As you are probably aware, the latest job markets news isn’t good: Unemployment is still more than 9 percent, and new job growth has fallen close to zero. That’s bad for the economy, of course. And it may be especially discouraging if you happen to be looking for a job or hoping to change careers right now. But it actually shouldn’t matter to you nearly as much as you think.
That’s because job growth numbers don’t matter to job hunters as much as job turnover(人員更替) data. After all, existing jobs open up every day due to promotions, resignations, terminations(解雇), and retirements. (Yes, people are retiring even in this economy.) In both good times and bad, turnover creates more openings than economic growth does. Even in June of 2007, when the economy was still moving ahead, job growth was only 132,000, while turnover was 4.7 million!
And as it turns out, even today — with job growth near zero — over 4 million job hunters are being hired every month.
I don’t mean to imply that overall job growth doesn’t have an impact on one’s ability to land a job. It’s true that if total employment were higher, it would mean more jobs for all of us to choose from (and compete for). And it’s true that there are currently more people applying for each available job opening, regardless of whether it’s a new one or not.
But what often distinguishes those who land jobs from those who don’t is their ability to stay motivated. They’re willing to do the hard work of identifying their valuable skills; be creative about where and how to look; learn how to present themselves to potential employers; and keep going, even after repeated rejections. The Bureau of Labor Statistics data shows that 2.7 million people who wanted and were available for work hadn’t looked within the last four weeks and were no longer even classified as unemployed.
So don’t let the headlines fool you into giving up. Four million people get hired every month in the U.S. You can be one of them.
小題1:The author tends to believe that high unemployment rate ______.

A．discourages many people from landing jobs

B．prevents many people from changing careers

C．should not stop people from looking for a job

D．does not mean the U.S. economy is worsening

小題2:Where do most job openings come from?

A．Job growth.	B．Job turnover.
C．Improved economy.	D．Business expansion.

小題3:What does the author say about overall job growth?

A．It doesn’t have much effect on individual job seekers.

B．It increases people’s confidence in the economy.

C．It gives a ray of hope to the unemployed.

D．It doesn’t mean greater job security for the employed.

小題4:What is the key to landing a job according to the author?

A．Education.

B．Intelligence.

C．Persistence.

D．Experience.

小題5:What do we learn from the passage about the unemployment figures in the US?

A．They clearly indicate how healthy the economy is.

B．They provide the public with the latest information.

C．They warn of the structural problems in the economy.

D．They don’t include those who have stopped looking for a job.

President Coolidge’s statement, “The business of America is business,” still points to a very important truth today — that business organizations have more prestige (威望) in American society than any other kind of organization, including the government. Why do business institutions still possess this great prestige?
One reason is that Americans view business as being more firmly based on the idea of competition than other organizations in society. Since competition is seen as the main source of progress and development by most Americans, competitive business organizations are respected. Competition is not only good in itself; it is the means by which other basic American values, such as individual freedom, equality of opportunity, and hard work are protected.
Competition protects the individual freedom by making sure that there is no monopoly (壟斷) of power. Compared with one and all-powerful government, many businesses compete against each other for benefit. If one business tries to take unfair advantage of its customers, it will lose to the competing business which treats its customers more fairly. Since there are many businesses competing for the customers’ dollars, they cannot afford to treat them unfairly and the customers would lose nothing.A contrast is often made between business, which is competitive, and government, which is a monopoly. Because business is competitive, many Americans believe that it gives more support for freedom than government, even though government leaders are elected by the people while business leaders are not. Many Americans believe that competition is as important, or even more important, as democracy in protecting freedom.
Competition in business is also believed to strengthen the idea of equal opportunities. Competition is seen as an open and fair race where success goes to any person regardless of his or her social class background. Competitive success is commonly seen as the American choice of the higher social position which is not based on one’s family background. Business is therefore viewed as an expression of the idea of equal opportunities.
小題1:Which of the following is discussed as the main topic in the passage?

A．Competition in America’s business.	B．Freedom in America’s business.
C．Americans’ different values.	D．Business against government.

小題2:Americans believe that they can realize their personal values ______.

A．when given equal opportunities

B．through doing business

C．by protecting their individual freedom

D．by means of competition

小題3:Who can benefit from business competition?

A．Businessmen who compete.

B．Customers of those businesses.

C．People with the idea of equality and freedom.

D．Both business organizations and government.

小題4:It could be inferred from the passage that the author believes ______.

