Economists have studied how markets work for a long time．Generally，they work well．But markets do not always perform as expected．Jean Tirole of France won the Nobel Prize in Economics for studying why markets are imperfect，or inefficient，and what governments can do to regulate them．
The Nobel prize committee announced the $1．1 million prize in Stockholm to Jean Tirole．It called Mr.Tirole“one of the most influential economists of our time”．The organization said he had done important research in a number of areas．But it said，“most of all he has clarified how to understand and regulate industries with only a few powerful firms．”
Mr．Tiro1e works at the Toulouse School of Economics in Toulouse，France．He is 61 years old．For about 30 years，Mr．Tirole has researched periods when markets failed，that is，when they did not provide good results in price and competition．He looked at how a small number of large companies，or even a single company，can strongly influence industries. Banking and telecommunications were among the industries he studied．
The Nobel committee said that unregulated markets often produce socially undesirable results. They can result in higher prices or companies that use their market position to block others· The committee said it chose Mr．Timle because he thought about how best to regulate markets．For example，Tore Ellingsen，Chairman of the committee that awards the economics prize，says Mr·Tirole showed the need to develop better rules for the banking industry．This became urgent after the world financial crisis of 2008—2009．
The economics Drize is called the Bank of Sweden Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alflred Nobel．Alfred Nobel did not establish the prize．It was first presented in 1969．The passage tells us that Jean Tirole______________.
| A．has studied the economics in Sweden |
| B．is the first to win the Nobel Prize in Economics |
| C．is highly praised by Chairman of the committee |
| D．has made regulations for large companies |
We can learn from the passage that___________________.
| A．Jean Tirole's research made the markets imperfect or inefficient |
| B．banking and telecommunications are strongly influential industries |
| C．the world financial crisis of 2008—2009 regulated the markets |
| D．Alfred Nobel was unwilling to establish economics prize |
The underlined word“undesirable”in Paragraph 4 can best be，replaced by_________.
| A．harmful | B．unbelievable |
| C．beneficial | D．convincing |
What is the article mainly about?
| A．The 1ife of Jean Tirole． |
| B．The research of Jean Tirole． |
| C．The history of Nobel Prize in Economics． |
| D．Jean Tirole Wins Nobel Economics Prize． |
Book 1: Iggy peck, Architect
——By Andrea Beaty
32 pages, US $ 15.95
This book is the classic oddball (古怪的人) story about a kid whose head teacher does not recognize his great talent ( he makes buildings out of anything at hand, including table cloths, fruit and chalk) until it saves her life.
Book 2: The Chicken—Chasing Queen of Lamar County
——By Janice N. Harrington
40 pages, US $ 16.00
Our character here loves to run after chickens, particularly Miss Hen, who’s very fat. But, as all farming folk know, this is not a good way to produce happy, productive chickens. What will make her change her ways? The author is a professional storyteller and this book is full of fun, and has great illustrations (插图) .
Book 3: Diary of a Fly
——By Doreen Cronin
40 pages, US $ 15.99
This is the diary of a fly. A fly who, when she’s not landing on your head or swimming in your soup, is trying to escape her 327 brothers and sisters who are driving her crazy. Even though she’s little—just like her best friends, Worm and Spider—she wants to be a superhero. This is the story of a little fly who’s not afraid to dream really big.
Book 4：Cherry and Olive
——By Benjamin Lacombe
32 pages, US $ 16.95
Children’s books can quickly take little readers into new worlds, such as the big city, 1930s Georgia, or outer space. This book takes us on a little trip to some European capitals. Cherry is fat and likes books, and she has few friends until she meets a stray Shar—Pei puppy (迷途的沙皮犬) . She names it Olive. Through it she finds confidence and friendship. But what will happen when its owner returns?In book 2, the character__________.
| A．can make buildings out of anything |
| B．is a kid who likes to play tricks on teachers |
| C．keeps lots of chickens |
| D．likes to run after chickens |
Which of the following can best describe the fly in Book 3?
| A．Lazy and proud. | B．Stupid and funny. |
| C．Brave and courageous. | D．Loyal and honest. |
Which of the following is TRUE, according to the text?
| A．Strange students are mentioned in Book 1 and Book 3. |
| B．Book 4 introduces lots of farm animals. |
| C．A fly is a superhero on outer space in Book 2. |
| D．Book 1 is the cheapest of the four books. |
If you are interested in European cities, you may want to read the book by__________.
| A．Benjamin Lacombe |
| B．Janice N. Harrington |
| C．Andrea Beaty |
| D．Doreen Cronin |
When I was about 12, I had an enemy, a girl who liked to point out my shortcomings. Week by week her list grew: I was very thin; I wasn’t a good student; I talked too much; I was too proud and so on. I tried to bear all these things as long as I could. At last, I became very angry. I ran to my father with tears in my eyes.
