Microsoft founder Bill Gates has recovered his spot at the top of the US money heap, taking the place of investor Warren Buffett as America's richest person, Forbes magazine's latest list reveals.

With 57 billion dollars net worth Gates again leads the list of 400 richest individuals in the world's wealthiest country. He displaced Buffett who briefly held the position this year but who has seen his Berkshire Hathaway investment group's shares slip 15 percent since February and is now worth 50 billion.
According to Forbes, whose list was published late Wednesday, the golden 400 have 1.3 billion dollars net worth or more. However, their combined net worth rose only 30 billion dollars, or two percent, to 1.57 trillion dollars.
Forbes said that rising oil and dizzy art prices fuelled the entry of 31 new members into the ultra-rich club and the return of eight previous members.
A notable arrival was Mark Zuckerberg, 24, founder of the social networking site Facebook（臉譜網(wǎng)）. Forbes estimates his worth at 1.5 billion dollars.
Meanwhile, turmoil（動蕩）on the stock and housing markets saw 33 others drop off the list, including the former head of the troubled insurance giant AIG, Maurice Greenberg, and a former head of the online auction site eBay, Margaret Whitman.
Biggest gainers were led by New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg who took eighth place with 20 billion dollars worth after a transaction（交易）put a new value on his Bloomberg media and financial data network.
The biggest loser was casino（賭場，娛樂場）tycoon Sheldon Adelson, whose fortune fell 13 billion dollars over 12 months -- the equivalent to 1.5 million dollars an hour -- although he still has 15 billion dollars and occupies 15th place.
About two thirds of the list are self-made billionaires and just over 10 percent are women, led by television star Oprah Winfrey whose fortune rose 200 million dollars to 2.7 billion dollars.
小題1: According to Forbes, Warren Buffet is worth _____.

A．57 billion dollars

B．50 billion dollars

C．1.5 billion dollars

D．20 billion dollars

小題2:31 new members entered the ultra-rich club as a result of _____.

A．turmoil on the stock and housing market

B．media and financial data network

C．rising oil and dizzy art prices

D．investment

小題3:The purpose of the author using the television star Oprah Winfrey as an example is to _____.

A．tell the readers that television stars make money easily

B．prove that a millionaire can become a billionaire

C．women can also be billionaires

D．tell the readers that most of the billionaires are self-made

小題4:It can be inferred from the story that _____.

A．one earns much and also loses much

B．stability of markets has much effect upon people’s wealth

C．the computer industry makes more billionaires

D．young people can also be billionaires

小題5:What is the best title of the passage?

A．Bill Gates Leading World’s Richest People Again

B．What Made Billionaires

C．Self-Made Billionaires

D．Biggest Gainer and Biggest Loser

I do a lot of management training each year for the Circle K Company. Among the topic we ___1___ in our classes is the ___2___ of quality employees.
What has ___3___ you to stay long enough to become a manager?” I asked.
After a while a new manager ___4___ the question and said slowly, “It was a baseball ___5___.”
Cynthia said that she ___6___ to take a Circle K clerk job as an interim(臨時的) job ___7___ she looked for something else. On her second day behind the counter, she received a ___8___ from her nine-year-old son, Jessie. He needed a baseball glove for Little League. She ___9___ that as a single woman, ___10___ was tight, and her first ___11___ would have to go for paying bills.
When Cynthia arrived for work the ___12___ morning, Patricia, the store manager, handed her a box. “I overheard you ___13___ to your son yesterday,” she said, “and I know that it is ___14___ to explain things to kids. This is a baseball glove for Jessie. I know you have to pay bills before you can buy gloves. You know we can’t ___15___ good people like you as ___16___ as we would like to, ___17___ we do care, and I want you to know how ___18___ you are to us!”
The thoughtfulness, empathy(同情) and love of the store manager ___19___ that people remember more how much an employer ___20___ than how much he pays.
1. A. discuss   B. write   C. learn   D. find
2. A. managing      B. selling C. keeping      D. seeking
3. A. made      B. ordered      C. forced D. caused
4. A. made      B. took    C. raised  D. replied
5. A. pole       B. glove  C. hole    D. match
6. A. ought     B. liked   C. had     D. used
7. A. when      B. because      C. while  D. though
8. A. letter      B. call     C. notice D. announcement
9. A. turned out      B. pointed out C. explained   D. complained
10. A. work    B. food   C. money       D. clothing
11. A. bill       B. check  C. day     D. visit
12. A. last       B. first    C. next    D. past
13. A. lying    B. talking       C. crying D. murmuring
14. A. good    B. easy    C. hard    D. necessary
15. A. thank    B. use     C. employ      D. pay
16. A. many    B. early   C. soon   D. much
17. A. nor       B. but     C. and     D. however
18. A. kind     B. terrible       C. much  D. important
19. A. shows   B. insists C. realizes      D. recognizes

