The World Trade Organization (WTO) founded on January 1, 1994, aims to encourage international trade to flow as freely as possible, making sure that trade agreements are respected and that any disputes (争端) can be settled.
In the five years since its founding, the WTO has become well-known as one of the world’s most powerful economic organizations, taking its place alongside the World Bank and International Monetary Fund.
The system of global rules for international trade, however, dates back half a century to 1948 when the General Agreement on Tariffs (关税) and Trade (GATT) was formed after World War II.
As time went by it became clear that the GATT had two major drawbacks—the limited areas of trade it covered, and the lack of an effective system to settle disputes.
After seven years of trade talks ending in 1994. the so-called Uruguay Round finally gave birth to the WTO, complete with an effective system to settle disputes and new rules covering trade in services and intellectual property (知识产权).
Even after seven years of talks and 22500 pages of agreements there were still problems, especially the difficult-to-deal-with areas of agriculture and services.
The WTO. with its head office in Geneva, has 135 members with 30 more waiting to join.Compared with the GATT, the WTO _____.
| A．can do better to settle disputes in more areas of international trade |
| B．got its members to sign the agreements more easily |
| C．has got too many areas of international trade to deal with to work effectively |
| D．didn’t pay enough attention to services and intellectual property |
In the new century the WTO will _____.
| A．take the place of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund |
| B．have new rules covering trade in services and intellectual property |
| C．make complete new rules in every area of international trade |
| D．have more members and do much more to settle more problems |
The underlined word “drawbacks” probably means _____.
| A．weak points | B．changes | C．strong points | D．improvements |
The best title for the passage is _____.
| A．WTO—Another Name for GATT |
| B．WTO—an International Service Organization |
| C．WTO—One of the World’s Strongest Economic Organizations |
| D．WTO—the World’s Most Powerful Economic Organization |
We are all interested in equality, but while some people try to protect the school and examination system in the name of equality, others, still in the name of equality, want only to destroy it.
Any society which is interested in equality of opportunity and standards of achievement must regularly test its pupils. The standards may be changed—no examination is perfect — but to have no tests or examinations would mean the end of equality and of standards. There are groups of people who oppose this view and who do not believe either in examinations or in any controls in schools or on teachers. This would mean that everything would depend on luck since every pupil would depend on the efficiency, the values and the purpose of each teacher.
Without examinations, employers will look for employees from the highly respected schools and from families known to them--- a form of favoritism will replace equality. At the moment, the bright child from ill-respected school can show certificates to prove he or she is suitable for the job, while the lack of certificate indicates the unsuitability of a dull child attending a well-respected school. This defence of excellence and opportunity would disappear if examinations were taken away, and the bright child from a poor family would be a prisoner of his or her school’s reputation, unable to compete with the child from the favored school.
The opponents of the examination system suggest that examinations are an evil force because they show differences between pupils. According to these people, there must be no special, different, academic class. They have even suggested that there should be no form of difference in sport or any other area: all jobs or posts should be filled by unsystematic selection. The selection would be made by people who themselves are probably selected by some computer. The underlined word “favoritism” in paragraph three is used to describe the phenomenon that _______.
| A．bright children also need certificate to get satisfying jobs. |
| B．children from well-respected schools tend to have good jobs. |
| C．poor children with certificates are favored in job markets. |
| D．children attending ordinary schools achieve great success. |
What would happen if examinations were taken away according to the author?
| A．Schools for bright children would lose their reputation. |
| B．There would be more opportunities and excellence. |
| C．Children from poor families would be able to change their schools. |
| D．Children’s job opportunity would be affected by their school reputation. |
The opponents of the examination system will agree that _______.
| A．jobs should not be assigned by systematic selection. |
| B．computers should be selected to take over many jobs. |
| C．special classes are necessary to keep the school standards. |
| D．schools that win academic subjects should be done away with. |
The passage mainly focuses on __________.
| A．schools and certificates. | B．examination and equality. |
| C．opportunity and employment. | D．standards and reputation. |
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 labour 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 that peak comes during the forenoon. For others it comes in the afternoon or evening. No one has discovered why this is so, but it leads to such familiar monologues （自言自语）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 mean, and which cycle each member of the family has.
