1.

Passage One

Telephone, television, radio and the Internet help people communicate with each other. Because of these devices, ideas and news of events spread quickly all over the world. For example, within seconds, people can know the results of an election in another country. An international football match comes into the homes of everyone with a television set. News of a disaster, such as a flood, can bring help from distant countries. With in hours, help is on the way. This is because modern technology information travels fast.

How has this speed of communication changed the world? To many people, the world has become smaller. Of course, this does not mean that the world is actually physically smaller. It means that the world seems smaller. Two hundred years ago, communication between the continents took a long time. All news was carried on ships that took weeks or even months to cross the oceans. In the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, it took six

weeks for news from Europe to reach the Americas. This time difference influenced people’s actions. For example, a few battles in the war of 1812 between England and the United States could have been avoided. A peace agreement had already been signed. Peace was made in England, but the news of peace took six weeks to reach America. During these six weeks, the large and serious Battle of New Orleans was fought. Many people lost their lives after a peace treaty had been signed. They would not have died if news had come in time. In the past, communication took much more time than it does now. There was a good reason why the world seemed so much larger than it does today.Which of the following statements is TRUE based on the text?

2.

In 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 61 women, and even more 62 if the inquirer is a man. However, it is 63 to ask children their age, and some adults may not mind 64 either. In fact, some elderly people are quite happy to 65 their age, especially if they feel they look young 66 their age. Nevertheless, it is not very wise to ask a(n) 67 question like ―How old are you?‖if elderly people want to talk about their age, and perhaps receive a compliment on how young they look, they may easily 68 the topic themselves, and ask the other person to 69

how old they are. 70 such a situation, it is quite acceptable to discuss age 71.They normally expect to be complimented on their youthfulness, though rather than 72 that they look very old! 73 westerners do not usually ask people directly how old they are, this does not 74 that they are not interested to know how old other people

are. They may ask 75 for the information, 76 they may try to 77 the topic indirectly. Sometimes discussions about educational 78 and the number of years of working experience may provide some 79 , but this is not always the 80 .65.

3.

Passage OneSound sleep occurs when one s intermal clock is regulated. Cireadian rhythms (生理节奏) can become compromised quite easily. Many people with sleep troubles tend to vary bedtimes. To avoid thi scommon problem, sleep sufferers shoud go to bed and wake up at the same time every day.To help improve crcadian rhythms ，sufferers should enjoy 15 minutes of sun exposure the first thing in the morming.A bedtime routine can help prevent insmnia (失眠). One hour before betime, one shoud lower the lights and relax. Reading a book or listening to calm music can help prepare the body for a night's seep. Taking a warm, candlelit bath or drinking a cup of warm milk can also help you prepare for deep sleep at night.Stress can have a bad efeet on the body and the ability to seep. A daily exercise routine can help lower the body' s stress naturally. One can also manage stres by writing diaris. Writing diaries can help people express their anxieties, plan for the future and improve sleep. Other ways to lower stress include deep breathing exercises and progressive muscle relaxation.The light sending out from computers, cellphones, tablets and televisions can cause sleep problems. Therefore, these items should be turned off at least an hour before bedtime. Additinally ，lowering the backlight on these electronic devices earlier in the evening can help you fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer once bedtime arrives.A perfect bedroom invites sweet sleep. Most people sleep better in a cool, dark, and quiet room.Lower the temperature in the room to 16 ~ 20 degrees for a peaceful night's sleep.A dark room can be accomplished by installing light blocking curtains or wearing a sleep mask. Noise can be reduced with either earplugs or a white noise machine. Finally, a comfortable mattress (床垫) and pillows are essential to a good night's sleep.What is the perfect condition for sleep?

4.Physicists have made new discoveries that: challenge our ______theories of the universe.

