A university graduate described as a "respectable and intelligent" woman is seeking professional help after
being convicted of (證明有……罪) shoplifting for the second time in six months.
       Ana Luz, recently studying for her PhD, has been told she could end up behind bars unless she can control
the desire to steal from shops.
       Luz, who lives with her partner in Fitzwilliam Road, Cambridge, admitted stealing clothes worth ￡9.95
from John Lewis in Oxford Street, London, on March 9.
       Phillip Lemoyne, prosecuting (起訴), said Luz selected some clothes from a display and took them to the
ladies' toilet in the store. When she came out again she was wearing one of the skirts she had selected, having
taken off the anti-theft security alarms (防盜警報裝置).
       She was stopped and caught after leaving the store without paying, Mr Lemoyne said.
       He added that she was upset on her arrest and apologized for her actions.
       Luz, 28, was said to have been convicted of shoplifting by Cambridge judges last October, but Morag
Duff, defending, said she had never been in trouble with the police before that.
       "She is ashamed and embarrassed but doesn't really have any explanation why she did this," Miss Duff
said. "She didn't intend to steal when she went into the store. She is at a loss to explain it. She is otherwise a
very respectable and intelligent young lady. She went to her doctor and asked for advice because she wants
to knowif there is anything in particular that caused her to do this."
       Judge David Azan fined Luz ￡50, and warned:"You've got acriminal record. If you carry on like this,
you will end up in prison, which will ruin your bright future you may have."
       Luz achieved a degree in design at university in her native Spain, went on to a famous university in Berlin,
Germany for her master's degree and is now studying for a PhD at Cambridge University, UK.

1. What is Ana Luz's nationality?

A. American.
B. British.
C. Spanish.
D. German.

2. Which of the following best explains the meaning of the word "shoplifting" used in the passage?

A. Carrying goods in a lift for a shop.
B. Taking goods to the ladies' toilet.
C. Selecting some goods from a display.
D. Taking goods from a shop without paying.

3. From the passage we can learn that _____.

A. Ana Luz has already got her PhD at Cambridge University, UK
B. Ana Luz is ashamed and embarrassed and knows why she often did so
C. the university graduate will be put in prison if she steals in shops once more
D. Phillip Lemoyne is the "respectable and intelligent" woman's defense lawyer

4. What would be the best title for the passage?

A. Shoplifting Shame of a PhD Student
B. Apologizing for the Actions in Shops
C. Seeking Professional Help from Experts
D. Controlling the Desire to Steal from Shops

     Until late in the 20th century, most Americans spent time with people of generations. Now mid-aged
Americans may not keep in touch with old people until they are old themselves. That's because we group
people by age. We put our three-year-olds together in day-care center, our 13-year-olds in school and sports
activities, and our 80-year-olds in senior-citizen homes. Why?
      We live away from the old for many reasons: young people sometimes avoid the old to get rid of fears
for aging and dying. It is much harder to watch someone we love disappear before our eyes. Sometimes it's
so hard that we stay away from the people who need us most.
      Fortunately, some of us have found our way to the old. And we have discovered that they often save the
young. 
      A reporter moved her family onto a block filled with old people. At first her children were disappointed.
But the reporter baked banana bread for the neighbors and had her children deliver it and visit them. Soon the
children had many new friends, with whom they shared food, stories and projects. "My children have never
been less lonely," the reporter said. The young, in turn, save the old. Once I was in a rest home when a visitor
showed up with a baby. She was immediately surrounded. People who hadn't gotten out of bed in a week
suddenly were ringing for a wheelchair. Even those who had seemed asleep wake up to watch the child.
Babies have an astonishing power to comfort and cure. 
      Grandparents are a special case. They give grandchildren a feeling of security and continuity. As my
husband put it, "my grandparents gave me a deep sense that things would turn out right in the end."
      Grandchildren speak of attention they don't get from worried parents. "My parents were always telling
me to hurry up, and my grandparents told me to slow down," one friend said. A teacher told me she can tell
which pupils have relationships with grandparents: they are quieter, calmer, more trusting.