One evening, Mr Green was driving his car along a lonely country road. He had ___1___ $10 000 from the bank in town. Suddenly a man in rags stopped him and asked for ___2___. Mr Green told him to get on and continued his way. ___3___ he talked to the man, he ___4___ that he had just broken out of prison. Mr Green was very afraid at the ___5___ of the money. Suddenly he saw a police－car and had a ___6___ idea. He ___7___ speed and drove as quickly as possible. Then he found the police-car running ___8___ him. After a mile ___9___ the police-car passed him and ordered him to stop. A policeman came up. Mr Green had hoped to tell him about the trouble but the man put a gun to Mr Green’s ___10___.
The policeman said he wanted Mr Green’s name and ___11___ and Mr Green obeyed. The policeman wrote it down in his notebook and put it in his ___12___. “You ___13___ appear at the police station. “ He said. Then he talked to Mr Green about ___14___ driving. Mr Green started up his car again. He had ___15___ all hope of his ￡10,000, but as he reached a more lonely part, the robber said he wanted to ___16___. Mr Green stopped and the man said. “___17___. You’ve been ___18___ to me. This is what I can do in ___19___.” And he handed Mr Green the policeman’s ___20___, which was stolen while the policeman was talking to Mr Green.
1. A. taken      B. held    C. brought      D. drawn
2. A. money    B. help    C. a lift   D. a ride
3. A. As   B. Since  C. Then   D. Because
4. A. recognized     B. learned       C. supposed    D. expected
5. A. sight      B. idea    C. touch  D. thought
6. A. fast B. bright C. strange       D. bad
7. A. put on    B. got on C. took on      D. had on
8. A. behind    B. with    C. after   D. beside
9. A. and so    B. or so   C. and so on   D. or so on
10. A. head     B. shoulder     C. back   D. neck
11. A. number B. home  C. place   D. address
12. A. car       B. pocket C. hand   D. trousers
13. A. shall     B. will    C. would D. need
14. A. careful  B. normal       C. drunk  D. dangerous
15. A. held out       B. build up   C. given up     D. turn over
16. A. run away     B. break away C. set out D. get out
17. A. I’m sorry     B. You’re welcome      C. That’s all right   D. Thank you
18. A. kind     B. polite  C. known       D. necessary
19. A. all B. fact   C. return D. the end
20. A. gun      B. pen     C. money       D. notebook

As she waited at the edge of the ice for her music to start, Peggy took a quick look at her father standing nearby with a group of parents and teachers. He smiled at her. Then she ___1___ out at the audience, ___2___ to see her mother. These two, Alvert and Doris Fleming, had ___3___ all the way from California more than 2,000 miles away, to see their ___4___ compete in this sports meet in Cleveland, Ohio.
The music ___5___ and Peggy moved onto the ice, letting the music ___6___ her along into her turns, and she began skating with much ___7___ in herself. The cold fear she always had in the ___8___ seconds before skating onto the ice was ___9___. She was feeling the movement of the ___10___ and letting it carry her. She skated easily, ___11___ did some jumps, a final turn and her performance was ___12___.
The crowd loved it and cheered ___13___ she skated off the ice. “Nice job,” said one of the other ___14___. It was the remark that ___15___ came after a free-skating performance. But what would the ___16___ say? Standing beside her father, Peggy ___17___ for the scoring to be finished. On all sides were other young skaters, some waiting ___18___ alone, others with a parent. Shortly before 10 o’clock the results were ___19___. The new United States Women’s Skating Champion was Peggy forming of Padena, ___20___!
1. A. looked    B. watched     C. found  D. stepped
2. A. tried       B. hoped       C. hoping       D. looking forward
3. A. flown     B. driven C. hoped D. prepared
4. A. friend     B. children     C. son     D. daughter
5. A. started    B. played C. develop      D. sang
6. A. allow     B. set out C. carry   D. support
7. A. thought  B. belief  C. success       D. design
8. A. last B. following   C. recent D. past
9. A. lost B. present       C. string  D. gone
10. A. ice       B. fear    C. music  D. audience
11. A. so  B. or       C. before D. then
12. A. satisfied       B. finished      C. unsatisfactory    D. welcome
13. A. because B. until   C. as     D. before
14. A. skaters  B. parents       C. judges D. audiences
15. A. seldom B. always       C. again  D. hardly
16. A. players B. audience     C. parents       D. judges
17. A. looked  B. wished       C. waited D. asked
18. A. comfortably           B. anxiously       C. hurriedly    D. happily
19. A. cried out      B. let out C. declared     D. announced
20. A. California    B. Cleveland   C. Ohio   D. England

