When you're surfing the Internet on your laptop from your dorm or home, do you know your personal details are being gathered secretly? And would you be surprised to know the information may be sold cheaply to advertisers and marketers?

According to an investigation by The Wall Street Journal, all it takes is a tiny file in a computer—a single code consisting of a long series of numbers and letter—to record the computer user's age, gender, location, favorite movies and hobbies．

The newspaper reports that Lotame Solutions Inc．, a New York company, uses sophisticated software called a  '"beacon" to capture what people are typing on a website．

Lotame packages the data into profiles （個人資料） about individuals, only without their names, and sells the profiles to companies seeking customers．Such data may be sold for a few dollars．

The Wall Street Journal survey discovered that spying on Internet users is one of the fastest-growing businesses on the Internet．

The "cookie", a tiny text file put on your PC by websites or marketing firms, which might be used to remember your preferences for one site or to track you across many sites, is already old news．There are new and more complex tools such as "beacons" which scan in real time what people are doing on a webpage．'These beacons instantly assess the Internet user's location, income, shopping interests and even medical conditions．

Millions of Internet users around the world also face great threats．Their private, sensitive, personal and business information is being gathered and sold without their knowledge．

Companies insist that the information they gather is anonymous （匿名的） and the data is used harmlessly．But the technology has grown so powerful that even some of the biggest websites in the US don't know that they were．installing （安裝） intrusive （侵入的） files on visitors' computers．These include MSN．com and Yahoo．com．

Next time you visit a webpage and find an ad banner advertising something you've been planning to buy, don't be amazed that your computer can read your mind．

57．The purpose of the passage is to ______．

       A．show how your private information is let out when surfing the Internet

       B．introduce a very tiny file in your computer—a single code

       C．tells you about the ways of protecting your privacy on the Internet

       D．introduce the sophisticated software called a "beacon"

58．Why do people want computer users' personal information via the Internet?

       A．Because they haven't realized the function of the tiny file．

       B．Because they want to use the information to make some money．

       C．Because the cookies in computers encourage them to do so．

       D．Because they know it's harmless if they get anonymous information,

59．It can be inferred from the passage that ______．

       A．Internet users around the world will not face threats, for the data is used harmlessly

       B．when you surf the Internet, your personal details may be let out without knowledge

       C．your computer is so smart that sometimes it can really read your mind

       D．MSN．com uses software to capture what people are typing on a website

60．According to the passage, a "beacon" ______．

       A．is a tiny text file put on your PC by websites

       B．is not more complex than the "cookie"

       C．can assess Internet users' location, income and other personal data

       D．is the software that can package the data into personal profiles

Efficiency and productivity are the key factors in the workplace．Being noticed is essential for the employee to progress．What if you are shy? People often make assumptions that being shy means you can't complete a job as well as others and this can seriously hold you back．

A shy person is likely to be the one who works hard and struggles for a quiet life rather than being put in an awkward （令人不舒服的）） situation．Unfortunately it means that you may be the one who misses a promotion．Being shy means your boss is less likely to remember you despite your ability．You end up with the "reliable" one who will riot compete with others．

Communication is essential and while you may be a good listener it is important to make your voice heard．Shy people may have a lot of thoughts, but keeping their ideas to themselves is only to punish themselves when someone else receives praise for the same idea．Bosses may assume that you haven't the ability to think of ideas despite the fact that you have plenty but feel afraid to say them．If deals have to be made, your boss may think you won't be able to win over customers．

If you are unsure of carrying out a task and afraid of being laughed at, you will feel depressed．This could cause you not to complete the task effectively enough, Asking for help will ease the pressure．

Being shy can lead to missing a promotion and pay increase because you are afraid to ask．It could be the opportunity for the company to provide extra training for you．If you don't ask you will miss out on greater expertise （專業(yè)知識）．

Find strategies to overcome your fears．The challenges may be something such as being the first one to speak to a colleague．The sense of achievement will be inspiring．Later on it could be suggesting at least one idea the next time there is a meeting．If you feel you have serious problems with shyness then try confidence training to help you．Making that decision to try could change your life．

53．According to the passage, a shy person______．

       A．often has low efficiency at work

       B．will not be regarded as abler than others

       C．will feel embarrassed in the workplace

       D．will be regarded as the most reliable employee

54．What can we infer from the passage?

