吉林省普通中学2017届高三毕业班第二次调研英语测试

　　吉林市普通中学2016—2017学年度高中毕业班第二次调研测试英

　　语

　　本试卷分第I卷（选择题）和第II卷（非选择题）。第I卷1至10页，第II卷10至12页。共150分。考试时间120分钟。

　　注意事项：请按照题号顺序在答题纸上各题目的答题区域内作答，超出答题区域书写的答案无效；在草稿纸、试题卷上答题无效。

　　第I卷

　　第一部分：听力（共两节, 满分30分）

　　第一节（共5小题；每小题1.5分, 满分7.5分）

　　听下面5段对话。每段对话后有一个小题，从题中所给的A、B、C三个选项中选出最佳选项，并标在试卷的相应位置。听完每段对话后，你都有10秒钟的时间来回答有关小题和阅读下一小题。每段对话仅读一遍。

　　第二节 (共15小题;每小题1.5分, 满分22.5分)

　　听下面5段对话或独白。每段对话或独白后有几个小题，从题中所给的A、B、C三个选项中选出最佳选项，并标在试卷的相应位置。听每段对话或独白前，你将有时间阅读各个小题，每小题5秒钟；听完后，各小题给出5秒钟的作答时间。每段对话或独白读两遍。

　　’s desk.

　　B. On a computer desk.

　　C. Next to a fax machine.

　　听第7段材料，回答第8、9题。

　　8. What happened to the boy?

　　A. He got lost on hills.

　　B. He fought with John.

　　C. He was badly injured.

　　9. How does the woman probably feel at the end of the conversation?

　　A. Angry.

　　B. Disappointed.

　　C. Relieved.

　　听第8段材料，回答第10至12题。

　　10. What do the speakers decide to do?

　　A. Play bowling.

　　B. Play tennis.

　　C. Go dancing.

　　11. When will the man leave?

　　A. At 7:00.

　　B. At 7:30.

　　C. At 8:00.

　　12. What does the man think of driving a car?

　　A. Time-saving.

　　B. Troublesome.

　　C. Comfortable.

　　听第9段材料，回答第13至16题。

　　13. What do we know about the speakers?

　　A. They are studying abroad.

　　B. They are certain about their future.

　　C. They have found their jobs.

　　14. What does the man find hard to do?

　　A. Do the course in English.

　　B. Find his accommodation.

　　C. Understand other students’ jokes.

　　15. What is the woman busy doing?

　　A. Writing an essay.

　　B. Looking for a job.

　　C. Preparing for an exam.

　　16. Why won’t the woman visit the man’s university?

　　A. She has no interest in it.

　　B. She doesn’t have time.

　　C. She can’t afford the trip.

　　听第10段材料，回答第17至20题。

　　17. What did the speaker like doing at school?

　　A. Doing sports.

　　B. Solving math problems.

　　C. Playing computer games.

　　18. Why did the speaker stop studying at college?

　　A. He had to work in a bike shop.

　　B. He had no interest in engineering.

　　C. He found another job in a company.

　　19. How did the speaker manage to increase the sales of the frozen food company?

　　A. By training the staff.

　　B. By providing good service.

　　C. By introducing new products.

　　20. How does the speaker feel about working in Electra?

　　A. Regretful.

　　B. Stressed.

　　C. Pleased.

　　第部分阅读理解 （满分40分）

　　阅读短文，从A、B、C和DA

　　It began to snow when my husband fell to his death, just like any November day. His body, when I found it, was lightly covered with snow. It snowed almost every day for the next four months, while I sat on the couch and watched it pile up. One morning, I walked downstairs slowly and was surprised to see a snow remover clearing my driveway and the bent back of a woman shoveling (铲) my walk. I dropped to my knees, crawled through the living room. And back up stairs so those good people would not see me. I was embarrassed. My first thought was, how would I ever repay them? I didn’t have the strength to brush my hair let alone shovel someone’s walk．

　　Before John’s death, I took pride in the fact that I rarely asked for help or favors, I defined myself by my competence and independence. So who was I if I was no longer capable and busy? How could I respect myself if all I did was sit on the couch every day and watch the snowfall?