One day when the famous American scientist Edison was on his way home, a young man stopped him and required to have a word with him. Edison accepted his request.
The young man asked, “How, Mr. Edison, can you invent so many things and get your fame (名聲)?”
The scientist said, “It seems that you have been thinking of becoming famous every day, “
The young man nodded, “Yes. I have been dreaming of being a person as famed as you. Every minute I am thinking of how to become reputable(有聲望的). I don’t know when I can achieve my fame. “
Edison told him, “Don’t worry, young man. If you want to be a famous man this way, you will have to wait until you die!”
“Why should I?” the young man was puzzled.
Edison said, “What you dream is actually a high building. You never think of how to build it with bricks. Thus the building will never come into reality. However, your story can serve as a mirror. People will remember you because of your illness and laziness. They will often speak of your name while they give warnings to their children. Aren’t you a notorious person by then?”
9. What happened to Edison when he was on his way home?
A. a beggar stopped him    
B. a robber stopped him.
C. A man wanted to speak to him.   
D. A man wanted to have words with him.
10. The man asked Edison to tell him______.
A. how to invent new things.          B. how to become famous
C. how he became a nobleman         D. how to become a scientist
11. After hearing his talk, the young man was puzzled because Edison told him ______.
A. he would die after he was famous      B. he would be famous before he died
C. he would die before he was famous        D. he would never be famous
12. The story mainly tells us ________.
A.    a person needs high spirit    
B. one shouldn’t dream of becoming famous
C. only by hard work can one’s wish come into reality
D. one person should be idle and lazy.

Michael, a typical (典型的) American, stays home on workdays. He plugs into his personal computer terminal (接線端) in order to connect with the office. After work, he puts on his headphones, watches a movie on his home video recorder, or plays baseball on the computer. On many days, Michael doesn’t talk to any other human beings, and he doesn’t see any people except the ones on television. Michael is imaginary, but his lifestyle is very possible. The inventions of modern technology seem to be cutting us off from contact with our fellow human beings.
　　The world of business is one area in which technology is isolating (使隔離) us. Experts say, for example, that many people will soon be able to work at home. With access to a large central computer, employees such as office clerks, insurance agents, and accountants could do their jobs at display terminals in their own homes. They would never have to actually see the people they’re dealing with. In addition, the way employees are paid will change. Workers’ salaries will be automatically paid into their bank accounts(賬戶), making paper checks(支票)unnecessary. No workers will stand in line to receive their pay or cash their checks. Personal banking will change, too. Customers will deal with machines to put in or take out money from their accounts.
　　Another area that technology is changing is entertainment. Music, for instance, was once a group experience. People listened to music at concert halls or in small social gatherings. For many people now, however, music is an individual experience. Walking along the street or sitting in their living rooms, they wear headphones to build a wall of music around them. Movie entertainment is changing, too. Movies used to be social events. Now, fewer people are going out to see a movie. Many more are choosing to wait for a film to appear on television or are borrowing videotapes to watch at home. Instead of laughing with others, viewers watch movies in their own living rooms.
13. The sentence “Michael is imaginary, but his lifestyle is very possible” means ____ .
　　A .Michael is a person full of imagination and he can make his dreams come true
　　B. Michael is not a real person but probably the lifestyle does exist
　　C. Michael has ambitions but he can?t make his dreams come true
　　D. Michael is a person full of imagination and his lifestyle is common nowadays
14. What will the author most probably discuss after the last paragraph?
　　A. Games and sports.
　　B. Personal banking.
　　C. Music and films.
　　D. International business.
15. What is the main idea of the passage?
　　A. We may no longer need to communicate with other human beings.
　　B. Modern technology seems to be separating human beings.
　　C. We may no longer need to work in the office.
　　D. Modern technology makes it possible for us to work and entertain ourselves at home.