5.There is nothing more possible than a new hip or knee that can put the spring back inyour step.Patients receiving joint implants(移植）often are able to resume many of thephysical activities they love,even those as vigorous as tennis and hiking.No wonder.then,that joint replacement is growing in popularity.In the United States in 2007,surgeons performed about 806,000 hip and knee implants(the joints most commonly replaced),double the number performed a decade earlier.Though these procedures have become routine,they are not failure free.implants must sometimes be replaced,said Dr.Henrik Malchau,an orthopedic surgeon(矫形外科医生）at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.A study published in2007 found that 7 percent of hips implanted in Medicare patients had to be replaced withinseven and a half years.The percentage may sound low,but the finding suggests that thousands of hip patients eventually require a second operation,said Dr.Malchau.Those patients must endure additional recoveries,often painful,and increased medical expenses.Thefailure rate should be lower,many experts agree.Sweden,for instance,has a failure rate estimated to be a third of that in the United States.Sweden also has a national jointreplacement registry,a database of information from which surgeons can learnhow andwhy certain procedures go wrongA registry also helps surgeons learn quickly whetheraspecifictype of implant is particularly problematic,"Every country that has developedaregistry has been able to reduce failure rates."“Significantly,"said Dr.Daniel Berry,chief of orthopedic surgery at the Mayo Clinicin Rochester,Minn.A newly formed American Joint Replacement Registry will begin gathering data fromhospitals in the next 12 to 18 months.It's good news for those who are considering replacing a knee or hip.The U.S.is trying to reduce joint replacement failure rate by（）

6.“I'd like you to meet my new friend,Linda."___"

7.In our online life, we need to use passwords frequently. We use passwords 21 e-mail,gaming sites, social networking sites，and other shopping sites. 22 ， the passwords most people use are not very 23 and can easily be“"broken" by others. In fact, the most comonly used passwords are so simple that it requires very 24 effort to figure them out. Can you guess 25 the most commonly used passwords are? They are: Names of baseball teams, bith dates of a farmily 26 ，the year of a special sports event，the random numbers like 156468, 27 the name of a friend, pet, favorite TV star, or band.There are prograrms 28 to break into people' s online accounts. These programs are_ 29 of trying every word in the English dictionary and the dictionaries 30 many foreign languages, in their effort to break into an account._ 31 can even search words backward. Some will try_ 32 words or words that are followed by numbers, 33 school222. These programs can test millions of passwords in a few minutes. So, you are advised to be careful about_ 34 passwords so that they will be hard to break. You are also advised not to make them35 hard to remember. Meanwhile, you need to change them once in a while.33.（）

8.

Debate is a valuable way to practise communicating. It can also bring long-lasting

rewards,especially for people working with Western businesses. The main activity of debate is

presenting one' s opinion and suppmting it with evidence,such as statistics or facts. It is a way of

persuasive communication.

Charles Lebeau helped create the "Discover Debate" method. He says debate is important to

understanding how people communicate in Western business. Successful debaters learn how to give their opinkm,reasans and support. "What we are trying to do is to develop a kind of thinking or approach to discussion and how to interact (交流) with someone else' s opinion, rather than brush their opinion aside. "

Debate skills are also important in selling a product, he says. In that situation, the judges are the customem. "So on Monday, for example, one company may come in and present their case to the customer and they" ll make as strong a ease as they can. On Tuesday, the next day, another

company will come in and present their ease to the customer. Usually the party that can present

the strongest case wins”Debate also strengthens critical thinking. In other words, it helps students learn to ask questionsand try to understand someone' s reasons and evidence.lift-. Lebeau points out that successful debaters learn to listen carefully to what other people are saying. Then, they look for the weak points in someone else' s opinion or argument. He says debate teaches a systematic way of questioning.

Successful debaters also learn to think from someone else' s point of view. Mr. Lebeau says debate can help broaden the mind. "There' s an expression in English : don' t criticize another person before you have walked in their shoes. I think the wonderful thing about debate is, it puts us in another person' s shoes. "

Why is debate important.9

9.

The Saturday Evening Post"became symbolic of the reading fare of middle-class America".In 1897 Curtis began to revive(重振）The Post on the proposition that a man's chiefinterest in life is the fight for livelihood-business,Fiction and articles about romantic business and successful businessmen filled its pages.and products backed by its advertisements directed at the needs and desires of the business world.The general interest weekly reached new audiences.Its conservative viewpoint and strong admiration for material success appealed to the tastes of the millions who settled in an easy chair with it each Thursday evening.As a more commercial,mass-circulation magazine than The New Yorker,the widely readable post set out to interpret America to itself.

