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Please excuse me if I’m a little sad today because Mark is leaving．You probably don’t know Mark，but you might be lucky enough to know someone just like him．He’s been the heart and soul of the office for a couple of years combining professional skills with a sweet and gentle nature．He’s never been all that interested in getting credit for the terrific work he does．He just wants to do his job，and to do it extremely well．
And now he’s moving on to an exciting new professional opportunity．It sounds like it could be the chance of a lifetime，and we’re sincerely pleased for him．But that doesn’t make it any easier to say goodbye to a dear friend and trusted colleague．
Life has a way of throwing these curve balls at us．Just when we start to get comfortable with a person，a place or a situation，something comes along to change the recipe．A terrific neighbor moves away．Someone in the family graduates．A child finds new love and loyalties through marriage．The family’s bread-winner is laid off．Our ability to cope with change and disruption determines our peace，happiness and contentment in life．
But how do we do that? According to the author of Ecclesiaste，comfort can be found in remembering that “to everything there is a season，and a time to every purpose under heaven．Let today embrace the past with remembrance，and the future with longing．’’
“Change，indeed，is painful，yet ever needful，”said philosopher Thomas Carlyle．“And if memory has its force and worth，so also has hope．”
We’re going to miss Mark．But rather than lose ourselves in the sadness of our parting，we’ll focus on our hopes for a brighter future——for him，and for us．And then we’ll go out and do everything we can to make that future happen．Until our plans change——again．
1.What will happen to Mark soon?
A．He will pass away． B．He will leave for a new job．
C．He will get married． D．He will stay with us forever．
2.The underlined word “credit” in Para．1 probably means __________ ．
A．praise B．criticism
C．opportunity D．job
3.From the passage，we can learn that __________ ．
A．any change will make us upset any time
B．it is easy to say goodbye to a dear friend and trusted colleague
C．our happiness depends on our ability to deal with change
D．comfort can be found in remembering the sadness
4.The best title of the passage may be __________ ．
A．My Friend Mark B．Focusing on Future
C．Always Changing D．A Sad Story
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Japanese couples，too busy for a normal social life，are increasingly turning to actors to play their friends on the most important days of their lives．
Several agencies have sprung up (涌现) offering actors to attend weddings or even funerals．The first guest-for-hire company was established about nine years ago and around 10 now send out dozens of pretend friends to family events．
Agencies such as Hagemashi Tai —— which means “I want to cheer you up” —— charge around ￡100 for each “guest”．Other services such as giving a speech in praise of a bride or the groom cost extra．
The appearance of the small fake friends industry has been linked to social and economic changes in Japan．With lifetime employment (终身雇佣制) a thing of the past，couples feel uncomfortable about inviting work colleagues to their wedding．Increasingly busy and stressed out，many Japanese surround themselves with only a very small circle of friends．
When they marry，however，they are under pressure to match the number of their new partner’s wedding guests．Office Agents，the largest provider of pretend friends，makes sure that its employees have done their homework and know all about the bride or groom before the wedding．
Hiroshi Mizutani，the company’s founder，said the fake friends he provides must look happy，be well dressed and look like people with good jobs．
1.Why did fake friends industry come into being in Japan?
A．Because of social and economic changes．
B．Because of lifetime employment．
C．Because of normal social life．
D．Because of work pressure．．
2.Pretend friends will be present on the following occasions except __________ ．
A．weddings B．funerals
C．work D．family gathering
3.The agents make sure that fake friends __________ ．
A．have done their housework
B．have good jobs
C．must look happy and be well dressed
D．feel uncomfortable
4.What is the main idea of this passage?
A．Japanese couples are under pressure to get married．
B．The first guest-for-hire company in Japan started．
C．Japanese couples’ social life is boring．
D. Japanese couples rely on fake friends．
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Yousuf Karsh，the Canadian portrait artist who photographed many of the most influential figures of the 20th century，died in a Boston hospital on July l3 th，2002．He was 93．
Working from a studio in Ottawa，Karsh produced famous portraits of such subjects as Winston Churchill，John F．Kennedy，Ernest Hemingway and Albert Einstein．Actually he has become almost as famous as his legendary subjects．In the latest edition of Who’s Who，which listed the most notable people of the last century，Karsh was the only Canadian of the 100 famous people listed——51 0f whom Karsh had photographed．
As a master portraitist，often working in black and white．Karsh was famous for talking to his subjects as he was getting the shot’s composition just right，asking them questions and putting them at ease．In preparation，he read as much as he could about the sitters，but avoided having the idea beforehand of how he would photograph them．He sought, as he wrote in Karsh Portfolio in 1967，to capture the “essential element which has made them great，” explaining，“All I know is that within every mall a secret is hidden，and as a photographer, it is my task to reveal it if I can．”
Karsh was born in America in 1908，and his uncle，George Nakash，brought him to John Garo，all outstanding photographer，to teach him in 1928．Four years later，Karsh set up his own studio in Ottawa．
In December of 1941，his memorable portrait of Winston Churchill brought Karsh into international fame．Canada’s Prime Minister Mackenzie King arranged for him to photograph Churchill following Churchill’s speech in the House of Commons．Not told，Churchill lit up a cigar, “Why was I not told of this?’’ Karsh asked him to remove the cigar and，when he didn’t，stepped forward and gently removed it with the comment，“Forgive me，Sir．”Churchill glowered (怒目而视) as the shot was taken，then permitted Karsh to take still another,；jokingly commenting，“You can even make a roaring lion stand still to be photographed．” The Churchill portrait has since appeared in publications all over the world．
Karsh traveled to London in 1943 with his portable studio —— an 8-by-10 view camera and many studio lamps to photograph such notables as George Bernard Shaw and the royal family．All these portraits fully illustrate Karsh’s ability．
1.What did Karsh seek to do most in working?
