The law says women should have the chance of doing the same jobs as men and earn the same as them. The reality is very different. Women lose because, 25 years after the Equal Pay Act, many of them still get paid less than men. They lose because they do lower－paid jobs which men just won’t consider. And they lose because they are the ones who interrupt a career to have children. All t
his is reported in an independent study ordered by the Government’s women’s unit. The biggest problem isn’t equal pay in workplaces such as factories. It is the sort of work women do.
Make a list of low－paid－jobs, then consider who does them. Try nurses, secretaries, cleaners, clerks, teachers in primary schools, dinner ladies and child－care helpers. Not a lot of men among that group, are there? Yet some of those jobs are really important. Surely no one would deny that about nurses and teachers, for a start. So why do we reward the people who do them so poorly? There can be only one answer—because they are women. This is not going to be put right overnight. But the government, which emp
loys a lot of them, and other bosses have to make a start.
It is disgraceful（可耻的） that we have gone into the 21st century still treating women like second－class citizens.
Women should have the chance of doing the same jobs and getting the same pay as men_________.
| A．after 25 years |
| B．according to the law |
| C．as a result of those important jobs |
| D．because women are as strong as men |
．We can learn from the text that what really matters in this problem is_________.
| A．that women interrupt a career to have children |
| B．what sort of work women do |
| C．because they are women |
| D．what unfair pay women get in workplaces |
．Which of the following best describe the writer’s idea?
| A．Women and men should get equal pay for equal work. |
| B．Women should strengthen themselves. |
| C．The government ought to protect women against getting paid less than men. |
| D．Some of the jobs that women do are of great importance. |
Which do you think would be the best title for this passage?
| A．Work to give women a fair pay deal | B．The equal pay act |
| C．The sort of work women do | D．The biggest problem about women |
In the past few years development in medical technology has made it possible for people to live longer than in the past. New medicines and machines are being developed every day to extend(延长) life. However, some people, including some doctors, are not in favor of(支持) these life extending measures, and they argue that people should have the right to die when they want to. They say that the quality of life is as important as life itself and that people should not be forced to go on living when conditions of life have become terrible. They say that people should be allowed to die with dignity (尊严) and to decide when they want to die. Others argue that life under any conditions is better than death and that the duty of doctors is always to extend life as long as possible. And so the argument goes on and on without a final answer.The best title for this passage is _____.
| A．The Right to Live | B．The Right to Die |
| C．The Doctor’s Duty | D．The Right to Live or Die |
In recent years, people can live longer than in the past. It’s because of __ .
| A．the development of medical technology |
| B．big hospitals |
| C．good doctors |
| D．both B and C |
According to some people whether a dying patient has the right to die or not is decided by _____ .
| A．the doctors |
| B．the head of the hospital |
| C．his or her family |
| D．the patient himself or herself |
Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?
| A．Most of the medical workers join in the argument. |
| B．The argument has ended in favor of the patient. |
| C．The argument hasn’t ended yet. |
| D．The quality of life is not as important as life itself. |
If you have a chance to go to Finland, you will probably be surprised to find how “foolish” the Finnish people are.
Take the taxi drivers for example. Taxis in Finland are mostly high-class Benz with a fare(车费) of two US dollars a kilometer. You can go anywhere in one, tell the driver to drop you at any place, say that you have some business to attend to, and then walk off without paying your fare. The driver would not show the least sign of anxiety.
The dining rooms in all big hotels not only serve their guests, but also serve outside diners. Hotel guests have their meals free, so they naturally go to the free dining rooms to have their meals. The most they would do to show their good faith is to wave their registration（登记） card to the waiter. With such a loose check, you can easily use any old registration card to take a couple of friends to dine free of charge.
The Finnish workers are paid by the hour. They are very much on their own as soon as they have agreed with the boss on the rate. From then on they just say how many hours they have worked and they will be paid accordingly.
With so many loopholes （漏洞） in everyday life, surely Finland must be a heaven to those who love to take “petty advantages”. But the strange thing is, all the taxi passengers would always come back to pay their fare after they have attended to their business; not a single outsider has ever been found in the free hotel dining rooms. And workers always give an honest account of the exact hours they put in. As the Finns always act on good faith in everything they do, living in such a society has turned everyone into a real “gentleman”.The underlined words in this passage means to “______”。
| A．be ready to help others |
| B．make good use of one’s friends |
| C．be a little ahead of others |
| D．gain something at other’s loss |
Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?
| A．While taking a taxi in Finland, you can get off without first paying your fare. |
| B．In a big hotel in Finland, you can enjoy free meals if you’re living in the hotel. |
| C．The bosses in Finland pay the employees according to registration of t heir working hours. |
| D．The workers are always honest with their working hours. |
We can infer from the passage that ______.
| A．the Finnish society is of very high moral (道德) level |
| B．there are many loopholes in everyday life in Finland |
| C．in Finland, most taxi drivers will not charge you anything |
| D．everyone in Finland is like a gentleman, for they have faith in themselves |
Which of the following is the best title of the passage?
| A．Life in Finland |
| B．A Society with “Foolish” People |
| C．What a Life |
| D．Honest accounts of the Finns |
People who are hit by lightning and survive often have long-term effects. These may include memory loss, sleep disorders, muscle pain and depression(郁闷).
Experts tell people to seek(寻找) the safety of a building or a hard-top vehicle any time they hear thunder, even if it is not raining. They say lightning can strike as far as sixteen kilometers from any rainfall. Lightning can travel sideways. And at least ten percent of lightning happens without any clouds overhead that you can see.
