People often ask which is the most difficult language to learn, and it is not easy to answer because there are many factors to take into consideration. Firstly, in a first language the differences are (66) as people learn their mother tongue naturally, so the question of how hard a language is to learn is only (67 ) when learning a second language.A native speaker of Spanish, (68) , will find Portuguese much easier to learn than a native speaker of Chinese, because Portuguese is very similar to Spanish, (69) Chinese is very different. So first language can (70) learning a second language. The greater the differences between the second language and our first are, the (71) it will be for most people to learn. Many people answer that Chinese is the hardest language to learn, possibly (72) by the thought of learning the Chinese writing system, and the pronunciation of Chinese does appear to be very difficult for many foreign learners. (73) , for Japanese speakers, who already use Chinese characters in their own language, learning (74) will be less difficult than for speakers of languages using the Roman alphabet.Some people seem to learn languages (75) , while others find it very difficult. Teachers and the (76) in which the language is learned also play an important role, as well as each learner's motivation for learning. If people learn a language because they need to use it (77) , they often learn it faster than people studying a language that has no direct use in their day to day life.(78) from different cultures will find different languages more difficult. No language is easy to learn well, (79) languages which are related to our first language are easier. Learning a completely different writing system is a huge (80) , but that does not necessarily make a language more difficult than another.66. A. apparent B. extensive C. decline D. unimportant67. A. relevant B. permanent C. essential D. progressive68. A. by contrast B. in addition C. for example D. after all69. A. when B. while C. where D. whether70. A. affect B. achieve C. attach D. assemble71. A. easier B. harder C. faster D. slower72. A. inherited B. overtaken C. influenced D. restricted73. A. However B. Moreover C. Therefore D. Anyhow74. A. speaking B. listening C. reading D. writing75. A. gradually B. steadily C. readily D.subconsciously76. A. learners B. materials C. tutors D.circumstances77. A. occasionally B. professionally C. properly D. informally78. A. societies B. characters C. individuals D. visitors79. A. as B. though C. because D. since80. A. success B. surprise C. opportunity D. challenge 66—70 DACBA 71—75 BCADC 76—80 DBCBD“Business is war.” The traditional language of business certainly makes it sound that way: winning the competition, getting market share, beating up suppliers, locking up customers. There are the victors and the losers.But today in doing business, you have to listen to stomers, work with suppliers, keep good relations-even with competitors. That doesn’t sound like war. Besides, there are few victors when business is looked upon as war.Most businesses succeed only if others also succeed. Business is competition and cooperation as well. In other words, business is war and peace.To bring together competition and cooperation, we turn to game theory. Game theory provides that whether one person wins or loses depends on what other people do. It is particularly effective when there are many interdependent factors and no decision can be made in isolation（孤立）from other decisions.Game theory breaks down the game into key elements（要素）:players, added values, rules, tactics, and scope（范围）(PARTS).Every element affects the result of the game. This means that each of the five elements gives you a way to change an existing game into entirely new one. Change one of the PARTS, and you change the whole.Why change the game? An old Chinese saying explains: If yo u continue on the course you’re heading, that’s where you’ll end up. Sometimes that’s good, sometimes not. You can play the game very well, and still suffer great loss. That’s because you’re playing the wrong game: you need to change it. Even a good game can be made into a better one. Real success comes from actively shaping the game you play-from making the game you want, not taking the game you find.1, What’s the main idea of this passage? ______________________________________________________________2, The author of this passage is in favor of the idea that “Business is war.” (True/False)3, In game theory, cooperation no longer exists. (True/False)4, If you change one of the elements in PARTS, the game is changed entirely. (True/False)5, “PARTS” sta nds for _______.A．players, added values, rules, tactics and scopeB．all of the elements in the game theoryC．the parties in a gameD．the parts that affect the result of the game6, The author emphasizes that _______.A．we shall play very hardB．we shall continue in the course we are headingC．we shall play in the right directionD．we shall always change no matter the change is good or not7, Choose the best answer, interdependent:ⅰbe depended ⅱdepending on each other ⅲdepend on others8, Choose the best answer, tactics:ⅰstrategy ⅱelement ⅲlawF F T A C ⅱⅰHere’s an unusual story：a diamond ring was recently found in an egg．The magician，Liu Qian，discovered it，in front of an audience of millions at CCTV’s Spring Festival Gala．Liu’s magic tricks have made the centuries-old art of magic fashionable once again，and made him the hottest magician in China．