Once upon a time, on an isolated island in the Java sea, lived short people who dominated(支配, 占優(yōu)勢) the food chain. Standing no more than three and a half feet tall, these human ancestors hunted giant rats, lumbering lizards（笨拙的蜥蜴), and miniature elephants.  
It sounds a bit like a fairy tale, but it's true. Unearthed relics on the island uncovered the remains of a race of tiny human ancestors. Homo floresiensis, as the newly discovered species has been named, apparently could date back to 13,000 years ago. This means they have a lot in common with modern humans.
So how and why did these people get so small? Scientists suspect that it's due to the fact that this race lived on an isolated island with limited resources. Take the miniature elephants for example. When elephants first came to the island either by swimming or by some kind of natural land raft, they were probably close to full size. But since there wasn't much to eat, over time smaller elephants lived longer and better. The smaller the elephant was, the less it had to eat to stay strong and healthy.
Scientists call this the "island role", and it can apply to humans as well as animals. Given the island's sparse(稀少) food supply, it makes sense that the early humans living there would have evolved (進化) a body size requiring less food to survive. So bigger isn't always better.
In the floresiensis, at least, getting smaller was the way to go.
【小題1】According to the passage, the fact Homo floresiensis are very small is based on________.

A．the islanders in the Java Sea	B．the human ancestors
C．the unearthed relics	D．a(chǎn) newspaper report

【小題2】 The underlined word "miniature" in the first paragraph most probably means______.

A．tiny

B．a(chǎn)ctive

C．rare

D．wild

【小題3】People on the island got so small because____________.

A．they did not have enough food to eat.

B．they gradually developed for lack of food.

C．they shared less food with elephants.

D．they remained alive as the elephants.

【小題4】 What might be the most suitable title of the passage?

A．The history of short people

B．Short people from a fairy tale

C．The proofs on short people

D．Short people on an isolated island

【小題5】According to the passage, getting smaller can make people and animals ____

A．run quickly

B．live longer

C．live weaker

D．run slowly

Two thirds of the singles looking for love in Britain turned to the Internet last year, according to figures made in public yesterday. Special sites offer introductions to smokers, to Roman Catholics, tall people, beautiful people, frequent flyers and vegans (素食者). Technology has brought about a great change in the dating game.
A survey by Parship, a British branch of Europe’s largest dating service with more than 1.5 million members, says that 65 percent of the 5.4 million Britons looking for a relationship used online dating services last year.
A spokeswoman for Relate, the relationship advisor, confirmed that a figure of two third feel it all right. “Doing it online allows people quite a lot of privacy, because they can do a bit of quiet research and look around from the comfort of their own home. You don’t have to meet a middleman or go to an actual dating agency office, which takes a lot of courage,” she said.
There are more than 100 independent online dating agencies in Britain. Parship says that 50 percent of single people believe they will meet a suitable partner through the Internet, up from 35 percent six months ago.
Mary Balfour, the founder, says that the Internet has changed the dating industry completely. “It’s like a return to old-fashioned love letters,” she said. “You don’t base your initial judgment on how someone looks or what his or her figure is like. You e-mail or talk before you actually see each other. Everybody you know who is single these days has at least had a good look at a dating website, introduction agency or personal ad. They have to, because all the old matchmaking institutions have gone. People work harder, settle down later and live more isolated lives. They’re much more likely to end the day with a DVD and a can of beer than by going to a village dance.”
【小題1】Singles in Britain can look for love online mainly because of ________.

A．Parship	B．the help of go-betweens
C．technology	D．the revolution of dating game

【小題2】About ________ Britons tried to find love online last year according to this passage.

A．1.5 million

B．3.5 million

C．5.4 million

D．65 million

【小題3】For those who want to look for love online, they _________.

A．don’t need to do any research at all

B．have to meet first before they can e-mail each other

C．don’t have to find a go-between.

D．must go to an actual dating agency office first

【小題4】From this passage we can infer that ________.

