Are you a saver or a spender?
"A penny saved is a penny earned." This old saying calls attention to the wisdom of saving money. "_________________________" is another way to talk about saving for the future.
People who hate to spend money are known as "tightwads," while those who like to get the most value for their money are called "thrifty." A thrifty person is different from a "spendthrift." A spendthrift is someone who spends wastefully. People like that are often said to spend money "like a drunken sailor" or "like there's no tomorrow."
In the United States, people who want to start a savings account have different choices of where to put their money. These include banks and credit unions. Credit unions are cooperatives for people who have some kind of connection. For example, the members might work for a university or a government agency. Most credit unions are nonprofit organizations.
Credit unions, banks and other financial institutions pay interest on savings accounts. But the interest rates are low. Certificates of deposit（存款证） pay higher returns. With a certificate of deposit, or CD, a person agrees not to withdraw the money for a certain period of time. This term could be anywhere from a few months to several years. Longer terms, and larger amounts, pay higher interest. People can withdraw their money early but they have to pay a fine.
In a number of countries, people have been saving less over the years. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development is a group of thirty-four countries. The OECD says in 1990, Americans had a household savings rate of seven percent. This year, that rate is expected to be a little more than four percent and many European countries have higher rates like the UK and France , but Americans save more than families in countries like Japan and South Korea.Which of the following proverbs can be filled in the blank in Paragraph 2?
| A．Health is wealth. |
| B．Money is a good servant but a bad master |
| C．Put money away for a rainy day. |
| D．Money doesn’t grow on trees. |
If you have $10,000, which of the following may help you get higher interest ?
| A．Choose certificates of deposit for one year. |
| B．Put the money in banks for one year. |
| C．Put the money in credit unions for one year. |
| D．Choose certificates of deposit for one year but withdraw the money ahead of time. |
What does the passage mainly talk about ?
| A．Different choices of putting money away in the US. |
| B．The importance of saving money. |
| C．How to put money into banks. |
| D．The household savings rate in the US. |
Dearest Mom and Dad,
I'm afraid I have some very bad news for you. I have been very naughty and the school principal is very angry with me. She is going to write to you. You must come and take me away from here. She does not want me in the school any longer.
The trouble started last night when I was smoking a cigarette in bed. This is against the rules, of course. We are not supposed to smoke at all.
As I was smoking, I heard footsteps coming towards the room. I did not want a teacher to catch me smoking, so I threw the cigarette away.
Unfortunately, the cigarette fell into the waste-paper basket, which caught fire. There was a curtain near the waste-paper basket which caught fire, too. Soon the whole room was burning.
The principal phoned for the fire department. The school is a long way from the town and by the time the fire department arrived, the whole school was in flames. Many of the girls are in the hospital.
The principal says the fire was my fault and you must pay for the damage. She will send you a bill for about a million dollars.
I am very sorry about this.
Much love, Sarah
P.S.
None of the above is true, but I have failed my exams. I just want you to know how bad things could have been! Sarah wrote to her parent______
| A． to inform them about an accident |
| B． to ask them for money |
| C． to them wonderful news |
| D． to tell then she had failed her exams |
Sarah told her parents the story about the fire because______
| A．she wanted to make them worried |
| B．she wanted them to have some fun |
| C．she wanted to make them less angry at the real news |
| D．she wanted to make them even more angry |
The main body of the letter was_____
| A．mostly true | B．partly true |
| C．all true | D．completely untrue |
Sarah said the principal was angry because____
| A．she had failed her exams |
| B．it was her fault that the fire had broken out |
| C．she not make the phone call in time |
| D．she had caught her smoking in bed |
The United States will introduce a new and comprehensive(综合的) exam for students who seek to study in American and other English-speaking countries, Xinhua News Agency reported from New York.
The exam, which stands for a great change from the current English level test, was disclosed by Theresa Chang Wei Jen, associate director of the International Service of the US College Board, America’s leading educational organization.
The Advanced Placement International English Language (APIEL) will be offered for the first time throughout the world on May 10, 2002, said Jen.
However, the APIEL is a strange title to most Chinese students, and it is unlikely to soon gain the similarity of other already existing exams, such as the TOEFL(Test of English as a Foreign Language), the GRE(Graduate Record Examination), or the IELTS(International English Language Testing System).
