If your boss asks you to work in Moscow this year, he'd better offer you more money to do so - or even double that depending on where you live now. That's because Moscow has just been found to be the world's most expensive city for the second year in a row by Mercer Human Resources Consulting.
Using the cost of living in New York as a base, Mercer determined Moscow is 34.4 percent more expensive including the cost of housing, transportation, food, clothing, household goods and entertainment(娱乐).
A two-bedroom flat in Moscow now costs $4,000 a month; a CD $24.83, and an international newspaper $6.30, according to Mercer. By comparison, a fast food meal with a hamburger(汉堡包) is a steal at $4.80.
London takes the No.2 place, up from No.5 a year ago, thanks to higher cost of housing and a stronger British pound relative to the dollar. Mercer estimates(估算) London is 26 percent more expensive than New York these days. Following London closely are Seoul and Tokyo, both of which are 22 percent more expensive than New York, while No.5 Hong Kong is 19 percent more costly.
Among North American cities, New York and Los Angeles are the most expensive and are the only two listed in the top 50 of the world's most expensive cities. But both have fallen since last year's study - New York came in 15th, down from 10th place, while Los Angeles fell to 42nd from 29th place a year ago. San Francisco came in a distant third at No. 54, down 20 places from a year earlier.
Toronto, meanwhile, is Canada's most expensive city but fell 35 places to take 82nd place worldwide. In Australia, Sydney is the priciest place to live in and No. 21 worldwide.
| 1． |
What do the underlined words "a steal" in Paragraph 3 mean?
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| 2． |
London has become the second most expensive city because of.
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| 3． |
Which city is the third most expensive on the list?
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| 4． |
Which city has dropped most on the list in North America?
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B
Hi, everybody !
Welcome to our newly-opened Richards Cinema Bookstore!
Now let me introduce to you some of the new film books in our store.
Are you Chinese film fans? OK, here comes the latest 25 New Takes about Chinese films. It is a collection of 25 fresh readings of different Chinese films from the 1930s to the present. In recent years, Chinese films are very popular in the States, such as Crouching Tiger and Hidden Dragon, Hero, and Flowers of Shanghai.
Do you like French films? Well, here is The French Cinema Book. It covers French films from the 1890s to the beginning of the 21st century. It is written for all lovers of French cinema: students and teachers, specialists and fans, and so on.
Maybe you are Indian film fans and star-chasers. Then here is Encyclopedia ( 百科全书 ) of Indian Cinema. The book is a complete introduction to all the best Indian films. It also offers a full list of names of the famous and successful film stars in the past ten years. You know, the Indian film industry is the largest in the world after our Hollywood.
If you like British films, we have The British Cinema Book. It is a good review of British cinema. This book contains a good many nice pictures.
In our bookstore, you can also find books about Mexican, Japanese, Australian, German and Italian films.
Well, please help yourselves to some coffee or tea, and have a good time here!
50. The speaker of the passage is most probably _______
A. the author of 25 New Takes B. a tourist in the cinema bookstore
C. the manager of the cinema bookstore D. a reader of Encyclopedia of Indian Cinema
51. How many Asian countries does the speaker refer to when he talks about the film books?
A. Two. B. Three. C. Four. D. Nine.
52. Which of the following statements is NOT mentioned in the passage？
A. Indian cinema is second only to Hollywood.
B. The British Cinema Book includes a complete list of names of stars.
C. Crouching Tiger and Hidden Dragon is well received in the States.
D. The French Cinema Book covers over a century's French films.
53. The purpose of the speaker is_______.
A. to satisfy the customers' various tastes
B. to keep the authors in the cinema bookstore
C. to offer the tourists chances to meet the film stars
D. to take the readers into film producers
四、阅读理解（本题有两节，共16小题，每小题2分，共32分）
第一节：阅读下列材料并做后面的题目。从每题多给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳答案。
A
I was walking along Orchard Road when I realized a tall young man wearing a jacket and tie was following me. I noticed him because not many people wear a jacket and tie in the middle of a hot summer day, and I had already seen this man four times that afternoon.