A．not all single people believe the Internet can help them find their partners

B．looking for love online needs a lot of courage

C．old-fashioned love letters become popular again

D．single people don’t like to look for their partners online.

Good nutrition (營養(yǎng))and a balanced diet will help your children grow up healthily .No matter how old your kids are , you can take steps to improve nutrition and to encourage smart eating habits .Here are some suggestions.
Family Meals
Family meals are comforting for both parents and kids. Children like to guess what they are going to have and parents get the chance to introduce new food to children and to find out which food they like and which ones they don’t.
Teens may turn up their noses at your plan of a family meal. It is not surprising because they’re trying to establish independence. Yet studies find that teens still want their parents’ advice, so use the mealtime as a chance to reconnect.
Stocking up (儲備) on healthy food
Kids, especially younger ones, will eat mostly what they can get at home. That’s why it’s important to control the supply lines — the food which you serve for meals and have on hand for snacks. You should have enough fruits, vegetables, lean meat and other good sources of protein, such as eggs and nuts, and healthy snacks, such as yogurt, peanut butter and whole-grain biscuits.
Being a good example
The best way for you to encourage healthy eating is to eat well yourself. Kids will follow the lead of the adults they see every day. By eating fruits and vegetables and avoiding fast food and sugary drinks, you’ll be sending the right message.
No conflicts over food
Parents might find themselves shouting at children to get them to have healthy food in front of them. This in fact can make children dislike what they are aske d to eat.
Get kids included
Most kids will enjoy making the decision about what to make for dinner. Talk to them about making choices and planning a balanced meal. It can help them make good decisions on their own about the  food they want to eat.
【小題1】Family meals provide the chances for parents to do the following things EXCEPT ________.

A．guessing what kids are going to have

B．finding what kids like and dislike

C．introducing new food to kids

D．reconnecting with kids

【小題2】What does the phrase “on hand” mean?

A．Being dealt with.

B．Out of one’s reach.

C．Made by persons instead of machines.

D．Close by and ready when needed.

【小題3】According to the passage, which should NOT be done by parents?

A．Form a healthful eating habit themselves.

B．Force kids to have vegetables.

C．Stock up on some fruits at home.

D．Make meal plans with kids.

【小題4】The best title for the article is “________”.

A．Eat healthily

B．What is a healthy meal

C．Help kids form healthy eating habits

D．How to grow up healthily

What does it mean to say that we live in a world of persuasion? It means that we live among competing interests. Your roommate’s need to study for an exam may take priority over pizza. Your instructor may have good reasons not to change your grade. And the object of your romantic/inter­est may have other choices.
In such a world, persuasion is the art of getting others to give fair and favorable consideration to our points of view. When we persuade, we want to influence how others believe and behave. We may not always prevail — other points of view may be more persuasive, depending on the listener, the situ­ation, and the merit of the case. But when we practice the art of persuasion, we try to ensure that our position receives the attention it deserves.
Some people, however, object to the very idea of persuasion. They may regard it as an unwelcome interruption into their lives. Just the opposite, we believe that persuasion is unavoidable — to live is to persuade. Persuasion may be ethical or unethical, selfless or selfish, inspiring or degrad­ing. Persuaders may enlighten our mind or prey on our vulnerability. Ethical persuasion, however, calls on sound reasoning and is sensitive to the feelings and needs of listeners. Such persuasion can help us apply the wisdom of the past to the decisions we now must make. Therefore, the most basic part of edu­cation is learning to resist the one kind of persuasion and to encourage and practice the other.
Beyond its personal importance to us, persuasion is necessary to society. The right to persuade and be persuaded is the bedrock of the American political system, guaranteed by the First Amendment to the Constitution.
【小題1】According to the passage, persuasion means ________.

A．changing others’ points of view

B．exercising power over other people

C．getting other people to consider your point of view

D．getting people to agree with you and do what you want

【小題2】The underlined word in the second paragraph “prevail” means________.

A．win

B．fail

C．speak

D．listen

【小題3】The passage states that some people object to persuasion because they think it is ________.

