The cost of rice is expected to go up in the coming months, as an improving global economy raises demand, and drought (旱灾) cuts production in countries such as India. Some economists say prices for rice, the Precision Castingstaple food for much of the world's population, could be returning to levels that sparked inflation(通货膨胀) fears in much of Asia last year.
Charuk Singhapreecha is dean of the faculty (系)of economics at Thailand’s Kasetsart University. He says prices – especially for Thai rice – are being pushed higher by new customers coming into the market after the economic slowdown of the past year. “They expect that the world demand will increase andCast steel we expect that the price of rice will increase next year," Charuk said. "There are many new markets for the Thai rice and also we still have for our old customer - China, some Arab countries - they will increase the demand."
Prices on the global market could again near the record above $1,000 a ton set in the middle of 2008. This month, export prices for Southeast Asian rice have jumped from about $550 a ton or less to more than $650.
Vichai Sriprasert, president of the Thai Rice Exporters Association, says further weakness in the US dollar and concerns over drought add to pressure on prices. Market experts say next year India is likely to try to import three million tons of rice – entering the world market for the first time in 21 years – because of a drought.
Vichai also warns that increasing demand for bio-fuels(生物燃料) from grain could reduce food crops, forcing the price of food grains higher. "This is very serious. That's why the price of rice will not go back to the level that we used to see," Vichai said. "It will have to be elevated at a higher level, but I don't know where."
The Philippines this week said it is cutting rice imports because of high prices, even though the country lost more than a million tons of grain to typhoons this year. Officials from Vietnam, a leading export competitor with Thailand, predict prices will reach about $800 a ton by the middle of 2010. This week the Philippines' National Food Authority offered almost $665 a ton for 600,000 tons of Vietnamese rice.
Economists say higher food prices will only increase the problems faced by the region's poor, who are highly dependent on rice as a staple food.
68．Which of the following is NOT true according to paragraph 1?
A．Drought reduces production of rice in India.
B．Prices for rice were lower all the time in 2008.
C．Rice is a major food for the world’s population.
D．The improving global economy increases the need for rice.
69．How many reasons did Vichai mention about rice price’s going up?
A．1. B．2. C．3. D．4.
70．Why does the Philippines plan to cut rice imports?
A．Because of high prices. B．Because of typhoons.
C．Because of civil war. D．Because of drought.
71．What’s the best title of the passage?
A．Higher food prices will increase problems
B．There are many new markets for the Thai rice
C．The global economy is improving
D．Prices for rice are expected to rise
Some of the best-known names in the entertainment industry have taken part in an unprecedented telethon to help victims of the terrorist attacks in the United States.
The benefit(义演), called “America: a Tribute to Heroes,” was sponsored by all four major U.S television networks, ABC, CBS, FOIX and NBC. It was broadcast by three-dozen television, cable and radio networks across the country and aired live to more than a hundred countries around the world.
Hollywood stars joined music entertainers in asking listeners and viewers to pledge cash donations to charities helping the victims of the September 11th attacks.
Actors, including Tom Hanks, Julia Roberts, Tom Cruise and Clint Eastwood, told stories of heroic acts by people who tried to save others from the burning World trade Center and the Pentagon. Former heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali made a rare public appearance in show of support.
The appeals alternated with performances by such popular entertainers as Bruce Springsteen, Mariah Carey, Steve Wonder, Paul Simon and the rock band U—2.
They appeared on stages in New York, Los Angeles and London, decorated with hundreds of burning candles.
Singer Billy Joel sang “ New York State of Mind” with a New York City firefighter’s hat on his piano. Sting dedicated his song “ Gragile” to a friend who died in the World Trade Center. Stevie Wonder condemned(指责) hatred in the name of religion before singing his song “ Love’s in Need of Love today”. Pledge phones were manned by dozens of other celebrities, including Jack Nicholson, Meg Ryan, Whoopic Goldberg, Cindy Crawford, Al Pacino and Sylvester Stallone.
Organizers say the two-hour telethon raised millions of dollars. All participants, from stars to stagehands, worked without pay. Those who appeared on stages were ______.
| A．some best-known names in the USA |
B．some famous singer, film stars and other music entertainers |
C．People who tried to save others from the burning World trade Center and the Pentagon. |
D．Former heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali and Hollywood stars |
The underlined word “ telethon” most probably means ______.
| A．a performance to raise money |
B．a concert held by some television networks |
C．a television program which lasts a long time |
D．a television program for entertainment |
Which of the following statements is True?
| A．Four major U.S. television networks broadcast the benefit |
| B．The former heavy weight champion Muhammad Ali sang a song to show his support |
| C．Billy Joel, wearing a firefighter’s hat, played the piano for the listeners and viewers |
| D．The organizers, stars and people who worked for the benefit didn’t get any money for themselves. |
The best title for the news report is ______.
| A．U.S Telethon Raises Money for Attack Victims |
| B．Best-known names Pledge Donations |
| C．Seeking More Support |
| D．A Tribute to Heroes |
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Hotel Amenities: Parking, Heated Pool, Cable TV and Coffee Maker in Room.Which hotel gives a promise?
| A．Fort Lauderdale Plaza Hotel | B．Beach Plaza Hotel |
| C．Baymont Hotel | D．All the three hotels |
In which hotel is parking free?
| A．Baymont Hotel | B．Beach Plaza Hotel |
| C．Fort Lauderdale Plaza Hotel | D．None of the hotels |
If you ________, you will probably go to Beach Plaza Hotel.
| A．enjoy seeing films without leaving your hotel room |
| B．are fond of swimming in heated water |
| C．want to eat food cooked by yourself in the hotel |
| D．are a cigarette smoker |
Which of the following is NOT true to the ads?
| A．All of the three hotels provide television with cable. |
| B．You can keep your money in the in-room safe in Fort Lauderdale Plaza Hotel. |
| C．While staying in Fort Lauderdale Plaza Hotel, you can surf the Internet. |
| D．In Beach Plaza Hotel a 24-hour maid is available. |
Forgiving someone who has hurt you or let you down is never an easy thing. Several new studies, however, say that it could have a lot of health benefits. When you think of forgiveness, you probably don’t think of it as being a health or medical problem. Studies from Stanford University, on the other hand, show that something like anger can change your well-being.
