Chester City Library offers a range of Library Special Needs Services to people who don’t have access to our library service in the usual way. As long as you live in Chester City, we’ll provide a wide range of library services and resources including:

● Large printed and ordinary printed books

● Talking books on tape and CD

● DVDs and music CDs

● Magazines

● Reference and information requests

Home delivery service

    Let us know what you like to read and we will choose the resources for you. Our staff will deliver the resources to your home for free. We also provide a service where we can choose the resources for you or someone instead of you choose the things from the library. You can also choose the resources you need personally.

    Talking books and captioned videos

    The library can provide talking books for people who are unable to use printed books because of eye diseases. You don’t have to miss out on reading any more when you can borrow talking books from the library. If you have limited hearing which prevents you from enjoying movies, we can provide captioned videos for you at no charge.

    Languages besides English

    We can provide books in a range of languages besides English. If possible, we will request these items from the State Library of NSW, Australia.

    How to join?

    Contact the Library Special Needs Coordinator to register or discuss if you are eligible（合适的） for any of the services we provide ---Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday 9am ---5pm on 4297 2522 for more information.

21. Library Special Needs Services are meant for_____.

   A. those who are fond of reading

   B. people living in Chester City with an illness or disability

   C. only those who have walking disabilities

   D. those who can’t get medical help in Chester City

22. What can we learn from the passage?

A. Few entertaining resources are offered here.

B. People with limited hearing have to pay for captioned videos.

C. Books with different languages are available.

D. People have to choose what they need by themselves.

23. To get home delivery service, you must_______.

A. only choose printed books     B. have others choose the resources for you

C. pay the library ahead of time   D. register ahead of time

In China, chain restaurants – especially the big multinational ones – are cool. Going to Starbucks, for example, is a status symbol. It not only says, “I’m rich enough to buy this overpriced coffee,” but also, “I’m cosmopolitan (见多识广的) enough to be part of globalization.”
    Where I come from in the UK, however, chains are neither fashionable nor gourmet(美食的). Chains are where you go on New Year’s Day when nowhere else is open, or when you are 5 years old and your parents can’t stand hearing, “I’m huuuuuungry!” any longer. In my own case (with regards to McDonald’s), a chain is where you are taken on your first “date”. Even at the age of 13, I knew to give the guy the “let’s just be friends” phone call the next day.
    In the UK, independent cafes and restaurants are making a comeback on the fashion scene. Nowadays, a Londoner who says “let’s meet for a coffee at Monmouth” (an independent cafe) is much cooler than one who says “let’s go to Starbucks”. Even if Monmouth’s coffee is a little more expensive, there’s a satisfaction in knowing your pounds aren’t going straight to the big corporations.
    Of course, there are chain stores all over the UK; you can’t go five minutes without spotting a Costa Coffee. But numbers do not add up to good taste.
    I do, however, have a confession (坦白). After moving to China I had moments when all the rice and Kung Pao Chicken became too much. I, too, have retreated to McDonald’s.

24. Many Chinese people like to go to multinational chain restaurants because ______.
   A. the restaurants give customers a taste of foreign culture
   B. the restaurants offer different food and drinks from other restaurants
   C. they believe that eating there will show their wealth and social status
   D. these restaurants are perfect places for a romantic date

25. Which of the following statements is TRUE?
  A. The author has grown tired of Chinese food.
  B. Branches of Monmouth’s cafe can be found all over the UK.
  C. Most independent stores are closed on New Year’s Day in the UK.
  D. It is cool in the UK to take your first date to a chain restaurant.

26. We can infer from the article that ______.
  A. the author doesn’t like food from Pizza Hut
  B. the author doesn’t like to follow fashion trends
  C. many Britons think that numbers mean poor quality
  D. many Britons don’t like big corporations

27. What does the underlined word (in the last paragraph) mean?

  A. adapted               B. contributed       C. subscribed      D. switched

It never occurred to anybody, not even the creators that the world would care about the complex lives, loves and sufferings of a group of attractive and witty New Yorkers. But there’s no doubt that Friends(老友记)has become more than just a successful situation comedy—it has established itself as one of the last great television phenomena of the last century. Along the way, it has made its half-dozen leading actors famous.

Looking back on the strong friendship between the group of three men and three women who frequently gather at each other’s apartments and at Greenwich Village’s Central Perk coffee house, Friends was created by television producers, David Crane and Marta Kauffman. In 1993, the pair met producer Kevin S. Bright. Then the three became partners and got a deal to produce a new comedy for Warner Brothers. What they came up with was based on Crane and Kauffman’s after-college years, when they hung out at the local coffee house and involved themselves in every aspect of each other’s lives.

It didn’t take long for viewers to make friends with Friends. The situation comedy quickly became a top ten hit. Critics loved it as well. Entertainment Weekly said the show operated like a Broadway show, with twisty plots and unique jokes. The television theme song has also been a success with the public. The song’s success helped save the television theme song. An ABC(美国广播公司)executive was ready to order very short music intros(前奏) on his network’s shows, thinking that viewers would hit the remote control as soon as the opening started. But the success of the Friends theme song led the ABC executive to change his mind-- remote controls or not, the TV theme song would stay.

