Reading to dogs is an unusual way to help children improve their literacy skills（讀寫能力）. With their shining brown eyes, wagging tails, and unconditional love, dogs can provide the nonjudgmental listeners needed for a beginning reader to gain confidence, according to Intermountain Therapy Animals (ITA) in Salt Lake City. The group says it is the first program in the country to use dogs to help develop literacy in children, with the introduction of Reading Education Assistance Dogs (READ).

The Salt Lake City Public Library is sold on the idea. “Literacy specialists admit that children who read below the level of their fellow pupils are often afraid of reading aloud in a group, often have lower self-respect, and regard reading as a headache.” said Lisa Myton, manager of the children’s department.

Last November the two groups started “Dog Day Afternoon” in the children’s department of the main library. About 25 children attended each of the four Saturday-afternoon classes, reading for half an hour. Those who attended three of the four classes received a “pawgraphed” book at the last class.

The program was so successful that the library plans to repeat it in April, according to Dana Thumpowsky, public relations manager.

56. What is mainly discussed in the text?

A. Children’s reading difficulties.    B. Advantages of raising dogs.

C. Service in a public library.           D. A special reading program.

57. Specialists use dogs to listen to children reading because they think ________.

  A. dogs are young children’s best friends    

  B. children can play with dogs while reading

  C. dogs can provide encouragement for shy children

  D. children and dogs understand each other

58. By saying “The Salt Lake City Public Library is sold on the idea,” the writer means the library

   ____________.

  A. uses dogs to attract children               B. accepts the idea put forward by ITA

  C. has opened a children’s department   D. has decided to train some dogs

59. A “pawgraphed” book is most probably _________.

  A. a book used in Saturday classes            B. a book written by the children

  C. a prize for the children                        D. a gift from parents

In the company in which I work, each of us is afraid of at least one person. The lower your __36__is, the more people you are afraid of. __37__all the people are afraid of the twelve men at the top who helped __38__ and build the company and now own and __39__ it.

All these twelve men are __40__now and drained(耗盡) by time and success of energy and ambition. Many have __41__ their whole lives here. They seem friendly, slow and __42__ when I come up to them in the halls and always courteous(謙恭的) when they__43__with others in the public lifts. They __44__ work hard. They hold meetings, make promotions, and allow their __45__ to be used on announcements that are prepared and issued by somebody else. Nobody is sure __46__really runs the company, but the company does run.

In the __47__ course of a business day I am afraid of Jack Green because my department is part of his department and Jack Green is my__48__; Green is afraid of me because most of my work in the department is done for the Sales Department, which is more __49__ than his department.

Green distrusts me sometimes. He makes __50__ clear to me every now and then that he wishes to see everything __51__ in my department before it’s shown to other departments. I know he doesn’t really mean this. He is __52__ busy with his own work to pay that much attention to all of mine, and I’ll bypass (避開(kāi)) him on most of our assignments rather than __53__ his time and delay their __54__ to people who have an immediate __55__ for them.

       the development of its economy, the world’s attention is once again       upon       is called East Asia.

       A. With; fixing; that         B. With; fixed; what

      C. As; fixed; what            D. As; fixing; that

 --Must I turn off the gas after cooking?

--Of course, you can never be       careful with that.

A. enough        B. too           C. so            D. very

It is I _________ my parents who__________ to blame for the accident.

A. other than; are           B. rather than; am       

C. more than; are           D. than; is

As soon as he comes back, I will tell him when       and see him.

A. you will come   B. will you come  C. you come      D. do you come

 ________ and happy, the actor stood up and accepted the award issued by CCTV.

A. Surprising                   B. Surprised  

C. Being surprised            D. To be surprising

Mrs. White bought a _____ wallet for her husband.

    A. nice small black leather        B. small nice black leather

    C. black small nice leather        D. nice leather black small

Can you make a sentence to       the meaning of the phrase?

A. bring up        B. bring out     C. take in         D. turn out

--Guess what? I came across an old friend of mine at the party last night.

--       I am sure you had a wonderful time.

A. Sounds good.        B. Very well.    C. How nice!      D. All right.