More and more Italians are leaving their country because they can not get a job. One in every three Italians say they are willing to go abroad, sometimes even to other continents to get work. Currently, about 300,000 young Italians may be living abroad.
Although emigration has always been a choice for Italians, especially for those who left the country at the beginning of the twentieth century, more young Italians think leaving their home country is the only way to escape economic difficulty. These young Italians, however, are not poor farmers or laborers but bright university graduates and other talented young people.
Many of them want to go to richer places, like northern Europe, but they are also prepared to go elsewhere. Most of them describe a feeling of unhappiness and frustration. They are not sure which direction their country is heading and feel no longer proud of being Italians.
Many leave because they think that getting a good job is possible in other countries where all doors are open to you if you are young and dynamic. However, in Italy everything is boring and old-fashioned. Italy’s economic system is largely based on family structures and the elderly who don’t want to give up power. Corruption(腐敗) is also a big problem that simply won’t go away.
The Italian government is aware of the problem and says it must create new opportunities for its younger generation. But even if it starts working on a new style economy right away it may take years before things in Italy really change. The government has already passed laws which will make it easier for doctors, lawyers and other academics to start a career in Italy.
Many economic experts claim that Italy is doing a lot for its older generation but very little for its youth. For example, it spends little on housing, childcare but a lot on pensions.
小題1:Some people are leaving Italy mainly because they _____ .

A．want to get a job	B．want to travel abroad
C．prefer working abroad	D．no longer love their country

小題2:The Italian government _____ .

A．is blind to the problem of emigration

B．encourages young Italians to go abroad

C．has taken some measures to change the situation

D．promise to offer more jobs to young Italians soon

小題3:Many economic experts think that the Italian government should _____ .

A．do more for its youth

B．try to improve its economy

C．stop its youth from going abroad

D．solve the problem as soon as possible

小題4:What problem is Italy facing?

A．Most of its laborers are old.

B．There aren’t any truly talented youngsters.

C．The government officials’ attitude is old-fashioned.

D．People with power are doing illegal and dishonest things.

小題5:Which of the following might be the best title for the passage?

A．Italian emigration history

B．More care for old Italians

C．Young Italians are leaving Italy

D．The influence of economic difficulty

In the eighteenth century one of the first modern economists, Adam Smith, thought that “ the whole annual produce of the land and labour of every country” provided revenue to “three different orders of people: those who live by rent, those who live by wages, and those who live by profit”. Each successive stage of the industrial revolution, however, made the social structure more complicated.?
Many intermediate groups grew up during the nineteenth century between the upper middle class and the working class. There were small-scale industrialists as well as large ones, small shopkeepers and tradesmen, officials and salaried employees, skilled and unskilled workers, and professional men such as doctors and teachers. Farmers and peasants continued in all countries as independent groups.?
During the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries the possession of wealth inevitably affected a person’s social position. Intelligent industrialists with initiative made fortunes by their wits which lifted them into an economic group far higher than that of their working-class parents. But they lacked social training of the upper class, who despised them as the “new rich.”?
They often sent their sons and daughters to special schools to acquire social training. Here their children, mixed with the children of the upper classes, were accepted by them, and very often found marriage partners from among them. In the same way, a thrifty, hardworking labourer, though not clever himself, might save for his son enough to pay for an extended secondary school education in the hope that he would move in a “white-collar” occupation, carrying with it a higher salary and a move up in the social scale.?
In the twentieth century the increased taxation of higher incomes, the growth of the social services, and the wider development of educational opportunity have considerably altered the social outlook. The upper classes no longer are the sole, or even the main possessors of wealth, power and education, though inherited social position still carries considerable prestige.
小題1:What criterion did Adam Smith seem to go by in his classification of social groups?

A．The amount of wealth	B．The amount of money
C．The social status	D．The way of getting money

小題2:If you compare the first and second paragraph, what groups of people did Adam Smith leave out in his classification?

A．Officials and employees.	B．Peasants and farmers.
C．Doctors and teachers.	D．Tradesmen and landlords.

