Berlin — Germany will allow entry 20,000 foreign high-tech workers, under a plan announced on May 31st. Chancellor(总理) Gerhard Schroreder sees this as a way to keep the country from falling behind in information technology.
The plan for this so-called ‘green cards’, not like the US work permit system, came in answer to industry demands that there were not enough qualified workers to fill positions.
Workers who came to Germ
any under the new rules, effective from August will be given a five-year work permit after proving they have completed studies in a related field or can promise to at least 100,000 marks (US$48 000).
Family members are also allowed, though they too will receive work permits. “They are strong competition in the rest of the world for these people,” Schroreder said mentioning not only the United States but also British and France. Germany would be making a mistake if it didn’t take part in this competition.
He said employers have already offered 11,000 jobs through a “green card hotline” and some 4,700 applications emailed information requests.
The Chancellor also said the number of workers and the time limits of their stay may be extended, possibly unde
r current German law. Allowing the workers to stay longer means they could finally become citizens. Since the beginning of this year, foreigners who have lived in the country for eight years can ask for being naturalized.
53. From the first paragraph we can get to know that Germany______.
A. is a less-developed country B. used to be a developed country
C. is short of high-tech workers D. once lost interest in information technology
54. If a high-tech worker wants to work in Germany, he or she can enter Germany______.
A. in June B. after July C. before August D. at any time
55. It is mentioned in the passage that competition in high tech______.
A. is only in America，Britain and France
B. has nothing to do with small countries
C. is weak in Asian countries
D. will affect the future of a country
56. To be naturalized as a German, according to this passage, seems______.
A. difficult B. easy C. impossible D. popular
NSE Summer School is suitable for those who are at, or are about to start university. It will begin accepting applications in January, 2013.
Courses: Accounting and Finance; Economics; Management; Law; International Relations; Government and Society
Dates: Session 1:7 July一25 July
Session 2:28 July——15 August
Rate: Standard Rate: One session: $ 1400; Both sessions: $ 2400
Reduced Student Rate: One session: $ 1100; Both sessions: $ 1875
The reduced student rate applies to full—time students registered at a university or college anywhere in the world. Accommodation is not included, and fees range from $ 500 to $ 1000 for 20 nights.
Applicant requirements:
If you have studied in the USA then you do not need any additional English qualifications. Students from other countries will generally not require a visa to study at Summer School, you will enter the USA as a “Student Visitor”. You are permitted to change courses before the start of the program and within the first three days of the session.
Contact hours and teaching methods:
Summer School courses are full—time and normally consist of 48 contact hours over the three—week period, taking the form of 36 hours of lectures and 12 hours of classes. Lectures, attended by all students, take place in either the morning or afternoon supplemented by small one—hour classes, of approximately 15 students.
Assessment and examinations:
Assessment for Summer School is based upon the results of either two written examinations, or a final written examination and assessment work. Everyone is required to take the examinations and no exception can be made for any reason.
Summer School lecture series:
Famous economists—Tony Giddens and David Held一have agreed to give lectures to Summer School participants in July, 2013.
If any questions, please click here to see our Frequently Asked Questions／Contact Us Page.During the course, .
| A．students can learn about everything from culture to science |
| B．students can choose not to attend the lectures they don’t like |
| C．world—famous economists will give students lessons every day |
| D．all the students must take part in the exams without any excuse |
From the Passage, we can 1earn that .
| A．the program is specially designed for foreign students |
| B．NSE Summer School is a university—level program |
| C．students can change their courses whenever they want to |
| D．a visa is required to study at the NSE Summer School |
The purpose of the advertisement is to .
| A．attract students to NSE Summer School |
| B．introduce famous economists to students |
| C．help students to pass the final exams |
| D．advertise for new staff for university |
You will most probably find this passage .
| A．in a newspaper | B．in a guidebook |
| C．on a webpage | D．in a magazine |
Fear may be felt in the heart as well as in the head, according to a study that has found a link between the cycles of a beating heart and the chance of someone feeling fear.
