When a group of children politely stop a conversation with you, saying:  "We have to go to work now," you' re left feeling surprised and certainly uneasy. After all, this is the 1990s and the idea of children working is just unthinkable. That is, until you are told that they are all pupils of stage schools, and that the "work" they go off to is to go on the stage in a theatre.

Stage schools often act as agencies (代理機構(gòu)) to supply children for stage and television work. More worthy of the name  "stage school"  are those few places where children attend full time, with a training for the theatre and a general education.

A visit to such schools will leave you in no doubt that the children enjoy themselves. After all , what lively children wouldn't settle for spending only half the day doing ordinary school work, and acting, singing or dancing their way through the other half of the day?

Then of course there are times for the children to make a name and make a little money in some big shows. Some stage schools give their children too much professional work at such a young age. But the law is very tight on the amount they can do. Those under 13 are limited to 40 days in the year; those over 13 to 80 days.

The schools themselves admit that not all children will be successful in the profession for which they are being trained. So what happens to those who don' t make it? While all the leading schools say they place great importance on children getting good study results, the facts seem to suggest this is not always the case.

In the writer' s opinion, a good stage school should _________ .

A. produce star performers

B. help pupils improve their study skills

C. train pupils in language and performing arts

D. provide a general education and stage training.

"Professional work"  as used in the text means _________ .

A. ordinary school work            B. money-making performances

C. stage training at school             D. acting, singing or dancing after class

Which of the following best describes how the writer feels about stage schools?

A. He thinks highly of what they have to offer .

B. He favours an early start in the training of performing arts.

C. He feels uncomfortable about children putting on night shows.

D. He doubts the standard of ordinary education they have reached.

－Mr Smith , I’m sorry I used your telephone when you were away this morning .

    － ____________ .

A. That’s all right                     B. It’s a pleasure

C. You are welcome                     D. Don’t mention it

Mary, you can’t imagine what great difficulty I’ve had _____ him with the project.

--- I had been worried about English before the final exam, but I got an A!

   --- ______.

A. Wish you good luck        B. Sounds great   

C. Congratulations           D. You shouldn’t have worried about it    

---Is it Jim who is driving the new car?

   ---Probably. I know he has recently bought a ______ car.

A. shiny German black                    B. black shiny German

C. shiny black German                      D. black German shiny

Blind from birth, I have never had the opportunity to see myself and have been completely dependent on the image I create in the eyes of others.

       There are those who believe that   36   I can’t see, I obviously also cannot hear. Very often people will talk with me at the top of their   37  . Conversely(相反地) to this, people will also often   38  , thinking that since my eyes don’t work, my ears don’t either. For example, when I go to the airport and ask the ticket agent for   39  to the plane, he or she will always pick up the phone and call a ground hostess in a very low voice. "Hi, Jane, wave got a 76 here." I have concluded that the word "  40  " is not used because they are unwilling to inform me of my condition of which I may not have been previously   41  .

       On the other hand, others know that of course I can hear, but believe that I can’t talk. Once I became ill and was hospitalized. Immediately after I was    42  , I was wheeled down to the X-ray room. Just at the door sat an elderly woman(judging from her voice) asked the orderly(護工) who had been wheeling me:" What is your name?" “What’s your name?” the orderly   43   to me. "Harold Krents", I replied. "Harold Krents", he repeated. "When was he born?" "When were you born?" This continued for about five minutes before I finally interrupted, "Look, this is absolutely   44   . OK, I can’t see, but it’s going to become pretty  45   to both of you that I don’t need an interpreter." “He says he doesn’t need an interpreter," the orderly reported to the woman. 

       The   46   misconception of all is the view that because I can’t see, I can’t  47  . I was turned down by over forty law firms,   48   my qualifications included a cum laude(優(yōu)等成績) degree from Harvard Law School. The  49  to find jobs, the continuous   50  of being told that it was impossible for a blind person to   51  law, the rejection letter, not based on my lack of   52  but rather on my disability, will always remain one of the most upsetting experiences of my life.

      53  , the Department of Labor issued laws that demand equal  54  opportunities for the disabled. The business community’s response has been   55  . The attitude towards the disabled is beginning to change.

