed.

B．Get an advantage.

C．Reach the limit.

D．Set a goal.

小題2:. The underlined part “the laws of business physics” in Paragraph 3 means ___________.  

A．spending more time and performing worse.

B．spending more time and performing better

C．spending less time and performing worse

D．spending less time and performing better

小題3:What can we learn from the text?  

A．how fast a firm moves depends on how big it is.

B．how competitive a firm is depends on what it produces.

C．Firms guided by strategic speed take time to make necessary changes.

D．Firms guided by operational speed take time to develop necessary team spirit.

小題4:. Which could be the best title for the text?  

A．Improve quality? Serve better.

B．Deliver value? Plough ahead.

C．Reduce time? Move faster.

D．Need speed? Slow down.

In today’s throw away society, dealing with the city’s growing mountain of waste is an inereasing challenge for the city countil(市議會(huì))。
Recently. Edinburgh is faced with the problem of dssposing of(處理)about250,000
Million tons of waster a year . Despite different ways to dispose of much of it in a green manner---largely through encouraging tecycling---its aging facilities such as the Powderhall landfill do not have the ability to deal with it.
The European Union(EU) has issued a new policy, regulating how such mountains of waster are to hr disposed of. The five councils (Edinburgh. East Lothian. West Lothian. Midlethian and Borders) face fine around $18million a year from 2013 it they don’t inerease recycling levels and rely less on landfill. With this in mind, the coumlls got together with the idea of building a lage incinerator plant (垃圾焚燒廠(chǎng))to burn half of the waste produced in their districts. But the plan fell apart after the change of target levels by a new UK government waste policy which required that no more than 25% of the city’s waste should be disposed of in this way by 2025.
After the plan was abandoned, a private company which already transported millions of tons of the city’s wast by train to a landfill site near Dunbar, offered an alternative soution when it suggested opening a huge waste site near Portobello.
Since Powderhall is supposed to close in 2015, it seemed necessary for the members of the Edinburgh Council to accept the suggestion. But soon they turned it down—after 700 local objections reached them—because it would have meant hundreds of lorries a day making loud noise through heavily populated areas.
That still leaves eth council with a problem. By 2013,only50%of 1995 levels of waste will benllewed to be sent to landfill. Even if recveling large are met, there will still be a large amount of rubbish to be burnt up. Due build an Edinburgh and Midlothian councils have now decided to work together to build an ineinerator plant as time to find a solution is fast running out.
小題1:The main way of handling waste in a green manmer in Edinburgh is       .

A．recyeling

B．restoring

C．burying

D．burning

小題2:The five councils worked out a plan to build an incinerator plant to       .

A．reduce the roast of burying waste

B．meets the EU requirements

C．speed up waste recycling

D．tempter landfill sites

小題3:The city council of Edinburgh rejected the suggestion to open a huge landfill site near Portobello because     .

A．a(chǎn) name from a private company

B．the comelier was not interested in it

C．it was not supports by EU

D．the local poodle was waist it

小題4:What is the final dream an Edinburgh and Midlothian Country?

A．To open a new landfill nearby

B．To close the powder hall landfill in 2015

C．To set up a plan for burning waste

D．To persuade people to deduce their waste.

It is Saturday afternoon．You and your friends are planning to go to the movies and then spend the night together． Just as you start to get ready, your dad reminds you it is your aunt's birthday and the whole family is going out to dinner to celebrate．How can this possibly end without a huge argument?
One of the greatest sources of tension（緊張情緒）between teenagers and their families is the struggle to balance personal desires with family expectations．As you are getting older，you are  becoming more independent and more interested in being with your friends．
However，at the same time，your family is trying to figure out how to deal with these changes． While you once spent most of your free time with your family，you are now often absent from home．Parents may get their feelings hurt．Or they might feel that they are losing control of their family during this period．You might feel angry that so many family demands are placed on you．
There are a few things you can try to make it a little easier to ease（緩解）the tension．
* Make your plans in advance．Ask your parents if there is anything else planned at that time．
* When something with your friends interferes（干擾；沖突）with a family event，try to figure out if there is any way you can do both．
* Suggest something you would really like to do with your family．Sometimes parents feel better just knowing their teenager wants to spend time with them．
Some of the time you won’t be happy with the outcome（結(jié)果）．You might either have to disappoint your parents or have to miss out being with your friends．However，if you show consideration（體諒）for the feelings of both your family and your friends，you can solve the problem in a tender way．
小題1:
The purpose of the first paragraph is to _________．

A．show a disagreement of views

B．serve as a description of teenager trouble

C．serve as an introduction to the discussion

D．show the popularity of teenager problem

小題2:
The tension between teenagers and their families is caused by the fact that____________．

A．teenagers don’t like to take family demands

B．parents want to keep their family under control

C．parents feel unhappy that their children make so many friends

D．both parents and teenagers don’t pay attention to each other’s feeling much

小題3:
Which of the following is NOT the advice given in the passage?