       A．People often look down upon a shy person．

       B．Shyness will prevent our career advancement．

       C．Bosses will never give important tasks to a shy person．

       D．A shy person will not ask for help when meeting difficulties．

55．To overcome our shyness at work, we can ______．

       ① greet our colleagues actively

       ②declare what we're capable of to everyone

       ③get trained to increase our self-confidence

       ④put forward at least one idea during a meeting

       A．①③④          B．①②④             C．①②③            D．②③④

56．What's the best title for passage?

       A．How to overcome shyness?          B．The character of a shy person

       C．The effects of being shy on people      D．Disadvantages of being shy at work

·Round the world tickets （RTWs）

These usually last a year and let you go to several destinations．There may be some restrictions．（限制） on where you can go by air so it's important to check out the terms and conditions of each deal and decide which one suits you best．A typical RTW for （usually） less than ￡1,000 would be:

London—Toronto—Honolulu—Fiji—Sydney—Hong Kong—London．You can get a preset RTW or make one up to yourself—this can be cheaper in some cases．

    ·Multi-stopover tickets

If you don't want to go around the globe but want to see several different places, multi-stopover tickets can let you make several stopovers （中途停留）．For instance, your route could be:

London—Singapore—Sydney—Bombay—London．Or it could be a lot more complicated with lots of flights within Australia for instance．

·Open jaw tickets

If you want to go to one destination by ah- and then travel overland and come back by another destination by air, you can buy an open jaw ticket．For instance, your route could be;

       London—Cairo—Nairobi—London （Traveling between Cairo and Nairobi by land）

·Air passes

If you want to travel around within one country or even one area you can buy air passes to cover one of the following: the USA, Africa, Australia, India, the Far East, the Caribbean, South America and the Pacific．In some cases you may have to buy the air pass before you get to the country or area you want to travel in．

Short air passes last a week．Longer ones can last up to 2 months．Costs vary but start ￡150．Ask your travel agent for details．

·Spur legs

Spur legs let you go off on a detour （迂回路） on your way to your final destination．For example you might visit China on your way to Australia．

49．Mr．Brown retired last month and wants to travel around the world; he most probably buys ______．

       A．Round the world tickets             B．Multi-stopover tickets

       C．Open jaw tickets                      D．Air passes

50．Open jaw tickets suit those who want to ______．

       A．go to several destinations in different countries．

       B．visit several different places and make several stopovers

       C．go to one place and then travel by land and then return by plane

       D．go off on a detour on their way to their final destinations

51．What kind of ticket may you buy if you want to travel to Japan．passing by Beijing?

       A．Open jaw tickets．                        B．Round the world tickets.

       C．Air passes.                                D．Spur legs．

52．If you want to travel in one country for a short time, the air ticket will cost you ______．

       A．more than ￡1,000                       B．no less than ￡150

       C．less than ￡150                          D．a(chǎn)bout ￡1,000

Two weeks later, I registered for my course and started going to lectures．It was really difficult to concentrate at first, and I could only really pick up bits and pieces．Over time though, as my Spanish improved, it became a lot easier and a lot more interesting．

I made friends with the other Erasmus students in my classes．It was difficult to get to know the Spanish students as most of them had already formed their own groups of friends and stuck to them．I did meet a few friendly Spanish people, but the vast majority of my friends were other foreign students．

I didn't really experience too much of a culture shock as I learnt a lot about the country through my major courses, but there were a few things that still took me by surprise, such as the laid-back attitude of the people．It meant life moved in general at a slower pace, which could be frustrating at times, but 1 soon grew to love it．

