A woman from Japan was telling a friend about her trip to the United States.The woman had visited major businesses and investment companies in New York City and Chicago.

“I studied English before I left home，”she said.“But I still was not sure that people were speaking English.”

Her problem is easy to understand.Americans in business are like people who are in business anywhere.They have a language of their own.Some of the words and expressions deal with the special areas of their work.Other expressions are borrowed from different kinds of work such as the theater and movie industry.

One such saying is “get your act together”．

When things go wrong in a business，an employer may get angry.He may shout，“Stop making mistakes.Get your act together.”

Or，if the employer is calmer，he may say，“Let us get our act together.”

Either way，the meaning is the same.Getting your act together is getting organized.In business，it usually means to develop a calm and orderly plan of action.

It is difficult to tell exactly where the saying began.But，it is probable that it was in the theater or movie industry.Perhaps one of the actors was nervous and made a lot of mistakes.The director may have said，“Calm down，now.Get your act together.”

Word expert James Rogers says the expression was common by the late 1970s.Mister Rogers says the Manchester Guardian newspaper used it in 1978.The newspaper said a reform policy required that the British government get its act together.

Now，this expression is heard often when officials of a company meet.One company even called its yearly report，“Getting Our Act Together.”

The Japanese visitor was confused by another expression used by American business people.It is cut to the chase.

She heard that expression when she attended an important meeting of one company.One official was giving a very long report.It was not very interesting.In fact，some people at the meeting were falling asleep.

Finally，the president of the company said，“Cut to the chase.”

Cut to the chase means to stop spending so much time on details or unimportant material.Hurry and get to the good part.

Naturally，this saying was started by people who make movies.Hollywood movie producers believe that most Americans want to see action movies.Many of their movies show scenes in which the actors chase each other in cars，or in airplanes or on foot.

Cut is the director’s word for stop.The director means to stop filming，leave out some material，and get to the chase scene now.

So，if your employer tells you to cut to the chase，be sure to get to the main point of your story quickly.

1.After the woman visited the United States she might feel that ________.

A．her English was poor

B．it’s easy to master English

C．it’s difficult to make money

D．people there weren’t very friendly

2.In which situation could the words “get your act together” be used?

A．A task is completed successfully.

B．Players perform badly in a match.

C．Audience is satisfied with the actor’s performance in a movie.

D．Visitors make a tiresome and unpleasant trip to someplace.

3.According to the text，the expression “get one’s act together” ________.

A．was first used by a Japanese businesswoman

B．was forbidden to be used in the government policy

C．originally came from a yearly report of a company

D．was commonly read by readers in a newspaper in 1978

4.What do the sayings “get your act together” and “cut to the chase” have in common?

A．Their use.? B．Their meaning.

C．Their origin.? D．Their popularity.

Our English teacher is a fine ____ of a woman.

A.figure                             B. figures                    C. figure out                D. figure up

A woman from Japan ，who had visited major businesses and investment companies in New York City ，was telling a friend about her trip to the US．"I studied English before I left home．But I still was not sure that people were speaking English."

Her problem is easy to understand．Americans in business are like people who are in business anywhere．They have a language of their own．Some of the words and expressions deal with the special areas of their work．Other expressions are borrowed from different kinds of work such as the theater and movie industry.

One such saying is get your act together.

When things go wrong in a business, an employer may get angry．He may shout, "Stop making mistakes．Get your act together."

Or, if the employer is calmer, he may say, "Let us get our act together."

Either way, the meaning is the same．Getting your act together is getting organized．In business, it usually means to develop a calm and orderly plan of action.

It is difficult to tell exactly where the saying began．Perhaps one of the actors was nervous and made a lot of mistakes．The director may have said, "Calm down, now．Get your act together."

Word expert James Rogers says the expression was common by the late 1970s．He says the Manchester Guardian newspaper used it in 1978．The newspaper said a reform policy required that the British government get its act together.

Now, this expression is heard often when officials of a company meet．One company even called its yearly report, "Getting Our Act Together."

1．Paragraph1 is written mainly to _______

　 A．tell us the Japanese woman’s English is poor

　 B．lead to the subject in the whole passage

　 C．tell us it is important to grasp spoken English

　 D．tell us traveling in the US is very difficult

2．The reason why the woman was not sure that people were speaking English was that ______

　 A．they speak too fast to follow

　 B．they didn’t want the woman to learn their experience

　 C．they have some special words and expressions of their own in their field .