小題3:Who were the ‘new rich’ during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries?

A．They were still the upper class people.

B．They were owners of large factories.

C．They were intelligent industrialists.

D．They were skilled workers who made their fortune.

小題4:According to the passage, what did those people do who intended to make their children move up in the social ladder?

A．They saved a lot of money for their children to receive higher education.

B．They tried to find marriage partners from the children of the upper class.

C．They made greater fortunes by their wits.

D．They worked even harder to acquire social training.

小題5: In the twentieth century class differences have been partly smoothed out by ____.

A．increased income and decreased taxation

B．taxation, social services and educational opportunities

C．education, the increase of income and industrial development

D．the decrease of the upper class population

Like many languages spoken by people, Ayapaneco is dying. Only two people in the world still speak it, and they won't talk to each other.
Spoken in Mexico for centuries, Ayapaneco is one of 68 surviving languages in the mainly Spanish-speaking nation. The two speakers are Manuel Segovia and Isidro Velazquez. Though they live only 500 meters from each other in the village, the two men seldom talk to each other. Daniel, an American expert, who is working to make a dictionary of Ayapaneco, says the two men “don’t have a lot in common,” and that Segovia can be “active” while Velasquez tends to mind his own business and stay at home.
While Segovia still speaks to his wife and son in Ayapaneco, neither of them can manage more than a few words. Velasquez hardly speaks his native tongue any more. Daniel is working to preserve the language in dictionary form before its last surviving speakers pass away. According to Daniel, Ayapaneco and the other languages began dying out with the introduction of public Spanish education in the mid-20^th century. For decades, local children weren’t allowed to speak anything else. Many people to cities, starting in the 1970s, also helped the dying out of native languages.
Ayapaneco is the name given to the language; Segovia and Velazquez call it “Nuumte Oote”, which means “true voice”. Neither man, however, speaks the same language. The dictionary will contain two versions(版本) of the language when it comes out later this year. Those behind the dictionary aren’t the only ones trying to save Ayapaneco. The National Language Institute plans to hold classes so that Segovia and Velasquez can pass on what they know to children.
It is thought that there are about 6,000 languages spoken on earth and that about half will disappear over the next 100 years. Let’s hope the “true voice” isn’t one of them.
小題1:Segovia and Velasquez seldom talk to each other in Ayapaneco because they___________________.

A．both dislike the language

B．don’t get along well with each other

C．a(chǎn)re too busy to talk to each other

D．don’t share the same interests

小題2:Which are the main reasons why the language Ayapaneco started dying out? 
a. No teacher liked to teach it.         b. Local children had to speak Spanish.
c. many villagers went to live in cities.  d. The surviving speakers didn’t like to use it.

A．a(chǎn), b

B．a(chǎn), c

C．b, d

D．b, c

小題3:How does the National Language Institute try to save Ayapaneco?

A．Write a dictionary of Ayapaneco.

B．Let Ayapaneco be taught at school.

C．Introduce a public Ayapaneco education.

D．Ask villagers to speak Ayapaneco.

小題4:From the text we learn that the author____________________.

