Matsushita, the world’s largest provider of consumer electronics, has decided to move in on Hollywood. Last weekend, Matsushita company leaders met with movies VIPs from MCA, Inc., the entertainment community that produced the movies as “Jaws” and “E.T. the Extra-terrestrial”. If the negotiations are successful, Matsushita will pay somewhere between $6 billion and $7.5 billion for MCA, by far the largest U.S. buying by a Japanese company.
The deal is larger than last year’s $5 billion buying of Columbia Pictures by Matsushita’s competitor, Sony Corporation. The movement by the Japanese companies shows Tokyo’s growing interest in the entertainment world. It is surprising for both sides of the Pacific Ocean. Why does a disciplined, no-nonsense nation like Japan want to get into show business? The answer is quite simple: To make money. Japanese corporation leaders feel the global potential of the entertainment business and recognize that there is an increasing market for movies and television in the rapidly industrializing world.
65. The movement of buying American entertainment companies by the Japanese shows that____ _.
A. American movies are better than Japanese
B. Japan has growing interest in the entertainment world
C. Japanese market is larger than American market
D. Japanese people are richer
66. A disciplined nation like Japan wants to get into show business because _____
A. they want to make money
B. they want to learn from American people
C. they want to entertain their people
D. they want to win in the competition
67. Matsushita would pay ______ for MCA.
A.$5 billion
B.$6 billion
C.$7.5 billion
D. Somewhere between $6 billion to $7.5 billion
High school dropouts(辍学者)earn an average of ＄9000 less per year than graduates．Now a new study dispels a common belief why they quit．It’s much more basic than flunking out(不及格)．
Society tends to think of high school dropouts as kids who just can’t cut it．They are lazy, and perhaps not too bright．So researchers were surprised when they asked more than 450 kids who quit school about why they left．
“The vast majority actually had passing grades and they were confident that they could have graduated from high school, ” John Bridgeland, the executive researcher said．About 1 million teens leave school each year．Only about half of African-American and Hispanic(美籍西班牙的)student will receive a diploma(证书), and actually all dropouts come to regret their decision．So, if failing grades don’t explain why these kids quit, what does?Again, John Bridgeland：“The most dependable finding was that they were bored．”“They found classes uninteresting; they weren’t inspired or motivated．They didn’t see any direct connection between what they were learning in the classroom to their own lives, or to their career aspirations．”
The study found that most teens who do drop out wait until they turn sixteen, which happens to be the age at which most states allow students to quit．In the US, only one state, New Mexico, has a law requiring teenagers to stay in high school until they graduate．Only four states：California, Tennessee, Texas and Utah, plus the District of Columbia, require school ?attendance? until age 18, no exceptions, another researcher, says raising the compulsory(义务的)attendance age may be one way to keep more kids in school．
“As these dropouts look black, they realize they’ve made a mistake．And anything that sort of gives these people an extra push to stick it out and it through to the end, is probably helpful measure．”
New Hampshire may be the next state to raise its school attendance age to 18．But critics say that forcing the students unwilling to continue their studies to stay in school misses the point－the need for reform．It’s been called for to reinvent(彻底改造)high school education to make it more challenging and relevant(中肯的, 切题的), and to ensure that kids who do stick it out receive a diploma that actually means something．Most high school students drop out of school because ________．
| A．they have failing grades |
| B．they take no interest in classes |
| C．they are discriminated against |
| D．they are lazy and not intelligent |
According to the passage, which state has a law requiring school attendance until they graduate?
| A．New Hampshire． |
| B．Utah． |
| C．New Mexico． |
| D．The District of Columbia． |
The underlined words “stick it out” probably mean “________”．
| A．complete schooling |
| B．solve the problem |
| C．love having classes |
| D．believe in themselves |
In the last paragraph, the writer is trying to ________
| A．analyze the reason why students quit school |
| B．suggest raising the compulsory attendance age |
| C．call on to reform high school education |
| D．wish to make laws to guarantee no education |
Human beings have used tools for a very long time. In some parts of the world you can still find tools that people used more than two million years ago. They made these tools by hitting one stone against another. In this way, they broke off pieces from one of the stones. These chips of stone were usually sharp on one side. People used them for cutting meat and skin from dead animals, and also for making other tools out of wood. Human beings needed to use tools because they did not have sharp teeth like other meat eating animals, such as lions and tigers. Tools helped people to get food more easily.
