OTTAWA — Canada’s western city of Calgary is the world’s best city when it comes to healthy living, local press reported Monday.
According to an international survey by Mercer Human Resource Consulting, a London-based consulting firm, Calgary was put at the top of a list of 144 cities. It scored 121 points, just above Honolulu’s score of 120. Helsinki（赫尔辛基，芬兰首都） and Ottawa followed at 119.5 and 118.5 respectively.
Three other Canadian cities came in the top 20. Montreal and Vancouver tied for ninth and Toronto came in at 18th.
The scores are based on air pollution levels, availability and quality of hospitals and medical supplies, as well as the efficiency of waste removal and sewage systems.
In America, the lowest scoring city was Atlanta, which was ranked 76th. Athens was the lowest scoring city in Western Europe, ranking 120th because of its air pollution. London was ranked 59th.
1. How many Canadian cities are in the top 20?
A. 3. B. 4. C. 5. D. 6.
2. Which of the following is NOT taken into account when the cities were scored?
A. Weather conditions. B. Air quality.
C. Waste removal. D. Medical supplies.
3. Among the following cities, which is the lowest scoring one?
A. Atlanta. B. Athens. C. London. D. Helsinki.
“A very destructive seven-year old child kicked my legs and scratched at my hand,” said one teacher. “I broke up a fight and was kicked,” said another. Many people have heard stories like this. But the situation is more worrying still and it involves parents.
Every child, regardless of the circumstances into which they are born, has the right to achieve their potential, regardless of their parents’ wealth and class. And we recognize that, as a nation, it is a long way to achieve this goal. But rights come with responsibilities and what worries people is that we are in danger of neglecting the latter.
Far too many children are behaving badly at school, even to the point of being violent to staff. This is terrible enough，but it is hard to be surprised since many children are just mirroring the behavior of their parents. Too many are starting school unable to hold a knife and fork, unused to eating at a table，and unable to use the lavatory properly.
We are in danger of becoming a nation of families living separate lives under one roof. The bedroom, once a place to sleep, has become the living space for the young. Spending hours in front of computer screens, on social networking sites or being immersed in computer games, children and young people spend little time with their parents. Parents are unable to monitor just what their children are watching.
Schools cannot right the wrongs of society and teachers cannot become substitute parents. Both parties need to work together. Parents must be helped and given confidence to take back control. They are responsible for setting boundaries for their children’s behavior and sticking to those boundaries when the going gets tough. They are responsible for setting a good example to their children and for devoting that most precious of resources---time---so that children come to school ready and willing to learn.
| A．The school violence |
| B．The pressure of students’ learning |
| C．The right to achieve students’ potential |
| D．Students’ responsibilities |
| A．dissatisfaction | B．sympathy | C．understanding | D．tolerance |
| A．children don’t live with their parents in the same room |
| B．parents care little about children’s life at home |
| C．children spend little time with their parents at home |
| D．parents attempt to establish a good relationship with their children |
From the last paragraph,we can infer that.
| A．school can’t correct the wrongs that society does to teachers |
| B．teachers have no responsibility for playing the role of parents |
| C．parents should spend time with children making them ready to learn |
| D．students are responsible for making themselves known in society |
What is the main idea of the passage?
| A．Children’s behavior at school is worrying people |
| B．Parents expect schools to correct their children’s bad habits |
| C．There is no point in parents’teaching children at home |
| D．Don’t blame teachers when it’s parents who are failing |
The house was quiet at 5 a.m. and Tim’s mother was asleep. Only the sound of the big freezer broke the quiet. He’d dreamt of the cave last night. The purring (轻微颤动声) of the freezer had been the sea.
Tim pulled on a sweater and put some apples into his schoolbag. It was too early for breakfast. He’d eat after he’d been through the cave, sitting on the rocks and staring at the sea.
He wished he had a proper pack. His schoolbag would have to do. What else? Sandwiches ---but his mother might wake up if he started pulling out bread for sandwiches, she’d want to know why he had to leave so early. He settled for some biscuits, and left a note stuck to the table.