“Billy! It is February 25, 2099, seven o’clock. Time to   1  and go to school.” said the clock-robot   2  a mental voice. Then the kitchen-robot gave him toast and eggs. Billy was   3 . While he was eating, the whole wall  4  a TV screen and Billy thought that it was great having robots to do   5  for him. Billy ate his meal watching a TV  6 . When he finished eating, the   7  gave him his clothes very fast and   8  him. Then Billy went off to school.
When Billy went outside, he saw a car with no   9  waiting for him. The car said, “Hello, I will be   10  you to school every day. Now would you please   11  your school ID card?” said the car. So Billy showed the car his school ID card and got in. The   12  began to talk to Billy about his school and his schoolwork. After that the car said, “I will   13  your homework today   14  you will have a very, very important lesson to   15  in school today. Please put your homework on the blackboard.” Billy did so.
The car checked Billy’s homework and then said, “You are a(n)   16  student. All of your homework is   17 .” When they   18  the school, Billy said to the car, “Goodbye. See you later.” The car said to Billy, “Good luck in your school.” Billy got into the classroom and   19  his seat at the front of the room. Then his teacher came in and said, “Welcome, children! Today we will have a hard but   20  lesson — ‘How do robots help a human being?’...” 
1. A. get up               B. show up         C. take up          D. dress up
2. A. in                       B. on             C. with           D. by
3. A. angry              B. amazed        C. worried       D. quick
4. A. changed for              B. became of     C. looked like     D. turned into
5. A. something               B. anything        C. everything      D. nothing
6. A. show                        B. screen          C. set             D. box
7. A. driver-robot             B. clock-robot    C. kitchen-robot   D. clothes-robot
8. A. dressed                    B. cleaned       C. pushed        D. pleased
9. A. teacher                     B. student         C. robot          D. driver
10. A. driving                                             B. accommodating  
C. loading                                             D. holding
11. A. give                     B. show            C. send           D. lend
12. A. teacher                   B. driver          C. robot          D. car
13. A. check                   B. prepare         C. inspect         D. do
14. A. if                             B. when            C. but            D. because
15. A. miss                     B. learn            C. study           D. check
16. A. energetic                 B. optimistic       C. great           D. handsome
17. A. easy                           B. difficult                C. correct         D. wrong
18. A. rushed in                    B. got to         C. turned to      D. left off
19. A. took                 B. found         C. made         D. kept
20. A. easy                 B. important      C. boring       D. influential

Some myths are stories told since ancient times to explain the causes for natural happenings. The Greek myth that explains why there are changes of ___1___ is about Demeter, the goddess of the harvest. She had a daughter, Persephone, whom she loved very much. Hades, god of the underworld, fell in love with Persephone, and he asked Zeus, the ___2___ of the gods, to give Persephone to him as his ___3___. Zeus did not want either to disappoint Hades or to upset Demeter, so he said he would not agree to the marriage, but neither would he ___4___ it. Hades, therefore, decided to take the girl without ___5___. When Persephone was picking flowers in the garden, he seized her and took her to the underworld. When Demeter ___6___ what happened to Persephone, she became so ___7___ that she caused all plants to ___8___ People were in ___9___ of starving. But Demeter was determined not to let crops grow ___10___ her daughter, Persephone, was returned to her. ___11___, still not wanting to disappoint Hades, decided upon a condition for Persephone’s ___12___. She could go back to her mother if she had not ___13___ anything while she was in the underworld. Demeter ___14___ it because she did not know that Persephone had eaten several pomegranate(石榴) seeds in the underworld. When Zeus ___15___ this, he agreed that Persephone could spend part of the year with her ___16___, but he added that since she had eaten the seeds, she must spend part of the year in the underworld. and so it ___17___ that when Persephone is in the underworld, Demeter is sad and therefore ___18___ not let the crops grow. That is ___19___ we have winter when plants do not grow. When Persephone returns, Demeter is ___20___, it is spring, and plants begin to grow again.
1. A. periods   B. seasons       C. time    D. age
2. A. winner   B. ruler   C. advisor       D. fighter
3. A. wife       B. lover   C. partner       D. daughter
4. A. forbid    B. forgive       C. admit  D. accept
5. A. arrangement   B. warning     C. reason D. permission
6. A. let out    B. worked out C. thought out D. found out
7. A. excited   B. tired   C. angry  D. serious
8. A. grow fast       B. start growing     C. stop growing     D. grow slowly
9. A. danger    B. hope   C. turn    D. case
10. A. since    B. until   C. after   D. when
11. A. Persephone   B. Zeus   C. Demeter     D. Hades
12. A. return   B. change       C. marriage    D. journey
13. A. stolen   B. found  C. eaten   D. heard
14. A. understood   B. refused       C. doubted      D. accepted
15. A. discovered   B. studied       C. forgot D. prepared
16. A. daughter      B. mother       C. god     D. ruler
17. A. works   B. remains      C. happens      D. starts
18. A. should  B. can     C. dare    D. will
19. A. where   B. because      C. why    D. how
20. A. nice      B. friendly      C. fresh   D. happy