As a national and international institution,The Saturday Evening Post made its markin the lives of massive numbers of men and women,and served society as a stabilizing influence,Its editorial matter addressed the problems and interests of the readers as neverbefore.Neither highbrow nor lowbrow,The Post set out to interpret average middle-classAmerica,for that was its audience,However,this magazine lost touch with the mood of the American people in the 1930s.The Post's editor Lorimer,opposed Roosevelt and the New Deal and changed his magazine from an organ of entertainment and enlightenment into a weapon of political warfare.He believed that in opposing the New Deal he had spoken forthe majority of voters,but the 1936 election proved him wrong.His conservatism extendedbeyond politics,it dominated the magazine's content and style causing a decline in reputation and authority.The Post met 'its greatest success when it went beyond the tastes of the masses,challenging its readers to acknowledge the genius of contributors such as F.ScottFitzgerald and William Faulkner.It was later reformed in an effort to fulfill its responsibility to awaken lethargic(昏昏欲睡的）America,however,The Saturday Evening Postseemed to play to conventions while The New Yorker took off to redefine the character of American Humor.1. According to Paragraph 1, who are primarily the readers of The Post?（）

10.Passage One Win a week in England!You still don’t know what to do this summer? Well, here’s your chance to win a one-week languagecourse in Kent, England! Free4Fun and ETC (English Travel Connections) are giving away two tripsto Rochester. This history city is less than an hour’s drive from London and close to the sea resortof Herne Bay. It is also the home of one of England’s most famous writers, Charles Dickens. Thetown of Rochester is in Southeast England. Charles Dickens often wrote about it in his books. Hishome, Gad’s Hill, is there, too. A popular attraction is Rochester Castle, a large Norman fortress. Itwas built in the 11th century and rebuilt during the 14th century. Other attractions are RochesterCathedral, which was built during the 13th century, and Dickens Centre. It has got its name in honorof Dickens himself.The trip to England includes:travel by train (via the Euro tunnel) to and from any railway station in Germanyroom and full board with a guest family for one weeklanguage course in small groupstwo trips to Londonlarge choice of sports and entertainmentGerman-speaking advisors available 24 hours a dayInterested? All you have to do is to answer the following question:When was Charles Dickens born?So, take the chance and send your answer by 1 May to:Free4Fun”Rochester”Free4Fun,24 Elphinstone Road, Hastings,2FQ6VJfax: 089/85 763-103e-mail:free4fun@netlight.comThe two winners will be contacted directly before 5 May. They will also be announced in the Juneissue of Free4Fun Good luck!For further information contact:phone: (03212)144 43fax: (03212)144 42e-mail:info@etc.comIf you want to win a prize you have to send your answer to ____.

11.

At the 1893 Columbian Exposition, a World Fair held in Chicago, chocolate-making machinery made in Germany was displayed. It caught the eye of M.S. Hershey, who saw the potential for chocolate. He installed chocolate machinery in his factory in Lancaster, and produced his first chocolate bars in 1894.

Other Americans began mixing in other materials to make up new candy bars throughout the end of the 1890's and the early 1900's. But it was World War Ⅰ that really brought attention to the candy bar.

The U.S. Army Quartermaster Corps requested various American chocolate manufacturers to provide 20 to 40 pound blocks of chocolate to be shipped to quartermaster bases. The blocks were cut into smaller pieces and distributed to American soldiers in Europe. Eventually the task of making smaller pieces was turned back to the manufacturers.

By the end of the war when the soldiers arrived home, the American candy bar business was assured. Why? Because the returning soldiers had grown fond of chocolate candy and wanted more of the same. As a result, from that time on and through the 1920's, candy bar manufacturers became established throughout the United States, and as many as 40,000 different candy bars appeared on the scene.

The original candy bar industry had its start on the eastern coast in such cities as Philadelphia, Boston, and New York. The industry soon spread to the Midwest because shipping and raw materials such as sugar, corn syrup, and

milk were easily available. Chicago became the seat of the candy bar industry and is even today an important base.Which event brought the booming of American candy bar business?

