SINGAPORE—It seems the financial crisis isn’t all hopeless: one in four people are glad the world’s economy turned down like it did, because it helped them realize more in life, according to a global survey.
Market research firm Synovate surveyed around 11400 people across the world and found more than half had permanently changed their attitudes toward money over the last 12 months. Another 47 percent, however, said they were looking forward to being able to spend freely again.
“The psychology of global depression has changed the way many people do things,” Jenny Chang, managing director in Taiwan (China), said in a statement. “They are making life-changing decisions based on the current global depression, such as postponing marriage, having children, moving house, changing jobs or pursuing higher education. Even in a relatively effect-free economy like Taiwan’s.”
A quarter of all respondents led by Malaysians said they were glad the world had an economic crisis as it has helped them realize what’s really important in their lives.
Nearly 60 percent said they would try their best to control their spending so that it doesn’t go back to what it used to be before the downturn, and over two-thirds are more interested in increasing their savings than reducing their debt.
The majority of respondents—over 80 percent—believed their generation had a responsibility to leave their country better off for the younger generation, even if it involved dramatically changing their lifestyles.
With the relatively high unemployment in the US, Synovate’s US-based Claire Peerson Braverman said, Americans who had lost one or more incomes in the family, had to make some of the most difficult decisions concerning money each day.
62. What information did Market research firm Synovate want to get by making the survey?
A. The effects of global depression on people’s money and life attitudes.
B. The loss people suffered in the global depression.
C. The number of people who like global depression.
D. The influence of economical crisis on the US.
63. What can be inferred from the article?
A. The global depression had no effects on economy in Taiwan of China at all.
B. Global depression led some people to give up their higher education.
C. More people will spend their money more carefully after the global depression.
D. Some people felt glad about the global depression for the benefits it brought them.
64. What does the underlined world “it” in the fifth paragraph refer to?
A. Habit of spending money. B. Global depression.
C. Responsibility for the country. D. Attitude towards life.
65. What is the theme of this article?
A. The economic crisis made more people try to save more money.
B. The situation of unemployment in the US became more serious.
C. Lots of people put off some important events in their life for the economic crisis.
D. Economic crisis helped people change their ideas about money and life.
“OK,”I said to my daughter as she bent over her afternoon bowl of rice．“What’s going on with you and your friend J．?” J．is the leader of a group of third-graders at her camp-- a position Lucy herself occupied the previous summer．Now she’s the one on the outs．and every day at snack time, she tells me all about it, while I offer the unhelpful advice all summer long．
“She’s fond of giving orders, ”Lucy complained．“She’s turning everyone against me．She’s mean．And she’s fat．” “Excuse me,” I said, struggling for calm．“What did you just said?” “She’s fat．” Lucy mumbled（含糊地说）．“We’re going upstairs,” I said, my voice cold．“We’re going to discuss this．” And up we went．I’d spent the nine years since her birth getting ready for this day, the day we’d have the conversation about this horrible word．I knew exactly what to say to the girl on the receiving end of the teasing, but in all of my imaginings, it never once occurred to me that my daughter would be the one who used the F word-Fat．
My daughter sat on her bed, and I sat beside her．“How would you feel if someone made fun of you for something that wasn’t your fault?” I began．“She could stop eating so much,” Lucy mumbled, mouthing the simple advice a thousand doctors have given overweight women for years．
“It’s not always that easy,” I said ．“Everyone’s different in terms of how they treat food．” Lucy looked at me, waiting for me to go on．I opened my mouth, then closed it．Should I tell her that, in teasing a woman’s weight, she’s joined the long tradition of critics? Should I tell her I didn’t cry when someone posted my picture and commented , “I’m sorry, but aren’t authors who write books marketed to young women supposed to be pretty?”