1. Now in an American family, people can find that ____.

A. children never live with their parents
B. not all working people live with their parents
C. aged people are supported by their grandchildren
D. grandchildren are supported by their grandparents

2. The reason why old people are left alone may be that ____.

A. the old don't like to live in a big family
B. the young can't get enough money to support the old
C. different generations have different lifestyles
D. the old are too weak to live with the young

3. The fact that the reporter told us shows that ____.

A. old people in America lead a hard life
B. old people in America enjoy banana bread
C. she had no time to take care of her children
D. old people are easy to get along with

4. Seeing a baby, the old people get excited because ____.

A. they had never seen a baby before
B. the baby was clever and beautiful
C. the baby brought them the image of life
D. the baby's mother would take care of them

Dear Victor:
     I am a college student. Nowadays games on the net are very popular with college students. Some of my
roommates are very intererted in them. They not only play games in their free time, but also keep talking about
them at night when lights are off, and they regard games as part of life. I've begged (乞求) them to give it up,
but they wouldn't listen to me. It has become a rather big problem. Should I report it to our teachers or do
something else? 
                                                                                                                                                 Ted,
Dear Ted:
      Drop it. Your roommates, as grown-ups, can do whatever they want with their time so long as it doesn't
break school rules or violate (防礙) other people's interests.
      Playing perhaps gives these students relaxation (放松) from hard study. If they play too often, have little
time to study, and they will reap what they have sown, but you will not. Reporting to the teachers would only
harm your good name in your dormitory (宿舍). However you have rights to ask your roommates to be quiet
when you need sleep. If they aren't angry with you, they will stop talking. But be polite and friendly. Perhaps,
in return, join them in a game or two.
                                                                                                                                                  Victor.

1. According to the first letter, many college students enjoy _____.

A. playing computer games
B. searching information on the Internet
C. sending e-mails
D. buying things online

2. Ted wants his roommates to _____.

A. break their computers
B. sell their computers to teachers
C. stop playing computer games
D. play games in the day, not at night

3. According to the second letter, some college students _____.

A. can violate school rules or other people's interests
B. have their rights to quarrel with Ted
C. can relax themselves while playing games on the net
D. can study even better if they play games on the net

4. Victor asks Ted to _____.

A. report to the teachers
B. harm his good name in the dormitory
C. quarrel with his roommates
D. learn how to get on well with others

5. In the second letter, the underlined part (劃線部分) means _____.

A. 自食其果
B. 隨心所欲地做事
C. 回家種莊稼
D. 逃避責(zé)任

     In a recently published book, I came across some exercises with interesting names such as fishbone
diagrams, lotus flowers, and clustering. As I used these exercises in my classes, I noticed that students
were interested. They said more and wrote more. They enjoyed expressing their ideas and sharing them
in groups. They were no longer passively waiting for the bell, but actively took part in the lesson. I find
that creativity (創(chuàng)新) can act as a way to increase participation and improve fluency (流利程度).
     Creativity has become a popular word in recent years. Scholar in the arts, psychology (心理學(xué)),
business, education, and science are all working to get a deeper understanding of it. Robert J. Sternberg
is a creativity specialist and Yale professor of psychology. He defines creativity as"the ability to produce
work that is both new (original) and appropriate (applicable to the situation)". This definition is useful, as
we want our students to use language in a new way, and to use it correctly and properly. Most scholars
say there are two types of creativity: big "C" creativity and small "c" creativity. Big "C" creativity refers
to genius level thinking that results in artistic masterpieces and scientific breakthroughs. Small "c"
creativity refers to everyday level thinking that can be used in any situation. Our emphasis is on the latter.
While it goes without saying that any of our students could go on to be the next Picasso or Edison, our
aim is to help students produce more ideas and use language in new ways.