A．business in other countries are not as competitive as those in the USA

B．business problems are very important to the American government

C．the competition in business plays a very important role in America

D．American business is the most powerful one in the whole world

Section One
The city is an accumulation of human civilization. Just as the American social philosopher Lewis Mumford put it, it is a special system which, fine and compact, has been designed to preserve the fruits of human civilization. Many Western languages have developed their versions of the term “civilization” from the same Latin word “civitas”(meaning “city” ), and it is by no means a coincidence. The city has played a significant role in the perfection of order in human society.
Section Two
The emblem(會徽), showing the image of three people ― you, me, him/her holding hands together, symbolizes the big family of mankind. Inspired by the shape of the Chinese character “世” (meaning the world), the design conveys the organizers' wish to host an Expo which is of global scale and which shows the various urban cultures of the world.
Section Three
Created from the inspiration of Chinese character “人”, the design roots deeply in Chinese culture. It tells the world the eternal core (永恒的核心) and theme of Shanghai World Expo will be always human. The mascot “Haibao” will become the messenger for the theme of World Expo 2010 Shanghai China “Better City, Better Life”.
The basic structure of the Chinese character “人” in which each stroke supports each other also shows the concept that the beautiful life should depends on mutual-help（互相幫助）. If the human are willing to support one another, the harmony among human, nature, and society will be available. Such an urban life will be nice.
Haibao’s confident smile is expressing his sincere greeting from China ― “World Expo 2010 Shanghai China welcomes you!”
小題1:The underlined word “it” in Section One refers to ______.

A．the civilization

B．the philosopher

C．the word

D．the city

小題2:Which correctly matches the sections with the pictures they describe?

Pictures
A.	Section One	Section Two	Section Three
B.	Section Two	Section Three	Section One
C.	Section Three	Section Two	Section One
D.	Section Three	Section One	Section Two

小題3:In Section Three, the second paragraph explains how the creation is connected with the _____ of the Chinese word “人”.

A．story

B．meaning

C．shape

D．usage

小題4:The underlined word “stroke” in the second paragraph of Section Three means ______.

A．one of the ideas a word has

B．a(chǎn) line made by a writing tool

C．a(chǎn) member of a family or the society

D．a(chǎn) person who has met with trouble

3D cinema has been around since the early 20th century, but Hollywood brought the technology back In 2007. Many thought it was just a trick to make more money. But then came Avatar, the first must-see movie in 3D.
But since Avatar, 3D cinema has struggled. In 2010, several 3D movies bombed at the box office. And by late 2010, Some people said the technology was dead. Of course, this isn’t the first time Hollywood has struggled with new technology. Although sound was added to movies in the late 1920s, it took audiences time to get used to the new technology. But in the end, sound and color became the standard. James Cameron, director of Avatar, thinks we’re going through the same process with 3D.
Some say cinemas are charging too much for 3D movies. In the US, seeing a 3D movie can cost up to $7.5 more than seeing it in 2D. Also, a recent study at California State University found audiences don’t actually enjoy movies in 3D any more than in 2D. Walter Murch , a famous movie editor, wrote in 2011 that human beings have no ability to process 3D images. Watching a 3D movie confuses our brain and this is why some people get headaches.
But James Cameron disagrees. In fact, he recently predicted that in five years all movies will be in 3D. And there are signs that 3D is fighting back. More 3D movies were put on the market in 2012 than ever before. The Lion King 3D recently made over US $150 million at the box office, and Cameron’s Titanic 3D made even more.
Who knows what the future holds for 3D? Steven Spielberg recently said, ‘Tm hoping 3D gets to a point where people dorft notice it. Because then it just becomes another tool and helps tell a story.”
小題1:The underlined sentence in Paragraph 2 probably means that in 2010, 3D movies______

A．were not successful	B．became popular
C．developed quickly	D．were of poor quality

小題2:The example of sound and color is used mainly to show that______.

A．Hollywood tends to absorb what is new

B．3D technology takes time to be accepted

C．Hollywood struggles with new technology

D．high technology helps to make better movies

小題3:In Walter Murch7S opinion, 3D movies______.

A．bring moviemakers great profits

B．a(chǎn)re more expensive than 2D movies

C．do great harm to people’s health

D．a(chǎn)re unsuitable for people to watch

小題4:What can we learn from the text?

A．Avatar was the first 3D movie.

B．3D cinema has existed for years.

C．Titanic 3D has made the most money.