Does she need to know, now, that life isn’t fair ? I feel her eyes on me, waiting for an answer I don’t have．Words are my tools．Stories are my job．It’s possible she’ll remember what I say forever, and I have no idea what to say．
So I tell her the only thing I can come up with that is absolutely true．I say to my daughter, “I love you, and there is nothing you could ever do to make me not love you．But I’m disappointed in you right now．There are plenty of reasons for not liking someone．What she looks like isn’t one of them．”
Lucy nods, tears on her cheeks．“I won’t say that again,” she tells me, and I pull her close, pressing my nose against her hair．As we sit there together, I pray for her to be smart and strong．I pray for her to find friends, work she loves, a partner who loves her．And still, always, I pray that she will never struggle as I’ve struggled, that weight will never be her cross to bear．She may not be able to use the word in our home, but I can use in my head．I pray that she will never get fat．The underlined sentence in Paragraph 1 indicates that Lucy ______．
| A．often makes fun of her friend J． |
| B．has turned against her friend J． |
| C．gets along well with her friend J． |
| D．has begun to compete with her friend J． |
Why does the author want to discuss with Lucy?
| A．Because she wants to offer some other helpful advice． |
| B．Because she has prepared the conversation for nine years． |
| C．Because she is really shocked at Lucy’s rudeness． |
| D．Because she decides to tell Lucy a similar story of her own． |
What does the author want to tell her daughter?
| A．It is not easy to take the doctors’ advice to eat less． |
| B．People shouldn’t complain because life is unfair． |
| C．She herself was once laughed at for her appearance． |
| D．People shouldn’t be blamed for their appearance． |
It can be inferred from the passage that_________．
| A．the author earns a living by writing stories． |
| B．the author is a fat but good-looking woman． |
| C．the author will stop loving her daughter for what she said． |
| D．the author’s daughter agreed with her from the very beginning． |
We can learn from the last paragraph that_________．
| A．Lucy was deeply moved by her mother’s prayer． |
| B．a mother’s prayer will shape her daughter’s attitude towards life |
| C．the author allows her daughter to use the F word in her head |
| D．the author hopes her daughter will never have weight trouble |
The author’s attitude towards her daughter can be best described as _________．
| A．loving but strict | B．indifferent but patient |
| C．satisfied and friendly | D．unsatisfied and angry |
Birthdays often involve surprises．But this year's surprise on the birthday of the great British playwright William Shakespeare is surely one of the most dramatic．
On April 22, one day before his 441st birthday anniversary, experts discovered that one of the most recognizable portraits of William Shakespeare is a fake．This means that we no longer have a good idea of what Shakespeare looked like．“It's very possible that many pictures of Shakespeare might be unreliable because many of them are copies of this one,” said an expert from Britain's National Portrait Gallery．
The discovery comes after four months of testing using X-rays, ultraviolet light, microphotography and paint samples．The experts from the gallery say the image —commonly known as the “Flower portrait”— was actually painted in the 1800s, about two centuries after Shakespeare's death．The art experts who work at the gallery say they also used modern chemistry technology to check the paint on the picture．These checks found traces of paint dating from about 1814．Shakespeare died in 1616, and the date that appears on the portrait is 1609．
“We now think the portrait dates back to around 1818 to 1840．This was when there was a renewed interest in Shakespeare's plays,” Tarnya Cooper, the gallery's curator （馆长）, told the Associated President．
The fake picture has often been used as a cover for collections of his plays．It is called the Flower portrait because one of its owners, Desmond Flower, gave it to the Royal Shakespeare Company．
“There have always been questions about the painting,” said David Howells, curator for the Royal Shakespeare Company．“Now we know the truth, we can put the image in its proper place in the history of Shakespearean portraiture．”
Two other images of Shakespeare, are also being studied as part of the investigation and the results will come out later this month．________．What makes the birthday of Shakespeare dramatic this year?
