Observer 2007-03-28 13:54
Nothing could be more shameful for McDonald’s and KFC. They are violating labour’s rights. The government must immediately bring the guilty to justice. A stricter government inspection system must be enforced to protect the workers.
Nathan 2007-03-28 21:39
It is known that McDonald’s and KFC and other fast-food restaurants pay the lowest wage they possibly can to get their employees. I think it’s kind of funny that these two restaurants have not yet set up unions. It is also known that they also take every possible measure e(legal, and sometimes illegal) to prevent their employees from forming or joining unions. I think it is high time that government enforced the law that they have made.
Cushman 2007-03-28 22:32
The deepest reason is that China has a large population. If you complain that the pay is very low, the boss will tell you that can go to other places and that there are a lot of people waiting for the job. Today finding a job is not very easy, so you don’t have many choices, and you have to face the reality.
Chip 2007-03-29 20:33
If wages were too low, people wouldn’t work for them, but they do, so it proves the wages are reasonable. Sure, they could raise the wages, but why should they? The workers are still working, still willing to show up on time, and it keeps costs lower. Were they to raise wages, they would have to FIRE more workers, and the price of burgers would go up. Then people wouldn’t buy them, then McDonald’s would once again FIRE more workers because of a reduced demand, and you’d be back in the same boat, just with less people working.What are they debating about?
| A．McDonald’s and KFC pay too low a salary to their employees. |
| B．Setting up a social security system. |
| C．Fast-food restaurants have no rights to fire workers. |
| D．McDonald’s and KFC will be punished for their behaviour. |
According to Chip, it is____for McDonald’s and KFC to give employees a low salary.
| A．unacceptable | B．shameful | C．acceptable | D．illegal |
In the opinion of Cushman, the key to the problem is that____.
| A．the social security net has not been set up |
| B．China has too large a population |
| C．the government has not taken stronger steps to protect workers |
| D．the unions have not played an important part to raise the wages. |
The underlined word “they” in Nathan’s words refers to____.
| A．the employees | B．governments |
| C．all the restaurants | D．fast-food restaurants |
Last night was the last game for my eight-year-old son’s soccer team. It was the final quarter. The score was two to one, and my son’s team was in the lead. Parents surrounded the playground, offering encouragement.
With less than ten seconds remaining, the ball suddenly rolled in front of my son’s teammate, Mickey O’Donnell. With “Kick it!” echoing across the playground, Mickey turned around and gave it everything he had. All around me the crowd erupted. O’Donnell had scored!
Then there was silence. Mickey had scored all right, but in the wrong goal, ending the game in a tie. For a moment there was a total hush. You see, Mickey has Down syndrome(综合症) and for him there was no such thing as a wrong goal. All goals were celebrated by a joyous hug from Mickey. He had even been known to hug the opposing players when they scored.
The silence was finally broken when Mickey, his face filled with joy, hugged my son tightly and shouted, “I scored! I scored! Everybody won! Everybody won!” For a moment I held my breath, not sure how my son would react. I need not have worried. I watched, through tears, as my son threw up his hand in the classic high-five salute and started chanting, “Way to go Mickey! Way to go Mickey!” Within moments both teams surrounded Mickey, joining in the chant and congratulating him on his goal.
Later that night, when my daughter asked who had won, I smiled as I replied, “It was a tie. Everybody won.” The underlined word “hush” in paragraph 3 means ________.
| A．cheer. | B．cry | C．laughter | D．silence |
What did the author worry about when Mickey scored and hugged his son?
| A．The result of the match would fail his son. |
| B．His son would shout at Mickey for his goal. |
| C．Mickey would again hug the opposing players. |
| D．His son would understand Mickey’s wrong goal. |
It can be inferred from the passage that _____.
| A．both teams liked and respected Mickey |
| B．both teams were thankful to Mickey for his goal |
| C．Mickey didn’t mind though his goal was wrong |
| D．Mickey was a kind-hearted boy and hoped everybody won |
The purpose of the author in writing the passage is _____.
| A．to tell a joke to make readers laugh |
| B．to suggest we should not mind losing |
| C．to show enjoying a game is more than winning a game |
| D．to present his son’s fine qualities of understanding others |
Connecting with Patients
Dr. Paris often treats several generations of a family over many years. “He’s seen us through two births, one operation, multiple earaches, a broken wrist and a recovery from a serious traffic crash,” says Jill Farrow, a 43-year-old lawyer whose first visit to Dr. Paris was as a teenager. During the birth of her younger son, Farrow began bleeding badly. Dr. Paris managed to solve the problem in a delicate procedure. “Twenty years ago, she probably would have died,” he says. Today, when he performs school sports physical examinations for the Farrow boys, 10 and 11, he is always reminded that lives are changed forever by doctors just doing their jobs.
