.
Few laws are so effective that you can see results just days after they take effect. But in the nine days since the federal cigarette tax more than doubled---to $1.01 per pack---smokers have jammed telephone “quit lines” across the country seeking to kick the habit.
This is not a surprise to public health advocates. They’ve studied the effect of state tax increases for years, finding that smokers, especially teens, are price sensitive. Nor is it a shock to the industry, which fiercely fights every tax increase.
The only wonder is that so many states insist on closing their ears to the message. Tobacco taxes improve public health, they raise money and most particularly, they deter people from taking up the habit as teens, which is when nearly all smokers are addicted. Yet the rate of taxation varies widely.
In Manhattan, for instance, which has the highest tax in the nation, a pack of Marlboro Light Kings cost $10.06 at one drugstore Wednesday. In Charleston, S.C., where the 7-bent-a-pack tax is the lowest in the nation. The price was $4.78.
The influence is obvious.
In New York, high school smoking hit a new low in the latest surveys----13.8%,far below the national average. By comparison, 26% of high school students smoke in Kentucky, Other low-tax states have similarly depressing teen-smoking records.
Hal Rogers, Representative from Kentucky, like those who are against high tobacco taxes, argues that the burden of the tax falls on low-income Americans “who choose to smoke.”
That’s true, But there is more reason in keeping future generations of low-income workers from getting hooked in the first place. As for today’s adults, if the new tax drives them to quit, they will have more to spend on their families, cut their risk of cancer and heart disease and feel better.
41. The text is mainly about___________.
A. the price of cigarettes B. the rate of teen smoking
C. the effect of tobacco tax increase D. the differences in tobacco tax rate
42. What does the author think is a surprise?
A. Teen smokers are price sensitive. B. Some states still keep the tobacco tax low.
C. Tobacco taxes improve public health. D. Tobacco industry fiercely fights the tax rise.
43. The underlined word "deter" in Paragraph 3 most probably means___________.
A. discourage B. remove C. benefit D. free
44. Rogers’ attitude towards the low-income smokers might be that of________.
A. tolerance B. unconcern C. doubt D. sympathy
45. What can we learn from the last paragraph?
A. The new tax will be beneficial in the long run.
B. Low-income Americans are more likely to fall ill.
C. Future generations will be hooked on smoking.
D. Adults will depend more on their families.
Last week I was riding my special motorbike and then stopped at a convenience store. As I was getting my wheelchair off the back, a man watched me from his car and I noticed a wheelchair in his back seat. We spoke for a moment and I asked him about the wheelchair. He answered that it was for his daughter. “Well, do you think she would like to go for a ride on my motorbike with me?” I asked. He seemed shocked that a total stranger would ask him this. He thought about it for a second and said, “OK, as long as I can follow you.”
He introduced me to Amy and he sat her on my back seat. Her father followed me for a few miles and she talked non-stop about what she wanted for Christmas.
As we came back to the convenience store, she said, “This ride is the best Christmas present I could ever receive. I have been in a wheelchair my whole life and didn’t know I could do this.” I told her about some of the other things I do (ski, travel the world by myself, etc.). As her father was taking her off my bike, she turned to him and said, “Oh Daddy, I’m going to be OK. Mr. Bryant does all kinds of things, and I will too.” Her father turned away as a tear of joy rolled down his cheek. He hugged me and said, “I was sitting here praying for a gift for Amy that would encourage her. She often felt that her life was dull compared to other children. God answered my prayer just now. Now I pray that God will bless you for your gift to Amy today.” I believed what he said. Being kind and thoughtful to others, we can be an answer to prayer.How did the father feel at first when the author invited his daughter for a ride?
| A．He was happy because his daughter could gain excitement. |
| B．He felt surprised because he didn’t know the author. |
| C．He was moved because the author offered to help his daughter. |
| D．He felt nervous because he was worried about his daughter’s safety. |
What can we know about the author?
| A．He was a disabled man. |
| B．He worked in a convenience store. |
| C．He often helped people who were in trouble. |
| D．He usually drove too fast. |
According to the passage, the girl ____________.
| A．used to be a completely healthy person |
| B．was not allowed to do some fierce sports |
| C．usually felt sad about life due to her disability |
| D．was unwilling to communicate with a stranger |
What did the author’s gift refer to according to the girl’s father?
| A．The motorbike. | B．The wheelchair. |
| C．The blessing. | D．The ride. |
Owning a personal island is a luxurious treat one can imagine.