Tests on healthy volunteers found that they were more likely to feel a sense of fear at the moment when their hearts are contracting(收缩) and pumping blood around their bodies, compared with the point when the heartbeat is relaxed. Scientists say the results suggest that the heart is able to influence how the brain responds to a fearful event, depending on which point it is at in its regular cycle of contraction and relaxation.
Sarah Garfinkel at the Brighton and Sussex Medical School said: “Our Study shows for the first time that the way in which we deal with fear is different depending on when we see fearful pictures in relation to our heart.”
The study tested 20 healthy volunteers on their reactions to fear as they were shown pictures of fearful faces. Dr Garfinkel said, “The study showed that fearful faces are better noticed when the heart is pumping than when it is relaxed. Thus our hearts can also affect what we see and what we don’t see一and guide whether we see fear.”
To further understand this relationship, the scientists also used a brain scanner(扫描仪) to show how the brain influences the way the heart changes a person’s feeling of fear.
“We have found an important mechanism by which the heart and brain ‘speak’ to each other to change our feelings and reduce fear,” Dr Garfinkel said.
“We hope that by increasing our understanding about how fear is dealt with and ways that it could be reduced, we may be able to develop more successful treatments for anxiety disorders, and also for those who may be suffering from serious stress disorder.”What is the finding of the study?
| A．One’s heart affects how he feels fear. |
| B．Fear is a result of one’s relaxed heartbeat. |
| C．Fear has something to do with one’s health. |
| D．One’s fast heartbeats are likely to cause fear. |
The study was carried out by analyzing .
| A．volunteers’ heartbeats when they saw terrible pictures |
| B．the time volunteers saw fearful pictures and their health conditions |
| C．volunteers’ reactions to horrible pictures and data from their brain scans |
| D．different pictures shown to volunteers and their heart—brain communication |
Which of the following is closest in meaning to “mechanism” in Paragraph 6?
| A．Order. | B．System. |
| C．Machine. | D．Treatment. |
This study may contribute to .
| A．treating anxiety and stress better. |
| B．explaining the cycle of fear and anxiety |
| C．finding the key to the heart-brain communication |
| D．understanding different fears in our hearts and heads |
Low-Cost Gifts for Mother’s Day
Gift No. 1
Offer to be your mother’s health friend. Promise to be there for any and all doctor’s visits whether a disease or a regular medical check-up. Most mothers always say “no need,” but another set of eyes and ears is always a good idea at a doctor’s visit. The best part? This one is free.
Gift No. 2
Help your mother organize all of her medical records, which include the test results and medical information. Put them all in one place. Be sure to make a list of all of her medicines and what times she takes them. “Having all this information in one place could end up saving your mother’s life,” Dr. Marie Savard said.
Gift No. 3
Enough sleep is connected to general health conditions. “Buy your mother cotton sheets and comfortable pillows to encourage better sleep,” Savard said. “We know that good sleep is very important to our health.”
Gift No. 4
Some gift companies such as Presents for Purpose allow you to pay it forward this Mother’s Day by picking gifts in which 10 percent of the price you pay goes to a charity(慈善机构). Gift givers can choose from a wide variety of useful but inexpensive things—many of which are “green” —and then choose a meaningful charity from a list. When your mother gets the gift, she will be told that she has helped the chosen charity.What are you advised to do for your mother at doctor’s visits?
| A．Fake notes. | B．Be with her. |
| C．Buy medicine. | D．Give her gifts. |
What can be a gift of organization for your mother?
| A．Keeping her medical information together. |
| B．Buying all gifts for her from one company. |
| C．Making a 1ist of her medical check-ups. |
| D．Storing her medicines in a safe place. |
Where can you find a gift idea to improve your mother’s sleep?
| A．In Gift No. 1. | B．In Gift No. 2. |
| C．In Gift No. 3. | D．In Gift No. 4. |
Buying gifts from Presents for Purpose allows mothers to .
| A．enjoy good sleep | B．be well-organized |
| C．get extra support | D．give others help |
Does Fame Drive You Crazy?
Although being famous might sound like a dream come true, today’s stars, feeling like zoo animals, face pressures that few of us can imagine. They are at the center of much of the world’s attention. Paparazzi(狗仔队) camp outside their homes, cameras ready. Tabloids(小报) publish thrilling stories about their personal lives. Just imagine not being able to do anything without being photographed or interrupted for a signature!
