C
I’ve been told that in China，having a pet，particularly a dog，is often considered to be a status（地位）symbol because it shows the family can afford to have an animal．It’s very different here．
In Canada it’s common to have pets．Many people have dogs；many others have cats，fish，birds or rabbits．Some keep what we call exotic（奇异的）pets，although keeping exotic animals is difficult，and because it can also be hard on the animals, the keeping of some exotic animals is not allowed by law．Some people do it anyway．
I like animals．As far back as I can remember my family has always had cats．Our cats．of course，wanted to go outside and it seemed reasonable to let them wander the neighborhood finding birds to run after，trees to climb and sunny places to sleep．As we always lived in a city，however，there was a problem．I remember more than once losing a cat that was killed by a car and it was heartbreaking．
Now，my wife and I lived in a small town．We no longer have a house—we live in an apartment（公寓）．We have a cat named Callie and she never goes out except onto the halcony（阳台）so cars are no longer a problem．She’s about sixteen years old and will probably live to be twenty or more．The trouble will come when she dies．We’ve had a pet for so long that it seems like a natural part of our lives and without a cat around the room it will seem somehow empty．On the other hand，we’re getting older and，given that a cat can live about twenty years we wonder if we’ll ever have another after Callie goes.
Having a pet is very good for a number of reasons．It helps to teach children how to look after a living creature，makes them realize that animals have feelings just like we do and that, in many ways，we depend on each other．For older people like me an animal is a companion（伙伴）and a comfort to have around．A pet，properly treated, returns the favor by giving back unconditional love．Wouldn’t this world be a great place if people could learn how to do that !
64．The writer keeps a cat as a pet now because___________．
A．she feels lonely living in the countryside
B．it acts as her companion
C．her family is used to keeping a cat
D．it can helps her teach her children．
65．What will happen after the writer’s pet，Callie dies?
A．She will surely buy another one． B．She won’t keep pets any longer．
C．She will remember it for a long time． D．Her room will be empty．
66．What should people do in keeping a pet according to the text?
A．Not allow it to go out of the room． B．Catch birds for him to play with．
C．Let it wander outside as it likes． D．Not live in the city．
67．What can be the best title for the passage?
A．How to keep a pet． B．My pet，Callie．
C．Keeping Pets in Canada． D．It’s the Animal in Me．
Starting from April, 2010, you won’t be hearing the word “NBA” on sports programs on CCTV. Instead, sport host will give the full Chinese name when they refer to the NBA – National Basketball Association. You also won’t hear any other English abbreviations (缩略词) on CCTV’s Chinese programs, such as GDP (gross domestic product), or WTO (World Trade Organization). You will hear their Chinese translations.
CCTV received a notice from the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television telling it to avoid using English-language abbreviations in their reports to protect the “purity” of the Chinese language. A few other TV stations also received the notice.
Fu Zhenguo, an editor of People’s Daily, is one of the people who suggested the change. “Firstly, using English in a Chinese-speaking environment is against Chinese law,” he said. “Then, using English on Chinese TV programs is unfair to people who don’t understand English. What’s worse, it will have a bad language influence on kids and teenagers.”
A lot of netizens have criticized the move, saying that it will cause problems for them.
“I understand what CD, VCD and DVD mean when I hear them. But I won’t know what the TV programs are talking about if I hear those products’ full Chinese names,” a netizen wrote in a BBS post. Following the same post, another netizen wrote jokingly: “I’m not listening to my MP3 now. I’m listening to my Moving Picture Experts Group-1 Audio Layer 3 (动态影像专家压缩标准音频第三层面).”What does the underlined word “purity” in the second paragraph mean?
| A．纯正 | B．高贵 | C．时髦 | D．潮流 |
How many reasons did Fu Zhenguo list to show his support for the change?
| A．1 | B．2 | C．3 | D．4 |
Some netizens went against the change because_______________.
| A．the application of abbreviations will make Chinese popular. |
| B．the application of abbreviations will attract the youth. |
| C．the application of abbreviations will not simplify the understanding. |
| D．the application of abbreviations will not bring Chinese to an end. |
What can be the full name of CCTV mentioned in the text?
| A．Close Closet Top Video | B．China Central Television |
| C．China Common Time Voice | D．Closed-Circuit Television |
Taylor sings with heart
The music industry is never short of teen pop stars with wonderful looks, but it doesn’t often find one like US singer Taylor Swift. “Beneath Taylor Swift’s not-a-girl, not-yet-a-woman sweetness hides a very skillful songwriting technique (技巧),” writes Leah Greenblatt with Entertainment Weekly.