A．Don’t feel angry if your parents ask you to do something．

B．Try to think of ways to balance family event with friend event．

C．Tell your parents before you decide to spend time with your friends．

D．Advise your parents to do something that you are interested in with you．

小題4:            
What’s the purpose of the passage?

A．To inform us of parent and teenager tension．

B．To tell us about a common teenager problem．

C．To persuade parents to show consideration for teenagers．

D．To advise teenagers how to deal with their tension with their family．

It is a matter of common observation that although incomes keep going up over the years，people never seem to become much better off! Prices are rising continuously．The condition is termed(稱(chēng)作) one kind 0f inflation, the money supply is becoming inflated so that each unit of it becomes less valuable．People have got used in recent years to higher and higher rates of inflation．
What could be bought ten years ago for one dollar now costs well over two dollars. It seems that this rate of inflation is tending to rise rather than to fall．If in the real world our money incomes go up at the same rate as prices，one might think that inflation does not matter．But it does when money is losing value，it lacks one of the qualities of a good money---stability (穩(wěn)定) of value．It is no longer acceptable as a store of value；and it becomes an unsuitable standard of deferred(延期) payments．Nobody wants to hold a wasting possession，so people try to get rid of money as quickly as possible. Inflation therefore stimulates people spending，and prevents people from saving.
小題1:
What does inflation mean?

A．People’s money becomes more valuable

B．The problem of employment will be solved．

C．It’s easier for people to find better paying jobs．

D．Money keeps losing its value．

小題2:
From the passage．we can know inflation __________.       

A．seldom happens	B．is very common at present
C．is a must	D．has become less in recent years

小題3:
According to the passage，if incomes and prices rise together ______     

A．the business will become better	B．money will hold its value
C．inflation won’t be a problem	D．inflation will remain to be a problem

小題4:
In a period of inflation，people are likely to  ______ ．

A．put much money on the stock market(股市)

B．stop spending money

C．hold on to money as a dependable possession

D．spend money as soon as possible

Parents often believe that they have a good relationship with their teenagers (青少年). But last summer, Joanna and Henry noticed a change in their older son. Suddenly he seemed to be talking far more to his friends than to his parents. "The door to his room is always shut," Joanna noted.
Tina and Mark noticed similar changes in their 14-year-old daughter. "She used to cuddle up (蜷伏)with me on the sofa and talk," said Mark. "Now we joke that she does this only when she wants something. Sometimes she wants to be treated like a little girl and sometimes like a young lady. The problem is figuring out which time is which."
Before age 11, children like to tell their parents what's on their minds. "In fact, parents are first on the list," said Michael Riera, author of Uncommon Sense for Parents with Teenagers. "This completely changes during the teen years," Riera explained. "They talk to their friends first, then maybe their teachers, and their parents last."
Parents who know what's going on in their teenagers' lives are in the best position to help them. To break down the wall of silence, parents should create chances to understand what their children want to say, and try to find ways to talk and write to them. And they must give their children a mental break, for children also need freedom, though young. Another thing parents should remember is that to be a friend, not a manager, with their children is a better way to know them..
小題1:
"The door to his room is always shut" suggests that the son ____.

A．is always busy with his studies	B．doesn't want to be disturbed
C．keeps himself away from his parents	D．begins to dislike his parents

小題2:
What troubles Tina and Mark most is that            .

A．their daughter isn't as lovely as before

B．they can't read their daughter's mind exactly

C．they don't know what to say to their daughter

D．their daughter talks with them only when she needs help

小題3:
Which of the following best explains "the wall of silence" in the last paragraph?

A．Teenagers talk a lot with their friends.

B．Teenagers do not want to understand their parents.

C．Teenagers do not talk much with their parents.

D．Teenagers talk little about their own lives.

小題4:
What can be learned from the passage?

