A woman from Japan was telling a friend about her trip to the United States.The woman had visited major businesses and investment companies in New York City and Chicago.
“I studied English before I left home,”she said.“But I still was not sure that people were speaking English.”
Her problem is easy to understand.Americans in business are like people who are in business anywhere.They have a language of their own.Some of the words and expressions deal with the special areas of their work.Other expressions are borrowed from different kinds of work such as the theater and movie industry.
One such saying is “get your act together”.
When things go wrong in a business,an employer may get angry.He may shout,“Stop making mistakes.Get your act together.”
Or,if the employer is calmer,he may say,“Let us get our act together.”
Either way,the meaning is the same.Getting your act together is getting organized.In business,it usually means to develop a calm and orderly plan of action.
It is difficult to tell exactly where the saying began.But,it is probable that it was in the theater or movie industry.Perhaps one of the actors was nervous and made a lot of mistakes.The director may have said,“Calm down,now.Get your act together.”
Word expert James Rogers says the expression was common by the late 1970s.Mister Rogers says the Manchester Guardian newspaper used it in 1978.The newspaper said a reform policy required that the British government get its act together.
Now,this expression is heard often when officials of a company meet.One company even called its yearly report,“Getting Our Act Together.”
The Japanese visitor was confused by another expression used by American business people.It is cut to the chase.
She heard that expression when she attended an important meeting of one company.One official was giving a very long report.It was not very interesting.In fact,some people at the meeting were falling asleep.
Finally,the president of the company said,“Cut to the chase.”
Cut to the chase means to stop spending so much time on details or unimportant material.Hurry and get to the good part.
Naturally,this saying was started by people who make movies.Hollywood movie producers believe that most Americans want to see action movies.Many of their movies show scenes in which the actors chase each other in cars,or in airplanes or on foot.
Cut is the director’s word for stop.The director means to stop filming,leave out some material,and get to the chase scene now.
So,if your employer tells you to cut to the chase,be sure to get to the main point of your story quickly.
小題1:After the woman visited the United States she might feel that ________.
A.her English was poor
B.it’s easy to master English
C.it’s difficult to make money
D.people there weren’t very friendly
小題2:In which situation could the words “get your act together” be used?
A.A task is completed successfully.
B.Players perform badly in a match.
C.Audience is satisfied with the actor’s performance in a movie.
D.Visitors make a tiresome and unpleasant trip to someplace.
小題3:According to the text,the expression “get one’s act together” ________.
A.was first used by a Japanese businesswoman
B.was forbidden to be used in the government policy
C.originally came from a yearly report of a company
D.was commonly read by readers in a newspaper in 1978
小題4:What do the sayings “get your act together” and “cut to the chase” have in common?
A.Their use.B.Their meaning.
C.Their origin.D.Their popularity.

小題1:A
小題2:B
小題3:D
小題4:C

小題1:A
解析 推理判斷題。由第二段內(nèi)容可知,通過去美國的經(jīng)歷,她感覺盡管之前自己學過英語,但由于英語語言的復雜性,她還是感覺自己英語水平有限,不能自由交流。
小題2: B
解析 推理判斷題。根據(jù)第七段可知,“get your act together”意為:好好組織,讓行動等變得更加有理有序。因此,“get your act together”一般用于出現(xiàn)了混亂局面或者犯了錯誤的情況下。
小題3: D
解析 細節(jié)理解題。根據(jù)文章倒數(shù)第九段可知,語言學家認為這一表達法在1978年時被廣泛應用,人們在報紙上可以看到它。
小題4: C
解析 細節(jié)理解題。根據(jù)第八段和倒數(shù)第三段可知,這兩個短語都起源于電影業(yè)。
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科目:高中英語 來源:不詳 題型:閱讀理解

