The prices _____ up all the time and no one knows ...

第1题

When 18-year-old Jon Angle set his sights on a ＄5,000 motorcycle last month, he was determ

ined not to let a little thing like lack of funds stand in his, way. "My bank said they'd never loan me that sort of money, since I don't really have any assets yet," the recent high school graduate from Littleton, Colo., recalls. Still, Angle was able to secure a loan from the Young Americans Bank in Denver, which caters to the under-22-year-old crowd and permits allowance to be listed as a source of income on loan application. Now, with a new Suzuki, Angle is setting aside most of the income from his ＄6.75-an-hour job at a local McDonald's to pay off his debt.

At mails, movie theaters and even motorcycle dealerships around the country, teenagers like Jon Angle are behaving like the fiscal equivalent of the Energizer Bunny: They keep spending, and spending, and spending. Last year, 12-to-19-year-olds went on their biggest shopping spree ever, ringing up ＄109 billion in purchases, a 38 percent increase over 1990. And the demographics for the teen market are enough to make any orthodontist smile. As the baby boomers' babies hit puberty, the teen population is expected to balloon from 29.1 million to 34.9 million by 2010.

Teens also are earning money. About half of all 16-to-19-year-olds have part-time jobs, according to Teenage Research Unlimited, a market research firm. Combined with allowance from their parents, adolescents average ＄64 in income per week. But that money bums a quick hole in their pockets. For every dollar teens earned last year, they spent 84 cents. And even when they do put aside some of their funds, teenagers save only until they can afford some coveted big-ticket item. Clair Boetticher, 17, from North Dallas, Texas, for example, receives ＄35 in weekly allowance and is earning an extra ＄100 a week this summer working on a ranch. She spends most of money on food, movies and compact disks. And when Boetticher does save, she usually hangs onto the money only enough to buy tickets to a rock concert.

With all this money up for grabs, it is no longer just makers of acne medication who are zeroing in on adolescents. Nike, for example, which consistently ranks as one of the most popular brands among teens, targets its products to consumers between the ages of 14 and 24. And Levi Strauss consults a panel of several hundred teens around the country during its product-development process. If the feedback indicates that the cut on a pair of jeans needs changing, the designers return to the drawing board.

Teens don't just spend their money, they also affect the way their parents shop. When it comes time to buy a family computer, for example, grown-ups often turn to their kids as technology consultants. With an increasing number of children using PCs at school, it's not surprising that parents who buy home computers let their teens influence the decision about two third of the time.

What is the main idea of the passage？

A．American teenagers are spending whatever they can instead of putting aside the money they make.

B．American teenagers affect their parents' shopping habits tremendously.

C．American adolescents typically spend money on famous brands and concert tickets.

D．American businessmen are trying to figure out new ways to tap the potential of adolescentmarket.

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第2题

"If you had to identify, in one word, the reason the human race has not achieved, and neve

r will achieve, its full potential, that word would be meetings." Thus spoke humorist Dave Barry, and many of us would agree. But it doesnt have to be this way. Some tips for having a good one: Start and end strongly. Running a productive meeting isnt rocket science. As Denver-based consultant Teri Schwartz notes, much of it boils down to opening and conducting every meeting with a purpose and closing it with a plan for "going forward." Problems arise when people forget this. "Its like flying a plane," says Schwartz. "Most crashes happen at takeoff and landing." Pick a leader. Four years ago, Clevelands KeyCorp Bank adopted a new principle: Always assign someone to lead. "The worst thing you can do is go into a meeting with no one in charge," says the banks senior EVP and chief risk officer, Charles Hyle. "It turns into a shouting match." Think small. Be realistic about what you can accomplish. "You cant solve world hunger in an hour," Schwartz says. By the same token, keep the number of attendees manageable to stimulate discussion. "When you have too many people in the room," says Hyle, "everyone clams up as if their mouths were sealed." Direct, dont dominate. "People hate it when they cant get their work done because they have to go to somebody elses meeting," says Columbia Business School professor Michael Feiner. So encourage others to speak up and get involved, especially junior staffers. "They need to believe its not his meeting or her meeting, but our meeting," Feiner says. Lay down the rules of engagement. Everyone should understand who will take notes and how decisions will be made. Remember that consensus is typically a bad thing. "It means there isnt enough dialogue or debate," says Feiner, "and thats the lifeblood of any innovative organization." Jon Petz, the author of Boring Meetings Suck, suggests assigning follow-up tasks during the final five to ten minutes, then repeating them later in a group e-mail so that theres no confusion.

In Dave Barrys opinions, meetings______.

A．have been blocking human progress

B．may fade away from the human world

C．are an important part of the human race

D．are meant to solve problems for humans

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第3题

听力原文： A proud US father has named his son after a computer software term. Jon Blake

Cusack, from Michigan, told local newspapers the US traditional way of adding "Junior" or " II " after a boys name was too common. So, when his son was born last week, he decided on the name Jon Blake Cusack 2.0, as if he were a software upgrade. Mr Cusack admitted that it took months to persuade his wife, Jamie, to accept the idea. Mrs Cusack said she asked several friends whether they can accept this name or not. All the men, she said, felt the name was "cool". However, her women friends did not think so. "I think the women will end up liking it," she said. Mr Cusack told the local newspaper he got the idea from a film called The Legend of 1900, in which an abandoned baby is given the name 1900 to remember the year of its birth. "I thought that if they can do it, why cant we？" he said. After little Jon Version 2.0 was born, Mr Cusack even sent a celebratory email to the family and friends designed to look as though he and his wife had created new software. "I wrote things like there are a lot of new features from Version 1.0 with additional features from Jamie," he said. And he is already planning for his sons future. "If he has a child, he could name it 3.0," he said. Questions 23 to 25 are based on the passage you have just heard. 23. What do we know about "Jon Black Cusack 2.0" according to the passage？ 24. What do the names of "1900" and "Jon Version 2.0" have in common？ 25. What does "Version 1.0" refer to according to the passage？23．

A．They"re both untraditional.