D．2012 witnessed the coming of 3D’s time.

Who Owns the Moon?
Within the next ten years, the U. S., China, Israel, and a crowd of private companies plan to set up camp on the moon. So if and when they plant a flag, does that give them property rights?
A NASA working group hosted a discussion this week to ask: Who owns the moon? The answer, of course, is no use. The Outer Space Treaty, the international signed by more than 100 countries, states that the moon and other celestial bodies (天體) are the province of all mankind. No doubt that would annoy all of the people throughout the ages, like monks from the Middle Ages, who have tried to claim the moon was theirs.
But ownership is different from property rights. People who rent apartments, for example, don’t own where they live, but they still hold rights. So with all of the upcoming missions (派遣團(tuán)) to visit the moon and beyond, space industry thought leaders are seriously asking themselves how to deal with a potential land rush.
“ This is a very relevant discussion right now. We’ve got this wave of new lunar missions from around the world,” said William Marshall, a scientist in the small-spacecraft office at NASA, but who spoke this week at an event hosted by NASA’s Co Lab, a collaborative(協(xié)力完成的) public-private working group. He was speaking from his personal interest and not on behalf of the agency.
To be sure, the United States aims to send astronauts back to the moon by as early as 2015, in a mission that would include a long-term settlement. China and Israel, among others, are also working on lunar projects. And for the first time, several private groups are building spacecraft to land on the moon in an attempt to win millions of dollars in the Google Lunar X Prize. Some participants say that they plan to gain some property rights in the mission.
小題1:In the passage the writer seems to be worrying that ________.

A．the US will live on the moon forever

B．the moon will not be able to hold all mankind

C．the potential land rush will become more and more frequent

D．no one can answer the question “ Who owns the moon?”

小題2:“ The Google Lunar X Prize” aims to ________.

A．encourage private groups to land on the moon

B．help NASA host a discussion about land rush on the moon

C．help some developing countries to complete their lunar projects

D．reward some countries or private groups which haven’t stepped on the moon

小題3:The underlined word “ that” in the first paragraph refers to ________.

A．the Outer Space Treaty

B．if and when they plant a flag

C．the NASA working group

D．monks from the Middle Ages

小題4:What is the main idea of the last paragraph?

A．The U. S. astronauts will live on the moon for longer time.

B．Many countries and private groups plan to go to the moon.

C．Why some private groups wish to land on the moon.

D．It is easy to gain some property rights on the moon.

小題5:We can infer from the passage that ________.

A．it’s a waste of time to work on the lunar project

B．“ The Outer Space Treaty” forbids private groups to land on the moon

C．a(chǎn)ll mankind has the right to land on the moon

D．whenever you come to the moon, you’ll get some property rights on it

The Nadam Festival, usually held from June 4 to 9(lunar calendar), is one of the most exciting and colorful festivals in the Inner Mongolian Autonomous Region. At the center of the festivities are the fierce horse racing, archery(射箭) and wrestling competitions, the traditional sports of the Mongolian warriors (the three “manly” sports, though young girls and women participate in the horse racing and archery contests).
In Mongolian, the word “Nadam” means “amusement and entertainment” and the festival began in 1225 AD, when Genghis Khan organized an expedition to the west and got control of Khwarezm. In order to celebrate the victory they held the magnificent Nadam Fari. The Mongolians used this exciting gathering as a big occasion to compete in the horse racing, Mongolian wrestling and archery, which were regarded as the three basic skills of men.
Gradually more and more events were added to the festival, such as marksmanship(射擊), chess, reciting epics, polo(馬球), film, drama, singing, dancing, track and field competitions and so on.
There are three kinds of Nadam, the big one, the medium one and the small one. The big Nadam requires the participation of 512 wrestlers and 300 horses and usually lasts 7-10 days while the medium Nadam will have the participation of 256 wrestlers and 100-150 horses, lasting 5-7 days. And 64 or 128 wrestlers and 30 or 50 horses will take part in the small Nadam, which lasts 3-5 days. Anyone can apply to compete in Nadam, regardless of his or her ethnic origin and religious belief.
Nadam has become a popular artistic and sports event participated in by people of all ages. Boys and girls can also take the opportunity to show their love, i. e. the so-called “meeting at aobao”.
In addition to sports competition, people also make good use of this gathering to hold talks and establish relations in economic trade or to interchange goods.
小題1:We can infer from the passage that ______.