He listened to me quietly, then he asked, “Are the things she said true or not? Janet, didn’t you ever wonder what you are really like? Well, you now have the girl’s opinion. Go and make a list of everything she said, mark the points that are true. Pay no attention to other things she said.”
I did as he told me. To my great surprise, I discovered that about half of the things were true. Some of them I couldn’t change (like being very thin), but a good number I could and suddenly I wanted to change. For the first time I got a fairly clear picture of myself.
I brought the list back to Daddy. He refused to take it, “That’s just for you,” he said. “You know better than anyone else the truth about yourself. But you have to learn to listen, not just closing your ears in anger and feeling hurt. When something that is said about you is true, you’ll find it will be of help to you. Don’t shut your ears. Listen to other people’s opinions, but hear the truth and do what you think is right.”
Daddy’s advice has returned to me at many important moments. In my life, I’ve never had a better piece of advice. The underlined sentence “Week by week her list grew” means “__________”.
| A．Week by Week, my shortcomings grew more serious |
| B．She had made a list of shortcomings and kept on adding new ones to it so that it was growing longer and longer |
| C．I was having more and more shortcomings as time went on |
| D．Week by week she discovered more shortcomings of mine and point them out |
Why did her father listen to her quietly?
| A．Because he believed that what her daughter’s enemy said was mostly true. |
| B．Because he had been so angry with his daughter’s shortcomings that he wanted to show this by keeping silent for a while. |
| C．Because he didn’t believe in his daughter |
| D．Because he wasn’t quite sure which girl was telling the truth. |
What did the father do after he heard his daughter’s complaint?
| A．He told her not to pay any attention to what her “enemy” said. |
| B．He criticized her and told her to overcome her shortcomings. |
| C．He told her to write down all that her "enemy" had said about her and pay attention only to the things that were true. |
| D．He refused to take the list and have a look at it. |
Which do you think would be the best title for this passage?
| A．Not an Enemy, but a Best Friend |
| B．My Father |
| C．The Best Advice I’ve Ever Had |
| D．My Childhood |
It is winter in many parts of the world. For some areas, that means snow. Maybe even lots of snow. If you don’t have to drive in it or remove it, snow can be very beautiful. When snow covers everything around you, the world looks like a “winter wonderland”. That is the name of a very popular song about winter. Richard Smith and Felix Bernard wrote the song back in 1934. There are hundreds of recordings of this happy song.
But winter is not always such a beautiful and happy time. It’s cold outside. You try hard to keep warm. The days are darker and shorter. The sun rarely shines. The leaves on the trees are brown. It isn’t surprising that some people are sad in winter. And some people dream about being somewhere else where it’s warm and pretty—like the state of California. The Mamas and the Papas recorded this famous song “California Dreaming”.
During the 1960s, many other famous rock groups released songs about winter. Here is a poetic song by Simon and Garfunkel called “A Hazy Shade of Winter”. They sing about life and hope and possibilities.
In 1968, the group Blood, Sweat and Tears recorded this gentle, sad song about winter. They sing about a lost love and forgotten memories in “Sometimes in Winter”.
In the early 1990s, Tori Amos wrote and recorded the beautiful song called “Winter”. She enjoyed singing about winter when she was a child.
Finally, on a happier note comes this song written and recorded by Fountains of Wayne in 2003. They sing about a snowstorm in a New England town. Nothing unusual there. But instead of being sad or tense about the snow, they write a song about it.When is snow beautiful?
| A．When people drive in it. |
| B．When people don’t have to take it away. |
| C．When it has snowed heavily. |
| D．When people sing in the snow. |
According to the second paragraph, winter is ________ .
| A．beautiful and happy |
| B．happy and warm |
| C．lovely and hopeful |
| D．cold and sad |
Which of the songs can bring us hope of life?
| A．Winter Wonderland. |
| B．California Dreaming. |
| C．A Hazy Shade of Winter. |
| D．Sometimes in Winter. |
What does the passage mainly talk about?
| A．Songs about winter. |
| B．Different ideas about winter. |
| C．Winter in different areas. |
| D．Winter is cold but happy. |
Nelson Mandela is respected and admired across the world. And to South Africans he is a superstar. He is a hero who shocked the world by fighting for peace between races(种族), despite the 27 years he spent in the prison of the South Africa’s white, racist government.