　　Learning how to receive the love and support that came my way wasn't easy. Friends cooked for me and l cried because I couldn't even help them set the table. “I’m not usually this lazy,” I wept. Finally, my friend Kathy sat down with me and said,

　　“Mary, cooking for you is not a burden. I love you and I want to do it. It makes me feel good to be able to do something for you.”

　　Over and over, I heard similar emotions from the people who supported me during those dark days. One very wise man told me, “You are not doing nothing. Being fully open to your sorrow may be the hardest work you will ever do.”

　　I am not the person I once was，but in many ways I have changed for the better. My heart is now filled with thanks for people around me. I have been surprised to learn that there is incredible freedom that comes from facing one’s worst fear and walking away whole. I believe there is strength, for sure, in accepting a dark period of our life.

　　Why did the author crawl through the living room?

　　A. Because her knees got injured.

　　B. Because she felt ashamed.

　　C. Because she didn’t want to pay the snow remover.

　　D. Because she had to brush her hair.

　　We can describe the writer before her husband died as the following except ______．

　　A. smart

　　B. independent

　　C. hard-working

　　D. capable

　　Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

　　A. The writer’s friend was unwilling to cook for her．

　　B. The writer ’s death．

　　C. The writer recovered from her sorrow quickly with h friends’ help．

　　D. The day her husband died, it was snowing heavily．

　　The writer wrote the passage to ______．

　　A. share her sad story with us

　　B. express her guilty conscience to the people who helped her

　　C. tell us D. show her thanks to the people who love and support her

　　B

　　A man who owns a villa has decided to drop the asking price from $ 5,000 to a new iPhone 7 as the owner is desperate to sell before the tax auction (拍卖) season where “thousands” of homes near foreclosure (房屋止赎权) will flood into the market, a real estate broker (房地产经纪人) called Larry Else told ABC News.

　　“This house is really not worth much at all,” Else said. The windows are broken and there is no front door. The broker himself has not been inside the home because his company has a policy of not going in unsecured houses alone. Detroit’s declining fortunes have left its population about a third of what it used to be in its peak, according to the U.S. Census Bureau（人口普查办公室）.

　　Now, the property has accrued (拖欠) more than $6,000 in back taxes (退税款) and will enter foreclosure next year if that debt is not settled. So while the owner is asking for an iPhone 7, the true cost of the sale comes from the buyer including the cost of the back taxes.

　　That attracted great interest in the property, as Else said that he received four offers today alone. One woman said she was interested in the house for the wood. Another said that they would be willing to hand over an iPhone 6, and another offered $ 850. But Else hinted that the most likely buyer is someone who already lives on the block and put in a $ 700 bid (出价), and their familiarity with the area appeared to put them at the head of the pack. He said he expects one of the four offers to work out, and may even confirm the sale tonight.

　　This is not the end of his bartering (物物交换) business, however, as Else said that he’s already gotten another call from a homeowner who has had trouble selling their property.

　　Why did the owner drop his price for the house?

　　A. Because the house was too old.

　　B. Because there is a boom in economy.

　　C. Because the population in Detroit is small.

　　D. Because he wanted to sell the house quickly.

　　Larry Else hasn’t come into the house because ______．’t permit it

　　C. it will break the company’s rule

　　D. he is not familiar with the area

　　The house will most possibly be sold at the price of ______．______．

　　C

　　Prepare: Plan ahead and think about what you are going to say. In the words of Mark Twain, it usually takes you more than three weeks to prepare for it.

　　Know your subject: Always make sure that you know the subject and have background information at hand for question time.

　　Know your audience: Find out who you will be addressing so that you can tailor (适合) your comments accordingly.

