一、常用短語

have connection with與……有聯(lián)系/ 有關(guān)聯(lián)

run away （秘密地）逃跑

play a trick on sb捉弄某人，對某人惡作劇

make up編造（說法、解釋等）

be/feel in the mood (for sth./to do sth)

有意（做某事的）；

有（做某事的心情）

set (a play， novel， etc.) in設(shè)置（戲劇、小說等的）背景

make one’s fortune發(fā)財

set off出發(fā)；啟程

point at （把……）對準(zhǔn)，指向

pour down流下；（雨）傾盆而下

die of因……而死

as if /though好像

look like看起來像……（一樣）

take place （尤指根據(jù)安排或計劃）發(fā)生

start with以……開始

draw up （車輛）到達某處停下

ahead of （時間、空間）在……前面

come to an end完結(jié)

dress up裝扮；打扮

consist of由……組成；由……構(gòu)成

think of想到，想起來

take part in參加

prepare for為……作準(zhǔn)備

cover...with...用……覆蓋……

date back to追溯到，始于

put sb into prison把某人關(guān)進監(jiān)獄

be crowded with充滿，滿是

take off脫下（衣服），摘掉

come off從……掉下（或落下）

be wild about...熱衷于，對……狂熱

give up放棄

more or less差不多；大概

walk off散步消食

at the same time同時

make fun of取笑

take over接管，接替

二、重點詞匯

A. 大綱詞匯

tievt.（用繩、帶等）綁，系，拴

disturbvt. 打擾

warnvt. 警告

forcevt. 強迫；迫使

hidevt. 掩藏；躲藏

bookvt. 預(yù)訂

markvt. 標(biāo)志（著）

transportvt. 運輸；運送

unitevt. 聯(lián)合

pourvi.（雨）傾盆而下

lievi. 說謊；撒謊

pretendvi. 假裝

companionn. 同伴；伙伴

beardn. 胡須

reviewn.（影視、音樂）評論

pennyn.（硬幣）便士；（美）分

pilotn. 領(lǐng)航員

memoryn. 記憶

flourn. 面粉

porkn. 豬肉

traden. 貿(mào)易

mastern. 主人

freedomn. 自由

curiousadj. 好奇的

B. 大綱外常用詞匯

solvevt. 解決

panicvt.（使）恐慌；（使） 驚慌失措

resemblevt. 與……相似

createvt. 塑造；創(chuàng)作

establishvt. 確立；確定；建立

extendvt. 延長

importvt. 引進；進口

wandervi. 漫步；閑逛

biographyn.（由他人撰寫的）傳記

fantasyn. 幻想，想象

detectiven. 偵探

murderern. 兇手；謀殺犯

accountn. 敘述；描寫；報道

sheltern. 遮蔽物；棲身之地

ropen. 繩子

frightn. 恐懼；害怕

outlinen. 外形；輪廓

comedyn. 喜劇

fictionn. 虛構(gòu)或幻想出來的事

exceptionn. 例外

reputationn. 名譽；名望；聲望

carnivaln. 狂歡節(jié)

ghostn. 鬼；幽靈

costumen. 服裝；戲裝；化裝服

confusionn. 雜亂；混亂

empiren. 帝國

counciln. 地方議會；政務(wù)委員會

magicn. 魅力；魔力

eran. 時代；年代

calendarn. 日歷；月歷

doven. 鴿子

beann. 豆子

onionn. 洋蔥

pean. 豌豆

ingredientn.（烹調(diào)用的）原料

paraden.（慶祝）游行

landownern. 地主；土地?fù)碛姓?/p>

celebrationn. 慶典；慶祝

originn. 起源

terrifiedadj. 非常害怕的；極度恐慌的

romanticadj. 浪漫的；關(guān)于愛情的

shallowadj. 淺的

determinedadj. 堅決的

vividadj.（描述）生動的；逼真的

elegantadj. 優(yōu)美的；高雅的

relaxingadj. 使人放松的

tastyadj. 美味可口的

multiculturaladj. 多元文化的；跨文化的

三、語法

1. 復(fù)習(xí)非謂語動詞；

2. 復(fù)習(xí)連系動詞；

3. 復(fù)習(xí)被動語態(tài)。

重點詞匯及短語精析

1. pour v. 傾倒；（雨）傾盆而下；涌流，傾瀉

【用法精析】

(1) pour...into... 向……投入大量……

The government has poured millions into education system.

