2014职称英语考试教材简介
2014年全国专业技术人员职称外语等级考试系列用书
为帮助广大专业技术人员更好地了解外语考试要求，掌握考试内容，熟悉考试方法，根据人力资源和社会保障部专业技术人员管理司审定的《全国专业技术人
员职称外语等级考试大纲》，人力资源社会保障部人事考试中心和国家外国专家
局培训中心组织编写了2014年版全国职称外语等级考试用书，由中国人事出版社出版发行。
该系列用书是全国职称外语等级考试唯一指定考试用书，涵盖英语、日语、俄语、德语、法语、西班牙语等6个语种，包括考试大纲、考试教材和考试辅导三大系列。
语种书名类别出版单位单价
英语（综合类）全国专业技术人员职称英语等级考试大纲大纲
中国人事出版社
外语教学与研究出版社
20元全国职称英语等级考试用书（综合类）（配盘）教材中国人事出版社48元全国职称英语等级考试专项突破与综合训练（综
合类）
教辅中国人事出版社38元全国职称英语等级考试历年真题及全真模拟试卷
（综合类）
教辅中国人事出版社38元职称英语等级考试词汇重点突破教辅中国人事出版社38元
英语（理工类）全国专业技术人员职称英语等级考试大纲大纲
中国人事出版社
外语教学与研究出版社
20元全国职称英语等级考试用书（理工类）（配盘）教材中国人事出版社48元全国职称英语等级考试专项突破与综合训练（理
工类）
教辅中国人事出版社38元全国职称英语等级考试历年真题及全真模拟试卷
（理工类）
教辅中国人事出版社38元职称英语等级考试词汇重点突破教辅中国人事出版社38元
英语（卫生类）全国专业技术人员职称英语等级考试大纲大纲
中国人事出版社
外语教学与研究出版社
20元全国职称英语等级考试用书（卫生类）（配盘）教材中国人事出版社48元全国职称英语等级考试专项突破与综合训练（卫
生类）
教辅中国人事出版社38元全国职称英语等级考试历年真题及全真模拟试卷教辅中国人事出版社38元
（卫生类）
职称英语等级考试词汇重点突破教辅中国人事出版社38元
日语全国专业技术人员职称日语等级考试大纲大纲中国人事出版社18元全国职称日语等级考试用书教材中国人事出版社46元全国职称日语等级考试综合训练教辅中国人事出版社38元全国职称日语等级考试自学通教辅中国人事出版社38元
俄语全国专业技术人员职称俄语等级考试大纲大纲外语教学与研究出版社11元全国职称俄语等级考试用书教材中国人事出版社46元
德语全国专业技术人员职称德语等级考试大纲大纲外语教学与研究出版社19元法语全国专业技术人员职称法语等级考试大纲大纲外语教学与研究出版社23元西班牙
语
全国专业技术人员职称西班牙语等级考试大纲大纲外语教学与研究出版社40元教材随书赠送新版《全国专业技术人员职称英语等级考试辅导光盘（CD-ROM）》，光盘中附有模拟试卷和试题解析。
为打击盗版，保障考生利益，每册图书封面均贴有防伪码，以便查询真伪。
2021年职称英语查词典的技巧
职称英语查词典的技巧 职称英语是闭卷考，但允许考生携带词典进入考场。关于词典，国家有明确的规定，以下词典不允许带入考场： 有职称字样的词典不要带入考场; 针对职称英语考试编写的词典不能带入考场; 电子出版物，即电子词典不能带入考场。 其它的词典国家没有明确的规定。因此建议尽量选择具备同义词、收词量相对较大的词典。 此外，能否取胜职称英语，掌握查词典的技巧，尤其是合理分配查词典的时间也是很关键的。 在以往的`考试中，很多考生把词典当成“救命稻草”，抱着一大堆各种类型的词典进考场。但往往不是多数词典派不上用场，就是因为翻词典而浪费了大量的时间无法做完 ___，因此，建议:要有针对性地带词典。例如针对英语考试中的第一部分词汇题，老师建议考生带一本同义词词典或双解词典，这类词典的特点是用几个同义词注解某一英文单词，考生可以非常方便地在注解中找到答案。
其次，为了节省时间，考生最好是带自己经常使用、习惯了其编排规律的词典。在以往的考试中，甚至有少数考生对英语词典中字母表排列顺序的规律都不了解，这等于把这一得力工具浪费了。 综上所述，带一本自己常用的，正规的双解词典就好了，因为是去参加考试，不是去翻字典。 对于词汇选择题，最好从B、C两个选项查起。根据美国权威机构通过对标准化考试的研究与分析，选择题的4个选项中，B、C两个选项是正确答案的可能性更高。从这2个选项查起，更能节约考试时间。 重点查阅单词的常用解释。单词与汉语一样，一个单词可能同时有好几个解释，但是职称英语考试中一般都只会考察单词的常用意思，因此有多个解释的单词只需查阅其前三个解释即可。 一旦将答案确定，不要再查询其它单词，以免浪费时间。有些考生希望能确认或是不太肯定所选择答案，往往就把4个选项均查询了一遍，不仅浪费了时间，也可能将原本的正确答案修改了，第一感觉是很重要的!