I didn't miss home too much as I kept in contact with family and friends online through Skype．It was also easy to get a cheap flight back for the weekend if I liked a weekend of home comforts．However, I was always so busy that I never really spared time for homesickness．My family came over a few times to visit and it was always good to have a fresh perspective(視角） on the city as they would appreciate things about Valencia I hadn't noticed or took for granted．

I have many fond memories of Valencia, especially the days spent on the sunny beach the brilliant food, the all-night party and the festivals．I'll definitely go back for a weekend with all the friends 1 met there and I hope to keep in touch with my Spanish friends too．I thoroughly recommend studying abroad, and although it may seem tough early on, the chances are you'll have a great time．

45．At first, the writer found it difficult to follow lectures because           ．

       A．he showed no interest in them              B．he was poor in Spanish

       C．they involved difficult courses            D．they were badly organized

46 In Paragraph 3, the underlined phrase "the laid-back attitude" refers to           ．

       A．the impolite behavior                        B．the bad cultural atmosphere

       C．the interesting habit                       D．the leisurely lifestyle

47．According to the passage, the writer's family           ．

       A．had many online friends                 B．well supported his study

       C．thought well of Valencia                 D．often traveled abroad

48．What can be inferred, from the passage?

       A．Foreign students were not welcome among the Spanish ones．

       B．The Spanish culture challenged most foreign students．

       C．The writer has finished his study abroad．

       D．The writer has made many Spanish fnends．

LOS ANGELES? “The Artist” won in 5 categories of the 84th Annual Academy Awards Sunday night including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Actor．

The film also got the Oscar statuettes for Costume Design and Original Score． It is the first time a mostly" silent film to win best picture since "Wings" won at the first Oscar ceremony in 1929．And it is also the first black -and-white movie to win best picture since "Schindler's List" in 1994．

The film beat out "The Descendants", "Hugo", "The Help", "Moneyball", "War Horse”, "Extremely Loud &Incredibly Close", "Midnisht in Paris" and "The Tree of Life" to be the Best Picture．

Additionally, it is the first time in Academy Awards history that a French actor and a French filmmaker took the top acting and directing awards．

Michel Hazanavicius won the Best Director and Jean Dujardin, who plays the silent film star Georse Valentin won the award for Best Actor．

The film also won awards of the Producers Guild of America, the British Academy of Film and Television Arts and best motion picture musical or comedy from the Golden Globes．

       It was nominated in 10 categories of the Academy Awards．

41．Which of the following awards didn't The Artist win at the 84th Oscar ceremony in 2012?

       A．The Best Foreign Language Film．

       B．The Best Costume Design．

       C．The Best Director．

       D．The Best Original Score．

42．_______ won the Best Picture at the first Oscar ceremony．

       A．Wings                           B．Schindler's List

       C．The Tree of Life                     D．Midnight in Paris

43．Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?

       A．Wings is a black-and-white film．

       B．Schindler's List won the Best Feature．

       C．The Artist won the award of the British Academy of Film．

       D．Schindler's List beat out The Descendants to be the Best Picture．

44．What can we infer from the passage?

       A．The Artist won many other awards besides the Oscar Awards．

       B．French films seldom won Oscar Awards．

       C．The Oscar Awards is probably the most influential award in the film industry．

       D．Any film has to win other awards before winning the Oscar Awards．

"You probably don't remember me," she began, "But I've come back to apply for graduation with excellent grades．" Then she 21　 a piece of paper from her 22 and gave it to me．It was my handwriting, but I 　23 writing it．

As the assistant professor of the Honors Programs at the university, one of my　 24　 was to review student transcripts （學(xué)生成績報告單） to make sure they　 25　 requirements for continuing in Honors．It was 　26　 for freshmen （大一新生） to have a rough start and be 　 27　 that they could no longer continue in Honors after their first term．Sometimes their second term report cards would fee sent to us, even though students were no longer in the program．

The note she handed me　 28 ，"Congratulations on your excellent second term．You may have been　 29　 at your fall grades, but you should feel　 30　 of how you've turned your effort around．Best of luck in 　31 the good work, and you'll be qualified for graduation with excellent grades．"