政府已經(jīng)為教育事業(yè)投入了數(shù)百萬。

(2) pour out 倒，斟；傾訴，傾吐

I was in the kitchen， pouring out drinks.

我在廚房里倒飲料。

She poured out her hopes and fears about future over me.

她向我傾訴她的煩惱。

2. lie v. 說謊，撒謊；躺，平躺

n. 謊言（可數(shù)）

【用法精析】

(1) lie to sb 對某人撒謊

It was very dishonest of you to lie to them about your qualifications.

你向他們謊報資歷是很不誠實的。

(2) lie about sth 在某事上撒謊

It is not right to lie about your health to get cheap insurance.

虛報你的健康狀況以獲取廉價的保險是不對的。

(3) tell (sb) a lie/lies（向某人）說謊

You degrade yourself when you tell a lie.

說謊會貶低自己的身份。

(4) lie down 躺下，平臥

He lay down on the sofa and soon fell asleep.

他在沙發(fā)上躺下很快地睡著了。

辨析：

詞義原形過去式過去分詞現(xiàn)在分詞

說謊lieliedliedlying

躺；位于lielaylainlying

放置；下（蛋）laylaidlaidlaying

【拓展】

liar n. 撒謊者

3. warn v. 警告，勸告；

【用法精析】

(1) warn sb of/about sth 提醒某人某事

It was thoughtful of you to warn me of your arrival.

你來之前先通知我，真是考慮得很周到。

She was angry that there was no sign put up to warn people about the hole.

她很生氣為什么沒人設(shè)立標(biāo)志來提醒行人這里有個坑。

(2) warn (sb) against doing sth 警告；告誡

The guidebook warns against walking alone at night.

這本指南告誡人們夜間不要單獨行走。

(3) warn sb to do sth 提醒某人做某事

He warned Billy to keep away from his daughter.

他警告比利離他女兒遠(yuǎn)點。

(4) warn后接從句

She was warned that if she did it again she would lose her job.

她被警告說如果她再這樣做就會丟掉工作。

【拓展】

warning n. 警告

4. force v. 強迫；迫使

【用法精析】

(1) force sb to do sth 強迫某人做某事

She forced herself to be polite to them even though she didn’t have to.

她對他們強裝客氣，即使她用不著這樣。

(2) force sb into sth / doing sth 迫使某人做某事

The president was forced into resigning.

總統(tǒng)被迫辭職。

(3) force... on / upon sb 把……強加給某人

Don’t force your views on others.

不要把你的想法強加于人。

【拓展】

forceful adj. 強有力的；堅強的

5. hide v. 隱藏（尤指感情）；躲藏，躲避；遮擋

【用法精析】

(1) hide sth 隱藏，躲避

He hid the letter in a drawer.

他把信藏在抽屜里。

Don’t hide your sickness for fear of treatment.

絕不要諱疾忌醫(yī)。

(2) hide one’s face（難為情地）低下頭，藏起臉

Mary was so embarrassed. She could only hide her face in shame.

瑪麗感到特別難堪， 她恨不得找個地縫鉆進去。

【拓展】

(1) hiding n. 隱藏，躲藏

(2) go into hiding 躲藏起來

I think you should go into hiding for a while.

我認(rèn)為你應(yīng)該藏起來一段時間。

6. pretend v. 假裝，佯裝

【用法精析】

(1) pretend to do sth 假裝做某事

They pretend to misunderstand my complaint.

他們假裝誤解了我的投訴。

(2) pretend that + 從句

Many people pretend that they understand modern art.

許多人裝作自己懂得現(xiàn)代藝術(shù)。

【拓展】

pretence n. 假象，偽裝

pretender n. 冒充者

7. mark v. 標(biāo)志（著）；作記號，作標(biāo)記

n. 標(biāo)記，記號

【用法精析】

(1) mark...on... 在……上做記號/標(biāo)記

Mark the price on the goods.

把價格標(biāo)在商品上。

(2) mark...with... 用……標(biāo)記

Mark the place with a cross.

用叉來做標(biāo)記。

(3) 比較mark，sign，symbol和signal的區(qū)別：

1) mark，“標(biāo)志，標(biāo)記”，指事物留下的深刻印跡。

Any piece of silver bearing his mark is extremely valuable.

帶有他印記的每一件銀器都極有價值。

2) sign，“記號，標(biāo)記”，可指符號，還指具體的用于識別或指示的標(biāo)志，如指標(biāo)牌，卡片等。

The sign on the wall said “Now wash you hands”.

