E
Is it time to kick Russia out of the BRICs （金砖四国）? If so, it may end up sounding like a famous ball-point pen maker-BIC. An argument is being made that Goldman Sach’s famous marketing device（策略）,the BRICs, should really be the BICs.
“Is Russia really worth the name BRICs?” asks Anders Aslund, senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics, in an article for Foreigh Policy. Aslund, who is also co-author with Andrew Kuchins of “The Russian Balance Sheet”, thinks the Russia of Putin and Medvedev is just not worthy of inclusion alongside Brazil, India and China in the list of future economic powerhouses. He writes:
“The country’s economic performance has fallen to such a weak level that one must ask whether it has any say at all on the global economy, compared with the other members of its group. I have just returned from Moscow, which is always dull around this season. For the last seven years, Russia has taken very few measures to improve its economy. Instead, the state has been living on oil and gas. ”
Economically, Aslund has the numbers on his side. The International Monetary Fund figures that the Russian economy will fall by 6.7 percent in 2009, while Vhina will grow 8.5 percent and India 5.4 percent. There is less of a case for Brazil, with a fall of 0.7 percent, but it is still doing far better than Russia.
But the BRICs are not just about economy. As is mentioned above, it is a marketing device to encourage investors to focus on the big promising players. From an investment standpoint, it could be argued that Russia is leading the BRICs. Its stock（股票）market is up 128 percent this year while around 80 percent is for the other three.
At very least, however, Russia’s economic underperformance and stock market outperfoumance does suggest it is indeed one of the group.
52．According to the passage, which country will enjoy the biggest increase in 2009?
A．China. B．Russia. C．Brazil. D．India.
53．According to Aslund, Russia shouldn’t be a BRIC partly because_______.
A．Russia’s economic performance is far worse than the other three
B．Russia’s leaders are not good at managing economy
C．Russia has taken effective measures to improve its economy
D．Russia will no longer attract investors from other countries
54．From the passage we know that ________.
A．Anders Aslund is working for the Russian government
B．Russia outperfoumed the other three countries in stock market
C．most people disagree Russia is included in BRICs
D．the BRICs would end up being the BICs sooner or later
55．The author seems to ________.
A．suggest it’s time to kick Russia out of the BRICs?
B．feel worried about the economy of the BRICs
C．think Russia is worth being one of the group
D．show disappointment to Russia’s economy
Each time I see a balloon(气球), my mind flies back to a memory of when I was a six-year-old girl. It was a rainy Sunday and my father had recently died. I asked my mom if Dad had gone to heaven. "Yes, honey. Of course." she said.
"Can we write him a letter?"
She paused, the longest pause of my short life, and answered, "Yes."
My heart jumped. "How? Does the mailman go there?" I asked.
"No, but I have an idea." Mom drove to a party store and returned with a red balloon. I asked her what it was for.
"Just wait, honey. You'll see." Mom told me to write my letter. Eagerly, I got my favorite pen, and poured out my six-year-old heart in the form of blue ink. I wrote about my day, what I learned at school, how Mom was doing, and even about what happened in a story I had read. For a few minutes it was as if Dad were still alive. I gave the letter to Mom. She read it over, and a smile crossed her face.
She made a hole in the corner of the letter where she looped the balloon string. We went outside and she gave me the balloon. It was still raining.
"Okay, on the count of three, let go. One, two, three."
The balloon, carrying my letter, darted upward against the rain. We watched until it was swallowed by the mass of clouds.
Later I realized, like the balloon, that Dad had never let his sickness get him down. He was strong. No matter what he suffered, he'd persevere, dart up, and finally transcend this cold world and his sick body. He rose into sky and became something beautiful. I watched until the balloon disappeared into the gray and white and I prayed that his strength was hereditary. I prayed to be a balloon.What would be the best title for the passage?
| A．An unforgettable experience |
| B．A great father |
| C．Fly to paradise |
| D．The strong red balloon |
When the girl asked her mother if they could write to her father, her mother _________.
