Money matters, no matter who or where you are. So when China’s currency the yuan was devalued (贬值) against the US dollar for three straight days in mid-August, the world felt the effects. As CNN put it: “If China sneezes, the world catches a cold.”
Why does it matter so much?
The exchange rate is the term for the comparison of two currencies. It says how much one currency is worth in terms of (换算) the other.
“Exchange rates play an important role in a country’s level of trade. It is one of the most important determinants (决定因素) of a country’s relative level of economic health,” wrote Jason Van Bergen of Forbes.com. A higher currency makes a country’s exports more expensive and imports cheaper, and vice versa (反之亦然).
Devaluation means the same amount of RMB can be exchanged for fewer USD. For example, on Aug 11, the exchange rate of RMB to USD was 6.23, which meant $1 was worth the same as 6.23 yuan. Two days later, the rate changed to 6.4, meaning the value of RMB had dropped by 2.7 percent.
So what does a weaker currency mean for our lives?
It first affects those who want to travel to, or study in, the US. If your former classmate is leaving for a preparatory (预科) school in the US at the end of August, it now costs about 1,800 yuan more to exchange currency for 10,000 US dollars than it did earlier this month. However, since many currencies have decreased in value, the value of yuan is still relatively high despite the recent devaluation. This means it costs 1,200 yuan less to get 10,000 Canadian dollars now than it did in March.
Even if we don’t have plans to travel abroad, though, we could still be affected. For example, your mother will have to pay more if she buys directly from overseas websites with US dollars. And chances are that imported chocolate and potato chips will soon be a bit more expensive in your local supermarket.
However, the weaker yuan is good news for Chinese exporters. It makes Chinese exports less expensive and it could boost the overseas sales that have been among the main reasons for China’s economic growth during its rise over the past 30 years.
Just as Erik Britton of Fathom, a London-based economic consulting firm, told The Guardian: “We’re all going to feel it: we’ll feel it through commodities (商品), not just from China but from everywhere that has to compete with it; and we’ll feel it through wages.”
“The devalued yuan will force China’s Asian rivals (竞争对手), such as Indonesia and South Korea, to compete even harder,” wrote Heather Stewart, economics editor of The Guardian. “The result may be cheaper Christmas presents.”
According to the passage, it can be learned from the passage EXCEPT___________
| A．The higher China’s currency is , the less expensive potato chips from America become. |
| B．In March people spent 1,200 yuan more to get 10,000 Canadian dollars than they do today because Canadian dollars increased in value. |
| C．China’s currency’s devaluation against the US dollar in mid-August makes students studying in America pay more school fees. |
| D．People who work in Fathom will be greatly affected on account of the weaker yuan. |
The passage implies that ___________.
| A．The yuan’s devaluation contributes a lot to China’s economic growth . |
| B．Exchange rates are the most important factor determining a country’s relative level of economic health |
| C．The yuan’s devaluation has a great impact on all the countries in the world. |
| D．Chinese exports sell well overseas because of their high quality |
If the exchange rate of RMB to USD increased from 6.5 to 6.7, how much more percent would you pay when you bought a bag worth $100?
| A．2.7 | B．5.4 | C．20.0 | D．3.1 |
Our little boy came up t
o his mot
her in the kitchen one evening while she was preparing supper, and handed her a piece of paper that he had been writing on. After his mom dried her hands on her apron (围裙) , she read it, and this is what was said:
For going to the store for you $2.
For cutting the grass in the garden $3.
For cleaning up the yard this week $2.5.
For cleaning up my room this week $2.
For setting the table for meals this week $1.
For baby-sitting my kid brother while you went shopping $1.5.
For getting a good school report $5.
Total owed: $17.
His mother looked at him, who was standing there with expectation. Memories flashed through her mind. Then she picked up a pen, turned over the paper he had written on, and wrote:
For the nine months I carried you while you were growing inside me, No Charge(收费) .
For all the nights that I’ve sat up with you and taken care of you, No Charge.
For all the problems and troubles that you’ve caused through the years, there is No Charge.
When you add it all up, the cost of my love is No Charge.
For all the nights that were filled with fear and for the worries I knew were ahead, No Charge. For the toys, food, clothes, and even wiping up your nose? There is No Charge. And when you add it all up, the full cost of real love is, No Charge, Son.
