阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项。

A1. The word “homework” in the first paragraph refers to ______.A. work that is given by teachers for students to do at homeB. Websites such as and C. tools and suggestions offered by websitesD. market research and informal research2. The underlined sentence in the passage means that you’d better ask for a raise ______.A. when the employer has a normal pulse rateB. when the employer is in a good moodC. when the company has a good financial situationD. when the company’s practices are more flexible3. Which of the following is NOT true?A. The employer will give you a raise because of your personal reasons.B. You should show them that you’re worthy of a salary increase.C. You can tell your boss the exact number of salary increase you wantD. Schedule a meeting with your boss but don’t push too hard.4. It can be inferred in the last paragraph that ______.A. If your boss won’t give you a raise, you’d better take fewer responsibilities.B. It is a wise way to get a raise by letting your boss know you are doing more.C. Only if you find a proper time to talk with your boss will you get a raise.D. You should schedule a meeting within a few months to discuss the matter again.BHere’s one number to keep in mind during yo ur next cell phone conversation: 50. A new experiment shows that spending 50 minutes with an active phone pressed up to the ear increases activity in the brain. This brain activity probably doesn't make you smarter. When cell phones are on, they emit (发出) energy in the form of radiation that could be harmful, especially after years of cell phone usage. Scientists don't know yet whether cell phones are bad for the brain. Studies like this one are attempting to find it out.The 47 participants in the experiment may have looked a little strange. Each one had two Samsung cell phones attached to his or her head — one on each ear. The phone on the left ear was off. The phone on the right ear played a message for 50 minutes, but the participants couldn't hear it because the sound was off.With this set-up, the scientists could be sure they were studying brain activity from the phone itself, and not brain activity due to listening and talking during a conversation. After 50 minutes with two phones strapped to their heads, the participants were given PET scans.The PET scan showed that the left side (the side with the phone turned off) of each participant's brain hadn't changed during the experiment. The right side of the brain, however, had used more glucose, which is a type of sugar that provides fuel to brain cells. These right-side brain cells were using almost as much glucose as the brain uses when a person is talking. This suggests that the brain cells there were active ― even without the person hearing anything. That activity, the scientists say, was probably caused by radiation from the phone.Henry Lai, who works at the University of Washington in Seattle, is uncomfortable with the data related to cell phones. Holding a cell phone to your ear during a conversati on is “not really safe,” Lai told Science News. Lai is a bioengineer at the University of Washington in Seattle. He wrote an article about the new study for a journal, but he did not work on the study. Bioengineers bring together ideas from engineering and biology.For those who don't want to wait to find out for sure whether cell phones are bad for the brain, there are ways to talk more safely. You can have short and sweet conversations, use aspeakerphone or keep the phone away from your head.5. Which of the following statement is true?A. Scientists are sure that cell phones are bad for the brain.B. In the experiment, the left side of the brain used more glucose.C. Radiation from the phone causes the change in the brain.D. Henri Lai wrote a lot of articles about this new study.6. W hy weren’t the participants allowed to have a conversation on the phone during theexperiment?A. Because that would be too noisy and bad for the experiment.B. Because they really looked strange and no one wanted to talk to others.C. Because they were given PET scans and they lost the ability to talk.D. Because the scientists want to be sure of the accuracy of the experiment.7. What is glucose?A. A type of sugar that provides vitamin to brain cells.B. Something that the right side of the brain used.C. A type of sugar that gives energy to brain cells.D. Something that makes a human excited.8. According to the last two paragraphs, which is the safest way to use a cell phone?A. Holding the cell phone close to your head.B. Using a cell phone more than three hours a day.C. Taking the most powerful cell phone.D. Keeping the cell phone at a distance.9. Where is this article probably taken from?A. Literature magazine.B. Science News.C. Story books.D. Art Journal.CWhen should people be made to retire? 55? 65? Should there be a compulsory (强制的) age limit?Many old people work well into their 70s and 80s, running families, countries or corporations. Other people, however, despite being fit and highly talented, are forced to retire in their fifties or even earlier because of the regulations of a company or the nation. This essay will examine whether people should be allowed to continue working as long as they want or whether they should be encouraged to retire at a particular stage.Some people think there are several arguments for allowing older people to continue working as long as they are able. First of all, older employees have an immense amount of knowledge and experience which can be lost to a business or organization if they are made to retire. A second point is that older employees are often extremely loyal employees and are more willing to carry out company policies than younger less committed staff. However, a more important point is regarding the attitudes in society to old people. To force someone to resign or retire at 60 indicates that the society does not value the input of these people and that effectively their useful life is over. Age is irrelevant to a working life, surely if older employees are told they cannot work after 60, this is age discrimination. That they become old does not necessarily mean they are going to be sick. Old people could be more aware, experienced and committed than some youngsters.Others, however, think that allowing older people to work indefinitely is not a good policy. Age alone is no guarantee of ability. Old people are only ambitious workaholics who are too selfish and egocentric to believe that a younger person could do better. Actually, many younger employees have more experience or skills than older staff, who may have been stuck in one area or unit for most of their working lives. Having compulsory retirement allows new ideas in an organization. In addition, without age limits, however, many people would continue to work purely because they did not have any other plans or roles. A third point of view is that older people should be rewarded by society for their life’s labor by being given generous pensions (养老金) and the freedom to enjoy their leisure. We now have youngsters who can’t find jobs because old people are choosing not to retire. Old people are not retiring because this new generation of “old people” think they will never die due to modern advances in medicine.With many young people unemployed or frustrated in low-level positions, there are often calls to compulsorily retire older workers. However, this can affect the older individual’s freedom and right to work and can deprive society of valuable experience and insights. I feel that giving workers more flexibility and choice over their retirement age will benefit society and the individual.10. What is the purpose of this passage?A. To explain the compulsory age limit.B. To discuss the retirement age.C. To examine peopl e’s working life.D. To introduce a particular stage.11. Which of the following is NOT a reason for allowing old people to continue working accordingto the passage?A. Their contribution should be valued.B. Their experience should be made use of.C. They can help the youngsters.D. They are loyal employees.12. It can be inferred in the fourth passage that ______.A. the young people have more creative spiritsB. Modern advances in medicine make old people never dieC. Pensions and freedom are not given to the old nowD. old people believe that a younger person could do better13. The passage is arranged as follows:14. What is the author’s opinion on the retirement age?A. The author thinks when to retire depends on the employees themselves.B. The author is against lengthening the retirement age.C. The author thinks that retirement age varies from country to country.D. The author is in favor of allowing old people to continue working.1-5. DCABC 6-10. DCDBB 11-15. CAAAB 16-20. ACDCD。