B

Every year, Fortune published its list of the Best Companies to Work For, which features the top U.S. companies to work for based on things like benefits, diversity, and pay after surveying employees and managers from thousands of companies around the world.

Top Five Best Companies To Work For (2012)

No 1: SAS Institute Headquarters: Cary, N.C., USA

2011 revenues: $2.7 billion  2011 rank: 2

Software company SAS climbed to the top of the global list this year, edging up from the No. 2 spot it held last year. So what makes this company so great to work for? Well, for one thing, its leaders are certainly accessible. CEO Jim Goodnight hosts monthly "Conversations Over Coffee," unscripted breakfast meetings that are open to all employees. Any topic is fair game. These conversations are so popular that other division heads have begun to hold similar events for their employees. SAS has an extremely low voluntary turnover rate of 2.6%, in part because of its positive working environment. "I haven't felt so intellectually alive in any other place I have worked," says one employee.

No 2: Google Headquarters: Mountain View, Calif., USA

2011 revenues: $37.9 billion  2011 rank: 4

Google moved up by two spots in this year's ranking of global workplaces. The highly desirable tech behemoth receives 61 times as many applicants as they have existing jobs, and for good reason. Google (GOOG, Fortune 500) seems to be all about coaching. The company's "CareerGuru" program makes 43 of its senior leaders available for one-on-one, confidential career coaching sessions with other Googlers. "Gurus" are deployed in 14 offices across the world. Engineering employees at all levels can also get advice from “EngAdvisors," senior engineers at Google who can discuss any number of issues, like work-life balance, conflict resolution, and performance reviews. More than 900 engineers have used the program since it began in 2009.

No 3: NetApp Headquarters: Sunnyvale, Calif., USA

2011 revenues: $5.1 billion 2011 rank: 3

All new employees at data storage provider NetApp (NTAP, Fortune 500) participate in the TOAST ("Training On All Special Things") orientation program, which introduces new arrivals to NetApp's senior management. The sessions are held every month and are always led by the executive team. Last year, NetApp held 20 TOAST sessions at five locations with a total of 3,000 employees.

No 4: Kimberly-Clark Headquarters: Irving, Texas, USA

2011 revenues: $20.8 billion  2011 rank: 9

Kimberly-Clark Colombia put a major emphasis on making sure new hires feel welcome. All starting employees at the consumer product conglomerate are mailed a box that contains a welcome letter and a symbolic key to the company. A second letter provides all the basic information that the new hire will need for their first day at work. New employees also receive an email from a coworker who will guide them through the orientation process.

No 5:Microsoft Headquarters: Redmond, Wash., USA

2011 revenues: $73.7 billion  2011 rank: 1

As part of Microsoft's commitment to promoting women in technology, the company established its DigiGirlz program in 2000. Microsoft (MSFT, Fortune 500) hosts a series of DigiGirlz Day events where female high school students meet Microsoft employees and learn about careers in technology. In 2011, some 36 Microsoft locations across the world hosted more than 2,000 girls. Microsoft also holds DigiGirlz High Tech Camps, multi-day programs where participants get hands-on experience with technology during workshops and meet with tech executives

46. According to the passage, what makes SAS Institute great to work for is that _________.

A. it has an extremely low voluntary turnover rate

B. its employees always feel at home in the company

C. its leaders talk to employees over coffee freely every month

D. its positive working environment and good relationship among the staff

47. The feature that NetApp and Kimberly-Clark share is that _______.

A. both companies provide their customers data storage

B. new arrivals have access to advice given by senior colleagues

C. employees have the right to build networks across the world

D. keys as well as letters are given to the new hire in their first day at work

48. According to the given information, _______ made the rapidest progress in yearly ranking.

A. Kimberly-Clark  B. SAS Institute  C. Google  D. Microsoft

49. Who would probably show most interest in reading the passage?

A. Professors in a Finance Department.  B. College graduates seeking for jobs.

C. Political leaders in the government.  D. Experts doing research into education.

C

It has been said that “Happiness is like a butterfly which, when run after, is always beyond our grasp, but which, if you sit down quietly, may dance beside you.”