A．a(chǎn) danger to society	B．difficult to do well
C．unwelcome behavior	D．never successful

【小題4】The passage mainly discusses ________.

A．how people persuade

B．why people persuade

C．that persuasion is both good and bad

D．that persuasion is important and it is all around us

The Channel is the name given to the stretch of water which separates England and France. Ferries operate all year round to carry people across the Channel, and they are busy most of the year. January is the only quiet month nowadays. As well as summer holiday-makers, there are day trippers and coach traffic, not to mention lorries and other commercial vehicles. Some ferries carry cars and their passengers, while others also connect train passengers with the Continental rail network.
The biggest hazard for the ferry is the wind. The crew listens to BBC weather reports four times a day. Or they sometimes get gale warnings from local radio station.
Crossing the Channel by ferry is a bit like trying to cross Oxford Street on a busy afternoon, according to one ferryboat captain. The ferries from Folkstone and Dover to Calais and Boulogne have to cross the main flow of traffic. This consists of ships traveling through the Channel to and from Northern Europe. There may be four hundred ships making the journey at any one time, and they all pass through a “choke point” which is only fifteen miles (twenty-five kilometers) wide. The cross-channel ferries have to sail right through the middle of all this traffic.
【小題1】The passage is mainly concerned with _____.

A．the English Channel

B．the weather on the Channel

C．cross-channel ferries

D．what crossing the Channel by ferry is like

【小題2】The word hazard is closest in meaning to ________.

A．trouble

B．danger

C．enemy

D．problem

【小題3】We can infer from the passage that _______.

A．if there is a gale warning from the BBC, the ferries will stop operating.

B．the traffic on the Channel is very busy only in winter

C．ferries are busiest in the afternoon

D．the crew of the ferry listens to the weather reports four times a day

【小題4】Where does this passage most probably appear?

A．In a dictionary.	B．In a novel.
C．In a transportation magazine.	D．In a geography textbook.

Your peers are people your age or close to it who have experiences and interests similar to yours. You and your friends make dozens of decisions every day, and you influence each other’s choices and behavior. This is often ________ --- it’s human nature to listen to and learn from other people in your age group.
Sometimes, though, the stresses in your life can actually come from your peers. They may pressure you into doing something you’re uncomfortable with, such as shoplifting, doing drugs or drinking, or taking dangerous risks when driving a car.
The pressure to conform（隨潮流） can be powerful and hard to resist. A person might feel pressure to do something just because others are doing it. Peer pressure can influence a person to do something that is relatively harmless--- or something that has more serious consequences.
People may feel pressure to conform, so they fit in or are accepted, or so they don’t feel awkward or uncomfortable. When people are unsure of what to do in a social situation, they naturally look to others for cues（暗示）about what is and isn’t acceptable.
The people who are most easily influenced will follow someone else’s lead first. Then others may go along, too --- so it can be easy to think, “It must be OK. Everyone else is doing it. They must know what they’re doing.” Before you know it, many people are going along with the crowd --- perhaps on something they might not otherwise do.
Responding to peer pressure is part of human nature --- but some people are more likely to give in, and others are better able to resist and stand their ground.
It’s not always easy to resist negative peer pressure. But when you do, it is easy to feel good about it afterwards. And you may even be a positive influence on your peers who feel the same way --- often it just takes one person to speak out or take a different action to change a situation.
【小題1】Which of the following is a kind of peer pressure?

A．Your teachers give you a lot of homework.

B．Your parents expect high scores from you.

C．Your classmates persuade you to cut class.

D．Your relatives invite you to attend a party.

【小題2】Which is most likely to be filled in the blank in Paragraph 1?

A．negative

B．impossible

C．positive

D．uncertain

【小題3】Most people tend to do what others are doing in order to _________.

A．feel a sense of achievement

B．get a feeling of being accepted

C．set a good example for others

D．stand out in a crowd

【小題4】What can we know according to the author?

A．Giving in to peer pressure is unavoidable.

