BEIJING——China will further open its financial sector in “an active and safe” way, the country’s central bank vowed on Friday.
“China will gradually broaden the chance for the participation of foreign capital in the domestic financial market,” said the People’s Bank of China in a report.“We will strengthen the connections between China’s financial market and international ones by attracting more foreign capital in Renminbi-denominated financial products,” the report said.
Meanwhile, channels will also be expanded to allow Chinese investment in foreign financial markets.
The bank said it would ease restrictions on enterprises and individuals possessing and using foreign currencies and increase the number of qualified foreign institutional investors and the value of their investment quotas(份额). “We will make use of the financial market to achieve balanced international payments,” said the bank.
Last year, the State Administration of Foreign Exchange (SAFE) raised the annual quota for individuals buying foreign currency from US $ 20,000 to US $ 50,000.
“China will work hard for a more efficient and vigorous financial market that can better serve international needs,” the bank said.
The country will adjust its financial market rules so they are accepted around the world, encourage reforms and promote more flexible, diversified ways of trading, according to the bank.
China fully opened its financial market to foreign capital on December 11 last year, ending a five-year transitional (过渡的) period after entering WTO.
1. The passage is_______________
A. a piece of news B. an advertisement
C. a poster D. an explanation
2. China is working hard to_____________
A. reduce the interest rate of foreign currencies
B. increase the interest rate of foreign currencies
C. bring in more foreign investment by promising to further open its financial sector
D. adjust its financial markets to resist the invasion of foreign investment
3. To further open financial sector, China has taken many measures EXCEPT
A. Giving more chances to the participation of foreign capital
B. Stren
gthening the connections between China and other countries by the leaders’ paying visits to each other’s countries
C. Broadening the quotas of enterprises and individuals possessing and using foreign currencies
D. Opening its domestic financial market step by step
4. We can draw a conclusion that___________
A. China’s financial market will be conquered by foreign one
B. China will create a more active and various way of trading and its market will become stronger
C. China will end the transitional period of opening financial sector in five years
D. China will be blind to the foreign investment
Many of us enjoy doing it: you turn on the camera on your mobile phone and hold it at a high angle--- making your eyes look bigger and your cheekbones more defined. You turn to your best side and click.
There it is - your selfie.
Over the past year, "selfie" has become a well-known term across the globe. This August the Oxford dictionary added the word to their online dictionary and define it as: "A photograph that one has taken of oneself, typically with a smartphone or webcam and uploaded to a social media website."
Today it's not difficult to find social networking pages full of photos people have taken of themselves and their friends. And selfie culture has become especially relevant for young people. As many as 91 percent of teenagers have posted photos of themselves online, according to a recent survey by the US Pew Research Center.
So what are the reasons for the rise of selfie culture?
"The craziness about the selfie celebrates regular people," Pamela Rutledge, a professor at the Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology, told Vogue magazine. "There are many more photographs available now of real people than models."
Posting selfies also allows you to control your image online. "I like having the power to choose how I look, even if I'm making a funny face:' Samantha Barks, 19, a high school student in the US, told Vogue.
In addition to self-expression and documentation (记录), selfies "allow for a close friendship for long-distance friends, because you can see each other's faces every day", wrote Casey Miller at The Huffington Post.
But US psychologist Jill Weber is concerned that selfies might lead to social problems. "There's a danger that your self-esteem (自尊心) may start to be tied to the comments and '1ikes' you get when you post a selfie, and they aren't based on who you are - they're based on what you look like," Weber told Vogue. "When you get nothing or a negative response, your confidence can decrease."Why does the writer mention the fact that "selfie" was added to an online dictionary?
| A．To inform readers where to find the meaning of the word. |
| B．To recommend the dictionary to readers. |
| C．To show that the online dictionary is widely used. |
| D．To indicate that the word has become very popular. |
According to the passage, "selfie" mainly involves _______.
| A．young people | B．models | C．students | D．celebrities |
How many reasons are mentioned for the rise of selfie?
| A．2. | B．3. | C．4. | D．5. |
Many people post photos of themselves online to _________.
| A．make fun of themselves | B．become powerful |
| C．beautify themselves | D．choose how they look |
In Jill Weber's opinion, selfies may cause one to _________.
| A．be cheated | B．feel discouraged |
| C．lose money | D．succeed more easily |
If you really want to go green, here’s good news: eating green is good for you. The very foods with a high carbon cost---meat, pork, dairy products, processed snacks---also tend to be filled with fat and calories. A green diet would be mostly vegetables and fruits, whole grains, fish and lean meats like chicken---a diet that’s eco- and waistline-friendly. Eating green can be healthier and beneficial to the climate.
