Superman, Spider-Man, Batman and Iron Man ... .There is no shortage of superheroes. You find them in comic books, on the TV and the big screen.
In a survey of fans by the sci-fi and fantasy website, SFX.co.uk, Batman, 70 years old this year, was voted Britain's favorite superhero.
Unlike many crime-fighting superheroes Batman has no special powers. He can't fly like Superman or shoot a sticky web like Spider-Man.
Bruce Wayne is born to a wealthy Gotham City business family. However, when his parents are murdered his life changes completely.
Wayne feels anger at their deaths and guilty that he did not prevent them. He travels around the world learning how to fight. Upon returning to Gotham, he creates a disguise (偽裝) to enable him to fight crime without being recognized.
A childhood fear of bats leads him to choose to dress as one. His idea is that through the bat person he can prove to himself that he has overcome his childhood fears.
Wayne is the CEO of the company he inherits (繼承) from his father. He seems to live the lifestyle of a millionaire playboy. But this is a ruse (計策). He works hard at the image to allow himself the freedom he needs to do his work as a crime fighter. "Bruce Wayne, playboy" is the disguise Batman is the real person.
"Wayne is not a born superhero. Instead, he is a real, complex person," said Dace Golder, editor of the website. "He is the most realistic of all the superheroes. I am particularly interested in the emotional process by which a boy becomes a hero. His superhero qualities come from within."
小題1:What is the article mainly about?  

A．How Bruce Wayne develops into a superhero.

B．How to overcome childhood fears.

C．What makes a superhero.

D．Why superheroes enjoy great popularity in Britain.

小題2:Bruce Wayne decides to dress like a bat because of ______ .

A．his curiosity about bats	B．his childhood fear of bats
C．his parents' sudden death	D．his unusual travel experiences

小題3:Why does Wayne live like a playboy?

A．He prefers the lifestyle of a playboy.

B．He doesn't know how to run a company.

C．He loves freedom more than anything else.

D．He needs to disguise his crime fighting activities.

小題4:Which of the following statements is true about Batman? 

A．Batman is a born superhero

B．He has special powers

C．The turning point of his life is due to his parents' sudden death

D．He actually lives the lifestyle of a millionaire playboy

Do you know soon eleven biggest food and drink companies of the nations will adopt new rules to limit advertising to children under the age of 12, a move that restricts ads for products such as McDonald’s Happy Meals and the use of popular cartoon characters.
The companies announced their new rules ahead of a Federal Trade Commission hearing on Wednesday that steps up pressure on the companies to help solve the growing child obesity problem through more responsible marketing. The self-given rules include promises by seven companies who will no longer use licensed characters, such as those made popular through movies or TV shows, to advertise online or in print media unless they’re promoting their healthier products. Four other companies said they do not advertise at all to children under 12.
“I think this is a very good step forward. It’s not the end of the journey but it’s a good way down the road,” said Margo Wootan, Nutrition Policy Director at the nonprofit Center for Science in the Public Interest.
Since the FTC first publicly raised the issue in 2005, many of the companies have started selling products with better nutrition in mind. The companies hope their self-regulation efforts — organized through the Council of Better Business Bureaus — will fend off any new and more strict federal regulation.
Parents are happy to see new rules that restrict the use of cartoon characters such as Shrek, Dora the Explorer and SpongeBob SquarePants. “It catches their eyes when you’re shopping,” said Josephine Thomas, a mother of three boys who lives in Manhattan. “As soon as they see a Shrek or Mickey Mouse, they automatically look at that and they don’t see what they really need. That’s one of the biggest problems when you go shopping.” That’s one reason the food companies have said they will now only use licensed characters to advertise their “better for you” products.
小題1:The reason why the food and drink companies will take action is that they want to___________

A．promote sales across the country

B．limit advertising to children under the age of 12

C．meet increasing demands from kids

D．a(chǎn)dapt to the new federal regulations

小題2:What can we learn from the text that the seven companies ____.

