When I started riding a bike a couple of years ago, I didn't think my involvement would ever be more serious than the occasional short ride. But as I built strength, my friends   1   me to step up my training and try some longer trips. The first one to come along was a 150-mile trip, the MS-150, an annual    2   that raises money to fight Aids.

     When I registered, the idea seemed fantastic---support a worthy cause while going for the distance---and I trained with 3   . However, as the time for the ride approached, my self-doubts   4   beyond my endurance（忍耐）. I   5  wanted to raise money for the charity, but I didn't really want to bike all those miles for two days straight.

     The ride began on a beautiful Sunday morning in the Georgia countryside, and for the first few hours I felt   6    .This was just the experience I had   7   , and my spirits were high.     8   by the end of the day, I felt tired out.

     If the body is  9   to the mind, here was evidence. Every   10    my brain pushed out seemed to travel right down to my legs. "I can't handle this" became a leg cramp （抽筋） , and "everyone else is a better rider" translated into    11   of breath. I was sure I'd have to   12   .

     As I topped the crest （頂）of a hill, the beautiful sunset kept me going for a few minutes more. Then in the distance, I saw a lone woman riding very slowly    13    the bright red sun. I    14   that the person looked different in some way, but I couldn't tell why. So I pushed myself to   15   . There she was, riding along slowly but   16   , with a slight and determined smile on her face and she had only one leg.

     My focus changed in that instant. For a whole day I'd been   17    my body. But now I knew it wasn't the body, but the    18   that would help me reach my goal.

     It rained all the second day. I never saw the one-legged biker again, but I pushed on without   19   , knowing she was out there with me somewhere. And at the end of the day, still feeling  20    , I completed the 150-mile trip.

1. A. encouraged             B. forbade                 C. forced             D. warned

2. A. accident                B. event                  C. incident            D. affair

3. A. care                  B. ease                    C. enthusiasm          D. difficulty

4. A. achieved                 B. gained               C. progressed        D. advanced

5. A. still                     B. even                C. rather              D. then

6. A. nervous                 B. disappointed         C. wonderful           D. refreshed

7. A. assumed                 B. appreciated          C. admired             D. imagined

8. A. But                     B. Therefore         C.  Meanwhile         D. Moreover

9. A. opposite                 B. connected           C. exposed                     D. equal

10. A.  cause                 B. reason             C. excuse                      D. effect

11. A.  holding               B. saving            C. catching               D. shortness

12. A.  quit                B. continue            C. insist                   D. fade

13. A.  on                   B. against                   C. down                  D. over

14. A.  observed             B. watched                  C. noticed                D. overlooked

15. A.  put up                B. look up             C.  catch up             D. take up

16. A.  steadily              B. abruptly            C. closely                D. narrowly

17. A.  trusting               B. doubting            C. cheating               D. fighting

18. A.  strength            B. honesty              C. will                   D. power

19. A.  struggling           B. arguing               C. negotiating             D. complaining

20. A.  strong             B. weak                C. healthy             D. spiritless

A new study found that inner-city kids living in neighborhoods with more green space gained about 13% less weight over a two-year period than kids living among more concrete and fewer trees. Such findings tell a powerful story. The obesity epidemic（肥胖癥的流行）began in the 1980s, and many people think it results from increased portion（食物） sizes and inactivity , but that can't be everything. Big Macs and TVs have been with us for a long time. "Most experts agree that the changes were related to something in the environment," says Thomas Glass of the Hopkins School of Public Health. That something could be a shrinking of the green.

The new research, published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, isn't the first to associate greenery with better health, but it does get us closer to identifying what works and why. At its most straightforward, a green neighborhood simply means more places for kids to play — which is important since time spent outdoors is one of the strongest links to children's activity levels.   

Glass warns that most studies don't necessarily prove a link between greenness and health, but they're helping spur action. In September the U.S. government approved the No Child Left Inside Act to encourage public initiatives（積極性）aimed at exposing kids to the outdoors.

Finding green space is, of course, not always easy, and you may have to work a bit to get your family a little grass and trees. If you live in a suburb or a city with good parks, take advantage of what's there. Your children in particular will love it — and their bodies will thank you.

1. According to the passage, what might cause children’s inactivity?

  A.       Less concrete and more trees                            B. Increased portion sizes

  C.       A green neighborhood                             D. A shrinking of the green

2. According to the passage, which of the following statements is wrong?

  A. Big Macs and TVs have something to do with obesity.

  B. If a 100-pound man lives in green space for 2 years, he will lose 13 pounds.

  C. Kids should be exposed more to outdoors.

  D. Kids gain less weight living in a suburb or a city with good parks.

3. What does the underlined word “spur” in the fourth paragraph mean?

  A. improve                       B. take                       C. encourage                    D. stop

4. What might be the best title of the passage?

  A. The obesity epidemic                              B. Slimmer in the grass

C. Causes of obesity                                  D. Prevention of obesity

Tight-lipped elders used to say, “It’s not what you want in this world, but what you get．”

Psychology teaches that you do get what you want if you know what you want and want the right things．

You can make a mental blueprint of a desire as you would make a blueprint of a house, and each of us is continually making these blueprints in the general routine of everyday living. If we intend to have friends to dinner, we plan the menu, make a shopping list, decide which food to cook first, and such planning is an essential for any type of meal to be served．

Similarly, if you want to find a job, take a sheet of paper, and write a brief account of yourself．In making a blueprint for a job, begin with yourself, for when you know exactly what you have to offer, you can intelligently plan where to sell your services．

This account of yourself is actually a sketch （概括）of your working life and should include education, experience and references．Such an account is valuable．It can be referred to in filling out standard application blanks and is extremely helpful in personal interviews．While talking to you, your could-be employer is deciding whether your education, your experience, and other qualifications, will pay him to employ you and your “wares” and abilities must be displayed in an orderly and reasonably connected manner．

When you have carefully prepared a blueprint of your abilities and desires, you have something tangible（實(shí)在的） to sell．Then you are ready to hunt for a job．Get all the possible information about your could-be job．Make inquiries as to the details regarding the job and the firm．Keep your eyes and ears open, and use your own judgment．Spend a certain amount of time each day seeking the employment you wish for, and keep in mind: Securing a job is your job now．

1．What do the elders mean when they say, “It’s not what you want in this world, but what you get”?