2014年6月六级翻译真题答案及解析
卷一： 真题：中文热词通常反映社会变化和文化，有些在外国媒体上愈来愈流行。例如，土豪和大妈都是老词，但已获取了新的意义。 土豪以前指欺压佃户和仆人的乡村地主，现在用于指花钱如流水或喜欢炫耀财富的人，也就是说，土豪有钱，但是没有品位。大妈是对中年妇女的称呼，但是现在特指不久前金价大跌时大量购买黄金的中国妇女。 土豪和大妈可能会被收入新版的牛津(OXford)英语词典，至今约有120中文加进了牛津英语词典，成了英语语言的一部分。 参考答案： The Chinese heated words usually reflect social changes and culture, some o f which are increasingly popular with foreign media. Tuhao and dama, forexa mple, are both old words, but they get differentmeanings now. The word tuhao used to mean rural landlords who oppress their tenants and servants, while now it refers to people spending money withoutlimits or those showing off all around. That is to say, tuhao owns money rather than taste. T heword dama is used to describe middle-aged women. However, it is regarde d as a special wordto call those Chinese women who rushed to purchase gol d when th e gold price decreasedsharply not long ago. Tuhao and dama may be included in the new Oxford dictionary. Up to now, ab out 120 Chinesewords have been added to it, becoming a part of English lang uage. 卷二： 最近中国科学院(Chinese Academy of Science )出版了关于其最新科学发现与未来一 年展望的年度系列报告。系列报告包括三部分：科学发展报告，高技术发展报告，中国可持续战略报告。第一份报告包含中国科学家的最新发现，诸如新粒子研究与H7N9病毒研究的突破。该报告还突出强调了未来几年需要关注的问题。第二份报告公布了一些应用科学研究的热门领域，如3D打印和人造器官研究。第三份报告呼吁加强顶层设计，以消除工业升级中的结构性障碍，并促进节能减排。 Chinese Academy of Science recently published an annual report about its latest scientific findings and the prospect of the next year. The report consists of three parts: science development, more advanced technology development and the sustainable strategy of China. The first one includes the latest findings of Chinese scientists, such as the research of new particle and the breakthrough in the study of H7N9 virus. Furthermore, it highlights some problems we need to focus in next few years. The second one announces some heated fields in applied science. For example, the 3-dimension print and the study of human organs. The third one suggests people enhance the top design in order to get rid of the structural obstacles in industrial upgrading and to promote the energy-saving and emission-reduction. 卷三： 北京计划未来三年投资7600亿元治理污染，从减少pm2.5排放入手。这一新公布的计划
全国专业技术人员职称英语等级考试模拟试题(DOC 9页)
2011年全国专业技术人员职称英语等级考试模拟试题（卫生类） 考试时间：120分钟考试总分：100分 （2011年卫生类职称英语考试题型：词汇选项、阅读判断、补全短文、完形填空、概括大意与完成句子、阅读理解。） 第1部分：词汇选项（第1~15题,每题l分,共15分） 下面共有15个句子,每个句子中均有1个词或短语划有底横线,请从每个句子后面所给的4个选项中选择1个与划线部分意义最相近的词或短语。参考答案一律涂在答题卡相应的位置上。 1 In 1840 Lucretia Most and Elizabeth Stanton were excluded from. The World's Anti-slavery Convention merely because they were women. A consulted by B elected to C kept out of D applauded by 2 The measures taken by the administration failed to reduce unemployment. A helped to B did not C were not intended to D were necessary to 3 Mary said that she was fed up. A disgusted B satisfied C ravenous D full 4 The mayor refused to give in to the demand of the group. A reply to B yield to C acknowledge D publicize 5 Mr. Jackson wants to give out this news as soon as possible. A furnish B announce C emit D abandon 6 Some forms of arthritis may develop when the body's ability to fight disease goes awry. A takes over B comes up C is interrupted D becomes faulty 7 The man in a rage was dead last night. A narrative B laudable C outraged D patentable 8 Sand is found in abundance on the seashore and is often blown inland td form sand hills and dunes. A at random B at high tide C in dry mounds D in great quantities 9 Some varieties of shorthorns, the most common breed of beef cattle, are in fact hornless. A credibly B actually C reportedly D potentially 10 Due to his carelessness, he was left out of an opportunity. A included in B excluded from C superior to D exhausted by考试大－全国最大教育类网站(。