Bells sound. Lighted messages appear. Men and women work at computers. They talk on the telephone. At times they shout and run around.
This noisy place is a stock exchange (证券交易所). Here expert salespeople called brokers buy and sell shares(股份) of companies. The shares are known as stocks. People who own stock in a company own part of that company.
People pay brokers to buy and sell stocks for them. If a company earns money, its stock increases in value. If the company does not earn money, the stock decreases in value. Brokers and investors(投资者)carefully watch for any changes on the Big Board. That is the name given to a list of stocks sold on the New York Stock Exchange.
Investors and brokers watch the Big Board to see if the stock market is a bull market or a bear market. In a bear market, prices go down. In a bull market, prices go up.
Investors in a bear market promise to sell a stock in the future at a set price. But the investor does not own the stock yet. He or she waits to buy it when the price drops.
The meaning of a bear market is thought to come from an old story about a man who sold the skin of a bear before he caught the bear. An English dictionary of the sixteen hundreds said, to sell a bear is to sell what one has not.
Word experts dispute the beginnings of the word bull in the stock market. But some say it came from the long connection of the two animals – bulls and bears – in sports that were popular years ago in England.
Investors always care about the possibility of a company failing. In the modern world, a company that does not earn enough profit (利润)is said to go belly up. A company that goes belly up dies like a fish. Fish turn over on their backs when they die. So they are stomach, or belly up.
Stock market investors do not want that to happen to a company. They want a company whose stock they own to earn more profit than expected. This would sharply increase the value of the stock. Investors are hoping for a windfall(横财).
72. The first paragraph is written for the purpose of ________.
A. making readers interested in buying stocks
B. telling readers the place is so busy
C. telling readers people in the stock exchange are busy
D. attracting readers’ attention to the topic of the passage
73. A fresher of a stock market probably turns to a (n) _______ for advice.
A. company B. investor
C. broker D. word expert
74. John bought his stock from a company which has gone belly up this year. We can infer _________ .
A. John would lose money this year
B. John would earn money this year
C. the stock market is a bear market
D. the stock market is a bull market
75. The reason why investors pay attention to the company whose stock they own is that _______ .
A. the company belongs to them
B. the company earns much money
C. they work for the company
D. they are financially connected with the company
Parents are often amazed at how fast their child grows and develops. New research has determined that the ability to quantify may develop much sooner than most parents realize.
Kristy vanMarle, professor of the University of Missouri, has determined that contrary to what previous studies have shown, infants（婴儿）are able to quantify substances（物质）—like sand or water—as early as 10 months. As long as the difference between the two substances is large enough, infants will choose the larger amount, especially when it comes to food.
With the assistance of her team researchers, vanMarle tested the quantifying skills of babies by presenting them with two cups: one containing a small amount of food, and one containing a larger amount. Consistently, the babies chose the larger amount.
“Several studies throughout the last 15 years have shown that infants are very good at telling how many objects they see; however, infants don’t seem to count things like water or sand,” vanMarle said. “What we’re saying is that they can quantify substances; The infants can see how much food goes into each cup and compare that in their memories. They decide which amount is larger, and they almost always select the larger one.”
This information further refutes（驳斥）the long-held idea that babies “know nothing of the world,” vanMarle said.
“Since psychologists have begun studying infants with sensitive measures, we’ve discovered a lot of early abilities. I think for parents, it should be exciting to know that there’s somebody there that has some fundamental and basic knowledge of the world, and that knowledge is guiding their development,” vanMarle said.
In the future, vanMarle says this kind of study could be linked to a child’s progress in math-related skills, although programs marketed to increase those abilities, such as “Baby Einstein,” still have mixed reviews when it comes to academic study. Babies choose the larger amount of food .
| A．by saying numbers | B．with the help of parents |
| C．on personal preference | D．through their natural abilities |
The quantifying ability refers to the ability to .
| A．choose between different substances |
| B．get much knowledge of the world |
| C．describe the quantity of something |
| D．obtain math-related skills |
What is mainly talked about in Paragraph 4?
| A．The process of doing research. |
| B．The scientific findings. |
| C．The final choice of infants. |
| D．The observation of infants’ behavior. |
We can learn from the text that .
| A．some parents don’t care about their kids |
| B．people used to think the world is known to babies |
| C．little research has been done on infants |
| D．scholars disagree on baby-training programs |
What’s the best title of the text?
| A．Breakthrough in Baby Studies |
| B．Amazing Baby-training Ideas |
| C．Early Human Abilities |
| D．Unique Quantifying Methods |
Ask someone what they have done to help the environment recently and they will almost certainly mention recycling. Recycling in the home is very important of course. However, being forced to recycle often means we already have more material than we need. We are dealing with the results of that over-consumption in the greenest way possible, but it would be far better if we did not need to bring so much material home in the first place.
