Shanghai: Car rentals（出租） are becoming more and more popular as an inexpensive way of taking to the roads. Business people, foreigners and families alike are making good use of the growing industry.
The first car rental firm opened in Shanghai in 1992 and now 12 car rental players are in the game, with more than 11,500 cars in their books.
The largest player - Shanghai Bashi Tourism Car Rental Center offers a wide variety of choices - deluxe sedans, minivans, station wagons, coaches. Santana sedans are the big favorite.
Firms can attract enough customers for 70 percent of their cars every month. This figure shoots up during holiday seasons like National Day, Labor Day and New Year's Day, with some recording 100 percent rental.
The major market force rests in the growing population of white-collar employees （白领雇员）, who can afford the new service, said Zhuang Yu, marketing manager of Shanghai Angel Car Rental Co.
56. The words "deluxe sedans, minivans" and "station wagons" used in the text refer to ______.
A. cars in the making B. car rental firms C. cars for rent D. car makers
57. Which of the following statements is true according to the text?
A.70% of the cars can be rented out on holiday.
B. 70% of the customers are white-collar employees.
C. More firms are open for service during holiday seasons.
D. Some firms rent out all their cars during holiday seasons.
58. Shanghai's car rental industry is growing so fast mainly due to ______.
A. better cars supplied by producer
B. fast service offered by car rental firms
C. the increasing number of white-collar employees
D. People's growing interest in travelling during holidays
In the past, people who graduated from college felt proud of their academic (学业的) achievements and felt confident that their degree would help them to find a good job.
However, in the past five years the job market has changed greatly. This year’s college graduates are facing one of the worst job markets. For example, Ryan Stewart, a graduate of San Jose State University, got a degree in religious studies, but no job prospects. He points out that many people already working are getting laid off and don’t have jobs, so it’s even harder for new college graduates to find jobs.
Five years ago, the future looked bright for the class of 2006. There were many high-tech job chances. Graduates received many job offers, and they were able to get jobs with high salaries and benefits such as insurance (保险) and paid vacations. However, "Times have changed and it's a new market," according to an officer of the San Jose State Career Center.
The officer says students who do find jobs started preparing two years ago. They worked during summer vacations, they have had several short-time jobs, and they’ve majored in one of the few fields that are still hot, like chemical engineering, accounting, or nursing, where average starting salaries have actually increased over last year. Other popular fields (like information system management, computer science, and political science) have seen big declines (下降) in starting salaries.
Ryan Stewart (he had hoped to become a teacher) may go back to school in order to become a college teacher. He thinks college teaching could be a good career even in a bad economy.
In conclusion, these days a degree may not be a ticket to instant wealth for some students. For now, they can only hope the value of their degree will increase over time.The underlined word in the second paragraph probably means _____.
| A．skills | B．interests | C．chances | D．ideas |
Which of the following majors has the best job offers?
| A．teaching | B．accounting |
| C．political science | D．computer science |
Ryan Stewart will have to ____________.
| A．go back to school | B．get a job teaching |
| C．change his major | D．become a religious leader |
The underlined sentence in the last paragraph means ____________.
| A．the best way to get rich is not to get a college degree |
| B．most students with degrees will not be able to find jobs |
| C．having a college degree does not mean that one has money for travelling |
| D．a college degree does not mean that one will find a well-paid job |
The main idea of the passage is that _________.
| A．a lot of graduates are losing their jobs |
| B．Ryan Stewart has been able to find a job |
| C．salaries in some fields have increased in the past year |
| D．the job market has changed greatly over the past five years |
Almost all theme park accidents can be prevented. Here, based on coverage of theme park safety, are some tips to help you and your family stay safe on your next visit.
If you are visiting with a child, take a moment to explain the ride to them, and tell them what they should do. They are depending upon you to keep them safe. Set a good example for them by following the rules of the park, and make sure that they know you expect them to follow those rules, too.
Tell them to stay seated, to hold the grab bar or put their hands in the laps, and not to stick their knees and feet outside a ride vehicle. Make them look to you for the okay to get on or off a ride, too. And never put a crying child on a ride. If your child starts to cry, let others pass you in line until your child is calmed. Or, gently exit the queue and find something more relaxing to do.
Young kids can’t keep an adult’s pace in a theme park. Let them take plenty of breaks.
