WASHINGTON, Sept. 6 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Barack Obama on Monday announced a new plan to renew and expand the nation's roads, railways and runways, in a bid (努力) to restart the sluggish economy and to help create jobs.
Obama announced the billion-dollar infrastructure(基础设施) spending program at an event in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, marking the Labor Day holiday in the United States.
The proposal calls for investments over six years, including rebuilding and modernizing 150,000 miles (241,350 kilometers) of roads, 4,000 miles (6,430 kilometers) of railways and 150 miles ( 241 kilometers) of runways.
"It sets up an Infrastructure Bank to leverage(杠杆；利用) federal dollars and focus on the smartest investment. All of this will not only create jobs now, but will make our economy run better over the long haul," Obama said.
"This is a plan that will be fully paid for and will not add to the deficit over time," said Obama.
The U.S. unemployment rate rose to 9.6 percent in August, reflecting business reluctance to hire among uncertain economic prospects, the U.S. Labor Department reported on Friday.
The president admitted that new jobs "have not been coming fast enough" in the United States.
"These years would be some of the most difficult in our history. The problems facing working families are nothing new, but they are more serious than ever. And that makes our cause more urgent than ever," he added.What does the underlined word “sluggish” probably mean?
| A．繁荣的 | B．崩溃的 | C．疲软的 | D．行动迅速的 |
What’s the main idea of this passage?
| A．The US president launched a new program aiming at improving the nation’s infrastructure. |
| B．The US unemployment rate rose according to the Labor Department. |
| C．These years will be the most difficult in the American history. |
| D．More roads, railways and runways will be rebuilt and modernized. |
Which of the following will be changed most in length?
| A．Roads. | B．Railways. | C．Runways. | D．Highways. |
According to the United States government, people are classified as homeless if they have no place to stay and no expectation of finding a place for the next thirty days．Although technically accurate, that is an impersonal assessment of an enormous and very human problem．
The homeless population represents all of us Americans．It includes men and women, the elderly, children, and infants．Its members are from all ethnic groups．What they have in common is poverty．
Currently in the U．S．, thirty-nine million people live in poverty．When money is really tight, paying the rent or buying food often becomes a choice．Government assistance in the form of food stamps does help but, as one homeless man explains, you can’t pay the rent with food stamps．
With no money for rent, the streets and homeless shelters become the alternative．
Although men constitute the largest group within the homeless population, homeless women with children are rapidly joining them．In fact, one quarter of the homeless people in the U．S．are teenagers and young children．
People may become homeless for numerous reasons．However, there are certain factors that many of these individuals have in common．They include a lack of adequate education and job skills．A majority of the teenagers and adults have not completed high school．
The abuse of alcohol and drugs is also a common factor．One third of the adult homeless population abuses alcohol．While one quarter of the same group uses drugs．
Some members of this population suffer mental health problems．Within the past several years many institutions for the mentally ill have been closed and their patients sent “home”．Unfortunately, a number of those people have no home to go to and they are unable to adequately look after themselves．
Job loss in today’s economy has also become a real factor in the loss of people’s homes．The breakup of families through abandonment and divorce are also contributing factors, particularly when there are children involved．The parent who is left to care for the kids with inadequate income may be forced to depend on the homeless shelters to put a roof over their heads．The writer thinks that the U．S．government’s definition for the homeless reveals ________．
| A．an insincere attitude toward the homeless |
| B．an unbearable attitude toward the homeless |
| C．an uncivilized attitude toward the homeless |
| D．an unsympathetic attitude toward the homeless |
The U．S．government helps the homeless by ___________．
| A．giving them homeless allowance |
| B．giving them food stamps |
| C．finding jobs for them |
| D．finding residence for them |
People become homeless for all the following reasons E XCEPT __________．
| A．the lack of adequate education |
| B．the abuse of alcohol and drugs |
| C．the closure of institutions for the mentally ill |
| D．the poor performance of economy |
The breakup of families is likely to lead to homelessness because a parent with kids may_____．
| A．lose his or her job in today’s economy |
| B．be unable to look after the kids |
| C．not have enough income |
| D．find residence at a homeless shelter |
During a state of deep relaxation, several physiological changes take place in the body: the body’s oxygen consumption is reduced; the heart beat decreases; muscle tension and sweating ease, and there is decreased sympathetic （交感的） nervous system activity．This restful state not only allows the body to repair and restore itself, but it has a calming effect on the consciousness．
How to achieve this state of relaxation, however, is a matter of opinion, and in some medical circles, a matter of controversy．A recent report by Dr．David Holmes of the University of Kansas in the journal “American psychologist” said that simply sitting in an armchair has just as many beneficial characteristics for the body as meditation （冥想） does．Researchers of other relaxation techniques disagree．These experts believe that more structured techniques, such as meditation, lead to a condition of deep relaxation．
The debate goes on, but one thing appears to be clear: the relaxation response can be reached by a number of methods, and the methods themselves are not as important as getting there．One day, one method may work best; on another day, an alternative method may be more appropriate．Once you are aware of all the methods, you can find the one that works best on you．
Some of the relaxation techniques are meditation, auto analysis and progressive muscle relaxation response．More than just sitting quietly in a chair, they have the added benefit of structure and discipline, and for these reasons appear to be more effective for most individuals．According to the passage, which of the following statements is NOT true when a person is in a state of deep relaxation?
