E
Educating girls quite possibly brings in a higher rate of return than any other investment available in the developing world.Women education may be an unusual field for economists,but increasing women's contribution to development is actually as much an economic as a social issue. And economics provides guideposts that point to an explanation for why so many girls are deprived(被剥夺) of an education.
Parents in low-income countries fail to invest in their daughters because they do not expect them to make an economic contribution to the family: girls grow up only to marry into somebody else' s family and bear children. Girls are thus seen as less valuable than boys and are kept at home to do housework while their brothers are sent to school－the prophecy (预言) becomes self-fulfilling, trapping women in a bad circle of neglect.
An educated mother, on the other hand, has greater earning abilities outside the home and faces an entirely different set of choices. She is likely to have fewer but healthier children and can insist on the development of all her children, ensuring that her daughters are given a fair chance. The education of her daughters then makes it much more likely that the next generation of girls, as well as of boys, will be educated and healthy. The bad circle is thus transformed into a good one.
Few will question that educating women has great social benefits. But it has enormous economic advantages as well Most obviously, there is the direct effect of education on the wages of female workers. Wages rise by 10 to 20 percent for each additional year of schooling. Such big returns are impressive by the standard of other available investments, but they are just the beginning. Educating women also has a significant effect on health practices, including family planning.
77. By saying "the prophecy becomes self-fulfilling..." in the second paragraph, the author means that_______.
A. girls will turn out to be less valuable than boys
B. girls will be capable of realizing their own dreams
C. girls will eventually find their goals in life beyond reach
D. girls will be increasingly discontented with their life at home
78. The author believes that a bad circle can turn into a good circle when_______.
A. women care more about education B. girls can gain equal access to education
C. a family has fewer but healthier children D. parents can afford their daughters' education
79. What does the author say about women' s education?
A. It deserves greater attention than other social issues.
B. It is now given top priority in many developing countries.
C. It will bring in greater returns than other known investments.
D. It has aroused the interest of a growing number of economists.
80. The passage mainly discusses_________.
A. unequal treatment of boys and girls in developing countries
B. the potential earning power of well-educated women
C. the major contributions of educated women to society
D. the economic and social benefits of educating women
Not all bodies of water are so evidently alive as the Atlantic Ocean, an S-shaped body of water covering 33 million square miles. The Atlantic Ocean, in a sense, replaced the Mediterranean as the inland sea of Western civilization. Unlike real inland seas, which seem strangely still, the Atlantic Ocean is rich in oceanic liveliness all the time. It is perhaps not surprising that its vitality has been much written about by ancient poets.
“Storm at Sea”, a short poem written around 700, is generally regarded as one of mankind’s earliest artistic representations of the Atlantic Ocean.
When the wind is from the west
All the waves that cannot rest
To the east must thunder on
Where the bright tree of the sun
Is rooted in the ocean’s breast.
As the poem suggests, the Atlantic Ocean is never dead and dull. It is an ocean that moves, impressively and endlessly. It makes all kinds of noise---it is forever thundering, boiling, crashing and whistling.
It is easy to imagine the Atlantic Ocean trying to draw breath----perhaps not so noticeably out in mid-ocean, but where it meets land, its waters bathing up and down a sandy beach. It imitates nearly perfectly the steady breathing of a living creature. It is filled with co-living existences, too: unimaginable quantities of creatures, little and large alike, mix within its depths in a kind of oceanic harmony, giving to the waters a feeling of heartbeat, a kind of sub-ocean vitality. And it has a psychology. It has personalities: sometimes peaceful and pleasant, on rare occasions rough and wild; always it is strong and striking.Unlike real inland seas, the Atlantic Ocean is __________.
| A．always energetic | B．lacking in liveliness |
| C．shaped like a square | D．favored by ancient poets. |
The writer uses the poem “Storm at Sea” for the purpose of ___________.
| A．describing the movement of the waves |
| B．showing the strength of the storm |
| C．presenting the power of the ocean |
| D．proving the vastness of the sea |
In the last paragraph, the Atlantic Ocean is compared to ___________.
| A．a beautiful and poetic place | B．a person of blood and flesh |
| C．a world of interest and wonder | D．a lovely animal |
Someday a stranger will read your email without your permission or scan the website you have visited. Or perhaps someone will casually glance through your credit card purchases or cell bills to find out your shopping preferences or calling habits.
In fact, it is likely that some of these things have already happened to you. Who would watch you without permission? It might be a girlfriend, a marketing company, a boss or a criminal. Whoever it is, they will see you in a way you never intended to be seen-----the 21st century is the equal of being caught naked.
