It was once unheard-of to be a businessman in China. Nowadays, though, it’s quite common to become your own boss. Let’s say you have an idea. Maybe you want to open an English school or sell Japanese comics. First, you need a business plan. It sets out what you’ll sell and how much everything will cost. Most businesses that fail didn’t have this. If you need to borrow money at the start, banks will ask for a detailed plan.
The best starting place for a business plan is the 4Ps: product, place, price and promotion. All these must be strong to be successful.
□Product
Your product must have something unique. What makes it special compared to other similar products? If you want to start a noodle shop that has nothing new, don’t expect people to show much interest. You can research your product. For food, let people try it for free. For toys, let a few children play with them to see if they like them.
□Place
There’s no point having a product that people want to buy if your shop is in an empty mall. Think about which type of person is going to buy what you sell. Where do they usually go shopping? When looking at possible places, spend the day there. See how many people pass by. Also, are there other shops nearby selling similar products? If so, how can you be better than them?
□Price
Work out how much it costs to make or provide your product. As a general rule, your price will be double the cost. After all, you’re also paying for rent, staff and you need to eat too!
□Promotion
How can you attract people to your shop? Advertising in newspapers and on TV is expensive. Perhaps you can get free advertising by getting a newspaper to write about your business.
小題1:What’s the best title for the passage?

A．How to start a business.

B．Starting a business soon.

C．Starting your own business.

D．Preparations for starting a business.

小題2:According to the author, the reason why most businesses fail is due to lack of ________.

A．a(chǎn) business plan

B． a shop

C． money

D．successful businessmen

小題3:If you want to start a noodle shop, you should ________.

A．expect people to show much interest

B．research your noodles

C．let people try it at a low price

D．let children have a try

小題4:What does “If so” in Paragraph 4 refer to?

A．There are shops selling the goods like yours.

B．Many people pass by.

C．You should think about which type of person is going to buy what you sell.

D．You should spend the day on possible places.

小題5:You are selling toys to children. It costs 5 yuan to make each one. How much should you charge the children for each toy?

A．15 yuan.

B． 5 yuan.

C． 10 yuan.

D． 50 yuan.

Did anyone find the names of “Great Britain”, “the United Kingdom”, “England” and “the British commonwealth” which have the same meaning? Strictly speaking, these names all refer to something different. None of them are exactly the same as any of the others.
The British isles refer to the main islands and several thousand small ones as well, which you can see on the map. Great Britain, or Britain, refers to the larger of the two main islands. But the word “Britain” is often used as a short form for the United Kingdom or you call it the UK.
Now as for England, it refers simply to the largest of the three countries on the island of Great Britain. The United Kingdom is the name of the state and the official name of the country, which many people popularly refer to England.
Finally, the Britain commonwealth is the usual name for what is left of the British Empire (帝國(guó)). This change shows the weakening of British Empire and the rising of the national liberation movements throughout the world today.
小題1:According to the passage, we know that _____________.

A．Great Britain has the same meaning as Britain

B．a(chǎn)ll the names refer to England

C．the United Kingdom has the same meaning as Britain or England

D．a(chǎn)ll the names in the first paragraph have the same meaning

小題2: It is clear that the British isles refer to _____________.

A．Britain, England and the UK

B．the two main islands and thousands of small ones

C．three countries and several islands

D．Great Britain or the United Kingdom

小題3:We can infer that           .

A．The country hasn’t an exact name.

B．Few people know its real name.

C．All the names have exact meaning.

D．Generally speaking,the names can all be used to stand for the country.

小題4:Which of the following shows the right relationship (關(guān)系) between the British isles (BI), Britain (B) and England (E)?
A. B>BI>E. B. BI>E>B.        C. E>B>BI.    D. BI>B>E.
小題5:If you want to write to someone in Edinburgh that lies in Scotland, you should write the address as _____________.