Working with tools also helped to develop human intelligence. The human brain grew bigger, and human beings began to invent more and more tools and machines. The stone chip was one of the first tools that people used, and perhaps it is the most important. Some scientists say that it was the key to success of mankind.
Since 1960 a new kind of tool has appeared. This is the silicon chip -- a little chip of silicon crystal. It is smaller than a finger nail, but it can store more than a million "bits" of information. It is an electronic brain. Every year these chips get cleverer, but their size gets smaller, and their cost gets less. They are used in watches, calculators and intelligent machines that we can use in many ways. In the future we will not need to work with tools in the old way. Machines will do everything for us. They will even talk and play games with us. People will have plenty of spare time. But what will they do with it?
Human beings used stone chips for more than two million years, but human life changed very little in that time. We have used silicon chips for only a few years, but life is changing faster every day. What will life be like twenty years from now? What will the world be like two million years
from now?From paragraph，we can know .
| A．why early human beings cut skin from dead animals |
| B．how early human beings discovered the tools |
| C．what early human beings used the tools for |
| D．what food early human beings stored |
The stone chip is thought to be the most important tool because it ______.
| A．was very important to the development of mankind |
| B．led to the invention of machines in the early time |
| C．developed cooking abilities of mankind |
| D．was one of the first tools of mankind |
The silicon chip is mentioned in the passage to________.
| A．show the changes of tools |
| B．introduce a new kind of tool |
| C．give an example of using tools |
| D．compare the effects of two kinds of tools |
At the end of the passage the author seems to suggest that life in future is ______.
| A．Out of order | B．Less colorful |
| C．hard to predict | D．full of meanings |
The latest fashion in kitchen is the food steamer． All the stores are selling them; everyone wants one． Steaming is one of the simplest and healthiest ways of cooking food．However, that cooking time is usually longer than with other methods． In case you’re thinking of buying a steamer, I've done a survey about the steamers available on the market to help you decide which will suit you best．
●Folding Steamer
The simplest and least expensive is the folding stainless-steel （不锈钢）version．
Advantages: This is a good, basic design which sits inside a variety of different shapes of pans with the water under it; a ring in the center allows for easy lifting and it's easy to clean．
Disadvantages: It only holds small dishes． Also, if you put too much water in the pan, it will boil up through the vegetables and they will be watery． If you put too little water in and let it get dry, you will burn the pan and get strange-smelling vegetables．
●Steaming Pan
This is a three-layered black Teflon-coated version with a lid and two double-handled steamers, which sits on the oven ring． The brand I bought is called Nutritious Living．
Advantages: This is an excellent steamer, lightweight, easy to clean, and of all the steamers I've tried, this cooks the fastest． Fish and chicken can be cooked on the bottom with rice or vegetables on the top． It's easier to store．
Disadvantages: Water can boil away until the pan is dry, but if you make sure you fill the pan up to the suggested level and do not overcook the food, this should not happen．You cannot see the food cooking from the top． It doesn't supply a dish for cooking rice．
For serious users of steamers, I recommend having one of each version． If you just want to try it, get the folding stainless-steel type．Why did the author carry out the survey________.
| A．To inform people of different steamers |
| B．To run an advertisement for steamers |
| C．To find out a suitable steamer to buy |
| D．To learn how to cook with steamers |
What can we learn about the folding steamer________.
