Questions 16 to 20 are based on the following passage. In a time of low academic achievement by children in the United States, many Americans are turning to Japan, a country of high academic achievement and economic success, for possible answers. However, the answers provided by Japanese preschools are not the ones Americans expected to find. In most Japanese preschools, surprisingly little emphasis is put on academic instruction. In one investigation, 300 Japanese and 210 American preschool teachers, child development specialists, and parents were asked about various aspects of early childhood education. Only 2 percent of the Japanese respondents (答问卷者) listed “to give children a good start academically” as one of their top three reasons for a society to have preschools. In contrast, over half the American respondents chose this as one of their top three choices. To prepare children for successful careers in first grade and beyond, Japanese schools do not teach reading, writing, and mathematics, but rather skills such as persistence, concentration, and the ability to function as a member of a group. The vast majority of young Japanese children are taught to read at home by their parents. In the recent comparison of Japanese and American preschool education, 91 percent of Japanese respondents chose providing children with a group experience as one of their top three reasons for a society to have preschools. Sixty-two percent of the more individually oriented (强调个性发展的) Americans listed group experience as one of their top three choices. An emphasis on the importance of the group seen in Japanese early childhood education continues into elementary school education. Like in America, there is diversity in Japanese early childhood education. Some Japanese kindergartens have specific aims, such as early musical training or potential development. In large cities, some kindergartens are attached to universities that have elementary and secondary schools. Some Japanese parents believe that if their young children attend a university-based program, it will increase the children’s chances of eventually being admitted to top-rated schools and universities. Several more progressive programs have introduced free play as a way out for the heavy intellectualizing in some Japanese kindergartens. Why do some Japanese parents send their children to university-based kindergartens?()
Passage 4Questions l9—33
● Read the article below about educational background of successful managers.
● Choose the best word to fill each gap, from A, B, C or D.
● For each question l 9—33 mark one letter (A, B, C or D) on your Answer Sheet.
● There is an example at the beginning.
Educational Background of Successful Managers Psychologist Douglas Bray and Ann Howard have for more than 25 years been studying college graduates in entry-level management (0)______. for AT&T. Here are some of their findings.
Master’s degree can be (19)______. Howard says of Master’s degree holders, “They bring US greater (20)______. and interpersonal skills and more motivation for (21)______. and money, but they are not any smarter.” This applied equally to (22) ______. of an MA, MS, and MBA.
There are key (23)______ between technical and non-technical majors. Business majors led the pack in organizing, planning, and decision-making skills. (24) ______. and social science graduates also (25)______. high. Math, science, and engineering majors scored much lower in these skills. Technical majors did have (26)______. general mental ability, but they were not as(27) ______. or as good at interpersonal skills. As you might expect, social science majors were quite low on (28)______. skills. Business majors were the ones most eager to get ahead.
For the future managers, AT&T is still looking for about a third each of business, technical, and liberal arts majors. While they are still looking for master’s degrees, some firms say that the (29)______. of the MBA has passed. Many companies (30)______the same management training programs for their new people, whether or not they have a master’s degree.
(31)______. the success/failure studies of managers, educational background is probably less important than (32)______. skill that people develop. As one president of a large company puts it, “We’re really looking for a particular kind of (33)______rather than a particular degree.”
19. A. useful B. helpful C. successful D. beneficial
20. A. administrative B. cooperative C. administration D. cooperation
21. A. ranks B. social level C. status D. honor
22. A. owner B. winner C. possessor D. holder
23. A. difference B. differences C. difficult D. difficulty
24. A. Humanities B. Humanity C. Human D. Human subject
25. A. score B. scored C. get D. gained
26. A. high B. tow C. lower D. higher
27. A. create B. creative C. imaginative D. imagination
28. A. quantitative B. quantity C. quality D. qualitive
29. A. times B. years C. era D. epoch
30. A. supply B. offer C. provide D. award
31. A. Regardless of B. Even if C. Even though D. Though
32. A. practical B. actual C. factual D. real
33. A. person B. personnel C. human being D. persons
______ you were busy, I wouldn’t have bothered you with my questions.
Passage 6Questions 1-7
● Look at the statements below and the company news reports on the opposite page.
● Which news report (A, B, C or D) does each statement 1-7 refer to?
●For each sentence 1-7, mark one letter (A, B, C, or D) on your Answer Sheet.
●You will need to use some of the letters more than once.
Example:
0. This company is going to reduce staff numbers.
1. This job involves working for a well-known company.
2. You will meet a wide variety of customers in this job.
3. This post involves responsibility for recruitment.
4. Your work should not be discussed outside the office.
5. In this job you will deal with people’s investments.
6. This post has recently been established.
7. Your job description will require you to read some documents very carefully.
A ILT Consultants £19,000 + benefits
Here’s an exciting opportunity to combine your presentation skills and organisational abilities, working for a team of systems analysts. You will need to have a good eye for detail as the role involves large amounts of proof reading and checking. The job also involves client liaison at all levels, as well as an element of research.
B John Guild & Son £17,500 + benefits
City finance house seeks a mature person to work for the Secretariat. The post involves: looking after customers’ financial assets such as property and possessions; database work; accounting; and organisational responsibilities. The bulk of the workload is highly confidential. A good level and range of PC experience will secure you an interview.
C Hooper’s £17,000
Join this household name and play a key part in supporting their Regional Operations Director and Marketing team. This is a newly-created position within a well-established firm and there is plenty of opportunity for you to develop your role. You will need to be self-motivated with the ability to prioritise. Some Windows experience essential.
