Mom promised to buy me a nice gift for my birthday, ________ beyond my imagination.

A few minutes earlier, and you would have seen the NBA star. But you ______.

Nowadays the belief has become general ________ sea food and fruits rich in vitamin C should never be eaten at the same meal.

阅读理解

    “Image is everything.” An entire industry has been built upon the concept that image is everything, but an appealing image isn't enough when there's no substance behind it.

    First of all, one should consider how important image is in selling products and services. Advertising agencies have raised the art of creating an image to a state of near perfection. But if the product or service doesn't live up to it, customers will be very dissatisfied. The recent scandal (丑闻) about the Arthur Andersen accounting firm showed that behind that image, it had unfair business practices under the table. Despite the previous positive image, the firm is being accused of criminal actions. Although the image had been nearly perfect, the reality behind the image has led to its downfall.

    Similarly, personal consultants(顾问) can build up a very positive public image for politicians and movie stars in the view of the general commons. But once again, history is filled with examples of both that fell from grace (体面) like the story of the Hollywood actor giving in to the pressures of fame and fortune. With people, just as with products and services, image is certainly important, but without positive substance behind it, failure is close.

    To conclude, it's clear that an appealing image is extremely important to success, whether that image is related to selling a product or service or to the “selling” of a person. But image is only half of the equation(等式). What lies behind that image is every bit as important as the image itself — the person or product must live up to that image or there's little chance for long-term success.

根据短文内容，从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。选项中有两项为多余选项。

    What is a big dream? Or, is a big dream something that provides only entertainment? Children dream big dreams, but there are three barriers to realizing dreams. They often kill them before they ever have a chance to grow.

The Self

    Immediately following the birth of a big dream, a negative self-talk takes over and gives all the reasons why it cannot happen. This inside voice is the ego (自我). It's there for protecting and should be listened to. Most people are influenced by the inside voice. That's why only a handful of people make their dream come true.

    Family and friends are a lot like the ego. They want to protect those they love, so they will often list all the reasons why the big dreams won't come true. Sometimes, family and friends destroy dreams of those they love most, out of their own fear of being left behind.

The World

    If one gets past the first two barriers, one has to face the world. In the past, big dreamers were locked up and sometimes even killed when they were shown to the world. Fortunately, in most of the world today, big dreamers just get laughed at.

    The way to realize a big dream is with confidence and action. When children have confidence and then take action, they will be ready to accept any failure. The truth is that every great dreamer whose dreams have never seen the light of success knows failure well.

A. Family and Friends.

B. How big Dreams Die.

C. Does a big dream show one's future?

D. They simply fail until they succeed.

E. it is the last and the most terrible barrier.

F. Sometimes it is right, but more often it is wrong.

G. And their big dream is to be a rock star or a famous artist.

语法填空

    A proverb says, "Time is money". But in my opinion, time is even precious than money. Why？ when money is spent, we can earn it back. However, when time is （go） , it will never return. is known to all that the time we can use is limited. Therefore we should make use of our time to study hard so as to serve our country in future. But it is a pity that there are a lot of people do not realize the value of time. They waste their precious time smoking, drinking and playing. In word, we should form the good habit of (save) time. Do not put off what can be done today tomorrow.

If you could find some witnesses it would greatly （加强，巩固）your case.

I send you $100 today, the rest _______ in a year.

At the awarding ceremony held in Tokyo, the scientists were surprised by what ______ in science and technology.

We all breathed a sigh of relief when the news came _____ no one was injured in the accident.

任务型阅读

Saving money while traveling

    There are a lot of matters to think on before going out on a trip.  If you fail to plan the trip properly, then money will simply let itself loose from your pocket. Moreover, if you haven't planned a road map of your tour,  then confusion is quite inevitable (必然的).

    Package tours. Tours and travel agencies have attractive offers for tourists wanting to spend a couple of days on trips. Once you have accepted the package tour, all your expenses during the travel will be greatly reduced. You can save a lot in lodging(住宿 ) and traveling.

    Inexpensive lodging. Never choose expensive lodging if your tour is a low-budget one. People tend to spend a lot booking luxury hotels (豪华旅馆),  and save little to enjoy other activities during the trip. This idea is absolutely not wise when spending limited money on the trip is your main aim. Moreover, the expenses increase quickly when your kids are with you. You can use the money saved on good food and amusement.

