.
STEVE Wayne, 16, who worked this summer as a lifeguard and swim teacher in Idaho Falls, was thrilled to see an extra $20 in his paycheck when the federal minimum wage increased in July.
“When you’re getting paid minimum wage, anything helps, ” Wayne said.Wayne is one of several hundred thousand American teenagers who earn the minimum wage. The last of three recent increases that took the minimum from $5.15 an hour in 2007 to $7.25.U.S. Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis says the minimum-wage increase will pump an extra $5.5 billion into the economy over the next year, which is helpful at a time when the economy is hurting.
"You're giving people who spend money a raise," says Kai Filion of the Economic Policy Institute. "Those people will go out and spend that money, and it will circulate through the economy."
But other economists say raising the minimum wage actually hurts the very people it's designed to help. A higher hourly minimum, they say, could force businesses to cut workers' hours, or even lay people off.
"What matters for people earning minimum wage is how much money they take home, in total, in their paycheck," explains Rajeev of Georgia State University's Economic Forecasting Center. "Their hourly rate may go up, but their number of hours may come down, so it's not an overall increase."
Business owners also say that raising the minimum wage exerts（施加）upward pressure on other wages. "If the minimum wage is $7 and I have to pay $8 or $9 to hire a dishwasher, then the cooks are going to say they want more," sayd Cleveland restaurant owner Rick. "How much can I charge for that hamburger?"
Another argument is that it makes it more expensive for businesses to hire new workers. For many businesses already struggling to make ends meet in these tough times, it will be simply too expensive to keep or to hire new people.
55．Steve Wayne was excited that_____________ .
A．his hard work had paid off
B．he had received a big wage increase
C．he has more money due to an increase in minimum wage
D．the wages of American teenage workers have been increased
56．According to the text, the US federal government has increased minimum wage with the aim of__________
A．decreasing unemployment
B．promoting economic recovery
C．increasing American teenagers’ wage
D．narrowing the gap between the rich and the poor
57．What matters most to people in need of help is_____________.
A．a higher hourly minimum B．more working hours
C．a minimum-wage increase D．an increase in total income
58．Some are against the increase in minimum wage because they say_____________.
A．only very few workers will be helped
B．they have to cut down working hours
C．many business owners can’t afford to employ new workers
D．minimum wage workers will expect more pay rises in the future
Two Christmas traditions have come under attack in recent years from environmentalists: Christmas cards and Christmas trees.
Paper cards are seen as wasteful and, for some people, going card-free is another way of going green. They also argue that in a world of e-mail, Skype, Facebook and Twitter, people are in touch all the time anyway; they no longer need the yearly card that connects them with long lost friends. If you want to send Christmas greetings, there are free e-cards, which get the job done with no postage or wasted paper.
However, especially for people who didn’t grow up with e-mail, there is something missing from a Christmas e-mail. The first Christmas cards appeared in London in 1843 and were designed by the same man who had introduced the world’s first postage stamp three years earlier. His name was Sir Henry Cole.
They rose in popularity throughout the 20th century. Many people sent cards that were sold for charity. The most famous of these are the ones sold for UNICEF. In the UK this year, in the three weeks before Christmas, the post office expects to handle 100 million cards every day. Environmental awareness also means that nowadays many people recycle their cards; this helps raise money to plant more trees, as well as recreating more paper.
When we think of trees at Christmas, there is one that immediately springs(跃入)mind---the evergreen tree that people decorate with ornaments and place their presents under. The custom dates back almost a thousand years to Germany. Nowadays 33 to 36 million Christmas trees are produced in America and 50 to 60 million in Europe each year. Some trees are sold live with roots and soil so people can plant them later and reuse them next year.
Some people prefer artificial trees as they are reusable and much cheaper than their natural alternative. However, environmentalists point out that they are made from petroleum (石油) products and so have many pollution issues.What is the main idea of the article?
| A．To introduce the history of two typical Christmas traditions. |
| B．To explain the debate about some Christmas traditions. |
| C．To analyze how two Christmas traditions grew in popularity. |
| D．To point out the problems caused by celebrating Christmas. |
What does the underlined word “They” in the fourth paragraph probably mean?
| A．Many people | B．Christmas e-mails | C．Postage stamps | D．Christmas cards |
Some people suggest getting rid of paper cards because .
a. they cannot be recycled b. they are not environmentally friendly
c. they are mostly sold for charity d. the e-cards have many advantages over them
e. they are not as necessary as they used to be for people
| A．a, b, d | B．a, c, d | C．b, d, e | D．b, c, e |
What can we conclude from the article?
| A．The first Christmas cards were designed earlier than the world’s first stamps. |
| B．This year has seen a dramatic drop in Christmas card sales. |
| C．Environmentalists advise people to buy cards that are sold for charity. |
| D．Growing environmental awareness is encouraging people to recycle their cards. |
Which of the following statements in TRUE according to the article?
| A．There is always a wider Christmas tree market in America than in Europe. |
| B．The custom of decorating Christmas trees first appeared in Britain. |
| C．Some people prefer to buy live trees that can be reused next year. |
| D．Artificial trees are better than natural ones in all aspects. |
Greg Woodburn, a student at the University of Southern California, spends a lot of time cleaning sneakers he collected. But soon the shoes will be sent to poor children in the United States and 20 other countries, thanks to Woodburn’s Share our soles (S.O.S) charity.