A．since          B．a(chǎn)lthough         C．whether    D．in that

A．lungs          B．ears           C．head      D．eyes

A．shout         B．laugh           C．whisper    D．cry

A．welcome       B．permission       C．a(chǎn)dvice      D．a(chǎn)ssistance

A．passenger      B．blind           C．trouble     D．situation

A．a(chǎn)fraid        B．a(chǎn)ware           C．curious     D．desperate

A．invited        B．released        C．included   D．a(chǎn)dmitted

A．a(chǎn)sked          B．responded     C．repeated    D．exchanged

A．cheerful     B．ridiculous        C．charming  D．disgusting

A．clear          B．easy          C．confusing  D．doubtful

A．earliest        B．slightest        C．latest     D．toughest

A．think          B．study         C．work     D．understand

A．a(chǎn)s if           B．even though     C．now that   D．in case

A．a(chǎn)ttempt        B．opportunity      C．mistake     D．success

A．disappointmentB．relief          C．envy        D．effort

A．disobey      B．challenge      C．practice    D．make

A．confidence    B．luck           C．a(chǎn)bility      D．a(chǎn)mbition

A．Regretfully    B．Purposely       C．Exactly     D．Fortunately

A．caring         B．employment     C．learning    D．traveling

A．enthusiastic   B．passive          C．negative    D．uncertain

Researchers Look Behind the Tears to Study Crying

Many people found themselves unusually moved by the historic presidential inauguration（就職演說）last week in Washington．Watching the huge crowds，we saw laughter，cheers，hugs---but also many tears．

       It made us wonder, why do people cry? Surely tears must be good for us—away to calm the mind and cleanse the body．Yet studies show that crying sometimes makes people feel worse．

       Three researchers in Florida and the Netherlands recently looked more deeply into the subject．They examined detailed descriptions of crying experiences．Psychologist Jonathan Rottenberg at the University of South Florida says they wanted to study crying as it happens in everyday life，not in a laboratory．

       The team analyzed information from the International Study on Adult Crying．As part of that study，three thousand people in different countries，mostly college students，wrote about recent crying experiences．They noted causes，surroundings and any people involved in the event．They also reported how they felt after they cried．

       Professor Roaenberg says the research showed that all crying experiences are not created equal．Crying does not always make a person feel better，he says．About ten percent of people reported feeling worse after they cried．

       But a third felt better after crying．And a majority reported the experience as helpful．

       The research showed that people who cry alone may not do as well as those with others around．People who reached out for emotional support at the time---and received it---reported better results from the crying experience．

       But Professor Rottenberg says those who felt shame or embarrassment while crying were less likely to report that crying had been helpful．

       Research has shown that women cry more often and more intensely than men．But it may not have better effect，says the psychologist．The new findings，he says，did not show that a person’s sex was an advantage of beneficial crying．In other words，just because women cry more does not mean they are more likely to have a“good”cry．

       The paper entitled “Is Crying Beneficial?”appeared in December in Current Directions in Psychological Science And there is more to learn．Jonathan Rottenberg says the science of crying is still in its infancy．

Why did the author mention the presidential inauguration in Washington in the first paragraph?

       A．Because he was impressed by the laughter, cheers，hugs and tears．

       B．Because he wanted to introduce the topic about crying．

       C．Because he wanted to show people’s dissatisfaction with the result．

       D．Because it was the historic moment that many people cried

How did the researchers carry out the research?

       A．They studied crying experiences not only in everyday life but also in labs．

       B．They collected the crying experiences of the students at the colleges．

       C．They studied the crying experiences of grown-ups from various countries．

       D．They noted their own crying experiences and compared with others．

We can learn from the passage that             ．

       A．it may be better to cry alone than with others around

       B．some support from others may make crying helpful

       C．women who cry more often may have better effects than men

       D．the effects will be better if you feel shy while crying

The underlined phrase in the last paragraph probably means            ．

       A．in the early stage   B．in a secret state      

       C．in the first place      D．in good condition

對話填空（共10小題，每小題1分，滿分10分）

W: Good evening, sir. I was told that you were robbed.

M: I certainly was.

W: When did that happen?

M: About two hours ago.

W: Why didn’t you r______ it then?

M: I couldn’t. I was tied to a chair and my mouth wasf______ with something.

W: Please tell me exactly what happened.

M: I was sitting in this room watching TV when someone )k         at the door.

Without thinking, I opened it.

W: That wasn’t very wise, sir.

M: I know. I was e_____ my wife, you see, and I t______ it was her.

W: You should never open a door without going to see who it is.

M: Yes, I regret that now.

W: What happened?

M: Two men pushed inside and then t______ me with a knife.

W: Did you take a good look at them?

M: I’m afraid not, They were both w       stockings over their faces.

W: What did they take?

M: My wallet with $200 in it, my watch, and some of my wife’s j______ from my bedroom.

W: They don’t seem to have done much damage to the flat.

M: No. They had just begun to search when the dogs next d______ began to bark. They ran off. It was some time b         my wife returned and set me free. I phoned the police at once.

W: My men began searching the area as soon as we received your call. I can’t promise you that we’ll recover your property, but we’ll certainly do our best.

   Scientists are trying to develop a special material, _______ they will make use of in space.

A. it                     B. that                  C. what                       D. one

They talked for about an hour about the things and the persons ______they remembered in the school.

A. which        B. that          C. who       D. whom