Social scientists have caught the butterfly. After 40 years of research, they find happiness results from three major origins: genes(基因), events and values. Armed with this knowledge and a few simple rules, we can improve our lives and the lives of those around us. We can even construct a system that carries out our founders’ promises and gives Americans the power to seek happiness.

Scientists have studied happiness for decades. They begin simply enough — by asking people how happy they are.

The data available to social scientists is the Universityof Chicago’s General Social Survey, a survey of Americans conducted since 1972. The numbers on happiness from the survey are surprisingly similar. Every other year for four decades, about a third of Americans have said they’re “very happy” and about half report being “pretty happy.” Only about 10 to 15 percent typically say they’re “not too happy.” Scientists have used advanced techniques to check these responses, and such survey results have proved accurate.

Beneath these averages are some differences. For many years, researchers found that women were happier than men, although recent studies show that the gap has narrowed or may even have changed to the opposite. Politicians might be interested to learn that traditional women feel particularly happy: about 40 percent say they are very happy. That makes them slightly happier than traditional men and obviously happier than open-minded women. The unhappiest of all are open-minded men; only about a fifth consider themselves very happy.

But even the people of the same age, sex, and so on vary in their happiness. What explains this?

The first answer involves our genes. Researchers at the Universityof Minnesota have tracked twins who were separated as babies and raised by separate families. These researchers found that we receive a surprising part of our happiness — around 48 percent from parents. (Since I discovered this, I’ve been blaming my parents for my bad moods.)

If about half of our happiness is determined by our genes, what about the other half? It’s attractive to suppose that one-time events — like getting a dream job or receive an unexpected gift — will permanently bring the happiness we seek. And studies suggest that such events do control a big part of our happiness — up to 40 percent.

But while one-time events do govern a fair amount of our happiness, each event’s influence proves rather short-lived. People suppose that major changes like moving to California or getting a big raise will make them permanently better off. They won’t. Huge goals may take years of hard work to meet, and the struggle itself may be worthwhile, but the happiness they create dissipates after just a few months.

To review: About half of happiness is genetically determined. Up to an additional 40 percent comes from the things that have occurred in our recent past — but that won’t last very long.

That leaves just about 12 percent. That might not sound like much, but the good news is that we can bring that 12 percent under our control. It turns out that choosing to seek four basic values of faith, family, community and work is the surest path to happiness, given that a certain percentage is genetic and not under our control in any way. To go after the happiness within our reach, we do best to devote ourselves to faith, family, community and meaningful work.

50. The first paragraph of the passage serves as ______.

A. a description of a scene     B. an introduction to the topic

C. an analysis of a research project   D. an explanation of an old saying

51. It can be inferred from Paragraph 4 and Paragraph 5 that ______.

A. most Americans feel unhappy

B. women are always happier than men

C. about 40% of American women are very happy

D. traditional men are happier than open-minded women

52. The underlined word “dissipates” (Paragraph 9) probably means ______.

A. disappear       B. return      C. occur       D. last

53. Among the origins of happiness, _______.

A. age and sex contribute the most    B. genes play a tiny part

C. events hardly perform a function   D. values are under control

54. The main purpose of this passage is to ______.

A. stress the importance of happiness     B. clarify the causes of lasting happiness

C. advocate the ways of seeking happiness D. show the results of the study on happiness

D

Most teens can't wait to learn to drive. Not so with me. Driving made me nervous. I didn't get a license until I turned 24 years old. As a result, when I first married, we only had one car and car pooled to work. My husband's hours were different from mine by one hour. I worked earlier. So he dropped me off and went to the diner to drink coffee until work time.

Then, in the afternoons, I leisurely walked the three miles to his work place where I waited in his car, reading a book.

One day while waiting for him, I noticed the most beautiful Cadillac pull in the lot. It was powder blue and sleek looking. The kind of car you dream about. I was busily admiring the car, when I noticed the driver. Honestly, she was probably the prettiest woman I had ever seen off the movie screen.