　　Make a point: Keep your speech short and brief and have a few clear points that you need to convey.

　　Practice: Never learn your speech by heart as your delivery will become unnatural, but do practice it a few times in front of the mirror, your parents or your dog.

　　Eye contact: If the thought of looking into a sea of faces scares you, adjust your gaze regularly at different points in the room to create the same effect.

　　First impressions: Your first impression is important when making a public presentation. Find out about dress codes at the place so that you look your best and, if possible, check the microphone beforehand to ensure you know how to use it.

　　Get help: If public presentations are a major part of your life, read up on the art of speech writing and delivery to improve your skills.

　　Knowing your subject helps you ______．

　　A. shorten your preparation time

　　B. find out who likes your presentation best

　　C. make better answers when asked questions about the subject

　　D. keep a clear head and have clear points

　　If asked for more advice besides what has been mentioned in the text, you may suggest ______．

　　A. eye contact with the audience

　　B. various tone and body language

　　C. proper clothes

　　D. more practice

　　Which of the following is the best title of the passage?

　　A. How to teach others to speak

　　B. How to prepare for a perfect speech

　　C. How to be a good speechmaker

　　D. How to improve your speaking skills

　　D

　　As we all know, sunshine is important to vegetables, but not all vegetables need lots of sunshine. Mark Hoffman and his wife, Guia, own a bed-and-breakfast guesthouse in rural Kempton, Illinois. They often serve their guests produce fresh from the garden.

　　The Hoffmans have been growing food and flowers for twenty-five years. For almost ten of those years, Mr. Hoffman has been experimenting and working with shade plantings. He says visitors to his website — greenhousebed.com — often ask how to plant in shade spaces. He said, “The bottom line here is that most plants will produce more in full sun. But if you do not have full sun, there are other options.”

　　For example, he grows tomatoes near oak trees. Oak trees can produce a lot of shade. But Mr. Hoffman says his tomato plants grow as long as they get five hours a day of direct sunshine, especially morning sun. Not only does this go against the traditional advice that tomatoes need six, eight, even twelve hours a day of full sun, it also shows how plants and trees roots can share nutrients and water. Mr. Hoffman also planted asparagus (芦笋around a tree at its drip line (滴水线), the area below the outer limit of the branches. So when it rains, all the rain drips down right on the asparagus.

　　The Hoffmans’ website includes a list of vegetables, flowers and herbs that have produced acceptably for them in partial shade. Mr. Hoffman says plants with wider leaves seem to do better in shady environments. He also found that his potatoes did better in partial shade than in full sun.

　　Moving them out of the sun helped control an insect problem with leaf hoppers. Mr. Hoffman does not use pesticides (农药). Instead, he planted the potatoes at the drip line, especially on the east side of the tree. The potatoes get morning sun, but they are shaded during the hottest part of the day. Leaf hoppers dislike shade, and the hottest part of the day is when they do the worst of their damage.

　　Time of day, brightness of the sun, shadows from trees, walls and buildings, these all influence how much sunlight falls or does not fall on plants.

　　What can we infer from the second paragraph?

　　A. Sun can affect the production of some plants.

　　B. Food growing in the shade contains more nutrients.

　　C. Food and flowers produce more in the shade.

　　D. Food growing in the shade is the best choice for most plants.

　　By using asparagus as an example, the author wants to explain that ______．

　　A. asparagus prefers to grow in the shade

　　B. how leaves gain sunshine under the tree

　　C. vegetables grow better in partial shade

　　D. how plants and tree roots share water

　　The underlined words “leaf hoppers” in Para. 5 may be a kind of ______．

　　What’s the author’s purpose of writing the passage?

　　A. To present a kind of eco-friendly lifestyle.

　　B. To show vegetables can be planted in the shade.

　　C. To recommend an approach to managing a website.

　　D. To introduce Mark Hoffman and his family.

　　第二节（共5小题; 每小题2分，满分10分）

　　根据短文内容，从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。选项中有两项为多余选项。

　　feeling: we have a lot of work to do but a momentary feeling of laziness.

