Derek Wayne has obtained a 30-year, fixed-rate home loan of $ 100,000 with an annual interest rate of 7.5 percent. Because the loan extends for such a lengthy period, the mortgage(抵押) company calculates a monthly payment that ensures it will get most of its interest back first. Thus in the beginning months, Wayne’s principal payment—the amount he pays toward his actual loan—increases extremely slowly.
| Payment Number |
Total Monthly Payment |
Principal Portion of Payment |
Interest Portion of Payment |
Current Balance |
| 1 |
$699.21 |
$ 74.21 |
$ 625.00 |
$99,925.79 |
| 2 |
$699.21 |
$74.68 |
$624.54 |
$99,854.11 |
| 359 |
$699.21 |
$690.56 |
$8.66 |
$694.87 |
| 360 |
$699.21 |
$694.87 |
$4.34 |
$0.00 |
Let’s analyze Wayne’s early payments. Imagine that on December 15 the Mauritanian Mortgage Corporation gives Wayne $100,000, and on January 15 his initial payment is due. Throughout this first month, interest accumulates on the entire $ 100,000. On a yearly interest rate of 7.5%, Wayne’s monthly rate is 0.625% or 7.5%divided by 12. Multiplying $100,000 by 0.625% yields $625, the portion of Wayne’s first monthly payment that is interest. So Wayne now owes $ 99,925.79 ( $100,625－$699.21). His February interest payment will be 0.625% of $ 99,925.79.
By the time Wayne makes his last few payments, his monthly interest payment has decreased considerably. His balance following his 359th payment is $ 694.87, and 0.625% of that is about $ 4.34, his final interest payment. What was the total amount of interest Wayne paid? Multiplying 360 months by $699.21 equals $ 251,715.60, and subtracting $100,000(the loan amount) leaves $151,715.60—over 1.5 times what he actually borrowed!This passage is mainly concerned with_________________.
| A．Derek Wayne |
| B．the Mauritanian Mortgage Corporation |
| C．how interest payments on a loan change |
| D．calculating the number of payments Wayne made |
The monthly interest rate on Wayne’s loan was____________.
| A．7.5% | B．6.5% |
| C．0.625% | D．$625 |
We can conclude that Wayne’s total monthly payment was always___________.
| A．$699.21 | B．$100,000 |
| C．$360 | D．$151,715.60 |
The table in the passage helps the readers see_____________.
| A．Wayne’s down payment before he took out the loan |
| B．Wayne’s first and last payments |
| C．how much his interest payments increased |
| D．at what point the interest and principal payments were just about equal. |
Today's teens have a knowledge of the Internet that often surpasses that of their parents. Because so many teens are Internet savvy, it is important that they also have an understanding of the dangers that exist online and how to deal with them. Watch teens share their own "Real-Life Stories" about issues affecting them on the Internet such as cyberbullying (网络欺凌), online enticement, and giving out too much personal information.
| NSTeens - Terrible text |
| Some teens say and do terrible things to each other online because they don’t see the direct effects of their actions. So what should you do if you're cyberbullied? Watch the NSTeens in their latest video, "Terrible text," about a young girl who is troubled when a cyberbully sends mean text messages to her cell phone at all hours of the day and night. Visit NSTeens.org. |
| NetSmartz411 |
| NetSmartz411 is a parent and guardian's premier, online resource for learning about Internet safety, computers, and the Web. Search our knowledge base for answers to all of your questions about the online world! If you can’t find what you’re looking for, use the "Ask the Experts tab to send us a question. Your question will be answered by professionals who know a lot about Internet safety —— the real-life analysts at the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. We handle daily reports about the online exploitation of children; and we 11 show you the steps you can take to keep the children and teens in your life safer online. Visit NetSmartz411.org. |
| CyberTipline Report |
| The CyberTipline is the place to report any incidents of Internet exploitation. If you find yourself in a situation where you need help, visit www.cybertipline.com and make a report. If you fear that you are in immediate danger, contact your local law enforcement (执法部门). |
| Real-Life Stories |
| Watch real-life stories told by teens who have been victims of Internet exploitation. Real-Life Stories |
| NetSmartzKids |
| Are you concerned about your younger siblings' (兄弟姐妹 )safety online? Visit www. NetSmartzKids.org with them to help them learn how to avoid the dangers that exist on the Internet. |
64. The ad is intended for ___________.
A. kids loving to play games online
B. only victims of Internet use
C. kids and their parents who want to learn about the safety online
D. pre-school students who know little about Internet
65. If you visit the website, you can ________.
A. share your friends "Real-life Stories about issues affecting them on the Internet
B. have an understanding of the dangers that exist online and how to deal with them
C. say and do terrible things to each other online
D. ask for help when you have difficulty with your study
66. If you visit www.cybertipline.com, you can __________.
A. contact your local law enforcement
B. search our knowledge base for answers to all of your questions about the online world
C. report any incident of Internet use
D. help your siblings learn how to avoid the dangers that exist on the Internet.
67. Which of the following stories you can share on the Real-Life Stories?
A. Teen murdered by man she met in chat room.
B. Problem of losing weight.
C. Left home alone.
D. Hurt by second hand smoke in the Internet cafe.
第三部分 阅读理解(共20小题；每小题2分，满分40分)
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C．和D)中，选出最佳选项。并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
Amelia Earhart's (1897-1937) childhood was not the typical girl's. She liked nothing better than to explore the banks of the Missouri River, where she climbed trees and hunted rats with her rifle (步枪). She also built her own roller coaster(过山车 ).