| A．It comes in different kinds of shapes and sizes． |
| B．It is designed for large families． |
| C．It is able to clean itself． |
| D．It is easy to take out． |
The Nutritious Liuing steamer________．
| A．is more difficult to store |
| B．provides a dish to cook rice with |
| C．cooks different foods at the same time |
| D．cooks fish and chicken faster than vegetables |
According to the author, you should________．
| A．use steamers to save cooking time |
| B．buy a steamer with dishes supplied |
| C．do a survey before choosing a steamer |
| D．buy a folding steamer if you want to try |
"Shark on the bait （诱饵） !" shouted Andre Harman, pointing to a spot a few yards behind the outboard motors． His voice gave no indication of panic, but the crew suddenly became tense and fixed their eyes on the water． Slowly, smoothly, Andre drew in the bait．The shark followed． No one asked what kind of shark it was． Everything about it, from its color to its shape, tells that it was a great white shark．
Andre lifted the bait aboard． Placing himself between the two motors, he dropped his right hand into the water just as the great head reached the first motor．“My goodness Andre!” I said． His hand seized the big nose, moving it away from the tube of the motor, guiding the shark's head up as it rose out of the water． Andre's hand held the nose, touching it gently． No one spoke． No one breathed． The moment seemed endless． In fact, it lasted less than five seconds before Andre pulled his hand back．
Still nobody spoke． Then Andre smiled and said: "The first time was an accident． I was just trying to move the shark away from the motor． Sharks are attracted to motors by r．heir electrical signals and have a habit of biting them to see if they are eatable． " Andre has worked with great white sharks for years． "My hand landed on its nose, and it sort of paused, so I kept it there, and when I did let go, the shark bit and bit as if it was searching for whatever it was that had attracted it．"
Nearly every encounter （遭遇） we had had with the great whites had been totally illogical． The more we learned, the more we realized how little was really known about them in the past years． Back then, it was generally accepted that great whites ate people by choice． Now we know that almost every attack on a human is an accident in which the shark mistakes a human for its normal food． Back then, we thought that once a great white smelt blood, it would lead to death． Now we know that nearly three-quarters of bite victims survive, perhaps because the shark recognizes that is has made a mistake and doesn't return for a second bite．The author said, "My goodness! Andre ! " when ________．
| A．Andre was about to fall into the water |
| B．Andre was about to touch the shark |
| C．Andre was followed by the shark |
| D．Andre was bitten by the shark |
What does the author think of the encounters with great whites________.
| A．Exciting． | B．Educational． |
| C．Frightening | D．Reasonable |
Most bite victims survive in shark attacks because________.
| A．they are taught how to fight off sharks |
| B．sharks discover they are no threats |
| C．they manage to swim to safety |
| D．sharks stop attacking them |
For many years, women could only be seen on the seat behind the men operating the two-wheeled motorcycle. Now more and more women are taking the front seat. More than twenty million people in the United States ride motorcycles.
Since 1998 the number of female（女性）bikers has risen sharply. Lady Sport Riders began in 1999 in Washington. The women formed the organization to share their love of motorcycle riding. But later it wanted to be more than just an organization for women to gather and ride motorcycles, so it started to organize events that help national health organizations and women’s shelters. It also permits women to share a strong sisterhood, and gives financial awards to poor students. Like other motorcycle clubs, the members of Lady Sport Riders also help their community.
Different from male riders, female riders ride for more than fun. This sport gives women a sense of freedom and control. Female riders have helped change motorcycle culture. More than five years ago manufacturers began making equipment especially for women. Some bikes now have smaller, softer seats and controls that are easier to reach. Modern clothes for riding now look good and still provide protection. In the past, women rode motorcycles that traveled at a moderate speed. Now theirs are as powerful as the ones men ride. Safety is very important when riding because the risk (危险) of injury is high. So the women wear protective clothing and equipment at all times, especially for the head.
Lady Sport Riders believes women have earned their place in the sport of motorcycle riding. When speaking of male motorcyclists, the members of the club say, “They Made the Game. We Came to Play!”What can we learn from the first paragraph?
| A．The number of female motorcyclists is now larger than that of male riders. |
| B．Motorcycle riding used to be considered a male sport. |
| C．Female motorcyclists are more skilled at riding than male riders. |
| D．More and more women have an adventurous spirit. |
In the beginning, Lady Sport Riders was organized to .
| A．allow women to take up motorcycling |
| B．offer help to national health organizations |
| C．share their great interest in the sport of motorcycling |
| D．supply financial help to poor students |
What do men motorcyclists mainly expect to get from motorcycling?
| A．Strength and power. |
| B．Pleasure from this sport. |
| C．Money and fame. |
| D．A sense of freedom. |
Compared with the past, the present equipment makes riding more ______ for women.
| A．difficult | B．expensive |
| C．risky | D．pleasant |