Well, friends, when our son finished reading what his mother had written, there were big tears in his eyes, and he looked straight up at his mother and said, “Mom, I sure do love you..” And then he took the pen and in great letters he wrote, “ PAID IN FULL.” What might the mother be doing when the boy came into the kitchen?
| A．Getting the dishes ready. | B．Repairing the cooker. |
| C．Washing dirty dishes. | D．Laying the table for dinner. |
According to the boy’s
bill, his mom owed him ______ for his helping with the house work.
| A．$7.50 | B．$10.50 | C．$12.00 | D．$17.00 |
This story tries to tell us that ________.
| A．real love is priceless | B．housework is endless | C．the mother is wise | D．the boy is selfish |
Liu Xiang, a 21-year-old Chinese athlete, got the gold medal of the fascinating men’s 110m hurdles before a crowd of 70,000 at the Olympic Stadium in the 28th Olympics in Athens late Friday local time. He clocked an excellent 12.91 seconds to equal the world record set by Britain’s Collin Jackson in 1993.
It is the first gold Chinese men’s athlete has ever won from the track and field in the Olympics history. China has won over 100 gold medals from the summer Olympic Games since 1984 but its male athletes only got one medal from Olympics’ most popular sport, the track and field.
The Shanghai native, with his father a truck driver and mother an out-of-work housewife, loved sports when he was very little. Liu was selected to the Junior Sports School of Putuo District of Shanghai to practice jumping as a fourth grader in the primary school. But after a bone test showing that he will not be able to become a tall man, Liu was asked to give up sports one year later, although he had won the national champion at that level.
In 1998 when he attracted coach Sun Haiping’s attention as a 15-year-old jumper, Sun was a well-known hurdle coach and he believed a star was born at the first sight of Liu. He visited Liu’s parents several times and finally persuaded them to let Liu transfer to the 110m hurdles.
After only three years, Liu launched his career in style in the IAAF Grand Prix in Lausanne in 2001 by breaking the world youth and Asian record with a time of 13.12.
But the first warning he sent to the world was his bronze-winning feat（战绩）at the world indoor championships in Birmingham, England, last year.
In 2004, Liu won the silver in the world indoor championships in Budapest in March. Two months later, he proved the winner in a race against American great Allen Johnson in the IAAF Grand Prix in Osaka, Japan, where he clocked a new Asian record and world’s season best time of 13.06 seconds.
He went on to win two Johnson-absent races in Lille, France, on June 26 and Zagreb, Croatia, three days later. He put up an exciting show at the Golden Gala meet in Rome on July 3, when he and Johnson clocked an identical time of 13.11. Race officials had to examine a photo finish to declare Johnson the winner. Liu did a better job of clearing the hurdles than Johnson, but Johnson’s stronger start ended up making the difference. The race boosted（提高） Liu’s optimism(乐观) for the Olympics, although Johnson bettered his season best time by 0.01 second in Lausanne, Switzerland, on July 6.
The world has put the Olympics a Johnson-Liu duel but surprisingly Johnson crashed out of the Games after falling at the ninth hurdle at round 2. Johnson’s early exit paved the way for Liu’s win. He finally took the gold medal and put a Chinese man’s name on the record book.
(chinadaily.com.cn /Xinhua) Updated:2004-08-28 02:57According to Paragraph One, which of the following is TRUE?
| A．Liu Xiang is the fastest of the mentioned athletes. |
| B．Liu Xiang has set a new world record in the event of the men’s 110m hurdles. |
| C．Both Liu Xiang and Jackson got a gold medal at the Athens Olympics. |
| D．In the Olympics history, Liu Xiang is the fastest in this event. |
Before the 28th Olympics in Athens, .
| A．no Chinese athlete got a gold medal from the track and field at the Olympics |
| B．there was already a Chinese male medal winner in the track and field at the Olympics |
| C．Terrence Trammell got a gold medal from the men’s hurdles at the Sydney Olympics |
| D．Zhu Jianhua got a bronze medal from the men’s hurdles in the 1984 Los Angeles Games |
In the last paragraph, the underlined word “duel” most probably means “ ”.
| A．competition | B．friendship | C．partner | D．company |
From the passage, we can conclude that .
| A．Liu Xiang had no gift for jumping when he was a little boy |
| B．Liu Xiang set a new world youth record when he was 17 years old |
| C．Liu Xiang has succeeded because of his coach Sun |
| D．Johnson might have won the gold medal if he had not dropped out |
When I was small and my grandmother died, I couldn’t understand why I had no tears. But that night when my dad tried to cheer me up, my laugh turned into crying.
So it came as no surprise to learn that researchers believe crying and laughing come from the same part of the brain. Just as laughing has many health advantages, scientists are discovering that so, too, does crying.
Whatever it takes for us to reduce pressure is important to our emotional (情感的) health, and crying seems to work well. One study found that 85 percent of women and 73 percent of men report feeling better after crying.
Besides, tears attract help from other people. Researchers agree that when we cry, people around us become kinder and friendly and they are more ready to provide support and comfort. Tears also enable us to understand our emotions better; sometimes we don't even know we' re very sad until we cry. We learn about our emotions through crying, and then we can deal with them.
