—Jane, Peter has got a well-paid job in a foreign company.

—You mean he is much _____ now.

A. badly off            B. well off                C. worse off       D. better off

–________ he made up his mind to take a trip to Europe?

   –Last week when he got an unexpected reward.

       A. When was it that    B. That was it when

       C. That it was when       D. When it was that

A few months ago I was at a bus stop in town in the evening. The bus came on time and I took the window seat. The bus route was by the seashore and I was enjoying the breeze (微風(fēng)) while watching the sea waves. After a few minutes the bus made its next stop. A young boy and a girl got on. They were standing on my left when the bus pulled off. I looked at them curiously and realized that all the window seats were occupied (占據(jù)). They could sit but not together. Suddenly a different wave passed through my body and my inner mind gave me the advice to get up. I got up and offered them my seat. The young lady smiled kindly and said thanks. I occupied another seat and we parted our ways. I don’t remember whether I got off the bus before them or not.

       Months passed by. Suddenly one day while I was standing at the same bus stop waiting some time for the bus to arrive I heard a voice.

       “Excuse me, Uncle.” I looked in the direction of the voice. It was a beautiful young lady.

       Puzzled, I said, “I do not recognize you.”

       She said, “Do you remember you gave us your window seat?”

       Puzzled, I said, “Maybe, but what is so great in that?”

       She said, “If you had not given your seat that day, perhaps I would have not sat with my friend. By sitting together it helped us bridge a misunderstanding that had been between us forever. Do you know we are getting married next month?”

       “Good! God bless both of you,” I replied.

       The young lady again said thank you and went on her journey. I realized the importance of giving that day.

Why were the young boy and the girl standing on the bus?

A. Because they wanted to enjoy the sea view.

B. Because they couldn’t sit together.

C. Because there were no empty seats.

D. Because they preferred to stand.

The underlined sentence in the first paragraph probably means that the author had a feeling that ______.

A. he wanted to do something special        

B. the sea wave made him upset

C. a wave from the sea flooded him  

D. he wanted to make a sea wave in his heart

The author’s act of kindness helped the young boy and the girl ______.

A. begin to talk to each other again after a quarrel

B. sit together and become friends very soon

C. clear up a misunderstanding between them

D. know each other and get married

From the story, we can conclude that ______.

A. small things can create great happenings in life

B. it is giving rather than receiving that matters

C. offering one’s seat to others may win respect

D. we sometimes forget what happened in the past

The best title for the passage would be “______”.

A. The empty seat on the bus 

B. The pleasant travel

C. The lovers on the bus            

D. The bus ride

People want action on noise, a recent public meeting in Brisbane showed. Some want technical improvements such as quieter air conditioners or better sound barriers around major roads. Others want tougher laws to restrict noise from building sites or to require owners to take responsibility for barking dogs. But the highest priority was a noise complaints system that works.

Brisbane City Council receives more complaints about noise than all other problems put together. So it conducted a survey and found that about half its residents are upset by noise in one form or another –traffic, mowers, pool pumps, air conditioners or loud parties. This inspired the Council to bring together more than 100 citizens one evening to talk through a range of options.

    The meeting found the present regulatory system bizarre. Depending on the problem, responsibility for noise can lie with the Council, the Environment Protection Authority, one of three government departments or even the police. So complainants often feel they are getting the run-round. When the people at the forum were asked to vote for changes, the strongest response was for a 24-hour noise hotline to be the first port of call for all complaints.

    The forum also favored regulatory measures, such as tougher minimum standards for noise in appliances like air conditioners. This even makes economic sense, as noise is a waste of energy and money. Other measures the meeting supported were wider buffer (緩沖) zones around noisy activities and controls to keep heavy traffic away from residential areas.

    But there are obvious conflicts. Many people like to have a bar within walking distance if they feel like a drink, but they don’t want a noisy pub keeping them awake when they want an early night. Most people want to live near a major road providing good access to other parts of the city, but they don't’ want the problem of road noise.

    I was most interested by the proposals aimed at behavioral change. There was strong support for measures to reduce traffic: better public transport, cycle ways and footpaths, even charges for road use. Many people optimistically thought industry awards for better equipment would stimulate the production of quieter appliances. It was even suggested that noise from building sites could be alleviated (減輕) if Brisbane adopted daylight saving, thus shifting the working day and providing longer, quieter evenings.

According to the recent public meeting in Brisbane, what was the first step to take in order to reduce noise pollution?

       A．Produce quieter air conditioners.

       B．Provide better sound barriers around major roads.

       C．Establish a noise complaints system.

       D．Make stricter laws to require owners to take responsibility for barking dogs.

It can be inferred from the passage that _______.

       A．the Brisbane residents were satisfied with the present noise regulatory system

       B．many people in Brisbane preferred to live near a pub to which they have easy access

       C．nearly all the inhabitants in Brisbane were bothered by noise in one form or another

       D．noise pollution is the most serious among pollution complaints in Brisbane

Brisbane City Council brought together citizens to talk through solutions to the noise problem mainly due to        .

       A．the result of the survey carried out by itself

       B．a(chǎn) noise complaints system that works

       C．people asking for tougher laws on noise

       D．requirements of an effective noise complaints system

What does the word “run-round” (Para. 3) mean?

       A．Unfair treatment.                                        

       B．Quick response.

       C．Delaying action in response to a request.        