Songwriting, the country singer explains, is “how I deal with problems. I am used to writing about things that really influences me most.” So in her songs, there is always something true and honest. They seem like stories from a diary. And that certainly helps Swift attract her audience.
She’s sold more than 13 million copies worldwide of her first two albums, 2006’s self-titled debut (首张专辑) and 2008’s Fearless. She’s the youngest artist ever to be named Artist of the Year at the American Music Awards. Not surprisingly, there were great expectations for her third album, Speak Now, which came out late last month, where she again returned to her own life for material. The 14 songs “are all about the last two years... when life was a little bit bigger and crazier,” says Swift. “So I’ve written about the lessons and confusion and heartbreak and all the different things that go along with being 18, 19 and 20.”What led to Taylor’s fame?
| A．Her wonderful looks. | B．Her songwriting skills together with her looks. |
| C．Her beautiful voice. | D．Her special life experience in her teenage years. |
Which of the following is true?
| A．Taylor is now in her twenties. |
| B．Taylor’s the youngest Artist of the Year at the Academy Awards |
| C．Taylor has produced three albums up till now. |
| D．Taylor has sold more than 13 million copies worldwide. |
What may be written in the album, Speak Now?
| A．Her unhappy experience with her boyfriend. |
| B．Her concern for her popularity. |
| C．Her happy childhood. |
| D．Her worries for environmental pollution. |
Britain is facing a sharp rise in its rat population as growing numbers of people leave what they cannot finish of the fast food in the street, an environment group warned .Keep Britain Tidy said the rats were stopping their traditional hunts underground and were running across the streets, invited by burgers, pizzas and crisps left behind by man. “The rat population is on the rise and soon it’ll be as common to see a rat on our street as it is to see a dog or a cat,” said group Director, Sue Nelson. The practice of spreading fast food litter and scraps on the street rather than in the dustbin—with young men the worst group—was behind the rise. According to the National Rodent Survey in 2005, Britain’s rat population has grown by nearly one quarter since 2000 and is now estimated at 60 million, two million more than the human population. On average a rat can give birth every 24-28 days and just a single pair of rats can produce a family of 2,000 a year. Around 200 people a year get Weil’s Disease –an infection which can lead to liver or kidney（肝肾）failure and eventually death and which is carried in rats’ waste. To attract people’s attention to the problem, Keep Britain Tidy produced a cinema ad with a title “How close do you want them to get?” The ad gave a shocking image of a young woman sleeping in a bed of rats--reminding people of the terrible scene from James Herbert’s classic horror tale The Rats, in which rats begin to hunt for humans.Where did the rats use to search for food?
| A．In the street | B．Under the ground |
| C．From the dustbins | D．In burger shops |
What was the rat population in Britain in 2000 according to the writer?
| A．Around 60 million | B．Around 45 million |
| C．Around 38 million | D．Around 2 million |
We may infer from the passage that ______________.
| A．Weil’s Disease will finally end the world |
| B．pizzas and crisps will become unpopular |
| C．rats will put human beings’ life in danger |
| D．young people should take the responsibility for the rat population |
By writing the passage, the author tries to _____________.
| A．close some of the burger and pizza restaurants |
| B．draw the public attention to the problem of rats |
| C．prevent the rats from growing up |
| D．making an advertisement for the classic horror tale The Rats |
The creation of a Chinese Green Card in 2004 was a milestone in the country’s immigration law. Five years on, the card is an increasingly sought-after document.
On August 15, 2004, the Regulations on Examination and Approval of Permanent Residence
oAliens in China created a Green Card system granting qualified foreigners the right to live in
China permanently.
Liu Lili, who works in the Exit and Entry Administration of Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau, has watched the Green Card system develop since its inception. She said nearly all applications received by the Bureau are approved. So far, 323 people have been granted a “Green Card” qualifying them for permanent residence in Beijing. Another 15 are awaiting final approval. It takes around 6 months to process each application.
Of the 323 Green Card holders, 94 are wives or husbands of Chinese citizens; 50 are minors dependent on their parents; 20 are senior citizens returning to live with relatives; 114 are individuals who have made outstanding contributions or are of special importance to China (another 7 are their family members); and 23 are high-level foreign personnel who hold posts in businesses (another 15 are their family members).
