Dear residents of Molten,

    We can’t keep silent in the current wild situation when prices for all existing products are skyrocketing unbelievably. The enormous figures on price tags（標簽）for food products have caused a real panic. We’ve perfectly realized that, and that's why we have kept bread prices affordable for all this time.

    At the moment all our reserves are exhausted. Stocks of bread-baking ingredients (配料) such as flour, sugar, butter and the like are running out. To buy what we need at reasonable prices is virtually impossible today.

    However, we all need bread every day, which means we will be forced to buy everything we need at much higher prices.

    The cost of bread closely depends on ingredients. Another financial crisis(危機) has led to a 300-percent increase of prices for butter, vegetable oil and others as of September 1. All these prices continue to grow every hour.

    We have to take any possible measures which will help Figaro contain the growth of prices for its products. Despite of our SOS signal, no measures have been taken as yet. We have found ourselves in the same situation as any of you. We see the situation changing steadily for the worse. We will not cope with that alone.

    Because of this, Figaro came to the critical point where it is necessary to raise prices of its products. We see one recourse (way): raise the bread price minimally（最低限度）and cancel our free plastic bag service. But what is next? This is the concern of all the 700 employees and the board of Figaro.

    Every extra cent in the cost of bread upsets you and us very much. Making our sincere apologies for a forced increase of the bread price, we hope for your understanding and support. Today and tomorrow we are with you, as usual.

The staff and board of Figaro

53. Figaro is _______.

   A. a farm                                           B. a bakery  

   C. a businessman                               D. a government department

54. In this open letter Figaro explains to the people of Molten that _______.

   A. they can no longer supply bread

   B. the price of bread will be three times as high 

   C. they need their help in holding down prices

   D. it will have to close down

55. A possible solution to the crisis, what Figaro suggests is _______.

  A. to use ingredients of a lower quality and lower energy prices

  B. to use shopping bags less

  C. to urge people to eat less bread

  D. to have the bread price raised to a certain level

56. We can infer from the passage that _______.

   A. bread may end up as an article that many people can no longer afford

   B. the local people have responded positively to recent SOS messages from Figaro

   C. bread may become less tasty in recent months

   D. the government has a tradition of helping out local businesses in difficult times

The curtain on the 2008 US presidential election finally rose last month as John McCain and Barack Obama were formally nominated (提名) as candidates of the two major parties. This may be one of the hardest decisions voters have to make between two appealing candidates.

The big question for voters, as they face both an economic downturn and international threats, is: who will they elect? A young first-term senator promising change and new ideas, or a longtime senator with strong military experience and a reputation as a maverick (特立獨行的人)?
    American voters have never seen a candidate quite like Obama. He has a white mother from the US and a black father from Kenya who left the family when Obama was very young. He spent part of his youth in Indonesia.
    His supporters say Obama’s childhood gives him the advantage to repair the recent damage done to America’s image abroad. His opponents focus on his inexperience, noting he hasn’t finished his first term in the Senate.   

However, McCain has a very different life story.

He grew up in a Navy family and was a pilot during the Vietnam War in the 1960s. When Obama was in kindergarten in Indonesia, McCain’s plane was shot down over Vietnam and he became a prisoner of war. McCain could have been released if he disowned America but he refused and so was held for five years.

So in the end, the election may hinge on (以…為轉(zhuǎn)移) several factors that are hard to judge: Will Obama’s race matter to a significant number of voters? Will working-class whites who tended to support his primary opponent, Hillary Clinton, vote for Obama? And perhaps most important of all, will swing (搖擺) voters be more drawn to Obama’s vision (遠景規(guī)劃) or to McCain’s experience?

Whatever happens, one thing is clear: Whoever walks into the White House on January 20, 2009, will find enormous challenges waiting for him in the Oval Office, both at home and abroad.

49. _________ makes the result of the election hard to predict.

A. Whether working class whites care about Obama’s inexperience
B. The economic trouble the country now faces

C. Who swing voters will finally decide to vote for

D. McCain being too old to govern the country

50. The appeal in Obama as a presidential candidate lies in ______.

    A. his multi-cultural background

    B. his belief in tradition

    C. his inexperience in politicsD. his fantastic promises

51. The word “disown” in Paragraph 6 means closest to ______.

    A. flee from

    B. turn his back on

    C. not keep it private

    D. expose secrets about

52. The challenges that will face the new president _______.

 A. are not mentioned in the text

 B. include building a strong party and a friendly image

 C. refer to the problems of immigrants and economy

 D. refer to the problems of economy and international relations

Human Capital How what you know shapes your life

Version: Print (Paperback) Publication date: 20Feb 2007

Language: English ISBN: 9789264029088  Price: ∈15/＄19/￡10

This book explores the influence of education and learning on our societies and lives and examines what countries are doing to provide education and training to support people throughout their lives.