com) 11 The leaders of modern architecture have characteristically been vigorous and articulate thinkers in whose minds architectural theory is linked to ideas of social reform. A defined by B related to C applied to D reinforced by 12 If a foreign object becomes lodged in the eye, medical help is necessary. A deposited in B invisible to C blurred to D isolated in 13 James Was oblivious to the noise around him. A nervous about B furious about C irritated by D Unaware of
职称英语核心词汇汇总
职称英语核心词汇汇总
职称英语考试备考技巧 一、词汇： 需要考生在最后阶段练习查字典，建议一天练习查60对，而且一个词汇题要反、正查，同时也要进行职称考试中常考词汇的记忆，这样可以在考试时提高速度，节省时间。 词汇题一般情况下仅凭字典一般也能做对，因此考生对自己不认识、不熟悉或没有绝对把握的题一定要通过字典来确认，从而确保词汇题100%的正确率。特别提醒考生，考试时要带上一本带有同义词的词典。且词典不能含有职称、考试等字样，更不能带电子词典。 二、阅读判断： 答题时需掌握一条原则，就是在文章中有明确提出的才能确定为对。题目中若出现must、only、all、always等时，答案一般不会是对的。 除上面的原则外，一般根据下列原则和规律也可以确定正确答案。选择A、B或C的三种情况： 选A的情况：如果某题干与原文信息完全一致或基本一致 选B的情况：如果某题干与原文信息完全相反 选C的情况：如果某题干部分或局部信息在原文中未提到 三、概括大意和完成句子： 概括大意要先看选项，寻找关键词，确定所考段落。完成句子则要根据所给的短句进行选择，比较好的方法是找同类动词。 同时读每段话时，要抓住该段话的主题句和核心词汇，正确答案常常是主题句的改写。读每段话时，并不是该段话全要仔细阅读。这样，既浪费时间，也不容易抓住重点。应该抓住该段话的主题句。 四、阅读理解： 首先要重点掌握教材上的阅读理解的重点文章的背诵，来抓住出自教材上的分数，这是顺利通过考试很关键的一步。
同时充分利用老师在课上讲的解题技巧，如大标题做题法、红花绿叶原则、顺序出题原则、关键词回归定位法通过做模拟试题来进行解题技巧的演练和应用。 在做题时要注意：搞清主旨题、细节题、推理题、逻辑关系题、观点态度题。注意标题、首尾段、首尾句、逻辑关系处、细节处等出题点；在阅读时见到日期、数量等要先做好标记，这样有重点有理有节的解题，才有可能取得满意的成绩。 五、补全短文： 要先看标题定文体，再看选项，观察选项时应注意抓主干，猜大意，弄清选项大意是表示定义、因果、例子还是措施；不要放过代词、专用名字、连接词、数字等特征词；然后回头再去看课文，明确1-5的位置。 解每道题时只需要阅读该题所在段落，不需要阅读其他段落。往往通过阅读该题目的前后句就能够确定答案，在考试时，应该注意利用以下前后句子存在的关系来做题： (1)利用转折关系 (2)利用归纳总结关系 (3)利用总分关系 (4)利用并列关系 六、完形填空： (1)掌握教材上的文章内容，尤其是2013年新增文章。把这些文章在考前一个月内，争取背到“滚瓜烂熟”，这样，就算考试时怎样变化都可以应付。 (2)语法知识的总结和固定搭配、词组的记忆。这样在做题时，阅读整篇文章，考生才能从头判断每个空所缺的词的语言形式，如词类、时态、语态，并判断该词应具有的符合文章上下文的词义，最后从给出的四个选项中，选出在语法与词义上均与原文相符合的一个。除掌握以上解题技巧外，考生最好配合在模拟真实的考试时间进行模拟试题的演练，这样不但可以直接掌握复习效果，还可以迅速找到自己的薄弱环节，通过单项训练，逐一提高成绩。最后，提醒考生，在抓紧时间复习的同时要放松心情，以轻松的心态迎接考试。预祝顺利通过考试！ 全国职称英语考试必过秘籍（免背单词+免读全文版） 1、试题概况及答题顺序 1.1、必杀技：见下表中“答题顺序”：
历年(-)全国职称英语考试A级考试真题及参考答案
2002年全国职称英语考试理工类（A级）考试试题及参考答案 第1部分：词汇选项 (第1～15题，每题1分，共15分) 下面共有15个句子，每个句子中均有1个词或短语画有底横线，请从每个句子后面所给的4个选项中选择1个与画线部分意义最相近的词或短语。答案一律涂在答题卡相应的位置上。 1 The price of vegetables f1uctuates according to the weather. A jumps B rises C falls D changes 2 Did you do that to irritate her? A tease B attract C annoy D protect 3 Mary looked pale and weary． A ill B tired C worried D peaceful 4 The water in this part of the river has been contaminated by sewage(污水). A polluted B downgraded C mixed D blackened 5 Her treatment of the subject is exhaustive. A very boring B very thorough C very interesting D very touching 6 Alice is a fascinating girl. A a beautiful B a pretty C an attractive D a pleasant