The total amount of packaging increased by 12% between 1999 and 2005. It now makes up a third of a typical household’s waste in the UK. In many supermarkets nowadays food items are packaged twice with plastic and cardboard.
Too much packaging is doing serious damage to the environment. The UK, for example, is running out of it for carrying this unnecessary waste. If such packaging is burnt, it gives off greenhouse gases which go on to cause the greenhouse effect. Recycling helps, but the process itself uses energy. The solution is not to produce such items in the first place. Food waste is a serious problem, too. Too many supermarkets encourage customers to buy more than they need. However, a few of them are coming round to the idea that this cannot continue , encouraging customers to reuse their plastic bags, for example.
But this is not just about supermarkets. It is about all of us. We have learned to associate packaging with quality. We have learned to think that something unpackaged is of poor quality. This is especially true of food. But is also applies to a wide range of consumer products, which often have far more packaging than necessary.
There are signs of hope. As more of us recycle, we are beginning to realise just how much unnecessary material are collecting. We need to face the wastefulness of our consumer culture, but we have a mountain to climb.The author uses figures in Paragraph 2 to show _______.
| A．the tendency of cutting household waste |
| B．the increase of packaging recycling |
| C．the rapid growth of super markets |
| D．the fact of packaging overuse |
What can be inferred from Paragraph 4?
| A．Unpackaged products are of bad quality. |
| B．Supermarkets care more about packaging. |
| C．It is improper to judge quality by packaging. |
| D．Other products are better packaged than food. |
What can we learn from the last paragraph?
| A．Fighting wastefulness is difficult. |
| B．Needless material is mostly recycled. |
| C．People like collecting recyclable waste. |
| D．The author is proud of their consumer culture. |
According to the text, recycling ______.
| A．helps control the greenhouse effect |
| B．means burning packaging for energy |
| C．is the solution to gas shortage |
| D．leads to a waste of land |
What does the underlined phrase “over-consumption” refer to?
| A．Using too much packaging. |
| B．Recycling too many wastes. |
| C．Making more products than necessary. |
| D．Having more material than is needed. |
Social networking isn’t only for the under 40s. More than 25 percent of Americans 50 years and older stay connected using sites such as Facebook, MySpace and Twitter, according to new research.
“The latest data tells us that more and more social networking is becoming a part of everyday life for Americans 50 plus,” said Kevin Donnellan, the chief communications officer at AARP, which released （发布）the report.
Nearly a quarter of older Americans are on Facebook and 73 percent said they use it to stay in touch with relatives, but not just their children and grandchildren. “They are using the Internet to keep up with the world and the people who are important to them,” said Jean Koppen, the author of the report. She added that older adults are also on Facebook to stay connected, not only with their family, but with their friends and those in the same age group. Almost 50 percent of older adults were introduced to the social networking sites by a family member, mainly a child or grandchild. “Just under one-fifth of adults aged 50 and older say they do not use the Internet,” according to the report.
The findings are based on a telephone survey of 1,863 adults. In addition to keeping up on Facebook and Twitter older adults are aware of the latest technology. Eighty-three percent had heard about the Apple iPad and 11 percent intended to buy one.
Despite the popularity of the Internet among the over 50s, they still mostly go to print newspapers and magazines for news. Only one percent said they followed blogs.What is the main idea of the text?
A.Social networking isn’t for the under 40s in the U.S.A.
B.American old people’s way of life is quite fashionable.
C.Social networking is becoming popular among older Americans.
D.Facebook, MySpace and Twitter are the most popular websites in the US.Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．85% of Americans 50 plus choose the Internet over print media. |
| B．About 460 people in the telephone survey often use Facebook. |
| C．About 20% of adults aged 50 plus have access to (利用)the Internet. |
| D．Three quarters of the people surveyed got to know the Internet through their family. |
Where does the text probably come from?
| A．A novel. | B．A newspaper. |
| C．A technology guide. | D．A student’s research paper |
Eating a diet high in processed（经过加工的） food increases the risk of depression（抑郁）, research suggests. What's more, people who ate plenty of vegetables, fruit and fish actually had a lower risk of depression, the University College London team found.
