Borrowing to start a business is not easy. Getting a bank loan, particularly for a new small business, is like going through the eye of a needle.
Banks favor established-business people with a solid credit rating and a large bank account. They should also have experience in the business they propose to enter, and offer well-prepared business plans that show the ability to repay the loans. If you are not such a person, then you need to double your preparations to convince the banker to lend you that much needed start-up capital（资金）. If your business is new and small, bankers will need to know as much as possible about you and your business.
However, many small business owners often make the mistake of not being well prepared when going to the bank to apply for the loan. Surprisingly, many loan applicants don't even have the slightest idea how or when they intend to repay the money they request. Often they don't even know how much money they need. When asked how much money they want to borrow, many people give these two common responses: “How much money can I get?” and “As much as possible.” Is it any wonder that lenders say no?
So the most important thing is do your homework before you ask for a loan.
1.By saying “Getting a bank loan.., is like going through the eye of a needle”, the writer emphasizes______.
A. the ability to borrow from a bank
B. the importance of borrowing money
C. the difficulty of getting a bank loan
D. the start-up of a new small business
2.Banks prefer to give a loan to those who ______.
A. are in need of start-up capital
B. have the ability to pay it back
C. own an old and large business
D. haven't borrowed money before
3.Some small businesses fail to get a bank loan because ______.
A. the form they fill in is incomplete
B. their products are not technically advanced
C. the amount of money they want to borrow is too big
D. they have no clear idea of how much they need to borrow
4.The writer advises that before applying for a bank loan, the applicant should ____.
A. thoroughly prepare
B. do some market research
C. learn a lot about the bank
D. know the upper limit of the loans
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
A new weapon is on the way in the fight against smoking in Europe. Soon when smokers buy cigarettes they might see a shocking photo of a blackened lung or a cancer patient staring back at them from the packet.
Some boys may think of smoking as cool and sexy. Their friends won’t agree when they see their packets of cigarettes lying on the table. The European Union announced on October 22, that it had chosen 42 photos that showed the damage cigarettes could do to the body. It called on member nations to put these pictures on packets to discourage smokers. To catch the attention of teenagers, the special packets warn of long-term medical dangers, like cancer. Short-term effects, like bad skin, are also on the list.
“The true face of smoking is disease, death and horror. That is the message we should send to the young,” said David Byrne, an EU health official. “Hopefully these pictures will shock students out of their love for cigarettes.”
The EU head office hoped the pictures would work better than current written warnings on packs of cigarettes. The warnings included “smoking kills” and “smoking can lead to a slow and painful death.”
So far, Ireland and Belgium have shown interest in the photos. Canada has used similar pictures and warnings on cigarette packs since 2000. The country has recently seen a fall in the number of smokers. According to studies, smoking is the single biggest cause of avoidable death in EU. Every year more than 650,000 smokers die, more than one person a minute.
1.Why will the “new weapon” hopefully work better according to the passage?
A. Because it is easier to understand.
B. Because it shows both dangers and effects.
C. Because it can be seen by the smokers’ friends.
D. Because it is more powerful to catch attention.
2.The pictures chosen by the EU are supposed to work on ______.
A. young smokers B. smokers in Ireland and Belgium
C. all smokers D. young smokers’ friends
3.What can we learn from the passage?
A. Canada has been the first to use the EU’s “weapon”.
B. Many smokers don’t quite believe the written warnings.
C. The new form of warning has already proved to work.
D. Smoking has caused more deaths than anything else in EU.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
Every small child knows the panic of losing sight of its mother in the supermarket, and as these delightful pictures show, small whales obviously feel the same way.
Taken by a British diver who was following the sperm whale(抹香鲸) calf, they show the minute the baby - who had lost track of its mum - found her again in the sea off the Azores.
Soaring 30ft across the waves, the newborn slammed（猛力推）its body onto the water with joy after becoming separated from its family group in the chilly（寒冷的）waters.
But the whale calf was doing more than just jumping for joy.
British biologist and dive guide Justin Hart, 44, who took the pictures, says that young whales communicate with older ones in the ocean by creating a slamming sound which travels through the water to the ears of the adults deep below.
By leaping out of the water and slamming its 12ft long body onto the surface of the sea up to 30 times, the baby whale is telling its relatives where it is so they can regroup.
He said: “We had been following the sperm whale calf for most of the day. Sperm whales, of all the whales and dolphins, are the species that dive the deepest and for the longest time.”
“The calves have to follow what’s going on below them from the surface as best they can probably listening to the echo location（回声定位）clicks of the adults.”