　　36

　　This is either because we lack the inspiration or are not encouraged enough to start working.

　　37

　　It often leads to the worsening of one’s relationship at work and affects work performance, which can result into job loss and extra stress. How to overcome laziness? Here are some tips for overcoming it.

　　Simple things first. An effective trick that helps you fight laziness effectively is to start with the simple things first.

　　38

　　38

　　Make a to-do list.

　　39

　　A to-do list can help us to realize that it often looks like more work than it actually is. When you create your to-do list, make sure to arrange the tasks from the easiest one to the more difficult one.

　　Remove distractions. Distractions are often the source for our laziness. We are often attracted by the distractions (TV, internet, etc.) as we perform our tasks.

　　40

　　Make sure that once you have started with one of your tasks, you will not get distracted from it by any means.

　　Remember, everything you manage to overcome laziness, reward yourself.

　　Regard a task as an exercise.

　　Whatever it is that distracts you, remove it!

　　That will slowly but surely break your inner resistance.

　　Sometimes we find ourselves in a situation with a pile of work.

　　We do not feel energized and just don’t want to do particular activities.

　　It is important that you focus your mind on the benefits, not on the difficulties.

　　Though often seen as a forgivable weakness, laziness can have a number of negative

　　effects on a person.

　　第三部分：英语知识运用（共两节，满分45分）

　　第一节：完形填空（共20小题；每小题1.5分，满分30分）

　　阅读下面短文，从短文后各题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。

　　Even as I write this story, I am still smiling. The past few weeks have been rather 

　　41 

　　  , but when a large number of Smile Cards arrived in my 

　　42 

　　 the other day, having traveled all the way from the United States to my home in the Northerlands, I knew things were about to 

　　43 

　　 .

　　I 

　　44 

　　 where to leave the cards as I went to bed that night: the train, benches at the station, at work, libraries, mailboxes, the gym — the possibilities 

　　45 

　　 endless.

　　I woke up, went to work, and afterwards, I went 

　　46 

　　 to the shop to buy some candy bars, planning to leave them as anonymous (匿名的)  

　　4 

　　 for people on the train. However,  

　　48 

　　 my early morning train, my train home was extremely crowded. An elderly man must have seen me searching for a place to 

　　49 

　　 a Smile Card, because he asked me if I was looking for something.

　　Right then I 

　　50 

　　 that my first Smile Card would not be anonymous. With a big smile and cheeks 

　　51 

　　 with excitement, I told him that I 

　　52 

　　 what I was looking for,  

　　53 

　　 him the candy bar and Smile Card I had in my hands. He had only just finished reading the card 

　　54 

　　 I arrived at my stop, but he was still smiling and 

　　55 

　　 his candy as I waved at him from the 

　　56 

　　 .

　　57 

　　 having worked a full day, I almost bounced (跳) home. Before I entered my apartment, I delivered a few more Smile Cards and candy bars to people’s mailboxes. I added an 

　　58 

　　 candy bar for a neighbor who I knew was in a difficult financial 

　　59 

　　 , but who I saw working hard every day to get the very best for her young son. I figured that they both 

　　60 

　　 a tasty little treat.