A．believed it easy to do so
B．thought her a creative girl
C felt it hard to answer
D．found it easy to lieWhen the girl was told that she could send a letter to her father, she _________.
| A．jumped with joy |
| B．became excited |
| C．started writing immediately |
| D．was worried that it couldn't be delivered |
In the eyes of the author, what was the rain like?
| A．An incurable disease. |
| B．An unforgettable memory. |
| C．The failures her father experienced |
| D．The hard time her father had. |
Free Fun Guides
Free Admission to Hundreds of Museums Sept. 25
What a weekend! This Saturday, Sept. 25, hundreds of U.S. museums are admission free for the Smithsonian’s yearly Museum Day.
Unlike previous Museum Day celebrations, you must sign up for a free ticket that admits two people to any of the participating museums. That means filling out a form and having the ticket emailed to you. Not bad for a free offer that will give you admission to museums such as the Adler Planetarium in Chicago and the Air & Space Museum in San Diego.
Free Books for Kids @ Barnes & Noble!
If your kids love to read — and we hope they do! — be sure to sign them up for Barnes & Noble’s summer reading programs so they can earn a free book!
It’s easy for kids ages 12 and under to participate. For Barnes & Noble’s Passport to Summer Reading program, just download and print out your passport. Read any eight books, make a list of them on the back of the passport and bring it to any Barnes & Noble by September 7. Choose your free book from the list.
FREE Night of Theater Across the U.S. in October
It’s the yearly run of the Free Night of Theater, when hundreds of theaters in 120 U.S. cities give away thousands of tickets to local productions.
While the kickoff date is October 15, many of the theaters start releasing their free tickets by Oct.1 or in waves during the month of October for performance dates throughout the month. Ticket seekers are limited to two tickets for one performance.
Find your city on the Free Night of Theater Website and check the listings for performances, their dates and their ticket giveaway times and locations.What is new about this year’s Museum Day?
| A．People must buy tickets for visiting a museum. |
| B．Two museums offer free admission. |
| C．People will get free tickets online. |
| D．People can visit museums online and get a small gift. |
Which of the following shows the similarity between Museum Day and Free Night of Theater?
| A．They take place once a year. |
| B．The same number of free tickets is given away. |
| C．The tickets can be used in any U.S. city. |
| D．They last for the same length of time. |
The main purpose of the passage is to___________.
| A．give guidance on how to have some fun |
| B．help people who are very poor |
| C．introduce ways to save money |
| D．provide information about free things to do |
How to Make Friends
Friendship is a very important human relationship and everyone needs good friends. Good friendship has many benefits. It offers companionship, improves self-worth and promotes good health. There are times in our lives such as when we have recently moved into a new town, or changed our jobs or schools. Such changes often leaves us without a friend. Making new friends comes easy for some people. But for many of us the process is difficult and requires courage. Below are some helpful suggestions on how to make and keep friends.
Associate with others.
The first step to making friends is associating with other people. You can go to public places to meet new people. Besides, you will need to make yourself known by becoming an active member of such places.
Start a conversation.
Starting a conversation is the second most important step in making new friends. Do not wait to be spoken to. You can always start the conversation. Being able to make small talk is a very useful skill in relating with other people.
Do things together.
Choosing friends with common interests is important in building friendship as these interests would always bring you and your friend together. Hanging out will always be a pleasant experience.
Let it grow.
It is a good thing to stay in touch. However, try not to press your new friend with calls, messages or visits as this would likely wear him or her out and finally you may lose your friend. So you will need to give your friend time to react to you. The best friendships are the ones that grow naturally.
Enjoy your friendship.
The best way to enjoy your friendship is to allow your friends to be themselves. Try not to find fault with your friends. Try not to change them from who they are to what you want them to be. Become the kind of friend you will want your friend to be to you.
How to Make Friends
It’s ______ for us to have a good friend.
Many of us have ___ in making and keeping friends.
Below are some suggestions.
I．Associate with others.
Go to public places to meet new persons.
Be active to make people know you.
II．Start a conversation.
Speak to other people actively by making small talk.
III．Do things together.
Choose friends who have __ with you
Have an aimless___with your friends for pleasure.
IV．Let it grow.
Avoid pressing your new friend with calls, messages or visits all the time.
Give time to your friend to adapt to you.
V．Enjoy your friendship.
Try not to find _ with your friends.
Let your friends be themselves
Strive to improve yourself.