A．Parents are unhappy with their growing children.

B．Parents have suitable ways to talk with their teenagers.

C．Parents should be patient with their silent teenagers.

D．Parents should try to understand their teenagers.

T-shirts out; uniforms in
School uniforms（制服） are becoming more and more popular across the U.S.A. That’s no surprise, because they offer many benefits. They immediately end the powerful social sorting and labeling (標(biāo)記) that come from clothing. If all students are dressed in the same way, they will not pay too much attention to their clothing, and some of them will not be laughed at for wearing the “wrong” clothes.
Some people are against the strict rule of school uniforms, but they do not realize that students already accept a kind of rule — wanting to look just like their friends. The difference is that the clothing students choose for themselves creates social barriers(障礙); school uniforms tear those barriers down.
As in other places, uniforms remind the wearers of their purposes and duties. For example, when a man or woman puts on a police uniform, he or she becomes, for a time, the symbol (象征) of law and order. The uniform means to the wearer his or her special duties and sends the same message to everyone the wearer meets. People with different jobs wear uniforms of one kind or another. For students, the school uniform reminds them that their task for the six or seven hours they are in school is to get an education.
Some parents are unhappy about uniforms, saying that school uniforms will affect their children’s “creativity.” First, as noted above, the clothes students choose to wear do not necessarily express their individuality (個(gè)性). They just copy their classmates. Second, students have the rest of the day to be as creative as they like. While they’re in school, their job is to master reading, writing, and maths; this should take up all the creativity they have. Mastery of those skills will be good for the students to build up their creativity in every way.
小題1:In Paragraph 1, the word “benefits” probably means       .

A．tasks

B．messages

C．differences

D．a(chǎn)dvantages

小題2: From the passage we learn that uniforms in general       .

A．prevent the wearers from being laughed at

B．help the wearers keep their duties in mind

C．a(chǎn)re seen as a symbol of power

D．help to create social barriers

小題3: Some people are against school uniforms because       .

A．they fail to realize that students have accepted the uniforms

B．they believe that uniforms will make students less creative

C．they don’t agree that uniforms can remove social barriers

D．they think that school uniforms are too popular

小題4:The author would probably agree that       .

A．it makes no difference whether to wear school uniforms or not

B．students’ individuality may not come from school education

C．students’ creativity is related to the clothes they choose

D．school uniforms help to create equality among students

小題5: School uniforms are becoming more and more popular and important because _____

A．they can stop the powerful social sorting and labeling.

B．if all students are dressed in the same way, they will not pay too much attention to their clothing.

C．uniforms can remind the wearers of their purposes and duties

D．school uniforms will affect their children’s creativity.

It is true that shyness can be a disadvantage socially for those who suffer from it seriously. I mean real shyness, not somebody who is simply quiet. Quiet people could be shy, but on the other hand, they may just be observing because they are unsure of you or others in your company. They may be capable of being extrovert (性格外向的) and sociable, but on some particular occasions, they are quiet.
I have learnt from my experience that those who observe and listen more and talk less can gain a position of strength. This means that even a very shy person, the type who is reluctant to talk in company (在交際場(chǎng)合) , especially new company, can become a strong person in just about anything they choose. Remember, knowledge is power, and a shy introvert (性格內(nèi)向的人) is in a better position to gain knowledge than an extrovert. Introverted people can give great attention to learning, and as good listeners they can take in an enormous amount from others. Over time, people can come to respect them far more than the extrovert who speaks a lot. Usually about themselves.
What does it take , then for a very shy person to be that successful person they have always wanted to be ? They may only need one more thing to push themselves on their way. They need to dare themselves to take the leap; and when they do , they will probably find all the knowledge they have gained over the years will help them on their way to the top in their chosen field.
小題1:
What does the first paragraph mainly want to tell us?

A．A person who is quiet may not be shy.

B．A shy person may not be a calm one.

C．Quiet people are usually doubtful.

D．Shyness is sometimes a bad feature.

小題2:
The underlined word “reluctant” in paragraph 2 probably means ______.

A．lazy

B．careful

C．eager

D．unwilling

小題3:
According to the author, introverted people can be successful because they usually ___________.

A．have a strong will	B．talk less and show off less
C．learn more than extroverts	D．have a good attitude to learning

小題4:
It can be learned from the last paragraph that “one more thing” probably refers to __________.