Psychologists tell us boundaries are healthy and that it is important to reveal yourself to friends, families and lovers at appropriate time and places. But now few boundaries remain. The information you leave everywhere makes it easy for strangers to reconstruct who you are, where you are and what you like. Believe it or not, we live in a world where you simply can’t keep a secret. The key question is: does that matter?
When you ask Americans about privacy, most say they are concerned about losing it.
But people say one thing and do another. Only a tiny part of Americans change any behaviors in an effort to preserve their privacy. Few people turn down a discount at tollbooths(收费站) to avoid using the EZ-Pass system that can track automobile movements. And few refuse to offer personal information like Social Security numbers to get supermarket loyalty cards.
But privacy (隐私) does matter—at least sometimes. It is like health: when you have it, you don’t notice it. Only when it is gone do you wish you had done more to protect it.What does the underlined sentence in Para 2 mean?
| A．People’s personal information is easily accessed without their knowing it. |
| B．In the 21st century people try every means to look into others’ secrets. |
| C．People tend to be more frank with each other in the information age. |
| D．Criminals are easily caught on the spot with advanced technology. |
Which of the statements will the psychologists probably agree with?
| A．Friends should open their hearts to each other. |
| B．Friends should always be faithful to each other. |
| C．There should be a distance even between friends. |
| D．The closer they are, the deeper their friendship is. |
In the last paragraph but one, the EZ-Pass system and Social Security numbers are used as evidence to show_________.
| A．Americans talk a lot but do little about privacy protection |
| B．Americans use various loyalty cards for business. |
| C．Americans rely more and more on electronic devices. |
| D．Americans change behaviors that might disclose their identity. |
Which of the following may serve as the best title of the passage?
| A．Privacy and Health | B．Privacy Is Getting Lost. |
| C．Boundary and Friendship | D．Cherish What You Have |
American children are not the only couch potatoes with nearly one third of children globally spending 3 hours a day or more watching TV or on computers, according to the study of over 70,000 teens in 34 nations.
From Argentina to Zambia, Regina Guthold of the World Health Organization in Geneva and her colleagues found most children were not getting enough exercise and that it made no difference whether they live in a rich or a poor country. “With regards to physical levels, we didn’t find much of a difference between rich and poor countries,” Guthold said, “Growing up in a poor country doesn’t necessarily mean kids get more physical activities.”
The researchers defined adequate physical activity as at least an hour of exercise outdoors for at least 5 days a week. Children spending 3 or more hours a day watching TV, playing computer games or chatting with friends were classified as sedentary.
The researchers found only a quarter of the boys and 15 percent of the girls were getting enough exercise by these definitions. A quarter of boys and nearly 30% of girls were sedentary and didn’t get enough exercise with girls less active than boys in every country aside from Zambia.
Girls from India were the most active with 37 percent meeting exercise recommendation, while girls from Egypt were the least active with 4 percent getting enough exercise. Children in Myanmar were the least sedentary while the most sedentary nations were St .Lucia and the Cayman Islands.
People show deep concern for kids’ lack of physical activity in various nations. Why do they have a low level of physical activity? Guthold speculated（认为）that urbanization could be a factor as well as easy access to cars and TVs.If you are sedentary, you ____________.
| A．are a diligent student spending much time doing homework |
| B．have at least an hour of exercise outdoors 5 days a week. |
| C．like watching TV and playing computer games |
| D．spend longer hours sitting or lying without moving |
Which of the following statements is true as to Guthold’s finding?
| A．Most children around the world don’t meet the exercise recommendation. |
| B．Girls in every country are no more active than boys. |
| C．Children in rich countries relatively get less physical activity. |
| D．Only 4% of the girls from Egypt are not active in exercise. |
All the following statements are wrong except _______.
| A．Children in poor countries get more physical activities. |
| B．Girls in Egypt are more active than those in India. |
| C．Couch potatoes are those children addicted to snacks. |
| D．Children in Myanmar are less sedentary than those in St .Lucia. |
What would the writer be most likely to discuss in detail in the paragraph that follows?
| A．The suitable amount of physical activities for students. |
| B．Some of the factors for the popularity of cars and TVs among the kids. |
| C．The reasons behind the lack of physical activities. |
| D．The ways to make the most of cars and TVs. |
It was the first snow of the winter---an exciting day for every child but not for most teachers. Up to now, I had been old enough to dress myself, but today I would need some help. Miss Finlayson, my kindergarten teacher, Ontario, had been through best snow days many times, but I think she may still remember this one.