A．Capture the essence and greatness of the character．
B．Present the true and vivid expression of the subject．
C．Make the photograph more colorful and expressive．
D．Reveal the idea he has got in preparing for the shot．
2.The underlined word “sitters”in Para 3 probably means __________ ．
A．characters seated B．subjects questioned
C．models photographed D．photographs taken
3.The last three paragraphs are mainly developed by __________ ．
A．following time order B．providing examples
C．making comparisons D．giving causes and effects
4.From the passage，we can learn that __________ ．
A．Churchill was asked to stand still when Karsh took a photograph of him
B．Churchill’s portrait hanging in the House of Commons gave Karsh great fame
C．Karsh was listed as one of the 100 notables by Who’s Who in the last century
D．Karsh could skilfully adjust the subjects’ mood when photographing them
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Redwood trees are the tallest plants on the earth，reaching heights of up to 100 meters．They are also known for their longevity，typically 500 to 1000 years，but sometimes more than 2000 years．A hundred million years ago，in the age of dinosaurs，redwoods were common in the forests of a much more moist and tropical North America．As the climate became drier and colder，they declined to a narrow strip along the Pacific coast of Northern Califomia．
The trunk of redwood trees is very strong and usually forms a single straight column．It is covered with a soft bark．This bark can be pretty thick，well over two feet in the more mature trees．It gives the older trees a certain kind of protection from insects，but the main benefit is that it keeps the center of the tree harmless from moderate forest fires because of its thickness．This fire resistant quality explains why the giant redwood grows to live that long．While most other types of trees are destroyed by forest fires，the giant redwood actually prospers because of them．
Moderate fires will clear the ground of competing plant life，and the rising heat dries and opens the ripe fruit of the redwood，releasing many thousands of seeds onto the ground below．
New trees are often produced from shoots，little baby trees，which form at the base of the trunk．These shoots grow slowly，fed by the root system of the “mother’’ tree．When the main tree dies，the shoots are then free to grow as full trees，forming a “fairy ring” of trees around the original tree．These trees，in turn，may give rise to more shoots，and the cycle continues．
1.Why were redwood trees easier to find in the forests of North America millions of years ago?
A．The trees were taller and stronger．
B．The soil was softer for seeds to develop．
C．The climate there was warmer and wetter．
D．The temperature was lower along the Pacific coast．
2.Which of the following is a function of the tree bark as mentioned in the passage?
A．It allows redwood trees to bear seeds．
B．It prevents redwood trees from attack by insects．
C．It helps redwood trees absorb water in the air．
D．It makes redwood trees more beautiful and appealing．
3.Why do redwood trees grow to live that long according to the passage?
A．They have heavy and straight tree trunks．
B．They are properly watered and catered to．
C．They are more resistant to fire damage than other trees．
D．They produce many young trees to maintain their life cycle．
4.How does a “fairy ring’’ form according to the passage?
A．By killing an old tree． B．By connecting root systems．
C．By inserting holes into old trees． D．By surrounding a mature tree．
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“I’m a little worried about my future．”said Dustin Hoffman in The Graduate．He should be so lucky．All he had to worry about was whether to have an affair with Mrs. Robinson．In the sixties，that was the total sum of post-graduation anxiety．
Hoffman’s modem peers are not so fortunate．The Mrs. Robinsons aren’t sitting around at home any more．They are out in the workplace，doing the high-powered jobs the graduates want，but cannot get．For those fresh out of university，desperate for work but unable to get it，there is a big imbalance between supply and demand．And there is no narrowing of the gap in sight．
Parents feel as badly let down as the young people themselves．Middle-class families see their graduate offspring on the dole (救济金) queue and wonder why they bothered paying school fees．Working-class families feel an even keener sense of disappointment．For many such families，getting a child into university was the fulfillment of a lifelong dream．It was proof that they were living in a dynamic，economically successful country．That dream does not seem so rosy now．Graduate unemployment is not，ultimately，a political problem．Job-creation for graduates is very low down in the government’s schedule．If David Cameron’s Conservatives (保守党) had a brilliant idea for guaranteeing every graduate a well-paid job，they would have presented it by now．It is a social problem，though a more deep-seated social problem than people perhaps realize．
1.The author begins with the lines from The Graduate in order to __________ ．
A．support the fact that more women are working now
B．show that few graduates started working right after graduation
C．demonstrate that there were much fewer graduates than now
D．emphasize the sharp contrast between now and then
2.Regarding job opportunities for young graduates，the author sounds __________ ．
A．pessimistic B．hopeful C．unconcerned D．content
3.The main purpose of the passage is to __________ ．
A．criticize the government
B．present a current severe situation
C．publicize a movie
D．display the success of the country
4.Towards the end of the passage，the author implies that __________ ．
A．there will be job-creation programs for graduates
B．graduate unemployment is more of a political issue
C．graduate unemployment is not likely to be solved in a short time
D．the Conservatives have done nothing to solve the issue