Years have gone by, but Friends remains and will remain an example of a modern US situation comedy that is both hugely entertaining television and nothing short of a genuine latter-day social phenomenon.

28. What is stressed in the second paragraph?

   A. The origin of Friends.

   B. The role models of Friends.

   C. The popularity of Friends.

   D. The brilliance of Friends.

29. Which of the following is TRUE about Friends?

   A. It has a simple but entertaining plot.

   B. It is about friendship between college students.

   C. It was criticized by Entertainment Weekly.

   D. It first came into being in the 1990s.

30. What can we learn from the passage?

A. Producer, Kevin S. Bright, graduated from the same college as David Crane.

B. ABC once replaced the theme song of its TV show with a short music intro.

C. The ABC executive thought highly of the theme song of Friends.

D. Marta Kauffman expected Friends to achieve great success.

31. What might the author think of Friends?

 A. Its merits outweigh its shortcomings.

   B. Its success lies in the lack of good situation comedies.

   C. He/she has a reserved attitude towards its success.

   D. He/she shows great affection towards it.

As the labor market becomes more attractive, more companies are sending their employees to school. Fiat Chrysler Automobiles is the latest company to use tuition assistance for employees – which for decades has been a part of many business’ benefits packages – as part of a renewed effort to bring in and cultivate talent. And while the impact of such programs has yet to be fully assessed, many see it as a positive – although gradual – movement.

“For workers, it gives them a better opportunity for development,” says Colleen Flaherty Manchester, a professor. “For firms, they are able to recruit the type of employees who have value education and are less likely to turn over, and thus have a higher level of retention(保留) .”

In all, 56 percent of US organizations offer undergraduate educational assistance while 52 percent offer graduate assistance.

Largely driving the trend are Millennials, who happen to be the fastest-growing people in the US workforce today and to whom the idea of tuition support from employers is especially appealing. Nearly 60 percent of Millennials surveyed said they would choose a job with strong professional-development potential over one with regular pay raises. Employers are absolutely adapting to Millennials in the workplace. They recognize that they need more experience, more knowledge, more mentoring to be successful. And they’re asking for it.

Of more than 140,000 Starbucks employees, only about 4,000 have signed up for the company’s College Achievement Plan. What the long-term effects such programs might have for companies’ retention and turnover rates remain unclear. But, the pluses of these programs are more important than the minuses. We’re going to see a lot more of this in the future.

32. Using tuition assistance for employees ________.

   A. has attracted a large number of talents

   B. is a trend that formed recently

   C. has existed for scores of years

   D. is well received by employees

33. What can we learn from what Colleen Flaherty said?

   A. It is merely beneficial to employees

   B. It is a win-win event for employees and employers.

   C. Valuing education has become a trend for all companies.

   D. It turns out to be tough for firms to find suitable employees.

34. What does the underlined word “it” in Paragraph 4 refer to?

 A. Regular pay raises.

 B. More chances to be successful.

 C. Educational support.

 D. Professional–development potential.

35. Which of the following statements is TRUE about the programs?

   A. The programs can guarantee the employees a good job.

   B. The impact of the programs remains to be estimated.

   C. Employees will benefit more from the programs than companies.

   D. It’s less likely that employees will remain in the same company after receiving the programs.  

While going through life with the pursuit of money on our mind, we're often told that money can't buy happiness. But what truth is there in the saying? Is there a relation between money and happiness?  36 

    Humans are very sensitive to change. When we get a rise, we really enjoy it. But some studies have shown that in North America, additional income beyond 75,000 dollars a year stops impacting day-to-day happiness.  37   They often end up spending all the money, going into debt, and experience ruined social relationships.

    So surely money can't really buy happiness. Well, recent studies suggest that the problem may actually be in the way that we spend money.  38  Studies show that people who spend their money on others feel happier. As for the people who spend money on themselves, their happiness is unchanged.

      39  0ne experiment showed that instead of an organization writing a large check to a charity, dividing the amount up among employees, allowing them to contribute to a charity of their choice, increased their job satisfaction. Similarly, individuals that spend money on each other, as opposed to themselves, not only increase job satisfaction, but improve the team performance.

      40  Interestingly, the specific way money is spent on others isn't important. Spending something on others is the important aspect of increasing your happiness.

A. The same principle has been tested on teams and organizations as well.

B. Money has more effect on the vast majority of people in the long run.

C. Instead of buying things for yourself, try giving some of it to other people and see how you feel.

D. And if so, how can we use it to our advantage?

E. Almost everywhere we look in the world, we see that giving money to others is positively related to happiness,

F. And while you're saving up for these greatest experiences, don't forget the daily joys in life.

G. In fact, people who win a lottery often report becoming extremely unhappy.