       D．Full attention.

How could noise from building sites be alleviated if Brisbane adopted daylight saving?

       A．If daylight saving was adopted, the daytime would be prolonged and the night would become quieter.

       B．If daylight saving was adopted, the working hours during the daytime would be shortened

while the night would be extended and thus quieter.

       C．If daylight saving was adopted, the night would be shortened and thus quieter.

D．If daylight saving was adopted, both the daytime and the night would be shortened and the

noise would be reduced.

 29No sooner _____ on the TV than I heard the news that the stampede in Cambodia's capital, Phnom Penh, had left 375 victims dead．

       A．had I turned          B．did I turn       C．I had turned    D．I turned

The room was decorated      gold and jewels.

A. on                  B. at                          C. with            D. by

In      , when he was in        , he went abroad to study in America.

    A. the 1980s; his twenties           B. 1980s; the twenties

C. the 1980s; the twenties           D. 1980s; his twenties

Are morning people born or made? In my case it was definitely made．In my early 20s, I rarely went to bed before midnight, and I would almost always get up late the next morning．

But after a while I couldn’t ignore the high relationship between success and rising early．On those rare occasions when I did get up early, I noticed that my productivity was almost always higher．So I set out to become a habitual early riser．But whenever my alarm went off, my first thought was always to stop that noise and go back to sleep．Eventually some sleep research showed me that I was using the wrong strategy．

The most common wrong strategy is this: you assume that if you’re going to get up earlier, you’d better go to bed earlier．It sounds very reasonable, but will usually fail．

There are two main schools（流派） of thought on sleep patterns．The first is that you should go to bed and get up at the same time every day．The second school says you should go to bed when you’re tired and get up when you naturally wake up．However, I have found both of them are wrong if you care about productivity．If you sleep at set hours, you’ll sometimes go to bed when you aren’t sleepy enough．You’re wasting time lying in bed awake and not being asleep．

If your sleep is based on what your body tells you, you’ll probably be sleeping more than you need．Also, your mornings may be less predictable if you’re getting up at different times．

The solution for me has been to combine both methods．I go to bed when I’m sleepy and get up with an alarm clock at a fixed time．So I always get up at the same time （in my case 5 am）, but I go to bed at different times every night — sometimes at 9:30pm, and other times at midnight．Most of the time I go to bed between 10-11 pm．

However, going to bed only when I’m sleepy, and getting up at a fixed time every morning is my way．If you want to become an early riser, you can try your own．

According to the passage, the underlined phrase refers to ________．

       A．people who stay up until the next morning

       B．people who feel sleepy in the morning

       C．people who get up early in the morning

       D．people whose productivity is the highest in the morning

Why did the author want to become a habitual early riser?

       A．Because he / she wanted to form the habit of going to bed early and getting up early．

       B．Because he / she wanted to see which of the two main schools of thought on sleep patterns was right．

       C．Because he / she had found that his / her productivity was higher when he / she got up early．

       D．Because he / she was told the high relationship between success and rising early．

The passage is mainly about ________．

       A．how to have good sleep  

       B．how to become an early riser

       C．wrong strategies for getting up early     

       D．main schools of thought on sleep patterns

-----Have you_____?----- No, I had a wrong number．

       A．got in     B．got away       C．got off          D．got through

Why do people buy art? To answer this question, ask yourself what your reasons are for thinking of getting a piece of art. An artwork can cost a large amount of money, but if it meets your needs, it’s worth every penny. 

People buy art for many reasons. Many people buy an artwork simply because they like it, even if it is by an unknown artist. Art, as long as you enjoy it, is never a waste of money.

Art is for enjoyment. Art is meant to be shown. Don’t ever feel pressured into buying something you won’t enjoy looking at day after day, no matter what other people may say. Don’t buy something that doesn’t attract you just because it is trendy, or because the artist is famous, or because you have been advised that the artwork will make a good investment. If you don’t like the artwork at all, don’t buy it!

Art improves your environment. Have you ever noticed that all beautiful homes have art as an integral（必需的） part of the decoration? Art lends life and color to otherwise plain and ordinary walls. A well thought--out art collection will help create a unique atmosphere in your home and make it more attractive.

Art makes a statement. The kind of art you surround yourself with says much about your personality tastes and values. Art truly is a mirror of the soul.

Art enriches your life. Love--even the love of a work of art--contributes to healthier living and a longer lifespan (壽命). Art should enrich your life. Otherwise, why do you spend precious time and resources on it?

Just remember to select something which will appeal to your tastes, and keep to a sensible budget. Good art needn’t cost an arm and a leg.

Happy art collecting!

What’s the purpose of the passage?

A. To advise us to buy an expensive artwork.

   B. To remind us to be sensible when buying an artwork.

   C. To teach us how to choose works of art.

   D. To explain the benefit of art to people.

According to the author, what should you consider when buying a piece of art?

   A. Whether it brings pleasure to you.

   B. Whether it is fashionable at present.

   C. Whether you can profit from it in the end.

   D. Whether it is created by a famous artist.

Which of the following words best describes a work of art placed in a house?

   A. ordinary  B. attractive  C. necessary  D. unique

The underlined sentence in Paragraph 5 means that ____.

   A. art can show what you look like

   B. art is an expression of yourself

   C. a mirror has a feature similar to art

   D. a mirror can be a piece of true art