Rainy days don’t have to get you down, a happiness expert has claimed.
Paul Dolan, Professor of Behavioral Science at the London School of Economics, said that people only feel miserable in bad weather because they think about it too much. Studies have shown that people who live in warm, sunny climates are no happier than those in chilly, wet climates, he says.
So the British talking about the weather may be making us gloomier（沮丧的） than the weather itself.
He said: “A study was done that measured the happiness levels of people in California compared to the North West.
“They expected that people in California would be happier because it is more sunny, but they found that levels of happiness were exactly the same.
“If it is sunny every day you get used to it and the sunshine doesn’t make you any happier.
“Most of the time the weather doesn’t affect our well-being at all. But when we think about it, and think that it does, that’s when we get miserable.”
In his new book, Happiness By Design, Dolan argues that we can think ourselves happy by taking our attention away from what makes us sad.
“Most of our anxieties come from what might be,” he argues. “If you want to be happier, pay attention to the things that make you feel good.”
He also claimed that a problem shared was not always a problem halved. He claimed that humans are actually very good at being able to get over tragedy and loss.
Professor Dolan also admitted for the first time that he had a stammer（口吃）, which had made his early life miserable. He claimed it only got better when he learned not to pay attention to his speech problem.
“Things are never as bad as you imagine them being,” he said.What does the underlined word “miserable” in the second paragraph mean?
| A．Good. | B．Unhappy. |
| C．Cheerful. | D．Confident. |
People in California ___________ compared to people in the North West.
| A．are much happier |
| B．can’t enjoy sunny days |
| C．are more used to sunny days |
| D．have lower levels of happiness |
What is Dolan’s suggestion for being happy?
| A．Don’t think too much about yourself. |
| B．Don’t focus on what makes you sad. |
| C．Avoid comparing yourself to others. |
| D．Avoid doing many miserable things. |
Where could this passage have been taken from?
| A．A report. | B．A notice. |
| C．A poster. | D．A questionnaire. |
Here are some of the strangest buildings in the world. Please look at them and tell us your impressions.
Stone House, Portugal
The stone house in Portugal is really similar to the famous home of the Flintstones （《摩登原始人》）. It is built between two rocks and its architecture（建筑） has impressed some of the greatest architects. The house was attacked by some bad people. The house is pretty comfortable inside, with a fireplace and every- thing necessary, so it is a wonderful example of modern architecture in Stone Age style!
Dancing Building, Czech Republic
The Dancing House, or “Fred and Ginger”, is situated in Prague, the Czech Republic. It is an amazing masterpiece of architecture which has its own romantic charm. There is something so sweet in the way the buildings hug each other for a dance! It has become a symbol of the city!
The Crooked (弯曲的) House, Poland
The crooked house in Poland has an extraordinary and amazing structure. It was built in 2003 with its design based on the pictures of Jan Marcin Szancer and Per Dahlberg. It looks as if it has been taken from a cartoon: its design is “crooked”, but it is balanced, so it is not ugly at all, just strange! The interesting part is how builders managed to create this genius idea, but the house is a fact and everyone admires their creativity!
Habitat 67, Montreal, Canada
Habitat 67 in Canada is a very interesting arrangement of cubes，which looks like the building blocks that children play with. It is pretty interesting how it was designed — it looks so original, and at the same time the building is completely stable（稳定的） and comfortable for living! It was created as a main attraction for Expo（展览会） 67, where it was officially exposed!What is a common feature of the Stone Houseand the Dancing Building?
| A．They all appear very modern. |
| B．They are the symbols of their own cities. |
| C．They are all for people to live in. |
| D．They are both examples of great architecture. |
What is a special feature of The Crooked House?
| A．It was designed by two architects. |
| B．It has the longest history of the four. |
| C．Its construction lines are not straight. |
| D．Its design inspiration is from cartoons. |
Which of the buildings can remind people of a kind of toy?
| A．The Stone House, Portugal |
| B．The Dancing Building, the Czech Republic |
| C．The Crooked House, Poland |
| D．Habitat 67, Montreal, Canada |
Habitat 67 ____________________.
| A．is situated in Europe |
| B．was built for an exhibition |
| C．looks like an ancient building |
| D．has a fireplace in it |