A．a(chǎn)grees that it is natural that Ayapaneco should die out

B．thinks Daniel’s effort to preserve Ayapaneco won’t work

C．thinks highly of Ayapaneco and wants people to learn it

D．hopes that Ayapaneco will not die out in the future

Military training has long been considered a ritual(儀式) that freshmen must go through in order to officially start their college lives. While some question the necessity of such training. Many students see military training as a campus tradition that should be maintained.
Early in February, the Ministry of Education issued a new regulation that colleges and universities should carry out a minimum of 14 days compulsory military training for freshmen.
In a report by Beijing Evening News, Hou Zhengfang, a Beijing-based education PhD, questioned the benefits of military training. “The training routine does little to improve students’ physical fitness over only two weeks’ time. Maybe some disaster prevention training, such as earthquake survival or escaping from fires would be of greater benefit.”
Meng Yang, a 19-year-old freshman at Guangxi University, fainted during training. She said that many students, especially girls, are willing to train under direct sunshine. “For me, military training is physically challenging and even damages my health.”
According to Li Jian from the student affairs office of Guangzhou University, feeling dizzy  happens frequently during military training and the school has received a lot of complaints from both students and parents: “But I still think military training is a good thing. Students are easier to manage after the military training. They became more positive about their new environment after the training.”
Although autumn is fast approaching Beijing, the noon heat burns 3300 freshmen on Tsinghua University’s campus. Chu Jinjing, a freshman majoring in medicine, did feel some discomfort while training in sweaty clothes in the glaring heat, the 18-year-old still enjoyed being part of group going through strict exercises. “By going through this tough training, students bond faster and a sense of belonging to the school can be formed. I’ve made a lot of friends already.”
According to the Ministry of Education, the purpose of military training is to teach students discipline, the spirit of teamwork and endurance. But in reality, according to Xiong Bingqi, deputy director of the 21^st Century Education Research Institute, the effect is not satisfying. “Such goals require long-term development. It is unrealistic to expect military training to make a difference in only 14 days.” He thus suggests that it should be up to schools to conduct military training in a way that best suits their students.
However, Wang Wenhui, an 18-year-old freshman from Xi’an Jiaotong University, sees military training as a tradition that reaches beyond character building. “From junior and senior high school to college, we join military training to start a new journey. I would feel a bit incomplete without it.”
小題1:How many people expressing their opinions are mentioned in this passage?

A．4

B．5

C．6

D．7

小題2:According to Hou Zhengfang, it seems much more beneficial to give freshmen_____________.

A．survival skills

B．military training

C．the spirit of teamwork and endurance

D．strict exercises

小題3:What is the author’s attitude towards military training?

A．Supportive

B．Subjective

C．Objective

D．Rejective

小題4:What is the best title for the passage?

A．A Policy Made by the Ministry of Education

B．Military Training under Fire

C．A New Journey

D．A Best Way to Teach Students Discipline

Each year on February 2nd, there is special festival called Groundhog Day (土撥鼠日 )' forecasting event in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. When it comes, people from around the world, including 5,000 in the small town today, watch this tongue-twisting(發(fā)音饒舌的) small town for a sign from one groundhog that supposedly predicts when that years' spring will arrive.
If it's a cloudy day outside when the groundhog pops from its cave, then spring will arrive early that year. However, if it is sunny outside, the groundhog will supposedly be scared by its own shadow, hiding underground for six more weeks of cold weather.
Of course, Punxsutawney Phil's prediction is no more able to guarantee the extended forecast than your local weatherman. ABC News reports that an analysis by the National Climate Data Center found that Phil's predictions are more often wrong than right.  
Philis is also found to have made some unpleasant predictions. Ever since 1887, he has predicted 99 extended winters and just 16 early springs .Nine of the years' predictions were unavailable, according to ABC.
The holiday began as a German tradition in 18th century and became even more of a cultural phenomenon after the 1993 film Groundhog Day starring Bill Murray.
Punxsutawney Phil has become a celebrity in his own right.  Each year, the fatter animal with long teeth is watched by millions as he emerges from a cave in the town he is named after. Phil has become so beloved by the town that he actually lives in the local library with his “wife" Phyllis.
Taking inspiration from the hard state of Bill Murray’s character in the classic film, Yahoo contributor Owen Rust says Groundhog Day is a good time to reflect on one’s routines.
小題1:The underlined word “pops” means “        ”.

A．escapes

B．a(chǎn)ppears

C．increases

D．hides

小題2:The reason why Phil's predictions aren't pleasing is that_____________.

A．some of the predictions were unavailable

B．Phil wants to do that for fun

C．Phil likes to make unpleasant predictions

D．he has predicted more late springs

小題3:How does Punxsutawney Phil become a celebration?

A．By an accident.

B．From people's life improving.

C．By his own attractive force

D．From much money raised by the town.

小題4:Which does this passage mainly talk about?