| A．It was found that he painted a portrait in 1814 instead of in 1609． |
| B．The Flower portrait has been found to be a fake． |
| C．Three portraits of Shakespeare are being tested to identify a real one． |
| D．It was found that there was a renewed interest in Shakespeare's plays around 1818 to 1840． |
Which statement is True according to the passage?
| A．Portraits of Shakespeare are all unreliable． |
| B．“Flower portrait” was a portrait of Shakespeare given to Desmond Flower． |
| C．1814 might be when the portrait was drawn． |
| D．The Flower portrait is not often used as a cover for Shakespeare's play． |
How many methods were used to test the portrait?
| A．Not mentioned． | B．Two |
| C．Three | D．At least four． |
The best title for this passage is ________．
| A．Birthdays often involve surprises |
| B．The surprise on the 441st birthday of Shakespeare |
| C．One portrait of Shakespeare is a fake |
| D．How can we know Shakespeare's appearance? |
Which is the best sentence to fill in the blank in the last paragraph?
| A．Soon we'll know which portrait is reliable． |
| B．Maybe we cannot find a real portrait of Shakespeare． |
| C．If the two portraits are found to be false, they will test more． |
| D．For now what Shakespeare really looked like will remain a mystery． |
The day when the jobs were handed out was one of the most exciting moments for all the children in the class．It took place during the first week of the term．Every kid was given a job for which they would be responsible for the rest of that school year．
Some jobs were more interesting than others, and the children were eager to be given one of the best ones．When giving them out, the teacher took into account which pupils had been most responsible during the previous year．During the previous year Rita had carried out the teacher’s instructions perfectly．All the children knew Rita would be given the best job．
But there was a big surprise．Each child received a normal job．But Rita’s job was very different．She was given a little box containing some sand and one ant．Though the teacher insisted that this ant was very special, Rita felt disappointed．Most of her classmates felt sorry for her．Even her father became very angry with the teacher and he encouraged Rita to pay no attention to this insignificant pet．However, Rita preferred to show the teacher her error by doing something special with that job of little interest．
Rita started investigating all about her little ant and gave the ant the best food, and it grew quite a bit bigger．
One day, a man, who looked very important, came into their classroom and declared, “Your class has been chosen to accompany me, this summer, on a journey to the tropical rain forest, where we will investigate all kinds of insects．Among all the schools of this region, your class has best cared for the little ant．”
That day the school was filled with joy and celebration．Everyone thanked Rita for having been so patient and responsible．And many children learnt that to be given the most important task you have to know how to be responsible even in what are the smallest tasks．What did the teacher base his decision on when giving out jobs to the children?
| A．Their characters and interests． |
| B．Their class performance during the previous year． |
| C．Their working performance during the previous year． |
| D．Their ability of managing their accounts during the previous year． |
What does the underlined sentence mean?
| A．Each child got an important job． |
| B．Each child got an interesting job．zyy100 |
| C．The perfect student got the job of everyone’s preference． |
| D．The most responsible student got the job of least interest． |
What is Rita’s attitude to her father’s suggestion?
| A．Negative． | B．Uncertain． |
| C．Totally positive． | D．Acceptable |
We can infer that the man who made the declaration is a _________．
| A．hunter | B．director |
| C．biologist | D．principal |
What would be the best title for the passage?