“I have never heard of such a test and I would prefer the IELTS if I need another exam,” said Xu Jingyan, a graduating student from Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, who wants to study in England and has already taken the TOEFL.
Most of Xu’s classmates have never heard of the APIEL. “The APIEL is designed for international students who wish to get university studies in English-speaking countries, including the United States, Britain, Canada, and Australia.” said Jen.
The APIEL has been adopted, said Jen, because the TOEFL can no longer accurately reflect the abilities of students of using the English language comprehensively in an academic environment. Xinhua reported that a fairly large number of foreign students who earned high scores in TOEFL exam turned out to be very ordinary educational performers after admission.
Compared with the TOEFL, the APIEL measures a student’s ability to read, write, speak and understand English through testing his or her skills in listening comprehension, speaking with accuracy(精确) and resourcefulness, and writing with clarity and fluency(流畅), Jen said.The United States will introduce a new exam because _______.
| A．more and more students want to get further education in the USA |
| B．the Chinese people pay special attention to English studies with China’s entry into the WTO |
| C．the already existing exam systems seem to be far from perfect |
| D．it will bring the US government quite a lot of money |
Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the selection？
| A．It will take quite a period of time for people to accept the APIEL. |
| B．The TOEFL is more popular with the Chinese than the IELTS. |
| C．A student will have to take the APIEL if he or she wants to study in English—speaking countries from 2002. |
| D．Chinese students will prefer the IELTS rather than the APIEL even in the future. |
The underlined word current in the second paragraph means _______.
| A．modern | B．present | C．standard | D．formal |
Please decide which of the following would be the best title for this news report.
| A．The Key to English-speaking Countries |
| B．The Four Skills in Learning English |
| C．TOEFL, IELTS and GRE to be Out of Date |
| D．New Exam Designed for Students |
June 26, 2000 — the Human Genome(基因组) Project, a great $3 billion, 15-year task aimed at drawing the genetic map of humans, is now more than 90 percent completed. The scientific and medical communities are very excited about the chances genetic research provides for getting rid of diseases and prolonging(延长) human life. But those communities and policy makers also are careful about the scientific door they are opening as the project uncovers the mysteries of life.
For the last few years, the genetic advances in the developing field of biotechnology have provides material for all kinds of work, but the developments of modern science in unlocking the secrets of the human genetic code(密码) have opened a world of possibilities for human health, as well as for the popular imagination.
While European and Japanese researchers are making rapid progress in decoding(解码) human DNA, the leading organization for genetic research is in the United States, which began in 1990, is “unlocking the code” of the human body to learn how to defeat fatal diseases. Already, the Human Genome Project has become widely known and praised for finding the genes connected with terrible diseases as yet(迄今), and making progress toward separating the genes that show a sign of breast cancer or AIDS.
Once these genes are found and studied, researchers can develop new ways to attack infections, and genetic diseases. Medical companies are very interested in mapping the human genome, as they expect to develop a lot of new drugs for these illnesses. Why did the scientists work hard at mapping the human genome?
| A．Because the human genome can destroy many illnesses. |
| B．Because the human genome's completion can help them get rid of many diseases. |
| C．Because they wanted to be better known than others. |
| D．Because the human genome can provide a lot of chances of work. |
Which country studied the genes most rapidly in the world?
| A．Japan. | B．Germany. | C．The United States. | D．China. |
Which of the following is NOT true?
| A．If the genes can be found, scientists can study many new ways to cure illnesses. |
| B．The scientists have made great progress in connecting the genes with the cancers. |
| C．Many medical companies show great interest in drawing the human genome map. |
| D．The United States began the Genes Study early in the 19th century. |
The author suggests that the Human Genome Project can cause _______.
| A．the policy makers to feel very worried and careful |
| B．the scientists to work harder |
| C．many people to find work easily |
| D．a lot of companies to produce many new drugs |
The main idea of this article is about _______.
| A．unlocking genetic code |
| B．the genes' discovery |
| C．the great human genome |
| D．the genes and the scientists |
Visiting U.S. President George W. Bush said in Beijing Friday that both China and the United States should encourage bilateral(双边的) contacts and exchanges to promote mutual(相互) understanding.