It may be hard to believe that a meal at McDonald’s produces more carbon than your trip to a far away place. More than 37% of the world’s land is used for agriculture, much of which was once forested. Deforestation (砍伐森林) is a major source of carbon. The fertilizer (化肥) and machinery needed on a modern farm also have a large carbon footprint, as does the network of ships and trucks that brings the food from the farm to your plate.
The most efficient way to reduce the carbon footprint of your menu is to eat less meat, especially beef. Raising cattle takes a lot more energy than growing the equivalent (相等的) amount of grains, fruits or vegetables. What’s more, the majority of cattle in the U.S. are fed on grain and loads of it---670 million tons in 2002---and the fertilizer used to feed that creates separate environmental problems.
Focus on eating lower on the food chain, with more plants and fruits and less meat and dairy. It’s simple. We can change today what goes into our bodies for the health of our planet and ourselves.According to the passage, eating green will_____.
| A．protect the animals from being killed |
| B．promote the development of agriculture |
| C．help us lose weight and keep self-confidence |
| D．be good for our health and make a change for the climate |
What will not lead to carbon in the agriculture?
| A．Deforestation | B．Fertilizer |
| C．Machinery | D．Grains |
In the author’s opinion, the most efficient way to reduce carbon is to_____.
| A．eat more vegetables than meat |
| B．stop raising the cattle |
| C．plant more grains |
| D．use less fertilizer |
What is the passage mainly about?
| A．The benefits of eating green. |
| B．How to reduce the carbon. |
| C．The change of our menu. |
| D．The ways of keeping healthy. |
Cultural events that take place in Edinburgh during August draw most people’s attention, but plenty of other festivals can also entertain you throughout the rest of the year.
Ceilidh Culture Festival
Where: various places
When: Date late Mar/early Apr
Tel & website: 228 1155, www.ceilidhculrure.co.uk
Backed by the local authorities, this is a community-focused celebration of traditional Scottish music, dance, song and storytelling. City-wide over a period of nearly four weeks, prices are different for different events.
Beltane Fire Festival
Where: Calton Hill, Calton Hill & Broughton
When: 30 Apr
Website: www. beltane.org
An ancient tradition marking the transition (转变) from winter to spring, the Beltane fire festival was revived (恢复) in the 1980s and has grown into quite a drama: fire, costume, body-paint, dancing and drumming. If the weather holds, it can attract up to 12,000 people. Tickets cost around ￡5 in advance from the Hub; a limited number are available for ￡7 on the night.
Doors Open Day
Where: various places
When: weekend, late Sept
Tel & Website: 557 8686, www.cockburnassociation.org.uk
Each year, heritage (遗产) body the Cockburn Association works with organizations and individuals (个人) to allow public access to buildings that few people usually get to see---everything from private homes to lighthouses. It’s all free.
Capital Christmas
Where: various places
When: late Nov till early Jan
Website: www.edinburghschristmas.com
What started out as a few accidental events has grown into a large, popular, city-wide festival. The main part is the Winter Wonderland in Princes Street Gardens, including fairground (露天市场) rides, crafts market, a skating rink (溜冰场) and the Edinburgh Wheel (a Ferris wheel next to the Scott Monument).If you want to find out more about the Ceilidh Cultural Festival, you can visit_____ .
| A．www. ceilidhculrure.co.uk |
| B．www.cockburnassociation.org.uk |
| C．www.edinburghschristmas.com |
| D．www. beltane.org |
Why do people celebrate the Beltane Fire Festival?
| A．To celebrate traditional Scottish music. |
| B．To exhibit ancient architecture. |
| C．To celebrate the transition from winter to spring |
| D．To celebrate the invention of fire. |
Doors Open Day may be on______ .
| A．a Monday in late September |
| B．a Saturday in late September |
| C．a Saturday in late November |
| D．a Monday in late November |
Once upon a time there were two smart boys. Their talents were obvious from an early age. They knew they were special, and they desired that, in the future, everyone would admit how great they were.