| A．Never complain about life． |
| B．Small tasks can lead to fortunes． |
| C．Men are best known by their friends． |
| D．Responsibility and intelligence bring good luck． |
Fix it on your own
Did you know that a bowl of rice could save your iPod if you drop it in a swimming pool by accident? Or that the camera on your phone could tell you what’s wrong with your TV remote control? The experts at Geek Squad （geelsquad．co．uk） have made a gadget （小机件） rescue guide．So, let’s take a look at some of their useful advice．
♦How to get more juice out of your phone batter
If your battery goes dead but you need to get a number or send one last text, try warming it up．That may give you a tiny bit of power．Take the battery from the phone and rub it between your hands．Or warm it under your arm for a few minutes．Then try to start the phone but use it quickly．
♦What to do if your gadget gets wet
First, try drying it out with a vacuum cleaner （真空吸尘器）．If a vacuum cleaner isn’t at hand, fill a pot or bowl with uncooked rice and put your wet gadget inside．The dry, uncooked rice will absorb all the water and, after a few hours, you should be able to use the gadget．Don’t forget to remove the battery and SIM card before you dry it．
♦What to do if your TV remote control stops working
If replacing the batteries doesn’t work, get the camera function up on your phone and point the remote at the lens （镜头）．When you press a button on the remote, if it is working, the glass bobble （小球） at the front of the remote will light up when you look at it on the screen of your phone．This is because the screen on a phone or digital camera picks up infrared rays （红外线）, even though your eyes don’t．If the glass bobble doesn’t light up, the remote is broken．If it does, the receiving device （装置） is broken．If your cell phone falls into a sink, you can _________．
| A．warm it up under your arm |
| B．remove the battery after you dry it |
| C．put it into the uncooked rice |
| D．press it with both of your hands |
Why can a phone be used to prove the TV remote control works well? Because it can _____．
| A．improve the TV remote control | B．receive infrared ray |
| C．picture the TV remote control | D．reflect infrared ray |
In which section of a newspaper can we possibly read this text?
| A．Life | B．Entertainment | C．Finance | D．Culture |
The purpose of this passage is to give people __________．
| A．personal opinions | B．professional guides |
| C．necessary warnings | D．practical tips |
In the mid-1950s, I was a somewhat bored early-adolescent male student who believed that doing any more than necessary was wasted effort．One day, this approach threw me into embarrassment
In Mrs. Totten’s eighth-grade math class at Central Avenue School in Anderson, Indiana, we were learning to add and subtract decimals （小数）．
Our teacher typically assigned daily homework, which would be recited in class the following day．On most days, our grades were based on our oral answer to homework questions．
Mrs. Totten usually walked up and down the rows of desks requesting answers from student after student in the order the questions had appeared on our homework sheets．She would start either at the front or the back of the classroom and work toward the other end．
Since I was seated near the middle of about 35 students, it was easy to figure out which questions I might have to answer．This particular time, I had completed my usual two or three problems according to my calculations．
What I failed to expect was that several students were absent, which threw off my estimate．As Mrs. Totten made her way from the beginning of the class，I desperately tried to determine which math problem I would get．I tried to work it out before she got to me, but I had brain freeze and couldn’t function．
When Mrs. Totten reached my desk，she asked what answer I’d got for problem No．14．“I…I didn’t get anything,” I answered，and my face felt warm．
“Correct,” she said．
It turned out that the correct answer was zero．
What did I learn that day? First, always do all your homework．Second, in real life it isn’t always what you say but how you say it that matters．Third，I would never make it as a mathematician．
If I could choose one school day that taught me the most, it would be that one．What does the underlined part in Paragraph 1 indicate?
| A．It is wise to value one’s time． |
| B．It is important to make an effort |
| C．It is right to stick to one’s belief． |
| D．It is enough to do the necessary． |
Usually, Mrs. Totten asked her students to _______．
| A．recite their homework together |
| B．grade their homework themselves |
| C．answer their homework questions orally |
| D．check the answers to their homework questions |
The author could work out which questions to answer since the teacher always _______．
| A．asked questions in a regular way |
| B．walked up and down when asking questions |
| C．chose two or three questions for the students |
| D．requested her students to finish their usual questions |
The author failed to get the questions he had expected because _______．
| A．the class didn’t begin as usual |
| B．several students didn’t come to school |
| C．he didn’t try hard to make his estimate |
| D．Mrs. Totten didn’t start from the back of the class |
Which of the following can be the best title for the passage?
| A．An Unforgettable Teacher | B．A Future Mathematician |
| C．An Effective Approach | D．A Valuable Lesson |