B．Peer pressure usually leads to serious results.

C．Going along with the crowd usually means making a right choice.

D．Everyone can make a difference by resisting negative peer pressure.

【小題5】This passage is mainly about _______.

A．thoughts on peer pressure

B．different types of peer pressure

C．ways to deal with peer pressure

D．the influence of peer pressure on people

My grandparents were married for over half a century, and played their own special game the time they had met each other. The goal of their game was to write the word “shmily” in a surprise place for the other to find. They took turns leaving “shmily” around the house, and as soon as one of them discovered it, it was their turn to hide it once more. They dragged “shmily” with their fingers through the sugar and flour containers to await whoever was preparing the next meal. “Shmily” was written in the steam left on the mirror after a hot shower, where it would reappear bath after bath. There was no end to the places where “shmily” would pop up. Little notes with “shmily” were found on car seats, or taped to steering wheels. The notes were put inside shoes and left under pillows. “Shmily” was written in the dust upon the mantel（壁爐架）and traced in the ashes of the fireplace. This mysterious word was as much a part of my grandparents’ house as the furniture.
It took me a long time before I was able to fully appreciate my grandparents’ game. Skepticism has kept me from believing in true love --- one that is pure and enduring (持久的). However, I never doubted my grandparents’ relationship. It was based on passionate（熱情的）affection which not everyone is lucky enough to experience.
But there was a dark cloud in my grandparents’ life: my grandmother had breast cancer. The disease had first appeared ten years earlier. As always, Grandpa was with her every step of the way. He comforted her in their yellow room, painted that way so that she could always be surrounded by sunshine, even when she was too sick to go outside. But my grandmother grew steadily weaker until, finally, she could not leave the house anymore. Then one day, what we all dreaded finally happened. Grandma was gone.
“Shmily.” It was written in yellow on the pink ribbons of my grandmother’s funeral bouquet (花束). As the crowd thinned and the last mourners turned to leave, Grandpa stepped up to my grandmother’s coffin and, taking a shaky breath, he began to sing to her. Through his tears and grief, the song came: S-h-m-i-l-y: See How Much I Love You.
【小題1】According to the passage, where may the word “shmily” be found?
a.in the flour containers
b.on the mirror
c.on the sheet of toilet paper
d.on pillows
e.on the furniture

A．a(chǎn), b

B．b, c

C．a(chǎn), d

D．b, e

【小題2】The first paragraph is mainly about ________.

A．what the word “shmily” means

B．how the author’s grandparents played their special game

C．how the author appreciated her grandparents’ game

D．how the author’s grandparents cared for each other

【小題3】The underlined phrase “pop up” in Paragraph 1 means ________.

A．a(chǎn)ppear

B．change

C．survive

D．work

【小題4】According to the passage, the author _________.

A．thought the game was meaningless

B．believes everyone can experience true love

C．doubted the existence of true love at first

D．sometimes left “shmily” around the house

【小題5】Grandpa tried to make Grandma comfortable by _______.

A．singing songs to her every day

B．painting the room yellow

C．encouraging her to go outside

D．helping her take a hot shower every day

A is for always getting to work on time.
B is for being extremely busy.
C is for the conscientious（勤勤懇懇的） way you do your job.
You may be all these things at the office, and more. But when it comes to getting ahead, experts say, the ABCs of business should include a P, for politics, as in office politics.
Dale Carnegie suggested as much more than 50 years ago: Hard work alone doesn’t ensure career advancement. You have to be able to sell yourself and your ideas, both publicly and behind the scenes. Yet, despite the obvious rewards of engaging in office politics—a better job, a raise, praise—many people are still unable or unwilling—to “play the game”.
“People assume that office politics involves some manipulative（工于心計的） behavior,” says Deborah Comer, an assistant professor of management at Hofstra University, “But politics derives from the word ‘polite’. It can mean lobbying（游說）and forming associations. It can mean being kind and helpful, or even trying to please your superior, and then expecting something in return.”
In fact, today, experts define office politics as proper behaviors used to pursue one’s own self-interest in the workplace. In many cases, this involves some forms of socializing within the office environment—not just in large companies, but in small workplaces as well.
“The first thing people are usually judged on is their ability to perform well on a consistent basis,” says Neil P.Lewis, a management psychologist. “But if two or three candidates are up for a promotion, each of whom has reasonably similar ability, a manager is going to promote the person he or she likes best. It’ s simple human nature.”
Yet, psychologists say, many employees and employers have trouble with the concept of politics in the office. Some people, they say, have an idealistic vision of work and what it takes to succeed. Still others associate politics with flattery(奉承), fearful that, if they speak up for themselves, they may appear to be flattering their boss for favors.
Experts suggest altering（改變） this negative picture by recognizing the need for some self-promotion.
【小題1】“Office politics” （Line 2,Para.4） is used in the passage to refer to____.

