Peter loved to shop used articles. Almost a month ago, he bought popular word game that used little pieces of wood with different letters on them. As he was purchasing it, the salesgirl said, “Uh, look, the game box haven’t even been opened yet. That might be worth some money. ”

Peter examined the box, and, sure enough, it was completely covered in factory-sealed plastic. And he saw a date of 1973 on the back of the box.

“You should put that up for auction (拍卖) on the Internet, and see what happens.”the salesgirl said.

“Yes, you’re right. People like something rare.” Peter agreed, “I can’t imagine there being very many unopened boxes of this game still around 40 years later.”

“Don’t forget to tell me if you sell it.” the salesgirl smiled.

“No problem.” Peter said.

After he got home, Peter went online to several auction websites looking for his game. But he couldn’t find it. Then he typed in the name of the word game and hit Search. The search result was 543 websites containing information about the changes of the game. Over the years, the game had been produced using letters in different sizes and game boards in different colors. He also found some lists of game fans looking for various versions of the game. Peter emailed some of them, telling them what he had.

Two weeks later, Peter went back to the shop.

“Hello. Do you still remember the unopened word game?”

The salesgirl looked at him for a second, then recognized him and said, “Oh, hi!”

“I’ve got something for you,” Peter said. “I sold the game and made $1,000. Thank you for your suggestion.” He handed her three $ 100 bills.

“Wow!” the salesgirl cried out. “Thank you, I never expected it.”

1. Which of the following best describes Peter’s word game?

A. It was made around 40 years ago.

B. It had game boards in different sizes.

C. It was kept in a plastic bag with a seal.

D. It had little pieces of wood in different colors.

2. What did the salesgirl probably think of Peter’s word game?

A. Old and handy.                B. Rare and valuable.

C. Classic and attractive.           D. Colorful and interesting

3. Peter got the names of the game fans from _________.

A. an auction                  B. the Internet

C. a game shop                D. the second-hand shop

4. What happened at the end of the story?

A. Peter gave the girl $300 as a reward.          B. The salesgirl became Peter’s friend.

C. Peter returned the word game for $ 1,000.      D. The salesgirl felt confused to see Peter again.

5. What is the main theme of the story?

A. It’s important to keep a promise.                B. It’s great to share in other people’s happiness.

C. We should be grateful for the help from others.     D. Something rare is worth a large amount of money.

When I was nine years old, I loved to go fishing with my dad. But the only thing that wasn’t very fun about it was that he could catch many fish while I couldn’t catch anything. I usually got pretty upset and kept asking him why. He always answered, “Son, if you want to catch a fish, you have to think like a fish”, I remember being even more upset then because, “I’m not a fish!” I didn’t know how to think like a fish. Besides, I reasoned, how could what I think influence what a fish does?

As I got a little older I began to understand what my dad really meant. So, I read some books on fish. And I even joined the local fishing club and started attending the monthly meetings. I learned that a fish is a cold-blooded animal and therefore is very sensitive to water temperature. That is why fish prefer shallow water to deep water because the former is warmer. Besides, water is usually warmer in direct sunlight than in the shade. Yet, fish don’t have any eyelids(眼皮) and the sun huts their eyes… The more I understood fish, the more I became effective at finding and catching them..

When I grew up and entered the business world, I remember hearing my first boss say, “We all need to think like sales people.” But it didn’t completely make sense. My dad never once said, “If you want to catch a fish you need to think like a fisherman.” What he said was, “You need to think like a fish.” Years later, with great efforts to promote long-term services to people much older and richer than me, I gradually learned what we all need is to think more like customers. It is not an easy job. I will show you how in the following chapters.

6. Why was the author upset in fishing trips when he was nine?

A. He could not catch a fish.            B. His father was not patient with him.

C. His father did not teach him fishing.    D. He could not influence a fish as his father did.

7. What did the author’s father really mean?

A. To read about fish.               B. To learn fishing by oneself.

C. To understand what fish think.      D. To study fishing in many ways.

8. According to the author, fish are most likely to be found _________.

A. in deep water on sunny days         B. in deep water on cloudy days

C. in shallow water under sunlight       D. in shallow water under waterside trees.

9. After entering the business world, the author found _________.

A. it easy to think like a customer             B. his father’s fishing advice inspiring

C. his first boss’s sales ideas reasonable        D. it difficult to sell services to poor people

10. This passage most likely comes from _________.

A. a fishing guide                  B. a popular sales book

C. a novel on childhood             D. a millionaire’s biography

Science can't explain the power of pets, but many studies have shown that the company of pets can help lower blood pressure and raise chances of recovering from a heart attack, reduce loneliness and spread all-round good cheer.
    Any owner will tell you how much joy a pet brings. For some, an animal provides more comfort than a husband/wife. A 2002 study by Karen Allen of the State University of New York measured stress(紧张) levels and blood pressure in people—half of them pet owners—while they performed 5 minutes of mental arithmetic(心算) or held a hand in ice water. Subjects completed the tasks alone, with a husband/wife, a close friend or with a pet. People with pets did it best. Those tested with their animal friends had smaller change in blood pressure and returned most quick to base line heart rates. With pets in the room, people also made fewer math mistakes than when doing in front of other companions. It seems people feel more relaxed around pets, says Allen, who thinks it may be because pets don't judge.
      A study reported last fall suggests that having a pet dog not only raises your spirits but may also have an effect on your eating habits. Researchers at Northwestern Memorial Hospital spent a year studying 36 fat people and their equally fat dogs on diet-and-exercise programs; a separate group of 56 people without pets were put on a diet program. On average, people lost about 11 pounds, or 5% of their body weight. Dog owners didn't lose any more weight than those without dogs but, say researchers, got more exercise overall—mostly with their dogs—and found it worth doing.