　　A. tough  

　　B. simple    

　　C. pleasant        D. common

　　A. office  

　　B. room    

　　C. mailbox       D. hands

　　A. turn away     B. turn around         C. turn up            D. turn down

　　A. plotted   

　　B. asked  

　　C. concerned     D. required

　　A. came    

　　B. had  

　　C. occurred     D. felt

　　A. slowly  

　　B. smoothly    

　　C. freely    

　　D. straight

　　A. surprise     B. gifts  

　　C. notice  

　　D. intention

　　A. unsure   

　　B. unusual  

　　C. unlike    

　　D. unlucky

　　A. drop  

　　B. give    

　　C. leave  

　　D. hide

　　A. wondered  

　　B. decided  

　　C. doubted  

　　D. suggested

　　A. content   

　　B. faced    

　　C. satisfied     D. filled

　　A. found   

　　B. invented

　　C. forgot  

　　D. remembered

　　A. transporting   B. posting  

　　C. sending  

　　D. handing

　　A. since

　　B. once 

　　C. until    

　　D. when  

　　A. reading  

　　B. enjoying  

　　C. buying  

　　D. carrying

　　A. entrance

　　B. office  

　　C. platform     D. bench

　　A. Because of

　　B. In spite of 

　　C. Instead of     D. In terms of

　　A. affordable     B. available  

　　C. extra            D. excellent

　　A. situation  

　　B. company  

　　C. staff

　　D. state

　　A. deserved 

　　B. rewarded

　　C. won   

　　D. admired

　　第II卷

　　注意：将答案写在答题卡上。写在本试卷上无效。

　　第三部分：英语知识运用（共两节，满分45分）

　　第二节（共10小题；每小题1.5分，满分15分）

　　阅读下面材料，在空白处填入适当的内容（1个单词）或括号内单词的正确形式。

　　In order to know a foreign language thoroughly, four things are necessary. Firstly, we must be able to understand the language when we hear

　　61

　　spoken. Secondly, we must be able to speak it ourselves, correctly, with confidence and

　　62

　　hesitation.

　　63

　　, we must be able to read the language and fourthly, we must be able to write it. We must be able to compose（组成）sentences that are grammatically correct. We must know

　　64

　　to arrange sentences in paragraphs so as to write a good letter or composition.

　　There is no easy way to succeed in language learning.

　　65

　　good memory is of great help, but it is not enough

　　66

　　(simple) to memorize rules from a grammar book. It is not much use learning by heart long lists of words and their

　　67

　　(meaning). We learn words not by ourselves,

　　68

　　in sentences. We must learn by using the language. If we are satisfied with only a few rules we

　　69

　　(memorize) so far, we are not really learning the language. “Learn through use” is a good piece of advice for those who

　　70

　　(be) studying a new language. Practice is very important. We must practice speaking and writing the language whenever we can.