D ITC Investment Consultants £18,000 +
This is an opening for a bright, part-qualified assistant to work in an investment company’s busy personnel department. You will need to have one year’s experience of interviewing job applicants, and the confidence to handle appraisals and disciplinary actions. Further training will be offered for the right candidate. Keyboard skills are desirable as you will manage all personal correspondence.
The author most likely begins and concludes the passage with questions for what reason?
Questions 1 to 5 are based on the following passage.
Computer users fed up with hacker attacks and other security threats that exploit holes in Microsoft software are increasingly turning to alternatives such as open source Internet browsers developed by Mozilla.
“It’s reflective of a trend that we’ve seen over the last year with more web users becoming frustrated with the Internet experience,” said Chris Hoffmann of the Mozilla Foundation, a non-profit group supported by Sun Microsystems, IBM and other companies, backing as an alternative to Microsoft.
Much of that frustration has centered on Microsoft, which has been heavily criticized for producing software vulnerable to hand virus writers. Microsoft has responded with a series of patches designed to plug vulnerabilities in its Windows operating system, Internet Explorer web browser and other software.
But computer owners are growing weary of continuously updating software to protect against new threats. One incident last month enabled hackers to gain access to web surfers’ computers by taking advantage of vulnerabilities in Microsoft’s browser.
Hackers could then install remote access Trojan programs that enabled them to control a victim’s computer. The hackers could also install software to capture a victim’s keystrokes to steal data such as bank account numbers and passwords.
Mr. Hoffmann hoped publicity stemming from Microsoft’s security woes(灾难) would translate into a market share increase for Mozilla’s software, which includes the new highly regarded Firefox Internet browser.
But Mozilla suffered a setback last week when it was forced to issue a software patch to counter a newly discovered vulnerability affecting its Internet browsers.
Still, Mr. Hoffmann said Microsoft’s security woes stem in part from the way its browser has been integrated into Windows for user convenience. Security experts agree that has made it easier for hackers to exploit computers running on Microsoft software.
Others suggest Microsoft has been targeted by hackers and virus writers simply because more than 90 per cent of the world’s computers run on the software giant’s operating system.
Questions:
1.What is the meaning of the phrase “fed up with” (Para.1)?
2.It can be guessed that the word “plug” (Para.3) means ________________.
3.Why more web users have become frustrated?
4.What happened to Mozilla’s Internet browsers last week?
5.How would Microsoft be less vulnerable?
Topic 4:Talk about Virtue
Questions for reference:
1) What virtues can you name?
2) Which one do you think it the most important one?
3) What should we do in order to establish concept of honor and disgrace among people?
Questions 1 to 5 are based on the following passage.
Good news: Olympic chiefs visit London. Bad news: they’ll be traveling by Tube
It’s crunch week for London’s bid to host the 2012 Games
BY ANDREW JOHNSON and JONATHAN THOMPSON
Commuters waiting at Stratford in East London, Which is the planned site of the 80,000-seat Olympic stadium
Senior government ministers and British sporting heroes will be on hand to extol the capital’s virtues when the 12-member International Olympic Committee (IOC) team visits this week to assess the London 2012 bid.
Although much of their four-day visit is expected to be spent in the exclusive Four Seasons Hotel in Canary Wharf grilling bid organisers in question and answer sessions, the evaluation commission will spend one day visiting London’s proposed venues—and will take a trip on the Tube. It could prove a costly journey.
London 2012 organisers, who have spent up to £20m on the project, have pencilled in trips to the proposed sites, including the planned stadium at Stratford, the Millennium Dome at Greenwich and the ExCel centre in Docklands.
However, the commission can insist on being taken anywhere, including the new Wembley stadium, which will host the football, or to the archery venue at Lord’s, or even to Wimbledon or
Hackney.
Earlier this month, the Madrid bid suffered a setback over lack of accommodations, which was criticised by IOC members. Will transport prove Londons’ Achilles’ heel? On Friday The Independent on Sundaysent four reporters on various journeys across London to put the transport infrastructure to the test.
Questions:
1.How many people can the London’s planned Olympic stadium hold?
2.How many International Olympic Committee (IOC) members will visit London and where are they going to have the question and answer sessions?
3.What does “tube” mean in American English?
4.Why was Madrid criticised by International Olympic Committee members?
5.What is the problem which the authors worried about London’s bid to host the 2012 Olympic Games?
Which of the following questions is answered according to the passage?
Passage 8Questions 34 - 45
● Read the article below about airport hotels.
● In most of the lines 34 - 45, there is one extra word. It is either grammatically incorrect or does not fit in with the meaning of the text. Some lines, however, are correct.
● If a line is correct, write CORRECT on your Answer Sheet.
● If there is an extra word in the line, write the extra word in CAPITAL LETTERS on your Answer Sheet.
Working at the Airport
0. Nowadays, business travellers are staying at the airport to do business. Rather than
00. waste of time in heavy traffic as they try to reach city centre venues, business people
34. are using conference facilities on the offer at airports. Busy executives are also
35. staying there overnight to avoid the difficulty of getting there for take an early morning
36. meeting. And it makes sense for international meetings to be held at airports. It is
37. principally through the improvement in airport hotels that has enabled this
38. development to take place. Today these mini-conference centres provide services are
39. designed for business travellers, like a quick check-in and round-the-clock restaurants,
40. so they can get to work as quickly as possible. They are also less expensive place
41. than their city centre counterparts. Not long years ago, airport hotels were
42. uncomfortable, unattractive and inconvenient for as far as the business traveller was
43. concerned. Yet now that there is strong interest, as travellers become aware of the
44. new facilities. Demand for small meeting rooms is huge, usually for interviews or one
45. -to-one meeting, where executives fly them in and out the same day. The age of the airport is upon us.