A．the political views and beliefs of office workers

B．the interpersonal relationships within a company

C．the various qualities required for a successful career

D．the code of behavior for company staff

【小題2】Why are many people unwilling to "play the game" (Line 4, Para. 5) ?

A．They believe that doing so is impractical.

B．They feel that such behavior is unprincipled(不道德的).

C．They are not good at manipulating colleagues.

D．They think the effort will get them nowhere.

【小題3】To get promoted, one must not only be competent but____.

A．a(chǎn)void being too outstanding

B．get along well with his colleagues

C．honest and loyal to his company

D．give his boss a good impression

【小題4】It is the author’ s view that____.

A．self-promotion does not necessarily mean flattery

B．hard work contributes very little to one’ s promotion

C．many employees fail to recognize the need of flattery

D．speaking up for oneself is part of human nature

McDonald's is the world single biggest food provider with annual sales of around $12.4bn. And the company's symbol Ronald McDonald is now （or so the company claims） the word's most recognized person after Santa Claus.
　　The first McDonald's restaurant was opened in San Bernardino, California, in 1948 by brothers Mac and Richard “Dick” McDonald. Mac ran the restaurant side; Dick was the marketing genius. He had already invented the drive-in laundry and had been the first person to use neon lights in advertising. Now he spotted the gap in the post-war, baby-boom market for cheap, family-orientated restaurants with simple menus, standardized food and efficient service.
　　After a slow start, business began to boom. By 1954, the brothers were joined by another entrepreneur, a kitchen equipment salesman called Ray A Kroc who owned the franchise to the Multimixer, milk shake maker used throughout the McDonald's chain. A year later, Kroc had bought the McDonald brothers' chain of 25 franchises for the equivalent of around $70m（￡44m）. Dick remained with the company until the Seventies, when he and Kroc fell out over Kroc's claim that the chain was his creation.
　　Today, an almost Stalinist cult of personality surrounds Kroc （who died in 1984） at McDonald's, while the brothers who gave the company its name have all but been written out of its history. But though Kroc did not found McDonald's, he was certainly responsible for the empire-building philosophy which led to its world domination. He ushered in such essential contributions to international cuisine as the Big Mac （1968） and the Egg McMuffin （1973）; and helped launch Ronald McDonald —— “in any language he means fun” —— on to television in 1963.
　　Every three hours, a new McDonald's franchise opens somewhere in the world; it can be found in more than 100 countries including India （vegetarian-only to avoid offending the non-beef-eating populace） and Israel （non kosher, despite fierce local objection）. McDonald's chain embodied the thrusting, can-do spirit of Fifties America with staff mottoes such as “If you've got time to lean, you've go time to clean.”
【小題1】 McDonald's was founded _____.

A．by a kitchen equipment salesman

B．in California.

C．by a marketing genius called Dick McDonald.

D．a(chǎn)fter the first World War.

【小題2】What do we know about McDonald's brothers?

A．They were not McDonald's founders although they named the restaurant.

B．Their business was still in depression after several years.

C．They had clear job separation on business.

D．They sold their restaurant to a salesman in 1954.

【小題3】 Which is not Kroc's contribution to McDonald's ?