　 D．they are from theater and movie industry

3．The saying “ get your act together” in Paragraph 4 means _______

　 A．Don’t do that again 　　　 B．You are dismissed

　 C．Calm down 　　　　　　　　　 D．Get organized

4．We can infer that the saying “get your act together.” ________

　 A．began from movie industry.

　 B．was created by Word expert James Rogers in the 1970s

　 C．is used commonly in businesses and investment companies at present

　 D．was first used by the Manchester Guardian newspaper

Read a whole book in English? Me?

      Yes, you. Believe it or not, that may be easier than you think. Not all classics are too difficult or complicated. So you’re not limited to the simplified versions. And the easier books are not all for children.

      Books in their original versions may send you to the dictionary. And you might not understand everything you read. But reading one from cover to cover will give you a real sense of accomplishment（成就）. The key is to find the right books. Let’s take a look at these.

      The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (C.S. Lewis)

      Stepping into an old wardrobe, four English schoolchildren find themselves in the magical world of Narnia. On this delightful land, they find friends among the many talking creatures. The children soon discover, however, that Narnia is ruled by the White Witch. Edmund, one of the children, falls under her power. Who can free Narnia? Only Aslan, the great and noble lion. He alone knows the Deeper Magic. But the children themselves must help fight the battle against the White Witch and those who serve her.

      The Old Man and the Sea (Ernest Hemingway)

      Santiago, an old Cuban fisherman, hasn’t caught any fish in more than 80 days. Sailing far out from land, the old man hooks an enormous fish. That begins an agonizing three day battle. First he struggles against the great fish. Then he must fight off the sharks that circle the little boat and threaten to eat his fish. Exhausted and bleeding, the old man arrives back at shore. But his fish, his beautiful fish . . .

      Hemingway won the Nobel Prize for this superb story of strength and courage, of victory and regret.

      A Wrinkle in Time (Madeleine Lingle)

      Meg’s father, a U.S. government scientist, has been missing for many months. He had been experimenting with time travel when he mysteriously disappeared.

      Now Meg, her little brother Charles Wallace and her friend Calvin will try to rescue him. But first they must outwit the forces of evil they encounter（遇到） on their journey through time and space. Can they find Meg’s father before it’s too late?

      This novel is more than just a science fiction adventure. It’s an exploration of the nature of our universe.

      The Pearl (John Steinbeck)

      One day Kino, a poor Mexican pearl diver, finds a magnificent pearl. With it he dreams of buying a better life, new clothes and schooling for his son. Instead, it brings only evil. His wife pleads with him to get rid of it. "No," says Kino. "I will have my chance. I am a man." But when he kills a man who is trying to steal the pearl, Kino and his wife must run for their lives.This tale of dreams, justice and the power of greed is told simply and beautifully.

      The Long Winter (Laura Ingalls Wilder)

      It’s winter, 1880—1881, on America’s northern prairies. Mr. and Mrs. Ingalls and their four girls stay near the kitchen stove to keep warm. Heavy snowstorms cut them off even from neighbors. With the trains stopped, no supplies can reach the town. Food and fuel are running out. Day after day the girls must grind wheat for bread and twist hay to burn. At times they nearly lose the battle to keep their spirits up.

      This story provides a fascinating glimpse into the life of early American settlers.

63. In the passage, the author intends to _______.

   A. recommend a few simplified versions of classics

   B. recommend a few original versions of classics

   C. tell us how to read an English book from beginning to end

   D. tell us how to find proper English books to read 

64. In The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, the White Witch is probably _____.

   A. an evil woman with magic power           B. a friendly woman with magic power

   C. a delightful talking creature                D. a powerful lion

65. The underlined word "outwit" in the passage probably means ______.

   A. get rid of                              B. take advantage of  

   C. beat by being cleverer                    D. make the most of

66. Which book deals with history?

   A. The Pearl.                            B. The Old Man and the Sea.   

   C. A Wrinkle in Time.                     D. The Long Winter.

67. A Wrinkle in Time is different from other books mentioned in the passage in that _____.

   A. it is not a science fiction                 B. it tells a true story

   C. it provides some scientific knowledge      D. it tells the battle between justice and evil