1、In China it is relatively usual to ask people their age， but in the West this question is generally regarded as impolite. This is particularly true _11()women， and even more so if the inquirer is a man. However， it is very _12()to ask children their age， and some adults may not mind being asked either. In fact， some elderly people are quite happy to _13()their age， especially if they feel they look young for their age. Nevertheless， it is not very wise to ask a direct question like “How old are you?”.If elderly people want to talk about their age， they may easily14()_the topic themselves， and ask the other person to guess how old they are . They normally expect to be complimented on their youthfulness， though rather than()15() that they look very old. Even tbough Westerners do not usually ask people directly how old they are， this does not _16() that they are not interested to know how old other people are. They may ask _17()for the information， or else they may try to 18() the topic indirectly. Sometimes discussions about educational_19()and the number of years of working experience may provide some clues， but this is not always the 20().11. ( )

6.()can theory be separated from practice. ( )

A. By the way

B. In no way

C. In a way

D. In the way

3、Believe it or not， optical illusion(错觉)can cut highway crashes. Japan is a case in point. It has reduced automobile crashes on some roads by nearly 75percent using a simple optical illusion. Bent stripes， called chevrons (人字形)， painted on the roads make drivers think that they are driving faster than they really are， and thus drivers slow down. Now the American Automobile Association Foundation for Traffic Safety in Washington D.C. is planning to repeat Japan＇s success. Starting next year， the foundation will paint chevrons and other patterns of stripes on selected roads around the country to test how well the patterns reduce highway crashes. Excessive speed plays a major role in as much as one fifth of all fatal traffic accidents， according to the foundation will conduct its tests in areas where speed - related hazards are the greatest - curves， exit slopes， traffic circles， and bridges. Some studies suggest that straight， horizontal bars painted across roads can initially cut the average speed of drivers in half. However， traffic often returns to full speed within months as drivers become used to seeing the painted bars. Chevrons， scientists say， not only give drivers the impression that they are driving faster than they really are but also make a lane appear to be narrower.The result is a longer lasting reduction in highway speed and the number of traffic accidents.3.The advantage of chevrons over straight， horizontal bars is that the former()( )

A. can keep drivers awake

B. can cut road accidents in half

C. will have a longer effect on drivers

D. will look more attractive

41.Why do you look so()? You never smile or look cheerful.( )

A. miserable

B. unfortunate

C. sorry

D. rude

17.I don＇t think that watch is().( )

A. worthy of the price

B. worth the price

C. worth of the price

D. worthy to buy

44.Your spoken English has improved()
but it still requires a great deal of practice and hard work.( )

A. in the way

B. by the way

C. in a way

D. in any way

2、It is often said that politeness costs nothing. In fact， it seems that a little more politeness could save businesses £ 5 billion every year. Frequently hearing the phrase” thank you” or” well done” means the same to staff as modest pay rise. Praise and encouragement also makes employees more likely to work hard and stay in their jobs. In this way the business companies can save the cost of finding new employees. A third of 1， 000 workers surveyed by a consulting firm said they did not get thanked at all when they did well—and a further third said they were not thanked enough. In both cases， staff said they felt undervalued， meaning they were less likely to exert themselves and were more likely to look for employment elsewhere. The result of the survey shows that there would be around f 5.2 billion loss in productivity if the employees felt less appreciated.According to the firm， praising staff has the same positive effect as a 1 per cent pay rise—and works out much cheaper for bosses. Three out of four employees said that regular acknowledgement by their bosses was important to them， but only a quarter said they were actually owen as much praise as they felt they needed. The survey found that those in blue-collar and manual jobs were less likely to be given any recognition for doing well. But it seems that they most need such praise. In regional terms， Scottish staff felt most undervalued.Four out of ten workers said they were never thanked and eight out of ten said they would like more praise. However， workers in the North-East are less impressed by being praised by the boss， as only 69 per cent said they felt the need to be told “well done”regularly.Older employees and women need the most reassurance， according to psychologist Averil Leimon. She said that words of praise did more than creating a pleasant place to work—they could even promote profits.3.According to the survey， () of the employees believed they were praised as much as expected.( )