A．He launched the restaurant image Ronald McDonald on to television.

B．Under his lead, international cuisine as the Big Mac and the Egg McMuffin earned worldwide fame

C．He spotted the gap in postwar market for cheap, family-orientated restaurants.

D．He built McDonald's empire with a philosophy which led to its world domination.

【小題4】Which statement is true according to the passage?

A．The single biggest food provider was however, not named after its founder

B．The international cuisine as the Big Mac, a beef hamburger, is provided every chain restaurant in the world.

C．Employees in McDonald's have no time to lean.

D．The symbol Ronald McDonald, means fun in any language, is said to the word most recognized person after Santa Claus.

In the more and more competitive service industry, it is no longer enough to promise customer satisfaction. Today, customer “delight” is what companies are trying to achieve in order to keep and increase market share.
It is accepted in the marketing industry, and confirmed by a number of researches, that customers receiving good service will promote business by telling up to 12 other people; those treated badly will tell their tales of woe to up to 20 people, and 80 percent of the people who feel their complaints are handled fairly will stay loyal.
New challenges for customer care have come when people can obtain goods and services through telephone call centers and the Internet. For example, many companies now have to invest a lot of money in information technology and staff training in order to cope with the “phone rage”—caused by delays in answering calls, being cut off in mid-conversation or left waiting for long periods.
“Many people do not like talking to machines,” says Dr. Storey Senior Lecturer in Marketing at City University Business School. “Banks, for example, encourage staff at call centers to use customer data to establish instant and good relationship with them. The aim is to make the customer feel they know you and that you can trust— the sort of comfortable feelings people have during face-to-face chats with their local branch manager.”
Recommended ways of creating customer delight include: under-promising and over-delivering (saying that a repair will be carried out within five hours, but getting it done within two); replacing a faulty product immediately; throwing in a gift voucher (購物禮卷) as an unexpected “thank you” to regular customers; and always returning calls, even when they are complaints.
Aiming for customer delight is all very well, but if services do not reach the high level promised, disappointment or worse will be the result. This can be eased by offering an apology and an explanation of why the service did not meet usual standards with empathy (for example, “I know how you must feel”), and possible solutions (replacement, compensation or whatever fairness suggests best meets the case).
Airlines face some of the toughest challenges over customer care. Fierce competition has convinced them that delighting passengers is an important marketing tool, while there is great potential for customer anger over delays caused by weather, unclaimed luggage and technical problems .
For British Airways staff, a winning telephone style is considered vital in handling the large volume of calls about bookings and flight times. They are trained to answer quickly, with their name, job title and a “we are here to help” attitude. The company has invested heavily in information technology to make sure that information is available instantly on screen.
British Airways also says its customer care policies are applied within the company and staff are taught to regard each other as customers requiring the highest standards of service.
Customer care is obviously here to stay and it would be a foolish company that used slogans such as "we do as we please”. On the other hand, the more customers are promised, the greater the risk of disappointment.
【小題1】We can learn from Paragraph 2 that        .

A．complaining customers are hard to satisfy

B．unsatisfied customers receive better service

C．Satisfied customers catch more attention

D．well-treated customers promote business

【小題2】The writer mentions “phone rage” (Paragraph 3) to show that________.

A．customers often use phones to express their anger

B．people still prefer to buy goods online

C．customer care becomes more demanding

D．customers rely on their phones to obtain services

【小題3】What does the writer recommend to create delight?

A．Calling customers regularly	B．Giving a “thank you” note.
C．Delivering a quicker service	D．Promising more gifts.

【小題4】If a manager should show his empathy (Paragraph 6), what would he probably say?

A．“I know how upset you must be.”	B．“I appreciate your understanding.”
C．“I’m sorry for the delay.”	D．“I know it’s our fault.”

【小題5】Customer delight is important for airlines because________.

A．their telephone style remains unchanged

B．they are more likely to meet with complaints

C．the services cost them a lot of money

D．the policies can be applied to their staff