　　第四部分：写作（共两节，满分35分）

　　第一节短文改错（共10小题；每小题1分，满分10分）

　　增加：在缺词处加一个漏词符号∧），并在下面写出该加的词。

　　删除：把多余的词用斜线＼划掉。

　　修改：在错词下一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。

　　注意：1每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；

　　只允许修改10处，多者从第11处不计分。

　　：书面表达（满分25分）

　　假如你是李华，要放寒假了，请给你的美国笔友Tom写一封电子邮件，邀请他来中国，主要内容包括：

　　邀请Tom来吉林市旅游（赏雾凇......）

　　邀请Tom与你的家人共度春节（看春晚......）

　　注意：1. 词数：100左右；

　　2. 可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。

　　Dear Tom,

　　How is everything going now? ____________________________________________

　　____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

　　____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

　　____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

　　___________________________________________________________________________

　　Yours,

　　Li Hua

　　命题、校对：1—5 CC ABA

　　6—10 BCACA

　　11—15 BBACA

　　16—20 BABBC

　　阅读理解：（每小题2分，共20小题，满分40分）

　　B. 细节理解题。由第一段倒数第二行可知。

　　A. 细节理解题。由第二段可知。

　　B. 细节理解题。A、C、D均与原文信息不符。

　　D. 写作意图题。由最后一段可知。

　　D. 细节理解题。由可知。

　　. 细节理解题。由第段

　　A. 细节理解题。

　　C. 推理判断题。由第一段最后一句可知。

　　C. 细节理解题。由第二段可知。

　　B. 细节理解题。由第五、六、七段可知 A、C、D项文中都有涉及。

　　C. 主旨大意题。由全文内容可知。

　　A. 推理判断题。由第二段最后两句可知。

　　D. 细节理解题。由第三段第四句可知。

　　A. 词义猜测题。由第五段第一句可知。

　　B. 写作意图题。由文章第一段可知。

　　36 — 40 E G C D B

　　完形填空 （每小题1.5分，共20小题，满分30分）

　　41. A. 空后的but表示转折关系，与smile的感觉相反。

　　42. C. 由最后一段第2句可知。

　　43. B. turn around意为“好转”。

　　44. A. Plot means making a secret plan to do something amusing to or for somebody.

　　45. D. 意为“感到有很多可能性”。

　　46. D. 意为“直接去商店”。

　　47. B. 意为“匿名的礼物”。

　　48. C. 意为“和早班车不一样”。

　　49. C. 44空后有提示。

　　50. B. 意为“我做出了一个决定”。

　　51. D. 固定搭配，与with a big smile相呼应。

　　52. A. 意为“我找到了我所想找的东西”。

　　53. D. 意为“我把手里的糖果和卡片递给他”。

　　54. D. 固定句式。

　　55. B. 意为“微笑着享用他的糖果”。

　　56. C. 由上下文可知我已到站下车，所以是“我站在站台上朝他挥手”。

　　57. B. 意为“尽管我工作了一整天，但我几乎是蹦蹦跳跳回家的”。

　　58. C. 意为“又补充了一块糖”。

　　59. A. 意为“经济困难的处境”。

　　60. A. 意为“值得美好的对待”。

　　知识运用第二节 （每小题1.5分，共10小题，满分15分）

　　it

　　62. without / no

　　63.Thirdly

　　64. how

　　65. A

　　66. simply

　　67. meanings

　　68. but

　　69. have memorized

　　70. are

　　短文改错：（每小题1分，满分10分）

　　Job-hopping, or frequent change of jobs, is becoming increasing common in China

　　increasingly

　　today. As the economy grow, more opportunities are appearing than before. The result is

　　grows

　　that people, especially young people, are willing ∧change jobs frequently, seek higher

　　to

　　seeking

　　salaries or more interesting positions.

　　Nevertheless, many people prefer to stay in their old job. This is partly why they feel

　　jobs

　　because

　　loyal to their work units, and partly because they dislike the idea of having to be spend

　　much time training for a new job.

　　I think it is the good thing for the workforce to be flexible. Besides, frequent

　　a

　　However

　　job-hopping prevents a person of gaining valuable job experience and developing

　　from

　　good work habits.

　　书面表达：（满分25分）One possible version:

　　Dear Tom,

　　How is everything going now? I am more than delighted to invite you to come to my hometown Jilin City during my winter holiday and I have organized many activities for you.

　　Jilin is famous for its soft rimes in winter, which is unique in China. With white and iced willows full of our eyes, I believe that will be an unforgettable experience! Besides, playing with snow and going sledding are popular with young people. What’s more, we will celebrate the most significant festival — the Spring Festival. It is a traditional custom for the whole family to make dumplings and watch the Spring Festival Gala together.

　　I really hope that you will accept my invitation. I am looking forward to your reply.

　　Yours,

　　Li Hua

　　附：听力录音原文

　　’ll have to be the following day.

　　(Text 2)

　　M: What’s the problem?

　　W: Could you tell me how I can copy this document into this disk? I’ve been trying on this computer for ages but I can’t seem to do it.

　　(Text 3)

　　W: Come on Derek. It’s time you had a break. You’ve been working since midday.

　　M: What time is it now then?

　　W: It’s seven o’clock. At least you should stop and have something to eat.

　　M: OK. Just for half an hour.

　　(Text 4)

　　W: I went to that new furniture store at the weekend, the one that’s like a huge supermarket.

　　M: Did you get anything?

　　W: Yes, a sofa bed, but it was hard to make a choice with all that furniture there.

　　(Text 5)

　　M: What’s your favorite weather?