A．Edinburgh, England

B．Edinburgh, Scotland ,Great Britain

C．Scotland, Edinburgh, England

D．Great Britain, Scotland, Edinburgh

From the time I was seven, I had a dream of becoming a member of the Students Union. I always     my school leaders for taking responsibility for all of us. So I dreamed of being a leader.
Years flew by, and soon I was able to take part in the elections(選舉),      I would win. But the reality proved that I hadn't had a chance. I wasn't pretty. Girls in the school hardly knew me. I just did not have what it     to win a school election. I was     .
As I cried in my room that evening, I suddenly took a deep breath and decided I wouldn't stop dreaming. I decided that I would     for elections again in my final year at school—and I would      the election.
I recognized that my     had a lot of things in their favor. What were in    favor? I had good grades, and I was friendly and helpful. And my biggest    was the faith I had. I would not allow my plain appearance to hold me     from my heading forward. That evening, I      my election plans a whole year ahead of time.
I realized that girls would have to get to know me and recognize that I had the ability to     them. I loved making friends and I liked being helpful,       I decided that perhaps I could use these qualities to win. In order to learn how to give a great election    , I also attended a course on effective public speaking.
The day after the election, when the headmaster announced I won the second highest number of votes, the students    . That joy on the faces of all my friends showed me that my victory was    theirs.
Suddenly, I realized that I had    much more than I had dreamed of. I had made many new friends and had helped people along the way. I had won the     and love of my schoolmates and they     me as somebody who would stand by them. I was able to put a smile on their faces and     their day.

小題1:	A．a(chǎn)dmired B．remembered C．praised D．believed

小題2:	A．hoping B．planning C．pretending D．judging

小題3:	A．offered B．provided C．meant D．took

小題4:	A．concerned B．upset C．surprised D．a(chǎn)ngry

小題5:	A．pay B．speak C．enter D．wait

小題6:	A．beat B．win C．defeat D．earn

小題7:	A．competitors B．classmates C．enemies D．schoolmates

小題8:	A．their B．your C．our D．my

小題9:	A．problem B．strength C．worry D．dream

小題10:

A．in B．up C．out D．back

小題11:

A．began B．discussed C．a(chǎn)nnounced D．challenged

小題12:

A．consider B．a(chǎn)ccompany C．represent D．support

小題13:

A．but B．a(chǎn)nd C．so D．or

小題14:

A．research B．speech C．meeting D．promise

小題15:

A．nodded B．gathered C．cheered D．cried

小題16:

A．only B．still C．a(chǎn)lmost D．a(chǎn)lso

小題17:

A．a(chǎn)chieved B．a(chǎn)voided C．devoted D．developed

小題18:

A．a(chǎn)nnouncement B．recognition C．communication D．excitement

小題19:

A．consider B．speak C．tell D．say

小題20:

A．enlarge B．wish C．brighten D．experience

Having spent two and a half years in China over several visits, I don’t remember ever going through a phase we in the United States call “cultural shock”. This period of difficulty in adjusting to a new culture would probably have set in during my semester at Peking University. Of course, this is not to say that I didn’t notice any differences between the American and Chinese cultures upon my arrival at Peking University, I did notice the differences. Looking back, I remember one of the first differences I noticed: Chinese universities are surrounded by walls.
To an American, this is one of the most striking aspects of a Chinese university which immediately sets it apart from an American campus. Having grown up in the United States, I had never seen a university surrounded by high, cement(水泥) walls. My idea of a university, based on having seen scores of them in different states of the U.S., was a place of life and learning, an inseparable part of the community in which it was located, open not only to the students of the school itself, but also fully accessible to students from other schools and to the broader public.
My idea of a university was that it was a center of cultural life, a resource for the entire community. In all my twenty-one years, it had never occurred to me that a school would have a wall around it. Walls enclose and separate; schools expand and integrate(合并). The very idea seemed fundamentally incompatible. I asked a Chinese friend if all Chinese universities have walls around them. “You know, I have never really thought about it. I guess so. I guess all Chinese schools have walls around them, not just universities.” “Why?” I asked, “What’s the point?” “I don’t know. To protect us, I suppose.”  “From whom?” “I don’t know. Don’t you have walls around your schools in the United States?” I thought carefully before answering. “No, I’ve never seen or heard of a university encircled by a wall.” My Chinese friend seemed puzzled. Walls around schools came to strike me as more than just an architectural difference between the United States and China. As China continues to open up to the outside world, these walls seem increasingly out of place.
小題1:The author felt strange about Chinese culture when he ___________.