Gone to Michael’s Back tonight .Tim.
The sky was high and soft and light outside, though the sun still wasn’t up. Even the highway up the hill was quiet as he made his way down the street. The wind from the sea was fresh and sweet.
The sandhills still breathed heat from yesterday’s sun, though the top of the sand was cool. He ran down to the beach impatiently, but there was no one, just dry sand dancing in the early wind and seabirds marching up and down watching the waves.
The light changed suddenly. The first rays of sunlight stretched across the sea. The sun was pushing its way over the edge of the world．
Over the first rocks, along to the point, Tim glanced back. The beach was still empty. The sun sailed higher in the sky.
He could see the cave now, even darker in the morning light. The sand turned silver then dark gold as the water flowed away from it. He had to force himself to go closer. Why was it so much more mysterious now? But it would be silly to go back now after so much trouble. He needn’t go in all the way …What did Tim do at the beginning of the story?
| A．He left the house quietly | B．He had breakfast at home. |
| C．He left a note on the freezer. | D．He put a sweater in his schoolbag. |
| A．left home looking for some biscuits |
| B．felt like eating biscuits rather than sandwiches |
| C．had to take biscuits instead of sandwiches |
| D．could only find some biscuits in the kitchen |
| A．The height of the first rocks |
| B．The ups and downs of the waves |
| C．The change in the position of the sun |
| D．The vast stretch of the sunlit beach |
| A．The sea looked like a piece of gold. |
| B．Seabirds flew away when Tim arrived. |
| C．Tim was the only person on the beach. |
| D．The sky got dark as Tim reached the cave. |
| A．loneliness to craziness | B．anxiousness to excitement |
| C．helplessness to happiness | D．eagerness to nervousness |
Never go into a supermarket hungry! This is a good piece of advice. If you go shopping for food before lunchtime, you’ll probably buy more than you plan to. Unfortunately, however, just this advice isn’t enough for consumers these days. Modern shoppers need an education in how and how not to buy things at the store. First, you check the weekly newspaper ads. Find out the items that are on sale and decide if you really need these things. In other words, don’t buy anything just because it’s cheaper than usual! “New and Improved!” or “All Natural” on the front of a package influence you. Instead, read the list of ingredients(contents) on the back. Third, compare prices: that is, you should examine the prices of both different brands and different sizes of the same brand.
Another suggestion for consumers is to buy ordinary items instead of famous brands. Ordinary items in supermarkets come in plain packages. These products are cheaper because producers don’t spend much money on packing or advertising. The quality, however, is usually as good as the quality of well-known name brands.
In the same way, in buying clothes, you can often find high quality and low prices in brands that are not famous. Shopping in discount clothing stores can help you save a lot of money. Although these stores aren’t very attractive, and they usually do not have individual dressing rooms, not only are the prices low, but you can often find the same famous brands that you find in high-priced department stores.
Wise consumers read magazine ads and watch TV commercials, but they do this with one advantage: knowledge of the psychology behind the ads. In other words, well-informed consumers watch for information and check for misinformation. They ask themselves questions: Is the advertiser hiding something in small print at the bottom of the page? Is there any real information in the commercial, or is the advertiser simply showing an attractive image? With the answers to these questions, consumers can make a wise choice.All the following statements are true about the phrase “ordinary items” in Paragraph 2 except ____.
| A．ordinary products are usually cheaper than famous brands |
| B．ordinary items never say “New and Improved” or “All Natural” |
| C．producers spend less money on packaging of ordinary items |
| D．the quality of ordinary items is usually as good as that of famous brands |
One of the author’s suggestions to consumers is ____.
| A．to make use of ads |
| B．not to buy items with words like “New and Improved” or “All Natural” |
| C．to buy high quality items such as famous brands after lunch |
| D．to buy any ordinary items instead of famous brands |
The author implies that ____.
| A．going into the supermarket hungry, you may buy more than you plan to |
| B．the quality of ordinary items is usually high and the prices are relatively low |
| C．discount clothing stores are good places to go to |
| D．ads sometimes don’t tell the truth |
The Top 4 Lies Girls Hear
1. “You'll never be good at math.”