The inventor of the world wide web,Tim Berners­Lee,has won an important award which comes with a prize bag of one million euros (£671,000).The “Father of the Web” was named as the first winner of the Millennium Technology Prize by the Finnish Technology Award Foundation.He said he had just been “in the right place at the right time” and did not want his photo taken.
In 1991,he came up with a system to organize,link and browse(瀏覽) Net pages which revolutionized the Internet.The British scientist was knighted(封爵) for his pioneering work in 2003.
Sir Tim created his program while he was at the particle physics institute,Cern,in Geneva.The computer code he came up with let scientists easily share research findings across a computer network.In the early 1990s,it was called the “world wide web,” and is still the basis of the web as we know it.
The famous man never went on to commercialize his work.Instead he worked on expanding the use of the Net as a channel for free expression and cooperation.
“The web is encouraging new types of social networks and opening up new ways for information management and business development.The web has significantly improved many people’s ability to obtain information central to their lives,”said Pekka Tarjanne,chairman of the Millennium Technology Prize award committee.
Just under 80 people from 22 countries were nominated(提名) for the prize for their work in the areas of health,communication,new materials and the environment.
The Millennium Technology Prize was set up by the Finnish Technology Award Foundation,an independent body backed by the public and private money which aims to recognize outstanding creations.
Sir Tim currently heads up the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Boston,where he is now based as an academic.
小題1:It can be learned from the first two paragraphs that ________.
A.it is Tim Berners­Lee that invented the Internet
B.no one was able to surf the Net before the world wide web was invented
C.the Internet can’t be used so widely without Tim Berners­Lee’s invention
D.the Millennium Technology Prize was set up for Tim Berners­Lee
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A.became the first person to receive the Millennium Technology Prize
B.became the first person to be knighted by the Queen of England
C.began to cooperate with many scientists in other areas
D.was given over one million pounds for his great contribution
小題3:Which of the following best describes Tim Berners­Lee?
A.Optimistic. B.Modest.
C.Ambitious.D.Careful.
小題4:What would be the best title for the text?
A.The Millennium Technology Prize
B.Tim Berners­Lee
C.The World Wide Web
D.New Honor for the Web’s Inventor

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科目:高中英語 來源:不詳 題型:閱讀理解

Nowadays,much of the profit of a business—sometimes the whole of its success—depends upon the use of the odds and ends.The odds and ends are various small things,which are left over when the main things are produced.But they possess a real value of their own.
If a business,big or small,looked down upon these odds and ends,it would mean a big difference in the amount of the benefit of the business.Take a meat factory for instance,there are countless odds and ends—bones and hair,which can be made into glue and rope to increase its profit greatly.
Then,if we are college students,what about our odds and ends—the odd moments?Take time for example.Every one of us has the exact same amount of it.Everyone’s success or failure depends on the use of their time.But everyone uses the time more or less in the same way.However,why many great men in science or art have made huge successes for themselves in the world?Because they have made best use of their odd moments.Thomas A.Edison,never allowed his odd moments to slip by.He thought,planned,and tried his inventions.He always worked twenty hours out of each twenty­four.His inventions made him famous all over the world,and provided valuable wealth for the human beings.
So,remember this axiom:busy people always find time  for everything.However,people with great spare time find time for nothing.Is it very strange?Not at all!The question is how to gather up fragments of time and make full use of them.As many big businesses have found,the real profit is in using the odds and ends.We also must do in this way to make best use of our odd moments and manage to be successful in something we do.
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B.They are very small,but valuable things.
C.They are the main things factories produce.
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C.Because they are various small things people don’t want.
D.Because they are useless things left over.
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A.a(chǎn) statement given by famous people
B.a(chǎn) statement accepted as true
C.a(chǎn) statement that can be argued
D.a(chǎn) statement accepted in scientific field
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A.The profit of all companies depends on the odds and ends.
B.In some way,big meat companies can ignore some small things,such as bones.
C.College students only make full use of their spare time before exams.
D.Many successful men are good at using the odds and ends.