As a seasoned young magician from Taiwan，Liu is popular worldwide for his magic shows．Countries he has performed in include the United States，Japan，South Korea and the UK．Witnessing something impossible happen right before your eyes is the root of people’s love for magic．Liu is known for his interaction with his audiences．He has a unique understanding of showmanship．“It’s actually thinking rather than one’s manipulation skills，that is more important to achieving a successful magic show．I think carefully about how to design the shows creatively，to mak e them appear more interesting,” Liu said .Liu Qian’s success dated back to his childhood．Born in 1976 in Taiwan，he found himself attracted to a magic toy in a shop when he was seven years old．At the age of 12，he won Taiwan’s Youth Magic Contest，which was judged by the great American magician，David Copperfield．Yet，Liu never planned on becoming a professional magician．He studied Japanese literature at university and only hoped to be an amateur magician in his spare time．However，his failure to find a proper job after graduation pushed him towards magic as a career．To refine his performing skills，he has performed on streets，roads and fields，for passers-by，policemen and farmers．“Street shows are the biggest challenge for us magicians．We have to deal wit h unexpected situations and tough crowds, ” Liu said．1．The story is about________________．A．how Liu Qian became China’s hottest magicianB．why people love magic C．what magic tricks are D．how fashionable magic is 2．Which of the following is the key reason that Liu Qian decided to make magic his career? A．He was interested in magic when he was littleB．He had won Taiwan’s Youth Magic Contest．C．He became all amateur magician in his spare time．D．He couldn’t find an acceptable job after g raduation．3．From the story we know that_______________．A．Liu Qian competed in many magic competitionsB．Liu Qian often invites audiences to be in his magic showC．Liu Qian performs on streets in order to increase his fameD．Liu Qian does street show to make money4. What does the word “seasoned” in Paragraph 2 mean?A．季节性的 B．刚出道的C．老练的 D．职业的5. Choose the best answer, Witnessing:A. see sthB. hear sthC. do sthD. smell sth6. Choose the best answer, amateur:A. 专业的B. 业余的C. 艺术的D. 文学的7. Choose the best answer, refine:A. make sth worseB. increase the valueC. to improveD. none of the above ADBCABC1 One of the most intelligent animals on the planet is the dolphin.2 These unique animals have been regarded highly by humans for many centuries.3 In ancient Greece, if sailors saw dolphins swim by their ships when they were starting out ______ a voyage, they believed they would have good luck.4 One unique characteristic that makes them different from other sea animals is the way that they communicate.5 Dolphins use sound, touch and taste in order to learn about their world; however, unlike dogs, dolphins cannot smell.6 They use a whistle or sound waves to see and feel their way around their environment.7 This makes them different from many other sea animals and also helps them communicate _______ people.8 Another unique thing about dolphins is that the bones in their fins are similar ______ those in human arms and hands. 9 However, the connective tissue that surrounds the bones forms a flipper (鳍状肢) instead of a hand with individual fingers. 10 Even though dolphins live in the oceans, they do not drink the salt water around them. 11 Their bodies absorb water from the wide variety of creatures they eat.12 Loving a dolphin is an easy thing to do but, unlike a dog or a cat, the dolphin cannot come home with you from the ocean. 13 That is why many people like collecting dolphin souvenirs. 14 One can find many such things in almost every shop around the world. 15 Even the ancient people painted the images of dolphins on their vases.1. Fill in the blanks with prepositions:____________; _____________; ________________.2. What is paragraph one mainly talking about?_________________________________________ _____________ paragraph two:_____________________________________________________ paragraph three:______________________________________________. paragraph four:______ ________________________________________3. Change sentence 2 into active voice:_______________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________4. The special way dolphins communicate with those around them is by ______.A. touching others with their finsB. making special gesturesC. smelling the creatures around themD. using whistles and sound waves5. The water dolphins consume mainly comes from ____.A. ocean waterB. what they eatC. rain waterD. sea plants6. From the passage, we can infer that ______.A. it is rather difficult to train dolphinsB. ancient people were fond of dolphinsC. dolphins are good petsD. all shops sell dolphin productson with toDBBWhen a rather dirty, poorly dressed person kneels at your feet and puts out his hands to beg for a few coins, do you hurry on, not knowing what to do, or do you feel sad and hurriedly hand over some money? What should our attitude to beggars be? There can be no question that the world is full of terribly sad stories. It must be terrible to have no idea where our next meal is going to come from. It seems cruel not to give some money to beggars.Certainly, most of the world’s great religions order us to be open-hearted and share what we have with those