When cartoon book characters like the Incredible Hulk get angry, they change colours and often
gain special power. In the real world, anger is less obvious and may be more dangerous. That’s why Professor Fred Luskin, founder of the Stanford Forgiveness Project and author of Forgive for Good, says holding on to anger and hatred can harm your physical and mental health. Two new studies seem to show the same idea.
The studies find that people who are able to forgive feel less stress, less back pain, and less depression. They also have fewer headaches, lower blood pressure, and fewer problems on sleeping.
So it doesn’t matter if your anger is caused by the traffic or other things. Learning to let it go is important. Techniques such as deep breath or thought can help. Or just ask yourself if it’s worth hurting yourself by staying angry with someone else.
Forgiveness does not mean that you simply accept what happened and say it’s OK. Instead, it’s a way of making peace with yourself about what happened in the past. The author of the passage tries to make his viewpoint clear _______.
| A．by raising his own examples | |
| B．based on his own experience | |
| C．by mentioning some studies | D．by mentioning some typical patients |
The example of the cartoon book characters is taken in the passage to_______.
| A．support the viewpoint that anger and hatred harm physical and mental health. |
| B．introduce a famous expert. |
| C．let the reader know the different colours of cartoon faces. |
| D．show how to control one’s temper. |
The underlined phrase “holding on to” in this passage possibly means“_______”.
| A．removing | B．keeping up | C．getting rid of | D．learning about |
The best title for this passage is probably _______.
| A．Forgiveness | B．Forgiveness Is Good for Health |
| C．A Secret to Keeping Health | D．Anger Is Bad for Health |
I shall never forget the night, a few years ago, when Marion J. Douglas was a student in one of my adult-education classes. He told us how tragedy had struck at his home, not once, but twice. The first time he had lost his five-year-old daughter. He and his wife thought they couldn’t bear that first loss; but, as he said, “Ten months later, God gave us another little girl and she died in five days.”
This double bereavement was almost too much to bear. “I couldn’t take it,” this father told us. “I couldn’t sleep, eat, rest or relax. My nerves were entirely shaken and my confidence gone.” At last he went to the doctors: one recommended sleeping pills and another recommended a trip, but neither helped. He said, “My body felt as if it was surrounded in a vice(大钳子), and the jaws of the vice were being drawn tighter and tighter.” The tension of grief(悲伤) --- if you have ever been paralyzed(使瘫痪) by sorrow, you know what the meant.
“But thank God, I had one child left --- a four-year-old son. He gave me the solution to the problem. One afternoon as I sat around feeling sorry for myself, he asked, ‘Daddy, will you build a boat for me?’ I was in no mood to build a boat; in fact, I was in no mood to do anything. But my son is a persistent fellow! I had to give in. Building that toy boat took me about three hours. By the time it was finished, I realized that those three hours spent building that boat were first hours of mental relaxation and peace that I had had in months! I realized that it is difficult to worry while you are busy doing something that requires planning and thinking. In my case, building the boat had knocked worry out of the ring. So I determined to keep busy.”
“The following night, I made a list of jobs that ought to be done. Scores of items needed to be repaired. Amazingly, I had made a list of 242 items that needed attention. During the last two years I have completed most of them. I am so busy now that I have no time for worry.”
No time for worry! That is exactly what Winston Churchill said when he was working eighteen hours a day at the height of the war. When he was asked if he worried about his huge responsibilities, he said, “I am too busy. I have no time for worry.” The underlined word “bereavement” in the second paragraph refers to _________.
|
Marion felt his body as if it was caught in a vice because _________.
|
Marion made a list of over 200 items that needed to be repaired because _________.
|
At the end of the passage, the author wrote about Winston Churchill in order to ________.
|
The holiday is upon us. Finally, after months of study, you have some time to yourself. So, why not read a book? Well, some people will say, "Why bother with books? We have the Internet and other media that offer a lot of more colorful entertainment. Books are history!" But don't be fooled. I'm sure there's still a lot to be said for reading.
One clear reason is that a well-chosen book is a wonderful source of vocabulary, so long as you have a good dictionary, of course. Believe me, it's far easier to get new English words and phrases from a book or an article than it is from the TV or the Internet.
But another more important point is that books give you something that modern media simply can not. The average webpage is picture-heavy and the text is often designed to make it as easy to read as possible. While "easy" may be attractive, unfortunately it's of little use for any long-term development of reading skills and the general language level. Because of that, there's still no substitute (替代品) of a book.
But perhaps the best single reason is that simply choosing what you read and doing it independently means that it's something you do by and for yourself. You can choose what you want to read. It's hard work, but somewhere down the line, you'll find that what once seemed like a duty is now a pleasure. How many reasons for reading a book does the author mention in the passage?
| A．Three | B．Two | C．One | D．Four |
According to the passage, we basically need a ________ in reading.
| A．television | B．pencil | C．notebook | D．dictionary |
In the author's opinion, reading on the Internet may_________.
| A．develop long-term reading skills | B．improve the general language ability |
| C．not take the place of reading books | D．be an effective way of reading |
The passage is written mainly to _________.
| A．share the pleasure of reading books | B．advise readers to read books |
| C．stress the importance of reading online | D．help readers to choose good books |