墻上的牌子上寫著“請洗手”。

3) signal，“信號”，常指用于傳達某種信息的信號，也指燈光，聲音或信號標(biāo)志。

Pay special attention to the traffic signal on the road.

要特別注意這條路上的交通信號燈。

4)symbol，“象征，符號”，常指被人們選出用來代表另一事物的物體或圖案，并以此作為該事物的標(biāo)記或象征。

White has always been a symbol of purity in Western cultures.

在西方文化中，白色象征純潔。

8. unite vt.（為某事）聯(lián)合，團結(jié)；（與某人或集體）聯(lián)結(jié)，

統(tǒng)一

【用法精析】

(1) unite in sth / in doing sth 聯(lián)合，聯(lián)手

Local resident groups have united in opposition to the plan.

當(dāng)?shù)鼐用駡F體已經(jīng)聯(lián)合起來反對這項計劃。

(2) unite with sb/sth 聯(lián)結(jié)，聯(lián)合

We need to unite with all the forces that can be united.

我們應(yīng)團結(jié)一切可以團結(jié)的力量。

【拓展】

united adj. 聯(lián)合的；團結(jié)的

9. run away（秘密地）逃跑

Someone has run away with all my jewels.

有人偷了我的珠寶逃跑了。

【拓展】

(1) run across 偶然遇見

(2) run after 追趕

(3) run around 東奔西跑

(4) run into... 撞上

(5) run out (of sth) 用完（某物）

I ran across my old friend Jean in Paris last week.

上周我在巴黎遇見了老朋友瓊。

The printer has run out of paper.

打印機沒紙了。

10. make up 編造（說法、解釋等）；形成，構(gòu)成；化妝，

打扮

He made up some excuse about his daughter being sick.

他編造了一些借口，說他的女兒病倒了。

Girls make up 30% of the number of students.

女生占學(xué)生人數(shù)的30%。

The actors have to make up before they appear in front of people on the stage.

演員出現(xiàn)在臺下觀眾面前時，必須先化裝。

【拓展】

make up for 補償；賠償

Nothing can make up for the loss of a child.

失去一個孩子是任何東西都無法彌補的。

11. set in 設(shè)置（戲劇、小說等的）背景

This screenwriter set his story in Paris again to show his love for this city.

這位編劇把故事背景再次設(shè)定在巴黎，以此顯示他對這座城市的熱愛。

The movie is set in a city in the 20th century.

這部電影是以20世紀(jì)某城市為背景拍攝的。

【拓展】

(1) set...aside 把……放到一旁

(2) set off 出發(fā)

(3) set out 出發(fā)；著手

(4) set up 建立，創(chuàng)立

The police set up roadblocks on routes out of the city.

警察在城外的路上設(shè)置了路障。

12. come to an end 完結(jié)

The diving competitions have come to an end.

跳水項目已經(jīng)比賽完畢。

Now the award ceremony has come to an end.

頒獎儀式到此結(jié)束。

【拓展】

(1) come across（偶然）遇見，碰見，發(fā)現(xiàn)

(2) come out 出版；出現(xiàn)；說出

(3) come true 實現(xiàn)，成為現(xiàn)實

(4) come up 被提及，被討論；發(fā)生；長出地面

(5) come up with 想出（主意）；找到（答案）

When will the dictionary come out?

那本字典什么時候出版?

He could not come up with a proper answer under pressure.

在壓力之下，他想不出一個合適的回答。

13. consist of 由……組成；由……構(gòu)成

How many parts does the Great Hall of the People consist of?

人民大會堂由哪幾部分組成？

Their daily diet consists largely of vegetables.

他們的日常飲食以蔬菜為主。

【拓展】

consist in 存在于，在于

The beauty of Venice consists largely in the style of its ancient buildings.

威尼斯的美很大程度上在于它那古代建筑的風(fēng)格。

True education doesn’t consist in simply being taught fact.

真正的教育并不在于簡單地講授事實。

對比思維訓(xùn)練

1. (1) ＿＿＿ you want to be the best in our class is known to all.

(2) ＿＿＿ he wants is to be the best student in our class.

A. WhatB. When

C. WhichD. That

2. (1) A famous singer and actor ＿＿＿ present at the party.

(2) A dog and a cat ＿＿＿ playing with each other on the ground.