1. The underlined words "waiting for the bell" in the first paragraph probably mean _____.

A. longing for a phone call
B. hoping to have a bell
C. expecting the end of the class
D. wanting to speak in class

2. It can be inferred from the passage that the author thought the exercises in the book were _____.

A. popular
B. useful
C. scientific
D. creative

3. When you use a very familiar word in a new way, you are _____.

A. creative in the sense of big "C" creativity
B. creative in the sense of small "c" creativity
C. not creative in the sense of big "C" creativity
D. not creative in the sense of small "c" creativity

4. The main purpose of the passage is to _____.

A. show how useful the book is
B. explain what creativity is
C. discuss how one can be creative
D. tell what teaching aims

     Celebrity (名人) has become one of the most important representatives of popular culture. Fans used
to be crazy about specific film, but now the public tends to base its consumption (消費) on the interest of
celebrity attached to any given product. Besides, fashion magazines have almost abandoned the practice of
putting models on the cover because they don't sell nearly as well as famous faces. As a result, celebrities
have realized their unbelievably powerful market potential, moving from advertising for others' products to
developing their own. 
     Celebrity clothing lines aren't a completely new phenomenon, but in the past they were typically aimed
at the ordinary consumers, and limited to a few TV actresses. Today they're started by first-class stars
whose products enjoy equal fame with some world top brands. The most successful start-ups have been
those by celebrities with specific personal style. As celebrities become more and more experienced at the
market, they expand their production scale rapidly, covering almost all the products of daily life.
     However, for every success story, there's a related warning tale of a celebrity who overvalued his
consumer appeal. No matter how famous the product's origins is, if it fails to impress consumers with its
own qualities it begins to resemble an exercise in self-promotional marketing. And once the initial (最初的)
attention dies down, consumer interest might fade, loyalty (忠誠) returning to tried-and-true labels.
     Today, celebrities face even more severe embarrassment. The pop-cultural circle might be bigger than
ever, but its rate of turnover has speeded up as well. Each misstep threatens to reduce a celebrity's shelf life,
and the same newspaper or magazine that once brought him fame has no problem picking him to pieces when
the opportunity appears. Still, the ego's (自我的) potential for expansion is limitless. Having already achieved
great wealth and public recognition, many celebrities see fashion as the next frontier to be conquered. As the
saying goes, success and failure always go hand in hand. Their success as designers might last only a short
time, but fashion-like celebrity-has always been temporary.

     Hotlines have become common in China. Some radio broadcasting stations use hotlines to encourage the
listeners to take part in the talk shows.
     That's a good idea. Yet, the fact is some people do nothing but break the whole programme.
     Some people know little about the topic under discussion. Sometimes they do not even know what the
host (主持人) is talking about. So the host has to tell the caller what the show is about. Usually the caller will
ask a few questions which express his hope and show his ignorance (無知). Then the host has to answer and
explain－h(huán)ow silly this is! It wastes a lot of time.
     It seems that some people phone the hotlines in fun. They just want to let the listeners hear them. They
don't care what the topic is, whether they themselves are interested in or how silly they appear to be.
     I'm totally bored (厭煩) by those people. It's necessary for radio stations to improve the hotline
programmes.In my opinion, if the caller doesn't know what is going on, the operator should not let the caller
take part in it.

1. The sentence "some people do nothing but break the whole programme." may tell us that _____.

A. radio stations use hotlines in a wrong way
B. it is a fact
C. it is a good idea
D. some people have unclear thoughts

2. Which of the following statements is NOT true?

A. Some people know little about the topic under discussion.
B. Some people do not know what the host is talking about.
C. Some people do not know what the show is about.
D. The writer tells us that the host is silly.

3. The host has to answer and explain, _____.

A. for the host works hard
B. because of the caller's ignorance
C. for the host likes talking to the caller
D. because of a lot of questions raised by the caller

4. The passage doesn't tell us the idea _____.

A. that some listeners phone the hotlines in fun
B. that some people just want to be heard by others
C. that some people who don't care what the topic is must have realized that they appear to be silly
D. what the hotline programmes are