It's generally accepted that boys are good at math while girls aren't. The fact is that it isn't true—at least, it doesn't have to be. When girls reach their teens，most of them lose their interest in math. They're trying to be regarded as female(女性)．They want to stay away from things that are boy things, and math is still considered a boy thing. Math class is hard, but if you gave it a chance you could be great at math, especially beacuse you are a girl.
2. “Being skinny is good, and how you diet is your business.”
Lots of web sites tell visitors that losing interest in eating is a beautiful thing. These“skinny is better”sites are lying. Losing interest in eating is a disease, not a fashion statement. It can kill you.
3. “You don't deserve to make as much money as a guy.”
It's said that in 2002 women who work full-time earn about 23 percent less than guys earn. Once you see real women succeeding in cool jobs, you'll truly get that you're worth just as much as—or more than any guys.
4. “Caffeine(咖啡因)will help you study better.”
Caffeinated soft drinks have long been advertised as must haves when you have to work very hard. But if you want to do your body a big favor, you'd better give up caffeine altogether. Why do girls lose their interest in math?
| A．Because they don't realize the importance of math. |
| B．Because math class is too hard for girls. |
| C．Because they aren't interested in the things which are considered boy things. |
| D．Because girls are not as clever as boys. |
The word “skinny” means________.
| A．pretty | B．strong | C．tall | D．slim |
Supposing in 2002 a man earns $20,000, how much will a woman who doing the same job probably get?
| A．$10,000 | B．$15,000 | C．$20,000 | D．$25,000 |
Which of the statement is NOT ture?
| A．Girls sometimes do better than boys in math |
| B．Being skinny is good for girls’ health. |
| C．Girls than earn as much money as boys do. |
| D．Caffeine can make people feel more excited. |
I heard many parents complaining that their teenage children are rebelling. I wish it were so. At your age you ought to be growing away from your parents. You should be learning to stand on your own two feet. But take a good look at the present rebellion. It seems that teenagers are taking the same way of showing that they disagree with their parents. Instead of striking out boldly on their own, most of them are clutching (紧握) at one another’s hands for reassurance.
They claim they want to dress as they please. But they all wear the same clothes. They set off in new directions in music. But somehow they all end up huddled (聚在一起) round listening to the same record. Their reason for thinking or acting in thus-and-such a way is that the crowd is doing it. They have come out of their cocoon (蚕茧) into a larger cocoon.
It has become harder and harder for a teenager to stand up against the popularity wave and to go his or her own way. Industry has firmly carved out a teenage market. These days every teenager can learn from the advertisements what a teenager should have and be. And many of today’s parents have come to award high marks for the popularity of their children. All this adds up to a great barrier for the teenager who wants to find his or her own path.
But the barrier is worth climbing over. The path is worth following. You may want to listen to classical music instead of going to a party. You may want to collect rocks when everyone else is collecting records. You may have some thoughts that you don’t care to share at once with your classmates. Well, go to it. Find yourself. Be yourself. Popularity will come – with the people who respect you for who you are. That is the only kind of popularity that really counts. In this passage, the author wants to tell _______.
| A．teenagers to try to pursue their real selves |
| B．readers to try to be popular with people around |
| C．parents to try to control and guide their children |
| D．people to try to understand and respect each other |
The author disapproves of rebelling teenagers _______.
| A．growing away from their parents |
| B．following the popularity trend |
| C．walking a new way on their own |
| D．turning to their friends for help |
The phrase “larger cocoon” at the end of the second paragraph refers to _______.
| A．the distractive and variable society |
| B．the dazzling music world |
| C．the parental care and love |
| D．the popularity wave in the society |
What does the author think of advertisements?
| A．Convincing. | B．Instructive. | C．Influential. | D．Authoritative. |