New Holland Island
$400 million, 18 acres
Roman Abramovich
Investment Banker
Located in Saint Petersburg Canal in Russia, the island takes its name after its resemblance to areas in Amsterdam. The owner plans to turn it into a cultural center. The new look of this island is expected to be revealed in another six years.
Musha Cay Island
$150 million, 700 acres
David Copperfield
Famous magician
World-famous magician David Copperfield has developed the island located in the southern part of Bahamas into a magical resort (度假胜地) with adventures, treasure hunts, luxurious apartments, and water sports. All these, for $32,250 a night!
Mago Island
$10 million, 5,400 acres
Mel Gibson
Actor
Interestingly, this island is almost the size of a small country! Mel Gibson does not plan on developing it into a resort, thus keeping its natural beauty.
Mosquito Island
$15 million, 120 acres
Richard Branson
Investor
This island is rich in eco-diversity and is also one of the rich rainforest places. Branson plans to make this island the most eco-friendly and develop the biodiversity (生物多样性) of this island.
James Island
$19 million, 780 acres
Craig McCaw
Cell phone pioneer
Craig McCaw plans to develop the island, but not at the cost of losing its natural beauty. Smoking is banned on the island, and only electric bikes or cars are used for transport. All power lines are laid underground. The island also has a golf course designed by the excellent golf champion Jack Nicklaus.
Allan Island
$13.5 million, 292 acres
Paul Allen
Investor
The island is reportedly named after a hero, and Paul Allen plans on building a vacation home here. However, his vacation home was built on another island nearby. So, the Allan Island now has only a caretaker’s small house without electricity. And it is up for sale. Hands anybody?The island which has been developed now belongs to a(n) ____________.
| A．investment banker | B．famous magician |
| C．actor | D．investor |
How many acres does the cheapest island of the six cover?
| A．120. | B．700. |
| C．780. | D．5,400. |
Who will be potential visitors to the James Island?
| A．Those who like adventures and treasure hunts. |
| B．Those who like rich cultural atmosphere. |
| C．Those who long to live in a luxurious apartment. |
| D．Those who agree with the environmentalists’ ideas. |
If you want to buy a personal island, you should pay a visit to _____________.
| A．the Mago Island | B．the Mosquito Island |
| C．the Allan Island | D．the James Island |
Monitoring the mood of a pet dog could be used as an early warning sign that an elderly owner is struggling to cope, a new report has claimed.
Researchers placed movement sensors (探测器) on dogs to track their behaviour and identified 17 distinct activities, including chewing, barking, sitting and digging.
This allowed them to map the normal behaviour of a healthy, happy dog, which means any changes can be monitored and could indicate an issue with their owner.
Nils Hammerla, part of the team from Newcastle University, said, “Humans and dogs have lived together in close relationships for thousands of years, which has led to strong emotional and social mutual bonds.”
“A dog’s physical and emotional dependence on their owner means that their well-being is likely to reflect that of their owner. Any changes such as the dog being walked less often, perhaps not being fed regularly, or simply demonstrating “unhappy” behaviour could be an early indicator for families that an older relative needs help. This is the first system of its kind which allows us to remotely monitor a dog’s behaviour in its natural setting.”
The team of academics, who presented their findings at the 2013 UbiComp conference in Zurich, created a hi-tech, waterproof (防水的) dog collar for the study.
Dr Cas Ladha, who led the study, said: “A lot of our research is focused on developing intelligent systems that can help older people to live independently for longer. But developing a system that reassures family and carers that an older relative is well without intruding on (侵犯) the individual’s privacy is difficult. This is just the first step but the idea behind this research is that it would allow us to support people without the need for cameras.”
A range of dogs was used for the study, as the team needed to map distinct behaviours that correlated between different breeds.From the text, we know that Nils Hammerla ____________.
| A．led the study and identified 17 activities of dogs |
| B．thinks some activities of dogs can reflect senior owners’ health |
| C．studied the relationship between humans and animals |
| D．developed a hi-tech, waterproof dog collar |
The underlined word “reassure” in Paragraph 7 probably means ____________.
| A．protect | B．comfort |
| C．warn | D．recognize |
Which of the following is an advantage of the intelligent system mentioned in the text?
| A．It can indicate that people aren’t well. |
| B．It can identify different activities of dogs. |
| C．It monitors an elderly owner without disturbing his privacy. |
| D．It lets people see the dog’s behavior clearly. |
Which of the following could be the best title for the text?
| A．Dogs’ mood can be an indicator of owners’ health |
| B．Strong bonds between dogs and their senior owners |
| C．Signs that your older relative needs help |
| D．A special way of taking care of the old |
Is early childhood education really necessary ? Early childhood education primarily focuses on learning through playing to develop the child’s physical , sensory , communicational and social development . Early childhood education has become a concern of the government , who pushes poor children to be formally trained before they are old enough for kindergarten .
