When I was going home to India last year, I called up my mother to ask if she wanted anything from China.
When India had not opened up its markets to the world, I carried suitcase loads of dark glasses and jeans.Thankfully, we can get all these anywhere in India now.
Still, her answer surprised me: “Green tea.”
As long as I can remember she didn’t even drink Indian tea .
I dutifully bought a big packet of Longjing and headed home to hear the story.My mother and her brother, both regular newspaper readers, believed that Chinese green tea was the wonder drug for all illnesses.
At the turn of the century, China was not really familiar to the average Indian.It was a strange country.
How things change! And how soon!
Now every town of any size seems to have a “China Market”.And everyone is talking about China.
The govemment of Indin has planned to send a team to China to see how things are done.A minister once said that India must open the doors for more foreign investment(投资)and such a step would “work wonders as it did for China”.
But it’s a two-way street.I just heard about a thousand Shenzhen office workers who have gone to Bangalore to train in software.Meanwhile, all the Indian IT majors are setting up a strong presence in China.
No wonder that trade, which was only in the millions just ten years ago, is expected to hit about US $15 billion for last year and US $20 billion by 2008, a goal set by both governments.
No wonder, my colleague wrote some weeks ago about this being the Sino-Indian(中印)century as the two countries started on January 1 the Sino-Indian Friendship Year.
But what is still a wonder to me is my mother drinking Chinese tea.
41.According to the passage, the author left _____ for ______.
A.India; China B.China; India
C.China; Longjing D.India; Shenzhen
42.The reason why the writer’s mother asked for Chinese green tea is that_____.
A.she had a son working in China B.she believed it had a curing effect
C.she enjoyed Chinese products D.she was tired of Indian tea
43.The underlined part “it’s a two-way street” in Paragraph 10 probably means ____.
A.The exchanges between Indian and China benefit both.
B.China and India have different traffic rules.
C.Tea trade works wonders in both India and China.
D.Chinese produces are popular in both China and India.
44.It can be inferred from the passage that _______.
A.the author was concerned for his mother’s health
B.the author was in favor of drinking Chinese green tea
C.the author was surprised at China’s recent development
D.the author was curious about the growth of India’s IT industry
All areas of the world face a nurses shortage. But the shortage is most severe in developing countries. Many of their nurses move to the more developed nations for better pay, better working conditions and better chances for career development. For example, nearly 2,000 nurses left the Caribbean between 2002 and 2006.
The Caribbean nations currently have about 1 nurse for every 1,000 people. The ratio(比例) of nurses to population is about 10 times higher in the United States and countries in the European Union(EU). Now, more than 21,000 nurses who trained in the Caribbean are working in the United States, Canada and Britain.
Gaetan Lafortune is an official of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development(O.E.C.D) in Paris. He says the nurses shortage also affects industrialized countries. He says, “There is concern in most O.E.C.D.countries that the number of nurses is too small to meet the demand. And what is more worrying is that their concern is sort of growing.” Mr Lafortune says a large number of nurses are expected to retire within the next 10 years. At the same time, the health care needs of aging populations are expected to grow, intensifying the shortage of nurses.
Gaetan Lafortune said, “In the U.S., for instance, some researchers have found that there may be a shortage of close to a million nurses by 2020.” The United States is 1 of the 21 countries in the O.C.E.D. Gaetan Lafortune says in the recent years many of the countries increased their efforts to hire foreign nurses. As a result of that, O.E.C.D. countries were mainly exporting their shortage problem to countries that may have an even greater need for these nurses.What will be the main causes of the global nurses shortage in the next 10 years?
a. The demand for nurses will decrease.
b. Many nurses will be too old to work.
c. Many rich countries will hire more foreign nurses.
d. Nurses are often looked down upon.
e. Aging populations will increase rapidly
A.a and b | B.b and c | C.b and e | D.c and d |
The underlined word “intensify” in para. 3 means “________”.
A.strengthen | B.neglect | C.reduce | D.cause |
We know from this text that America and the EU countries ______.
A.refuse to offer equal pay to foreign nurses |
B.have at least one nurse out of 100 people |
C.don’t like to train nurses of their own countries |
D.have more serious nursing problems than the Caribbean nations |
What does the text mainly tell us?