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C.Great ambition.D.Great investment.
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A.Alex Taw is an American millionaire.
B.Alex Taw will graduate from university.
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D.Alex Taw was not rich before.
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A.The more money we have,the more stress we have.
B.Money can be of great help.
C.We should try our best to earn money.
D.Money is helpful in some way,but we should make full use of it.
小題4:What would be the best title for the passage?
A.Little Money Leads to Be a Millionaire
B.The Success Road to Be a Millionaire
C.Alex Taw:An Millionaire Boy
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科目:高中英語 來源:不詳 題型:閱讀理解

His name is James,but people call him Rocky.The name fits.He’s big,over six feet tall,and he’s tough when he needs to  be.James “Rocky” Robinson lives and works in New York City’s Bedford­Stuyvesant district,one of the poorest and most dangerous neighborhoods in the United States.Yet it is here in Bed­Stuy that he is saving lives and reviving a community.
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B.he is tall and does something big
C.he is living in a tough community
D.he leads a tough community
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C.James had been at the spot
D.emergency calls had been available in the area
小題3:The underlined phrase in Paragraph 3 means________.
A.in a short time
B.over a long time
C.in the near future
D.from time to time
小題4:We can infer from Paragraph 4 that________.
A.a(chǎn)mbulance corps were only allowed in rich white communities
B.James found white communities made more emergency calls
C.city services were not enough to meet people’s need
D.it was easy to establish the minority­run ambulance service

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科目:高中英語 來源:不詳 題型:閱讀理解

Read about some teenage problems on a website for students and Linda’s replies to their online messages.


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A.酗酒B.肥胖C.厭食D.嗜睡
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科目:高中英語 來源:不詳 題型:閱讀理解

People in cities all over the world shop in supermarkets. Who decides what you buy in the supermarket? Do you decide? Does the supermarket decide?
When you enter the supermarket, you see shelves full of food. You walk in the aisles (走道) between the shelves. You push a shopping cart and put your food in it.
You probably hear soft, slow music as you walk along the aisles. This may be an attempt to please you, so you will enjoy shopping. Some supermarkets want to increase their profits by playing soft and slow music, because the slow music makes you walk slowly and you have more time to buy things.
Fresh fruit and vegetables are usually put near the entrance. When you arrive at the supermarket, you think about the kinds of fruit and vegetables you need first. Once you’ve got that out of the way, you can relax and do the rest of the shopping without any hurry. Besides, if you see fresh goods first, it gives you a “feel good” impression of freshness, so you can not help spending your money.
Maybe you go to the meat department then. There is some meat on sale, and you want to find it. The manager of the supermarket knows where customers enter the meat department. The cheaper meat is at the other end of the meat department, away from where the customers enter. You have to walk past all the expensive meat before you find the cheaper meat. Maybe you will buy some of the expensive meat instead of the meat on sale.
Most of the food in supermarkets is very attractive. It all says “Buy me quickly!” to the customers. The fresh fruit and vegetables say “Buy me quickly!” as you walk by. The expensive meat says “Buy me quickly!” The supermarket tells you what to buy.
小題1:Some supermarkets play soft, slow music because it ______.
A.makes customers walk slowly and buy more
B.can help customers get the things they want
C.can make customers relaxed and happy
D.can tell customers exactly where to go
小題2:The manager knows ______.
A.where customers come from
B.which customers like slow music
C.where fresh meat should be put
D.which customers like cheap meat
小題3:When walking past the expensive meat, the customers will ______.
A.pay no attention to itB.possibly buy some
C.look for some cheap meatD.feel uncomfortable
小題4:If you see fresh goods first in the supermarket, ______.
A.you know where to get things
B.it brings you good luck
C.it makes you spend less money
D.you’ll get a fresh impression
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科目:高中英語 來源:不詳 題型:閱讀理解