A．studied in Peking University

B．talked with his friends about the walls

C．experienced the “cultural shock” at his arrival

D．spent two and a half years in China over several visits

小題2:In the author’s opinion, a university is a place ___________.

A．where only students can come to study

B．which is similar everywhere in the world

C．that should be surrounded by high cement walls

D．that is an inseparable part of and a resource for the community

小題3:What does the underlined sentence in the last paragraph probably mean?

A．The two ideas are fundamental.

B．The two ideas are basically different.

C．The two ideas about “school” and “wall” are suitable.

D．The two ideas about “school” and “wall” are conflicting.

小題4:What did the author’s friend feel about the walls around universities?

A．He thought it a good idea to have walls encircling schools.

B．He was shocked that American universities are not enclosed.

C．He thought they were necessary to protect students from being hurt.

D．He thought the difference between two countries is only architectural styles.

小題5:We can infer from the passage that the author thinks _____________.

A．walls are really useful in the universities

B．he can never really understand the Chinese culture

C．Chinese universities should work as public scenic spots

D．walls around the universities are inappropriate in an open China

A black hole is a place in space where gravity pulls so much that even light cannot get out. The gravity is so strong because matter has been squeezed into a tiny space. This can happen when a star is dying.
Because no light can get out, people can’t see black holes. Space telescopes with special tools can help find black holes. The special tools can see how stars that are very close to black holes act differently from other ones.
Black holes can be big or small. Scientists think the smallest black holes are as small as just one atom. These black holes are very tiny but have the mass of a large mountain. Mass is the amount of matter, or “staff”, in an object.
Another kind of black hole is called “stellar”(星球黑洞). Its mass can be up to 20 times more than the mass of the sun. There may be many stellar mass black holes in Earth’s galaxy. Earth’s galaxy is called the Milky Way.
The largest black holes are called “supermassive”(超大質(zhì)量黑洞). These black holes have masses that are more than one million suns together. Scientists have found proof that every large galaxy contains a supermassive black hole at its center. The supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way galaxy has a mass equal to about four million suns and would fit inside a very large ball that could hold a few million Earths.
Scientists think the smallest black holes formed when the universe began. Stellar black holes are made when the center of a very big star falls in upon itself, or falls apart. When this happens, it exploded part of the star into space. Scientists think supermassive black holes were made at the same time as the galaxy they are in.
A black hole can not be seen because strong gravity pulls all of the light into the middle of the black hole. But scientists can see how the strong gravity affects the stars and gas around the black hole. Scientists can study stars to find out if they are flying around, or orbiting a black hole.
When a black hole and a star are close together, high-energy light is made. This kind of light cannot be seen with human eyes. Scientists use satellites and telescopes in space to see the high-energy light.
小題1:The gravity of a black hole may become so strong that light cannot get out when ____________.

A．the star is going to die

B．special tools are used on it

C．other stars come close to it

D．it is seen from the space telescopes

小題2:According to the passage, which of the following is NOT true?

A．A black hole can be very tiny but extremely heavy.

B．The gravity of a black hole holds all light in its center.

C．Scientists observe high-energy light through their own eyes.

D．Some small black holes came into being as early as the universe.

小題3:The underlined word “galaxy” in Paragraph 5 means __________.

A．a(chǎn) black hole	B．the Milky Way
C．a(chǎn) series of stars	D．a(chǎn) planet near the earth

小題4:What does the last sentence in Paragraph 5 suggest?

A．Neither the sun nor the earth is as heavy as a black hole.

B．There is a supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way.

C．The supermassive black hole had existed before the Milky Way was formed.

D．There is a reason why the large black holes are called “supermassive”.

小題5:The last two paragraph mainly focus on the question of _________.