A high school track star in the town of Ventura, California, Woodburn was treated in hospital for months with foot injuries.
“I started thinking about the health benefits, the friendship and the confidence I got from running,” he says, “And I realized there are children who don’t even have shoes”.
Woodburn gathered up his old sneakers, and then asked his friends to donate. His goal was to have 100 pairs by Christmas 2006. When he collected more than 500 pairs, he decided to turn the shoe drive into a year-round effort.
Back then, the sneakers came from donation boxes and the local sporting goods store and from door-to-door pickups. Woodburn has now set up collection boxes at two high schools, city gym and recreation center. So far, S.O.S has collected and donated more than 3,000 pairs.
Woodburn has cleaned all the shoes. After sorting the shoes by size, Woodburn selects the good shoes for the washing machine and the worn-out ones for recycling.
For many recipients, the shoes represent opportunity. Two young boys in Southern California attended school every other day because they shared a pair of shoes. They were too big for one boy and too small for the other. Thanks to S.O.S, each brother received his own pair of shoes. The boys now attend school daily and enjoy their learning. When they graduate, they say, they will help a stranger, just as Woodburn helped them.The text is mainly about .
| A．the attempts to collect sneakers | B．the school track star, Woodburn |
| C．Woodburn and his Share Our Soles | D．the recycling of the worn sneakers |
What caused Greg Woodburn to donate old shoes for poor children?
| A．News about some poor children. | B．The benefits from playing sports. |
| C．His memory of school life. | D．The medical treatment he received. |
When collecting more sneakers than expected. Woodburn decided to .
| A．collect shoes throughout the year | B．set up branches in different cities |
| C．put out a call to his friends | D．make his effort in the whole city |
From the fifth paragraph we can learn that .
| A．Woodburn has changed his business |
| B．Few students are interested in his suggestion |
| C．Few people supported his career |
| D．Woodburn succeeded in this charity |
Which of the following is true according to the passage?
| A．The two brothers would like to share a pair of shoes. |
| B．The shoes will protect poor children from injuries. |
| C．Woodburn gets tired of cleaning the old sneakers. |
| D．The shoes from S.O.S make a big difference to the two brothers. |
My father never wanted his children to know what he did for a living. Dad worked in Plant C. Lying beside Lake Erie, it saw him in at sunrise and out at nightfall. Sometimes my mother would take my siblings (兄弟姐妹) and me to the public beach in our hometown of Ashtabula. She’d gather us round and point to the smokestacks, coughing clouds into the sky.
“Wave to daddy!” she’d shout. Four little hands would shoot into the air. I never knew what Dad did in Plant C, but during 34 years of hard work, he had surgery (手术) on his shoulder and hand. At 48, he had his first heart attack. He retired in 1993, right after the last kid graduated from college. But the damage was done. A few years later, the next heart attack killed him.
I saw my dad in plant C only once, when I took dinner to him. That night, I looked at my father, covered in sweat and coal, and for the first time I knew why he was so often angry for no reason.
Recently my father’s friend, Toby Workman, walked me there. I knew my father never wanted me to see it. At every station, he described the job and the danger. It was like listening to a foreign language. I walked past many DANGER signs. Toby put his hand on my shoulder. “Look”, he said, “you need to understand something. Your dad was a maintenance mechanic. He worked the most dangerous job. If something broke, he fixed it. ”
A few days later, my daughter graduated from college. I gave her the hard hat Toby handed to me as I left, and this note: “Whenever you feel something difficult, put this on, look in the mirror, and remember your roots.”What is the purpose of the passage?
| A．In memory of the author’s mother | B．to know about what the father did. |
| C．In memory of the author’s father. | D．to remind the family to live well. |
Which of the following is TRUE of the facts about the author’s father?
| A．He didn’t suffer a heart attack until he retired. |
| B．He always faced danger while working. |
| C．He was satisfied with his job. |
| D．He worked in Plant C for 48 years in all. |
When the author saw her father in Plant C, ___.
| A．her father was fixing a broken machine. |
| B．she didn’t recognize her father. |
| C．she understood him about his bad temper. |
| D．her father was angry about her coming. |
When Toby Workman described the author’s father’s job, the author ____ .
| A．felt familiar with the job | B．decided to do the same work. |
| C．wanted to learn a foreign language | D．felt much puzzled |
The author gave her daughter the hat to hope that her daughter could _______ .
| A．get encouraged by her grandfather | B．overcome all difficulties by wearing it |
| C．remember her grandfather | D．follow her grandfather’s work |
Do you find getting up in the morning so difficult that it’s painful? This might be called laziness, but Dr. Kleitman has a new explanation. He has proved that everyone has a daily energy cycle.