They developed in a different way. The first boy had a successful career. He took part in all kinds of competitions, visited the most important people and places. No one doubted that he would be the wisest and most important person in the land.
The second boy always felt a heavy responsibility. He would feel obliged to help others. This didn’t leave him enough time to follow his dreams of greatness. He was busy looking for ways to help others. As a result, he was a much-loved and well-known person in his small circle.
A disaster took place, spreading misery (痛苦) there. The first man had never come across anything like this, and he failed to improve the situation. The second man was used to solving all kinds of problems, and had such useful know-how in certain subjects. So the disaster hardly affected the people at all. His methods were adopted there, and the name of this man spread even wider. Indeed, he was elected the governor of the nation.
The first man understood the greatest wisdom is from the things we do in life, from the impact (影响) we have on others, and from the need to improve ourselves. He never again took part in competitions. Instead, he always took books with him to be ready to help others.The passage is mainly developed by ______.
| A．following the space order. | B．making comparisons |
| C．giving examples | D．explaining the reason |
The underlined word “obliged”, in the third paragraph, means “______”.
| A．responsible | B．necessary |
| C．worried | D．comfortable |
What can we learn about the two young men?
| A．Both of them tried hard to deal with the disaster. |
| B．The second man wanted to have a successful career. |
| C．The second man wanted to take part in competitions. |
| D．The first man was a much-loved and well-known person in the land. |
Email has brought the art of letter writing back to life, but some experts think the resulting spread of bad English does more harm than good.
Email is a form of communication that is changing, for the worse, the way we write and use language, say some communication researchers. It is also changing the way we interact(交流) and build relationship. These are a few of the recently recognized features of email, say experts, which should cause individuals and organizations to rethink the way they use email.
“Email has increased the spread of careless writing habits,” says Naomi Baron, a professor of linguistics(语言学) at an American university. She says the poor spelling, grammar, punctuation and sentence structure of emails reflect(反映) a growing unconcern about the way we write.
Baron argues that we shouldn’t forgive and forget the poor writing often shown in email. “The more we use email and its tasteless writing, the more it becomes the normal way of writing,” the professor says.
Others say that despite its poor writing, email has finished what several generations of English teachers couldn’t: it has made writing fashionable again.
“Email is a critical new communication technology.” says Ian Lancashire, a professor of English at Toronto University. “It fills the gap between spoken language and the formal methods of writing that existed before email. It is the purest form of written speech.”
Lancashire says email has the mysterious ability to get people who are usually scared by writing to get their thoughts flowing easily onto a blank screen. He says this is because of email’s close similarity to speech. “It’s like a circle of four or five people around a campfire,” he says.
Still, he accepts that this new-found freedom to express themselves often gets people into trouble. Emails sent in a day almost exceed(超过) the number of letters mailed in a year. But more people are recognizing the content of a typical email message is not often exact.From what Baron says in the third paragraph we can see that ________.
| A．careless people use email more than careful people |
| B．email requires people to change their native language |
| C．professors in universities don’t need to use email |
| D．people communicate by email full of mistakes |
What does the underlined word “it”(in Paragraph 4) refer to?
| A．The poor writing. | B．Email. |
| C．The good writing. | D．A new communication technology. |
In Lancashire’s opinion, email is a wonderful technology because _______.
| A．it can be useful all over the world |
| B．it is the fastest way to communicate |
| C．we can express ourselves in a free way |
| D．we can save a lot of paper |
This passage mainly shows us that ______.
| A．people should stop using email to communicate |
| B．experts hold different opinions about email writing |
| C．Americans only use email to communicate |
| D．email makes people lose interest in English |