To make sure he was following me, I walked on quickly, turned right into a shopping center and then stopped to look in a shop window. Soon the man appeared and stopped at another shop window. I walked on and stopped several times. When I stopped, he stopped too.
I began to be rather worried and decided to try to lose this strange man. When I saw a taxi coming, I jumped into it. As I was telling the taxi driver where to go, I found the man get into another taxi, which then followed mine. As the two taxies slowly made their way along Orchard Road, I looked back at the taxi behind, and saw that the stranger was looking out at me. At MRT station, I told the taxi driver to stop and I got out. As I was paying my fare, I saw the man was getting out of his taxi.
By now I got angry, so I turned and walked straight to him. I asked him why he was following me. At first he said he was not following me at all, but when I threatened(威胁) to call the police, he admitted he was. He then told me that he was a news reporter and that he was writing an article on how elderly people in Singapore spend their time. He said he was observing me to gather materials for his article.
46. What is strange about the man who followed the writer?
A. He seemed to be wearing too much. B. He was out on such a hot day.
C. He walked quickly behind. D. He was a tall young man.
47. What did the stranger do when the writer jumped into a taxi?
A. He got into another taxi. B. He tried to stop the taxi.
C. He almost gave up following him. D. He made his way along Orchard Road.
48. How did the writer have the stranger admit(承认) he was following him?
A. He threatened to take him to the police. B. He called the police.
C. He said he would call the police. D. He talked to the police.
49. Why did the stranger follow the writer?
A. He was interested in elderly people. B. He often does such things.
C. He was writing a book about young people. D. He needed materials for his article.
“In only six days I lost seven pounds of weight.”
“Two full inches in the first three days!”
These are the kinds of statements used in magazine, newspaper, radio and television ads, promising new shapes and new looks to those who buy the medicine or the device. The promoters(推销员) of products say they can shape the legs, slim the face, smooth wrinkles, or in some other way to beauty or desirability.
Often such products are nothing more than money-making things for their promoter. The results they produce are questionable, and some are dangerous to health.
To understand how these products can be legally（合法地） promoted to the public, it is necessary to understand something of the laws covering their regulation. If the product is a drug, FDA（Food Drug Administration）can require proof (证明) under the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act that it is safe and effective before it is put on the market. But if the product is a device, FDA has no authority(="right)" to require premarketing proof of safety or effectiveness. If a product already on the market is a danger to health, FDA can request the producer or distributor to remove it from the market voluntarily(主动地), or it can take legal action, including seizure (查封) of the product.
One notable case a few years ago involved an electrical device called the Relaxacisor, which had been sold for reducing the waistline. The Relaxacisor produced electrical shocks to the body through contact pads. FDA took legal action against the distributor to stop the sale of the device on the grounds that it was dangerous to health and life.
Obviously, most of the devices on the market have never been the subject of court proceedings (法律诉讼), and new devices appear continually. Before buying, it is up to the consumer(消费者) to judge the safety or effectiveness of such items.
72. It can be inferred that ads mentioned in the text are _________.
A. objective B. costly（昂贵的） C. unreliable D. illegal
73. FDA can ask for the proof of safety and effectiveness of a product _________.
A. if it is a drug B. if it is a device
C. if its consumers make complaints D. if its distributors challenge FDA’s authority
74. The Relaxacisor is mentioned as _________.
A. a product which was designed to produce electricity
B. a product whose distributor was involved in a legal case
C. a successful advertisement of a beauty product
D. an example of a quality beauty product
75. The author intends to _________.
A. make consumers aware of（意识到） the promoters’ false promises
B. show the weakness of the law on product safety
C. give advice on how to keep young and beautiful
D. introduce the organization of FDA
Most young architects—particularly those in big cities— can only dream about working in a building of their own. And making that dream come true often means finding a building no one else seems to want, which is exactly what happened to David Yocum and his parter, Brain Bell. Their building is a former automobile electrical-parts film in Atlanta. Form the outside, it looks too old, even something horrible, but open the door and you are in a wide, open courtyard, lined on three sides with rusting(生锈的)walls.