less fortunate than ourselves. But has the world changed? Maybe what was morally right in the old days, when one knew exactly who in the village had suffered misfortune and needed help, is no longer the best idea. Quite a few people will not give to beggars. Let us look at their arguments.First, some believe that many city beggars dress up on purpose to look pitiable and actually make a good living from begging. Giving to beggars only encourages this sort of evil. Secondly, there is the worry that the money you give will be spent on beer, wine or drugs. Thirdly, there is the opinion that there is no real excuse for begging. One might be poor, but that is no reason for losing one’s sense of pride and self-dependence.Related to this is the opinion that the problem should be dealt with by the government rather than ordinary people. Some people think beggars should go to the local government department and receive help.It is hard to come to any final conclusion; there are various cases and we must deal with them differently. A few coins can save a life in some situations, and even if the money is wasted, that does not take away the moral goodness of the giver.1.What is mainly discussed in the passage?_____________________________________________________________________ 2. What is the author’s attitude toward beggars?_____________________________________________________________________ 3. Change the underlined sentence into active voice.Related to this is the opinion that the government rather than ordinary people should _____________ the problem.4. Choose the best answer, Quite a few:A. manyB. a fewC. some5. Choose the best answer, pitiable:A. deserving pityB. lovableC. hateful6. Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the passage?A. Some people dress up to pretend to be beggars.B. Some beggars want money to help their children go to school.C. Some beggars use the money to buy drugs.D. Some beggars have no excuse for begging.7. In the last paragraph, the writer thinks that it is hard to come to any final conclusion，because ______.A. the cases can be so differentB. there are so many beggarsC. there is so much money wastedD. there are so many different arguments1. Arguments on giving to beggars.2. We should give some money to beggars.4. A5. A6.B7.AWhat Is Natural MedicineNatural Medicine is to use the natural environment, the nature of the material itself to cure diseases and restore the health. It involves bettering one’s breathing way, sunbathing, impr oving one’s diets and so on, which play an important part in our healthcare.Start a Rewarding Career TodayThe Australian Institute of Applied Sciences College of Natural Medicine provides you with Nationally Recognized natural medicine courses that can be studied in the comfort of your own home, or at our Brisbane campus in the heart of Stones Corner. AIAS College of Natural Medicine has been providing accredited natural health courses for more than 20 years, and offers accredited certificate, diploma and advanced diploma level natural medicine, beauty and massage courses.Why Study at the Australian Institute of Applied SciencesWith over 36 years of specialized training and 120 courses, our Natural Medicine College is Australia’s longest running and mos t sought after training provider for Natural Medicine Education. Our art facilities, highly experienced instructors and friendly support staff make us the first choice for Distance Education and On-campus study.Studying at HomeAll of our courses are available to study at home. We provide all the material and support you will need to successfully complete your course.Benefits of Studying at Home●Work at your own pace.●No need to travel or relocate closer to a campus.●No interruption to your existing commitments.●You are still in full contact with the college via Telephone, Email and Post, so you won’t be out of touch with the latest training t echniques.1. Choose the best answer, accredited:ⅰ. the most excellentⅱ. the highestⅲ. having official approval to do something2. Choose the best answer, relocate:ⅰ. to move to a different placeⅱ. to go awayⅲ. to put sth. into the correct order3. You can learn how to apply science to our life at the Australian Institute of Applied Sciences College of Natural. (T/F question)________4. One of the reasons for your choice of going to the college is that it offers more courses than any other college. (T/F question)________5. You can learn massage courses in AIAS College. (T/F question)________6. If you take the courses at home, you are more likely to _______.A. focus on your own interestsB. adjust your study schedulesC. get any help from instructorsD. keep up with new techniques Answer questions according to the passage.7. Can you name a few examples of Natural Medicine?_____________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________8. What does AIAS stand for?_______________________________________________________________________9. What are the advantages of Natural Medicine College?