Just how far does the euro(欧元) have to fall before Europe actually becomes reasonable?
Anyone traveling to the old continent from the U.S. in recent years has learned the hard way how expensive it is. The situation has improved in the last co
uple of months, thanks to the Greek financial crisis. But it still has a way to go.
Alarm about Greece—and other financially unstable countries in Europe—has dragged down the euro sharply. In November, before the crisis struck, you needed about $1.49 to buy one euro. Today you need only about $1.36. That's a 9% cut.
What does that mean for you, the would-be traveler? It's a big sale.
As recently as November, when the euro was flying high, the OECD estimated that countries like France, Italy and Germany were about a third more expensive than the U.S. Not all European countries were quite as expensive for the American visitor: Greece only cost about 17% more than the US, while the Czech Republic (which is not part of the eurozone) was actually about 15% cheaper than back home.
Fast-forward two months, and the situation looks somewhat better.
At current exchange rates, places like France will still cost you about 23% more than the U.S., but cheaper countries such as Spain and Greece are now only about 6% more expensive. The Czech Republic's a fifth cheaper than the U.S.
European prices will only break even(持平)with the U.S. if the euro falls to about $1.10, says the OECD. But is it going to get there?
Greece's financial crisis may or may not be over. Members of a labor union just occupied part of the finance ministry to protest against the planned austerity(紧缩) measures. No, it doesn't inspire confidence!
Julian Jessop, chief international economist at the Capital Economics consultancy in London, sees the euro falling
to $1.25 by year-end. “We still think the euro should be a lot lower,” he says. “We think the outlook for the European economy is a lot worse than for the U.S. And Greece is only a symptom of a wider problem: Does the eurozone make sense as a currency union?” If he's right, you may want to wait to change your money or book a trip.
72. In the passage the writer offers some suggestions to the travellers from _________.
A. USA B. Europe C. Greece D. China
73. The underlined word “it” in the passage refers to _________.
A. the planned austerity measures B. Greece’s financial crisis
C. the protest from a labor union D. the decline of the euro in value
74. Julian Jessop has a negative attitude toward the euro because he thinks _________.
A. Greece’s financial crisis may not be over
B. the euro will dr
op to $ 1.25 by the end of the year
C. the European economy is a lot worse than the US’
D. the other European countries have a similar problem like Greece
75. The purpose of the author writing the passage is to tell the readers that _________.
A. the euro shall be further reasonably lowered
B. travelers to Europe will save less in the future
C. the economic situation in Europe is worsening
D. the Greek financial crisis influences the whole Europe
D
Influenced by their families and society, many youths are infatuated with expensive famous brands. But not every youth is as rich as a millionaire and people are getting worried about this.
According to a recent survey, one out of five pupils wears clothes of well-known brands, including a belt worth 560 Yuan, more than an ordinary worker’s salary. Among the 100 middle school students surveyed, as many as 70 own famous-brand clothes, 60 have famous-brand watches and 45 possess famous-brand bicycles. Two of them even wear over 1500 Yuan worth of suits.
Most young people who come from ordinary families will try to steal money to have better food and clothing if their parents don’t satisfy their needs. A boy named Chen even killed another boy simply for 500 Yuan and was sentenced to nine years’ imprisonment.
People wonder how these teenagers can be independent in the future, while parents are calling for help from schools, governments and the society.
which of the following is not true according to the passage?
A.More than 50 percent of the students surveyed possess things of famous brands.
B.An ordinary worker owns less than 560 Yuan each month.
C.Suits may cost as much as 1500 Yuan.
D.Young people now are as rich as millionaires.
68 What does “be infatuated with” mean according to the context?
A.be anxious about
B.be filled with a strong unreasonable feeling of love for
C.have a strange and unusual way of
D.be low in spirits; sad for
69 As a result, the boy mentioned in the passage will .
A.steal money for better food and clothing
B.kill another boy for 500 Yuan
C.stay in prison for nine years
D.ask his parents to satisfy his needs
70 The best title for the passage would be .
A.Youths Run After Famous Brands.
B.Youths Should Own More Money
C.Youths As Rich As Millionaires
D.Youths Must Be Taken Good Care of
C
Telepathy: Mind-to-mind Contact
Telepathy is the ability to communicate without the use of the five senses (sight, hearing, touch, smell, taste). It’s an instinct (本能) which can be woken up in times of emergency or need. When we feel that something is happening or about to happen by instinct, we’re using resources within the unconscious mind. When the resources of two persons’ unconscious minds link together into the same frequency, we call it Telepathy.
We can either send or receive Telepathy. If you know who is calling before you answer the ringing phone, you are probably a good receiver. If you think of a person and he/she calls you, you are most likely to be better at sending.
You can easily put your abilities to the test. Think of somebody and will him or her to contact you. Be patient. The other person may not be a good receiver, but they should contact you much earlier than would normally be expected. Or whenever the phones rings, but try “feeling” who is contacting you. Don’t guess, but try to feel it with your mind. However, if neither of these work for you, that doesn’t mean that you have no ability of telepathy. As mentioned earlier, telepathy is most likely to turn up in case of emergency.
Telepathy dreams often contain telepathic messages. Two people may both dream of the other and find that their dreams had a clear connection. These people are probably linking to each other’s unconscious mind.