| A．The body takes in less oxygen． |
| B．The heart beats less frequently． |
| C．Muscles become tense and the body sweats easily． |
| D．The consciousness becomes more or less calmed． |
People seem to agree that ____．
| A．sitting in an armchair benefits a person as meditation does |
| B．structured relaxation techniques are more beneficial for a person |
| C．to achieve a state of deep relaxation is possible through various means |
| D．what people are all struggling for is a state of deep relaxation |
In the third paragraph, the phrase “getting there” means _____．
| A．arriving at one’s destination |
| B．getting what one wants most |
| C．finding out a suitable relaxation technique |
| D．reaching a state of deep relaxation |
The author’s attitude toward relaxation discussed in the passage is best described as ______．
| A．sceptical | B．objective | C．optimistic | D．critical |
Not so long ago almost any student who successfully completed a university degree could find a good career quite easily．Companies toured the academic institutions, competing with each other to select graduates．However, those days are gone, even in Hong Kong, and nowadays graduates often face strong competition in the search for jobs．
Most careers organizations highlight three stages for graduates to follow in the process of securing a suitable career：recognizing abilities, matching these to available jobs and presenting them well to possible employers．
Job seekers have to make a careful assessment of their own abilities．One area of assessment should be of their academic qualifications, which would include special skills within their subject area．Graduates should also consider their own personal values and attitudes．An honest assessment of personal interests and abilities such as creative skills, or skills acquired from work experience, should also be given careful thought．
The second stage is to study the opportunities available for employment and to think about how the general employment situation is likely to develop in the future．To do this, graduates can study job and position information in newspapers, or they can visit a careers office, write to possible employers for information or contact friends or relatives who may already be involved in a particular profession．After studying all the various options, they should be in a position to make informed comparisons between various careers．
Good personal presentation is essential in the search for a good career．Job application forms and letters should, of course, be filled in carefully and correctly, without grammar or spelling errors．Where additional information is asked for, job seekers should describe their abilities and work experience in more depth, with examples if possible．They should try to balance their own abilities with the employer’s needs, explain why they are interested in a career with the particular company and try to show that they already know something about the company and its activities．
When graduates go to an interview, they should prepare properly by finding out all they can about the possible employer．Dressing suitably and arriving for the interview on time are also important．Interviewees should try to give positive and helpful answers and should not be afraid to ask questions about anything they are unsure about．This is much better than pretending to understand a question and giving an unsuitable answer．“Those days are gone, even in Hong Kong” in Paragraph 1 suggests that__________．
| A．finding a good career used to be easier in Hong Kong than elsewhere |
| B．now everyone in Hong Kong has an equal chance of finding a good job |
| C．graduates now face stronger competition in Hong Kong than elsewhere |
| D．even in Hong Kong companies tour universities trying to select graduates |
It is implied in Paragraph 3 that graduates should_____________．
| A．aim to give a balanced account of what the employer needs |
| B．consider careers which suit their values, interests and abilities |
| C．stress their personal attitudes and values in job applications |
| D．recognize their own abilities regardless of what the employer looks for |
According to Paragraph 4, graduates should______________．
| A．find a good position and then compare it with other careers |
| B．ask friends or relatives to secure them a good job |
| C．get information about a number of careers before making comparisons |
| D．study the opportunities and the kinds of training that will be available |
In the last paragraph, the writer seems to suggest that ________________．
| A．interviewees should appear humble if they can’t give an answer |
| B．dressing properly is more important than being able to give an answer |
| C．it is better for interviewees to be honest than to pretend to understand |
| D．it is a good idea for interviewees to be boastful in their answers |
One day in January, my uncle, my cousin and I decided to go hunting．We left by car in the afternoon．It was a Range Rover with four-wheel drive．It took us three hours to get there．After we arrived at 5:15 p．m．, we fixed the tent, then made coffee and had a short rest．After that, we went hunting, using a falcon（猎鹰）．We spent two hours without finding anything．On our way back to the camp, my cousin saw a rabbit．I removed the falcon’s bead cover and let go of the aggressive falcon．When the rabbit saw the falcon, it ran fast, but my falcon was a professional hunter．He flew up and came down to trick the rabbit．After two minutes, the rabbit was caught．We took it back to the camp to cook our dinner．We ate the delicious food, drank Arabic coffee, and sat around the fire talking until 10:30 p．m．
We left the camp the next day at 7 o’clock in the morning．We went north．However, around 10:00 a．m．our car got stuck in the sand! We spent about three hours trying to pull out the car without any progress．Finally, we decided to walk．As it was hard for an old man or a young boy to walk more than 40km in the desert, I decided to get help myself．I took a bottle of water with me and started to walk south alone．I knew the way well, but it was a long way in the sand．I walked more than four hours without stopping．When I felt so tired and thirsty, I stopped to rest．I drank all the water and slept for around two hours．
When I got up, it was dark．I continued to walk south．I was worried about my uncle and cousin．Suddenly, I met a Bedouin man who was riding his camel．He took me to his house．When I had had enough rest, I asked him to take me to the road where I found a car．It took me to the city to get help．I had one day to get back to my uncle and cousin．When I got back to them, they were so happy because I had gotten help and they were able to see me again．Which word can best describe the first evening of their hunting trip?
