2.120In 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 easily (14) 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 though 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).

1.31The book written by the famous writer is worth ()【read】.

A. reading

B. being read

C. to read

D. to have read

1.13Oppositions leaders will be watching carefully to see how the Prime Minister （）the crisis.

A. handles

B. conducts

C. observes

D. directs

1.39The quarrel ()【origin】in a misunderstanding.

A. origined

B. originated

C. was origined

D. has origined

1.47It is no easy thing to ()some work to do.

A. bring about

B. bring up

C. bring out

D. bring back

1.35Finding a job can be () and disappointing, and therefore it is important that you are prepared.

A. exploiting

B. frustrating

C. profiting

D. misleading

1.39Topics for conversation should be () to the experiences and interests of the students.

A. rigid

B. rigorous

C. relevant

D. remarkable

10、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一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￡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 given 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.

A. 41124

B. 41152

C. 78545

D. 87857

1.41It would be better to make a decision now, ()leave it until next week.

A. other than

B. rather than

C. less than

D. more than

1.26Riding on a bus without paying the fare() cheating the bus company.

A. leads to

B. amounts to

C. contribute to

D. bring to

1.43The book written by the famous writer is worth ()【read】

A. reading

B. being read

C. to read

D. to have read