A．may still use cartoon characters in advertising

B．a(chǎn)re going to stop advertising to children under 12

C．Would like to continue the cooperation with entertainment media

D．will make food and drink specially for fat kids

小題3:What of the following can best describe the underlined words “fend off”?

A．prevent ... from happening	B．draw up or work out
C．pay attention to	D．give a warm welcome to

小題4:What does Josephine Thomas advise in the last paragraph?

A．kids spend too much on unhealthy food

B．parents are strict about their kids’ food choice

C．“better for you” products are popular with kids

D．a(chǎn)ds with cartoon characters mislead kids

If you live in a city where everyone rushes, realize that you don't have to be like everyone else．You can be different．
I can't give you a step-by-step guide to moving slower, but here are some things to consider and perhaps adopt, if they work for your life．
1．Do less
Cut back on your projects, on your task list, on how much you try to do each day．Focus not on quantity but on quality．Pick 2 or 3 important things-or even just one important thing- and work on those first．
2．Have fewer meetings
Meetings are usually a big waste of time and make you rush．Try to have blocks of time with no interruptions, so you don't have to rush from one meeting to another．
3．Give yourself time to get ready and get there
If you're constantly rushing to appointments or other places you have to be, it's because you don't allot（分配） enough time in your schedule for preparing and for traveling．Pad your schedule to allow time for this stuff．If you think it only takes you 10 minutes to get ready for work or a date, perhaps give yourself 30 to 45 minutes so you don't have to shave in a rush or put on makeup in the car．
4．Practice being comfortable with sitting doing nothing
When people have to wait, they become impatient or uncomfortable．Try standing in a line and just watching and listening w people around you．It takes practice, but after a while, you’ll do it with a smile．
5．Realize that if it doesn't get done, that's Ok．
There's always tomorrow．And yes, I know that's a frustrating attitude for some of you who don't like laziness or living without firm deadlines, but it's also reality．The world likely won't end if you don't get that task done today．Your boss might get mad, but the company won't collapse and the life will inevitably go on．
Try these things out．Life is better when unrushed．
Remember the quote: If nature can get everything done without rushing, so can you．
小題1:Which can be the best title of the passage?

A．How not to hurry in our life?

B． How to give out our life?

C．What to do with our life?

D．How to change our life?

小題2:If you think you need 10 minutes to get ready for the date with your boyfriend, ______．

A．you don't have to put on makeup

B．you'd better squeeze about 35 minutes out for it

C．you should arrange 10 minutes for it

D．you should rush there

小題3:According to the passage, we can know_______．

A．even if we do as we're told by the author, we can't change anything

B．if we follow the author's advice, our life will be better

C．we should try to do all the things better on our task list

D．there's always tomorrow, so we can put off the thing that must be done today till tomorrow

小題4:The underlined word "collapse" has the similar meaning to "______"．

A．develop rapidly	B．pay enough
C．fail completely	D．drop suddenly

China has a growing love affair with the cars．This is clear at the Beijing Asian Games Village Automobile Exchange, where more and more people come to look and increasingly to buy．
Alice Wu is an editor at a Chinese Internet publication．She takes the subway to work, but she is certain she can cut her commute time if she drives herself．Wu says it takes her three hours to get to work now．If she had a car, she says, the same trip would only take her two hours．
The Asian Games Village Automobile Exchange is the biggest car dealership in Beijing．General manager Guo Yong says the business sells more than two thousand cars each week．Guo says it is much easier for Chinese consumers to buy a car now．In the past, it would take them several years to earn enough money to buy a new car．Now, he says, many people only need to save for one year．Also, the emergence of less expensive domestic brands like Chery and BYD means more Chinese can afford cars．
For decades, most Chinese city residents got about by bicycle or public buses and trains．Now, in many areas, the number of new cars is growing faster than the road system, leaving city streets jammed with traffic．Guo Liang has wanted to buy a car for a decade, and he will be the first in his family to own one．He is not deterred by Beijing's traffic jams．Guo says if the traffic is too bad, he will use the car for leisure or holidays with his family．Another customer, Zhang Menxin, works in Beijing, but is from Xi'an, more than 900 kilometers away．Zhang says it is very difficult to get a train ticket to return home for Chinese New Year．She adds that train is not convenient．If she had her own car, she says, she could go anytime she wanted to．
World Bank transportation specialist Shomik Mendhiratta says, “Getting a car makes people feel like they have arrived to the middle class, and it's got a huge status associated with it．It's a fantastic thing to have．”
小題1:The underlined word "deterred" in the 4^th paragraph probably means           .