A. areB. was

C. hasD. have

3. (1) More than 70 percent of the population of our country ＿＿＿ peasants.

(2) Only 20 percent of the population of this country ＿＿＿ farming population.

A. hasB. have

C. isD. are

4. (1) This is one of the interesting stories that ＿＿＿ greatly ＿＿＿ us.

(2) This is the one of the interesting stories that ＿＿＿ greatly ＿＿＿ us.

A. is; attractedB. has; attracted

C. are; attractedD. have; attracted

5. (1) Kate as well as her friends ＿＿＿ TV in the living room now.

(2) Kate and her friends ＿＿＿ TV in the living room now.

A. is watchingB. is watched

C. are watchingD. are watched

6. (1) All of the oranges ＿＿＿ rotten because of the hot weather.

(2) All of the orange ＿＿＿ rotten because of the hot weather.

A. areB. is

C. have beenD. has been

7. (1) The film brought the hours back to me ＿＿＿ I was taken good care of in that faraway village.

(2) The picture brought me back to the hours ＿＿＿ I spent with the villagers when I was 12.

A. untilB. that

C. whenD. where

8. (1)Who would you rather ＿＿＿ the report instead of you?

(2)Would you rather ＿＿＿ to him or have him call you?

A. have writeB. have to write

C. writeD. have written

9. (1) Do you know ＿＿＿ James is getting on well with his classmates?

(2) Do you know ＿＿＿ James is getting on with his class-mates?

A. howB. what

C. withD. that

10. (1) Five other boys were injured ＿＿＿ Timmy.

(2) We worked almost every day ＿＿＿ Sunday last month.

A. exceptB. besides

C. besideD. A and B

11. (1) I have never seen such a foolish man ＿＿＿ he.

(2) He had such an excellent performance ＿＿＿ everyone loved him.

A. likeB. as

C. thatD. and

12. (1) I have never seen my mother ＿＿＿ in black or in other dark colors.

(2) My two-year-old brother is too young ＿＿＿ himself.

A. dressB. to dress

C. dressingD. dressed

13. (1) The room belonging to my sister needed ＿＿＿ .

(2) The rooms of the house next to my grandfather’s needn’t ＿＿＿ .

A. cleaningB. cleaned

C. be cleanedD. clean

14. (1) Four years later her cousin Jenny turned ＿＿＿ model.

(2) Four years later her cousin Jenny became ＿＿＿ model.

A. anB. a

C. 不填D. the

15. (1) My son often plays ＿＿＿ basketball on Sunday.

(2) She seldom plays ＿＿＿ piano during weekdays.

A. theB. a

C. 不填D. an

16. (1) Mrs Wu is ＿＿＿ bad a woman that we all dislike her.

(2) Mrs Wu is＿＿＿ bad woman that we all dislike her.

A. soB. such

C. such aD. quite a

17. (1) She often goes to work ＿＿＿ car because her company is far from her house.

(2) She often goes to work ＿＿＿ my car because she doesn’t have one.

A. inB. at

C. onD. by

18. (1) You’ve just bought a new car. Could you lend ＿＿＿ to me?

(2) I’m looking for a job. I’d like ＿＿＿ with higher salary.

A. thatB. it

C. whatD. one

19. (1) — Did you see anyone in the house?

— ＿＿＿ .

(2) — How many students did you see in the house?

— ＿＿＿ .

A. No oneB. None

C. AnyoneD. Any one

20. (1) The top of the building was ＿＿＿ one hundred feet high.

(2) There is ＿＿＿ nothing special of this job.

A. nearlyB. most

C. mostlyD. almost

21. (1) He is the finest ＿＿＿ pianist in the world.

(2) It was excited to know that he caught the enemy soldier ＿＿＿ .

A. livingB. alive

C. liveD. lived

22. (1) Our teacher says her performance is perfect ＿＿＿ some little mistakes.

(2) Jim does some reading every day ＿＿＿ Sunday.

A. besidesB. except

C. besideD. except for

23. (1) She should treat Jack in the way ＿＿＿ suits him most.

(2) I don’t like the way ＿＿＿ he behaves in public.

A. whichB. with which

C. 不填D. how

24. (1) This kind of fruit is ＿＿＿ sugar and water.

(2) What interests me ＿＿＿ in this guide book is the low cost of the trip.

A. mostlyB. nearly

C. mostD. almost

25. (1) — Have you paid for these clothes?