Businesses are witnessing a difficult time, which has in turn produced influence on consumers’ desire to go green. However, shoppers are still laying stress on environmental concerns.
Two thirds of customers say that environmental considerations inform their purchases to the same degree as they did a year ago, while more than a quarter say that they are now even better aware of the environmental effect on what they buy.
This may help to influence how shops store goods on their shelves. And the companies should still make efforts to become more environmentally friendly. Two out of three people think it is important to buy from environmentally responsible companies, with about one in seven saying that they had even decided to take their custom elsewhere if they felt a company’s environmental reputation was not good enough.
Harry Morrison, chief executive(主管)of the Carbon Trust, sympathizes:“I understand this situation where survival is very important now. But from environmental considerations, the clock is ticking—we don’t have much time. In addition, cutting carbon has an immediate effect as costs drop and a medium-term benefit for the brand.”
Larger companies have an extra motivation to look at reducing their carbon footprint, as new rules next year will require businesses to buy carbon allowances to make up for their emissions(排放). Those that have taken early action will have a head start. More than two thirds of consumers are not clear about which companies are environmentally responsible. This suggests that firms that are able to relay clearly their message to the public will be in a pole position to attract shoppers.
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小題1: What’s the main idea of the passage?
A.Businesses are finding ways to send their message to the shoppers.
B.Companies will soon get information about cutting carbon emissions.
C.Firms are making efforts to encourage customers to keep goods at home.
D.Firms are urged to cut carbon emissions by shoppers’ environmental awareness.
小題2: The underlined word “inform” in Paragraph 2 probably means“      ”.
A.a(chǎn)ffectB.changeC.disturbD.reject
小題3:According to Harry Morrison, businesses          .
A.will benefit from cutting carbon emissions
B.should buy carbon allowances for shoppers
C.a(chǎn)re required to make up for their carbon emissions
D.have encouraged shoppers to take their custom elsewhere
小題4:We can learn from the passage that businesses will        .
A.have a strong desire to reduce costs
B.use the same logo in their marketing
C.gain advantages by taking early action
D.a(chǎn)ttract more shoppers by storing goods

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科目:高中英語 來源:不詳 題型:閱讀理解

Chinese Dinner Table
Of course, the main difference on the Chinese dinner table is chopsticks instead of knife and fork, but that’s only superficial. Besides, in decent restaurants, you can always ask for a pair of knife and fork, if you find the chopsticks not helpful enough. The real difference is that in the West, you have your own plate of food, while in China the dishes are placed on the table and everyone shares. If you are being treated to a formal dinner and particularly if the host thinks you’re in the country for the first time, he will do the best to give you a taste of many different types of dishes.
The meal usually begins with a set of at least four cold dishes, to be followed by the main courses of hot meat and vegetable dishes. Soup then will be served (unless in Guangdong style restaurants) to be followed by staple food ranging from rice, noodles to dumplings. If you wish to have your rice to go with other dishes, you should say so in good time, for most of the Chinese choose to have the staple food at last or have none of them at all.
Perhaps one of the things that surprise a western visitor most is that some of the Chinese hosts like to put food into the plates of their guests. In formal dinners, there are always “public” chopsticks and spoons for this purpose, but some hosts may use their own chopsticks. This is a sign of genuine friendship and politeness. It is always polite to eat the food. If you do not eat it, just leave the food in the plate.
People in China tend to over-order food, for they will find it embarrassing if all the food is consumed. When you have had enough, just say so. Or you will always overeat!
小題1:The real difference on dinner table between China and West is that___________.
A.You’re treated to a formal dinner for the first time.
B.On Chinese dinner table, chopsticks replace knife and fork.
C.The host will do the best to give you a taste of many different types of dishes.
D.You have your own plate of food in West while in China everyone shares the dishes.
小題2:If you have a dinner in a Chinese home, in which order will the food be served?
a. serving soup.
b.a set of four cold dishes.
c. staple food such as rice, noodle or dumplings.
d. the main courses of hot meat and vegetable dishes.
A.badcB.cabdC.bdac D.cdab
小題3:The “public chopsticks and spoons” are used to ______.
A.taste different dishes
B.consume the food in the plate
C.show the friendship and politeness
D.put food into the plates of their guests
小題4:According to the message, the author’s attitude towards Chinese dinner table is______
A.criticalB.objectiveC.negativeD.positive

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