A．encouraged

B．a(chǎn)ttracted

C．a(chǎn)stonished

D．discouraged

小題2:The reason why Zhang Menxin wants to buy a car is that          .

A．it is hard and inconvenient for her to go home in Xi'an by train．

B． she doesn't like to go to work by subway．

C．she wants to use the car for leisure or holidays with her family

D．the place where she works is far from her house

小題3:The best title for the passage should be "          "

A．Cars made China a country on wheels

B．More Chinese Hitting the road in their own cars．

C．More cars sold by the Beijing Asian Games Village Automobile Exchange

D．China is developing rapidly in the past few years．

小題4:According to what Shomik Mendhiratta in the last paragraph, the car is ____ for the person who owns it．

A．of little value	B．a(chǎn) means of transportation
C．a(chǎn) status symbol	D．a(chǎn) heavy burden

There is a new type of small advertisement becoming increasingly common in newspaper classified columns．It is sometimes placed among “situations vacant”, although it does not offer anyone a job, and sometimes it appears among “situations wanted”, although it is not placed by someone looking for a job, either．What it does is to offer help in applying for a job．
“Contact us before writing your application”, or “Make use of our long experience in preparing your curriculum vitae or job history”, is how it is usually expressed．The growth and apparent success of such a specialized service is, of course, a reflection on the current high levels of unemployment．It is also an indication of the growing importance of the CV, with the suggestion that it may now qualify as an art form in its own right．
There was a time when job seekers simply wrote letters of application．“Just put down your name, address, age and whether you have passed any exams”, was about the average level of advice offered to young people applying for their first jobs when I left school．The letter was really just for openers, it was explained, everything else could and should be saved for the interview．And in those days of full employment the technique worked．The letter proved that you could write and were available for work．Your eager face and intelligent replies did the rest．
There is no doubt, however, that it is increasing number of applicants with university education at all points in the process of engaging staff that has led to the greater importance of the CV．
小題1:The new type of advertisement which is appearing in newspaper column        ．

A．informs job hunters of the opportunities available

B．informs employers of the people available for work

C．divides available jobs into various types

D．promises to offer useful advice to those looking for employment

小題2:Nowadays a demand for this specialized type of service has been created because          .