A．The National Climate Data Center

B．A German tradition

C．A tongue-twisting small town

D．Groundhog Day weather forecasting

A week ago, I had the great pleasure of reading an e-book, When Money Talks, Listen! by Rich Ezzo. It took only about an hour to read.
When I first received a copy, I thought it was a Get Rich Quick type of publication. Nothing is wrong with Get Rich Quick, but my mind just doesn’t run after dreams of wealth. I think that if God ever wants me to be rich, he knows where to find my purse.
When I began reading When Money Talks, Listen!, I was overjoyed to find that Rich Ezzo isn’t money hungry either. He, too, is hungry for more important than money.
Since I love this e-book so much, why wait a week to write the review? Simple. I wanted to see if the effect it had on me was a keeper. After reading the last word of the e-book, I totally agreed with the subtitle (副標題) which promised to forever change the way we thought about money. I had so many thoughts running around my mind that I had to install (安裝) a stoplight to stop some while others made their way into the picture, then I yielded (讓路) them as a few ones arrived in town. I had a mental traffic jam, which only goes to show how slow the traffic usually is.
It has been a week and the effect is the same. I truly do look at money differently and have even done a few things differently this week. This is an e-book you ‘ll want to read, I promise. I often recommend books to my daughter, and this is one that I didn’t just ”suggest”----I left it open at the bottom of the compute and told each one ,”Read it, you’ll love it “.
I would never point someone in a direction I wouldn’t go myself. I strongly advise you to visit the author’s website, Myster Money, and to download the e-book. You won’t regret it.
小題1:The author wrote this passage to _________.

A．strongly recommend an e-book

B．show the author’s attitude to money

C．introduce the general idea of an e-book

D．point out Rich Ezzo isn’t money hungry

小題2:According to the passage, a Get Rich Quick type of publication _________.

A．is more popular than e-books

B．deals with how to make money

C．is what the author really cares for

D．is also an e-book written by Rich Ezzo

小題3:Why didn’t the author write the review as soon as he finished reading the book?

A．Because he was not sure whether he did well.

B．Because he was too excited to write anything.

C．Because he had to wait for Rich Ezzo’s permission.

D．Because he wondered if it would have a long influence on him.

People have strange ideas about food. For example, tomato is a kind of very delicious vegetable. It is one of useful plants that can be prepared in many ways. It has rich nutrition(營養(yǎng)) and vitamin in it. But in the 18th century, Americans never ate tomatoes. They grew them in their gardens because tomato plants are so pretty. But they thought the vegetable was poisonous(有毒的). They called tomatoes “poison apples”.
President Thomas Jefferson, however, knew that tomatoes were good to eat. He was a learned man. He had been to Paris, where he learned to love the taste of tomatoes. He grew many kinds of tomatoes in his garden. The President taught his cook a way for a cream of tomato soup. This beautiful pink soup was served at the President party. The guests thought the soup tasted really good. They never thought their president would serve his honored guests poison apples. Jefferson never spoke to his honored guests about the fact.
小題1:Tomato is a kind of ___________.

A．poisonous fruit	B．poisonous vegetable
C．tasty fruit	D．tasty vegetable

小題2:After you read the passage, which of the following do you think is true?

A．Americans never ate tomatoes after they began to plant them.

B．Americans didn’t eat tomatoes before 19th century.

C．Even now Americans don’t eat tomatoes.

D．In the 18th century Americans ate a lot of tomatoes.

小題3: Jefferson learned that tomatoes were good to eat ____.

A．while he was in Paris	B．when he was a little boy
C．because his parents told him so	D．from books

小題4:From the passage we know all the honored guests invited by Jefferson were____.

A．people from other countries	B．from France
C．people of his own country	D．men only

小題5:According to the passage, which of the following is NOT TRUE?

A．None of the guests knew the soup that was served at the President’s party was made of tomatoes.

B．All of the guests thought the soup which was prepared by the President’s cook was nice.

C．President Thomas Jefferson knew that tomatoes were good to eat and not poisonous at all.

D．All of the guests didn’t know that their president would serve his honored guests poison apples.