I didn't remember sending the note, written at the bottom of her second term transcript．

The student went on and said, "You can't know what this 　32 to me．I've carried it in my wallet for three years and took it out 　33 I didn't want to do my work．For three years I've been 　34　 to enter your office and give you this note and this transcript．" She handed me her　 35　 transcript with good marks．

We were both excited．She cried and I　 36　 to．Writing the note seemed like nothing to me, 　37 it made a great difference to her．I really had no 　38　 my actions had such meaning．

I've enjoyed this memory for many years—with 　39　 for such an act of kindness．The kindness of course wasn't mine in writing the note, but her kindness in wanting me to know what I did had 　40 ．I really thank her!

21．A．pulled down　　　　 B．pulled off　　　　　　 C．pulled out　　　　　 D．pulled up

22．A．bag　　　　　　　　　　 B．pocket　　　　　　　　 C．wallet　　　　　　　　 D．box

23．A．remembered　　　 B．forgot　　　　　　　　 C．regretted　　　　　　 D．minded

24．A．a(chǎn)ims　　　　　　　　　 B．wishes　　　　　　　 C．pleasures　　　　　　 D．jobs

25．A．met　　　　　　　　　　 B．dissatisfied　　　　　 C．set　　　　　　　　　　 D．relaxed

26．A．hard　　　　　　　　　 B．unusual　　　　　　　 C．popular　　　　　　　 D．common

27．A．blamed　　　　　　　 B．told　　　　　　　　　　 C．reminded　　　　　　 D．refused

28．A．read　　　　　　　　　 B．showed　　　　　　　 C．indicated　　　　　　 D．a(chǎn)nnounced

29．A．surprised　　　　　　 B．disappointed　　　　 C．embarrassed 　　 D．delighted

30．A．sick　　　　　　　　　 B．a(chǎn)fraid　　　　　　　　 C．tired　　　　　　　　　 D．proud

31．A．keeping up　　　　　 B．holding up　　　　　 C．depending on 　　 D．trying on

32．A．brought　　　　　　　 B．meant　　　　　　　　 C．influenced　　　　　 D．happened

33．A．however　　　　　　 B．wherever　　　　　　 C．whenever　　　　　 D．whatever

34．A．hesitating　　　　　　 B．a(chǎn)dvising　　　　　　　 C．planning　　　　　　 D．promising

35．A．latest　　　　　　　　　 B．lost　　　　　　　　　　 C．first　　　　　　　　　 D．dirty

36．A．failed　　　　　　　　 B．wanted　　　　　　　 C．decided　　　　　　　 D．hated

37．A．so　　　　　　　　　　　 B．or　　　　　　　　　　　 C．a(chǎn)nd　　　　　　　　　　 D．but

38．A．doubt　　　　　　　　 B．wonder　　　　　　　 C．idea　　　　　　　　　 D．problem

39．A．a(chǎn)ppreciation　　　　 B．excitement　　　　　 C．respect　　　　　　　 D．pride

40．A．succeeded　　　　　 B．changed　　　　　　 C．improved　　　　　　 D．mattered

—I tried many times, but I still failed in the experiment．

—Don't be discouraged．_____ and the problem will be settled．

　　　 A．Having a little effort　　　　　　　　 　　 B．There being a little effort

　　　 C．If you have a bit effort　　　　　　　 　　 D．A bit more effort

—Could I ask you a rather personal question?

— 　 .

　　　 A．Of course, go ahead．　　　　　　 　　　 B．Yes, don’t worry.

　　　 C．Yes, help yourself．　　　　　　　　 　　 D．Of course, why not?

—I rang you at about three yesterday afternoon, but there was no reply．

—Oh, that was probably _____ I was seeing the doctor．

　　　 A．when　　 　　　 B．why　　　　　　 　 C．what　　　　　 D．that

I have visited many places but nowhere else in the world          such friendly people．

       A．there can be      B．can there be             C．it can be           D．can it be