I managed to get into my wool snow trousers. But I struggled with my jacket because it didn’t fit well. It was a hand-me-down from my brother, and it made me wonder why I had to wear the ugly clothes. At least my hat and scarf were mine, and they were quite pretty. Finally it was time to have Miss Finlayson help me with my boots.
In her calm, motherly voice she said, “By the end of the winter, you will all be able to put on your own boots.” I didn’t realize at the time that it was more a statement of hope than of confidence.
I handed her my boots and stuck out my feet. Like most children, I expected the adult to do all the work. After much pushing, she managed to get the first one into place and then, with a sigh, worked the second one on too.
I announced, “They are on the wrong feet.”
She struggled to get the boots off and went through the joyless task of putting them on again.
“They are my brother’s boots, you know, I hate them.”
Somehow, from long years of practice, she managed to act as though I wasn’t an annoying little girl. She struggled with me. She asked “now, where are your mittens(手套)?”
I looked into her eyes and said, “I didn’t want to lose them, so I hid them in the toes of my boots.”The little girl was more satisfied with her __________.
| A．trousers | B．jackets | C．boots | D．hat |
Miss Finlayson had difficulty with the little girl’s boots mainly because________.
| A．the girl got them from her brother |
| B．the girl put something in them |
| C．they were on the wrong feet |
| D．they did not fit the girl well |
Why does the author say Miss Finlayson would remember that first snow day?
| A．Because the little girl was in her brother’s clothes. |
| B．Because it was the most exciting day of the winter. |
| C．Because the little girl wore a pretty scarf. |
| D．Because the little girl played a trick on her. |
It can be inferred from the passage that Miss Finlayson _______________.
| A．was losing confidence in the little girl |
| B．was gradually losing patience with the little girl |
| C．became disappointed with the little girl |
| D．got curious about the little girl |
Write a winning story!
You could win ￡1,000 in this year’s Fiction Prize and have your story printed in Keep Writing magazine. Ten other lucky people will win a cheque for ￡100.
Once again, we need people who can write good stories. The judges, who include Mary Littlejohn, the novelist, Michael Brown, the television reporter, and Susan Hitchins, the editor of Keep Writing, are looking for interesting and original stories. Detective fiction was extremely popular last year, although the competition winner produced a love story. You can write down about whatever you want but here’s some advice to start your thinking:
Write about what you know
This is the advice which every writer should pay attention to and, last year, nearly everyone who wrote for us did exactly that. Love, family, problems with friends ---- these were the main subjects of the stories. However, you need to turn ordinary situations into something interesting that people will want to read about. Make the reader want to continue reading by writing about ordinary things in a new and surprising way.
Get your facts right
It’s no good giving a description of a town or explaining how a jet engine works if you get it wrong. So avoid writing anything unless you’re certain about it.
Hold the reader’s attention
Make the beginning interesting and the ending a surprise. There is nothing worse than a poor ending. Develop the story carefully and try to think of something unusual happening at the end.
Think about the characters
Try to bring the people in your story alive for the reader by using well-chosen words to make them seem real.
Your story must be your own work, between 2,000 and 2,5000 words and typed, double-spaced, on one side only of each sheet of paper.
Even if you’re in danger of missing the closing date, we are unable to accept stories by fax or email. You must include the application form with your story. Unfortunately your story cannot be returned, nor can we discuss our decisions.
You should not have had any fiction printed in any magazine or book in this country ---- a change in the rules by popular request ---- and the story must not have happened in print or in recorded form, for example on radio or TV, anywhere in the world.
Your fee of ￡5 will go to the Writers’ Association. Make your cheque payable to Keep Writing and send it with the application form and your story to:
Keep Writing
75 Broad Street Birmingham
B12 4TG
The closing date is 30 July and we will inform the winner within one month of this date. Please note that if you win, you must agree to have your story printed in our magazine.How should writers deal with ordinary situations while writing?
| A．They should make them appealing to readers. |
| B．They should copy others’ ideas. |
| C．They should change some facts to make them interesting. |
| D．They should describe them as they are. |
What shouldn’t a writer do?
| A．Making the contents interesting. |
| B．Getting the facts right. |
| C．Meeting the deadline. |
| D．Making the end ordinary. |
Writers should present their works in the following ways except that ____________.
| A．they should write originally |
| B．they can type their stories as they like |
| C．they should follow some rules |
| D．they should hand in their stories in time |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．Late stories can be faxed if necessary. |
| B．Entry needs no fee. |
| C．Winners can have their stories printed in other magazines. |
| D．All stories should be presented by mail |