Too Much Happiness was written by Alice Munro，winner of the 2013 Nobel Prize in Literature，one of our greatest contemporary writers of fiction and the owner of the Man Booker Price for Fiction．Her stories have appeared in The New Yorker，The Atlantic Monthly，and other publications，and her collections have been translated into thirteen languages．
The main character is Sophia Kovalevsky，a great Russian mathematician，writer and advocator擁護者）of women’s rights in the late nineteenth century. After visiting her lover Maxsim Kovalevsky in Riviera，she travels in Europe，ending up in Sweden，where she teaches at the only university in Europe willing to employ a female mathematician．The book writes about her journey from Riviera to Sweden．
The story tells the typical struggle of an intellectual（知識分子）woman to achieve success and happiness．However，when she is going to die，Sophia says“too much happiness”．I think it’s irony（諷*11的）．As reading the story，she has too many mental problems·First，as a woman mathematician，she was born in a wrong time ．She was married to Vladimir Kovalevsky without love，called“a white marriage”．She explained that“no a young Russian woman who was unmarried could leave the country．”She satisfied her marriage to seek her career．
Furthermore，when she sees a man look like Maxsim in the station，she says to herself，“of course，it would not be Maxsim，what could he be doing in Paris？”She doesn’t want to face the fact because she doesn’t want to lose her hope．She believes they will marry in spring．And in her letter to Julia she says：“it is to be happiness after all，happiness after all．Happiness．”She is cheating herself. In fact，the man does not want to marry her，and the happiness she expected doesn’t take place at all．
Finally, I conclude that the end must be a tragedy（悲�。�．From the very first pages the atmosphere is gloomy黯淡的）and threatening.“One of us will die this year.”“Because we have gone walking in a graveyard（墓地）on the first day of the New Year.”Some pages further，“a black cat across their path”all reflect it will be a bad ending．Not because she had some problems with her lung，but because her life does not bring her happiness，and because of these disharmony things that happen in her life．
小題1:We can infer from the passage that＿＿·

A．Sophia was born in a wrong time and was mentally ill

B．women were not fairly treated in Europe in Sophia’s time

C．Sophia loved travelling around Europe to meet `different people

D．unmarried women were forbidden to learn mathematics at that time

小題2:The underlined phrase“the fact”in Paragraph 4 most probably refers to the fact that

A．her husband refuses to divorce	B．she can’t teach in university
C．she falls in love with Maxsim	D．Maxsim doesn’t want to marry her

小題3:Why does the author name this book Too Much Happiness？

A．It is used to suggest that the story must be a comedy．

B．It’s a phrase repeatedly used by Sophia herself to her friend．

C．It’s used in an ironic way to show that Sophia isn’t happy at all．

D．It’s to show Sophia is very happy to achieve success in her career．

小題4:What can we conclude from Sophia’s experience？

A．It’s hard for an educated woman to achieve success in Europe at that time．

B．Russian women were not allowed to go abroad without a white marriage．

C．Married women could travel freely across Europe in the late nineteenth century．