A．You’ll probably get what you want．               

B．You are supposed to be practical．

C．You should be dissatisfied with what you have． 

D．It’s essential to set a goal for yourself．

2．A blueprint made before inviting a friend to dinner is used in this passage as ________．

A．a(chǎn)n example of how to write an application for a job     

B．a(chǎn)n indication of how to secure a good job

C．a(chǎn) guideline for job seekers to succeed                        

D．a(chǎn) principle for job evaluation and description 

3．According to the passage, one must write an account of himself before starting to find a job because ______．

A．that is the first step to please the employer           

B．that is the requirement of the employer

C．it enables him to know when to sell his services   

D．it enables him to become clearly aware of himself

For many children the search for E.T. or life from another planet may seem to be already over. What is it about this big-eyed creature from outer space that has made America’s children and many adults so excited? Psychologists say that the film E.T., like ancient fairy tales, contains powerful stories that help children through the difficult process of growing up. The message that fairy tales bring to the child is that a struggle against severe difficulties in life cannot be avoided, but that if one does not run away but meets unexpected and often unjust hardships, one overcomes all obstacles（困難） and at the end comes out victorious.

Today’s children, growing up alone in homes separated from other children, need fairy tales even more than those did at the time when the tales were first told. In E.T. they find a fairy tale with a special interest because it is set in the space age, which is closer to their situation than a story set in an old castle. E.T. may not be good-looking physically, but he is totally harmless, kind and charming. No child need fear an outer space filled with creatures like E.T. Actually, children often have a strong need for imaginary playmates.

For all children, the film raises the question of the need to grow up and the desire to stay a child. Elliott decides not to go with E.T. aboard the spaceship, where he could continue living in an imaginary world. As one child said, “Elliott stayed on Earth because he has to grow up and you can’t grow up on the faraway planet of Jupiter. You stay small and a kid like E.T.”

The film offers many ideas from the traditional fairy tale. Firstly, good children get the better of bad adults. Secondly, the hero is put in a difficult position in the early stages of the story but there is a happy ending when he is finally rescued. Thirdly, the film offers the idea of rebirth, which is found in many fairy tales. Finally, the story also reminds one of “The Three Feathers” by the well-known writers of fairy tales—the Grimm brothers. In this story, the youngest son wins his father’s kingdom by defeating his brothers with the help of an ugly old toad（癩蛤�。�. But to a final test, to bring back the most beautiful woman, he wins again by choosing the toad who turns into a beauty. Thus, it is love which turns even ugly things into something beautiful. It’s easy to see how that is true of E.T.

1. The story of E.T. tells people______.

 A. how difficult the process of growing up can be

 B. How parents should take good care of their lonely children

 C. victory can be achieved if people face difficulties bravely

 D. that children need playmates and fairy tales badly

2. One of the reasons children like E.T. is that______.

 A. E.T. is a big-eyed good-looking creature      B. the story is set in an old castle

 C. it is an exciting, ancient fairy tale            D. E.T. is likable, harmless and kind-hearted

3. Elliott did not go with E.T. on board the spaceship because_______.

 A. he did not belong there                 

B. he would look like E.T. there

 C. he had to stay on earth and “grow up”     

D. E.T.’s home was an imaginary place that did not exist

4. The theme of “The Three Feathers” is _______.

 A. love can turn ugly things into something beautiful    

B. good children get the better of bad adults

C. brave people can overcome all difficulties           

D. good people will finally enjoy a rebirth

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  The introduction of computerized information systems has greatly affected management control in many companies. Even a neighborhood shopkeeper may now use computers to control sales, billing, and other activities. In large companies, electronic data processing systems monitor entire projects and sets of operations.

Before the widespread use of computers, managers could not make full use of a large amount of valuable information about a company's activities. The information either reached managers too late or was too late to be used. Today, managers are facing plenty of data processing and information instruments. In place of a few financial controls, managers can depend on computer-based information systems to control activities in every area of their company. On any kinds of performance measures, the information provided by these systems helps managers compare standards with actual results, find out problems, and take corrective action before it is too late to make changes.

　　Now, there are about 220 million microcomputers in use in the United States---9 for every 10 citizens. It is estimated that by 2016, 90 percent of American managers will be using some sort of electronic work station. In order for managers to be sure that the computer-based information they are receiving is accurate, they need to understand how computers work. Although in most cases they do not need to learn how to program computers, managers should understand clearly how computerized information systems work; how they are developed; their limitations and costs; and the manner in which information systems may be used. Such an understanding is not difficult to achieve.

One research has found that business firms are more successful in teaching basic information about computers to business graduates than they are in teaching business subjects to computer science graduates.   

Title : Widespread use of computerized information systems

—Could I go and smoke a cigarette?

—Oh dear, if you ______．

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

—How do you like the film?

—_____ interesting than expected．

A．A great deal of more                                B．A great deal much

C．A great deal of much                     D．A great deal more

You may send a short message or just give me a call．     will do．

A．Either        B．Each          C．Neither           D．All

Peter' s mobile phone was left in a taxi accidentally, never         again

A．to find          B．to be found           C．finding          D．being found

The news that she failed her P．E test discouraged her,        ?

A．did she         B．didn't she           C．did it          D．didn’t it