A．what a black hole is

B．how black holes form

C．how big black holes are

D．how scientists know about black holes

The computer keyboard helped kill shorthand—a system of rapid handwriting, and now it’s threatening to finish off handwriting as a whole. When handwritten essays were introduced on the SAT exams for the class of 2012, just 15% of the most1.5 million students wrote their answers in cursive(草寫(xiě)字母). The rest? Block letters.
And those college hopefuls are just the first edge of a wave of US students who no longer get much handwriting instructions in the primary grades, frequently 10 minutes a day or less. As a result, more and more students struggle to read and write cursive.
At Keene Mill Elementary School in Springfield, all their poems and stories are typed. Children in Fairfax County schools are taught keyboarding beginning in kindergarten. Older students who never mastered handwriting say it doesn’t affect their grades.
There are those who say the culture is at a crossing, turning from the written word to the typed one. If handwriting becomes a lost form of communication, does it matter?
It was at University Virginia that researchers recently discovered a previously unknown poem by Robert, written in his unique script. Handwritten documents are more valuable to researchers, historians say, because their authenticity(真實(shí)性) can be confirmed. Students also find them more fascinating.
The loss of handwriting also may be  a cognitive(認(rèn)知的) opportunity missed. Several academic studies have found that good handwriting skills at a young age can help children express their thoughts better—a lifelong benefit.
It doesn’t take much to teach better handwriting skills. At some schools in Prince George’s County, elementary school students use a program called Handwriting Without Tears for 15 minutes a day. They learn the correct formation of manuscript letters through second grade, and cursive letters in third grade.
There are always going to be some kids who struggle with handwriting because of their particular neurological(神經(jīng)系統(tǒng)的) writing, learning issues or poor motor skills. Educators often point to this factor in support of keyboarding.
小題1:What is the author concerned about after 2012 Sat exams?

A．Keyboarding.

B．Shorthand.

C．Handwriting.

D．Block letters.

小題2:A poem by Robert mentioned in the passage is used to ____________.

A．prove how valuable handwriting is

B．explain what a famous poet he is

C．show how unique his poem is

D．stress how fascinating the documents are

小題3:The example of Handwriting Without Tears helps to argue that _____________. 

A．the schools are responsible for the loss of handwriting

B．the loss of handwriting is a cognitive opportunity missed

C．it doesn’t take much to teach better handwriting skills

D．the culture is turning from the written word to the typed one

小題4:According to the author, when is a perfect time to learn handwriting?

A．Kindergarten.	B．Primary school.
C．High school.	D．College.

小題5:What is the author’s attitude towards this debate? 

A．Devotion.

B．Encouragement.

C．Critical.

D．Objective.

Make Up Your Mind to Succeed
Kind-hearted parents have unknowingly left their children defenseless against failure．The generation (age) born between 1980 and 2001 grew up playing sports where scores (marks) and performance (show) were played down because “everyone's winner.” And their report cards sounded more positive than ever before．As a result, Stanford University professor Carol Dweck, PhD, calls them “the overpraised generation.”
Dweck has been studying how people deal with failure for 40 years．Her research has led her to find out two clearly different mind-sets that have a great effect on how we react to it．Here's how they work:
　　A fixed mind-set is grounded in the belief that talent is genetic – you're a born artist, point guard, or numbers person．The fixed mind-set believes it's sure to succeed without much effort and regards failure as personal shame．When things get difficult, it's quick to blame (liability), lie, and even stay away from future difficulties.
　 On the other hand, a growth mind-set believes that no talent is entirely heaven-sent and that effort and learning make everything possible．Because the ego (自尊) isn't on the line as much, the growth mind-set sees failure as a chance rather than shame．When faced with a difficulty, it's quick to rethink, change and try again．In fact, it enjoys this experience.
　　We are all born with growth mind-sets．(Otherwise, we wouldn't be able to live in the world.) But parents, teachers, and instructors often push us into fixed mind-sets by encouraging certain actions and misdirecting praise．Dweck's book, Mind-set: The New Psychology of Success, and online instructional program explain this in depth．But she says there are many little things you can start doing today to make sure that your children, grandchildren and even you are never defeated by failure.
小題1:What does the author think about the present generation?