“Kids get tired,” said TPI reader Matt Johnson, a father of four. “Tired kids make parents even more tired. And tired kids and parents may get hurt — physically and emotionally.” He advises that parents plan a mid-day break, perhaps a swim back at the hotel, to avoid mid-day heat and crowds. “You will see cranky families having a miserable time while you are refreshed and having a great evening.”The second paragraph tells readers that ______.
| A．children should be trained to be more independent |
| B．adults should tell children some safety rules firstly |
| C．adults should set a good example to conduct well in a theme park |
| D．there is a danger to take young children to visit a theme park |
Which of the following is NOT right for children who are taking the rides?
| A．They cannot put their hands away from the grab bar. |
| B．They are forbidden to put their knees or feet out. |
| C．They should ask adults’ permission first to get on a ride. |
| D．Without adults’ okay sign, children shouldn’t get off a ride. |
If your child begins to cry just when he is going to take a ride, you should ______.
| A．tell him to be relaxed | B．make him share your interest |
| C．give up the present activity | D．encourage him to be brave |
We may infer from Matt Johnson’s words that ______.
| A．he doesn’t like to visit a theme park with his children |
| B．parents with many children may be tired of visiting a theme park |
| C．not all the families are relaxed or happy when they visit a theme park |
| D．visitors should arrange everything carefully before starting |
What is the meaning of the underlined word “exit” in the third paragraph?
| A．等待 | B．发现 | C．进入 | D．离开 |
If there is something that appears most frequently on Chinese dining tables, it is doufu—beancurd. Beancurd looks like soft cakes and it’s made from dried soybeans. Beancurd used to be considered a favou
rite of the poor because of its low cost. Beans have high yields (产量) every year with their short growing period and suitability for various soil both dry and wet.
Historical records show beancurd was invented by Liu An, Prince of Huainan and uncle of Emperor Wu of Han Dynasty（206BC—220AD）. He had a dream of finding the pill for longevity (长寿). He traveled all over the country and found soybeans, which looked much the same as gold in terms of colour. He collected soybeans, put them in the water and crushed them into pulp (浆). It got solidified (凝固) and became known as doufu. Although it’s not able to keep longevity, it’s really good for one’s health with high protein and low fat.
With a long history, beancurd is rooted deep in Chinese culture. People eat more meat and fish than beancurd. But they are encouraged
to have beancurd every once in a while for it’s really good for health. Most Chinese people still keep beancurd as one of their favourite dishes. Why was beancurd considered to be liked by the poor?
| A．It’s cheap. | B．It’s easy to cook. |
| C．It’s easy to make. | D．It’s good for health. |
Where can beans grow well?
| A．Only in wet soil. | B．In dry soil. |
| C．In soft soil. | D．In any soil. |
Why did Liu An travel all over the country?
| A．He had a dream. |
| B．He wanted to find something that could make people live longer. |
| C．He wanted to invent beancurd. |
| D．He wanted to find gold. |
Last year I had a wonderful experience. I went on a student exchange to Japan. It was an exciting time of my life and I learned many things about the school system in Japan. I was in Grade 11, which is second year of high school in Japan, but I was younger than most of my classmates. That’s because Japanese children enter first year of elementary school (小学) in April following their sixth b
irthday. I started school when I was still five years old.
In Japan, Children attend elementary school for six years, where they study Japanese, arithmetic, science, social studies, music, crafts, physical education, and home economics (simple cooking and sewing skills). During their three years in middle school, English is
added to this list. Most schools have access to computers and the Internet.
After the terrible car accident, the whole world had been completely dark and quiet for Robert Edwards for almost ten years, for he became both blind and deaf after the doctor had saved him. The loss of sight and hearing threw him into such a sorrow that he tried
a few times to put an end to his life. His family especially his wife did their best to tend and comfort him. By and by he finally regained the courage to live on.
On a hot summer afternoon he was taking a walk with a stick near his house when a thunderstorm started all at once. He stood under a large tree in order not to get himself wet. Unfortunately he was st
ruck down to the ground by a lightning. The witnesses thought him dead but he woke up some 20 minutes later lying face down in muddy water below the tree. He felt that he was trembling badly, but when he opened his eyes ,he didn’t dare to believe that he saw a plough (梨子) lying near the wall. When Mrs Edwards came running up to him, she shouted their neighbours for help. And he saw her and heard her voice for the first time in nearly ten years.
The news of Robert’s regaining his sight and hearing quickly spread in his area. And many doctors came to prove the truth of the news. Most of them said that he gained sight and hearing again obviously from the knock of lightning; none of them could give convincing reasons, 
How did Edwards get his sight and hearing once more according to the doctor?
| A．He regained them from head injury when he fell from a tree. |
B．His wife’s first visit after almost ten years made him so ha ppy that he regained them. |
| C．The lightning took the feeling from his legs and gave the senses of sight and hearing to his head. |
| D．The blow that caused him blind and deaf was very severe, so it took another severe blow to regain them. |