PASSAGE 1

　　JAMAICA There's no place like home Here are you , at home in Jamaica in your very own villa, all pastels and privacy. With Evangeline to spoil you: she's going shopping soon, to surprise you with a lobster for dinner. Madly extravagant? Not at all. There are hundreds of villas for rent, all over Jamaica. Bring your family, or share one with your best friends and the cost becomes inc_ reasingly attractive. A d what nicer way to experience the bountiful wonders of Jamaica than to have your own special place to return to e_ ach evening where you can sit back with a ruin punch, talk about tomo_ rrow, and to yourself, "There's no place like home." Make it Jamaica. Again。

　　21. "Villa" in this advertisement refers to a ________。

　　A. boarding house

　　B. mud hut

　　C. log cabin

　　D. small house

　　22. "Madly extravagant" in this advertisement means _______。

　　A. very cheap

　　B. fairly cheap

　　C. very expensive

　　D. fairly expensive

　　23. The advertisement implies that you _______。

　　A. enjoy sightseeing in foreign places

　　B. don't have to spend a lot of money

　　C. may require entertainment by well-known singers。

　　D. need a lot of excitement on your vacation。

　　24. The advertisement appeals to the reader's need for ______。

　　A. quiet pleasure

　　B. delicious food

　　C. relaxation

　　D. all of the above

　　25. "Bountiful" means _________。

　　A. abundant

　　B. fertile

　　C. great

　　D. prosperous

　　PASSAGE 2

　　BL has dismissed fight works firemen alleged to have been asleep at its Land-Rover works at Solihull when two works inspectors p_ aid an unexpected visit to the duty fireroom shortly before dawn on Monday. All firemen on the night shift, including the officer in charge, are said to have been sleeping in chairs or stretched out on the floor. This is the second time in recent years that a group of BL empl_ oyees at Solihull has been dismissed for sleeping on duty. Two and a half years ago 13 night shift workers there were found a_ sleep. They had brought sleeping bags, blankets, and built makeshift b_ unks. But it is understood that no such preparations had been m_ ade by the firemen. The eight were brought before a disciplinary hearing on Tuesday and charged with conduct in breach of their duty. They were sum_ marily dismissed. All eight have given voice of their intention to appeal under t_ he company's disputes procedure. The hearing is expected to take place next week with officials of the Transport and General Wor_ kers Union representing them。

　　26. According to the passage, inspectors paid an unexpected vis_ it to the duty fireroom just _____。

　　A. before the moon set

　　B. after the moon set

　　C. after the sun set

　　D. before the sun rose

　　27. What were the firemen doing?

　　A. They were building a kind of bed。

　　B. They were mending sleeping bags。

　　C. They were attending a meeting。

　　D. They were sleeping on night shift。

　　28. How could the previous breach of duty at BL be best described?

　　A. 13 night shift workers were found playing cards 30 months ago。

　　B. 13 night shift workers were found sleeping soundly 30 months ago。

　　C. 8 night shift workers were found drinking alcohol three years ago/

　　D. 8 night shift workers were found asleep two and a half years ago。

　　29. We learned that as a result of this latest case ______。

　　A. eight firemen were sacked

　　B. thirteen firemen were dismissed

　　C. eight firemen were promoted

　　D. thirteen firemen were fired。

　　30. Which of the following statement is true?

　　A. All firemen of that works have been dismissed。

　　B. The firemen who have been fired were going to leave the factory。

　　C. The Workers Union support that these firemen should be fired。

　　D. Those firemen would appeal。

　　PASSAGE 3

　　Promptness is important in American business, academic, and social settings. The importance of punctuality is taug_ ht to young children in school. Tardy slops and the use of bells sig_ nal to the child that punctuality and time itself are to be respected. People who keep appointments are considered dependable. If people are late to job interviews, appointments, or classes, they are often vie_ wed as unreliable and irresponsible. In the business world, "time is money" and companies may fine their executives for tardiness to busi_ ness meetings. Of course, it is not always possible to be punctual. Social and business etiquette also provides rules for late arrivals. Calling on the telephone if one is going to be more than a few minute_ s late for schedule appointments is considered polite and is often ex_ pected. Keeping a date of a friend waiting beyond ten to twenty minute_ s is considered rude. On the other hand, arriving thirty minutes late to some parties is acceptable. Respecting deadlines is also important in academic and professional ci_ rcles. It is expected that deadlines for class assignments or business reports will be met. Students who hand in assignments late may be surp_ rised to find that the professor will lower their grades or even refus_ e to grade their work. Whether it is a question of arriving on time or of meeting a deadline, people are culturally conditioned to regulate t_ ime。

　　31. The best title for this passage is ________。

　　A. Promptness

　　B. Time

　　C. Deadlines

　　D. Etiquette

　　32. In the United States the child who must go to bed early, be prompt at school, or bring a tardy slip if he is late_____