Data on diet among 3,500 middle-aged civil servants were compared with their emotional state five years later, a British journal reported. They split the participants（参与者） into two types of diet--those who ate a diet largely based on whole food，which includes lots of fruit, vegetables and fish，and those who ate a mainly processed food diet, such as sweetened desserts, fried food, processed meat，refined（精制的） grains and high fat dairy products After accounting for factors such as gender, age, education, physical activity, smoking habits and chronic(慢性的) diseases, they found a significant difference in the future depression risk with the different diets.
Those who ate the most wholefood（全天然食物） had a 26% lower risk of future depression than those who ate the least wholefood. By contrast, people with a diet high in processed food had a 58％ higher risk of depression than those who ate a diet low in processed foods.
Study author Dr. Archana Singh Manoux pointed out there was a chance that the finding could be explained by lifestyle factor they had not accounted for.（解释原因） He also pointed in a paper that a Mediterranean(地中海) diet was associated（有关） with a lower risk of depression, but the problem with that is if you live in Britain, the likelihood （可能）of you eating a Mediterranean diet is not very high.
Dr．Andrew McCulloeh, chief executive of the Mental Health Foundation, said, this study adds to an existing body of solid research that shows the strong links between what we eat and our mental health.
He added people's diets were becoming increasingly unhealthy. The UK population is consuming （消费）less nutritious, fresh produce and more saturated（饱和） fats and sugars. The text is mainly about______.
| A．the increasingly unhealthy diet of the UK population |
| B．the link between processed food and depression |
| C．the relationship between physical and mental health |
| D．the emotional state of the British People |
What can we learn from what Dr. Archana Singh Manoux said?
| A．It is difficult for most British people to have a Mediterranean diet. |
| B．The Mediterranean diet is the most healthy in the world. |
| C．Many studies have been done on the Mediterranean diet before. |
| D．The Mediterranean diet is not good for depression. |
Dr. Andrew McCulloch agrees that______.
| A．our diets are closely related to our mental health |
| B．the present study needs more facts and other information |
| C．the UK population will become ill in the near future |
| D．more saturated fats and sugars should be taken in |
Why might the author have written this text?
| A．To tell people what a healthy diet actually is. |
| B．To prove people’s diets are increasingly unhealthy. |
| C．To encourage people to cut down on processed food. |
| D．To introduce some experts on the research team. |
I once had a friend that was diagnosed with terminal cancer（晚期癌症）, and the news that he might only live up to six months was a great shock to him, his family, and his friends．However, in spite of the serious illness, he was initially determined to look into all available treatments that might cure or extend his life．I think that when you find yourself in such situations, you tend to look up every possible way for hope of saving your life．
As months went on and his health grew worse, I noticed an unexpected change in attitude that came over him．He had also been a happy person with a cheerful personality, but rather than give in to discouragement and self-pity, he took comfort in God and humanity（人性）．His talks focused on others rather than himself, and he spoke of the afterlife as something he was prepared for, believing that his concerned ancestors, including his mother and father, were there waiting for him．
During the last few months, weeks, and days of his life, he was kindly cared for by family, friends, his loving wife, who looked after both his physical and emotional needs, and workers from a local hospice （安养院） came to the home to regulate（调节） his medication （药）and provide any other needed support．He didn't complain about his fate, and he willingly allowed others to serve him．
Indeed, one might think why God allows death and suffering in our world, but for me, such experiences taught me to value family more and kindness for others．You often can't learn these important attributes（属性）in the lap of luxury（处在优裕舒适的环境中）, and perhaps, such an experience is the greatest and final gift the illness can give those left behind．Which word can best describe the man's initial（最初的） reaction as soon as he was diagnosed with cancer?
| A．Satisfied． | B．Sad | C．Surprised | D．Concerned． |
What did the man do after he first learned of his illness?
| A．He was operated on immediately． |
| B．He researched cancer treatments． |
| C．He retired from his job |
| D．He felt sad, doing nothing． |
What was the man's main source of comfort after several months with the disease?
| A．His family and friends． | B．The care from others |
| C．His doctors’ encouragement． | D．His belief in humanity． |
What did the author learn from his friend’s story?
| A．Getting comfort from God． |
| B．Extending life as possible． |
| C．Caring for yourself and enjoying luxury． |
| D．Giving more respect to friends |