7 Her mood can be gauged by her reaction to the most trivial of incidents. A displayed B shown C proved D assessed 8 The old lady let her flat to an English couple. A offered B rented C provided D sold 9 She stood there，crying and trembling with fear． A shaking B staggering C struggling D murmuring 10 They strolled around the lake for an hour or so. A ran B rolled C walked D raced 11 The conclusion can be deduced from the premises． A argued B derived C permitted D come 12 I can no longer tolerate his actions． A putupwith B accept C take D suffer from 13 Our plan is to allocate one member of staff to handle appointments. A ask B persuade C assign D order 14 She has been the subject of massive media coverage. A extensive B negative
职称英语C考试指导用书中完型全文(注释版)
第一篇 A Health Profile态度，姿态剖面, 侧面, 外形(C级) A health pro a portrait of all of the factors that influence your health. To draw获得your health profile, you will need to know what diseases run in your family, what health 需要知道 hazards冒险, 危险, 冒险you may be exposed to at work, how your daily diet compares to the recommended standards, how much time per week you spend exercising and what type of exercise you engage in , how stressful your work and family environments are, what kinds of illnesses you get regularly, and whether or not you have any one of a number of addictions. 有何不良嗜好 类型, 模型, 标本 your blood, heart, and lungs are functioning. This checkup will serve as a baseline, to which 完整的描述 priorities优先, 重点; 优先权based on your particular portrait. For example, if you drink Two martinis every evening, have a high-stress job, are overweight, smoke a pack of cigarettes a day, and use marijuana occasionally on weekends, you should quit smoking first, followed by losing of your job, giving up your 马提尼酒if you want to prevent first cancer, and then heart disease. Even for the youthful working person who has 认真看看自己工作和家庭生活中的全部健康习惯 that will benefit him in the future. 第二篇 Making Yourself a Good Record(C级) If you are an American and you think you might need to borrow money someday, the best thing to do is start early. That’s because just as many employers want to hire only people with experience, banks 借贷证明记录 But if you need experience just to get a start, how do you get that stat in the first place? With a little help from your parents usually, while you are still financially dependent on 认为如果你无力偿还，会为你支付 So just as time 开创信贷记录Credit reports are a summary of one’s personal credit history, gathered by a credit
2014年12月六级第一套 翻译真题及解析
2014.12.1st 反应在艺术和文学中的乡村生活理想是中国文明的重要特征。这在很大程度上归功于道家对自然地感情。传统中国画有两个最受青睐的主题，一是家庭生活的各种幸福场景，画中往往有老人在下棋饮茶，男人在耕耘收割，妇女在织布缝衣，小孩在户外玩耍。另一个则是乡村生活的种种乐趣，画有渔夫在湖上打渔，农夫在山上砍柴采药，或是书生坐在松树下吟诗作画。这两个主题可以分别代表儒家和道家的生活理想。 Rural life ideals reflected in Chinese arts and literature is an important feature of Chinese civilization. This is largely attributed to feelings of Taoism to the nature. There are two most popular themes in traditional Chinese paintings. One is various scenes of happy family life with the elderly drinking teas and playing chess, men plowing and harvesting, women sewing and weaving, or children playing outdoors. The other is a variety of fun in rural life with a fisherman fishing on the lake, farmers cutting firewood or collecting medicinal herbs, scholars reciting poems or painting pictures under a pine tree. These two themes represent separately Confucian and Taoist ideal life.