　　W: Well, everyone likes it when it’s sunny, and I do, too.

　　M: How about cloudy days?

　　W: I really think grey clouds are beautiful! Fog is interesting, too, but it’s a bit dangerous, so I can’t say I like it.

　　(Text 6)

　　M: How many times have I told you not to take files home with you?

　　W: No, I didn’t, John. I left them just where you told me and…

　　M: But they are not here on this computer desk. Where’ve they gone? They can’t have got up and walked away.

　　W: Wait a minute. Sally was still here when I left. You know how she’s always tidying things away. Right, just as I thought, she put them here beside this fax machine.

　　(Text 7)

　　M: Hello, Mum, it’s me. Look, I know you must be really angry and I’m very sorry. We didn’t mean to get lost.

　　W: Oh Tom, it’s so good to hear your voice! We’ve been worried since the police called round. We were sure this phone call would be bad news. I mean, it’s been three days! Are you really OK?

　　M: Yeah, John’s got slight injuries from his fall out on the hills, but other than that, yeah, we’re doing fine.

　　W: Well, that’s something. When do you think you’ll be able to get home?

　　M: The day after tomorrow, all being well.

　　(Text 8)

　　W: I’d like to go dancing with Jane. But she’s hurt her ankle so she’d rather not.

　　M: I guess it means she doesn’t want to play tennis, either.

　　W: That’s right. She says it’s OK to go bowling if we don’t expect her to do well.

　　M: Let’s do it! I guess we can go dancing another time.

　　W: Well, I booked us some time at the bowling center of Entertainment City.

　　M: What time did you book for?

　　W: The first booking I could get was 8 o’clock. It’s 7 now. I’ll leave in ten minutes and meet you there.

　　M: I’ll take my car, so I’ll be quite quick. I’ll be out of here in half an hour.

　　W: OK. You’re so lucky to have a car! You can get around so easily.

　　M: Well, yes and no. I often spend ages driving around trying to find a car park.

　　(Text 9)

　　W: Hello Karl! I haven’t seen you since we both went to university.

　　M: Good to see you, Laura. I’m just back home for a few days.

　　W: Me too. How are you finding it studying in a foreign country?

　　M: I had to find my own accommodation, although the university was very helpful and gave me a list of apartments so it wasn’t that hard. The language isn’t a problem because my course is taught in English. But understanding the other students’ jokes isn’t easy!

　　W: Sounds like fun, though! Well, I’ve been in City University London for two years. I’m really concentrating on my studies at the moment because I’ve got an important essay to write. Have you thought about what you’ll do after your university course finishes?

　　M: I haven’t made up my mind actually.

　　W: You must feel lonely sometimes abroad. I thought I’d love the freedom of being away from home, but it can be hard.

　　M: Well, it’s normal to feel like that. Why don’t you come and visit me when you can afford it?

　　W: I’m really curious to see what it’s like at your university. I’ve got more than enough studying to do at the moment, though, I’m afraid.

　　(Text 10)

　　I discovered at an early age that I only did well at something if I enjoyed doing it. I didn’t like maths at school so I never got good results, but sport was different. So now I work for Electra, a company selling computer games.

　　My first job after leaving school was in a bike shop. Then, I decided to go to college and study engineering, but I soon gave that up because I couldn’t get enthusiastic about it. After that, I got a job working in a frozen food company. People there seemed to like the way I worked, as later they offered me the job of sales manager. I really enjoyed my time there and I managed to increase its sales greatly by improving customer service. I stayed with them for ten years before moving to join Electra.

　　I started working with the staff of Electra, showing them how to deal with the customers. Then I was promoted to the job of training organizer for the USA. Now I’m here in the UK and I’m the general manager. Although we haven’t introduced any new products yet, our sales figures have improved due to increased TV advertising. We’ve opening six new stores next year and although I’m busy, I enjoy feeling I’m part of the company’s success story.