A．They don't do well at school.

B．They are often misunderstood.

C．They are eager to win in sports

D．They are given too much praise.

小題2:A fixed mind-set person is probably one who ___ .

A．doesn't want to work hard

B．cares a lot about personal safety

C．cannot share his ideas with others

D．can succeed with the help of teachers

小題3:What does the growth mind-set believe?

A．Admitting failure is shameful.

B．Talent comes with one's birth.

C．Getting over difficulties is enjoyable.

D．Scores should be highly valued.

How can we measure animals’ emotions? A new study of animal’s emotions suggests that, as in humans, emotions can tell animals about how dangerous their world is, and guide the choices that they make. The article of the study by Bristol University’s professor Mike Mendl was published online.
An animal living in an environment where it is often threatened by predators(捕食者）will develop a negative emotion or “mood”, such as anxiety. However, one in an environment with plenty of opportunities to get resources for survival will be in a more positive mood state.
The researchers say that these emotional states not only show the animal’s experiences, but also help it decide how to make choices, especially in unclear situations. This could have good or bad results. An animal in a negative mood state will make a safety-first with a “pessimistic” response to an unclear event. For example, it considers a noise in the grass as a signal of the predator. At the same time, an animal in a positive mood state will benefit from a more “optimistic” response. It considers the noise as a signal of prey(獵物）.
Professor Mike Mendl, head of the Animal Welfare and Behavior Research Group at Bristol University’s School of Clinical Veterinary Science said, “ We can use “optimistic” or “pessimistic”decision-making as a symbol of an animal’s emotional state. Recent studies by our group and others suggest that this is a meritorious new approach to studying a variety of animal species.”
“Public interest in animal welfare remains high, with widespread concern about the way in which animals are treated, used and included in society. To understand how animals should be treated, we need to better understand their emotional lives,” Mike Mendl said. The researchers believe Mike Mendl’s study can help them to better understand and assess an animal’s emotions.
小題1:When an animal is in a negative mood state, _______.

A．its response to an unclear event is pessimistic

B．it will pay little attention to an unclear event

C．it is easy for it to make right decisions

D．it has more opportunities to get food

小題2:The underlined word “meritorious” in Paragraph 4 can be replaced by “_______”.

A．valuable

B．useless

C．fashionable

D．hopeless

小題3:We can infer from the passage that ________.

A．the animals with positive emotions live longer

B．there is no way to assess an animal’s emotions

C．few people care about animal welfare nowadays

D．the environment can influence animal’s emotions

小題4:Mike Mendl advised people to better understand animal’s emotions in order to _____.

A．tell people to build more protected areas for animals

B．explain animals should be regarded as people’s friends

C．raise people’s interest in studying animals

D．make people know how to treat animals properly

小題5:What would be the best title for the passage?

A．Different kinds of Animals’ Emotions

B．Emotions Helps Animals to Make Choice

C．The Living Environment of Wild Animals

D．The Best Way to Measure Animals’ Emotions

China is going green. In order to reduce air pollution and oil shortages, automobile manufacturers have announced their plans to develop hybrid vehicles (混合燃料汽車(chē)) for the Chinese market. Toyota's hybrid car Prius will be ready to drive in China this week. Let's have a look at the new car.
Any vehicle is a hybrid when it combines two or more sources of power. Hybrid cars run off a rechargeable battery and gasoline. Hybrid cars have special engines, which are smaller than traditional gasoline engines. They run at 99 percent of their power when the car is cruising (勻速行駛). A specially designed battery motor provides extra power for running up hills or when extra acceleration is needed.
Step into a Prius, and turn on the engine. The first thing you notice is how much quieter it is than a traditional car. At this point, the car's gasoline engine is dormant (休眠). The electric motor will provide power until the car reaches about 24 km/h. If you stay at a low speed, you are effectively driving an electric car, with no gasoline being used, and no waste gas gives off.
The onboard (車(chē)載的) computer makes the decision about when to use a gas engine, when to go electric, and when to use a combination of the two. If you go over 24 km/h, when you step on the gas pedal (油門(mén)), you are actually telling the computer how fast you want to go.
The electronic motor recharges automatically using a set of batteries. When driving at high speed, the gasoline engine not only powers the car, but also charges the batteries. Any time you use the brake, the electric motor in the wheels will work like a generator and produce electricity to recharge the batteries. As a consequence, the car's batteries will last for around 200,000 miles.
小題1:The author writes this passage mainly to________.