A．there are so many people out of work

B．there are so many top?level jobs available

C．there is a lack of jobs available for artistic people

D．the CV is considered to be a work of art

小題3:In the past it was expected that first job hunters would        ．

A．write an initial letter giving their life history

B．keep any detailed information until they obtained an interview

C．have no qualifications other than being able to read and write

D．pass some exams before applying for a job

小題4:The CV has become such an important document because           ．

A．there has been an increase in the number of applicants with degrees

B．there has been an increase in the number of jobs advertised

C．jobs are becoming much more complicated nowadays

D．the other processes of applying for jobs are more difficult to do

"If I rest, I rust"——would be an excellent motto for those who are troubled by the slightest bit of idleness．Even the most hard-working person might adopt it with advantage to serve as a reminder that, if one allows his abilities to rest, like the iron in the unused key, they will soon show signs of rust and, eventually, cannot do the work required of them．
Those who would attain the heights reached and kept by great men must- keep their ability polished by constant use, so that they may unlock the doors of knowledge, the gate that guard the entrances to the professions, to science, art, literature, agriculture—every department of human endeavor．
Industry keeps the key bright that opens the treasury of achievement．If Hugh Miller, after toiling all day in a quarry, had devoted his evenings to rest and recreation, he would never have become a famous geologist．The celebrated mathematician, Edmund Stone, would never have published a mathematical dictionary, never have found the key to science of mathematics, if he had given his spare moments to idleness, had the little Scotch lad, Ferguson, allowed the busy brain to go to sleep while he tended sheep on the hillside instead of calculating the position of the stars by a string of beads, he would never have become a famous astronomer．
Labor defeats all—not inconstant, or ill-directed labor; but faithful, persistent, daily effort toward a well-directed purpose．So industry is the price of noble and enduring success．
小題1:What may be the meaning of the underlined word "rust" in the 1st paragraph?

A．生銹

B．成長

C．進步

D．快樂

小題2:Why does a hardworking person even use the motto? Because ______．

A．he wants to remind himself that he is a hardworking man．

B．he wants to remind himself to rest from time to time

C．he is afraid that he may idle

D．he feels he can do the work required of them．

小題3:By saying "Those who would attain the heights reached and kept by great men must keep their ability polished by constant use", the author means_______．

A．great men keep their ability polished

B．those who use their ability constantly would attain the great height

C．those who want to get great achievements must practice their ability constantly

D．great men polish their ability to reach their height

小題4:The main point of the 3rd paragraph is that ______

A．industry is more important than agriculture．

B．giving some examples of how industry works in achieving great success．

C．what industry really means here

D．industry can keep the keys bright

In the professional world, oral communication skills in the workplace, which is the art of using speech to convey information, thoughts and feeling to others, is important for the success of any organizations.
The 21st century has been considered to be an era of communication. The way we convey our thoughts is of great importance in building relationships. In the workplace, there are employees of diverse cultural and educational backgrounds. This makes team working on a difficult task, but with a clear understanding of the task to be achieved, all members work towards the same goal. Misunderstandings, conflicts and differences in opinions are easily managed when there is a clear flow of communication between team members.
With proper communication, a close relationship and trust build among the employees, therefore promoting excellent working conditions. An atmosphere of support and cooperation is promoted by properly conveying expectations of the management team to the employees and vice – versa (相反的情況). Therefore, developing oral communication skills is important to success in life ahead.
How to improve oral communication? In the business world, individuals are expected to be confident about their beliefs and ideas. Therefore, they must include words like “in my opinion”, “as far as I know”. While improving skills on oral communication, people in a workplace must learn the art of listening. In addition, one must also have a positive body language during conversations. A person with a smiling face and positive attitude can raise the spirits of everyone around him. When we’re talking to someone, we must give the other person an opportunity to talk as it improves our listening ability.
Communication is an art and it can be improved by working on it constantly. Since it is not an overnight work, one needs to learn it by observing people who are good at it.

Title	Oral communication skills in the workplace
小題1: _______	The art of using speech to convey information, thoughts and feelings to others.
Importance	●The way we convey our thoughts plays a major 小題2:____in building relationships. ●Understanding the task 小題3: __makes employees work towards the same goal. ●A clear flow of communication can easily 小題4: ______ the misunderstandings, conflicts and differences in opinions. ●Good relationships and trust among the employees built with proper communication can 小題5: _______ excellent working conditions. ●Conveying expectations can promote support and cooperation.
小題6: ______ to improving oral communication	●Use words like “in my opinion” to show your 小題7:____ about your beliefs and ideas. ●Learn to be a good 小題8:_______ in the workplace. ●Avoid using a小題9:_______ body language during conversations ●Smile and be positive to delight the people around you. ●Give the other person a chance to talk in a conversation.
Conclusion	Communication can be improved with小題10:______effort and we should learn from those who are good at it.

