A couple of years ago, those who forecast that oil price would reach $ 100 a barrel were seen as doomsters. However, now some are predicting $ 200 a barrel.
Had economists been told that oil price would barely pause at $ 100 before reaching the recent peak of nearly $ 127, they would no doubt have forecast terrible economic consequences. But the global economy, though interrupted by the high price of energy, is still chugging along. Meanwhile, inflation has picked up, but the headline rates of inflation (通货膨胀率) in most developed countries are nowhere near the levels seen in the 1970s and 1980s.
There are three explanations for the oil price’s unclear impact. The first is that nowadays developed economies are more efficient in their use of energy, thanks partly to the increased importance of service industries and the diminished role of manufacturing(制造业). According to the Energy Information Administration, the energy intensity of America’s GDP fell by 42% between 1980 and 2007.
A second theory is that the oil-price rise has been steady, not sudden, giving the economy time to adjust. Giovanni Serio of Goldman Sachs points out that in 1973 there was a severe supply shock because of the oil embargo(石油禁运), when the world had to cope with 10%-15% less crude almost overnight. Not this time.
The third explanation turns the argument on its head; rather than oil harming the global economy, it is global expansion that is driving up the price of oil.
The most important factor is the shift in favor of the developing economies. America has responded to high price in familiar fashion: UBS forecasts that demand will drop by 1.1% this year and will be no higher in 2010 than it was in 2004. But the demand from China and other emerging markets is more than offsetting(抵消) this shortfall.What is the passage mainly talking about?
| A．The prediction of economists. | B．The situation of economy |
| C．The increase of oil price | D．The American response to high price |
How many explanations for the oil price’s impact are mentioned in the passage?
| A．Two | B．Three | C．Four | D．Five |
What can we conclude from the passage?
| A．In USA, the demand for oil in 2010 will be very high. |
| B．In USA, the demand for oil in 2010 will be higher than it was in 2004. |
| C．In USA, the demand for oil in 2010 will be as high as it was in 2004. |
| D．In USA, the demand for oil in 2010 will be as low as it was in 2004. |
Dr. Glenn Tisman, a cancer specialist, knew his young neighbor, Ray Bateman, had an unusual mind. But he had no idea at the time that 12 - year – old
Ray had the ability to become his partner in cancer research.
Ray’s parents remembered that at age four, Ray surprised them by fixing a broken vacuum cleaner（吸尘器）. When he was ten, he speedily constructed the family color television from a kit. Later, he succeeded in assembling（组装） a complex stereo system after two experts had failed to do the job.
When Ray was ten, he convinced his parents to buy him a computer. In a short time, Ray was able to do amazing things with the computer. Ray shared his enthusiasm for computers with Dr. Tisman, who used a computer for his research. The two discussed computers and medicine frequently. Amazingly, Ray understood the biology and chemistry related to Dr. Tisman’s medical research without any previous instruction.
Ray then worked with Dr. Tisman after school. He helped conduct research with the equipment and kept it in working order. The purpose of the research was to test the effectiveness of mixing an old cancer drug with certain vitamins. Ray analyzed patient test results by computer, while Dr. Tisman handled all patient contact. Together, they came up with solid research that helped advance cancer treatment.
In 1988, 14 - year - old Ray went with Dr. Tisman to a meeting of the American Federation for Clinical Research（AFCR）, where Ray presented their initial research findings. Using terminology（术语） beyond the grasp of most kids his age, Ray told the scientists how the new drug mixture caused fewer and milder side effects for cancer patients.
A year later, Ray returned to the meeting to update the findings of his and Dr. Tisman’s research. By then, he had become well - known for his devotion to finding cures for sick patients. Stories about him appeared in hundred of newspapers around the world. He appeared on television newsc
asts and talk shows.
Ray continued to spend most free hours working with Dr. Tisman. The two began studying the effects of vitamins on babies inside the womb（子宫）. However, Ray’s main interest remained cancer treatment, and he continues his research today. According to the passage, Ray______.
| A．is a boy of many gifts |
| B．is very helpful to his parents |
| C．learned fast under Dr. Tisman’s instruction |
| D．stopped working with Dr. Tisman after his success |
What do we know about Dr. Tisman?
| A．He succeeded in finding cures for cancer. |
| B．He made a new discovery in cancer treatment. |
| C．He convinced Ray to become a partner of him. |
| D．He taught Ray knowledge related to his research. |
What made Ray first known to the medical world?
| A．His presentation at AFCR. | B．His great skills in computer. |
| C．His devotion to cancer research. | D．His appearance on television newscasts. |
Dr. Tisman’s research is aimed at ______.
| A．providing different cancer treatments |
| B．proving the effects of vitamins on babies |
| C．finding the side effects of a cancer drug |
| D．testing the effectiveness of a new drug mixture |
Pierre is a 25-year-old penguin at the California Academy of Sciences. Due to his old age, he was going bald, which made him feel too cold to swim in the pool. Therefore, biologists at the academy had a wetsuit created for this penguin to help him get back in the swimming pool.