Telepathy & Relationships. The more people spend time together, the more likely they are to be able to link up to the other’s mind, specially when separated. There are two reasons for this. One is that they understand the other’s mind through time spent together; the other is that there is usually a strong desire to communicate. A mother will often sense that her child is in danger. This is due to the child’s eagerly wanting his or her mother, knowing that this person who would always want to be there for them, and the mother’s deep desire to protect her child from harm.
64. Telepathy turns up when we ____.
A. sense a close friend in dangerB. use the five senses together
C. recall things from our memory D. think of a stranger
65. You’re better at sending than receiving Telepathy if you ____.
A. can feel your mom is in danger B. receive a friend’s call as you wish
C. can tell who knocks at your doorD. dream of a friend dreaming of you
66. Which is not the way to help people gain Telepathy?
A. Help them have a strong desire to communicate. B. Separate them all the time.
C. Help them link up their unconscious minds. D. Let them spend much time together.
B
Advertisement
★Share Flat. Happy Valley big flat, 1 room ready for use immediately, quiet
and convenient, fully furnished, park view. $6,800 including bills with maid.
Female nonsmoker. No pet. Sara 25720836 or 10077809.
★Moving Sale: 2 armchairs, red/ brown at $400 each; coffee table, black, wood,$800; oil painting, big, $900; Tianjin carpet, green, 3×7, $600; double bed, $500; mirror, big square, $500; fridge, big, double-door, $1,000; old pictures, $140 up, each. Tel: Weekend, 2521-6011; Weekday, 2524-5867.
★Part-time Laboratory Assistant Wanted. Required by busy electronics company to help with development of computer. Should have an electronics degree and some practical experience of working in an electronics laboratory. Hours 9:30am-1:00pm, Mon.-Fri. Fourteen days, paid leave. Salary 6,598-10,230 dependent on experience. Letter of application to: Mrs G Chan, NOVA ELECTRONICS, 45 Gordon RD, Hung Hom Knowloon.
60. The one who puts on the first advertisement probably wants to ______.
A. rent a beautiful flat of her own in Happy Valley
B. find another lady to share the cost to rent a flat
C. share her room in a flat with whoever has no pet
D. find a maid to look after herself
61. According to the advertisements, you may _______.
A. buy an old picture for $150
B. call 25720836 to see a beautiful park
C. buy two armchairs for $400
D. hire a maid by paying $6,800
62. If you want to buy some old furniture, you should ______.
A. get in touch with NOVA ELECTRONICS
B. call 2524-5867 any day except Monday
C. do it before you move to another place
D. call either 2524-5867 on Monday or 2521-6011 on Saturday
63. Once you get a part-time job in NOVA ELECTRONICS, _______.
A. you will be given 14 days off each year besides weekends
B. you will get $6,598 each month no matter how experienced you are
C. your have to work at least 4 hours a day
D. you should write a letter of application to Mrs G Chan
第三部分 阅读理解(共两节,满分40分)
第一节(共15题;每小题2分,满分30分)
阅读下列短文,从每题所给的四个选项(A,B,C,和D)中选出最佳选项,并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
A
Global travel
International tourist arrivals in millions
2005 statistics
56. According to the statistics(统计), which destination attracted the most tourists in 2005?
A. Middle East B. America C. Asia and Pacific D. Europe
57. During which interval(间隔)was there the greatest increase of global travel?
A. Between 2001-2002. B. Between 2003-2004
C. Between 2002-2003 D.Between 2004-2005.
58. Which is true about the diagram(图表)?
A. The diagram shows that there will be a steady (稳固的) increase of global travel over the next few years.
B. Global travel suffered a slight drop(下降) every year from 2000 to 2003.
C. The number of tourists increased by 21 million from 2001 to 2002.
D. Tourists from Europe made up half of the total in 2005.
59. This diagram is mainly about ____________________.
A. different destinations for tourists
B. statistics of global travel from 2000 to 2005
C. the prediction(预测) of international tourists arrivals.
D. the tendency(趋势) of global travel
D
Having too much confidence is not good. And now, a new study has proved this by finding that overconfident teenage students can stunt crucial(决定性的)reading skills.
The study shows a clear connection between overconfident students and low reading comprehension.
“While some self-confidence is helpful, overconfident 15-year-olds are often below-average (平均水平) readers in all 34 countries we studied, ” says Ming Ming Chiu, the lead author of the study.
“In contrast, under-confident 15-year-olds are more likely to be above-average readers in all 34 countries, ”the expert added.
The difference lies in a student’s ability to exactly assess (估计) and evaluate his or her own reading level, according to Chiu. Those who can accurately assess their strengths and weaknesses are usually in a better position to identify realistic goals and achieve them.
“If an overconfident student chooses a book that is too hard—such as The Lord of the Rings rather than Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone—he or she might stop reading after a few pages and let it sit on a bookshelf,”says Chiu.
“In contrast, a more self-aware student is more likely to finish an easier book and continue reading more books, ”the expert added.
67.The underlined word “stunt” in Paragraph 1 can be replaced by .
A. improve B. help C. prevent D. find
68.Which of the following is true?
A. Under-confident 15-year-olds are less likely to be above-average readers.
B.
Overconfident 15-year-olds are often below-average readers.
C. Under-confident 15-year-olds are more likely to be below average readers.
D. Overconfident 15-year-olds are often above-average readers.
69.People who can exactly assess their strengths and weaknesses can .
A. choose a better book B. gain more money
C. have realistic goals and achieve them D. have a great improvement in their marks
70.A more self-aware student is more likely to .
A. stop reading after a few pages B. put the book on a bookshelf
C. finish an easier book D. write books