The Growing Credit Crisis Forces Many Companies to Seek Government Help
On September fifteenth, Lehman Brothers, a one hundred fifty-eight year-old investment bank, sought legal protection from its creditors. It had failed to find a buyer after months of searching. With over six hundred billion dollars in debt, Lehman’s failure was the largest bankruptcv in United States history At the same time，the nation’s biggest insurance company，American International Group, had gotten into trouble selling credit default swaps These are contracts Similar to insurance that protect the holder against credit risk.
Credit rating agencies downgraded A.I.G because of concerns it could not honor its contracts. Unable to get new loans, A.I.G asked for government help The Federal Reserve agreed to loan A .I.G. eighty-five billion dollars in return for eighty percent of the company but it was not enough. By November, the government had extended a total of about one hundred fiftv billion doliars in aid to A .I.G—the most to any single company during the crisis.
As banks refused to lend, Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson proposed a plan to loosen credit markets by buylng risky assets. Congress approved the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of Two. Thousand eight on October third The bill provided seven hundred billion dollars to buy hard to-value securltles from banks. But within weeks, the government changed plans. The Treasury moved to invest two handred fifty billion dollars directly in banks to help them lend money again.
Lack of credit not only hurt banks but manufacturers, too. Falling car sales threatened America’s carmakers The big three automakers—General Motors, Ford and Chrysler—told Congress that they needed loans or they faced bankmptcy. In December, President Bush offered G.M and Chrysler over seventeen billion dollars in loans.
As the year ended, the Federal Reserve tried to support economic growth by lowering its main interest rate to nearly zero for the first time. But there was one more bad surprise New York money manager Bernard Madoff admitted he had cheated investors out of fifty billion dollars. The news only added to the sense that two thousand eight was the worst economic year since the nineteen thirties. Which of the following is NOT the problem in the passage Lehman Brothers was faced with?
| A．lt is an Investment bank with more than one and a half centuries history. |
| B．It didn’t find a buyer after months of searching. |
| C．It has over six hundred billion dollars in debt. |
| D．Its failure was the largest bankruptcy in United States history. |
The reason why A.I.G turned to the U.S government for help was that .
A. A.I.G would give eighty percent of the company in return for the loan
B. A.I.G couldn’t get new loans from credit rating agencies
C. the government extended a total of about one hundred fifty billion dollars in aid to A.I.G
D. the Federal Reserve agreed to loan A.I G eighty-five billion dollarsAccording to the passage, which of the following is probably NOT suffering from the lack of_______ .
| A．Banks． | B．Manufacturers | C．Carmakers | D．Barbers |
The last sentence of this passage indicates that the author’s attitude towards the U.S economy in 2008 is
| A．pessimistic | B．optimistic | C．objective | D．subjective |
What happens inside the skull of a soccer player who repeatedly heads a soccer ball? That question motivated a challenging new study of the brains of experienced players that has caused discussion and debate among soccer players, and some anxiety among those of us with soccer-playing children.
For the study, researchers at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York selected 34 adults, men and women. All of the volunteers had played soccer since childhood and now competed year-round in adult soccer leagues. Each filled out a detailed questionnaire developed especially for this study to determine how many times they had headed a soccer ball in the previous year, as well as whether they had experienced any known concussions (脑震荡) in the past.
Then the players completed computerized tests of their memory and other learning skills and had their brains scanned, using a complicated new M.R.I. technique which can find structural changes in the brain that can’t be seen during most scans.
According to the data they presented at a Radiological Society of North America meeting last month, the researchers found that the players who had headed the ball more than about 1,100 times in the previous 12 months showed significant loss of white matter in parts of their brains involved with memory, attention and the processing of visual information, compared with players who had headed the ball fewer times.
This pattern of white matter loss is “similar to those seen in traumatic (外伤的) brain injury”, like that after a serious concussion, the researchers reported, even though only one of these players was reported to have ever experienced a concussion.