During the hours when you labor through your work you may say that you’re "hot". That's true. The time of day when you feel most energetic is when your cycle of body temperature is at its peak. For some people the peak comes during the morning. For others it comes in the afternoon or evening. No one has discovered why this is so, but it leads to such familiar monologues as “Get up, John! You’ll be late for work again!” The possible explanation to the trouble is that John is at his temperature-and-energy-peak in the evening. Much family quarrelling ends when husbands and wives realize what these energy cycles each member of the family has.
You can’t change your energy cycle, but you can learn to make your life fit it better. Habit can help, Dr. Kleitman believes. Maybe you’re sleepy in the evening but you must stay up late anyway. Counteract your cycle to some extent by habitually staying up later than you want to. If your energy is low in the morning but you have an important job to do early in the day, rise before your usual hour. This won't change your cycle, but you'll get up steam and work better at your low point.
Get off to a slow start which saves your energy. Get up with a leisurely yawn and stretch. Sit on the edge of the bed a minute before putting your feet on the floor. Avoid the trouble of searching for clean clothes by laying them out the night before. When ever possible, do routine work in the afternoon and save tasks requiring more energy or concentration for your sharp hours.What is the best title of the passage?
| A．Change Your Habits | B．Save Your Energy |
| C．Daily Energy Cycle | D．Temperature-and-energy Peak |
If a person finds getting up early a problem, most probably_______.
| A．he is a lazy person |
| B．he refuses to follow his own energy cycle |
| C．lie is not sure when his energy is low |
| D．he is at his peak in the afternoon or evening |
Which of the following may lead to family quarrels according to the passage?
| A．Unawareness of energy cycles |
| B．Familiar monologues. |
| C．A change in a family member's energy cycle. |
| D．Attempts to control the energy cycle of other family members. |
If one wants to work more efficiently at his low point in the morning, he should____________.
| A．change his energy cycle | B．overcome his laziness |
| C．get up earlier than usual | D．go to bed earlier |
OUR KIDS ARE AMAZING — especially compared with everybody else's (who seem to cry all the time). How do you show your love for your kids this holiday season? With toys that are smooth and colorful, interactive and exciting. And with ones that have educational value — because you are the boss.
1．FLAX ART HOSPITAL PUZZLE AND PLAY SET
Here is a toy that doesn't need power — and the kids have to put it together themselves. This 50 - piece puzzle set is made of soft - edged hardwood and makes a complete hospital, with an X - ray room. It also includes eight patients, a car and a driver. 
135; flaxart. com.
2．TINY LOVE ACTIVITY BALL
Sure, it's cool, but this colorful baby toy also develops problem solving and motor skills. It has a head and legs, a magnetic (磁性的) hand and a tail. Suitable for little ones from 6 to 36 months. 
19. 95; tinylove. com.
3．ROBOSAPIEN
This small, remote - control robot is really powerful. It performs 67 preprogrammed functions, including throwing, kicking, picking up and dancing. You can even program your own function, which, sadly, does not include doing windows. 99; robosapienonline. com.
4．MINI PEDAL CAR
Want a Mini Cooper but can't fit the family inside? Get one for the kids. They can jump into this Mini car, which comes in hot orange with a single adjustable seat, and ride away. But it could spoil them for that used car they'll be driving when they turn 16. For ages 3 to 5. 189; mininss. com (click on “gear up, ” then “Mini motoring gear”) .Which toy is said to have the special design for children's safety?
| A．ROBOSAPIEN |
| B．MINI PEDAL CAR |
| C．FLAX ART HOSPITAL PUZZLE AND PLAY SET |
| D．TINY LOVE ACTIVITY BALL |
Which toys are fit for three - year - old kids?
| A．1 and 3. | B．2 and 4. | C．1 and 2. | D．3 and 4. |
Educational value is mentioned in all the toys EXCEPT ________.
| A．FLAX ART HOSPITAL PUZZLE AND PLAY SET |
| B．TINY LOVE ACTIVITY BALL |
| C．ROBOSAPIEN |
| D．MINI PEDAL CAR |
This passage is written for ________.
| A．parents | B．children | C．the writer | D．the boss |
粤公网安备 44130202000953号