She pulled into the spot beside our car and it was all I could do not to stare. There was a striking resemblance to Liz Taylor. Jet black hair and alabaster skin. Our eyes made contact and she smiled at me. Her eyes were as blue as the sea, and teeth like an even row of pearls. She was wearing a light blue shirt that just matched her car. Peeking through her long, softly curled hair I could see gold hoop earrings. They had to be gold to shine like that. A couple of minutes later, a nice looking man came out of the building, entered her car, leaned over and kissed her and she drove away.

Sitting there in my jeans, shirt and hair in a pony tail, I wanted to cry. How could some people have it all?

Maybe I would have forgotten about her, but the following week, I saw her again. Then it became almost routine to see her about once a week. She seemed friendly and always waved, flashing a big smile. My envy lingered long after she drove away.

Many nights when sleep evaded me, I would think about the beautiful lady. I wondered if she and her husband ate out, and where they dined, and what she was wearing. I wanted her to get out of the car and let me see her full length. Did she wear really high heeled shoes and pants, or a skirt.

I would get my answers in a couple of weeks.

Sitting in our usual parking lot, I was holding my book, watching her over the top of it. She was waiting and when her husband came to the car, she called to him. They spoke a few words and he opened the car door for her to step out. He took her arm and helped her out of the car. I could see very well as she moved to get out. She was wearing a skirt.

She haltinglywalked around to the passenger side very slowly, leaning on a walking cane. Sitting sideways in the car, she lifted one leg with her hands and then the other one. The beautiful lady had a prosthesis on the left leg and a brace on the right leg. I couldn't watch them drive away as the tears were blinding me. For weeks I had envied this woman and her way of life, while I had been able to walk three miles to our car!

When my husband arrived and found me crying, he immediately asked what was wrong. Through my tears, I told him about the beautiful lady. He said he knew her husband and also knew the story. The beautiful lady and her parents were in a car that either stalled or got caught on the railroad tracks and was hit by a train. Both parents were killed and she was severely injured. She was only 12 years old. The railroad made a large settlement with her because the crossing had no signals. He explained her car was specially built for her needs as well as the home.

I prayed for forgiveness all the way home. The lady I thought had everything I didn't. I realized how lucky I was to have my parents, the ability to walk, run or dance through life and many wonderful things money can't buy. I would not have traded places with the beautiful lady for anything

When you meet a person who seems to be much better off than you, don't be fooled.

55. In the afternoons the woman walked three miles to her husband’s work place to___.

A. take exercise on the way           B. meet the beautiful lady.

C. enjoy the scenery and reading       D. wait for her husband

56. After seeing the beautiful lady, the woman concluded_______.

A. the beautiful lady led a rich and happy life.

B. the beautiful lady liked to show off herself.

C. she and her husband must make more money.

D. she shouldn’t have married her husband.

57. The woman prayed for forgiveness all the way home because_______.

A. She should have known the whole story earlier.

B. She shouldn’t have compared herself with the woman.

C. She shouldn’t have told her husband what she had seen.

D. She shouldn’t have seen the woman getting out of the car.

58. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A. The woman learned that health and family are more important.

B. The woman was poor and couldn’t afford another car and fancy clothes.

C. The woman envied the beautiful lady of her capable husband.

D. The woman regretted marrying her husband.

59. The underlined word “haltingly” probably means________.

A. proudly         B. excitedly      C. difficultly     D. steadily

60. Which of the following do you think can be the best title of the passage?

A. Seeing is believing          B. Trust her heart instead of her look

C. Looks can be deceiving      D. Fooled by her look

第二节  下面文章中有5处(第61-65题)需要添加小标题。请从以下选项(A、B、C、D、E和F)中选出符合各段意思的小标题。选项中有一项是多余选项。

A. How inner beliefs can help

B. How to develop positive habits

C. Improve your life

D. You can do it

E. Action plan

F. Why are habits so important

The single most important factor that contributes to success is what you do every single day. It is as simple as that. Your habits will determine whether you are successful or not. If you have strong and healthy positive habits, it does not matter whether or not you fail today because you are guaranteed to succeed in the long run.