A.Nursing is no longer a worthwhile profession in most countries. |
B.The different attitudes towards nursing in different countries. |
C.Nurses shortage will result in serious consequences. |
D.The health care industry needs more nurses. |
People in Shanghai can quench their thirst with high quality water if the Shanghai Water Authority (SWA) is able to make good on its word. It has vowed to make the city’s water match its status as a world class city.
“The current tap water quality meets national standards, but, compared with that of the European Union and the United States, it still needs to be improved.” said the SWA’s director general, Hang Jiayi.
In other developed countries, water fountains can be found almost everywhere—people do not bother with bottled drinking water.
By 2020, the water of the Huangpu River will be treated to reduce the amount of organic waste in it. Major water works that draw water from the Huangpu will need more treatment facilities to improve the colour, texture, ammonia(氨)and nitrogen content before 2010.
These treatment facilities are expected to cost 4 billion yuan, something that could affect the price of water, according to Chen Yin, SWA’s deputy director general.
Chen said that replacing water pipes was also a key project. The city’s aged pipes are mostly to blame for the bad water quality.
The SWA has started the water facilities renovation(更新)work, including the more than 14,000 kilometres of indoor piping, 107,000 tanks on top of the buildings, and more than 6,000 underground facilities.
World Water Day came on March 22, and this year’s theme is “Water for the future”. Beijing is also drawing up plans during China’s Water Week, which runs until March 28.
By 2010, the water for the Shanghai EXPO is to be above World Health Organization standards. And, the people of Beijing will be able to drink their tap water as well.People in Shanghai can drink their tap water_____.
A.by 2020 | B.in the first half of this year | C.by 2010 | D.by 2008 |
What step need not be taken in order to improve the tap water?
A.The water of the Huangpu River will be treated. | B.Aged water pipes will be treated. |
C.Water facilities must be renovated. | D.Water fountains must be found. |
Which is the correct statement according to the passage?
A.The tap water quality in Shanghai hasn’t met national standards. |
B.World Water Day fell on March 22 this year. |
C.The people of Beijing cannot drink their tap water now. |
D.The treatment of the water of Huangpu River has been finished. |
What is the main idea of the passage?
A.The cost of treating the tap water. |
B.How to reach the water standards of developed countries. |
C.The project for making tap water drinkable in Shanghai and Beijing. |
D.The progress of treating the water of Huangpu River. |
In any family with more than one child, chidren seem to naturally compete for their parents’ love and attention. Parents say they love every child equally. But is that true?
Susan, founder of a consulting firm in Chicago, interviewed 216 women and found that even though none of her questions asked directly about a parent favoring one child over another, about two-thirds of the women said there was a favored child. And they also remembered their experience when they were young. One of the women said, “My mother always liked my brother better, and he got to go to summer camp in 1968 and I didn’t.”
Plumez, who interviewed parents with both biological children and adoptive children for an adoption book in 2008, found that what matters most is whether your temperaments(性情) are pleasing. “In some cases, parents would say they felt closer to their adopted children,” she says, “Some parents like the children with characters similar to theirs. Two people who are shy and withdrawn might get along well, unless the shy parent doesn’t like that aspect of themselves and they try to push the naturally withdrawn child to be more extroverted.”
It could be a result of gender, birth order or how easy or difficult a child’s temperament may be, but a parent’s different treatment has far-reaching effects. Students have found that less-favored children may suffer emotionally, with decreased self-esteem and behavioral problems in childhood. Favoritism is a reason for the next generation not to like each other.
Experts say it is not realistic to say everyone should be treated equally, because no two people are the same and they relate differently to others.
“It does not mean that parent loves or likes one child more. It has to do with which one of them is independent,” says psychologist Laurie Kramer of the University of Illinois.The study carried out by Susan shows that ______.
A.showing favoritism is common in many families |
B.most mothers like their sons better than their daughters |
C.only two-thirds of the women interviewed have more than a child |
D.it is a favoritism that leads to absence of harmony in most families |
The underlined word “extroverted” in the third paragraph means _______.
A.independent | B.outgoing | C.clever | D.brave |
What can we infer from the passage?
A.Favoritism is not beneficial to the development of children |
B.Parents’ favoritism to a certain child can’t be avoided in families |
C.Parents may be favoring one of their children and don’t realize it |
D.People are very much shaped by how they were treated by their parents |
What is the best title for the passage?