Economic Policy Reforms―Going for Growth, 2007 Edition

Version: Print (Paperback) Publication date: 15 Feb 2007

Language: English ISBN: 9789264030473 Price: ∈60/＄75/￡41

Based on a broad set of indications of structural policies and performance, Going for Growth 2007 takes stock of the recent progress made in implementing(貫徹) policy reforms and identifies, for each OECD country, five policy priorities to lift growth.

Climate Changes in the European Alps―Adapting Winter Tourism and Natural hazards Management

Version: Print (Paperback) Publication date: 22 Jan 2007

Language: English ISBN: 9789264031685  Price: ∈24/＄32/￡17

The first systematic cross-country analysis of snow-reliability of Alpine ski areas under climate change for five countries in the region: France, Switzerland, Austria, Italy and Germany.

OECD in Figures 2006―2007―Statistics on the Member Countries―OECD Observer―Volume 2006 Supplement 1

Version: Print (Paperback) Publication date: 05 Jan 2007

Language: English ISBN: 9789264022638  Price: ∈15/＄20/￡10

A handy pocket reference containing key data covering the entire range of OECD work including the economy, employment, health, education, migration, the environment, science and technology, public fiancés, agriculture, trade, and development aid.

Issue 2

Version: Print (Paperback) Publication date: 26 Jan 2007

Language: English ISBN: 9789264030954  Price: ∈80/＄97/￡55

OECD’s twice yearly assessment and projections for the economies of the OECD area and selected non-members. This edition also looks at the rise in household debt.

45.   Which of the following books was published most lately?

A. OECD in Figures 2006―2007.

B. OECD Economic Outlook.

C. Human Capital.

D.Climate Changes in the European Alps.

46.   We can learn from the passage that Alps________

A. an Austrian interesting places most attractive in summer seasons.

B. an European mountain belonging to three countries.

C. A stadium for skiing lovers from five European countries.

D.An European mountain famous for its winter skiing.

47.   From the book with ISBN____ you can get a wider range of information about OECD.

A. 9789264029088               B. 9789264022638

C. 9789264030954               D. 9789264030473

48.   You should afford ____ Euro dollars for a book to know about the recent progress in economic policies in the OECD countries.

A. 60                    B. 15                     C. 55             D. 80

Some recent surveys show that the health conditions of many white collar employees and office workers are rather critical. Death cases among white collar employees and office workers are increasing year by year and these cases are generally believed to have been caused by overwork and spend little time taking rest or doing exercise.

If their offices are within the distance of half an hour’s walk, some office workers now choose to go to work on foot. Ms. Deng, who works in a foreign enterprise in Beijing, has been walking to her office for more than six months now. “I usually have a tight work schedule and can’t find time to do exercise. So I choose to walk to work.” As she said, if the office is not far from home, most women would like to go to work on foot. Walking is good for their health and can help them to keep good figures as well.

Apart from walking to office, one can also find time to do exercise when one is at work. The simplest way is to abandon the lift. Mr. Wei, who works in the Passenger Service Department at Shenzhen Airlines, is one of such men who frequently climb stairs to his office. “I only use the lift whenever I’m with my colleagues or my boss. Otherwise, I would climb stairs instead of taking the lift.”

In addition, some office workers try to find time to go to a gym at the end of a day. Ms. Sang works in a law firm in Shenzhen. She goes to the gym several times a week when she has the time. “I go to the gym every weekend. During the weekdays, I will also go there whenever I have the time.” Ms. Sang and her husband both have a gym membership card for a whole year. The cards cost them 3,000 yuan. However they think it’s worth it.

