----- Would you rather ______ there tomorrow?

----- No, I’d rather he ______ there instead of me.

A. to go; will go B. go; went

C. go; will go D. going; shall go

On the contrary, I think it is Truman, ______ you, ______ to blame.

A. more than; are B. less than; who are

C. rather than; that is D. rather than; is

-----Is there any possibility ______ you could pick me up at the airport?

----- No problem.

A. when B. that C. whether D. what

If you _____ smoke, please go outside.

A. can B. should C. must D. may

Life is like a long race _____ we compete with others to go beyond ourselves.

A. why B. what C. that D. where

—Her father is very rich.

—_______ She wouldn’t accept his help even if it were offered.

A. What for? B. So what?

C. No doubt. D. No wonder.

Some people are afraid of starting a casual conversation with a stranger because of a fear of not having anything interesting to say. Fear of rejection (拒絕) is also a for keeping silent. Small talk in a conversation can as a way of warming up and getting to each other. Most people, no matter successful they are at work, will find the process of small talk uncomfortable, even pointless. , you will have a pretty small world you refuse to let others in. Starting off with a casual comment or question will make others , and even just greeting them with a simple “hello” will often be enough.

Once you have made the first , there is no turning back. You need to keep things before you can gracefully say goodbye. Think about what you would like to with a new friend and that is what you can ask the other person about. Work, family, hobbies or interests are some points of discussion. To keep the ball rolling, you can show that you are really in what they are saying. Once you find common of interest, things will definitely off from there.

Small talk can out to be a pleasant experience. The conversation be brief and casual without turning into a long and boring discussion. Do not let yourself the conversation. Stop worrying about how big of a fool you may appear to be. You may find out later on that you have the “ ” of getting people to open up to you by engaging them in small talk.

1.A. right B. Reason C. result D. sign

2.A. take B. Use C. mean D. serve

3.A. know B. Learn C. recognize D. help

4.A. what B. Whether C. why D. how

5.A. giving B. Leaving C. making D. forcing

6.A. So B. Instead C. However D. Besides

7.A. unless B. until C. if D. Though

8.A. comfortable B. upset C. nervous D. satisfied

9.A. try B. plan C. wish D. move

10.A. changing B. rising C. improving D. going

11.A. know B. share C. do D. show

12.A. private B. present C. important D. general

13.A. careful B. Surprised C. interested D. encouraged

14.A. ideas B. experiences C. points D. senses

15.A. take B. put C. get D. set

16.A. come B. Turn C. find D. figure

17.A. should B. can C. will D. may

18.A. start B. complete C. consider D. control

19.A. still B. Even C. ever D. almost

20.A. right B. Advantage C. talent D. Habit

I really love my job because I enjoy working with small children and like the challenges and awards from the job. I also think my work is important. There was a time when I thought I would never have that sort of career.

I wasn’t an excellent student because I didn’t do much schoolwork. In my final term I started thinking what I might do and found I didn’t have much to offer. I just accepted that I wasn’t the type to have a career.

I then found myself a job, looking after two little girls. It wasn’t too bad at first. But the problems began when I agreed to live in, so that I would be there if my boss had to go out for business in the evening. We agreed that if I had to work extra hours one week, she’d give me time off the next. But unfortunately, it didn’t often work out. I was getting extremely tired and fed up, because I had too many late nights and early mornings with the children.

One Sunday, I was in the park with the children, and met Megan who used to go to school with me. I told her about my situation. She suggested that I should do a course and get a qualification if I wanted to work with children. I didn’t think I would be accepted because I didn’t take many exams in school. She persuaded me to phone the local college and they were really helpful. My experience counted for a lot and I got on a part –time course. I had to leave my job with the family, and got work helping out at a kindergarten.

Now I’ve got a full-time job there. I shall always be thankful to Megan. I wish I had known earlier that you could have a career, even if you aren’t top of the class at school.

1.When staying with the two girls’ family, the author ______________ .