A.Parents’ favoritism can affect children deeply |
B.Why do parents show favoritism to children? |
C.Parents should give attention to all their children |
D.Building a harmonious family is important to children |
Most parents love the Internet and want their kids to use it. But a new survey in America finds almost as many also fear the online world—especially social networking sites such as My Space—and worry their kids will get in trouble with people they meet.
“The parents see the web’s incredible potential(可能性), and they know their kids have to be there.” says James Steyer, CEO of Common Sense Media, which released results from a survey that looked into parental attitudes toward the Internet. “It is also what they are scared of most.”
The study was conducted online May 5-10 by Insight Research Group. It says 80% of parents are concerned about kids meeting bad people online. That’s because young people who largely have grown up with the Net think of it as a social outlet(出口), say the researchers. To young people, the benefits of giving out some personal information to reach out to friends outweigh the risks. And the study shows they are so comfortable with the medium that 78% have a personal website or blog.
Parents also recognize the importance of the Internet. The survey shows 91% think the Net helps their children explore their passions, and 77% think the Internet is one of the most valuable education tools teens have. But 88% think it’s important to know what their kids are doing online.
Findings suggest both parents and teens need more education about using online media, Steyer says.
Internet safety has become an increasing concern for parents in America. Organizations like the Non-profit Common Sense have been trying to reach and help parents pay attention to the problem.In the second paragraph, the underlined word “It” refers to_____.
A.Common Sense Media | B.the result of the survey |
C.the web’s incredible potential | D.the website called My Space |
Why do young people give out their personal information?
A.They think it has more advantages than disadvantages. |
B.They want to make themselves famous by doing that. |
C.They want to have a personal website each. |
D.They want to get some information from others. |
Most parents think it is important to know_____.
A.where their children give out the information | B.what kind of websites they have |
C.how often they go online | D.what their children are doing online |
From the passage we can infer that_____.
A.children are too young to know how to use the Internet |
B.parents must teach their children how to use the Internet |
C.parents also need to learn more about using the Internet |
D.the Internet is the most valuable tool for children to learn |
UNICEF reports that 40 million children below the age of 15 suffer from abuse(虐待) and neglect. The USA National Committee to Prevent Child Abuse finds 3 million new reports of child abuse or neglect every year.
According to such information on human rights abuses of children, the United Nations declared 2010 as the International Year of Youth. In answer to the common human rights abuses of young people, Dr. Mary Shuttleworth of Youth for Human Rights International(YHRI) recently completed her seventh annual World Tour to five continents in eighty days. The purpose of the tour is to promote the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights to tens of thousands of children and officials.
According to UNICEF, 1.2 million children are illegally traded all over the world every year.
Sold as goods, these children are forced into inhuman labor, denied basic education and robbed of their childhoods. Youth who do not know their rights are easily cheated by ill-intentioned men. That is why YHRI thinks highly of education.
“When the United Nations declared 2010 as the International Year of Youth, I knew that their human rights had to be greater than ever,” Dr. Shuttleworth said. The tour reached Mexico, Guatemala, Panama, Ecuador, Brazil, South Africa, Swaziland, Portugal, Sardinia, Sicily, Italy, Greece, Taiwan, Japan, Hawaii and Los Angeles.
The YHRI World Tour 2010 has reached tens of thousands of students as well as officials, educators, and religious leaders and thus promotes human rights education to millions more.2010 was declared as the International Year of Youth because ______.
A.3 million children reported their information to the UN |
B.many children are suffering from ill-treatment and neglect |
C.children are illegally traded throughout the whole world |
D.human rights abuses of young people have been avoided |
According to para. 2, Dr. Shuttleworth first started her annual World Tour in _____.
A.2000 | B.2004 | C.2008 | D.2010 |
Youth for Human Rights International is paying attention to education because _______.
A.education should serve most children |
B.too many children are forced to leave school |
C.children who know their rights will make more money |
D.children who know little about their rights are easily cheated |
According to the passage, the YHRI World Tour 2010 _______.
A.has almost stopped the child abuse | B.has reached different areas and people |
C.has found more forced child labor | D.was neglected by some political leaders |