Unlike marine mammals, which have a layer of fat to keep them warm, penguins depend on their waterproof feathers. Without them, Pierre was unwilling to jump into the swimming pool and ended up trembling on the side of the pool while his 19 peers played in the water.
"He was cold; he would shake," said Pam Schaller, a senior biologist. Schaller first tried a heat lamp to keep Pierre warm. Then she got another idea: if wetsuits keep humans warm in the cold Pacific, why not make one for Pierre?
Schaller designed the suit, which covered Pierre’s body and had small openings for his flippers.
“I would walk behind him and look at where there were any gaps, and cut and refit and cut and refit until it looked like it was extremely suitable,” she said.
One concern was that the other penguins would reject Pierre in his new suit, but in fact, they accepted his new look. He swam freely and got along with others well, although he was the only penguin with a black stomach.
Schaller couldn’t say for sure whether the wetsuit allowed Pierre to recover his fine feathers, but “certainly we were able to keep him comfortable during a period of time that would have been very difficult for him to stay comfortable”.
Pierre will take off his suit after his new feathers grow back. Pierre felt too cold to swim in the pool because of _____.
A．not ha ving a layer of blubber |
B．having few feathers due to old age |
| C．having no wetsuit | D．others penguins rejecting him |
The idea of making a wetsuit for Pierre came from _____.
| A．total invention | B．waterproof feathers |
| C．the use of wetsuit on humans | D．the use of heat lamp |
Schaller followed Pierre in order to see
_____.
| A．whether other penguins would reject him |
| B．if anywhere of wetsuit needed to be cut and refit |
| C．if the wetsuit kept warm |
| D．whether the wetsuit would keep the feathers from recovering |
The best title of the
passage is _____.
A．Wetsuit for An Old Penguin |
B．Old Penguin Getting Bald |
| C．Unwilling to Swim | D．Strange Look of Pierre |
Based on cultural traditions and the changing face of contemporary British communities, the Festival of Muslim Cultures joins young people from Muslim and non-Muslim backgrounds together through the creation of innovative(创新的), high quality cultural activities.
We have been working with arts and educational institutions across the UK to promote the mainstreaming of Muslim cultures within UK everyday life. The Festival was created out of the need to encourage a better understanding between Muslims and non-Muslims, to promote respect for Muslim cultures and to show how culture creates the pathways that connect us all together.
The program launched with a visit by the Festival’s patron(赞助人), the Prince of Wales, to the exhibition “Palace and Mosque” in Sheffield and since then there have been more than 100 events that have ranged from a Somali community day in Cardiff at the National Museum of Wales to a late-night Dance with Radio Tarifa (from Spain) and Dimi Mint Abba (form Mauritania) in the Royal Albert Hall and from a home-grown play in Nottingham about the Kashmir earthquake to the exhibition“Beyond the Palace Walls” at the Royal Museum Edinburgh of Islamic art from the Hermitage Museum, St Petersburg.
We are now working on a number of long-term projects which stay true to our commitment to promoting Muslim cultures through arts collaborations(协作) and build on the extensive network of local, national and international partners that Festival has created. These include a three-year national program that connects young Muslims to their local cultural institutions; a UK Muslim cookbook; an exhibition of the Ottoman architect Sinan; and a project for schools around the 1000-year old story “The Animals’ Lawsuit against Humanity”.
For more information about the Festival, please click on another page: Who’s Who.The best title of this passage would be _______.
| A．Welcome to the Celebration of Muslim Cultures |
| B．The History and Development of Muslim Cultures |
| C．The Exhibition of “Beyond the Palace Walls” |
| D．New Ways to Connect Muslims to Local Cultures |
Which is NOT the purpose of holding the Festival of Muslim Cultures?
| A．To promote people’s respect for Muslim cultures. |
| B．To show to people how cultures join the people together. |
| C．To try to change the beliefs of various religions. |
| D．To make Muslims and non-Muslims understand each other better. |
This passage was probably taken from _________.
| A．a website | B．a newspaper | C．a book | D．a magazine |
Researchers have found more evidence that suggests a relationship between race and rates of lung cancer among smokers. A new study shows that black people and Native Hawaiians are more likely to develop lung cancer from smoking. It compared their risk to whites, Japanese, Americans and Latinos.
The study, however, found almost no racial or ethnic differences among the heaviest smokers. These were people who smoked more than thirty cigarettes each day.