A. was paid for extra work

B. often worked long hours

C. got much help form her boss

D. took a day off every other week

2.What has the author learned from her own experiences?

A. Less successful students can still have a career.

B. Qualifications are necessary for a career.

C. Hard work makes an excellent student.

D. One must choose the job she likes.

Whatsonstage.com is the UK’s biggest and best online guide to the performing arts including theatre, opera, classical music, dance and so on.

◆The Lion King

Musical: The stage adaptation of the Disney film taken from an original African story. A young lion grows up and learns that taking over the pride requires wisdom and maturity(成熟).

Place: Lyceum Theatre, Wellington Street, London

Telephone: 0870 243 9000

Date: Friday, 18 Nov. 2013

Ticket price:￡37.5

◆Oliver

Musical: Dickens’ story of a boy in a London workhouse and his adventures on the way to discovering his family. The songs include Food glorious food, You’ve got to pick a pocket or two，Who will buy this wonderful morning，I am reviewing the situation and Consider yourself at home.

Place: Theatre Royal, Catherine Street, London

Telephone: 020 7494 5061

Date: Thursday, 17 Nov. 2013

Ticket price: ￡25 but now save 20%

◆Jersey Boys

Musical: It tells the story of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons: the blue-collar kids from New Jersey formed a singing group and became famous. The musical features many of the group’s popular songs such as Big girls don’t cry, Oh, What a night and Can’t take my eyes off you.

Place: Prince Edward Theatre, Old Compton Street, London

Telephone: 0870 850 9191

Date: Saturday, 9 Nov. 2013

Ticket price:￡22.5

◆All’s Well That Ends Well

Play: A romantic story. Helena, daughter of a poor physician, loves Bertram, son of a Countess(女伯爵).

Place: Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, Park Street, London

Telephone: 020 7401 9919

Date: Sunday, 20 Nov. 2013

Ticket price: ￡40.5

1.If Mary is available on Friday, which of the following should she call to buy a ticket?

A. 0870 850 9191 B. 020 7494 5061

C. 0870 243 9000 D. 020 7401 9919

2.If you want to buy a ticket at a discount, you should go to __________.

A. Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre B. Theatre Royal

C. Prince Edward Theatre D. Lyceum Theatre

Harvard University in the United States has been ranked as the university with the best "reputation" in the world.

The Times Higher Education magazine has listed 200 top universities all over the world based on how they are regarded by a group of international college teachers. That is to say the list measures how universities are regarded, rather than how they actually performed.

A subjective, word-of-mouth（口碑的）quality such as "reputation" has genuine economic value for universities, said Simon Marginson, professor of higher education at the University of Melbourne in Australia.

"Reputation is not just an impression, though it might be not as reliable as performance by objective indicators（客觀指標）," said Prof Marginson.

Based on the views of 13,000 college teachers around the world, it confirms the power of the big US universities, which dominate this list. Seven of the top 10 are US universities, headed by Harvard and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Furthermore, 14 of the top 20 are from the US. Cambridge is the highest ranking UK university in the list, in third place, with Oxford ranked as sixth.

For students applying to university, reputation might be hard to quantify, but was an important part of the attractiveness, said the president of Cambridge University's students' union, Rahul Mansigani.

"Reputation makes a huge difference. If there is an idea that somewhere is great, it will get lots of good people applying whether it's true or not. Factors such as a sense of history and the presence of outstanding college teachers were part of the reputation of Cambridge," he said.

1.The underlined word “dominate” in Paragraph 5 probably means __________.

A. affect B. decide C. control D. improve

2.What can be inferred from the text?

A. No Asian universities are among the Top 10.

B. At least five UK universities are among Top 20.

C. The Times Higher Education magazine is from the US.

D. Reputation affects students’ decisions when choosing universities.

3.Which of the following would be the best title of the passage?

A. Turning ideas into reputation

B. World’s best universities ranked in order of reputation

C. The top 200 universities in the USA

D. Reputable Universities attractive to more students