“However, sometimes the adults re-surface far out of sight of the calf, and in this situation the whales often leap out of the water causing a large bang as their bodies hit the surface. In this way, the whale family could regroup.”
He added: “When I took the photo, two adults’ females had just resurfaced and the calf quite literally began jumping for joy.”
Mr. Hart captured the rare image four miles from the port of Lajes do Pico while he was working as a crewman on an underwater documentary with special license to film sperm whales in the area.
Sperm whales live in nearly all the world’s oceans in groups of about 15 to 20 animals and they practice communal(集体的) childcare. The calves do not have to follow their mother too closely as sperm whales can take milk from any milk-producing female in its social group.
1.The underlined word “they” in paragraph 2 probably refers to _____.
A. the whales B. the divers
C. the photos D. the mothers
2.According to Justin Hart, the young sperm whale ____.
A. found its family with his help
B. suffered a lot in the cold waters
C. lost contact with its family for days
D. slammed as a means of communication
3.What do we know about sperm whales?
A. The young are independent.
B. They are highly social animals.
C. They tend to live in warm sea waters.
D. Females take turns to care for babies.
4.What would be the best title for the text?
A. Baby whales perform slamming with joy
B. Sperm whales ---fairly intelligent animals
C. Lost sperm whale baby reunited with its family
D. Slamming--- a way of communication among whales
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
Friends play an important part in our lives, and although we may take friendship for granted, we often don't clearly understand how we make friends. While we get on well with a number of people, we are usually friends with only a very few---for example, the average among students is about 6 per person. In all the cases of friendly relationships, two people like one another and enjoy being together, but beyond that, the degree of intimacy(亲密) between them and the reasons for the shared interests vary enormously. As we get to know people, we take into account things like age, race, economic conditions, social position, and intelligence. Although these factors are not of prime importance, it is more difficult to get on with people when there is a marked difference in age and background.
Some friendly relationships can be kept on argument and discussion, but it is usual for close friends to have similar ideas and beliefs, to have attitudes and interests in common ---they often talk about “being on the same wavelength.” It generally takes time to reach this point. And the more intimately involved people become, the more they rely on one another. People want to do friends favors and hate to break a promise. Equally, friends have to learn to put up with annoying habits and try to tolerate differences of opinion.
In contrast with marriage, there are no friendship ceremonies to strengthen the association between two persons. But the supporting and understanding of each other that results from shared experiences and emotions does seem to create a powerful bond, which can overcome differences in background, and break down barriers of age, class or race.
1.According to the author, ____.
A. all those who get on well with each other are friends
B. friends are closer than people who just get on with each other
C. everyone understands clearly how to make friends
D. every student has 6 friends
2.In paragraph 2, “being on the same wavelength” means ____.
A. using the same frequency while taking
B. keeping the same friendly relationship as other people do
C. having similar ideas, beliefs, attitudes and interests
D. having the same background
3.Which of the following is not implied in the passage?
A. Even friends may have differences of opinion.
B. Friends never argue with each other.
C. It generally takes time for people to become close friends.
D. Someone’s habits may annoy his friends.
4.To strengthen friendly relationship, people ____.
A. must hold friendship ceremonies
B. have to eliminate(消除) differences in background
C. should make friends with those who are of the same age and of the same race
D. should support and understand each other through shared experiences and emotions
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
根据短文内容，从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。选项中有两项为多余选项。
Four Habits to Help You Succeed
We all want to succeed, whether it’s in losing weight or learning the guitar. For those who have tried and failed, success seems difficult to understand. Why does one person succeed where another person fails? 1._________
Identify your core values.
Finding your core values is in line with creating inner motivation. 2._________ Pick a handful of things and actually write them down. Remind yourself of your values every day, and reflect on whether you are honoring those values through your work.
Pick a goal and focus on it.
Choose one goal to start something large enough that will give you a sense of accomplishment, while adjusting well to your core values. Focus is key here. 3._________ If you perform many tasks at a time, you might never complete your projects because they will take far too long.
Set a deadline for success.
Set a date for success. Identify when you hope to achieve your goal. 4._________ By setting a time limit, you are making the process more real.
5._________
Failure can’t be avoided when you take risks, by its very definition, the desire to succeed means you are risking failure. Many people tend to give up far too early. Don’t fall into this trap! Remember your mindset earlier. Know it will happen. A failure is merely you working out the details, and learning what works and what doesn’t. Use failure. Treat it as a good thing, and march on!
A. The more focused you are on one goal, the higher chance you have of success.
B. Make the right decision.
C. I’ve made a list of four habits to help set goals and achieve them.
D. Stick to your goal.
E. Keep it realistic, while not giving you too much time.
F. Sit and reflect on what you value most.
G. Push yourself to be courageous, and take the next step.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
完型填空
A group of graduates got together to visit their old university professor.