According to psychologist Christina Villarreal, celebrities—famous people—worry constantly about their public appearance. Eventually, they start to lose track of who they really are, seeing themselves the way their fans imagine them, not as the people they were before everyone knew their names. “Over time,” Villarreal says, “they feel separated and alone.”
The phenomenon of tracking celebrities has been around for ages. In the 4th century B. C., painters followed Alexander the Great Into battle, hoping to picture his victories for his admirers. When Charles Dickens visited America in the 19th century, his sold-out readings attracted thousands of fans, leading him to complain(抱怨) about his lack of privacy. Tabloids of the 1920s and 1930s ran articles about film-stars in much the same way that modern tabloids and websites do.
Being a public figure today, however, is a lot more difficult than it used to be. Superstars cannot move about without worrying about photographers with modern cameras. When they say something silly or do something ridiculous, there is always the Internet to spread the news in minutes and keep their “story’’ alive forever.
If fame is so troublesome, why aren’t all celebrities running away from it? The answer is there are still ways to deal with it. Some stars stay calm by surrounding themselves with trusted friends and family or by escaping to remote places away from big cities. They focus not on how famous they are but on what they love to do or whatever made them famous in the first place.
Sometimes a few celebrities can get a little justice. Still, even stars who enjoy full justice often complain about how hard their lives are. They are tired of being famous already.It can be learned from the passage that stars today .
| A．are often misunderstood by the public |
| B．can no longer have their privacy protected |
| C．spend too much on their public appearance |
| D．care little about how they have come into fame |
What is the main idea of Paragraph 3?
| A．Great heroes of the past were generally admired. |
| B．The problem faced by celebrities has a long history. |
| C．Well-known actors are usually targets of tabloids. |
| D．Works of popular writers often have a lot of readers. |
What makes it much harder to be a celebrity today?
| A．Availability of modern media. |
| B．Inadequate(无法适应的) social recognition. |
| C．Lack of favorable chances. |
| D．Huge population of fans. |
What is the author’s attitude toward modern celebrity?
| A．Sincere. | B．Sceptical. |
| C．Disapproving . | D．Sympathetic. |
The National Gallery
Description:
The National Gallery is the British national art museum built on the north side of Trafalgar Square in London. It houses a diverse collection of more than 2,300 examples of European art ranging from 13th-century religious paintings to more modern ones by Renoir and Van Gogh. The older collections of the gallery are reached through the main entrance while the more modern works in the East Wing are most easily reached from Trafalgar Square by a ground floor entrance.
Layout(布局):
The modern Sainsbury Wing on the western side of the building houses 13th- to 15th-century paintings, and artists include Duccio, Uccello, Van Eyck, Lippi, Mantegna, Botticelli and Metaling.
The main West Wing houses 16th-century paintings, and artists include Leonardo da Vinci, Cranach, Michelangelo, Raphael, Bruegel, Bronzino, Titian and Veronese.
The North Wing houses 17th-century paintings, and artists include Caravaggio, Rubens, Poussin, Van Dyck, Velazquez, Claude and Vermeer.
The East Wing houses 18th-to early 20th-century paintings, and artists include Canaletto, Goya, Turner, Constable, Renoir and Van Gogh.
Opening Hours:
The Gallery is open every day from 10 am to 6 pm (Fridays 10 am to 9 pm) and is free, but charges apply to some special exhibitions.
Getting There:
Nearest underground stations: Charing Cross (2-minute walk), Leicester Square (3-minute walk), Embankment(7-minute walk), and Piccadilly Circus(8-minute walk).In which century’s collection can you see religious paintings?
| A．The 13th. | B．The 17th. |
| C．The 18th. | D．The 20th. |
Where are Leonardo da Vinci’s works shown?
| A．In the East Wing. | B．In the main West Wing. |
| C．In the Sainsbury Wing. | D．In the North Wing. |
Which underground station is closest to the National Gallery?
| A．Piccadilly Circus. | B．Leicester Square. |
| C．Embankment. | D．Charing Cross. |