— Yes， I’ve ＿＿＿ 20 dollars ＿＿＿ them.

(2) I remember that I’ve ＿＿＿ you ＿＿＿ that 100 dollars I owed you last month.

A. paid; backB. paid; out

C. paid; offD. paid; for

26. (1) They were made ＿＿＿ the truth of this accident.

(2) The truth of this accident has been made ＿＿＿ to them.

A. knowB. to know

C. knownD. knowing

27. (1) ＿＿＿ on the top of the building， you will see the whole city.

(2) ＿＿＿ on the top of the building， and you will see the whole city.

A. StandB. To stand

C. StoodD. Standing

28. (1) ＿＿＿ ， she knows a lot of English and French words.

(2) ＿＿＿ ， she doesn’t know much about a foreign language.

A. Young as the girl is

B. So the girl is young

C. Young although the girl is

D. As the girl is young

29. (1) The streets are brightly ＿＿＿ up in the festival.

(2) There are some ＿＿＿ candles in the room.

A. lightB. lighted

C. litD. B and C

30. (1) He is unfit for the job， ＿＿＿ ?

(2) He isn’t fit for the job， ＿＿＿ ?

A. isn’t heB. is he

C. doesn’t heD. does he

綜合能力提升

第一部分 英語知識運用（共兩節(jié)，滿分45分）

第一節(jié) 單項填空（共15小題；每小題1分，滿分15分）

1. — I’m sorry. That wasn’t of much help.

— Oh， ＿＿＿ . In fact， it was most helpful.

A. it doesn’t matterB. sure it was

C. of course notD. thanks anyway

2. It should be clear for you that it’s forbidden to make any ＿＿＿ on the wall of the classroom.

A. signalB. sign

C. sightD. mark

3. Although he said he was fine， we think why he was sad must have ＿＿＿ with his wife.

A. conditionB. combination

C. communicationD. connection

4. They haven’t decided yet ＿＿＿ they are going to place their new TV.

A. whichB. that

C. whatD. where

5. We all trust you， so only you can ＿＿＿ her to give up the ridiculous idea and be stronger.

A. adviseB. persuade

C. suggestD. attract

6. After the 21th birthday， Ben’s parents thought it would be better for their son’s character to ＿＿＿ from home and lead a life on his own.

A. get awayB. take away

C. run awayD. put away

7. — Why do you look so angry?

— What my son did at school has greatly ＿＿＿ me.

A. destroyedB. damaged

C. ruinedD. annoyed

8. ＿＿＿ ， I haven’t time to finish his work; secondly， I don’t think it’s my duty to do that for him.

A. Start withB. Starting with

C. To start withD. Started with

9. In a company， everyone should follow the order of the leader and has no ＿＿＿ .

A. experienceB. exception

C. expressionD. expectation

10. — Have you handed in your homework of translation yet?

— Oh， I forgot about it. I guess it ＿＿＿ by the teacher now.

A. is being gradedB. is graded

C. is gradingD. has been graded

11. The young girl took a glance at the ＿＿＿ snake in front of her， and there appeared a ＿＿＿ look on her face.

A. terrified; terrifiedB. terrifying; terrifying

C. terrifying; terrifiedD. terrified; terrifying

12. The United Kingdom ＿＿＿ Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

A. is made ofB. makes up of

C. is consisted ofD. consists of

13. These meat and fish were so fresh that they ＿＿＿ in no time.

A. had been soldB. were sold

C. soldD. would sell

14. If your mother knows that you failed in doing this， she will be ＿＿＿ a little sad.

A. more thanB. less than

C. other thanD. rather than

15. When you get the paper back， pay special attention to what ＿＿＿ by me.

A. have writtenB. has been written

C. had writtenD. had been written

第二節(jié) 完型填空（共20小題；每小題1.5分，滿分30分）

Some years ago on a hot summer day in south Florida， a little boy decided to go for a swim in the lake behind his house.

As he swam toward the 16 of the lake， an alligator（鱷魚）was swimming toward him. His mother in the house

17 to find what was happening. 18 she ran toward the water， 19 at her son as loudly as she could. Hearing her voice， the little boy became 20 and made a U-turn to swim

21 . It was too late. Just as he reached his mother， the alligator 22 with him. The mother seized her little boy by the 23 just as the alligator caught his legs. The alligator was much 24 than the mother， but the mother never 25 . Just then a farmer passing by shot the alligator to death with his gun.

