Five years ago, David Smith wore an expensive suit to work every day. “I was a clothes addict.” he jokes. “I used to carry a fresh suit to work with me so I could change if my clothes got wrinkled.” Today David wears casual clothes—khaki pants and a sports shirt—to the office. He hardly ever wears a necktie. “I am working harder than ever.” David says, “and I need to feel comfortable.”
More and more companies are allowing their office workers to wear casual clothes to work. In the United States, the change from formal to casual office wear has been gradual. In the early 1990s, many companies allowed their employees to wear casual clothes on Friday（but only on Friday）.This became known as “dress-down Friday” or “casual Friday”. “What started out as an extra one-day-a-week benefit for employees has really become an everyday thing.” said business consultant Maisly Jones.
Why have so many companies started allowing their employees to wear casual clothes? One reason is that it’s easier for a company to attract new employees if it has a casual dress code.” “A lot of young people don’t want to dress up for work,” says the owner of a software company, “so it’s hard to hire people if you have a conservative（保守的）dress code.” Another reason is that people seem happier and more productive when they are wearing comfortable clothes. In a study conducted by Levi Strauss and Company, 85 percent of employers said that they believe that casual dress improves employee morale（心境，士气）. Only 4 percent of employers said that casual dress has a negative influence on productivity. Supporters of casual office wear also argue that a casual dress code helps them save money. “Suits are expensive, if you have to wear one every day,” one person said. “For the same amount of money, you can buy a lot more casual clothes.”
1.David Smith refers to himself as having been “a clothes addict,” because .
A．he often wore khaki pants and a sports shirt
B．he couldn’t stand a clean appearance
C．he wanted his clothes to look neat all the time
D．he didn’t want to spend much money on clothes
2.David Smith wears casual clothes now, because .
A．they make him feel at ease when working
B．he cannot afford to buy expensive clothes
C．he looks handsome in casual clothes
D．he no longer works for any company
3.According to this passage, which of the following statements is FALSE?
A．Many employees don’t like a conservative dress code.
B．Comfortable clothes make employees more productive.
C．A casual clothes code is welcomed by young employees.
D．All the employers in the U. S. are for casual office wear.
4.According to this passage, which of the following statements is TRUE?
A．Company workers started to dress down about fifty years ago.
B．Dress-down has become an everyday phenomenon since the early 90s.
C．“Dress-down Friday” was first given as a favor from employers.
D．Many workers want to wear casual clothes to impress people.
5.In this passage, the following advantages of casual office wear are mentioned EXCEPT .
A．saving employees’ money
B．making employees more attractive
C．improving employees’ motivation
D．making employees happier
One night recently , I was driving down a two-lane highway at about 60 miles an hour . A car approached from the opposite direction at about the same speed . As we passed each other , I caught the other driver’s eye for only a second . I wondered whether he might be thinking , as I was , how dependent we were on each other at that moment . I was relying on him not to fall asleep , not to be put off by a phone conversation, not to cross over into my lane and bring my life to a sudden end . Though we had never spoken a word to each other , he relied on me in just the same way .
Multiplied a million times over, I believe that is the way the world works . At some level , we all depend upon one another . Sometimes that dependence requires us simply not to do something like crossing over the double yellow line . And sometimes it requires us to act cooperatively , with friends or even with strangers .
As technology shrinks our world , the need increases for cooperative action among nations . In 2003, doctors in five nations were quickly organized to identify the SARS virus , which saved thousands of lives . The threat of international terrorism has shown itself to be a similar problem, one requiring coordinated action by police and intelligence forces across the world . We must recognize that our fates (命运) are not ours alone to control .
In my own life , I’ve put great stock in personal responsibility . But , as the years have passed, I’ve also come to believe that there are moments when one must rely upon the good faith and judgment of others . so , while each of us faces the case of driving alone down a dark road , what we must learn is that the approaching light may not be a threat , but a shared moment of trust .
1.The author considers very important .
A．driving alone on a dark road B．independence of people
C．cooperation to identify SARS virus D．shared trust and cooperation
2.The author said that they depended on each other in the same way because .
A．the approaching car was very dangerous
B．they both drove their car at a terrific speed
C．he might be killed out of the other’s careless driving
D．it was dark and the road was not wide enough
3.From the second paragraph ,we know the author drew the important lesson from .
A．only one experience B．many similar experiences
C．a driver on a dark road D．many friends and strangers
4.The need for cooperation increases because .
A．peoples’ fates can’t be controlled by themselves
B．the SARS virus spread quickly
C．terrorism can happen everywhere
D．the world has become smaller
5.We can infer from the last paragraph that the author has .