_____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________1. ⅲ2. ⅰ3. F4. F5. T6. BPatients and doctors alike have long believed in the healing (治疗) power of humor. It is claimed that humor not only affects patients’ moods, but can actually help them recover faster.Several studies seem to support this. Patients in better spirits are known to have higher immune cell counts. Some have even claimed to have healed themselves of serious illnesses by reading comics and watching comedies.Despite all this, many researchers are not convinced. They point out the fact that many sufferings have been known to disappear naturally, with or without a daily dose of laughter. They also say that while optimism in general does seem to be related to better health, it is hard to tell which comes first.Humor in times of stress, however, clearly makes us feel better. On one level, it takes our minds off our troubles and relaxes us. On another, it releases powerful endorphins, a chemical produced by your body that reduces pain.There are cases where the appreciation of a good joke is indeed directly related to a person’s health. It can show, for example, whether a person has suffered damage to one particular area of the brain: the right frontal lobe (额叶).Scientists confirmed this by having people read jokes and asking them to choose the funniest endings from a list. Subjects with normal brains usually chose endings that were based on a relatively complex synthesis (综合) of ideas. Subjects with specifically located brain damage, however, responded only to slapstick (闹剧) endings, which did not depend on a particular context. When pressed, the brain-damaged subjects saw the logic in the correct endings. They simply did not find them funny.Of course, humor is largely an individual matter. Next time your friend does not get one of your jokes, there is no need to accuse him of being a lamebrain. However, you might suggest that he lighten up—for the health of it.58. We can infer from the passage that ________.A. all researchers have agreed on the healing power of humorB. people seldom accuse their friends of not understanding jokesC. the author holds a positive attitude to the healing power of humorD. reading comics will surely become a popular way of treating diseases59. Which of the following statements is NOT true?A. Many researchers are not convinced of the healing power of humor.B. Patients in bad moods are known to have higher immune cell counts.C. Optimism in general does seem to be related to better health.D. People should try their best to cheer up for their good health.60. Scientists had some people read jokes and asked them to choose the funniest endings from a list to confirm that ________.A. the brain-damaged people are different from those with normal brainsB. a person with a normal brain usually responds to slapstick endingsC. a person suffering certain brain damage doesn’t appreciate a good jokeD. humor takes our minds off our troubles by releasing powerful endorphins61. Which would be the best title for the passage?A. Which comes first, humor or health?B. Humor can cure different illnessesC. People need humor in times of stressD. Humor contributes to good healthCBC DBirthdays often involve surprises. But this year’s surprise on the birthday of the great British playwright William Shakespeare is surely one of the most dramatic.On April 22, one day before his 441st birthday anniversary, experts discovered that one of the most recognizable portraits of William Shakespeare is a fake. This means that we no longer have a good idea of what Shakespeare looked like. "It’s very possible that many pictures of Shakespeare might be unreliable because many of them are copies of this one," said an expert from Brita in’s National Portrait Gallery.The discovery comes after four months of testing using X-rays, ultraviolet light, microphotography and paint samples. The experts from the gallery say the image—commonly known as the “Flower portrait” —was actually painted in the 1800s, about two centuries after Shakespeare’s death. The art experts who work at the gallery say they also used modern chemistry technology to check the paint on the picture. These checks found traces of paint dating from about 1814. Shakespeare died in 1616, and the date that appears on the portrait is 1609.“We now think the portrait dates back to around 1818 to 1840. This was when there was a renewed interest in Shakespeare’s plays,”Tarnya Cooper, the gallery’s curator(馆长), told the Associated President.The fake picture has often been used as a cover for collections of his plays. It is called the Flower portrait because one of its owners, Desmond Flower, gave it to the Royal Shakespeare Company.“There have always been questions about the painting,” said David Howells, curator for the Royal Shakespeare Company. “Now we know the truth, we can put the image in its proper place in the history of Shakespearean po rtraiture.”Two other images of Shakespeare, are also being studied as part of the investigation(调查) and the results will come out later this month.______________________________________________________________.1.Why this year’s surprise on the birthday of Shakespeare is dramatic?_______________________________________________________________________________2. Now we know what Shakespeare looked like. (T/F)3. “Flower portrait”was actually painted using X-rays, ultraviolet light, microphotography and paint samples. (T/F)4. In history, many people doubted the painting. (T/F)5．Which is the best sentence to fill in the blank in the last paragraph?A．Soon we’ll know which portrait is reliable.B．Maybe we cannot find a real portrait of Shakespeare.C．If the two portraits are found to be false, they will test more.D．For now what Shakespeare really looked like will remain a mystery.1. The Flower portrait has been found to be a fake.2. F3. F4. T5. D。