The little boy 26 ， but his legs were badly 27 by the attack of the animal. And， on his arms， were deep scratches where his mother’s fingernails dug into his flesh in order to save him. The newspaper reporter， who 28 the boy after the accident， asked if he would 29 him his scars. The boy lifted his legs. And then， with obvious 30 ， he said to the reporter， “But look at my arms. I have great scars on my arms， too. But I 31 them because my mom wouldn’t want to lose me.”

32 ， we have scars， too. Not from an alligator， but the scars of a painful 33 . Some of those scars are unsightly and have 34 us deep regret. But， some wounds make us to 35

somebody forever. So never judge another person’s scars， because you don’t know how they were made.

16. A. sideB. edgeC. bottomD. middle

17. A. triedB. happenedC. managedD. wanted

18. A. SlowlyB. CalmlyC. QuicklyD. Curiously

19. A. yellingB. whisperingC. pointingD. waving

20. A. excitedB. shockedC. boredD. tired

21. A. aroundB. backC. forwardD. down

22. A. caught upB. came upC. broke upD. put up

23. A. headB. armsC. waistD. clothes

24. A. fasterB. smarterC. heavierD. stronger

25. A. gave upB. turned backC. turned awayD. gave off

26. A. survivedB. disabledC. escapedD. suffered

27. A. destroyedB. hurtC. brokenD. cut

28. A. savedB. datedC. interviewedD. helped

29. A. hateB. mindC. careD. show

30. A. prideB. angerC. sorrowD. confidence

31. A. missB. hateC. loveD. recognize

32. A. After allB. In factC. Above allD. At first

33. A. personB. childhoodC. futureD. past

34. A. causedB. offeredC. loadedD. covered

35. A. thankB. ignoreC. loseD. satisfy

第二部分 閱讀理解（共10小題；每小題2分，滿分20分）

A

Niagara Falls， Ontario， Canada—A man survived a plunge（跳水）over Niagara Falls with only the clothes on his back. He was the first person known to have done it without safety equipment and live.

Witnesses described seeing the man float by on Monday in the swift Niagara River， go ahead first over the 54-meter waterfall and then pull himself out of the water onto rocks below. Water rushes over the falls at a rate of 570， 000 liters per second. “He looked calm. He was just going past so fast. I was in shock to see a person go by，” Brenda McMullen told a TV station.

“I saw him disappear over the edge of the falls，” McMullen’s husband， Terry McMullen said. Two American tourists took photographs afterwards， showing the man dressed in street clothes， obviously lying on the shore line at the base of the Canadian Horseshoe Falls.

“The man just basically（基本上）jumped into the falls，” said witness Diedre Love， who was there with her husband to celebrate their first wedding anniversary.

Only one other person was known to survive a plunge over the Canadian falls. This was a seven-year-old boy who wore a life jacket and was thrown into the water in a 1960 boating accident.

No one has ever survived a trip over the narrower and rockier American falls.

Police would not give out the man’s name， nor would they comment on why the man went over the falls. He did not appear to have serious injuries as he was led away. He was taken to Greater Niagara General Hospital for treatment.

36. Why did the man jump over the falls?

A. He probably wanted to enjoy the adventure.

B. He probably wanted to kill himself.

C. He just wanted to prove the falls were not deep enough.

D. He had a fall and slipped into the water.

37. Why did the writer mention the seven-year-old boy in the passage?

A. To show the man was not the first person to jump over the falls without safety equipment.

B. To prove the man was the first person to jump over the falls without safety equipment.

C. To warn tourists not to go boating over the falls if they don’t wear life jackets.

D. To inform the readers that what the man did was of no value at all.

38. What was the survivor’s name?

A. Terry McMullen.B. John Love.

C. James Brown.D. We don’t know.

B

In Tokyo’s trendy Shibuya neighborhood， 20-year-old Yuzo and 23-year-old Keiya take out the tools of their trade: a sign board “House of Flattery（奉承）， 100 yen a minute” and a bright red T-shirt which reads “Professional Sweet Talkers”.

“Have you ever been flattered recently?” Yuzo calls out to the crowd of people rushing by. “Feel good about your hidden beauty.” Taqeko， a 20-year-old student decides to try it out. Yuzo and Keiya compare her to a rock star， admire her great fashion sense and tell her she is stunning. “How many carats in those diamond eyes of yours?” One of them asks. Combining quick wit， excellent timing， and a ton of praise， the two soon attract a crowd.