In 2000, Yocum and Bell found this building in the city’s West End. Built in 1947, the structure had been abandoned years earlier and the roof of the main building had fallen down. But the price was right, so Yocum bought it. He spent eight months of his off-hours on demolition(排除), pulling rubbish out through the roof, because it was too dangerous to go inside the building. The demolition was hard work, but it gave him time to think about what he wanted to do, and “to treasure what was there— the walls, the rust, the light.” Yocum said. “Every season, more paint falls off the walls and more rust develops. It’s like an art installation(装置) in there—a slow-motion show.”
Since the back building had been constructed without windows, an all-glass front was added to the building to give it a view of the courtyard, and skylights were installed in the roof. The back of the building is a working area and a living room for Yocum and his wife. A sort of buffer(缓冲) zone between the front and the back contains a bathroom, a kitchen and a mechanical room, and the walls that separate these zones have openings that allow views through to the front of the studio and the courtyard beyond.
Yocum and Bell, who have just completed an art gallery for the city, feel that the experience from the decoration of their building, focusing on the inside rather than the outside, has influenced their work. It has also given these architects a chance to show how they can make more out of less.
68. According to the passage, it is _______ for most young architects in big cities to work in a building of their own.
A. easy B. unnecessary C. unrealistic D. common
69. Yocum bought the old building because _____.
A. it was a bargain to him
B. it was still in good condition
C. it was located in the city center
D. it looked attractive from the outside
70. It can be inferred from the passage that Yocum and Bell _____.
A. benefited a lot from pulling down the roof
B. turned more old buildings into art galleries
C. got inspiration from decorating their old building
D. paid more attention to the outside of the art gallery
71. The main idea of the passage is that ______.
A. people can learn a lot from their failures.
B. it is worthwhile to spend money on an old building
C. people should not judge things by their appearance
D. creative people can make the best of what they have
I suddenly heard an elephant crying as though frightened．Looking down，I immediately recognized that something was wrong，and ran down to the edge of the near bank．There I saw Ma Shwe with her three-month-old calf(young elephant)struggling in the fast-rising water，and it was a life-and-death struggle．Her calf was floating and screaming with fear．Ma Shwe was as near to the far bank as she could get，holding her whole body against the rushing water，and keeping the calf pressed against her huge body．Every now and then the rushing water would sweep the calf away.
There was a sudden rise in the water and the calf was washed clean over the mother’s body and was gone ．Ma Shwe turned quickly to reach it and pressed the calf with her head and trunk(象鼻)against the rocky bank．Then with a huge effort，she picked it up in her trunk and tried until she was able to place it on a narrow shelf of rock．
Just at this moment．she fell back into the river．If she were carried down, it would be certain death．I knew，as well as she did，that there was one spot where she could get up the bank，but it was on the other side from where she had put her calf．While I was wondering what I could do next，I heard the sound of a mother’s love．Ma Shwe had crossed the river and got up the bank and was making her way back as fast as she could，roaring(吼叫)all the time，but to her calf it was music.
64．The moment the author got down to the river bank he saw．
A．the calf was about to fall into the river
B．Ma Shwe was placing the calf on the rock
C．the calf was washed away by the rising water
D．Ma Shwe was holding the calf against the rushing water
65．How did Ma Shwe manage to save her calf from the fast-flowing water?
A．By pressing it against her body．
B．By putting it on a safe spot．
C．By taking it away with her．
D．By carrying it on her back．
66．How did the calf feel about the mother elephant's roaring?
A．It was a great comfort. B．It was a sign of danger．
C．It was a call for help． D．It was a musical note．
67．What could be the best title for the text?
A．A Brave Act B．A Mother's Love
C．A Deadly River D．A Matter of Life and Death