To be a mix of country doc and somewhat adventurer, the 55-year-old family physician moved to Hailey after completing his residency（医生实习期）. He hoped to practice medicine there and ski at nearby Sun Valley. Unfortunately, the only job opening was for an emergency-room doctor in Missoula, Montana, 300 miles away. Dr. Paris took it. "I'd ski all day and then drive all night to be in Missoula for a 48-hour shift," he recalls. "I'm lucky to be alive." Knowing he couldn't keep up with his eight-hour commute（通勤）, he began taking flying lessons.
In 1981, Dr. Paris joined a small medical practice in Hailey, a former mining town with a population at the time of 2,109. As Hailey grew in the shadow of Sun Valley's booming popularity, Dr. Paris's own practice expanded to seven physicians, including his wife, Kathryn Woods, who is also a family doctor. They met in 1986 at a certification exam in Denver when, in a room full of men in stodgy suits, Woods arrived wearing a Lycra biking outfit and carrying the front wheel of her bicycle (which she couldn't lock up outside). Dr. Paris asked her out on the spot. In 1989, they married.What Jill Farrow says is to indicate ________.
| A．how weak the bodies of her family |
| B．how hard it is to be a doctor |
| C．how brilliant the physician’s skill is |
| D．how easy it is to deal with such problems |
Dr. Paris often reminds himself that ________.
| A．lives of people should not always stay the same |
| B．people can rely on themselves to change their life |
| C．doctors should change their own life |
| D．it is the duty of a doctor to heal the patients |
Why did Dr. Paris move to Hailey?
| A．Because he can be a doctor and an adventurer there. |
| B．Because he has to finish his residency there. |
| C．Because his children are fond of skiing at nearby Sun Valley. |
| D．Because he has to be an emergency-room doctor there. |
We can infer the doctor got married probably at the age of ________.
| A．27. | B．37. | C．17. | D．47. |
This passage is intended to ________.
| A．introduce Dr. Paris |
| B．praise the doctor’s excellent medical art |
| C．describe the doctor’s adventurous experience |
| D．tell the doctor’s love affairs |
"Reduce, reuse and recycle, this familiar environmentalist slogan tells us how to reduce the amount of rubbish that ends up in landfills and waterways.
The concept is being used to deal with one possibly dangerous form of waste – electronic junk (电子垃圾), such as old computers, cell-phones, and televisions. But this process for managing e-waste may be used in an unscrupulous way more often than not used, a recent report suggests.
“A lot of these materials are being sent to developing nations under the excuse of reuse – to bridge the digital divide,” said Richard Gutierrez, a policy researcher.
One of the problems is that no one proves whether these old machines work before they hit the seaways. Because of this, the report says, e-waste is a growing problem in Lagos, Nigeria, and elsewhere in the developing world. Much of the waste ends up being thrown away along rivers and roads. Often it’s picked apart by poor people, who may face dangerous exposure to poisonous chemicals in the equipment.
Businessmen also pay workers a little money to get back materials such as gold and copper. This low-tech recovery process could expose workers and the local environment to many dangerous materials used to build electronics. According to Gutierrez, this shadow economy exists because the excuse of recycling and reusing electronics gives businessmen “a green passport” to ship waste around the globe. “Developing nations must take upon some of the responsibility themselves,” Gutierrez said. But, he added, “A greater portion of this responsibility should fall on the exporting state.”
China, for example, has become a dumping place for large amounts of e-waste. The nation is beginning to take action to stop the flow of dangerous materials across its borders. The Chinese government, after many years of denial, is finally beginning to take the lead.The underlined word “unscrupulous” in Paragraph 1 probably means ________.
| A．unsafe | B．tricky | C．wrong | D．immoral |
What does the fourth paragraph mainly discuss?
| A．Old computers and TVs still work before they are sent abroad. |
| B．Poor people break up e-waste to collect some valuable materials. |
| C．A lot of e-waste is dumped in developing countries. |
| D．The problem of e-waste is growing in developing countries. |
From what Gutierrez said we can learn that ________.
| A．exporting countries should mainly be responsible for this problem. |
| B．neither rich nor poor countries should be blamed for this problem |
| C．developing countries should be responsible for this problem |
| D．poor countries should blamed for this problem |
It can be inferred from the last paragraph that _______.
| A．China has hidden a large amount of e-waste in many secret places |
| B．China has greatly changed hre idea about the problem of e-waste |
| C．China has prevented poisonous materials from entering China for a long time |
| D．China is falling behind other countries in dealing with e-wast |
The passage mainly tells us that _______.
| A．developing countries are facing serious environmental problems |
| B．e-waste is a growing problem in developed countries |
| C．e-waste is sent to developing countries under the excuse of reuse |
| D．developing countries are making full use of e-waste |
Climate change experts from the Tyndall Climate Research Centre in Britain have said urgent action is needed to curb the rapid growth in air travel if the government is to meet its commitments on tackling global warming. This report from Stephen Evans:
Falling ticket prices and rising incomes are leading to rapid growth in global air travel. According to the British government, the number of British air passengers, for example, will more than double in the next quarter of a century. Increases of such an order would mean much more aviation fuel being burned and aviation fuel may be more harmful to the environment than other fuels because the resulting smoke is emitted at high altitudes.
