Puerto Rico may be part of the USA but its music and dance is a mixture of both Spanish and African rhythms. The country, as a result, is a mixture of very new and very old. It exhibits the open American way of yet retains the more formal Spanish influences. This is reflected in the architecture, not just the contrast between the colonial and the modern in urban areas but also in the countryside, where older buildings sit side by side with concrete schools and buildings.
However, if you do not wander beyond the tourist areas on the coast, you will not experience the real Puerto Rico. Old volcanic mountains, long inactive, occupy a large part of the interior（内陆）, with the highest peak, Cerro de Punta, at 1,338m in the Cordillera Central. North of the Cordillera is the karst （岩溶）country where the limestone（石灰石）has been acted upon by water to produce a series of small steep hills and deep holes. The mountains are surrounded by a coastal plain with the Atlantic shore beaches cooled all the year round by trade winds.
The population is 3.8 million, of which about 1.5 million live in San Juan, although about another two million Puerto Ricans live in the USA Average life expectancy is 73.8 years and GDP per capita is US $12,212, the highest in Latin America, although not up to the level of mainland USA. Most Puerto Ricans do not speak English and less than 30% speak it fluently. Second generation Puerto Ricans who were born in New York but who have returned to the island, are called Nuyoricans. The people are very friendly and hospitable but there is crime, liked to drugs and unemployment.What are the disadvantages of Puerto Rico?
| A．Too many Puerto Ricans live in the USA |
| B．Few people in Puerto Rico can speak English |
| C．Puerto Rico’s GDP is lower than that of the USA |
| D．Social problem connected with drugs and lack of jobs. |
We can learn from the passage that Puerto Rico _________.
| A．is a state of the United States | B．used to be ruled by Spain |
| C．is an agricultural country | D．is gently affected by Africa |
Nuyorican is a person who _______.
| A．has been living in New York |
| B．is living in New York |
| C．was born in New York but has returned to Puerto Rico |
| D．has got the citizenship of America |
What does the underlined word “retains” mean?
| A．loses | B．keeps | C．enjoys | D．returns |
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 X-ray facilities（设备） to help save the lives of wounded soldiers. Irene continued the work by developing X-ray facilities in military hospitals in France and Belgrum. Her services were recognized in the form of a Military’s 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 Joliot-Curie died from leukemia （白血病）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 Frederio joliot?
| A．At the Curie Institute. |
| B．At the University of Paris. |
| C．At a military hospital. |
| D．At the College of Sevigne. |
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 Cuire 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. |
Accidents and illness are unhappy things to talk about, but no one can expect to live a lifetime without having some kind of accident or becoming ill. Some accidents and illnesses are serious and may result in long periods of invalidism.
The newspapers contain spectacular accounts of accidents in the street and highways and public places, but nearly as many accidents occur around the home. Somebody trips on a rug. Somebody falls off a stepladder. Somebody is careless in cooking dinner, and is burned. Accidents incurred in the playing of sports and swimming also accounts for a large number of injuries, big and little. Despite constant campaigns to reduce the number of accidents, there are still approximately 100,000 accidental deaths and nearly 9,000,000 nonfatal injuries in the United States each year.
It has been estimated that around 3,000,000 people are constantly ill in the United States throughout the year and that over half the illness is caused by respiratory diseases, chiefly colds and influenza.
The pain and suffering caused by accidents and illness tell only half the story. Loss of time from school and work and medical and hospital expenses often make the pain seem worse. Money spent in this country for doctors, services, hospitalization, nursing care, drugs, medicines, Xrays, and special treatments, amounts to a huge annual sum. Added to this expense is another much larger amount that is lost to wage earners throughout the nation by reason of their loss of wages or income while sick or otherwise disabled.