The players who had headed the ball about 1,100 times or more in the past year were also generally worse at recalling lists of words read to them, forgetting or fumbling the words far more often than players who had headed the ball less.The passage is most probably a______.
| A．news report |
| B．research report |
| C．story for soccer players |
| D．text for doctors |
In which way can we find the structural changes in the brain?
| A．Computerized test. | B．Questionnaire.. |
| C．Scanning. | D．M.R.I. technique. |
From the passage we can conclude that frequent heading may have_____.
| A．significant effect on brain |
| B．little effect on one’s brain |
| C．nothing to do with the brain injury |
| D．one’s memory improved |
The underlined word "fumbling" is closest in meaning to______.
| A．remembering | B．misunderstanding |
| C．recalling | D．missing |
The associates I hired in my bicycle and lawn mower shop like myself were never perfect; however, they were excellent. Working with them as they improved taught me new ways to show forgiveness, understanding, and patience.
One day the placement officer asked me to interview a young man who was having trouble finding a job. He told me that David was a little shy, did not talk much and was afraid to go on with interviews. He requested that I give David an interview just for practice. He plainly told David that I had no positions open at the time and the interview was just for practice.
When David came in for the interview, he hardly said a word. I told him what we did at the bicycle shop and showed him around. I told David to keep showing up because the number one thing an employer wanted in an associate was dependability.
David was very quiet ( he was evaluated as a slow learner in school). Every ten days or so, for weeks after the interview, David walked into the bicycle shop and stood by the front door. He never said a word, just stood by the door.
One day, shortly before Christmas, a large truck came to the shop, packed with 250 new bicycles. It had to be unloaded right away or the driver would leave.
It was raining. Some of my workers (without physical limitations) chose not to brave the weather to get into work, so I was short-handed. It seemed everything was going wrong and on top of it, David came in the front door and just stood there. I looked at him and shouted, “Well, all right! Fill out a time card and help me unload this truck!”
David worked for my bicycle shop for eighteen years. He came to work every day thirty minutes early. He could talk; however, he rarely chose to. He drove my truck and made deliveries. The customers would praise David, saying, “He doesn’t talk, but he really shows you how to operate a lawn mower!”The author gave David an interview to _______
| A．find a person who is reliable |
| B．find a part-time worker in need |
| C．give him some practice |
| D．show sympathy for him |
The author finally hired David because________
| A．there were no other workers in the shop then |
| B．he needed someone who was willing to work then |
| C．David kept showing up |
| D．he realized David was dependable |
We can infer from the last paragraph that_______
| A．some customers just play jokes on David |
| B．David has had his character changed through work |
| C．the author prefers David to be more outgoing源:Z。xx。k.Com] |
| D．the author feels lucky to hire David |
The author’s tone in describing David is full of ______
| A．pity | B．wonder |
| C．disappointment | D．appreciation |
The Winners Club is a bank account specially designed for teenagers．It has been made to help you better manage your money．The Winners Club is a transaction account （交易账户） where you receive a key-card so you can get to your money 24/7 —that's 24 hours a day, 7 days a week!
It's a club with impressive features for teenagers:
●No account keeping fees!
You’re no millionaire so we don't expect you to pay large fees．In fact, there are no accounts keeping or transaction fees!
●Excellent interest rates!
You want your money to grow．The Winners Club has a good rate of interest which gets even better if you make at least two deposits （储蓄） without taking them out in a month．
●Convenient
Teenagers are busy —we get that．You may never need to come to a bank at all．With the Winners Club you can choose to use handy tellers and to bank from home using the phone and the Internet．You can have money directly deposited into your Winners Club account．This could be your pocket money or your pay from your part-time job!
●Mega magazine included
Along with your regular report, you will receive a FREE magazine full of good ideas to make even more of your money．There are also fantastic offers and competitions only for Winners Club members．
The Winners Club is a great choice for teenagers．And it is so easy to join．Simply fill in an application form．You will have to get permission from your parent or guardian （so we can organize that cool key-card） but it is easy．We can't wait to hear from you．It's the best way to choose to be a winner!Which of the following is TRUE about the Winners Club?
| A．Special gifts are ready for parents． |
| B．The bank opens only on work days． |
| C．Services are convenient for its members． |
| D．Fees are necessary for the account keeping． |
The Winners Club provides magazines which ____．
| A．encourage spending |
| B．are free to all teenagers |
| C．are full of adventure stories |
| D．help to make more of your money |
What is the purpose of this passage?
| A．To set up a club． |
| B．To provided part-time jobs． |
| C．To organize key-cards |
| D．To introduce a new banking service． |
阅读下面短文并回答问题（请注意问题后的词数要求）。
【1】“Don’t stare. Chew with your mouth closed.”Manner minding is expected everywhere, at school, work, home, and even the Internet. What is netiquette? It’s network etiquette(利仪), a set of rules for behaving properly online.