2015年全国职称英语等级考试综合类(C级)试题及答案
2015职称英语综合类C真题及答案(完整版) 第1部分：词汇选项(第1-15题，每题1分，共15分) 下面每个句子中均有1个词语或短语画有底横线，请为每处划线部分确定1个意义最为接近的选项。 1 Railways are the most important mode of transport for the economy. A way B factor C objective D source 2 The law carries a penalty of up to three years in prison. A message B punishment C guilt D obligation 3 He said some harsh words about his brother. A proper B normal C unclear D unkind 4 I am going as a favor to Ann because I have to. A partner B help C drive D guide 5 We need to identify the potential problem. A man B possible C immediate D common 6 When did you first encounter these difficulties? A create B experience C present D resolve 7 Don’t tempt thieves by leaving valuable clearly visible. A attract B alarm C catch D spot 8 There is a need for radical changes in education.
2021年全国职称英语考试秘籍-一考必过
职称英语必过经验之谈 欧阳光明（2021.03.07） 1、试题概况及答题顺序 1.1、必杀技：见下表中“答题顺序”： 1.2、详解 1.2.1、词汇、阅读理解、完型填空所占分值最高（合计高达75分），放到前面来做，避免万一时间不够，可以确保先抓住大部分分数。 1.2.2、词汇、阅读理解、完型填空都是部分来自教材，放到前面来做，记忆比较深刻，答题成功率较高。
1.2.3、阅读判断放到最后，是因为本题根据经验蒙答案（具体方法后面详述）成功率可拿到全部7分中的3分，这样可以腾出时间给需要查词典即可稳拿分数的词汇题，所以阅读判断的答题时间只有1分钟。 2、词汇（1分/题*15=15分） 2.1、必杀技： 2.1.1、准备一本正式出版的英语同义词词典，推荐牛津出版社出版，外研社翻译出版的《牛津英语同义词词典》。 2.1.2、教材练习不用做，把答案勾画出来，只需记住其中题目划线部分或者答案是词组的，其余不用看。 2.1.3、考试时看到有教材中的词组题则直接答上，其余的查词典。 2.2、详解： 2.2.1、职称英语考试允许带一本正式出版的，并非针对职称英语考试而编写的词典。而本题考核内容就是同义词（词组），显然使用同义词典效率更高。 2.2.2、词组记忆相对容易而查词典找同义词组相对较困难，又因试题来自教材练习4-9题，所以必须记住教材中的词组题。教材词汇练习一共100题，其中有词组的也就20个左右，记住绝对没有困难； 2.2.3、因职称英语词汇数量有限，直接查同义词词典，一般前三个义项就会有答案。 3、阅读理解（3分/题*15题=45分）
3.1、必杀技： 3.1.1、熟记教材文章练习题的正确答案，重点掌握去年教材上没有的新增文章，考试时先找教材上的文章，做出来。 3.1.2、其他文章，先作考试题目中有人名、地名、国家名、数字、年代等专有名词的题。 3.1.3、勾画出考试题目中的关键词（一般是名词，不必认识它也不必查词典），然后到文章中找一样的关键词定位。 3.1.4、定位关键词后，对比文章中关键词附近的词或词组，与答案选项中词或者词组重合的最多的即为正确答案。（就像玩拼图游戏，考察你的眼力！ˇ?ˇ） 3.1.5、如果你无法定位关键词，则： 3.1.5.1、如有选项为“以上X项皆是”，即为正确答案， 3.1.5.2、看四个答案选项中有无大部分相似的。如有，若意思完全相反的其中一个必是答案；若意思并非相反的则较长选项为答案，如没有大部分相似的，则最长的选项为答案。 3.1.6、如果考试题目是针对文章中的某个单词的意思，那么就相当于是一个词汇题，则同义词词典又派上用场了！ 3.1.7如果考试题目是问文章主旨（如作者的观点，替换文章标题等）的，则需要细读文章题目，每段第一句和文章最后一句，并大致搞清意思。然后选择意思最接近的一项答案。 3.2、详解： 3.2.1、考题共3篇文章，其中1篇（5个题占15分）来自教材。根据历年经验，教材新增文章作为考题的概率较大。所以熟记
2015年职称英语考试综合类A级教材字典版
https://www.360docs.net/doc/d118085157.html,/ .375. School Lunch Research has shown that over half the children in Britain who take their own lunches to school do not eat properly in the middle of the day.In Britain schools have to provide meals at lunchtime.Children can choose to bring their own food or have lunch at the school canteen. One shocking finding of this research is that school meals are much healthier than lunches prepared by parents.There are strict standards for the preparation of school meals,which have to include one portion of fruit and one of vegetables,as well as meat,a dairy item and starchy food like bread or pasta.Lunchboxes examined by researchers contained sweet drinks,crisps and chocolate bars.Children consume twice as much sugar as they should at lunch time. The research will provide a better understanding of why the percentage of overweight students in Britain has increased in the last decade.Unfortunately,the government cannot criticise parents,but it can remind them of the nutritional value of milk,fruit and vegetables.Small changes in their children’s diet can_affect their future health.Children can easily develop bad eating_habits at this age,and parents are the only ones who can prevent it.A Powerful Influence There can be no doubt at all that the Internet has made a huge difference1to our lives.Parents are worried that children spend too much time playing on the Internet,hardly ever doing anything else in their spare time.Naturally,parents are curious to find out why the Internet is so attractive,and they want to know if it can be harmful for their children.Should parents worry if their children are spending that much time staring at their computers? Obviously,if children are bent over their computers for hours,absorbed in some game,instead of doing their homework,then something is wrong.Parents