Sociologists（社會學(xué)家）say the Japanese are far less generous about praises than people in many other cultures， in part because the society stress formality. Compliments can be embarrassing in a Japanese society. A boss who praises his employee in public， for instance， is setting that worker apart from his / her workmates in a country where group identity is very important. In extreme cases， being singled out can result in bullying（欺凌）and becoming known as the boss’s pet. Yuzo believes these traditions no longer serve Japan well. He said， “Japanese hold back their feelings too much. It’s a real shame. They should express themselves more.”

The two flattery officers report a steady increase in business and recognition since the company opened a year ago.

Many Japanese don’t feel very good about themselves these days as they face job reducing， rising crime， weak political leadership and a loss of national confidence. With all of the problems in Japan， people like Yuzo and Keiya can help brighten the atmosphere and lift the bad feeling a bit.

39. The underlined word “stunning” in Paragraph 2 probably means “＿＿＿”.

A. attractiveB. active

C. hard-workingD. kind

40. From the passage we can infer that Yuzo and Keiya’s trade will ＿＿＿ .

A. be forbidden by the Japanese government

B. become less successful

C. attract more and more people

D. settle the social problems in Japan

41. According to the passage， which of the following statements is TRUE?

A. Japanese are so polite that they often praise others.

B. Taqeko belongs to those who first start the trade of flattery.

C. The two flattery officers attract passers-by because of their cleverness and funny-looking.

D. Japanese seldom express their feelings in public.

C

When Heather Ramirez of Auburn， California， went to the dentist recently with her husband Len， she wasn’t there to have her teeth cleaned. She and her husband are professional snake removers. They were there to catch a wild rattlesnake（響尾蛇）that had moved indoors.

She describes her work as “protecting people from rattlesnakes and protecting rattlesnakes from people”. In her part of the country， the northern Pacific rattlesnakes often come face-to-face with humans.

Studies show these snakes generally only bite people who are trying to catch or kill them. Keeping your distance prevents bites， which are serious but not usually fatal with today’s medicines. A rattlesnake can even give a loud warning that says， “I am here， stay away!” with the rattlesnake locating at the tip of its tail.

“We find rattlesnakes everywhere，” says Ramirez. “In houses， in yards， and under decks.” She says that the rattlesnakes aren’t attacking human homes—it’s the other way around. “These animals were here first， and we humans came in and built houses. We are living in their territory.” Many people are frightened when they see a rattlesnake and call for help right away. When their phone rings， the couple drop whatever they are doing and rush to work， often leaving a meal half-eaten on the table.

The team is good at finding rattlesnakes that have gone into hiding. A tool that looks like a long spaghetti tong（意大利面條鉗子）allows them to handle the rattlesnakes without harming them， and the tong is so long that the rattlesnake cannot reach them to bite.

“Never pick up a rattlesnake，” says Ramirez. “I’ve been doing this job for 12 years， and I have never touched one with my hands. There’s no reason to take that risk.”

Ramirez tells people to read all they can about snakes so that they understand these amazing animals. For example， snakes actually help humans. Small mammals like rats， mice， and gophers carry fleas and ticks that spread serious illnesses like bubonic plague and Lyme disease to people. A snake might eat a dozen rodents（嚙齒動物）a year， helping control the population and the spread of disease.

Ramirez and her husband relocate more than a thousand snakes a year. “The longest was five feet nine inches (1.8 meters)， and I’m only five-feet-three， so that was amazing to see，” she enjoys every day working with snakes. “I just love my job!”

42. What’s the main purpose of the text?

A. To introduce us a snake-catching couple.

B. To teach us how to catch snakes successfully.

C. To describe common rattlesnakes in California.

D. To prove snakes are useful animals to human beings.

43. Which of the following can best describe the couple?

A. Warm-hearted， fortunate and peace-loving.

B. Skillful， job-loving and helpful.

C. Hard-working， outstanding and careless.

D. Brave， risky and selfish.

44. The couple catch the snakes with ＿＿＿ .

A. their handsB. short tongs

C. long spaghetti tongsD. special equipment

45. Which of the following is TRUE?

A. The couple went to the dentist to clean their teeth.

B. Rattlesnakes are believed to attack people actively.

C. Snakes are sometimes helpful to control the spread of disease.

D. Once bitten by a rattlesnake， a person can’t be cured now.