11. The underlined word “subjects” refers to ______.

   A. what students learned at school       B. people that were studied 

C. those who had pets with them        D. those people without pets

12. A person with heart disease has a better chance of getting well if _______.

A. he has a pet companion              B. he has less stress of work

C. he often does mental arithmetic        D. he is taken care of by his family

13. Why did the people do better with pets around when facing stressful tasks?

A. They have lower blood pressure.       B. They become more patient.

C. They are less nervous.                D. They are in higher spirits.

14. The research mentioned in the last paragraph reports that ________.

A. people with dogs did more exercise      

B. dogs lost the same weight as people did

C. dogs liked exercise much more than people did

D. people without dogs found the program unhelpful

15. What does the text mainly discuss?

A. What pets bring to their owners.     B. How pets help people calm down.

C. People's opinions of keeping pets.    D. Pet's value in medical research.

It was once common to regard Britain as a society with class distinction. Each class had unique characteristics.

In recent years, many writers have begun to speak the 'decline of class' and 'classless society' in Britain. And in modern day consumer society everyone is considered to be middle class.

But pronouncing the death of class is too early. A recent wide-ranging society of public opinion found 90 percent of people still placing themselves in particular class; 73 percent agreed that class was still a vital part of British society; and 52 percent thought there were still sharp class differences. Thus, class may not be culturally and politically obvious, yet it remains an important part of British society. Britain seems to have a love of stratification.

One unchanging aspect of a British person's class position is accent. The words a person speaks tell her or his class. A study of British accents during 1970s found that a voice sounding like a BBC newsreader was viewed as the most attractive voice, Most people said this accent sounded 'educated' and 'soft'. The accents placed at the bottom in this study, on the other hand, were regional（地区的）city accents. These accents were seen as 'common' and 'ugly'. However, a similar study of British accents in the US turned these results upside down and placed some regional accents as the most attractive and BBC English as the least. This suggests that British attitudes towards accent have deep roots and are based on class prejudice.

In recent years, however, young upper middle-class people in London, have begun to adopt some regional accents, in order to hide their class origins. This is an indication of class becoming unnoticed. However, the 1995 pop song 'Common People' puts forward the view that though a middle-class person may 'want to live like common people' they can never appreciate the reality of a working-class life.

16. A recent study of public opinion shows that in modern Britain ________.

A. it is time to end class distinction

B. most people belong to middle class

C. it is easy to recognize a person’s class

D. people regard themselves socially different

17. The word stratification in Paragraph 3 is closest in meaning to ________.

A. Variety              B. most people belong to middle class

C. authority             D. qualification

18. The study in the US showed that BBC English was regarded as _________.

A. Regional             B. educated

C. prejudiced            D. unattractive

19. British attitudes towards accent _________.

A. have a long tradition           B. are based on regional status

C. are shared by the Americans     D. have changed in recent years

20. What is the main idea of the passage?

A. The middle class is expanding

B. A person’s accent reflects his class

C. Class is a key part of British society

D. Each class has unique characteristics.

As a general rule, all forms of activity lead to boredom when they are performed on a routine(常规)basis. As a matter of fact, we can see this  21   at work in people of all  22  . For example, on Christmas morning, children are excited about  23   with their new toys. But their  24   soon wears off and by January those  25  toys can be found put away in the basement. The world is full of  26  stamp albums and unfinished models, each standing as a monument to someone’s  27  interest. When parents bring home a pet, their child  28  bathes it and brushes its fur. Within a short time, however, the  29   of caring for the animal is handed over to the parents. Adolescents enter high school with great 30  but are soon looking forward to  31  . The same is true of the young adults going to college. And then, how many  32  , who  now complain (抱怨) about the long drives to work,  33  drove for hours at a time when they first  34  their driver’s license (执照)? Before people retire, they usually  35  to do a lot of  36  things, which they never had  37  to do while working. But  38  after   retirement  , the golfing, the fishing, the reading and all of the other pastimes become as boring as the jobs they  39  . And , like the child in January, they go searching for new  40   .

21. A. principle           B. habit                C. weaker           D. power

22. A. parties             B. races                C. countries            D. ages

23. A. working            B. living               C. playing              D. going

24. A. confidence         B. interest         C. anxiety         D. sorrow

25. A. same                B. extra                C. funny            D. expensive

26. A. well-organized      B. colorfully-printed   C. newly- collected    D. half-filled

27. A. broad               B. passing         C. different            D. main

28. A. silently            B. impatiently          C. gladly              D. worriedly

29. A. promise         B. burden            C. right               D. game

30. A. courage         B. calmness             C. confusion           D. excitement

31. A. graduation          B. independence         C. responsibility       D. success

32. A. children            B. students             C. adults              D. retirees

33. A. carefully           B. eagerly         C. nervously           D. bravely

34. A. required           B. obtained             C. noticed         D.discovered

35. A. need                B. learn                C. start                D. plan

36. A. great               B. strong           C. difficult            D. correct

37. A. time               B. money            C. skills          D. knowledge

38. A. only               B. well             C. even            D. soon.

39. A. lost               B. chose            C. left                 D. quit

40. A. pets           B. toys             C. friends         D. colleagues