Passage OneQuestions 1 to 5 are based on the following passage.America's recent history has been a persistent tilt to the West--of people, ideas, commerce and even political power. California and Texas are the twin poles of the West, but very different ones. For most of the 20th century the home of Silicon Valley and Hollywood has been the brainier and trendier of the two. Texas has trailed behind: its stereotype has been a conservative Christian in cowboy boots. But twins can change places. Is that happening now?It is easy to find evidence that California is in a panic. At the start of this month the once golden state started paying creditors in IOUs (欠条). The gap between projected outgoings and income for the current fiscal (财政的) year has leapt to a horrible $26 billion. With no sign of a new budget to close this gulf, one credit agency has already downgraded California's debt. As budgets are cut, universities will let in fewer students, prisoners will be released early and schemes to protect the vulnerable will be rolled back.By contrast, Texas has coped well with the recession, with an unemployment rate two points below the national average and one of the lowest rates of housing repossession. In part this is because Texan banks, hard hit in the last property bust, did not overexpand this time. Texas also clearly offers a different model, based on small government. It has no state capital-gains or income tax, and a business-friendly and immigrant-tolerant attitude. It is home to more Fortune 500 companies than any other state.Despite all this, it still seems too early to hand over America's future to Texas. To begin with, that lean Texan model has its own problems. It has not invested enough in education, and many experts rightly worry about a "lost generation" of mostly Hispanic Texans with insufficient skills for the demands of the knowledge economy.Second, it has never paid to bet against a state with as many inventive people as California. Even if Hollywood has gone into depression, it still boasts an unequalled array of sunrise industries and the most brisk venture-capital industry on the planet. The state also has an awesome ability to reinvent itself--as it did when its defence industry collapsed at the end of the cold war.The truth is that both states could learn from each other. Texas still lacks California's great universities and lags in terms of culture. California could adopt not just Texas's leaner state, but also its more bipartisan (两党的) approach to politics. There is no perfect model of government: it is America's genius to have 50 public-policy laboratories competing to find out what works best.01. What does the author say about California and Texas in Paragraph 1? __[空格内填写选项大写字母]
A. They have been competing for the leading position.
B. California has been superior to Texas in many ways.
C. They are both models of development for other states.
D. Texas's cowboy culture is less known than California's.

02. What does the author say about today's California? __[空格内填写选项大写字母]
A. Its debts are pushing it into bankruptcy.
B. Its budgets have been cut by $26 billion.
C. It is faced with a serious financial cr.
D. It is trying hard to protect the vulnerable.

03. In what way is Texas different from California? __[空格内填写选项大写字母]
A. It practices small government.
B. It is home to traditional industries.
C. It has a large Hispanic population.
D. It has an enviable welfare system.

04. What problem is Texas confronted with? __[空格内填写选项大写字母]
A. Its Hispanic population is mostly illiterate.
B. Its sunrise industries are shrinking rapidly.
C. Its education cannot meet the needs of the knowledge economy.
D. Its immigrants have a hard time adapting to its cowboy culture.