D．Seeing a black cat across the path would bring people to death in the end．

小題5:In a newspaper，this passage is most probably in the section of____．

A．Entertainment

B．Travel

C．Career

D．Culture

Scotland is a unique place, loaded with history, where you can find aristocratic（貴族的）palaces and castles, as well as the traditional parades in national costumes.
In order to see and discover the true soul of Scotland today and what formed the character of this splendid region, we have to go towards the northern regions, to the Grampian Mountains（格蘭扁山區(qū)）, beautiful and plain. The Scots conquered the environment with simple spades and strong arms, for it was difficult to farm.
The history of this ancient struggle, and its people’s ancient love with the hard land, can be felt within the walls of the Angus Folk Museum. You are able to get a feel of the typical rural atmosphere of times past from the everyday artifacts displayed here.
From coastal Aberdeen in towards the Grampian Mountains there runs the Castle Trail, a road that touches on many fortresses（堡壘）, which are witnesses of continual fights against the control of neighboring England in Scottish history. 
Perhaps the most exciting moment for Scottish autonomy is the one experienced inside this ancient church of Arbroath, where, in 1320, the Declaration of Independence was celebrated, at the instigation（鼓動）of King Robert the Bruce. He carried out the plan for autonomy drawn up by the great popular hero William Wallace, for whom cinema has designed the wonderful film Brave Heart, the winner of the five Oscars. 
This is Glamis Castle, where King Macbeth and Queen Elizabeth used to live. Among the most frequent guests here are the predictable ghosts, if not actually created, by ancient popular beliefs. These have been handed down over the centuries by people tending to live with mystery, with the forces of the supernatural.
Another attraction here is a legendary monster: the Loch Ness Monster. Whether it’s real or imaginary, this monster, which has been nicknamed Nessie, has collected a good 3,000 sightings over the last 50 years.
The true flag of Scotland, tartan, is recognizable from the brightly colored plaid patterns which are used to distinguish the various social groups. 
Bagpipes and dancing open the competitions of local sporting events, which are called Highland Gatherings.
小題1:Take a look at the Angus Folk Museum, and we can learn about _______.        .

A．the love of ancient Scottish to the hard land

B．the rural atmosphere in Grampian Mountains

C．a(chǎn)ncient Scottish people’s fighting against the enemy

D．the history of the Scottish famous palaces and castles

小題2:What were the fortresses built for?

A．Fighting against the invaders of England.

B．Developing business with neighbor areas.

C．Preventing the people from moving around.

D．Providing a shelter from tough weather for travelers.

小題3:In the fifth paragraph, the underlined “the one” refers to the moment of _______.

A．the film Brave Heart winning the five Oscars

B．the plan for Scottish autonomy being carried out

C．the instigation of King Robert the Bruce

D．the celebration of the Declaration of Independence

小題4: According to the passage, which one is TRUE?

A．The film Brave Heart is mainly about King Robert Bruce.

B．The Scottish film industry is one of the attractions of the land.

C．Highland gatherings are often marked with bagpipes and dancing

D．The supernatural forces in Glamis Castle may change a person’s belief.

小題5:The purpose of the writer is to _______.

A．a(chǎn)dvise readers to pay a visit to Scotland

B．teach students about the customs of Scotland

C．introduce cultural background about Scotland

D．a(chǎn)nalyze the geographic formation of Scotland

American colleges and universities consider a number of things about a student who wants to be admitted. Experts say the most important thing is the students’ high school record. Besides, student's interests and activities may also play a part in getting accepted. But in most cases another consideration is how well the student did on college entrance exams. Here we’d like to discuss two of these tests: the SAT and the ACT. Most American schools accept either one.
The SAT measures reasoning skills in mathematics and language. Students have almost four hours to complete the SAT. The newest part is an essay. Students have twenty-five minutes to write an answer to a question.
The SAT costs 41.5$. Besides, the international processing charge is 22$ more. And test-takers in India and Pakistan must also pay a 21.5 $ security charge.
Students may also need to take SAT subject tests in areas like history, science and foreign language. Subject tests cost eighteen dollars each.
The ACT is an achievement test. It is designed to measure what a student has learned in school. Students are tested in mathematics, English, reading and science. A writing test is offered but not required. Without it, the ACT takes about three hours to complete. The essay part adds thirty minutes.
The ACT costs forty-nine dollars to take outside the United States. The writing test costs an additional fourteen dollars.
小題1:What’s most important in students’ admission to American colleges and universities?

A．High school record

B．Interests and activities

C．Performances in SAT and ACT

D．Skills in mathematics and language

小題2:If a student from Pakistan wants to take the SAT, how much should he pay at least?

A．21.5 dollars

B．63 dollars

C．85 dollars

D．43.5 dollars

小題3:Which of the statement is true according to the text?

A．It usually takes about three hours to complete the SAT.

B．There are only two ways for students to enter a college or a university.

C．The ACT measures mathematics, English, reading and science.

D．The two tests are specially designed for students outside America.

小題4:What might be the best title of this passage?

A．College Entrance Exams in America

B．The Way to America Colleges

C．The Cost of American Colleges

D．Important Things in College Entrance