Although the US is so big and its people have so many different racial backgrounds, it is in some ways less varied than Europe．The English language is used almost everywhere in its American form．The American way of speaking has developed independently of English and is on the whole closer to what can be heard in Ireland.
Another example of uniformity(一致)is in habits and ways of living．From Boston to Los Angeles it is as far as from France to Central Asia, and from east to west there are five time zones; but everywhere people get up and go to bed at about the same time, eat the same kind of food, buy in the same kind of shops, work and rest at the same time of the day and have the same pattern of holidays．In most of the things that matter there is less difference between rich people and ordinary people or between town and country, than in any single European nation.
Although far more food is produced than the present population needs, America is actually an urban society．Less than a tenth of the people are engaged in (从事) agriculture and most of the rest live in or around towns large and small．Here the traditional picture is changing; most Americans do not live in small towns any more．Half the population now live in some thirty metropolitan (大城市的) areas.
The fact that the United States has always been a single economic unit has contributed to uniformity．Modern industry favors large organization, and it is no accident that the world’s biggest commercial firms are American．The people can choose between the products of competing manufacturers (制造商) but the products are all much alike.In describing the uniformity in the U.S．the author does not mention that the American people .
| A．get up and go to work at the same time |
| B．spend their holidays in the same pattern |
| C．buy and eat the same kind of food |
| D．have more or less the same income |
What can we learn from the passage about the U.S．agriculture?
| A．The American farmers need more land. |
| B．Americans are interested in farming. |
| C．It is now going backward. |
| D．It is quite developed. |
The last paragraph suggests that ___ .
| A．the production size in the United States is very big |
| B．a single economic unit produces the same kind of products |
| C．there are more and more competing manufactures |
| D．people can choose from all kinds of products that are similar. |
The underlined part “In most of the things that matter” probably refers to .
| A．in most basic things such as food, clothing and houses |
| B．in the more expensive things such as cars, TV sets, etc |
| C．in their land, housing and bank savings |
| D．in their wealth and income |
Picasso, the famous Spanish painter, was born in 1881. His father was an art teacher. Picasso began to paint very early. He was admitted to the Royal Academy of Art at the age of 15. After 1900, he spent much time in Paris, living there from 1904 to 1947, when he moved to the south of France.
Throughout his career, Picasso moved from style to style with ease. He practiced sculpture, illustrated books and also showed great interest in pottery design and other fields of art.
Picasso produced a great number of drawings during his lifetime. No later artist of the School of Paris has replaced him in international influence.
Picasso is generally considered to be the foremost figure in 20th century French art. His paintings are now exhibited in leading European and American galleries.The main idea of the passage is _____.
| A．Picasso is considered to be the foremost figure in the 20th century French art |
| B．Picasso is a famous Spanish painter |
| C．Picasso spent much time in Pairs, living there from 1904 to 1970 |
| D．Picasso’s life and art |
According to the writer, Picasso was _____.
| A．more important than any other French artist in international influence |
| B．more important than any other Spanish artist in international influence |
| C．the most important figure in Spain |
| D．the most important figure in France |
Picasso moved from style to style with ease. It means _____.
| A．he did not like only one style |
| B．he changed his style without difficulty |
| C．he not only liked sculpture, but also pottery design |
| D．he showed great interest in other fields of art |
It is not only experts in China who are arguing over whether women should work after marriage or not. Worldwide this question is being discussed as an interestingly large number of married women enter the workplace. Take the United States for example. Since 1960, the percentage of married women in the work force has jumped from 31.9 per cent to 59.4 per cent.
American women first moved into the paid labour force during the World War II, when men left their jobs to fight. In the last fifty years, more and more women have worked outside the home. And over these years of developing, Americans have changed their social values as a result. In 1975, women aged 35 and above made up half of all working women. And by 1980, 60 per cent were women at the age of 45 and above.
Now in Japan, women’s work group is M-shaped with middle-aged women and those aged 20-25 at the two peaks. According to statistics(统计)， 37.7 per cent of Japanese women at childbearing age(25-29) still engaged themselves in work in 1980. and the number reached 50 per cent the next year.