Accident and health insurance is a form of insurance devised to protect against these economic losses. It protects the earning of wage earners and finishes financial aid to the family of the breadwinner by the payment of his doctor and hospital bills. Today, business and professional men, farmers, industrial workers, clerks and those engaged in various occupations, whose earning power is shut off for a week, a month, or sometimes years, because of accidents or illness can insure themselves against this financial loss by accident and health insurance.
Protection is available to all types of workers and the cost(called the premium)ranges from a few cents a day for small or limited policies to a month for policies paying larger amounts(called indemnities). Policy is another name for an insurance contract(合同). Most accident and health policies are cancelable policies—that is, they are sold for a definite term such as a week, a month, or a year, similar to contracts of fire insurance and automobile liability insurance. There are, however, policies which cannot be canceled or terminated(终止)by the insurance company until the policyholder reaches an age at which he usually has no further earning power—most often at sixty or sixtyfive years. These noncancelable policies cost more than the cancelable policies.What is the passage mainly concerned about?
| A．Everyone will have some sort of illness or accident. |
| B．Accident and health insurance is available to everyone. |
| C．Cancelable insurance policies are better than noncancelable one. |
| D．Insurance is a good protection against accidents and illness. |
Every year in the United States there are________.
| A．more people die in accidents than of illness |
| B．more people who are ill than those injured in accidents |
| C．more outdoor accidents than indoor accidents |
| D．more people injured in accidents than those who are constantly ill |
The heaviest pain and suffering caused by accidents and illness are________.
| A．colds and influenza | B．financial losses |
| C．loss of time | D．invalidism |
Accident and health insurance will protect people by________.
| A．covering their medical expenditure |
| B．paying their wages |
| C．restoring their earning power |
| D．providing policyholders with the money they need to survive |
When something goes wrong, it can be very satisfying to say, “Well, it’s soandso's fault.”or “I know I'm late, but it's not my fault; the car broke down.”It is probably not your fault, but once you form the habit of blaming somebody or something else for a bad situation, you are a loser. You have no power and could do nothing that helps change the situation. However, you can have great power over what happens to you if you stop focusing on whom to blame and start focusing on how to remedy the situation.This is the winner's key to success.
Winners are great at overcoming problems. For example, if you were late because your car broke down, maybe you need to have your car examined more regularly. Or，you might start to carry along with you the useful phone numbers, so you could call for help when in need. For another example, if your colleague causes you problems on the job for lack of responsibility or ability, find ways of dealing with his irresponsibility or inability rather than simply blame the person. Ask to work with a different person, or don't rely on this person. You should accept that the person is not reliable and find creative ways to work successfully regardless of how your colleague fails to do his job well.
This is what being a winner is all about—creatively using your skills and talents so that you are successful no matter what happens. Winners don't have fewer problems in their lives; they have just as many difficult situations to face as anybody else. They are just better at seeing those problems as challenges and opportunities to develop their own talents. So，stop focusing on “whose fault it is.”Once you are confident about your power over bad situations, problems are just stepping stone for success.According to the passage, winners __________.
| A．meet with fewer difficulties in their lives |
| B．have responsible and able colleagues |
| C．blame themselves rather than others |
| D．deal with problems rather than blame others |
The underlined word remedy in Paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to __________.
| A．improve | B．avoid | C．accept | D．consider |
When your colleague brings about a problem, you should __________.
| A．blame him for his lack of responsibility |
| B．tell him to find the cause of the problem |
| C．find a better way to handle the problem |
| D．ask a more able colleague for help |
Which of the following is the best title for the passage?
| A．A Winner's Opportunity. | B．A Winner's Problem. |
| C．A Winner's Secret. | D．A Winner's Achievement. |
ARIZONA
Thunderbird Lodge in Canyon de Chelly
The Deal：A onenight stay at the historic lodge(小旅店)starts at $59 for a single room, $65 for a double room, and the lodge offers halfday tours of Canyon de Chelly($41 for adults and $32 for children under 12.)
Details：Hotel taxes are an additional 17.1 percent.