Just as crying can be healthy, not crying — holding back tears of anger, pain or suffering — can be bad for physical health. Studies have shown that too much control of emotions can lead to high blood pressure, heart problems and some other illnesses. If you have a health problem, doctors will certainly not ask you to cry. But when you feel like crying, don't fight it. It's a natural — and healthy — emotional response.Why didn't the author cry when her grandmother died?
| A．Because her father did not want her to feel too sad. |
| B．Because she did not love her grandmother. |
| C．Because she was too shy to cry at that time. |
| D．The author doesn’t give the explanation. |
It can be inferred from the text that ______.
| A．there are two ways to keep healthy |
| B．crying does more good to health than laughing |
| C．crying and laughing play the same roles |
| D．emotional health has a close relationship to physical health |
According to the author, which of the following statements is true?
| A．Crying is the best way to get help from others. |
| B．Fighting back tears may cause some health problems. |
| C．We will never know our deep feelings unless we cry. |
| D．We must cry if we want to reduce pressure. |
What might be the most suitable title for the text?
| A．Power of Tears | B．How to Keep Healthy |
| C．Why We Cry | D．A New Scientific Discovery |
A small man with a fat stomach got on the train at the last station before the frontier (边境). He carried a paper bag. And four feet ducks could be seen under the cover. The man found an empty seat, put the bag in the middle of the floor, took out a newspaper and began to read. Then a policeman came in. Of course he saw the bag with ducks' legs at once and said, "Whose is that bag?" Nobody answered. The policeman repeated the question, and said, "I'll have to take it away from the owner. Food mustn't be taken out of the country." "Well, then," said the small man with a fat stomach. "Hurry up and take it. We want to go home." The policeman took the bag and went on to the next carriage.
At the next station, when they were safely across the frontier, the small man got up, smiled at the other passengers and said, "I hope they'll enjoy the ducks' feet. The rest of the bag had nothing but rubbish in it." Then he opened his coat and pointed to another bag he was carrying under it. It was tied tightly (紧紧地) over the stomach, which was not really fat. "I have the rest of the two ducks here," he said. With these words, he got off the train. But while he was happily walking to the exit with the bag in his hands, a policeman came up to him, saying, "Hey, man! Foreign food mustn't be brought in."The small man put the bag in the middle of the floor ___ .
| A．so that he could make more room for himself |
| B．so that the policeman could find it easily |
| C．because the other passengers didn't like it |
| D．because there was not an empty seat in the carriage |
The first policeman took the paper bag away because ___ .
| A．he wanted to find the owner of the bag |
| B．he enjoyed the ducks feet in the bag |
| C．the bag was put in a wrong place in the carriage |
| D．food can't be taken abroad |
The bag the policeman took away had nothing in it except ___ .
| A．two ducks | B．rubbish |
| C．the ducks' feet and rubbish | D．the ducks' feet |
In the end the small man ___ .
| A．failed to take his food home |
| B．crossed the frontier with two paper bags |
| C．took the ducks safely home |
| D．hid his ducks under his coat again |
Do you know why different animals or pests have their special colours? Colours in them seem to be used mainly to protect themselves.
Some birds like eating locusts. but birds cannot easily catch them. Why? It is because locusts change their colours together with the change of the colours of crops. When crops are green, locusts look green. But as the harvest time comes, locusts change to the same brown colour as crops have. Some other pests with different colours from plants are easily found and eaten by others. So they have to hide themselves for lives and appear only at night.
If you study the animal life, you'll find the main use of colouring is protecting themselves. Bears, lions and other animals move quietly through forests. They cannot be seen by hunters. This is because they have the colours much like the tree.
Have you ever noticed an even more strange act? A kind of fish in the sea can send out a kind of very black liquid when it faces danger. While the liquid spread over, the enemies cannot find it. And it immediately swims away. So it has lived up to now though it isn't strong at all.From the passage we learn that locusts ___ .
| A．are small animals |
| B．are easily found by birds |
| C．are dangerous to their enemies |
| D．change their colours to protect themselves |
How can pests with different colours from plants keep out of danger?
| A．They run away quickly. |
| B．They colours much like their enemies. |
| C．They hide themselves in the day and appear at night. |
| D．They have to move quietly. |
Bears and lions can keep safe because they ___ .
| A．have the colours much like the trees | B．move quickly |
| C．like brown and grey colours | D．live in forests |
Which is the best title for this passage?
| A．The Change of Colours for Animals and Pests |
| B．Colours of Different Animals and Pests |
| C．The Main Use of Colours for Animals and Pests |
| D．Some Animals and Pests |
粤公网安备 44130202000953号