41. Why are death cases among white collar employees and office workers increasing year by year?

A. Because they overwork for a long time.

B. Because they are too busy to have time for a rest.

C. Because they hardly have time to do exercise after work.

D. All of the above.

42. How many ways that office workers keep healthy are mentioned in the passage?

A. 3                     B. 4                      C. 5                            D.6

43. Which of the following sentence can be added between Paragraph 1 and Paragraph 2?

A. Then, what shall office workers do next to prevent death cases?

B. What will happen to office workers?

C. In order to keep themselves healthy, some office workers now take measures as follows:

D. Working on foot is the best way for office workers.

44. The best title of the passage is ______.

A. Health Is Very Important

B. Office Workers Try to Keep Healthy

C. How to Keep Healthy

D. Office Workers’ Trouble

Some recent surveys show that the health conditions of many white collar employees and office workers are rather critical. Death cases among white collar employees and office workers are increasing year by year and these cases are generally believed to have been caused by overwork and spend little time taking rest or doing exercise.

If their offices are within the distance of half an hour’s walk, some office workers now choose to go to work on foot. Ms. Deng, who works in a foreign enterprise in Beijing, has been walking to her office for more than six months now. “I usually have a tight work schedule and can’t find time to do exercise. So I choose to walk to work.” As she said, if the office is not far from home, most women would like to go to work on foot. Walking is good for their health and can help them to keep good figures as well.

Apart from walking to office, one can also find time to do exercise when one is at work. The simplest way is to abandon the lift. Mr. Wei, who works in the Passenger Service Department at Shenzhen Airlines, is one of such men who frequently climb stairs to his office. “I only use the lift whenever I’m with my colleagues or my boss. Otherwise, I would climb stairs instead of taking the lift.”

In addition, some office workers try to find time to go to a gym at the end of a day. Ms. Sang works in a law firm in Shenzhen. She goes to the gym several times a week when she has the time. “I go to the gym every weekend. During the weekdays, I will also go there whenever I have the time.” Ms. Sang and her husband both have a gym membership card for a whole year. The cards cost them 3,000 yuan. However they think it’s worth it.

41. Why are death cases among white collar employees and office workers increasing year by year?

A. Because they overwork for a long time.

B. Because they are too busy to have time for a rest.

C. Because they hardly have time to do exercise after work.

D. All of the above.

42. How many ways that office workers keep healthy are mentioned in the passage?

A. 3                     B. 4                      C. 5                            D.6

43. Which of the following sentence can be added between Paragraph 1 and Paragraph 2?

A. Then, what shall office workers do next to prevent death cases?

B. What will happen to office workers?

C. In order to keep themselves healthy, some office workers now take measures as follows:

D. Working on foot is the best way for office workers.

44. The best title of the passage is ______.

A. Health Is Very Important

B. Office Workers Try to Keep Healthy

C. How to Keep Healthy

D. Office Workers’ Trouble

Evelyn Glennie was the first lady of solo percussion in Scotland. In an interview, she recalled how she became a percussion soloist (打擊樂器獨奏演員) in spite of her disability.

“Early on I decided not to allow the    21   of others to stop me from becoming a musician. I grew up on a farm in northeast Scotland and began    22     piano lessons when I was eight. The older I got, the more my   23   for music grew. But I also began to gradually lose my hearing. Doctors concluded that the nerve damage was the    24   and by age twelve, I was completely deaf. But my love for music never    25   me.

 “My   26   was to become a percussion soloist, even though there were none at that time. To perform, I    27   to ‘hear’ music differently from others. I play in my stocking feet and can    28   the pitch of a note(音調(diào)高低) by the vibrations(振動) I feel through my body and through my   29  . My entire sound world exists by making   30  of almost every  sense that I have.”

 “I was    31   to be a musician, not as a deaf musician, and I   32   to the famous Royal Academy of Music in London. No other deaf student had done this before and some teachers    33   my admission. Based on my performance, I was    34   admitted and went on to   35   with the academy’s highest honors.”

 “After that, I established myself as the first full-time solo percussionist. I    36   and arranged a lot of musical compositions since    37   had been written specially for solo percussionists.”

 “I have been a soloist for over ten years.    38   the doctor thought I was totally deaf, it didn’t    39    that my passion couldn’t be realized. I would encourage people not to allow themselves to be    40   by others. Follow your passion; follow your heart. They will lead you to the place you want to go.”

 ---Mom, what did your doctor say?

---He advised me to live ______ the air is fresher.

A. in where                B. in which            C.  the place where             D. where

 We could hardly believe what she says because she is _____ changing her mind.

A. regularly      B. steadily              C. suddenly           D. constantly

When you make a decision to buy something, you must remember that a good name of a product doesn’t ______ mean good quality of it.

A. necessarily               B. simply        C. essentially   D. purposefully

The world around us has changed a lot. Nowadays the Internet provides easy ______to various kinds of information. 

A. way                     B. access        C. entrance            D. means