Silicon Valley is a magnet to which numerous talented engineers, scientists and entrepreneurs from overseas flock to in search of fame, fast money and to participate in a technological revolution whose impact on mankind will surely surpass the epoch-making European Renaissance and Industrial Revolution of the bygone age.
　　With the rapid spread of the Internet and the relentless technological innovations generated through it, the information era is truly upon us, pro-foundly influencing and changing not only our lifestyle, but also the way we work, do business, think and communicate with others.
　　It is noteworthy that close to 50% of its skilled manpower, including engineers, scientists and entre-preneurs, come from Asia. Prominent among them are Indians and Chinese, and not a few Singaporeans.
　　Intellectual challenges aside, it is a common practice for start-ups to offer generous share options to employees in order to attract the right talent into their folds. This is a powerful incentive to motivate the staff to do their utmost and to share in the company's prosperity if it reaches its goal. Many regard this as the foundation of a successful enterprise.（184 words）
　　1. Why is Silicon Valley compared with a magnet? Because
　　A. it is very famous.
　　B. it attracted numerous talented people.
　　C. numerous talented people flock to it.
　　D. its impact will surpass European Renaissance and Industrial Revolution.
　　2. What does “it” in 2nd paragraph refer to?
　　A. the Internet
　　B. the rapid spread of the Internet
　　C. the information era
　　D. our lifestyle
　　3. What does “its” in 2nd paragraph mean??
　　A. Silicon Valley’s
　　B. the Internet’s
　　C. Asia’s
　　D. America’s
　　4. Which of the following is NOT TRUE about the common practice for start-ups?
　　A. Intellectual challenges.
　　B. Generous share options.
　　C. Sharing in the company's prosperity.
　　D. A successful enterprise.
　　5. The main idea of the passage is
　　A. Silicon Valley’s success
　　B. the information era upon us
　　C. Intellectual challenges
　　D. practice of successful enterprise

　　Earlier this year, when America first sneezed, the European Central Bank (along with most private-sector economists) argued that the euro area was insulated from America's slowdown and had little to worry about. This seems to have been wrong. In Germany there are fears about recession as business investment and retail sales tumble. Recent figures confirmed that Germany's GDP stagnated in the second quarter. Italy's GDP fell in the second quarter, and although growth has held up better in France and Spain, the growth in the euro area as a whole was close to zero in the quarter. Nobody is forecasting an actual recession in the euro area this year, but it is no longer expected to provide an engine for world growth.
　　As for Japan, it is probably already in recession. Japan's GDP grew slightly in the first quarter. Persistent deflation continues to be a severe problem. A revised measure of Japan's consumer-price index, to be published soon, is likely to show that deflation is worse than had been thought. （170 words）
　　1. What does the 1st sentence mean?
　　A. Earlier this year, America suffered from a cold.
　　B. The European Central Bank believed it wouldn’t be affected by US.
　　C. The European Central Bank had little to worry about.
　　D. The euro area was safe and sound.
　　2. What were Germany and Italy's GDP in the second quarter?
　　A. stagnated
　　B. fell
　　C. suffered
　　D. halted and deceased
　　3. What was the economic situation in France and Spain?
　　A. Much better.
　　B. Somewhat better.
　　C. Close to zero.
　　D. Much worse.
　　4. Which of the following is NOT TRUE about Japan’s economy?
　　A. It is perhaps already in decline.
　　B. Japan's GDP grew slightly in the first quarter.
　　C. Deflation continues to be a severe problem.
　　D. It is worse than that of US and Europe.
　　5. The best title for the passage is
　　A. The world economic situation
　　B. The world economic recession
　　C. The worse World economic situation
　　D. The reason for world economic recession