5. The word "operator" in the last paragraph refers to _____.

A. host
B. listener
C. doctor
D. both A and B

      With the start of the new term, the students around the country exchange their fun and fashionable
clothes for boring school uniforms (校服). But not all campuses are fashion deserts. Colorful sports shoes,
school bags, T-shirts and even drink containers are breathing life into campuses.
      "The uniform makes us look like a bunch of clones, especially when we are doing morning exercises
on the playground," said Qing Pei, a Senior 2 from Shanghai Qibao High School. "But the boys wear different
sports shoes and girls have different decorations in their hair. These are the areas where you can express
yourself," said Qing. 
      Although it might be strange for boys to talk about fashion, they do care about what they wear in school,
especially shoes, according to Qing. "Nike and Adidas basketball shoes, although they are still the must-have
items for many of my friends, are becoming out-of-date," Qing added. He explained that "Since Liu Xiang ran
so fast in Athens, running shoes are becoming popular in this autumn. "Still in fashion are the various baseball
caps and American-style T-shirts with random (隨意的) English words printed on them," said Qing. Besides
sports shoes and T-shirts, styles and colors of school bags are another opportunity for students to express
their taste in fashion. Some bags are made more eye-catching by decorating (裝飾) them with small hanging
dolls. Other fashionable items are the colorful drink containers which are now popular among girls this term.
"Some teachers are surprised to see a teenager sucking a bottle like this at school and criticized it as a childish
regression (退化). But some girls just love it," said Yang Rui, a Senior 3.

1. What does "a bunch of clones" (Para 2) mean?

A. All of the clothes are the same.
B. All of our exercises are the same.
C. We all look like twins.
D. We all have the similar fashions.

2. How do the girls show their personality at campuses?

A. They wear different sport shoes.
B. They wear school uniforms.
C. They have different decorations in their hair.
D. They drink water from colorful drink containers.

3. What are becoming fashionable for schoolboys according to this news story?

A. Nike and Adidas basketball shoes.
B. Baseball caps and American-style T-shirts.
C. Colorful drink containers.
D. Running shoes.

4. The writer of this newspaper article wants to _____.

A. call for the schools to pay attention to students' wear
B. report students' great love for fashion
C. criticize a childish regression at campuses
D. discuss about school uniforms

     Parents and kids today dress alike, listen to the same music, and are friends. Is this a good thing?
Sometimes, when Mr. Ballmer and his 16-year-old daughter, Elizabeth, listen to rock music together and talk
about interests both enjoy, such as pop culture, he remembers his more distant relationship with his parents
when he was a teenager.
     "I would never have said to my mom, 'Hey, the new Weezer album is really great. How you like it?" says
Ballmer. "There was just a complete gap in taste."
     Music was not the only gulf. From clothing and hairstyles to activities and expectations, earlier generations
of parents and children often appeared to move in separate orbits.
     Today, the generation gap has not disappeared, but it is getting narrow in many families. Conversations on
subjects such as sex and drugs would not have taken place a generation ago. Now they are comfortable and
common. And parent-child activities, from shopping to sports, involve a feeling of trust and friendship that
can continue into adulthood.
     No wonder greeting cards today carry the message, "To my mother, my best friend."
     But family experts warn that the new equality can also result in less respect for parents.
     "There's still a lot strictness and authority on the part of parents out there, but there is a change happening,"
says Kerrie, a psychology professor at Lebanon Valley College, "In the middle of that change, there is a lot of
confusion among parents."
     Family researchers offer a variety of reasons for these evolving roles and attitudes. They see the 1960s as
a turning point. Great cultural changes led to more open communication and a more democratic process that
encourages everyone to have a say.
     "My parents were on the 'before' side of that change, but today's parents, the 40-year-old, were on the
'after' side," explains Mr. Ballmer. "It's not something easily accomplished by parents these days, because life
is more difficult to understand or deal with, but sharing interests does make it more fun to be a parent now."

1. The underlined word gulf in Para. 3 most probably means _____.

A. interest
B. distance
C. difference
D. separation

2. Which of the following show that the generation gap is disappearing?

A. Parents help their children develop interests in more activities.
B. Parents put more trust in their children's abilities.
C. Parents and children talk more about sex and drugs.
D. Parents share more interests with their children.

3. The change in today's parent-child relationship is _____.

A. more confusion among parents
B. new equality between parents and children
C. less respect for parents from children
D. more strictness and authority on the part of parents

4. The purpose of the passage is to _____.

A. describe the difficulties today's parents have met with
B. discuss the development of the parent-child relationship
C. suggest the ways to handle the parent-child relationship
D. compare today's parent-child relationship with that in the past