The exciting life of the American aviation (航空)pioneer is dramatized in the movie Amelia, which is due to come out on October 23.
After Earhart paid a pilot $1 to take her up for a short fly in his plane, aviation became her love and career.
As she later explained, "Never do things others can do and will do, if there are things others cannot do or will not do."
Earhart found herself a flying teacher and started to learn to fly. She took all sorts of jobs to pay for the lessons and to buy a second-hand plane on her 24th birthday.
In 1932, Earhart flew solo (单独的) across the Atlantic. She became the first woman to make the solo crossing. She also made a flying suit for women and went on to design other clothes for women who led active lives. "Now and then women should do for themselves what men have already done —— occasionally what men have not done ——thereby establishing themselves as persons, and perhaps encouraging other women toward greater independence of thought and action, she said.
When she was nearly 40, Earhart was ready for a final challenge—to be the first woman to fly around the world. However, in mid-flight, she and her navigator (导航员) disappeared in bad weather.
Earhart will be forever remembered as a brave pioneer for both aviation and for women.
56. According to the passage, which of the following statements is true?
A. A movie about Earhart’s exciting life has come out.
B. Earhart never did things others could and would do.
C. Earhart’s love for aviation came after she flew a plane for a short time.
D. In Earhart's opinion, women should think and act more independently.
57. The underlined word in paragraph 2 means ____.
A. presented B. adopted C. published D. created
58. From the passage we can know that ____.
A. Earhart showed most interest in adventure trips to the Missouri River during her childhood
B. Earhart s ambition was to fly across the Atlantic
C. Earhart challenged herself constantly
D. Besides flying, Earhart also designed planes and clothes
59. You can probably find this article in ____.
A. a booklet B. a newspaper C. a guide book D. an advertisement
We all have ideas about what kinds of foods are good to eat. We also have ideas about what kinds of foods are bad to eat. As a result, people from one culture often think the foods that people from another culture eat are nauseating(令人作呕的).When the famous boxer Muhammad Ali visited Africa, for example, one member of his group became quite sick when he saw someone pick up a butterfly and eat it. Many people would find it disgusting to eat rats, but there are forty-two different cultures whose people regard rats as appropriate food.
Food likes and dislikes do not always seem related to nutrition. For example, broccoli is first on a list of the most nutritious common vegetables, but it is twenty-first on a list of vegetables that Americans like most to eat. Tomatoes are sixteenth on the list of most nutritious vegetables, but they are first on the list of vegetables that Americans like most to eat.
But dislike is not the only reason why some cultures will not eat a certain food. In some cultures, certain foods are taboo. Some foods are taboo in certain religions, but there are also other food taboos that are not connected to a religion. We do not usually think about why certain things are taboo in our culture. We may not even know why they are taboo. Anthropologists(人类学家) try to discover the hidden reasons for taboos.
Anthropologists believe that most food likes and dislikes are a result of the ways of life of different people. Some people live in areas where there are both large animals and many insects. It is difficult for these people to kill large animals, and it requires a lot of energy. It is easier for them to use insects for food because it is not difficult to catch insects and it does not require a lot of energy. Nomadic(游牧的) people who move around will not want to keep pigs for food. People will not eat pets such as dogs. Americans eat a lot of beef because there is plenty of land for raising cattle and the me
at can be shipped cheaply for long distances by railroads. What’s the main topic of this passage?
| A．Food and religion. | B．Food and culture. |
| C．Nutrition of different foods. | D．Different ways of life. |
Which of the following statements is TRUE about food likes and dislikes?
| A．They are seldom related to nutrition. |
| B．They are mostly associated with people’s taste. |
| C．They are mostly connected with people’s life styles. |
| D．They are usually related to cultures or religions. |
The underlined word “taboo” (Line 3, Para. 3) refers to _____.
| A．something undiscovered | B．certain religions |
| C．something forbidden | D．certain foods |
What can we infer from the passage?
| A．It is believed that brcoccoli is more nutritious than tomatoes. |
| B．Americans prefer tomatoes to beef. |
| C．People in Inner Mongolia would probably like to keep pigs for food. |
| D．The famous boxer Muhamm Ali would like to eat rat rather than butterfly. |
Why do Americans prefer to eat beef?
| A．Because beef provides a lot of energy people require. |
| B．Because beef is on the list of the most nutritious foods. |
| C．Because they have the ideal condition to keep and ship cattle. |
| D．Because cattle are large animals. |
PALO AITO, California—“Switching off the television may help prevent children from getting fatter—even if they do not change their diet or increase the amount they exercise,” US researchers said last week.