Liu said the authorities had been granting residence to returning senior citizens for some time before the Green Card system was formally launched .The government has approved permanent residence for over 3,000 foreigners since the implementation of the Law on Control of the Entry and Exit of Aliens which was adopted by the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress in November 1985.
Four groups of people are eligible for permanent residence: high-level foreign personnel who hold posts in businesses that promote China’s economic, scientific and technological development or social progress; foreign citizens who make large direct investments in China; persons who have made outstanding contributions or are of special importance to China; and people who come to China to be with family, such as husbands and wives, minors dependent on their parents, and senior citizens dependent on their relatives.
Liu said that most applications she dealt with were from American citizens.
Why do overseas citizens apply for permanent residence status in China? The main concern, aid Liu, is the political factor. Once people have a “Green Card”, they feel they are accepted and trusted by the Chinese government. The “Green Card” also facilitates entry and exit. With permanent residence status, visas are no longer needed and people can enter and leave the country using only a valid passport. China offers outstanding career opportunities and is seen by many as safer and more secure than many other countries, said Liu.
Liu said that Green Card holders have the same rights and responsibilities as Chinese citizens. However the card is not equivalent to Chinese nationality and holders are not allowed to vote in elections, hold political office, or serve in the military.
Obtaining a Green Card is not easy. The qualifying conditions are tough. Unless you are a close relative of a Chinese citizen，you will either have to invest a substantial amount of money in the country or make a genuinely outstanding contribution to the country’s development.
To meet increasing demand, he authorities are considering making the Green Card more available by broadening the range of applicants without lowering the requirements, aid Liu, but she gave no further details.Which of the following can’t get a green card?
| A．A foreigner whose wife of husband is of Chinese nationality. |
| B．A foreign child whose parents are Chinese citizens. |
| C．A foreigner who invests large sum of money in China. |
| D．A foreigner who works in China for a long time. |
If a foreign gets a Green Card in China, he /she_________.
| A．has the right to vote in China. | B．can be a high official in China |
| C．can enter or leave China without a visa | D．becomes a citizen of Chinese nationality |
From the article we can see foreigners apply for Green Cards mainly to ________.
| A．show that they are important | B．be accepted and trusted by the Chinese |
| C．make entry and exit easier | D．make more money. |
Which of the following is not the reason for foreigners to work or live permanently in China?
| A．They can find satisfactory jobs. |
| B．China is more secure country than many. |
| C．They have their professions, families and investments in China. |
| D．The weather, working conditions are better than better than their own countries. |
People are talking about the “new economy.” It’s very different from the “old economy”.
In the old economy, people travel to walk. They buy things in stores. They use the post office, the fax and the telephone to send information. They see people face-to-face at their jobs or in stores. People get information from newspapers, radio, television, books and libraries.
In the new economy, people do business through the “net,” which is a connection of millions of computers everywhere in the world. In the new economy, workers often work at home. They can get information online. They can communicate with employers and co-workers by e-mail. Businesses have “virtual stores”. They are websites on which customers can see the products. Businesses can sell to customers anywhere in the world.
In the new economy, people live a fast paced, convenient and colorful life. The whole world develops more quickly than before. But the new economy is a double-edge sword. Its disadvantage is also obvious. For example, the Internet has led to a huge increase in credit card cheating. Some illegal websites offer some cheap or banned goods or services. Online shoppers who enter their credit card information may never receive the goods they want to buy and their card information could even be for sale in an illegal website. So people in the new economy should be smarter and knowledgeable.The cause of the differences between the new economy and the old economy is ____.
| A．the change of people’s idea | B．the business people do |
| C．the use of the Internet | D．the change of people’s life |
In the old economy, people can do the following things EXCEPT____.
| A．getting information from books |
| B．communicating with friends by telephone |
| C．meeting people face to face |
| D．shopping online |
“But the new economy is a double-edge sword ” in the last passage means_____.
| A．The new economy is as sharp as a sword |
| B．The new economy has advantages and disadvantages |
| C．The new economy is better than the old economy |
| D．Both the new economy and the old economy have disadvantages |
Which of the following is NOT true?
| A．People can get all kinds of information on the Internet. |
| B．Telephone, radio, television, newspapers and so on will disappear in the new economy. |
| C．People in the new economy should have high quality. |
| D．Life in the new economy is more comfortable than the one in the old economy. |