完形填空（每空1分，共20分）
When I woke next morning, I was dying of _1__. I seemed to have a hole instead of a _2__.  I dressed quickly and hurried down to the dinning-room. It was a big room with six tall windows and the ugliest wallpaper I had ever seen! _3_, I had been told the hotel was not beautiful but that you were better __4_ there than in any other hotel; and that was _5__ I wanted just then.
The waiter came hurrying up. Before I came downstairs I had prepared __6__ carefully for what I must __7__. I had looked three times in my dictionary to make sure __8__ “breakfast” really meant “breakfast”. I had tried to get the right __9_ and I had stood in the front of a mirror and twisted my mouth until it ached.
The waiter asked me _10__ I could not understand, but I spoke only my one prepared word “breakfast”. He looked at me in a   11  way. So I repeated it. Still he did not understand. It was  12  that English people didn’t understand their language. The waiter   13  his head and went away, but he came back in a minute and brought a tray with tea, bread and butter — enough to feed a small army — and went away. But I was hungry, and I left   14 . When the waiter came back I thought his face showed a little   15 , but you can never __16_. What a waiter’s face really shows! In another minute he brought _17__ tray with some bacon(熏肉) and some eggs. He   18  have misunderstood me, but I thought it was no use explaining to people who don’t understand their own language, so I just set to work on the bacon and eggs, wondering whether I could possibly clear that plate.
Well, I finished the bacon and eggs. I got up and made my way slowly to my room — at least five pound   19 . I never believed until then that any meal could   20  me, but on that day I met my Waterloo(滑鐵盧).
1. A. hunger            B. cold                  C. anger                D. illness
2. A. stone       B. head                 C. breast                D. stomach
3. A. Therefore         B. Otherwise             C. So                   D. However
4. A. received           B. fed                  C. cared                D. eating
5. A. just              B. what                C. that                  D. why
6. A. English           B. meal                C. questions             D. myself
7. A. speak            B. answer               C. say                  D. explain
8. A. that              B. about                      C. of                   D. to
9. A. pronunciation     B. meaning             C. form                 D. spelling
10. A. whether         B. something           C. when                 D. what
11. A. surprised        B. friendly             C. puzzled               D. touched
12. A. unbelievable     B. true                C. thought               D. a pity
13. A waved           B. shook               C. bowed               D. patted
14. A. much           B.a little              C. nothing               D. empty
15. A. pleasure        B. surprise              C. pride                 D. satisfaction
16. A. tell            B. guess               C. design                D. express
17. A. other          B. another             C. more                 D. me
18. A. should          B. might              C. would                 D. must
19. A. lighter          B. heavier             C. weightier              D. more
20. A. hurt            B. fat                C. defeat                D. please

Do you suppose Darwin, one of the greatest scientists of all time, really did foolsexperiments? Or did he do experiments that were so simple and basic that other people just thought they were foolish?
　　Sometimes, people think they already know the answer to a question or the solution (解決辦法) to a problem. Sometimes, they really do know an answer or a solution, but without thinking they are important.
　　Charles Darwin didn’t settle for (滿足于) just thinking he knew something. And, he believed all things could be important however simple they seemed to be.
　　Suppose you drop sheets of paper that are of exactly the same size and shape. If you drop them at the same time in the same place, they will fall in the same way. Now make one of the sheets of paper into a tight (緊的) little ball and let it drop along with the other sheets. What happens? You have done an experiment that is so simple that you might think it couldn’t be worth anything.
　　But this simple experiment is important. It explains part of our present-day understandings of physics, ideas that were worked out long ago by Galileo and Newton. And these understandings set aside some of ancient Greek physics.
Scientist sometimes stops to look at very simple things and to think very hard about them. Even the simplest idea, which we might think is foolish, can shake the foundations of science.
1. 小題1:The passage tells us that Charles Darwin ____.

A．was a great English scientist

B．a(chǎn)lways liked doing the experiments that others thought difficult

C．thought even the simplest thing was important

D．didn’t get well with others

2.小題2:The phrase “set aside” most probably means____ .

A．throw away	B．store up
C．put to use	D．realize

3. 小題3:The author of the passage tries to ________.

A．convince us that Charles Darwin, Galileo and Newton are the greatest scientists in the world

B．draw the conclusion that basic sciences are simple things

C．prove that two sheets of paper, with the same size and shape, will fall at the same speed

D．draw our attention to everyday happenings around us

4小題4:Which of the following is TRUE?

A．Darwin really did fools experiments.

B．According to some people Darwin did foolish experiments.

C．It is believed by all the people that things could be important though they seemed to be simple.

D．Galileo and Newton worked out ancient Greek physics.