Being a housewife has always been regarded as a “graceful occupation” in Japan. Some young Japanese women believe it is good to be a “ professional housewife”. However, old attitudes have been changing everywhere, and sometimes just out of economic necessary. In recent years, a great number of city housewives have poured out of homes to take part time jobs. Even the UN has given its support.. The 34th Congress of the United Nations in 1979 put forward the decision for formal agreement on the getting rid of discrimination(歧视) against women.
So far, most UN members have agreed on it, but some still haven’t, including the United States.From the first passage, we can learn that ________________.
| A．experts encourage women to take paying jobs. |
| B．men encourage women to take paying jobs |
| C．government encourage women to take paying jobs. |
| D．more and more people begin to care about women’s life |
In the United States _________________.
| A．married women are lazier than their husbands. |
| B．Husbands are lazier than their wives |
| C．Few married women used to work outside |
| D．More married women used to work outside |
Married women in Japan________________.
A, all work outside their homes
B. seldom work outside their homes
C. have different opinions on their working outside
D. all do housework at their homesMore and more women have taken jobs outside for the reason that ____________.
| A．they have no children to take care of |
| B．they have no housework to do |
| C．they want to make more friends |
| D．they want to improve their living conditions |
“Get out of the plane!” Justin shouted. Teddy and he dropped to the ground,….
When Kathy and Victor reached the edge of the grassland, flames(火焰)were shooting more than five meters into the air.
Kathy couldn’t believe what she was seeing. One glance told her they needed medical attention immediately. She questioned Justin, “ Is there anyone in the plane?”
“No,” he said.
“Where are you able to radio for help?”
“There was no time.”
“ I’m a distance runner.” Kathy said, “I’ll go for help.” Looking at the seriously injured men, she said, “It may take me several hours to get out.” She started out.
When she was 23, Kathy set a women’s-course record in a Marathon. She had run 42 kilometers. But now she was running the race of her life. She had nearly 30 kilometers of hard wilderness to cover to get help.
Kathy had been running for two hours. This was far back into the wilderness. The trail(小径) grew unclear. She stopped to take a quick compass(指南针) reading. She had run for more than 20 kilometers. Her heart fell, her muscle(肌肉) aching. Finally she saw her car in the distance.
She jumped into the car and sped away. She reached a holiday house and called the police.
During the wait she walked around, relaxing her legs and drinking water. It took almost two hours for a helicopter to reach her. They needed her for one more task.“Now, she was running the race of her life” means that ________________.
| A．she would set up a new record |
| B．she was running for the lives of others |
| C．she would run a race without others |
| D．she couldn’t rely on Victor this time |
Why did Kathy stopped to have a look at her compass? Because ______________.
| A． she didn’t trust her memory | B．she had lost her way |
| C． The trail grew vague | D．Of the wilderness |
Why did she walk around, relax her legs and drink water? Because ______________.
| A．She was too tired |
| B．she felt thirsty |
| C．she wanted to regain lost energy |
| D．nothing else could be done then |
What do you think of her final task was?
| A．Giving the injured food and drinks. |
| B．Taking them to the nearest hospital. |
| C．To show the police where the injured was. |
| D．To go back to put out the big fire. |
Today, Friday, December 14
JAZZ with the Mike Thomas Jazz Band at The Derby Arms. Upper Richmond Road West, Sheen.
DISCO Satin Sounds Disco. Free at The Lord Napier, Mort lake High St., from 8 am. to 8 pm. Tel: 682-158.
Saturday, December 15
JAZZ Lysis at The Bull's Head, Barnes. Admission 60p.
MUSICAL HALL at The Star and Garter, Lower Richmond Road, Putney, provided by the Aba Daba Music Hall company. Good food and entertainment fair price. Tel: 789-749.
FAMILY night out? Join the sing-along at The Black Horse. Sheen Road, Richmond.
JAZZ The John Bennett Big Band at The Bull's Head, Barnes. Admission 80p.
THE DERBY ARMS, Upper Richmond Road West, give you Joe on the electric accordion(手风琴). Tel: 789-536
Sunday, December 16
DISCO Satin Sounds Disco, free at The Lord Napier, Mort Lake High Street, from 8 am to 8 pm.