　　A. is learning the importance of time and punctuality in his culture。

　　B. Is learning to disobey his parents and teachers。

　　C. Is being punished for disobeying his mother and school officials。

　　D. Is being punished for playing too much。

　　33. If a person is late for a business meeting, he may be _____

　　A. criticized

　　B. fired

　　C. made to pay

　　D. given a pay rise

　　34. Social etiquette in the United States allows people______

　　A. to be a few minutes late for interviews and business meetings。

　　B. to come early to parties

　　C. to be up to a half-hour late for some parties。

　　D. to call a date when he is thirty minutes late。

　　35. The last sentence means ______

　　A. people everywhere regulate time in the same way。

　　B. Conditions decide how people spend time。

　　C. Regular timetable is important in every culture。

　　D. Different cultures have different customs concerning time。

　　PASSAGE 4

　　Urban life has always involved a balancing of opportunities and rewards against dangers and stress; its motivating force is, in the broadest s_ ense, money. Opportunities to make money mean competition and competit_ ion is stressful; it is often at its most intense in the largest cities , where opportunities are greatest. The presence of huge numbers of pe_ ople inevitable involves more conflict, more traveling, the overloading of public services and exposure to those deviants and criminals who are drawn to the rich pickings of great cities. Crime has always flourished in the relative anonymity of urban life, but today's ease of movement makes its control more difficult than ever; there is much evidence that its extent has a direct relationship to the size of communities. City dwellers may become trapped in their homes by the fear of crime around them. As a defense against these developments city dwellers tend to use vari_ ous strategies to try and reduce the pressures upon themselves: contac_ ts with other people are generally made brief and impersonal; doors are kept locked; telephone numbers may be ex-directory; journeys outside th_ e home are usually hurried, rather than a source of pleasure. There are other strategies too, which are positively harmful to the individual; f_ or example, reducing awareness through drugs or alcohol. Furthermore, a_ ll these defensive forms of behavior are harmful to society in general; they cause widespread loneliness and destroy the community's concern for its members. Lack of informal social contact and indifference to the mi_ sfortunes of others, if they are not personally known to oneself, are a_ mongst the major causes of urban crime。

　　36. According to the author, living in a city causes stress because the_ re are so many people who are _____。

　　A. anxious to succeed

　　B. in need of help

　　C. naturally aggressive

　　D. likely to commit crime

　　37. The author thinks that crime is increasing in cities because _____。

　　A. people do not communicate with their neighbors

　　B. Criminals are difficult to trace in large population

　　C. People feel anonymous there

　　D. The trappings of success are attractive to criminals

　　38. According to the article, what is the worst problem facing people living in cities?

　　A. crime

　　B. finding somewhere to live

　　C. loneliness

　　D. drugs and alcoholism

　　39. The biggest incentive to live in a city is_______

　　A. rewards

　　B. stress

　　C. competition

　　D. money

　　40. According to the author, crime is caused by several factors, one of which is _____

　　A. social isolation

　　B. defensive behavior

　　C. hurried journeys

　　D. personal misfortune

　　PASSAGE 5

　　SYDENHAM HIGH SCHOOL

　　Girls from 5-18 years

　　A well established, selective girls school

　　Offering a broad academic curriculum

　　And a wide variety of extra curricular activities and clubs

　　Telephone: 081 7788737

　　41. What's this passage for?

　　42. Who will be interested in reading it?

　　43. Can a 14-year-old boy be sent there?

　　44. If you want to send your daughter to that school, what should you do?

　　45. What does the school offer?

　　PASSAGE 6

　　He saw the station in a new light. Here was a mass of human beings, some black, some white, and some brown like himself. Here they mixed with one another, yet each mistrusted the other with an unnatural fear. Each treated the other with suspicion, each move in a narrow, haunted pattern of its own manufacture. One must challenge these things the speaker had said in one's own way. Yet how in one's way? How was one to challenge? Slowly it dawned upon him. Here was his chance, the bench. The railway bench with the legend "Europeans Only" neatly painted on it in white. For one moment it symbolized all the challenge to his rights as a man. There it stood, a perfectly ordinary wooden railway bench, like hundreds of thousands of others in South Africa. That bench, now had concentrated in it all the evils of system, he could not understand. It was the obstacle to himself and humanity. If he sat on it he was a human in a human society. He almost had visions of fighting the pernicious system if only he sat on that bench. Here was his chance. He, Karlie, would challenge。

　　46. What is this passage about? 47. Who is the main character in the passage? 48. Is he a black person? 49. Where is he? 50. What is he going to do?

　　Engineering software technology is constantly evolving, driving the marketplace, allowing companies to bring better products to market faster and at lower cost. Each new software release provides breakthroughs that allow companies to rely more on virtual product development and less on hours of laboratory, build-and-break studies. What used to take companies months or even years, costing a lot to design and build, now can be done in just weeks without great expense. This evolution is a direct result of the changing role of design analysis and optimisation software. Once thought of as "an extra step", today, this software is being applied throughout the product development process, testing ideas early in the development stage. ACME, Inc. develops the software tools that allow companies to build better, safer and more reliable products faster than ever before。

　　Opportunity and Success

　　You are expected to write three paragraphs。

　　In the first paragraph, state clearly your viewpoint。

　　In the second paragraph, support your viewpoint with details or examples。

　　In the third paragraph, bring a summary to your composition。