There are good reasons for the government to push early childhood education . Studies have shown that orphaned children (孤儿) who did not receive good care and education become developmentally delayed causing failure in school , and even in life. Further studies show that poor children who take part in Head Start programs are more prepared for school , less likely to end up in Special Education classes , and are less likely to receive public help or go to jail (prison) .
There are also negative parts to putting a child in formal education programs too early . Time Magazine Online explains that “ the younger the child is , the less his chances of catching up with first-grade work .” I have personally witnessed many children of my generation who went to Head Start programs become frustrated and bored with school before they finished high school . Yet parents have been sure that the earlier the child starts school , the better off he or she is , so they push to start children earlier .
Actually while early formal education of poor children does show great gains in the early elementary years , studies also show that this head start is really a “ false start” , as the gains are lost in middle and high school years. It seems that environment is a bigger factor on life’s success than early education . Head Start programs have not achieved its original goal in closing the achievement gap in poor and middle school children. Perhaps it is time to find other ways to close that gap .The government values the early childhood education in order to ___________ .
| A．develop the children’s communication |
| B．help the children to learn by playing |
| C．get the children prepared for the kindergarten |
| D．train the children formally and regularly |
According to the studies , ___________ .
| A．children with good early education may have a rich life |
| B．the orphaned children are usually unhappy in their life |
| C．children without early education can do well at school |
| D．Head Start programs are helpful to the poor children |
The explanation of Time Magazine Online suggests that ____________ .
| A．the early childhood education is helpless to the child’s grade |
| B．it is good for the young children to receive early education |
| C．the early education can help the children follow the grade |
| D．the younger the children are , the more clever they will be |
The main idea of the last paragraph is that ___________ .
| A．the early childhood education is very necessary |
| B．Head Start programs have helped the children a lot |
| C．environment is the most important to life’s success |
| D．better ways should be found to help the poor children |
The UK has a well-respected higher education system and some of the top universities and research institutions in the world. But to those who are new to it all , sometimes it can be confusing .
October is usually the busiest month in the college calendar . Universities have something called Freshers’ Week for their newcomers. It’s a great opportunity to make new friends , join lots of clubs and settle into university life.
However , having just left the comfort of home and all your friends behind , the prospect (前景) of meeting lots of strangers in big halls can be nerve-wracking (令人焦虑不安的). Where do you start ? Who should you make friends with ? Which clubs should you join ?
Luckily , there will be thousands of others in the same boat as you are worrying about starting their university social life on the right foot . So just take it all in slowly . Don’t rush into anything that you’ll regret for the next three years.
Here are some top advice from past students on how to survive Freshers’ Week :
Learn rules. Make sure you know British social etiquette(礼节). Have a few wine glasses and snacks handy for your housemates and friends.
Be kind . Sometimes cups of tea or even slices of toast can give you a head start in making friends.
Be social . The more active you are , the more likely you’ll be to meet new people than if you’re someone who never leaves his room .
Bring a doorstop. Keep your door open when you’re in and that sends positive messages to your neighbors that you’re friendly .
So with a bit of clever planning and effort , Freshers’ Week can give you a great start to your university life and soon you’ll be passing on your experience to next year’s new recruits .Which of the following statements is FALSE according to the passage ?
| A．October is generally the busiest month for universities. |
| B．It’s a good idea to put a doorstop in your door. |
| C．A bit of planning can make Freshers’ Week easier. |
| D．The first week of your every year at university is called Freshers’ Week . |
The underlined word “ recruits” in the last paragraph refers to _________ .
| A．courses | B．freshers |
| C．neighbors | D．challenges |
We can infer from the 4th paragraph that __________ .
| A．the newcomers usually miss the days living at home |
| B．most of the students in the UK spend three years in universities |
| C．many freshers are worried about how to fit universities life |
| D．all the new students will make new friends and join certain clubs |
Why does the author suggests having wine glasses and snacks handy ?
| A．To pass the busy university life. |
| B．To help make friends with other freshers . |
| C．To show yourself a drinker as others. |
| D．To pass the time in a happy way. |
The main purpose of the passage is to _________ .
| A．tell the newcomers how to make a new start in universities |
| B．introduce something about higher education system of the UK |
| C．discuss something about the Freshers’ Week in the UK |
| D．advise the freshmen how to behave well in the beginning |