The conversation soon turned into complaints about _________ in work and life. To offer his _________offee, the professor went to the kitchen and_________ with a large pot of coffee and a _________ of cups---plastic, glass, metal, porcelain (陶瓷), crystal, some plain-looking, some beautiful. The professor told his students to _________ themselves to hot coffee.
When all the students had a cup of coffee in hand, the professor said, “lf you have _________， all the nice-looking expensive cups have been_________, leaving behind the plain and _________ ones. While it is normal for you to want only the best for yourselves, that is the _________ of your problems and stress.”
The professor continued, “Believe that the cup itself adds no _________ to the coffee. In most cases it is just more expensive and in some cases it even_________what we drink. What all of you _________ wanted was coffee, not the cup, but you consciously went_________the best cups.”
Now _________this: life is the coffee; the jobs, money, and _________in society are the cups. _________are just tools to hold and contain life, and the different types of cups we have don’t decide, nor _________ the quality of life. If we concentrate only on the cups, we will _________to enjoy the coffee in it. So don’t let the cups _________ you...enjoy the coffee instead."
At these words, the graduates looked at each other in _________ embarrassment.
1.A. stress B. dream C. sorrow D. truth
2.A. friends B. customers C. fellows D. guests
3.A. carried B. returned C. arrived D. reached
4.A. kind B. variety C. sort D. number
5.A. devote B. expose C. help D. addicted
6.A. searched B. witnessed C. noticed D. discovered
7.A. taken up B. brought in C. sold out D. cut down
8.A. expensive B. cheap C. beautiful D. usual
9.A. point B. answer C. source D. result
10.A. quality B. energy C. weight D. color
11.A. makes B. gives C. hides D. includes
12.A. finally B. really C. especially D. nearly
13.A. for B. with C. off D. to
14.A. forget B. discuss C. consider D. try
15.A. position B. relation C. workmates D. friends
16.A. They B. We C. You D. What
17.A. damage B. determine C. change D. increase
18.A. come B. stop C. have D. fail
19.A. drive B. force C. take D. amaze
20.A. quiet B. speechless C. amazing D. reasonable
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
语法填空。阅读下面材料，在空白处填入适当内容(不多于3个单词)或括号内单词的正确形式。
A lecturer was giving a lecture to his students on stress management. He raised a glass of water and asked the audience, “How heavy do you think this glass of water is?” The students’ answers ranged from 20g to 500g. It doesn’t matter on the absolute__1.___ (weigh). It depends on how long you hold___2.___. If I hold it for a minute, it is OK. If I hold it for an hour, I'll have___3.___ache in my right arm. If I hold it for a day, you will have to call an ambulance. It's the exact same weight, but the____4.__ (long) I hold it, the heavier it becomes. If we carry our burdens__5.___the time, sooner or later, we won't be able to carry on, the burden__6._(become) increasingly heavier. What you’ve to do is to put the glass down, rest for a while before holding it up again. We have to put down the burden periodically, so that we can__7.__(refresh) and are able to carry on.
__8.__you return home from work tonight, put the burden of work___9.__.Don't carry it back home. You can pick it up tomorrow. Whatever burdens you’re having now on your shoulders, let it down_10._a moment if you can. Life is short, enjoy it!
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
短文改错
文中共有10处语言错误，每句最多有两处。每处错误仅涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改，每句中最多有两处。
增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符（^），并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除：把多余的词用斜线（\）划掉。
修改：在错的词下面画一横线，并在该词的下面写出修改后的词。
注意：1.每处错误及其修改仅限一词。
2.只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分。
All of us know the old saying “Practice make perfect.” It tells us unless we want to realize our aim, we should practise and one day we will make it．It’s easy to understand．Once I wanted to learn swimming. At first I found difficult to control my body. I just sank into the water. I feel very frightened. Then I watched others who were good at them and asked them the key to succeed. I went to the swimming pool every day, learned from them and practiced. A day, when my friend pushed me into the swimming pool, I sudden found that I could swim. How exciting I was! Now I can swim much more better than before.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
书面表达
近年来，汽车产业的飞速发展，汽车购买量猛增已给我们的生活和环境造成了极大的影响甚至困扰。请你根据以下提示写一篇英语短文，题目自拟。
1. 描述目前的交通状况；
2. 人们大量使用汽车所产生的问题；
3. 你的建议或解决办法（至少两条）。
要求：
1. 文章要包括以上所有要点，可适当增加细节，以使文章连贯；
2. 词数：120词左右。
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难度: 中等查看答案及解析