61. ________

Because you repeat the same actions and the same behaviors every single day, a single positive action will not change your life, but the same action repeated 1,000 times will have a significant impact on your life. For example, if you go to the gym one time, you won't see a big difference in your life. However, if you go to the gym 1,000 times over a five year period, you will see a big difference in your body. The same principle applies to finance, health, relationships, work, career, and school. Simple positive actions repeated every single day will have a great impact on your life in the long run.

62. ________

There's nothing easier than developing positive habits. You simply have to do every single day the action you want to make a habit. If you want to develop the habit of running, run almost every day. If you want to develop the habit of eating healthy, eat healthy every day. If you want to develop the habit of reading, read every day. Habits are created by repetition. The more you do an action, the easier it becomes in the long run.

63. ________

If you want to be successful in changing your habits, you should think about changing your inner beliefs about your habits. For example, your old belief was: "I love cigarette because it makes me feel good and relaxed. I need cigarette to be happy and relaxed." If you keep this belief, you won't be able to keep your resolution to stop smoking for very long. Instead, you should adopt this new belief: "I love yoga because it makes me feel good and relaxed. Cigarette is poisonous and destroys my body. Yoga makes me happy." You should analyze your beliefs and make sure they won't stop you from changing your habits. The same is true when you try to form positive habits. If you want to start eating healthy food, here are some positive beliefs you should start thinking about: "Healthy food is very good for my health. It gives me a lot of energy and I feel very good."

64. ________

It's now time for you to develop positive habits in your life and avoid your negative habits. Write down 3 positive habits that you would like to develop and 3 negative habits that you would like to get rid of. For each positive habit, write down exactly what actions you're going to take every single day in order to develop the new habit. For each negative habit, write down exactly what actions you're not going to take in the next weeks. Here are some positive habits that will lead to success: exercise, healthy food, reading, saving, studying, healthy relationships, hard work, etc... Here are some negative habits to get rid of: gambling, drug and alcohol abuse, overeating, shyness, etc..

65. ________

Everybody can change. All it takes is courage and commitment. Decide right now to improve your life by changing your habits. Take action right now! Don't be afraid. Yes, you will probably make mistakes along the way. But never forget that success is guaranteed for you if you have positive habits in your life. If you refuse to quit, success will be yours

非选择题部分 (共40分)

第三部分：写作(共两节，满分40分)

第一节：短文改错(共10小题;每小题1分，满分10分)

下面短文中有10处语言错误。请在有错误的地方增加、删除或修改某个单词。

增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号(∧),并在其下面写上该加的词。

删除：把多余的词用斜线()划掉。

修改：在错的词下划一横线，并在该词下面写上修改后的词。

注意：1.每处错误及其修改均仅限一词;

2.只允许修改10处，多者(从第11处起)不计分。

例如：

It  was very nice to get your invitation to spend ∧weekend with you. Luckily

the

I was completely free then, so I’ll to  say “yes”. I’ll arrive in Bristol at around 8 p.m.

am

in Friday evening.

on

Last night, I have a strange but interesting dream. On the way back home. I came across child from another planet. His clothes seemed to be shining and looked beautifully. As I got close to him, he looked frightening and turned his back to me. Though I couldn’t speak his language, I used hand gestures to talk about him. A while later, he told me lots of amazing thing on his planet, which made me laughing, but suddenly, he began to cry, and then he explained he had lost his way but couldn’t find his home. Seeing that, I was offered to help him. His home had a telephone number like ours, so I asked him to call his parents using my phone. Soon before making the call he disappeared.

第二节：书面表达(满分30分)

请仔细观察下面的图片, 按要求用英语写一篇100-120字的小短文.

要求: 1. 简述图片中的故事。

2. 图片中的故事传达了什么道理?

3. 谈谈你的看法.

词汇：烟斗tobacco pipe

One day Jack decided to_______________________________________________________