In cities with rent control, the city government sets the maximum rent that a landlord (房东) can charge for an apartment. Supporters of rent control argue that it protects people who are living in apartment. Their rent cannot increase; therefore, they are not in danger of losing their homes. However, the critics say that after a long time, rent control may have negative effects. Landlords know that they cannot increase their profits. Therefore, they invest in other businesses where they can increase their profits. They do not invest in new buildings which would also be rent-controlled. As a result, new apartments are not built. Many people who need apartments cannot find any. According to the critics, the end result of rent control is a shortage of apartments in the city.
Some experts argue that the minimum wage law can cause problems in the same way. The federal government sets the minimum that an employer must pay workers. The minimum helps people who generally look for unskilled, low-paying jobs. However, if the minimum is high, employers may hire fewer workers. They will replace workers with machinery. Therefore, other things being equal, the number of workers that employers want decreases. Thus, critics hold the opinion that an increase in the minimum wage may cause unemployment. Some poor people may find themselves without jobs instead of with jobs at the minimum wage.
Supporters of the minimum wage say that it helps people keep their dignity. Because of the law, workers cannot sell their services for less than the minimum. Furthermore, employers cannot force workers to accept jobs at unfair wages.
Economic theory predicts the results of economic decision, such as decisions about farm production, rent control, and the minimum wage. The predictions may be corrected only if “other things are equal”. Economists do not agree on some of the predictions. They also do not agree on the value of different decisions. Some economists support a particular decision while others criticize it. Economists do agree, however, that there are no simple answers to economic questions.There is the possibility that setting maximum rent may________.
| A．cause a shortage of apartments |
| B．worry those who rent apartments as homes. |
| C．increase the profits of landlords. |
| D．encourage landlords to invest in building apartments. |
We can safely say that rent control_________.
| A．will always benefit those who rent apartments. |
| B．is unnecessary. |
| C．will probably bring inactive effects in the long run. |
| D．is necessary under all conditions |
There will be the problem of unemployment if ________________.
| A．the minimum wage is set too high.. |
| B．the minimum wage is set too early. |
| C．the workers are unskilled. |
| D．the maximum wage is set for poor workers. |
The passage tells us about _______________.
| A．the relationship between supply and demand. |
| B．the possible results of government controls. |
| C．the necessity of government control. |
| D．the urgency of getting rid of government control. |
Which of the following statements is NOT true?
| A．The results of economic decisions cannot always be predicted. |
| B．Minimum wage cannot always protect employees. |
| C．Economic theory can help predict the results of economic decision if other factors are not changing. |
| D．Economists usually have the same prediction about an economic decision. |
In early autumn I applied for admission to college. I wanted to go nowhere but to Cornell University, but my mother fought strongly against it. When she saw me studying a photograph of my father on the sports ground of Cornell, she tore it up.
“You can't say it's not a great university, just because Papa went there.”
“That's not it at all. And it is a top university.” She was still holding the pieces in her hand. “ But we can't afford to send you to college.”
“I wouldn't dream of asking you for money. Do you want me to get a job to help support you and Papa? Things aren't that bad, are they？”
“No，” she said. “I don't expect you to help support us.”
Father borrowed money from his rich cousins to start a small jewellery shop. His chief customers were his old college friends. To get new customers, my mother had to help. She picked up a longforgotten membership in the local league of women, so that she could get to know more people. Whether those people would turn into customers was another question. I knew that my parents had to wait for quite a long time before their small investment (投资) could show returns. What's more, they had not wanted enough to be rich and successful; otherwise they could not possibly have managed their lives so badly.
I was torn between the desire to help them and change their lives, and the determination not to repeat their mistakes. I had a strong belief in my power to get what I wanted. After months of hard study I won a full college scholarship (奖学金). My father could hardly contain his pride in me, and my mother eventually gave in before my success.The author was not allowed to go to Cornell University mainly because______.
| A．his father graduated from the university |
| B．his mother did not think it a great university |
| C．his parents needed him to help support the family |
| D．his parents did not have enough money for him |
The father started his small shop with the money from ______.
| A．a local league | B．his university |
| C．his relatives | D．his college friends |
Why did the mother renew her membership in the league?
| A．To help with her husband's business. |
| B．To raise money for her son. |
| C．To meet her longforgotten friends. |
| D．To better manage her life. |
Most people know that Marie Curie was the first woman to win the Nobel Prize, and the first person to win it twice. However, few people know that she was also the mother of a Nobel Prize winner.