A study of 192 third and fourth grades, generally aged eight and nine, found that children who cut the number of hours spent watching television gained nearly two pounds(0.91 kg) less over a one-year period than those who did not change their television diet.
“The findings are important because they show that weight loss can only be the result of a reduction in television viewing and not any other activity,” said Thomas Robinson, a pediatrician(儿科专家) at Stanford University.
“American children spend an average of more than four hours per day watching television and videos or playing games, and rates of childhood being very fat have doubled over the past 20 years,” Robinson said.
In the study, presented this week to the Pediatric Academic Societies’ annual meeting in San Francisco, the researchers persuaded about 100 of the students to reduce their television viewing by one-quarter to one-third.
Children watching fewer hours of television showed a significantly smaller increase in waist size and had less body fat than other students who continue their normal television viewing, even though neither group ate a special diet nor took part in any extra exercise.
“One explanation for the weight loss could be the children unstuck to the television may simply have been moving around and burning off calories,” Robinson said.
“Another reason might be due to eating fewer meals in front of the television. Some studies have suggested that eating in front of the TV encourages people to eat more,” Robinson added.The purpose of the first two paragraphs is ______.
| A．to report the time children spend watching TV |
| B．to show that more TV time leads to getting fatter |
| C．to tell us the best way to reduce weight |
D．to int roduce the background of the research |
According to the passage, the time American children usually spend on watching TV ____.
| A．is more than four hours a day | B．is less than four hours a day |
| C．doubled in the last twenty years | D．is more than on any other activities |
The time the 100 children spend on TV every day is about _______ in the study.
| A．a quarter of an hour | B．four hours | C．three hours | D．one hour |
Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage ?
| A．Weight increase owes to the result of a reduction in TV viewing. |
| B．The percentage of children getting fatter has doubled in the last 20 years. |
| C．Children usually eat less while watching TV. |
| D．Children usually eat nothing while watching TV. |
The main idea of the passage would be ______.
| A．less TV time helps reduce children’s weight |
| B．fewer meals is a must in reducing children’s weight |
| C．the less you eat, the thinner you will be |
| D．more exercise is of great benefit to reduce weight |
In England three foreign gentlemen came to a bus stop. They studied the information on the post sign and decided which bus to take. About five minutes later the bus they wanted came along. They prepared to get on. Suddenly people rushed onto the bus and tried to push them out of the way. Someone shouted insulting remarks about the foreigners. The bus conductor came rushing down the stairs to see what all the trouble was about. The three foreign gentlemen looked puzzled and ashamed. No one had told them about the British custom of lining up for a bus so that the first person who arrived at a bus-stop is the first person to get on the bus.
Learning the language of a country isn’t enough. If you want to ensure a pleasant visit, find out as much as possible about the manners and customs of your hosts. You will probably be surprised just how different they can be from your own. A visitor to India would do well to remember that people there consider it impolite to use the left hand for passing food at table. The left hand is supposed to be used for washing yourself. Also in India, You might see a man apparently shaking his head at another and assume (认为) that he is disagreeing. But in many parts of India a rotating (旋转) movement of the head is a gesture that express agreement or acceptance. Nodding your head when offered a drink in Bulgaria is likely to leave you thirsty. In that country you shake your head to express “yes” — a nod means “no”.
In Europe it is quite usual to cross your legs when sitting, talking t
o someone, even at an important meeting. Doing this when meeting an important person in Thailand, however, could cause offence (冒犯). It is considered too informal an attitude for such an occasion. Also when in Thailand avoid touching the head of an adult — it’s just not done.
Attitudes to women vary considerably around the world. In Japan, for example, it is quite usual for men to plan evening entertainments for themselves and leave their wives at home.
Knowing about customs and attitudes is useful when you are travelling, but you also need to know the language used to express different degrees of formality (礼节).The three foreign gentlemen looked puzzled and ashamed because ________.
| A．they didn’t know the English language |
B．the bus conductor told them to jump the queue |
| C．they didn’t know the custom of lining up for a bus |
D．th ey thought they were looked down upon |
What’s the meaning of the underlined word “insulting” in Para. 1?
| A．Modest. | B．Entertaining. | C．Misunderstanding. | D．Rude. |
Which of the following statements is TRUE according to this passage?
| A．In Europe, using the left hand is considered less respected. |
| B．In India, the left hand is not used as a sign of respect to others. |
| C．In Thailand, you’d better cross your legs when sitting or talking. |
| D．In Japan, it is considered bad manners to touch the head of an adult. |
The underlined sentence “Nodding your head when offered a drink in Bulgaria is likely to leave you thirsty” means in Bulgaria _______.
| A．you are probably thirsty if you nod your head |
| B．you’re possibly eager to have a drink if you nod your head |
| C．you probably refuse to drink when you nod your head |
| D．you’d like to have a cup of tea because you nod your head |
We can infer from the passage that _________.
| A．in Asian countries, women are equal to men in every field |
| B．learning a language well is a necessity before going abroad |
| C．attitudes to women vary from country to country |
| D．in Japan, men are still the centre of the family |
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