A．energy

B．courage

C．quietness

D．knowledge

Hurry! Time to “steal vegetables”
Don't be afraid! We are not encouraging the stealing behavior, but to tell you maybe the most popular topic from white-collars' mouth in cities. Together with "How many vegetables do you steal today," "it's harvest time for your ripe peach," "I bought you a new car today."
Are there so many people in the city really have their own farms, or are they really so rich to buy someone else cars casually?
The answer is obviously negative. They just play some games on Social Network Sites (SNS) like kaixin001.com.
Can you imagine that more than millions of people in Chinese mainland will spend lots of time on SNS to play game and talk to friends, especially white-collars who work in the cities? Take kaixin001.com as an example, the current member of it has already hit 38 million.
However, the great number of people who would like to use such SNS indicates another social problem. That is lots of people choose to escape from the reality. And SNS just offer them a Virtual space to forget the reality.
Kinds of games and various of friends do give netizens lots of fun. Though indulging, dreaming, chatting and playing , it seems like people could really escape from all the upsets in reality. But virtual world is not real and no one can live in it forever, and reality is not that simple like noodling around on the internet.
Since this kind of social phenomenon is so popular on the internet, people start thinking to remove it in the reality.After playing the "happy farm" game on kaixin001.com, would you like to put yourself among the real corps while smelling the fragrance of the countryside? Recently, a farm land service called "happy farm in reality" was opened in the suburbs of Shanghai where white-collar workers from around that region can experience the real farmer's life by themselves
小題1:What is the topic of the passage?

A．It’s time to” steal vegetables.”

B．a(chǎn) computer game called “Happy Farm”

C．open a farm in reality

D．something behind the game “Happy Farm”

小題2:Why are so many people interested in “Happy Farm”?

A．Because they like playing computer games.

B．Because it offers them a virtual space to escape from reality.

C．because they can talk and play with their friends at the same time.

D．because they can harvest peaches.

小題3:Which group are the majority playing the “Happy Farm” game?

A．Farmers

B．White-collars

C．workers

D．students

小題4:What’s the author’s attitude towards the “ Happy Farm” game?

A．positive

B．worried

C．neutral

D．we don’t know

In a land far away, once upon a time there was great poverty （貧困）,and only the rich could manage without great _1_. Three of those rich men and their servants were_2_together on a road when they came to a very_3_village.
The first could not stand seeing the poverty, _4  he took all the gold and jewels from his wagons (四輪載重馬車(chē)) and shared _5 out among the villagers. He wished them all the best of luck, and he left.
The second rich man ,seeing the _6  situation, stopped for a short time and gave _7  all his food and drink, since he _8  see that money would be of little _9  to them. He made sure that they each _10  their fair share and would have enough food to _11  for some time . Then, he left.
The third rich man, on seeing such poverty, _12  and went straight through the _13  without stopping. The two other rich men saw this from a distance and commented with each other_14  the third rich man lacked sympathy. It was _15  that they themselves had been there to offer help.
However, three days later, they  16 the  third rich man ,who was coming in the opposite direction . He was  17  travelling quickly, but his wagons,  18  the gold and valuables they had been  19  ,were now full of farming tools and bags of  20  .He was rushing back to help them out of poverty.

小題1:	A．loss B．expectations C．success D．problems

小題2:	A．standing B．travelling C．gathering D．running

小題3:	A．faraway B．poor C．different D．a(chǎn)ncient

小題4:	A．unless B．because C．so D．if

小題5:	A．them B．a(chǎn)nything C．nothing D．those

小題6:	A．curious B．worrying C．dangerous D．puzzling

小題7:	A．the villagers B．his servants C．the others D．the rest

小題8:	A．could B．might C．should D．must

小題9:	A．interest B．concern C．use D．a(chǎn)ttraction

小題10:

A．returned B．gained C．offered D．received

小題11:

A．remain B．last C．supply D．share

小題12:

A．turned back B．set out C．showed off D．speeded

小題13:

A．village B．land C．field D．road

小題14:

A．whether B．how C．where D．when

小題15:

A．good B．certain C．true D．strange

小題16:

A．welcomed B．met C．taccepted D．persuaded

小題17:

A．still B．a(chǎn)lready C．a(chǎn)lways D．indeed

小題18:

A．except B．instead of C．a(chǎn)part from D．a(chǎn)long with

小題19:

A．loading B．treasuring C．carrying D．earning

小題20:

A．food B．jewels C．money D．seeds