Time：Nov. 1,2006Mary. 31,2007
Contact：800/679－2473，tbirdlodge._come
CALIFORNIA
Zephyr Cove Resort at Lake Tahoe
The Deal：The Fall Getaway package includes a threenight stay in a lakeside cabin for two people, an Emerald Bay sightseeing for two, free breakfast and lunch. Rates are $299 per couple—saving of up to $400.
Time：Through Dec. 15,2006.
Detail：Hotel taxes are included.
Contact：800/23TAHOE，zephyrcove._come
NEVADA
MonteLago Village at Lake Las Vegas
The Deal：A onenight stay at the Mediterraneanstyle MonteLago Village, 17 miles from Las Vegas, and coupon tickets(优惠票)for iceskating and skate rentals. Rates start at $65 per person.
Time: Nov. 17,2006Jan. 15, 2007
Details：Hotel taxes are an additional 12 percent.
Contact：866/3992753，montelagovillage._com
YELLOWSTONE
Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel
The Deal：A twonight stay, breakfast daily, fullday ski rental, unlimited iceskating and skates, and a book of Yellowstone photos. Rates start at $ 119 per person.
Time：Jan. 1Mar. 2,2007
Details：Hotel taxes are an additional 8 percent.
Contact：866/4397375，travelyellowstone._comA couple, with their 13yearold son, had a halfday tour of Canyon de Chelly without stay on Nov. 13,2006.They should pay________.
| A．$114 | B．$189 | C．$177 | D．$123 |
If a couple wants to have a cheap 3day trip, they had better contact________.
| A．800/6792473 | B．866/3992753 |
| C．800/23TAHOE | D．866/4397375 |
If you are interested in iceskating, you may find more information in________.
| A．travelyellowstone._com & montelagovillage._com |
| B．montelagovillage._com & tbirdlodge._com |
| C．tbirdlodge._com & zephyrcove._com |
| D．zephyrcove._com & travelyellowstone._com |
Chances
I really love my job because I enjoy working with small children and like the challenges and awards from the job. I also think my work is important. There was a time when I thought I would never have that sort of career(职业)．
I wasn't an excellent student because I didn't do much schoolwork. In my final term I started thinking what I might do and found I didn't have much to offer. I just accepted that I wasn't the type to have a career.
I then found myself a job, looking after two little girls. It wasn't too bad at first. But the problems began when I agreed to live in, so that I would be there if my boss had to go out for business in the evening. We agreed that if I had to work extra hours one week, she'd give me time off the next. But unfortunately, it didn't often work out. I was getting extremely tired and fed up, because I had too many late nights and early morning with the children.
One Sunday, I was in the park with the children, and met Megan who used to go to school with me. I told her about my situation. She suggested that I should do a course and get a qualification(资格证书)if I wanted to work with children. I didn't think I would be accepted because I didn't take many exams in school. She persuaded me to phone the local college and they were really helpful. My experience counted for a lot and I got on a parttime course. I had to leave my job with the family, and got work helping out at a kindergarten.
Now I've got a fulltime job there. I shall always be thankful to Megan. I wish I had known earlier that you could have a career, even if you aren't top of the class at school.What is the author's present job?
| A．Working parttime in a college. |
| B．Helping children with their schoolwork. |
| C．Looking after children at a kindergarten. |
| D．Taking care of children for a family. |
When staying with the two girls' family, the author________.
| A．was paid for extra work |
| B．got much help from her boss |
| C．took a day off every other week |
| D．often worked long hours |
Why did the author leave her first job?
| A．She decided to attend a parttime course. |
| B．She found a fulltime job. |
| C．She was fed up with children. |
| D．She needed a rest after working extra hours. |
What has the author learned from her own experiences?
| A．Qualifications are necessary for a career. |
| B．Hard work makes an excellent student. |
| C．One must choose the job she likes. |
| D．Less successful students can still have a career. |
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