A. 25%

B. 30%

C. 40%

D. 75%

4、Many people think New York is a noisy city. In fact， scientists who study noise say that the average noise level in New York is 72.5 decibels. This is a little louder than normal conversation， which is 65 decibels. The noise level is the result of so many people and cars in the same area. Now even the insides of taxis are noisy. When you get into a taxi， you hear the voice of a well-known singer sports reporter， or Broadway actress giving instructions. That＇s right. The voice of a famous person tells you what to do.One popular singer gives this message:” Cats have nine lives， but you have only one， to fasten your seat beat!”Other voices say things such as “Don＇t forget to collect all your belongings.”【People often leave hats， umbrella， and bags in taxis. 】 There is a good reason for the messages. There are more than 12， 000 cabs in New York， and every year taxis get into more than 15， 000 accidents. In an accident， people who don＇t wear seat belts hit the partition， the glass wall separating the driver and passengers in the taxi. They can hurt their foreheads or break their noses or chins. Every year， about 11， 000 people are injured in this way. Many people are annoyed by the voices. Cabdrivers in particular dislike the messages.”I play the messages 12 hours a day.I hear the same voices 60 times a day. It makes me crazy， “ says Atnis， a 45-year-old cabdriver.”But if I don＇t play the messages， I get fined 100 dollars.” A lot of passengers complained， too.”It＇s too much noise， “ says a passenger， “l asked the driver to turn off the message， but he said he can＇t.” Other people think the voices are a great idea. One taxi driver says， “ People like to hear the famous voices， and they put on their seat belts more often.” And passengers from out of town really like the idea.”Most of the time， taxi drivers are in a bad mood， “says Melanie Benton， who visits New York often on business， “It＇s nice to hear a cheerful voice when you get into a cab.”3.It can be inferred from the passage that a taxi driver hears the same voices()every day.( )

A. about 5 times an hour

B. about 6 time an hour

C. about 50 times an hour

D. about 60 times an hour

49.I expect her to ()her obligation.

A. carry off

B. carry away

C. carry on

D. carry out

4、Parents can have a great impact on the development of their children＇s creativity in art. But first， they have to know how. They may find the following advice interesting and instructive. Encourage free drawing rather than coloring books. Coloring books stop the possibility of self-expression. A child may just enjoy colorful pictures and never learn how to express himself. A an art teacher says，”Children have a very powerful instinct to draw freely and roughly. Such practice makes them learn language easily.” In fact， a child expresses himself in rough drawing. This is the beginning of literacy and creativity. Also， parents should not teach their kids “how” to draw and they should not make their kids draw realistic pictures to entertain themselves. Experience tells us that such teaching from the parents will discourage children， making them think they can＇t do it the “right” way. Competition and rewards should also be avoided in the process of artistic creation. A child＇s natural instinct to create will disappear if he or she thinks about prize while drawing. Parents should be role models for their kids. They should not say things IKe， I can＇t draw a straight line.” Instead， they should learn to say，”1love to create”. This teaches children that the process of creation is more important than the product. If children see their parents drawing， cooking or building creatively， they wi11 do the same. Buy a notebook for your child to use every day. This can be a journal for making up stories， writing ideas and drawing pictures. Even the youngest child can use it to draw freely and roughly， expressing himself. Take your child to places that promote ideas and creativity. Art museums， science centers， libraries and children＇s museums all are great places to see other people＇s creativity. That will inspire children to make their own creations and inventions. Give children choices and free time. Some of the best ideas come from daydreaming and imagining.In short， parents should allow their kids to have the freedom to invent for themselves. That means not always teaching and commanding.1.To develop their artistic creativity.children should been encouraged to()( )

A. draw freely and roughly

B. learn to draw realistic pictures

C. know how to draw before they start

D. learn to draw good pictures to get prizes

1、We all believe that modern technology can make life better because it makes everything faster. But by _11() everything up， we suffer losses we have not yet learnt to know. Our day begins with speedy urges: the alarm rings and you jump _12()bed. You take a quick shower. Then you wake the kids and <13()them through breakfast so they won＇t miss the bus. At the dining table， you swallow some slices of bread with a cup of tea. When everything()14()，you hurry to the car， thinking of the things you would buy from the supermarket on the way15(). Driving 20 minutes in the busy traffic，you reach your workplace， rushing into the building and _16() up the stairs three at a time， arriving at your desk with seconds to spare. You take_17()deep breaths. Then， you instantly remember that the ()18()you didn＇t finish last night must be faxed to Beijing by l0＇clock in the morning. Yet it seems that the _19() we go， the further we fall behind. Not only in the literal sense of not getting done what we set out to do， _20() at a deeper level. It has come to the point where my days feel like an Olympic marathon.12.( )

A. away from

B. on to

C. back on

D. out of