Born in September, 1897, Irene Curie was the first of the Curies' two daughters. Along with nine other children whose parents were also famous scholars, Irene studied in their own school, and her mother was one of the teachers. She finished her high school education at the College of Sévigné in Paris.
Irene entered the University of Paris in 1914 to prepare for a degree in mathematics and physics. When World War I began, Irene went to help her mother, who was using Xray facilities (设备) to help save the lives of wounded soldiers. Irene continued the work by developing Xray facilities in military hospitals in France and Belgium. Her services were recognized in the form of a Military Medal by the French government.
In 1918, Irene became her mother's assistant at the Curie Institute. In December 1924, Frederic Joliot joined the Institute, and Irene taught him the techniques required for his work. They soon fell in love and were married in 1926. Their daughter Helene was born in 1927 and their son Pierre five years later.
Like her mother, Irene combined family and career. Like her mother, Irene was awarded a Nobel Prize, along with her husband, in 1935. Unfortunately, also like her mother, she developed leukemia because of her work with radioactivity (辐射能). Irene JoliotCurie died from leukemia on March 17, 1956.Why was Irene Curie awarded a Military Medal?
| A．Because she received a degree in mathematics. |
| B．Because she contributed to saving the wounded. |
| C．Because she won the Nobel Prize with Frederic. |
| D．Because she worked as a helper to her mother. |
Where did Irene Curie meet her husband Frederic Joliot?
| A．At the Curie Institute. |
| B．At the University of Paris. |
| C．At a military hospital. |
| D．At the College of Sévigné. |
When was the second child of Irene Curie and Frederic Joliot born ?
| A．In 1932. | B．In 1927. |
| C．In 1897. | D．In 1926. |
In which of the following aspects was Irene Curie different from her mother?
| A．Irene worked with radioactivity. |
| B．Irene combined family and career. |
| C．Irene won the Nobel Prize once. |
| D．Irene died from leukemia. |
A tourist comes out of the airport．There are a lot of taxis，but the tourist asks every taxi—driver his name．He takes the third taxi．It costs￡5 from the airport to the hotel．“How much does it cost for the whole day?” the tourist asks．“￡100”，says the taxi-driver．This is very expensive，but the tourist accepts the price．
The taxi—driver takes the tourist everywhere．He shows him all monuments and all the museums．In the evening they go back to the hotel．The tourist gives the taxi-driver￡100 and says，“What about tomorrow?” The taxi-driver looks at the tourist．“ Tomorrow? It’s another ￡100 tomorrow” But the tourist says，“That’s OK．If that’s the price，that is the price．See you tomorrow．”The taxi—driver is very pleased．
The next day the taxi-driver takes the tourist everywhere again．They visit all the museums and all the monuments again．And in the second evening they go back to the hotel．The tourist gives the taxi—driver another￡100 and says，“I’m going home tomorrow．”The taxi-driver is sorry．He likes the tourist and，above all，￡100 a day is good money．“So you are going home．Where do you come from?” he asks．
“I come from New York．”
“New York!” says the taxi-driver，“I have a sister in New York．Her name is Susannah．Do you know her?”
“Of course I know her．She gave me ￡200 for you．”The tourist is__ __．
| A．an Englishman | B．an American |
| C．a Chinese | D．a Frenchman |
The tourist asks every taxi-driver his name because_____ _．
| A．he knows of one of the taxi-drivers |
| B．he wants to remember all of the taxi-drivers’ names |
| C． he is afraid of being cheated |
| D．there is a friend of his among the taxi drivers |
Why is the taxi-driver very pleased with the tourist?
| A．His sister has brought so much money to him． |
| B．His sister knows the tourist． |
| C．None but the tourist agrees to the price given without arguing with him． |
| D．He wants to be the guide of the tourist． |
We can conclude that _____ _．
| A．the tourist will give the taxi-driver another￡200 |
| B．the taxi-driver insists that the tourist should pay him another￡200 |
| C．the tourist will give the taxi—driver half of the sum |
| D．the tourist makes fun of the taxi—driver |
One day a teacher was giving her young students a lesson on how the government works. She was trying to explain the principle of income tax (收入税).