| A．Adventurous． | B．Enjoyable． |
| C．Stressful． | D．Exhausting． |
How did the writer finally get out of the desert?
| A．He was picked up by a car． |
| B．A camel took him to the road． |
| C．A passer-by Bedouin helped him． |
| D．His uncle and cousin found and rescued him． |
What can be inferred from the story?
| A．It’s an easy job to walk 40km in the desert． |
| B．The author loved to go hunting with his family． |
| C．The hunting trip is much longer than expected． |
| D．To hunt in the desert one must train a falcon well． |
I keep hammering this because I keep seeing people who don’t do it．
1．Look up English to Elvish．
2．Look up the Elvish word in the best Elvish dictionary you have, and, preferably, find out the context in Tolkien’s language dictionary．
3．Change the word to suit rules of grammar: singular or plural, mutations, verb tenses, etc．
You cannot leave out any of these steps．If you do, you’re almost certain to have errors．Why you have to do step 2:
Languages never match up one- to-one．English and Elvish are closer than usual, but there are still problems．And English has strange idioms: why are there no baths or beds in public bathrooms or restrooms? You can’t translate literally．You have to understand the meaning behind each word．
In Elvish this is even more true, since our dictionaries contain more or less questionable reconstructions, and words that Tolkien later threw away or replaced．Find the best one you can．
Consider the word “fair”．We tend to use it to mean “just”．Tolkien tends to use it to mean “beautiful”．In Elvish, these are two entirely different words．So when you look up “fair”, you’ll have to go to the Elvish dictionary to see that you’ve got the right one．
Consider the nightmare of He left the bar．Is “left” the opposite of “right” （which also has two meanings） ? Is “bar” extruded steel（型材钢）, or something to do with law? You have to know what words mean in both languages．
And you’d be amazed at how many people ignore step 3, forgetting that language is more than a string of words, and there are rules about how to fit those words together．You can’t simply look up the word “I” and use it everywhere．Sometimes you need “me” or “my”．There’s a reason it takes a while to learn a language: you have to learn the rules．
It drives me completely mad when people give a questionable translation they insist is right because “it’s in the dictionary”．A dictionary is a tool, a resource．but its entries（词目）should not be mistaken for a finished product．They are raw materials．The underlined word “this” in paragraph 1 refers to ．
| A．consulting the dictionaries when translating between languages |
| B．finding out the true meaning in context |
| C．ignoring the rules of grammar |
| D．leaving out some of the three steps the author mentions |
According to the author, you have to do step 2 because ．
| A．you have to understand the meaning behind each word |
| B．Elvish and English are quite different in forms |
| C．there are no baths or beds in public bathrooms |
| D．Elvish has some words which are hard to find |
Grammar is also very important because it ．
| A．helps fit the words together | B．takes a while to learn a language |
| C．is a rule to obey | D．is often forgotten in translating |
In the last paragraph, the author shows ．
| A．his impatience to those who insist their wrong translation is right |
| B．his puzzle to the questionable translation |
| C．the importance of the correct use of dictionaries |
| D．the mistaken entries in the dictionaries |
The passage is mainly about how to ．
| A．learn a foreign language with a dictionary |
| B．avoid errors when looking up a dictionary |
| C．understand the meaning of a strange word |
| D．use a dictionary to translate between languages |
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