FOLK MUSIC at The Derby Arms. The Short Stuff and residents the Norman Chop Trio. Non-remembers 70p. Tel: 688-626.
HEAVY MUSIC with Tony Simon at The Bull, Upper Richmond Road West, East Sheen.
THE DERBY ARMS, Upper Richmond Road West, give you Joe on the electric accordion.Where and when can you hear the Norman Chop Trio?
| A．At the Derby Arms on Sunday. |
| B．At the Bull's Head on Sunday. |
| C．At the Bull on Saturday. |
| D．At the Black Horse on Saturday. |
Where and when can you hear the Mike Thomas Jazz Band?
| A．At the Black Horse on Friday. |
| B．At the Derby Arms on Friday. |
| C．At the Star and Garter on Saturday. |
| D．At the Derby Arms on Sunday. |
Which telephone number do you have to ring if you want to enjoy the electric accordion on Saturday. ?
| A．789-749. | B．688-626. | C．682-158 | D．789-536 |
Where should you go if you want to spend the Saturday by joining the entertainment with your family.?
| A．Disco at The Lord Napier. |
| B．The sing-along at The Black Horse. |
| C．The electric accordion at The Derby Arms. |
| D．Jazz at The Bull's Head. |
Cities need to put efforts to deal with pollution and clear the air.
Chinese cities will need to put efforts to clear up the sky when a new department to improve regional air quality is set up by 2015，according to the latest plan released by the State Council.
Besides the existing pollution control program for CO2，regional emission caps(区域排放上限) for other certain chemicals will be established in the three key air polluting areas—the Yangtze River Delta，Pearl River Delta and the Beijing-Tianjin- Hebei region. Coal-consumption caps will also be tried out in some areas，according to the plan.
The plan is aimed at dealing with regional air pollution—such as acid rain and smog—which have become increasingly obvious in China in recent years and caused a severe threat to people’s health，Zhang Lijun，viceminister of environmental protection，said in an interview on Monday.
The air quality in a city affects the areas nearby because pollutants can travel in the sky，said Chai Fahe，vice-director of Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences.
“So efforts to reduce air pollution in a single city，targeting a certain pollutant(污染物) will not be enough，” Chai said.
Zhang said the country’s major industrial districts—the Yangtze River Delta，Pearl River Delta and the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region—have recorded more than 100 misty days annually in recent years.
These three regions，home to at least 200 million people，occupy only 6.3 percent of the country’s area but consume 40 percent of the country’s coal and produce half of its steel，according to official figures.
Studies also show that the visibility(能见度) in eastern regions of China has dropped by 7 to 15 km compared to that in the early 1960s，as a result of air pollution.
Liaoning province，the Shandong Peninsula，Wuhan in Hubei province and its surrounding area，the Changsha-Zhuzhou-Xiangtan region in Hunan province，the Chengdu-Chongqing region，and the western coast of the Taiwan Straits are also listed as areas to carry out such regional air pollution control programs，according to the plan.
The new plan also requires an improved air quality system，which will measure the pollution levels. “The current system，which only measures some major pollutants，cannot reflect the_truepicture.” said Chai.It will not be enough to reduce air pollution in a single city because ________.
| A．air pollution has been becoming more and more serious in recent years |
| B．air pollution like acid rain and smog is threatening people’s health |
| C．air pollutants in a city can travel in the sky and affect nearby areas |
| D．air pollutants stay in fixed places over the cities |
Suppose the visibility in eastern regions of China was 130 km in the early 1960s，the visibility there nowadays is ________.
| A．123 to 115 km | B．137 to 145 km |
| C．123 to 145 km | D．115 to 137 km |
The main purpose of the passage is ________.
| A．to inform readers of the damage caused by air pollution |
| B．to introduce the new plan to control air pollution |
| C．to provide official figures of air pollution levels |
| D．to point out the regions affected by air pollution |
What does the underlined phrase “the true picture” in the last paragraph mean?
| A．The major pollutants. |
| B．The key polluted areas. |
| C．The major polluted cities. |
| D．The pollution levels. |