Betty and Harold have been married for years .But one thing still puzzles (困擾) old Harold .How is it that he can leave Betty and her friend Joan sitting on the sofa ,talking ,go out to a ballgame ,come back three and a half hours later ,and they’re still sitting on the sofa ? Talking ?
What in the world ,Harold wonders ,do they have to talk about ?
Betty shrugs .Talk ? We’re friends .
Researching this matter called friendship ,psychologist Lillian Rubin spent two years interviewing more than two hundred women and men .No matter what their age ,their job ,their sex ,the results were completely clear :women have more friendships than men ,and the difference in the content and the quality of those friendships is “marked and unmistakable .”
More than two –thirds of the single men Rubin interviewed could not name a best friend. Those who could were likely to name a woman .Yet three-quarters of the single women had no problem naming a best friend ,and almost always it was a woman .More married men than women named their wife/husband as a best friend ,most trusted person ,or the one they would turn to in time of emotional distress （感情危機）.“Most women ,”says Rubin ,“identified （認定） at least one ,usually more ,trusted friends to whom they could turn in a troubled moment ,and they spoke openly about the importance of these relationships in their lives .”
“In general,”writes Rubin in her new book ,“women’s friendships with each other rest on shared emotions and support ,but men’s relationships are marked by shared activities.” For the most part ,Rubin says ,interactions （交往）between men are emotionally controlled –a good fit with the social requirements of “manly behavior .”
“Even when a man is said to be a best friend ,”Rubin writes ,“the two share little about their innermost feelings .Whereas a woman’s closest female friend might be the first to tell her to leave a failing marriage ,it wasn’t unusual to hear a man say he didn’t know his friend’s marriage was in serious trouble until he appeared one night asking if he could sleep on the sofa .”
小題1:What old Harold cannot understand or explain is the fact that     .

A．he is treated as an outsider rather than a husband

B．women have so much to share

C．women show little interest in ballgames

D．he finds his wife difficult to talk to

小題2:Rubin’s study shows that for emotional support a married woman is more likely to turn to     .

A．a(chǎn) male friend

B．a(chǎn) female friend

C．her parents

D．her husband

小題3:Which of the following statements is best supported by the last paragraph ?

A．Men keep their innermost feelings to themselves.

B．Women are more serious than men about marriage.

C．Men often take sudden action to end their marriage.

D．Women depend on others in making decisions.

小題4:The research done by psychologist Rubin centers around________ .

A．happy and successful marriages

B．friendships of men and women

C．emotional problems in marriage

D．interactions between men and women .

Imagine this situation. You pass a group of people. The people are talking to each other. You cannot hear what they are saying. But suddenly they start laughing. What would you think? Would you think they were laughing at something funny that one of them said? Or -- be honest with yourself -- would you think they were laughing at you? Yes, you.
Being laughed at is a common fear. But a major study published in two thousand and nine found that this fear is not the same around the world. It differs from culture to culture.
People in Finland were the least likely to believe that people laughing in their presence were making fun of them. Less than ten percent of Finns in the study said they would think that, compared to eighty percent of people in Thailand.
Some people in the study said they felt unsure of themselves in social situations but hid their feelings of insecurity. Others said they avoided social situations where they had been laughed at before.
The study found that people in Turkmenistan and Cambodia were more likely to be in the first group. They would hide their feelings of insecurity if they were around other people's laughter. But people in Iraq, Egypt and Jordan were more likely to try to avoid such situations if they felt they had been laughed at before.
Shy people often avoid situations that would force them into close contact with other people. They worry that something they say or do will make other people laugh at them. But some people worry much more than others. They may have a disorder called gelotophobia. Gelos is a Greek word. It means laughter. Phobia means fear. This fear of laughter can be truly sad for those who live with it. It can affect how they lead their lives.
In the study, a team from the University of Zurich led more than ninety researchers from around the world. They wanted to understand the difference between normal shyness and true gelotophobia. Another purpose of the study was to compare the levels of fear of being laughed at in different cultures. The researchers surveyed more than twenty-two thousand people in forty-two different languages. The findings appeared in the scientific journal Humor.
小題1:People in Finland don’t believe other people are making fun of them if _________________.

A．they suddenly start to laugh.

B．they keep on laughing

C．they laugh in their presence

D．they stop laughing suddenly.