Mandela who won the nation’s first all-race elections in 1994, retired 1999. But he remains as popular as ever.
“He’s loved by all people, whether you’re while or black, whether you’re young or old,” said Ali Bacher, South Africa’s famous cricket (板球) athlete.
His popularity has inspired an entire national industry. His portrait(肖像) has appeared at many places, including on some goods. His face has appeared on a South African coin and some business leaders hope to build a statue(雕像) for him --- the Statue of Freedom. It would stand taller than New York’s Statue of Liberty.
His popularity is similar to that of John F. Kennedy with US or Winston Churchill in Britain, but few politicians in this times have achieved his level of admiration, said Tom Lodge, head of the political science department of the University of the Witwatersrand.
“Sometimes it isn’t completely appreciated what a skilled performer Mandela has been throughout his political career. He’s a very, very clever man.”
“Through the ages, the human race has had its icons --- men and women who rose above ordinary people to inspire their generations,” The Mail and Guardian Weekly said. “In our generation, the gods presented us Nelson Mandela.”Nelson Mandela is loved by all the people of South Africa because ________.
| A．he’s as popular as Kennedy and Churchill |
| B．he has kept in prison for 27 years |
| C．he’s a great fighter against the racialism |
| D．he’s the first all-race elections president |
Which of the following statements about Mandela’s portrait is true?
| A．It helps develop business. |
| B．It appears on the Statue of Freedom. |
| C．It is used to raise money for the Statue of Freedom. |
| D．It is similar to that of John F. Kennedy or Winston Churchill. |
The underlined sentence in the last paragraph means “________.”
| A．Mandela is as great as a god |
| B．We are proud to live in Mandela’s time |
| C．Mandela lives together with us all |
| D．We are proud to know Mandela. |
On a flight from Johannesburg, a middle-aged rich white South African lady had found herself sitting next to a black man. She called the cabin crew attendant over to complain(抱怨) about her seat. “What seems to be the problem, Madam?” asked the attendant.
“Can’t you see?” She said, “You have seated me next to a black person! I can’t possibly sit next to this kind of person. Find me another seat!”
“Please calm down, Madam,” the stewardess replied. “The flight is very full today, but I will tell you what I will do---- I will go and check to see if we have any seats available(可利用的) in club or first class.”
The woman glanced at the angry black man beside her. A few minutes later, the stewardess returned with the good news, which she delivered to the lady.
“Madam, unfortunately, as I expected, economy is full. I have spoken to the cabin services director, and club is also full. However, we do have one seat in first class.”
Before the lady had a chance to answer, the stewardess continued, “It is most extraordinary to make this kind of upgrade, however, and I have had to get special permission from the captain. But, learning this condition, the captain felt that it was shocking that someone should be forced to sit next to such a tiring person.”
Having said that, the stewardess turned to the black man sitting next to the lady, and said, “So if you’d like to get you things, sir, I have your seat ready for you…”
At this point, obviously the surrounding passengers stood and gave an applause while the black man walked up to the front of the plane. Why did the lady complain about her seating?
| A．Because she didn’t want to sit in economy. |
| B．Because she would like a seat in first class. |
| C．Because she didn’t want to sit next to a black man. |
| D．Because she didn’t want to sit in club. |
What was the good news for the lady?
| A．The black man would have to change for another seat. |
| B．The captain understood her situation. |
| C．The cabin director was sparing no effort to help her. |
| D．They have one seat in first class. |
What was the other passengers’ attitude towards the lady?
| A．They liked her very much because she was a rich lady. |
| B．They disliked her because she looked down upon the black man. |
| C．They applauded for her when she moved to another seat. |
| D．They disliked her because she was not polite to the stewardess. |
What was unexpected to the lady?
| A．The plane was so full that day. |
| B．They found a seat for her in club. |
| C．The captain himself was concerned about her problem. |
| D．They found another seat for the black man. |
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