B．They"re to be equally popular.

C．They both tell about the births.

D．They"re both connected with computer.

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第4题

听力原文：JANICE: Hello... Flagstone.JON: Oh hello; is that Flagstone Properties？JANICE: Ye

听力原文：JANICE: Hello... Flagstone.

JON: Oh hello; is that Flagstone Properties？

JANICE: Yes that's right. Flagstone here. How can I help you？【Example】

JON: Hello. I'm ringing just to make enquiries about renting a house. My name's Jon Anderson.

JANICE: Yes, Mr Anderson. What sort of thing were you looking for？

JON: Two-bedroomed house with garden.

JANICE: Well... yes, sir, that shouldn't be any problem... just to let you know that our

main areas, the main areas we deal with, are the city centre itself... 【Q1】

JOS: City centre.., uh-huh.

JANICE: And the north suburbs.

JON: Oh well.., we were most interested in the Northern areas actually.

JANICE: Right... yes... What sort of price were you thinking of？

JON: Well... could you give me some idea？

JANICE: Certainly. It really ranges from ￡250 per month. 【Q2】

JON: Only ￡250？

JANICE: Yes, to about ￡500 depending on a number of different factors.

JON: What does it depend on？

JANICE: Well, obviously the quality of the area. And then whether there's a garden. 【Q3】

JON: Well, as I said, we'd want a garden.

JANICE: And a garage pushes up the price.

JON: Right... well, we wouldn't necessarily need one. I think about ￡350 a month would be our limit.

JANICE: OK. Well... would you like to have a look at a couple of properties, sir？

JON: Yes, that'd be great.

JANICE: Looking at our files... I think we've got two which might suit you...

JON: Hang on. I'll just get a pen. Right.

JANICE: OK. Well, there's one on West Park Road which is ￡325 a month. 【Q4】

JON: Are the bills included？

JANICE: Well, that one just includes the water bill. 【Q5】

JON: OK, right.

JANICE: And the second house is in Tithe Road. I'll just spell that for you... OK？

JON: Yep.

JANICE: T-I-T-H-E Road.

JON: Got that. And how much is that one？

JANICE: That's ￡380.

JON: 380. IS that including water？

JANICE: NO, I'm afraid not, but it does include the telephone rental. 【Q6】

JON: Oh well, that's not too bad then. So ....

JANICE: So, when would you be available to see them？

JON: Well, I'll be in town next week.., say... Thursday？

JANICE: NO, I'm sorry we don't have any availability for Thursday. How about

Wednesday afternoon？【Q7】

JON: OK. That's fine. Would 5.00 be OK？

JANICE: Yes, fine. 5.00 it is. Just come to the Flagstone Offices.

JON: Oh, before I forget. What sort of things do I need to get done.., to rent with you？

JANICE: Well, the most important thing is a letter from your bank...

JON: No problem...

JANICE: And then a reference letter from your employer. 【Q8】

JON: Yes, that's OK.

JANICE: Great, and then we would need you to give 2 weeks' notice of moving in... 【Q9】

JON: Right... 2 weeks' notice. And what about a deposit？【Q10】

JANICE: That's one month's rent, whatever the amount is.

JON: OK. One month. Is that it？

JANICE: No, sorry, one more.., you will have to pay for the contract.

JON: Oh yes. I'd forgotten about that. OK, fine. So I'll start arranging those, and I'll...

JANICE: ... I'll see you next week.

JON: Yes. Thanks very much. Bye.

JANICE: Goodbye.

SECTION 1 Questions 1-10

Complete the notes below.

Areas dealt with: 【1】

north suburbs

Rent: from 【2】￡ ______ to ￡______ a month

Dependes on: the area

availability of 【3】

garage

Properties available: West Park Road

rent 【4】￡ ______ a month

including 【5】

Tithe Road

rent ￡380 a month

including 【6】 rental

Viewing arrangements: meet at office on 【7】 at 5.00 pm

Need: letter from bank

reference from 【8】

Must: give 【9】 notice of moving in

give deposit of 【10】

pay for contract

【1】

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第5题

For some years after his graduation, he () some of his classmates, but as times went by, he dropped them one by one.

A.catch up with

B.keep up with

C.keep up

D.make up with

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第6题

The noise around was terrible, but they had to ()it.

A.put up with

B.keep up with

C.come up with

D.catch up with

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第7题

My cousin moved to Finland two months ago and I’ve decided to _____ him.

A、get caught in

B、catch up with

C、keep up with

D、keep in touch with

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第8题

Although the false banknote fooled many people,they did not（）close examination.

A.put up

B.stand up to

C.look up to

D.keep up

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第9题

I'll keep at it—whatever the challenges might be—and never give up until I achieve Success.

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第10题

According to the writer, it is ______ to keep up with the Joneses.A．correctB．interestingC．

According to the writer, it is ______ to keep up with the Joneses.

A．correct

B．interesting

C．impossible

D．good

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第11题

We came into this field late, so we must work hard to（）lost time.

A.make up for

B.make out

C.keep up with

D.put up with

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Keep Up with the JonesesIn the United States, when one becomes rich, he wants people to kn