【2】 It’s easy to misunderstand.
When you communicate online, all you see is a computer screen. You can’t use facial expression, gestures, or tone of voice; words are the only information. It’s easy to misunderstand others’ meanings and forget that they are real people just like you!
【3】“Look” good online.
Networks let you reach out to people you’d otherwise never meet. And none of them can see you. You won’t be judged by the color of your skin, eyes or hair, your weight, your age, or your clothing. You will, however, be judged by the quality of your writing. So spelling, grammar, and content really matter.
【4】Share expert knowledge.
The reason why asking questions online works is that a lot of knowledgeable people are reading the questions. If you ask a question, it’s polite to share the answers with others. If you’re an expert yourself, ________________. It’s a long-time net tradition, and it makes the network a better place.
【5】 Forgive mistakes.
Everyone was a green hand at network once. So when someone makes a mistake, whether it’s a spelling error or a stupid question, be kind about it. If you decide to inform someone of a mistake, point it out politely. Why is it easy to misunderstand others’ meanings online? (no more that 17 words)
_____________________________________________________________________ List three things to judge the quality of one’s writing online. (no more than 5 words)
①_____________________________________________________________________
②_____________________________________________________________________
③_____________________________________________________________________ Fill in the blank in Paragraph with proper words or phrases to complete the sentence. (no more than 6 words)
_____________________________________________________________________ Why do people like to raise questions online? (no more than 15 words)
_____________________________________________________________________ What should you do if you find some mistakes online? (no more than 3 words)
_____________________________________________________________________
As long as you have broadband(宽带) service in your home, you can turn on your desktop computer and connect to the Internet. If you have a wireless router(路由器), a device that spreads the broadband connection to other devices, you can set up a Wi-Fi network, which enables your cellphones and tablets go online too. And when you are outdoors where is no Wi-Fi, such as in the park or at the beach, having 3G service allows you to stay connected.
It seems that lots of us have Internet coverage everywhere we go. So why have mobile companies around the world lately been so enthusiastic about a new term, “4G”? First, you need to know that the letter :G” stands for “generation”. Even if you have no idea what 4G is, at least you can figure out that it is a step up from 3G since it’s the latest generation of mobile internet service.
Unlike broadband, mobile Internet uses the same signal towers that provide voice service to your cellphone, which means wherever you can make phone calls with your cellphone you also have an Internet connection.
But mobile connections have their defects: they don’t carry as much information as broadband does, making opening websites and downloading music slower than they are on a Wi-Fi connection. This is why mobile connections have been constantly upgraded since the first generation was launched back in the 1980s.
According to BBC, 4G is five to seven times faster than current 3G network speeds, almost as fast as home broadband. Because of this, 4G is widely suited for services like video downloading, mapping, online shopping and even video conferencing.
To achieve the high speeds, network companies have to spend a lot of money on building new signal towers, which will eventually lead to a higher phone bill if you switch to 4G, and you will also have to get a new phone with 4G capacity. What is paragraph 1 mainly about?
| A．The development of Wi-Fi |
| B．The convenience of using cellphones. |
| C．The influences of the Internet on our life. |
| D．Various ways to get access to the Internet. |
The underlined word “defects” in Paragraph4 probably means_______.
| A．disadvantages | B．functions |
| C．qualities | D．benefits |
What is the weakness of 3G compared with 4G?
| A．Its voice is not as clear as 4G |
| B．It can’t satisfy the users’ basic needs. |
| C．Its network speeds are much slower. |
| D．It has much less popularity than 4G. |
Mobile technology has constantly been improved to_______.
| A．replace broadband | B．increase the network speed. |
| C．download videos | D．connect more cellphones |
What does the author think of 4G service?
| A．Its service is worth the price. |
| B．There is no need to develop it. |
| C．It takes time to be widely used. |
| D．It provides good service at a higher price. |