A．believed in one’s own personal responsibility
B．counted upon himself alone in everything
C．had no trust in others’ good faith and judgment
D．had a change on his viewpoint of life
The octopus’s（章鱼）reputation as a human-killer isn’t simply an exaggeration（夸张）—it is a total myth. The octopus can indeed be a deadly hunter, but only of its natural victims. Some shellfish（壳类动物）and an occasional sick or incautious fish have reason to be frightened of this multi-armed hunter, but a person is much too large to interest even the biggest octopus. Even the largest among octopi is much smaller than most people imagine. Far from being large enough to swallow a ship, as monster octopi in movies have been known to do, the largest octopus, found on the Pacific coast, weighs around 110 pounds and grows to no more than ten feet in width.
The hard, parrot-like beak（喙）of an octopus is not used for attacking deep-sea divers, but for cutting open shellfish. Indeed, the octopus possesses such a tiny throat that it cannot swallow large pieces of meat. Instead, it feeds by pouring digestive juices into its victims, and then sucking up the soupy remains. A shellfish that finds itself in the grasp of an octopus has only a short time to live. But human beings are perfectly safe. Still, people rarely care to go close enough to these careful creatures to get a good look at them.
1.This passage is mainly about .
A．the horrors of the octopus
B．the largest octopus in the world
C．octopi and their behavior
D．the octopus’s deadly hunting method
2.It is implied but not stated in the passage that .
A．people have unreasonable fears about the octopus
B．the octopus is not interested in human beings
C．the octopus is afraid of human beings
D．the octopus is a very cruel sea animal
3.What does the underlined part “careful creatures” refer to in the last paragraph?
A．Octopi. B．Shellfish. C．Fish. D．The victims.
4.The hard beak of the octopus is used for .
A．attacking deep-sea divers B．cutting up large pieces of meat
C．cutting open its victims D．defending itself
5.From the passage, we can conclude that .
A．the octopus is not dangerous to man
B．people often fear creatures that are not dangerous to them
C．the octopus only hunts its natural victims
D．things described in movies are not to be believed
The other day I was talking to a stranger on the bus; he told me that he had a good 36 in Chicago and he wondered if, by any chance, I 37 to know him . For a moment, I thought he might be 38 ,but I could tell from the expression on his face that he was not. He was 39 . I felt like saying that it was ridiculous (可笑的) to 40 that out of all the millions of people in Chicago I could possibly have ever bumped into his friend. But, 41 , I just smiled and reminded him that Chicago was a very 42 city. He nodded, and I thought he was going to be content to drop the subject and talk about something else. But I was wrong. He was silent for a few minutes, and then he 43 to tell me all about his friend.
His friend’s main 44 in life seemed to be tennis. He was an excellent tennis player , and he 45 had his own tennis court. There were a lot of people with swimming 46 , yet there were only two people with private tennis court; his friend in Chicago was one of them. I told him that I knew several 47 like that, including my brother, who was a doctor in California. He 48 that maybe there were more private courts in the country than he 49 but he did not know of any others. Then he asked me 50 my brother lived in California. When I said Sacramento, he said that was a coincidence 51 his Chicago friend spent the summer in Sacramento last year and he lived next door to a 52 who had a tennis court in his backyard. I said I felt that really was a coincidence (巧合) because my next-door neighbour had gone to Sacramento last summer and had 53 the house next to my brother’s house. For a moment, we stared at each other, but we did not say anything.
“Would your friend’s name happen to be Roland Kirkwood?” I asked finally. He 54 and said, “Yes. Would your brother’s name happen to be Dr Rey Hunter?” It was my 55 to laugh. “Yes,” I replied.
1.A. brother B. teacher C. friend D. neighbour
2.A. happened B. managed C. tried D. wanted
3.A. expecting B. lying C. talking D. joking
4.A. funny B. serious C. careful D. disappointed
5.A. find B. think C. realize D. see
6.A. indeed B. actually C. exactly D. instead
7.A. famous B. interesting C. big D. noisy
8.A. began B. stopped C. refused D. failed
9.A. problem B. choice C. interest D. work
10.A. just B. ever C. even D. surely
11.A. suit B. habit C. river D. pools
12.A. people B. players C strangers D. friends
13.A. advised B. admitted C. argued D. announced
14.A. recognized B. realized C. visited D. found
15.A. how B. whether C. where D. when
16.A. if B. because C. then D. though
17.A. doctor B. friend C. neighbour D. player
18.A.visited B. hired C. designed D. sold
19.A. smiled B. laughed C. cried D.nodded
20.A. chance B. pleasure C. turn D. time
—Does Bill do his new job well?
—____ his old job. I’m afraid there’s no hope for him.
A. No better than B. Not better than
C. Not so well as D. Not as well as
____ our teacher will allow ____ early after examination?
A. Who do you think; leaving B. Do you think who; to leave
C. Do you think who; leaving D. Who do you think; to leave