You can’t change your energy cycle, but you can make your life fit it better. Habit can help. Dr. Kleitman believes. Maybe you’re sleepy in the evening but feel 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 yawn and stretch. Sit on the edge of the bed a minute before putting your feet on the floor. Avoid the troublesome search for clean clothes by laying them out the night before. Whenever possible, do routine work in the afternoon and save tasks requiring more energy for your sharper hours .If you want to work better at your low point in the morning, you should .
| A．change your energy cycle | B．overcome your laziness |
| C．get up early than usual | D．go to bed earlier |
You are advised to rise with a yawn and stretch because it will .
| A．help to keep your energy for the day’s work |
| B．help you to control your temper early in the day |
| C．enable you to get your energy on your routine work |
| D．keep your energy cycle under control all day |
What’s the best title of the passage?
| A．Change Your Habits | B．Save Your Energy |
| C．Daily Energy Cycle | D．Temperature-and-Energy Peak |
The text is probably taken from a ______.
| A．news report | B．research paper |
| C．medical textbook | D．fashion journal |
Grant Wood’s American Gothic caused a stir （轰动）in 1930 when it was exhibited for the first time at the Art Institute of Chicago and awarded a prize of 300 dollars. Newspapers across the country carried the story, and the painting of a farmer and a younger woman posed before a white house brought the artist instant fame.
In 1930, Grant Wood, an American painter with European training, noticed a small white house built in the small southern Iowa town of Eldon. Wood was so fascinated by it that he decided to paint the house along with the kind of people he thought should live in that house. In the painting, the farmer is modeled on his dentist. Dr. Byron McKeeby. His younger sister Nan served as a model for the woman （imagined to be the farmer’s wife or daughter）. Wood wanted to give a description of the traditional roles of men and women as the man is holding a pitchfork symbolizing hard labor. Each element was painted separately; the models sat separately and never stood in front of the house. The Gothic style of the house inspired the painting’s title.
American Gothic remains one of the most famous paintings in the history of American art. The painting has become part of American popular culture. Some believe that Wood used it to satirize（讽刺） the narrow-mindedness that has been said to characterize Midwestern culture. The painting may also be read as a praise of the moral virtue or rural America or even as a mixture of praise and satire. American Gothic is one of the few images to reach the status of cultural symbol, along with Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa.Which of the following is true about American Gothic?
| A．It won a prize of ￡ 300. |
| B．The two characters in it posed before the White House. |
| C．It was the first painting by Grant Wood. |
| D．It was on show at the Art Institute of Chicago in 1930. |
From the passage we can infer Iowa is in __________.
| A．the southern town of Eldon | B．the Midwest of the United States |
| C．a European country | D．the city of Chicago |
Grant Wood chose the two models __________.
| A．to describe traditional roles of men and women |
| B．to praise the moral virtue of rural America |
| C．to make his dentist and his sister famous |
| D．to carry the story across the country |
The title of the painting is based on __________.
| A．the name of a small town | B．the man and the woman |
| C．the Gothic style of the house | D．the pitchfork symbolizing hard labor |
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| C．to collect more money for charity |
| D．to introduce a new product |
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| A．Only $12 is to be paid for 24 issues of the magazine. |
| B．Readers can get a free offer of the magazine any time of the year. |
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A reader subscribed PARENTS 3 months ago, but now he finds the magazine dissatisfying. What can he do?
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During adolescence(青春期), peers（同龄人） play a large part in a young person's life and typically replace family as the center of a teen's social activities. Some kids give in to peer pressure because they want to be liked or because they worry that other kids may make fun of them if they don't go along with the group. Others may go along because they are curious to try something new that others are doing. The idea that "everyone's doing it" may influence some kids to leave their better judgment, or their common sense, behind.
As children grow, develop, and move into early adolescence, contacts with one's peers and the attraction of peer identification (认同)increases. As pre-adolescents begin rapid physical, emotional and social changes, they begin to question adult standards and the need for parental guidance. They find it good to turn for advice to friends who understand— friends who are in the same position themselves. By trying new things and testing their ideas with their peers, there is less fear of being laughed at.
There are two levels of peer pressure. The first is in the large group: for most teens a school or a youth group are examples. This is the situation that gets the most attention. The second is in the close relationship with one or several best friends. This is the situation that is sometimes disregarded. The large group puts a general pressure on its members. It sets the standard for clothing, music, entertainment, and "political correctness". The pressure can be avoided by keeping quiet or by putting on the appearance of agreement. Why can’t some children follow their common sense?
| A．Because they want to be liked by everybody. |
| B．Because they don’t want to make fun of others. |
| C．Because they are curious about their new friends. |
| D．Because they think all the children will do the same. |
When in pre-adolescence, who may children ask for suggestions?
| A．Parents | B．Teachers | C．Friends | D．Classmates |
Which word can replace the underlined word disregarded in the last paragraph?
| A．unnoticed | B．mentioned | C．disagreed | D．avoided |
What might be discussed in the following paragraph?
| A．The reasons of peer pressure. |
| B．The advantages of peer pressure. |
| C．Peer pressure from close friends. |
| D．Peer pressure from a youth group. |
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