People who are outdoors should make sure they are not the tallest thing around. Bend(屈身) low to the ground, but do not lie down. And do not stand near a tree or any tall object. Get away from water and anything made of metal. A car is safe, but do not touch any metal inside.
Safety experts say people in buildings should stay away from anything with wires or pipes that lead to the outside. The National Weather Service says if you plan to disconnect any electronic equipment, do so before the storm arrives. Do not use a wired telephone. Do not use water. All these can carry electricity.
Some people think a person struck by lightning carries an electrical charge （电荷） afterward. Experts say this is not true. It is safe to begin emergency treatment.
Each year about four hundred people in the United States are struck by lightning. Last year forty four people died. The average(平均) is close to seventy. The National Weather Service says that is more than the number of people killed by severe storms. According to the passage, which of the following is NOT true?
| A．Lightning can happen even if there is no cloud. |
| B．Lightning won’t do harm to people’s health. |
| C．Lightning can travel sideways. |
| D．Lightning can strike very far. |
The underlined word “disconnect” (in Paragraph 4) refers to “_______”.
| A．cut out | B．interrupt | C．disturb | D．cut off |
Which of the following mustn’t you do in order to seek lightning safety?
| A．Hide in a building. | B．Sit in a car. |
| C．Bend low to the ground. | D．Lie under a tall tree. |
Which of the following is the main idea of the passage?
| A．The latest information about lightning. |
| B．Some common knowledge about lightning safety. |
| C．How lightning comes into being. |
| D．Where we should hide in case of lightning. |
Agatha Christie went out at night．She never forgot the night when she met a robber many years ago．
That evening, she was invited to a birthday party which lasted until 2 o’clock in the morning．Agatha walked in the quiet street alone． Suddenly from the shadow of a dark building a tall man with a sharp knife in his right hand ran out at her． “Good morning, lady,” the man said in a low voice, “I don't think you wish to die here!”
“What do you want?” Agatha asked．
“Your earrings(耳环)． Take them off!”
Agatha suddenly had a bright idea． She tried to cover her necklace with the collar (衣领 ) of her overcoat while she used the other hand to take off both of her earrings and then she quickly threw them on the ground．
“Take them and let me go,” she said． The robber saw that the girl didn’t care for the earrings at all, only trying to protect the necklace． He thought the necklace would cost more, so he said, “Give me your necklace．”
“Oh, sir． It’s not worth much． Please let me keep it．”
“Stopping rubbish(废话)． Quick!”
With shaky hands, Agatha took off her necklace． As soon as the robber disappeared, she picked up her earrings and ran as fast as she could to one of her friends．
The earrings cost 480 pounds and the necklace the robber had taken away cost only six pounds．Agatha never forgot the night, for she _______．
| A．was robbed of her earrings |
| B．had a good time at the birthday party |
| C．was robbed of her necklace |
| D．was robbed, but she fooled the robber |
The birthday party ___________．
| A．was over at 2 | B．didn’t end after 2 |
| C．ended before 2 | D．didn’t end at 2 |
Which of the following is not true? ______．
| A．Agatha pretended not to care for her earrings |
| B．Agatha pretended to care for her necklace |
| C．Agatha really cared for her earrings |
| D．Agatha didn’t care for her earrings at all because they were not too expensive |
After reading the story，you may know that Agatha was a _____ girl．
| A．brave and famous | B．clever and brave |
| C．foolish | D．beautiful |
Many people consider their pets members of the family and are very sad when they die, but what if you could clone your dog, cat or bird?
A scientist in New Orleans, who has proved his ability to clone other animals, is now offering the possibility to pet owners here in Wisconsin．
Scientists have not been able to clone dogs, cats or other pets, but if and when the time comes, several companies will be ready and able to do the job．
The question is: Are you ready to clone your pet? Brett Reggio is betting on it．He is working on his Ph. D at Louisian State University. He's successfully cloned a goat five times and wants to try the process on family pets． So he started a business called Lazaron． “What Lazaron provides is the first step in the cloning process． ”He said．“It’s for curing and storing the fiberglass cells that will be used for cloning．”
“Your first reaction is yeah! I think I’d like that．” said Donna Schacht, a pet owner．
“I don’t believe you can ever replace a special love,” pet owner Paulette Callattion said．
Most pet owners will tell you freezing your pet’s DNA in hopes of one day cloning it is a personal decision．
Scientists say that cloning your own pet doesn’t mean that the offspring（后代） will have the same intelligence, temperament（性情） or other qualities that your pet has．From the passage we know that scientists have ______．
| A．tried to clone animals |
| B．cloned many kinds of animals |
| C．been able to clone pets for people |
| D．once cloned goats successfully |
Brett Reggio started a business in order to _____．
| A．clone pets for people |
| B．store the DAN of people’s pets for cloning one day |
| C．make pets members of a family |
| D．collect different ideas on cloning from people |
Some people seem not interested in cloning pets because___________．
| A．they think it would be too expensive |
| B．they don’t think scientists will one day be able to clone their pets |
| C．they think the cloned pet would not be the one they once had |
| D．they don’t want to give any love to the cloned pet |
If you cloned a pet, your might find that it_____．
| A．looked different from the pet you once had |
| B．turned out to be another kind of animal |
| C．had a different character |
| D．were just the same pet your once had |
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