A．girls are not allowed to take part in horse racing

B．foreigners also have a chance to compete in the Nadam Festival

C．the Nadam Festival is only for sports competition

D．Business activities can’t be held in the Nadam Festival

小題2:It can be inferred that “meeting at aobao” expresses ______.

A．love of parents to kids	B．old friends’ friendships
C．deep feelings between brothers	D．love between boys and girls

小題3:What’s the main idea of the passage?

A．The introduction of the Nadam Festival.

B．The origin of the Nadam Festival.

C．The sports events of the Nadam Festival.

D．The modern style of the Nadam Festival.

As you are students of English, it’s very possible that you’ll be interested in England. That’s where the language was first spoken. But England is often called by other names. This often confuses people and I wonder if you know what these names mean. So, now I would like to tell you about this matter of names. I believe that you have heard people use the names—England, Britain or Great Britain. Let’s see what each of these names means.
If you look at a map of Europe, you’ll see a group of islands--one larger island off the northwest coast, one smaller and many tiny ones. These make up what is called the British Isles. The largest island of the British Isles is Britain. It is also called Great Britain. The smaller island is Ireland.
Britain is divided into three parts: Scotland, Wales and England. But sometimes the word “England” is used instead of “Britain”. Why so?
In ancient times, what is Britain now used to be three different countries. People in these different countries spoke different languages. Over many years the three countries became one. England is the largest and richest of the three and it has the most people. So the English people take it for granted that their own name stands for the whole island.
There’s another thing that confuses people: sometimes you may hear people say “the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland”. That is the official name of the country. Northern Ireland is only one sixth of the island of Ireland. The rest of the island is an independent state, called the Republic of Ireland. So we have the names of “England”, “Britain”, “Great Britain”, and “the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland”. Now do you know what each of them means?
小題1:English was first spoken in ____.

A．Britain

B．England

C．Great Britain

D．Ireland

小題2:According to the passage, which of the following statements is true?

A．Wales is the richest of the three.

B．Scotland is the largest of the three.

C．Sometimes England is used instead of Britain.

D．Britain is the only name of the largest island of British Isles.

小題3:The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is _____.

A．part of Britain

B．part of British Isles

C．the official name of the whole country

D．the largest country of all mentioned in the passage

小題4:Which of the following is the best title?

A．Students of English

B．Different Names of England

C．Different Languages Spoken in England

D．The Republic of Ireland

Expressions about water are almost as common as water itself. But many of the expressions using water have unpleasant meanings.
The expression “to be in hot water" is one of them. It is a very old expression. “Hot water” was used 500 years ago to mean being in trouble. One story says it got that meaning from the custom of throwing extremely hot water down on enemies attacking a castle.
That no longer happens. But we still get in “hot water”．When we are in “hot water”, we are in trouble. It can be any kind of trouble—serious or not so serious. A person who breaks a law can be in hot water with the police. A young boy can be in hot water with his mother. if he walks in the house with dirty shoes.
Being in “deep water” is almost the same as being in hot water. When you are in deep water, you are in a difficult position. Imagine a person who cannot swim being thrown in water over his head.
You are in deep water when you are facing a problem that you do not have the ability to solve. The problem is too deep. You can be in deep water, for example, if you invest in stocks without knowing anything about the stock market.
“To keep your head above water” is a colorful expression that means staying out of debt. A company seeks to keep its head above water during economic hard times. A man who loses his job tries to keep his head above water until he finds a new job.
“Water over the dam” is another expression about a past event. It is something that is finished. It cannot be changed. The expression comes from the idea that water that has flowed over a dam cannot be brought back again.
小題1:Which of the following two expressions have almost the same meaning?

A．To be in hot water；To be in deep water.

B．To be in hot water；To keep your head above water.

C．To be in deep water；Water over the dam.

D．Water over the dam；To be in hot water.

小題2:If a person tries to keep his head out of water，we can say that       .

A．he is in danger of losing his life

B．he is trying to pay off his debt

C．he is trying to keep his promise

D．he is trying not to get into debt

小題3:What can you infer from the passage?

A．“To be in hot water” can only be used to mention serious trouble.

B．“Water over the dam” is an expression about a future event.

C．Water could be used in the war in the past.

D．All of the expressions using water have unpleasant meanings.

小題4:This passage is written mainly to tell us        .