“It’s important for our political leaders to come to China,” said Bush, who gave a speech Friday morning at Qinghua University, one of the most prestigious universities in China.
His working visit to China and discussions with Oinghua students “help promote” Sino-U.S.(中美) relations, Bush said in response to a student’s question about what he would do to promote Sino-U.S. relations.
“Many people in my country are very interested in China,” he said, adding that these Americans have learned more about China’s culture and the Chinese people.
He said that he would keep encouraging such contacts and exchanges between the two countries.
Bush said that he would describe back home what he has seen here and that China as a great nation not only has a “great history” but also an “unbelievably exciting future.”
The president said that the 2008 Olympic Games would make a significant opportunity for the rest of the world to understand China, which enables more people to come to China and feel the modernization taking place, and many more people will see it on the television.
Bush arrived in Beijing Thursday for a two-day working visit to China. What the word “prestigious” in the second paragraph probably means?
| A．great | B．famous | C．honorable | D．modest |
Which of the sentence is NOT true?
| A．Bush think bilateral contacts and mutual understanding will promote Sino-U.S. relations. |
| B．Many Americans are interested in China. |
| C．Bush and the students of Qinghua discussed something about how to make China richer and stronger. |
| D．The 2008’s Olympic Games is a great change for China been known by the world. |
Many Americans are interested in China because _______.
| A．they want to come here to take part in the 2008 Olympic Games |
| B．they have learned something of China and they want to learn more |
| C．China has been taking place great change |
| D．China has a “great history” and “unbelievably exciting future” |
The narrator(叙述者) of the passage was most probably _____.
| A．a reporter | B．a psychologist | C．a politician | D．a sociologist |
The common cold is the world’s most widespread illness, which is plagues(疫病) that flesh receives.
The most widespread fallacy(谬误) of all is that colds caused by cold. They are not. They are caused by viruses(病毒) passing on from person to person. You catch a cold by coming into contact, directly or indirectly, with someone who already has one. If cold causes colds, it would be reasonable to expect the Eskimos to suffer from them forever. But they do not. And in isolated arctic regions explorers have reported being free from colds until coming into contact again with infected people from the outside world by way of packages and mail dropped from airplanes.
During the First World War soldiers who spent long periods in the trenches(战壕), cold and wet, showed no increased tendency to catch colds.
In the Second World War prisoners at the notorious Auschwitz concentration camp(奥斯维辛集中营), naked and starving, were astonished to find that they seldom had colds. At the Common Cold Research Unit in England, volunteers took part in Experiments in which they gave themselves to the discomforts of being cold and wet for long stretches of time. After taking hot baths, they put on bathing suits, allowed themselves to be with cold water, and then stood about dripping wet in drafty room. Some wore wet socks all day while others exercised in the rain until close to exhaustion. Not one of the volunteers came down with a cold unless a cold virus was actually dropped in his nose.
If, then, cold and wet have nothing to do with catching colds, why are they more frequent in the winter？Despite the most pains-taking research, no one has yet found the answer. One explanation offered by scientists is that people tend to stay together indoors more in cold weather than at other times, and this makes it easier for cold viruses to be passed on.
No one has yet found a cure for the cold. There are drugs and pain suppressors(止痛片) such as aspirin, but all they do is relieve the symptoms(症状).
1. The writer offered _______ examples to support his argument.
A. 4 B. 5 C. 6 D. 3
2. Which of the following does not agree with the chosen passage?
A. The Eskimos do not suffer from colds all the time.
B. Colds are not caused by cold.
C. People suffer from colds just because they like to stay indoors.
D. A person may catch a cold by touching someone who already has one.
3. Arctic explorers may catch colds when _______.
A. they are working in the isolated arctic region
B. they are writing reports in terribly cold weather
C. they are free from work in the isolated arctic regions
D. they are coming into touch again with the outside world
4. Volunteers taking part in the experiments in the Common Cold Research Unit _______.
A. suffered a lot B. never caught colds
C. often caught colds D. became very strong
5. The passage mainly discusses _______.
A. the experiments on the common col B. the fallacy about the common cold
C. the reason and the way people catch colds D. the continued spread of common colds
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