A．teach people how to drive a hybrid car

B．introduce a new kind of “green” car

C．show how to save their gasoline when driving a car

D．a(chǎn)nnounce plans to develop hybrid vehicles for China

小題2:Which of the followings is NOT true?

A．The hybrid cars reduce air pollution and oil shortages.

B．The car's gasoline engine doesn't work until it reaches about 24 km/h.

C．This kind of car is completely controlled by an onboard computer.

D．A specially designed battery motor provides extra power when needed.

小題3:What is the most important feature of hybrid cars?

A．They are powered by both a rechargeable battery and gasoline.

B．They are much quieter than traditional cars.

C．They only use 99 percent of their power to run up hills.

D．They have smaller engines than traditional gasoline ones.

小題4:What can we conclude from the story?

A．The batteries can be recharged at any time you want.

B．Using the brake suggests that the gasoline engine should work.

C．The batteries will last for 200, 000 miles without being recharged.

D．The gasoline engine charges the batteries as well as powers the car.

Where Are We Going, Dad? presents a new generation of men, in a break from Chinese tradition, now take an active role in their children's lives.
Five star fathers and their children travel around China, riding camels through the western deserts, fishing off the east coast, and selling vegetables for their bus fare home in remote southwestern Yunnan province. One dad doesn’t know how to do his daughter’s hair, but give him a couple of days — he’ll figure it out. Another one must survive with his son for three days in the desert, where, because neither can cook, the two only eat instant noodles.
These story lines are part of Where Are We Going, Dad? which, since its first show in October, has become one of China’s most popular television shows, covering more than 600 million viewers each week. And searches for Where Are We Going, Dad? turn up over 40 million hits on Sina Weibo, China’s Twitter.
“In traditional Chinese culture, the common conception of parenthood is that the father is strict and the mother is kind. But on the show, we see fathers who are much gentler on their kids and more concerned with their upbringing,” said Li Minyi, an associate professor of early childhood education at the leading Beijing Normal University. “An important question arises in this show for modern Chinese society — what is the role of fathers in today’s China?”
“As they raise their children, parents are growing up at the same time,” said Wang Renping, a popular education expert, in an interview with the Qianjiang Evening News. “They cannot use parenting styles from 20 years ago to guide the development of children born 20 years later.”
The attraction of Where Are We Going, Dad? lies in the chance to have a close look at the lives of popular Chinese stars and their children. Audiences fancy watching the failed attempts of star dads making dinner, braiding hair(編頭發(fā)), and disciplining children — tasks often left to mothers in a society still influenced by the opinion that “men rule outside and women rule inside.”
小題1:From the passage, we can draw a conclusion that Where Are We Going, Dad? is         .

A．a(chǎn) TV show

B．a(chǎn) novel

C．a(chǎn) match

D．a(chǎn) news report

小題2:In Where Are We Going, Dad, we can probably learn about                          .

A．how the fathers do housework at home

B．how the children study in their spare time

C．how the fathers look after and guide their children

D．how the children help their father with their travel around China

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

A．In modern society, men should not care too much about their kids.

B．Where Are We Going, Dad has the most number of viewers in China.

C．In Chinese tradition, fathers always play an active part in their children’s lives.

D．While they bring up their children, parents are improving their parenting styles.

小題4:The reason why Where Are We Going, Dad is so popular in China may include the following EXCEPT that          .

A．a(chǎn)udiences enjoy laughing at others’ failure in life

B．it can make people laugh and think at the same time

C．people love watching the stars and their children’s lives closely

D．it presents a new generation of men’s role in their children’s lives