“You see ,” she began , speaking slowly and carefully , “each person who works must pay part of his or her salary (薪水) to the government . If you make a high salary, your taxes are high. If you don’t make much money, your taxes are low .”
“Is that clear?” she asked. “Does everyone understand the meaning of income tax?” The students nodded.
Are there any questions?” she asked. The students shook their heads.
“Very good!” she said.” “Now, I would like you to take a piece of paper and write a short paragraph on the subject of income tax.”
Little Joey was a slow learner. He had lots of problems with spelling and grammar, but this time he at least seemed to understand the task.. He took his pen and after a few minutes, he handed the teacher the following composition:
Once I had a dog. His name was Tax. I opened the door and in come Tax.The teacher was trying to explain _______one day.
| A．everyone should pay income tax |
| B．how the government works |
| C．the basic principles of the income tax |
| D．how much tax one should pay for his income |
After the teacher’s explanation,__________.
| A．not all the students understood the meaning of income tax |
| B．many of the students were still puzzled |
| C．all the students shook their heads |
| D．few students disagreed with their teacher |
The students were asked__________.
| A．to write a composition on “income tax” |
| B．to answer some questions on income tax |
| C．to say something about income tax |
| D．to explain the principle of income tax |
Little Joey __________.
| A．wrote a paragraph about his dog |
| B．grasped what income tax meant |
| C．was clear about the subject |
| D．did as what he was told to do |
What was your favorite sport during your childhood? Maybe running around the playground or jumping rope for hours would bring you pleasure. At that time you weren’t thinking of health, you were just thinking of entertainment(娱乐). But in this age of high-tech home equipment, the simple joy of jumping rope has been forgotten. I think rediscovering it probably will give you a total-body exercise.
Although considered an excellent form of exercise, jumping rope has never been widely accepted because of two reasons. First, most people consider jumping rope to be an excellent form of cardiovascular (心血管的) exercise, but they also believe that it is simply too difficult. In other words, they don’t think they’ll be able to continue jumping for the near 20 minutes in order to achieve a beneficial physical effect. Second, many people regard it as a little boring and overly repetitive —not as something fun or enjoyable.
As a matter of fact, jumping rope can be great fun as long as you find proper ways to practice it. Instead of doing the usual two-foot bounce(跳) over and over again, players good at rope-jumping often change their pattern every 10 or 20 jumps. A single bounce, a double –bounce, a skip, a knee-up, side swings, as well as a variety of other easy-to-learn free-style rope-jumping .
Nowadays researchers are discovering that jumping rope also prepares the brain for learning. It is an exercise allowing both brain hemispheres（半球）to perform equally to each other . In a word, jumping rope can be a life-long activity requiring little equipment, time and space, yet leading to a much healthier life.One reason that can explain why rope jumping has not spread widely is that_____.
| A．it is believed to be boring and repetitive |
| B．it is too difficult for people to learn to jump |
| C．it benefits the cardiovascular system |
| D．it requires little equipment, time and space |
The first sentence in Paragraph 3 implies that in rope jumping .
| A．there is only one proper way to follow |
| B．the usual way should not be used again |
| C．the easiest way is always the best one |
| D．there are different kinds of ways to follow |
According to the researchers, jumping rope .
| A．only prepares the brain for learning |
| B．is suitable for students only |
| C．helps both brain hemispheres work together |
| D．can be dangerous for old people |
What is the author’s attitude towards rope jumping?
| A．He strongly argues against it. |
| B．He is sitting on the fence of it . |
| C．He is for it. |
| D．He knows little about it . |
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