and children could decide how much use the child should_make of the Internet,and the child should give his or her word that it won’t interfere with homework.If the child is not holding to this arrangement,the parent can take more drastic steps dealing with a child’s use of the Internet is not much different from negotiating any other sort of bargain about behaviour.Any parent who is_seriously alarmed about a child’s behaviour should make an appointment to discuss the matter with a teacher.Spending time in front of the screen does not necessarily affect a child’s performance at school.Even if a child is absolutely crazy about using the Internet,he or she is probably just going through a phase,and in a few months there will be something else to worry about!The Old Gate In the Middle Ages the vast majority of European cities had walls around them.This was partly for defensive reasons but another factor was the need to keep out anyone regarded as undesirable,like people with contagious diseases.The Old City of London gates were all demolished by the end of the 18th century.The last of London’s gates was removed a century ago,but by a stroke of luck,it was never destroyed. This gate is,in actual fact,not called a gate at all;its name is Temple Bar,and it marked the boundary between the Old City of London and Westminster.In 1878the Council of London took the Bar down,numbered the stones and put the gate in storage because its design was unfashionable it was expensive to maintain and it was blocking the traffic. The Temple Bar Trust was set up in the 1970’s with the intention of returning the gate home.The aim of the Trust is the preservation of the nation’s architectural heritage.Transporting the gate will mean physically pulling it down,stone by stone,removing and rebuilding it near St Paul’s Cathedral.Most of the facade of the gate will probably be replaced,though there is a good chance that the basic structure will be sound.The hardest job of all,however,will be to recreate the statues of the monarchs that once stood on top of the gate.Family History In an age when technology is developing faster than ever before,many people are being attracted to the idea of looking back into the past.One way they can do this is by investigating their own family history.They can try to find out more about where their families came from and what they did.This is now a fast-growing hobby,especially in countries with a fairly short history,like Australia and the United States. It is one thing to spend some time going through a book on family history and to take the decision to investigate your own family’s past.It is quite another to carry out the research work successfully.It is easy to set about it in a disorganized way and_cause yourself many problems which could have been avoided with a little forward planning. If your own family stories tell you that you are connected with a famous character,whether hero or criminal,do not let this idea take over your research.Just treat it as an interesting possibility.A simple system for collecting and storing your information will be adequate to start with;a more complex one may only get in your way.The most important thing,though,is to get started.Who knows what you might find? Helen and Martin With a thoughtful sigh,Helen turned away from the window and walked back to her favourite armchair.Would her brother never arrive?For a brief moment,she wondered if she really cared that much. Over the years Helen had given up waiting for Martin to take an interest in her.Her feelings for him had gradually weakened until now,as she sat waiting for him,she experienced no more than a sister’s curiosity to see what had become of her brother. Almost without warning,Martin had lost his job with a busy publishing company after spending the last eight years in New York as a key figure in the US office.Somehow the two of them hadn’t bothered to keep in touch and,left alone,Helen had slowly found