    The peak season is the time when rates are sky high due to the increase of millions of tourists who can afford to spend a lot of money. You, not being amongst this crowd that can spend generously, must book your holidays during the off season.

    A guide map. Make a guide map about the places to visit, expenses of travel and the activities to try. While planning you should also estimate (估计) your total expenses. Calculate the maximum amount and try to spend less than that. Refer to the guide map while traveling and follow the money-saving travel tips as much as possible.

A. Reduce shopping.

B. Off season travel.

C. You must keep yourself updated with such offers.

D. This will help you to keep actual expenses below the estimated.

E. You can save lots of dollars when you don't have a credit card.

F. Therefore, book a fairly low-price lodge to save a few dollars.

G. So knowing some money-saving travel tips becomes necessary for you. 

It was _____ impossible for anyone to get admitted without the password.

The villagers in the new and became new there. (settle)

Considering the great urgency, the project is supposed ______ as soon as possible.

— Would you like to do it at all?

— I'd love to, but the question is _____it is worth doing.

It remains to be seen whether the plan which has been approved can be ________.It depends on your determination.

阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项中，选出最佳选项。

    The health-care economy is filled with unusual and even unique economic relationships. One of the least understood involves the peculiar roles of producer or “provider” and purchaser or “consumer” in the typical doctor-patient relationship. In most sectors of the economy, it is the seller who attempts to attract a potential buyer with various appealing factors of price, quality, and use, and it is the buyer who makes the decision. Such condition, however, is not common in most of the health-care industry.

    In the health-care industry, the doctor-patient relationship is the mirror image of the ordinary relationship between producer and consumer. Once an individual has chosen to see a physician — and even then there may be no real choice — it is the physician who usually makes all significant purchasing decisions: whether the patient should return “next Wednesday”, whether X-rays are needed, whether drugs should be prescribed, etc. It is rare that a patient will challenge such professional decisions or raise in advance questions about price, especially when the disease is regarded as serious.

    This is particularly significant in relation to hospital care. The physician must certify the need for hospitalization, determine what procedures will be performed, and announce when the patient may be discharged. The patient may be consulted about some of the decisions, but in general it is the doctor's judgments that are final. Little wonder then that in the eye of the hospital it is the physician who is the real “consumer”. As a consequence, the medical staff represents the “power center” in hospital policy and decision-making, not the administration.

    Although usually there are in this situation four identifiable participants— the physician, the hospital, the patient, and the payer (generally an insurance carrier or government)— the physician makes the essential decisions for all of them. The hospital becomes an extension of the physician; the payer generally meets most of the bills generated by the physician/hospital, and for the most part the patient plays a passive role. We estimate that about 75-80 percent of health-care choices are determined by physicians, not patients. For this reason, the economy directed at patients or the general is relatively ineffective.

(not know) her address, I wasn't able to contact her.

— I _________ my son to Laos for sightseeing.

— I would rather you didn't do that, for the bird flu ___________ several lives there.

阅读理解

    The interview is an important event in the job-hunting process, because the 20 or 30 minutes you spend with the interviewer may decide whether or not you get the particular job you want. Therefore, it is important to remerber that your purpose during the interview may differ from that of the potential employer. You want to make yourself stand out as a whole person who has personal strengths and should be considered the right person for the job. It is encouraging to know that the interviewer's task is not to embarrass you, but to hire the right person for the job.

    Remember, job hunting is very competitive. Anything you can do to improve your interview techniques will be to your advantage. The following suggestions may help you land the most important job.

    Your goal in this interview is to make sure your good points get across. The interviewer won't know them unless you point them out , so try to do this in a factual and sincere manner.

    Don't say anything bad about your former employers. If you have been fired from a job and the interviewer asks about it, be honest.

    Show the interviewer that your are interested in the company by asking questions. Ask about responsibilities, working conditions, promotions opportunities and benefits of the job you are interviewing for.

    If at some point you decide the interview is not going well, do not let your discouragement show. You have nothing to lose by continuing a show of confidence, and you may have much to gain. It may be real, or it may be a test to see how you react to adverse conditions.

    Some interviewers may bring up salary early in the interview. At this time, you may indicate that you are more interested in a job where you can prove yourself that a specific salary. This politely passes the question back to the interviewer. If possble, you should negotiate for salary after you have been offered a job and have completed the paperwork.