A．the use of water

B．how to use some expressions about water

C．expressions about water and their meanings

D．expressions with negative meaning

Americans have contributed to many art forms, but jazz, a type music, is one of the art form that was started in the United States. Black Americans, who sang and played the music of their homeland, created jazz.
Jazz is a mixture of the music of Africa, the work songs the slaves sang, and religious(宗教) music. Improvisation is an important part of jazz. This means that the musicians make the music up as they go along, or create the music on the spot. This is why a jazz song might sound a little different each time it is played.
Jazz bands formed in the late 1800s. They played in bars and clubs in many towns and cities of the South, especially New Orleans. New Orleans is an international seaport, and people from all over the world come to New Orleans to hear jazz.
Jazz became more and more popular. By the 1920s, jazz was popular all over the United States. By the 1940s, you could hear jazz not only in clubs and bars, but in concert halls as well. Today, people from all over the world play jazz. Jazz musicians from the United　States, Asia, Africa, South America, and Europe meet and share their music at festivals on every continent. In this way jazz continues to grow and change.
小題1:What can be the best title of the passage?

A．American art forms.	B．The development of jazz.
C．The music of black Americans.	D．The birthplace of jazz.

小題2:Which of the following is true?

A．Jazz is now popular all over the world.

B．Jazz is now a kind of religious music.

C．Jazz is now played only in bars and clubs.

D．Jazz is now played a little differently sometimes.

小題3:From the text it can be inferred that_________ .

A．New Orleans is the place where jazz was first produced

B．the American people are all jazz lovers

C．jazz is merely sung by the black when working

D．jazz may become more popular as time goes on

小題4:It took about ________ years to make jazz popular in the United States.

A．200

B．120

C．80

D．140

TANG Dynasty writer Du Mu once wrote in a poem titled Qingming: "The ceaseless drizzle drips all the dismal day; So broken-hearted fares the traveler on the way.Where can a wine house be found to drown his sadness ?A cowherd points to Almond Flower (Xing Hua) Village in the distance."
Qingming, the traditional tomb-sweeping day on the Chinese lunar calendar, falls on April 4 this year. Qingming Jie was proclaimed a Chinese national holiday in 2008. It is a time for remembering loved ones who have departed (去世). People visit their ancestors’ graves to sweep away the dirt and get rid of any weeds. They also leave offerings (祭品) of food and flowers, and burn incense (香) and paper money. Chinese tombs are usually built in the woods or on mountains, far from the city. It is believed that an area that faces south, with many pine trees, is a proper place for a tomb. People believe such a place will make the ancestors happy, and in return, they will look after the living family.
Nowadays, more and more residents are choosing environmental-friendly ways to spend the holiday such as flower sacrifices and memorial ceremonies on the Internet or at home. As one of the traditional ways to celebrate Tomb-sweeping Day – burning paper or incense – isn't exactly good for air quality.
In contrast to the sadness of the tomb sweepers, people also enjoy hope of Spring on this day. The Qingming Festival is a time when the sun shines brightly, the trees and grass become green and nature is again lively. Since ancient times, people have followed the custom of Spring outings. At this time tourists are everywhere.
Many people fly kites on Tomb Sweeping Day. They are usually made from a bamboo crossbow with coloured paper. The kite vibrates and buzzes as it rises into the sky, counterbalanced by its tail. Large kites can be as broad as three metres across, with a tail of six to ten metres. Most kites have a rectangular shape, and many have patterns of crabs, centipedes, butterflies, dragonflies, or Chinese characters such as "good fortune" or "long life". (361words)
小題1:What’s the main idea of the second paragraph?

A．The cultural difference between the east and the west.

B．The traditional customs on tomb-sweeping day.

C．Various ways to care for the dead in the world.

D．Qingming Festival

小題2:All of the following practices are mentioned on tomb-sweeping day EXCEPT_____ .

A．Weeping over the passed-away.

B．Flying kites made from bamboo and paper

C．Sending flowers to their ancestors’ graves.

D．Burning incense and paper money for the dead.

小題3:Which of the following is correct according to passage?

A．Du Mu ,the well-known poet in Song Dynasty wrote a poem about Qing Ming.

B．Qingming Festival used to be a Chinese national holiday.

C．People have the custom of flying kites on Qing Ming.

D．Those whose ancestors were buried in proper places will have a bright future.

小題4:The writer write the passage in order to____________ .

A．enable us to observe traditional tomb-sweeping day.

B．show traditional and present ways to spend Qingming Festival .

C．educate people to show their respect to the ancestors

D．raise people’s awareness of environmental protection.