12.Henry ’ s job was to examine cars crossing the frontier to make sure that they were not smuggling( 走私 ) anything into the country. Every morning, except weekends, he 61 see a factory worker coming up the hill toward the frontier, 62 a bicycle with a big load of old straw on it. When the bicycle 63 the frontier, Henry used to stop the man and 64 him take the straw off and 65 it. Then he would examine the straw very carefully to see 66 he would find anything, after which he would look in all the man 67 he let him tie the straw up ’ s pockets again. The man would then pull it on his bicycle and go off down the hill with it. Although Henry was always 68 to find gold or jewelry or other valuable things 69 in the straw, he never found 70 , even though he examined it very carefully. He was sure that the man was 71 something, but he was not 72 to imagine what it could be. Then one morning, after he had looked 73 the straw and emptied the factory worker ’ s pockets 74 usual, he 75 to him, ― Listen, I know that you are smuggling things 76 this frontier. Won ’ t you tell me what it is that you are bringing into the country so successfully? I ’ m an old man, and today is my last day on the77 .Tomorrow I ’ m going to 78 .I promise that I shall not tell 79 if you tell me what you ’ ve been smuggling. ― The factory worker did not say anything for 80 . Then he smiled, turned to Henry and quietly, ― Bicycles.75.（）

13.If you go by___train,you can have quite a comfortable journey,but make sureyou get___fast one.

14.

Most parents,I suppose,have had the experience of reading a bedtime story1their children.And they must have realized how difficult it is to write a2children'sbook.Either the author has aimed(定目标）too3,so that children can't follow whatis in his(or more often,her)story,4the story seems to be talking to the readers.

The best children's books are 5very difficult nor very simple,and satisfy(令人满意的）the6 who hears the story and the adult(成年人）who 7it.Unfortunately（不幸的是），there are in fact few books like this,8 the problem of finding the rightbedtime story is not 9to solve.This may be why many of the books regarded as10of children's literature(文学）were in fact written for11 “Alice in Wonderland"is perhaps the most obvious(明显）of thisChildren,left for themselves,often12the worstpossible interest in literature just leave a child in a bookshop or a13and he will morewillingly choose the books written in an unimaginative(开非想象的）way.orhavelook at the most children’s comics(连环图书），full of the stories and jokes which ate the rejectionsof teachers and righting-thinking parents.Perhaps we parents should stop14 to brainwash(洗脑）children into accepting（接受）our taste in literature.After all,children and adults are so15 that we parentsshould not expect that they will enjoy the same books.So I suppose we'll just have to compromise(妥协）over the bedtime story.1（单选）

15.When I am confronted with such questions, my mind goes __, and I can hardly remembermyown date of birth.

16.Writing（25 points)你(Li Yuan)刚买了一块表，但你不满意，因为它总有毛病。写一封抱怨信，其内容如下：(1)买表的时间、地点；(2)出现的问题；(3)要求退货。

17.I think Chinese is___than maths.

18.In some countries, ________is called ― equality does not really mean equal rights for all citizens.

19.2008年成人高考专升本英语考试真题

20.

If you want to learn a new language,the very first thing to think about is why.Do you need it for a1reason,such as your job or your studies?Or perhaps you are interested in the 2,films or the music of a different country and you know howmuch it willhelp to have a 3of the language.

Most people learn best using a variety of 4,but traditional classes are an ideal(理想的）start for many people.They provide an environment where you can practice underthe 5of someone who's good at the language.We all lead6lives and learninglanguage takes time.You will have more success if you study regularly,so try to developa7.It doesn't matter if you haven't got long.Becoming fluent in a language will takeyears,but learning to get by takes8 .

Many people start learning a language and soon give up."I'm too9,"they say.Yes,children do learn languages more10than adults,but research has shown thatyou can learn a language at any age.And learning is good for the health of your brain,too.I've also heard people 11about the mistakes they make when learning.Well,relax andlaugh about your mistakes 12 you're much less likely to make them again.

Learning a new language is never 13.But with some work and devotion,you'llmake progress.And you'll be 14 by the positive reaction of some people when you sayjust a few words in 15 own language.Good luck!5.[ 单选 ]