小題2:What’s FALSE of the study led by a team from the University of Zurich?

A．They wanted to study the difference between normal shyness and true gelotophobia.

B．They wanted to compare the levels of fear of being laughed at in different cultures.

C．They did such a survey in order to prevent people from being laughed at in public.

D．They surveyed more than 22 thousand people coming from different cultures.

小題3:The passage is likely to occur in _______________.

A．a(chǎn)n advertisement	B．a(chǎn) science magazine
C．a(chǎn) science fiction	D．a(chǎn) storybook

小題4:According to the passage, people who suffer from gelotophobia ______________________.

A．care more about being laughed at by others

B．shouldn’t hide their feelings of insecurity

C．should avoid having close contact with other people

D．will lead a happy life so long as they care

People being tested for radiation exposure

The crisis at the damaged Fukushima Dai-Ichi Nuclear Power Station in northern Japan has raised worries about radiation risks. We spoke Tuesday with Jonathan Links, an expert in radiation health sciences. He is a professor at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Maryland.
Professor Links says workers within the nuclear plant are the only people at risk of extremely high doses of radiation.
JONATHAN LINKS: "Of course, we don't know what doses they've received, but the only persons at risk of acute radiation effects are the workers."
For other people, he says, there may be a long-term worry. People can get cancer from low doses of ionizing radiation, the kind released in a nuclear accident.
Professor Links says scientists can use computers to quickly model where radioactive material has blown and settled. Then they measure how large an area is contaminated. He says if the situation is serious enough, officials could take steps like telling people not to eat locally grown food or drink the water.
JONATHAN LINKS: "But that would only be the case if there was a significant release and, because of wind direction, the radioactive material was blown over the area, and then settled out of the air into and onto water, plants, fruits and vegetables."
The reactors at Fukushima are on the Pacific coast. But Professor Links says people should not worry about any radioactive material leaking into the ocean.
JONATHAN LINKS: "Even in a worst-case scenario accident, the sea provides a very high degree of dilution. So the concentration of radioactivity in the seawater would still be quite low."
Japan is the only country to have had atomic bombs dropped on it. That memory from World War Two would create a stronger "psychological sensitivity" to radiation exposure, Professors Links says.
Next month is the twenty-fifth anniversary of the explosion and fire that destroyed a reactor at Chernobyl in Ukraine. The nineteen eighty-six event was the world's worst accident in the nuclear power industry.
A new United Nations report says more than six thousand cases of thyroid cancer have been found. These are in people who were children in affected areas of Belarus, Russia and Ukraine. The report says that by two thousand five the cancers had resulted in fifteen deaths.
The cancers were largely caused by drinking contaminated milk. The milk came from cows that ate grass where radioactive material had fallen.
To get the latest updates, go to www.unsv.com.
Contributing: James Brooke
小題1:The passage mainly tells us __________.

A．What measures the Japan Government takes to solve the nuclear crisis .

B．Worries and influences caused by the nuclear crisis .

C．With great efforts of scientists , the Japan Government has put the nuclear crisis under control .

D．To explain that the nuclear crisis has less effect on its neighboring countries.

小題2:Which of the following is NOT the influences caused by the leak of Fukushima Dai-Ichi Nuclear Power Station?

A．Workers at the nuclear station are suffering the risk of death .

B．People can get cancer from low doses of ionizing radiation, the kind released in a nuclear accident.

C．The radioactive material may be blown over the area causing the pollution to water .

D．The concentration of radioactivity in the seawater can not be diluted.

小題3:What’s the meaning of the underlined word “dilution”?

A．chemical

B．salt

C．dissolution

D．elimination

小題4:According to the passage which of the following is not TRUE ?

A．Water people drink ,food and vegetables people eat may be polluted by nuclear radiation .

B．Japan is the only country to have had atomic bombs dropped on it.

C．You can go to www.unsv.com. to get the latest news .

D．The nuclear accident in Japan is the worst in the nuclear power industry.