A group of scientists at the environmental research group, the Tyndall Centre, says that if Britain is to meet its overall target for cutting damaging emissions, other uses of fuel like for heating homes or driving cars would have to be cut dramatically.
The British government wants the use of aviation fuel covered by international agreement on the environment. The difficulty for any individual government is that taxing fuel used at its own airports might push airlines to move their operations to competing airports in other countries.Which statement is TRUE?
| A．A lot of people around the world have recently stopped flying because they have less money to spend and the price of plane tickets is going up |
| B．Half as many people as today will fly in the next 25 years. |
| C．Because more planes are suing more flight petrol and more pollution is being produced in the sky. |
| D．The British government would like all countries to agree not to tax airline fuel. |
Which is the reason that leads to the rapid growth in global air travel?
| A．The increase of incomes and the decrease of ticket prices. |
| B．The growth of the number of good planes. |
| C．The falling of the oil price. |
| D．The encouragement of the governments. |
The Tyndall Centre says ________.
| A．the number of British air passengers will more than double in the next quarter of a century. |
| B．Britain will have to use less energy at home and on the roads to meet the goal of cutting pollution. |
| C．If airports are taxed for using fuel by each country’s government, then airlines might use other airports with cheaper fuel taxes. |
| D．Only the use of aviation fuel needs to be cut down to meet the overall target for cutting damaging emissions. |
What’s the best title of the text?
| A．Falling Ticket Prices and Rising Incomes |
| B．Growth in Air Travel Harms Environment |
| C．Rapid Growth in Global Air Travel |
| D．More Flight Petrol, More smoke |
| Acorn Bank Garden & water mill A delightful walled garden with old varieties of fruit trees and flower borders, set against the backdrop of a 17th-century red sandstone house overlooking the Eden Valley. Herb garden planted with over 200 medicinal and culinary herbs. Dogs on leads are welcome on woodland walks. Children’s activity sheet available. Temple Soverby, Near Penrich, CA 10 lsp Tel: 017683 61893 Open: 19 March—30 October, daily except Monday and Tuesday, 10 am—5pm Tearoom open from 11am—4. 30 pm, Shop 10am—5pm Price: Adult ￡3, Child ￡1.5, Family ￡7.5 |
| The Beatrix Potter Gallery Original sketches and watercolors by Beatrix Potter for her children’s tales. 2005 exhibition will feature. The Tale of Mrs Tiggy-Winkle and The Tale of the Pie and The Patty-Pan. Also on display in this atmospheric 17t h-century building is information on Beatrix Potter’s life. Beatrix Potter Gallery, Hawkshead, LA22 ONS Tel: 015394 36355 Open: 19 March—30 October, 10am—4. 30 pm, daily except Thursday and Friday. Also open 12—20 February, 2 & 3 June and 27 & 28 October. Price: Adult ￡3.50, Child ￡1.70, Family ￡8.70 |
| Hill Top Beatrix Potter wrote and illustrated many of the famous children’s stories in this 17th-century farmhouse which she bought 100 years ago. Today you can view her personal treasures and step into the garden which is planted with flowers and vegetables, just as it would have been in Beatrix Potter’s time. Please note that this is a small and popular house, which gets very busy especially in school holidays. At peak times there are queues and by the end of the day not all visitors may be able to visit the house (we apologize for this). Please collect a timed ticket (including NT members) from the ticket office in the car park on your arrival. Hill Top, Near Sawrey, La22 OLF Tel: 015394 36269 Open: 19 March—30 October, 10: 30 am—4. 30 pm, daily except Thursday and Friday. Also open Thursday in August and 2 & 3 June and 27 & 28 October. Shop and Garden open Thursday and Friday, 10:am—5 pm. Ring for winter opening. Price: Adult ￡5, Child ￡2, Family ￡12 |
. From the ads mentioned above, we can learn _______.
| A．visitors can admire the scene of the Beatrix Potter’s time in Hill Top |
| B．visitors can admire the beautiful natural in both the Beatrix Gallery and Hill Top |
| C．the Beatrix Potter Gallery is more popular with children than Hill Top |
| D．Beatrix Gallery neighbors Hill Top |
If the Smiths and their 2 children visit the 3 sites, they will have to pay _______.
| A．￡28.2 | B．￡23.4 | C．￡28 | D．￡33 |
If you have the tickets, you must be able to _______.
| A．visit Hill Top at opening time |
| B．visit the Beatrix Potter Gallery on Friday |
| C．visit Acorn Bank at opening time |
| D．visit the three sites at any time |
We can learn from the ads that _______.
| A．you can enjoy yourself with a dog as you like at Acorn Bank |
| B．it is convenient for you to get a timed ticket for Hill Top |
| C．children who have passed a quiz will be admitted to the Beatrix Potter Gallery |
| D．you can book the tickets for Hill Top through the telephone number 015394 36355 |