C　the age of 78.8.

　　D　the age of 87.5.

　　10　Which is NOT affected by the number of years we have to live?

　　A　Our education.

　　B　Our savings.

　　C　The way we handle our health care.

　　D　The number of years we have lived.

　　第三篇

　　Is the Tie a Necessity?

　　Ties, or neckties, have been a symbol of politeness and elegance in Britain for centuries. But the casual Prime Minister Tony Blair has problems with them. Reports suggest that even the civil servants may stop wearing ties. So, are the famously formal British really going to abandon the neckties?

　　Maybe. Last week, the UK's Cabinet Secretary Andrew Turnbull openly welcomed a tieless era. He hinted that civil servants would soon be free of the costliest 12 inches of fabric that most men ever buy in their lives.

　　In fact, Blair showed this attitude when he had his first guests to a cocktail party. Many of them were celebrities (知名人士) without ties, which would have been unimaginable even in the recent past.

　　For some more conservative British, the tie is a must for proper appearance. Earlier, Labor leader Jim Callaghan said he would have died rather than have his children seen in public without a tie. For people like Callaghan, the tie was a sign of being complete, of showing respect. Men were supposed to wear a tie when going to church, to work in the office, to a party - almost every social occasion.

　　But today, people have begun to accept a casual style even for formal occasions.

　　The origin of the tie is tricky. It started as something called simply a "band". The term could mean anything around a man's neck. It appeared in finer ways in the 1630s. Frenchmen showed a love of this particular fashion statement. Their neckwear (颈饰) impressed Charles II, the king of England who was exiled (流放) to France at that time. When he returned to England in 1660, he brought this new fashion item along with him.

　　It wasn't, however, until the late 18th century that fancy young men introduced a more colorful, flowing piece of cloth that eventually became known as the tie. Then, clubs, military institutions and schools began to use colored and patterned ties to indicate the wearer's membership in the late 19th century. After that, the tie became a necessary item of clothing for British gentlemen.

　　But now, even gentlemen are getting tired of ties. Anyway, the day feels a bit easier when you wake up without having to decide which tie suits you and your mood.

　　11　The tie symbolizes all of the following except

　　A　respect.

　　B　elegance

　　C　politeness.

　　D　democracy.

　　12　Why does Blair sometimes show up in a formal event without a tie?

　　A　Because he wants to make a show.

　　B　Because he wants to attract attention.

　　C　Because ties are costly.

　　D　Because he wants to live in a casual way.

　　13　Which of the following is NOT a social occasion?

　　A　Going to church.

　　B　Going to work in the office.

　　C　Staying at home.

　　D　Going to a party.

　　14　Who brought the Frenchmen's neckwear to Britain?

　　A　Tony Blair.

　　B　Charles Ⅱ.

　　C　Jim Callaghan.

　　D　Andrew Turnbull.

　　15　When did British gentlemen begin to wear ties regularly?

　　A　After the late 19th century.

　　B　In the 1630s.

　　C　In 1660.

　　D　In the late 18th century.

第5部分：补全短文(第46～50题，每题2分，共10分)

　　阅读下面的短文，文章中有5处空白，文章后面有6组文字，请根据文章的内容选择5组文字，将其分别放回文章原有位置，以恢复文章原貌。请将答案涂在答题卡相应的位置上。

　　How Did She Conquer the Americans?

　　African-American talk show queen Oprah Winfrey is the world's most powerful celebrity, according to Forbes magazine. ______________(1)

　　Winfrey, 51, draws 30 million viewers weekly in the United States. Her talk show reaches 112 countries. She earned US$225 million over the past 12 months to rank second in celebrity riches.

　　The annual Forbes list gives most weight to annual earnings. ______________(2)

　　"After 21 years, her exciting chat show still rules the airwaves. It created new celebrities and hundreds of millions of dollars in profits," the magazine said.

　　Winfrey is most popular with her popular talk show "The Oprah Winfrey Show". She can always attract the superstars and let them open up to her intimate interviewing style.

　　Last month, American actor Tom Cruise, 42, surprised fans when he celebrated his new romance with 26-year-old actress Katie Holmes. He jumped up and down, shouting "I'm in love." Only a few years ago, Cruise and his ex-wife Nicole Kidman appeared separately on the same show telling the news of their divorce. ______________(3)

　　Winfrey's approach appears to be simple. She is in pursuit of self-improvement and self-empowerment (自强). This has proved to be just what people, especially women, want.

　　Winfrey often talks about her personal secrets on her show. That pulls in viewers. For example, she revealed that she had been sexually abused as a child, and has spoken freely of her struggle with her weight.

　　Winfrey was born to a poor family in Mississippi in 1954. ______________(4) At the age of 19, she became the youngest person and the first African-American woman to anchor (主持) a news programme.

　　Her success has not just been on the screen. Her media group includes a women's TV network and websites for women.

　　Winfrey's work has extended to social change. ______________(5)

　　She testified before the US Senate to establish a national database of dangerous child abusers. President Bill Clinton later signed "Oprah Bill" into law.

　　A　But it also looks at the celebrity's presence on the Internet and in the media.

　　B　In 1991, she did a lot of work for the National Child Protection Act.

　　C　She was not a very successful woman.

　　D　She began broadcasting while still at high school.

　　E　It placed Winfrey at the top of its annual ranking of the 100 people last week.

　　F　The couple had been tight-lipped about their break-up.