05. What do we learn about American politics from the passage? __[空格内填写选项大写字母]
A. Each state has its own way of governing.
B. Most states favor a bipartisan approach.
C. Parties collaborate in drawing public policies.
D. All states believe in government for the people.Passage TwoQuestions 6 to 10 are based on the following passage.The first clue came when I got my hair cut. The stylist offered not just usual coffee or tea but a complementary nail-polish change while I waited for my hair to dry. Maybe she hoped this little amenity would slow the growing inclination of women to stretch each haircut to last four months while nursing our hair back to whatever natural colour we long ago forgot.Then there was the appliance salesman who offered to carry my bags as we toured the microwave aisle. When I called my husband to ask him to check some specs online, the salesman offered a pre-emptive discount, lest the surfing turn up the same model cheaper in another store. That night, for the first time, I saw the Hyundai ad promising shoppers that if they buy a car and then lose their job in the next year, they can return it.Suddenly everything’s on sale. The upside to the economic downturn is the immense incentive it gives retailers to treat you like a queen for a day. During the flush times, salespeople were surly, waiters snobby. But now the customer rules, just for showing up. There’s more room to stretch out on the flight, even in a coach. The malls have that serene aura of undisturbed wilderness, with scarcely a shopper in sight. Every conversation with anyone selling anything is a pantomime of pain and bluff. Finger the scarf, then start to walk away, and its price floats silkily downward. When the mechanic calls to tell you that brakes and a timing belt and other services will run close to $2,000, it’s time to break out the newly perfected art of the considered pause. You really don’t even have to say anything pitiful before he’ll offer to knock a few hundred dollars off.Restaurants are also caught in a fit of ardent hospitality, especially around Wall Street. Trinity Place offers $3 drinks at happy hour any day the market goes down, with the slogan “Market tanked? Get tanked!” — which ensures a lively crowd for the closing bell. The “21” Club has decided that men no longer need to wear ties, so long as they bring their wallets. Food itself is friendlier: you notice more comfort food, a truce between chef and patron that is easier to enjoy now that you can get a table practically anywhere. New York Times restaurant critic Frank Bruni characterizes the new restaurant demeanor as “extreme solicitousness tinged with outright desperation.” “You need to hug the customer,” one owner told him.There’s a chance that ually we’ll return all this kindness with the extravagant spending that was once decried but now everyone is hoping will restart the economy. But human nature is funny that way. In erous times, we clench and squint at the deal that looks too good to miss, suspecting that it must be too good to be true. Is the store with the supercheap flat screens going to go bust and thus not be there to honor the “free” extended warranty? Is there something wrong with that free cheese? Store owners will tell you horror stories about shoppers with attitude, who walk in demanding discounts and flaunt their new power at every turn. They wince as they sense bad habits forming: Will people expect discounts forever? Will their hard-won brand luster be forever cheapened, especially for items whose allure depends on their being ridiculously priced?There will surely come a day when things go back to “normal”; retail sales even inched up in January after sinking for the six months. But I wonder what it will take for us to see those $545 Sigerson Morrison studded toe-ring sandals as reasonable? Bargain-hunting can be addictive regardless of the state of the markets, and haggling is a low-risk, high-value contact sport. Trauma digs deep into habits, like my 85-year-old mother still calling her canned-goods cabinet “the bomb shelter.” The children of the First Depression were saving string and preaching sacrifice long after the skies cleared. They came to be called the “greatest generation.” As we learn to be decent stewards of our resources, who knows what might come of it? We have lived in an age of wanton waste, and there is value in practicing conservation that goes far beyond our own bottom line.06. According to the passage, what does “the first clue” suggest? __[空格内填写选项大写字母]A. Shops try all kinds of means to please customers.B. Shops, large or small, are offering big discounts.C. Women tend to have their hair cut less frequently.D. Customers refrain from buying things impulsively.07. Which of the following best depicts the retailers now? __[空格内填写选项大写字母]A. Bad-tempered.B. Highly motivated.C. Over-friendly.D. Deeply frustrated.08. What does the author mean by “the newly perfected art of the considered pause”? __[空格内填写选项大写字母]A. Customers now rush to buy things on sale.B. Customers have got a sense of superiority.C. Customers have learned how to bargain.D. Customers have higher demands for service.09. According to the passage, “shoppers...flaunt their new power at every turn” means that shoppers would __.[空格内填写选项大写字母]A. keep asking for more discountsB. like to show that they are powerfulC. like to show off their wealthD. have more doubts or suspicion10. What is the author’s main message in the last two paragraphs? __[空格内填写选项大写字母]A. Extravagant spending would boost economic growth.B. One’s life experience would turn into lifelong habits.C. Customers should expect discounts for luxury goods.D. The practice of frugality is of great importance.