Other comparisons have shown that blacks are more likely than whites to get lung cancer from smoking. But the scientists say few studies have compared the risks among Native Hawaiians, Asians and Latinos.
Researchers at the University of Southern California and the University of Hawaii did the new study. The New England Journal of Medicine published the findings.
The eight-year study involved more than 180,000 people. They provided details about their tobacco use and their diet as well as other information. They included current and former smokers and people who never smoked. Almost 2,000 people in the study developed lung cancer.
Researchers say genetics might help explain the racial and ethnic differences. There could be differences in how people’s bodies react to smoke. But environmental influences, including the way people smoke, could also make a difference.
African-Americans and Latinos in the study reported smoking the fewest cigarettes per day. Whites were the heaviest smokers. But the scientists note that blacks have been reported to breathe cigarette smoke more deeply than white smokers. This could fill their lungs with more of the chemicals in tobacco that cause cancer.
Many researchers disagree not only about the effect of race on the risk of disease, but even about the meaning of race. Yet scientists know that some diseases affect different groups differently. And some drug companies have begun to develop racially targeted medicines.
Last June, the United State Food and Drug Administration approved a drug designed to treat heart failure in black patients. The name is BiDil. The agency called it “a step toward the promise of personalized medicine”. Which of the following orders is right from higher to lower risk of having lung cancer?
| A．Whites---Native Hawaiians. |
| B．African-Americans---Latinos |
| C．Asians---Native Hawaiians |
| D．African-Americans---Hawaiians |
From the passage, researchers agree that it is _______ that may probably determine blackpeople’s risk of lung cancer.
| A．the bigger amount of smoking than the white |
| B．the living style or habit of the blacks to form |
| C．the depth of cigarette smoke into their lungs |
| D．the physical strength to react to cigarette smoke |
The subjects that the smoking researchers investigate are made up of _______.
| A．heavy smokers in America |
| B．the black and white people |
| C．the Asians and Hawaiians |
| D．smokers and non-smokers |
The production of BiDil is referred to in the last paragraph in order to _______.
| A．explain different races react to some diseases differently |
| B．tell the readers that racial differences exist in smokers |
| C．show a big step people have taken in the medicine area |
| D． support the idea that it is easy for blacks to have cancers |
Uncle Tom gave little Vicki Black a birthday gift one week before her birthday. He told her not to open it until her birthday. She knew her mother wouldn’t tolerate any disrespect to the kind man who helped them out after Vicki’s father passed away. Besides, Vicki didn’t want Uncle Tom to get angry. But little Vicky didn’t want to just hold it and guess what was in it. After all, she looked forward to his coming to show her interesting things, like how to turn an old sock into a doll.
All the day, Vicki couldn’t stop thinking about the gift. While her teacher was giving a lecture¸ Vicki sat still in her seat, drawing paper dolls inside the box. When school was done, she raced home. Walking into the room, again, she shook the present, but she heard nothing. Holding her breath, she opened the box and looked inside. Seconds later, she cried. When Mrs. Black saw the box, she said angrily, “Didn’t I tell you to leave it alone?” Vicki sobbed and said, “Mommy, you don’t understand.”
“Don’t cry to me. You have missed everything now, just because you couldn’t wait,” Mrs. Black accused. “What will Uncle Tom think now?”
“Uncle Tom gave me nothing,” Vicki cried and handed the empty box to her mother. “He played a trick on me.”
Mrs. Black said doubtfully, “Uncle Tom is not like that. You must have dropped it.”
Vicki kept crying. Only a rapid knock on the door made the house quiet. It was Uncle Tom. He looked at the empty box. “You have already done it? I told you to wait for your birthday.”
“You didn’t give me a gift.” Fresh tears filled her eyes.
“I try to give you something. I know your birthday is a special day. I tell myself to give you something valuable to last your whole life. I think hard and get the idea to give you an important lesson. If you open it on birthday, I see you learn. Then I will make a big party to celebrate. Maybe next year you listen and then you will understand the gift better.
Vicki’s cheeks flushed.
We can learn from the text that Vicki_______.
| A．often received gifts from her father |
| B．expected Uncle Tom to give her a doll |
| C．was sad because of her father’s death |
| D．liked and respected Uncle Tom |
What do the underlined words “done it” refer to?
| A．Guessed the result |
| B．Opened the box |
| C．Realized Uncle Tom’s purpose |
| D．Known what her birthday gift was |
What kind of person is Uncle Tom?
| A．Thoughtful | B．Humorous | C．Mysterious | D．Funny |
What did Uncle Tom want to teach Vicki?
| A．How to respect others | B．The meaning of gifts |
| C．How to deal with gifts | D．The value of a promise |
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