WASHINGTON, Sept. 6 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Barack Obama on Monday announced a new
plan to renew and expand the nation's roads, railways and runways, in a bid (努力) to restart the sluggish economy and to help create jobs.
Obama announced the billion-dollar infrastructure(基础设施) spending program at an event in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, marking the Labor Day holiday in the United States.
The proposal calls for investments over six years, including rebuilding and modernizing 150,000 miles (241,350 kilometers) of roads, 4,000 miles (6,430 kilometers) of railways and 150 miles ( 241 kilometers) of runways.
"It sets up an Infrastructure Bank to leverage(杠杆；利用) federal dollars and focus on the smartest investment. All of this will not only create jobs now, but will make our economy run better over the long haul," Obama said.
"This is a plan that will be fully paid for and will not add to the deficit over time," said Obama.
The U.S. unemployment rate rose to 9.6 percent in August, reflecting business reluctance to hire among uncertain economic prospects, the U.S. Labor Department reported on Friday.
The president admitted that new jobs "have not been coming fast enough" in the United States.
"These years would be some of the most difficult in our history. The problems facing working families are nothing new, but they are more serious than ever. And that makes our cause more urgent than ever," he added.What does the underlined word “sluggish” probably mean?
| A．繁荣的 | B．崩溃的 | C．疲软的 | D．行动迅速的 |
What’s the main idea of this passage?
| A．The US president launched a new program aiming at improving the nation’s infrastructure. |
| B．The US unemployment rate rose according to the Labor Department. |
| C．These years will be the most difficult in the American history. |
| D．More roads, railways and runways will be rebuilt and modernized. |
Which of the following will be changed most in length?
| A．Roads. | B．Railways. | C．Runways. | D．Highways. |
The black and white bird came ashore on a beach in the south of the North Island nearly 4,000 miles away from its usual habitat. The creature’s astonishing journey was witnessed by a woman walking her dog as the two-foot bird waddled out of the water in front of her. She said, “It was out of this world to see it. It was this glistening white thing standing up on the sand and I thought I was seeing things.” The tale of the lost penguin is similar to the 2006 children’s film Happy Feet, in which a young penguin finds himself far from home during a voyage of discovery.
Conservationists believe it has completed an incredible journey for such a young bird — it is estimated to be around 10 months old. The most likely explanation for its appearance in New Zealand is the hunt for food. Experts said it may also have rested on an ice floe (浮冰) during its travels and was carried north for a great distance before it made a swim for dry land. Colin Miskelly, a curator of New Zealand Museum, said, “They can spend months at a time in the ocean and come ashore only to moult (脱毛,换毛)or rest.” Mr. Miskelly said the brave bird would have to find its way back south soon if it was going to survive. He said, “It is probably hot and thirsty and has been eating wet sand.” “It doesn’t realize that the sand isn’t going to melt inside it because they typically eat snow — their only liquid.”
New Zealand residents have been warned to give the bird a wide berth — it can inflict (予以) painful bites if threatened.Which of the following is True of Paragraph 1?
| A．A young penguin found himself far from home during a voyage of moulting. |
| B．A creature’s astonishing journey was incredible in the north of the North Island. |
| C．A woman witnessed a 2 feet bird waddled in the children’s film while walking her dog. |
| D．A penguin came ashore on a beach thousands of miles away from its habitate. |
Conservationists tend to explain that____________.
| A．the young bird has completed a pleasant journey of 4,000 thousand miles |
| B．the young bird’s appearance in New Zealand is due to its hunt for food and delay of returning |
| C．the young bird comes ashore in New Zealand only to moult or rest during its voyage |
| D．the young bird is certain to be over 10 months old when it appears on a beach |
What do we know about the penguin according to Mr. Miskelly?
| A．The penguin could spend months at a time in the ocean and came ashore only to have young ones. |
| B．The young bird might have slept on an ice floe and could not swim for dry land. |
| C．The young penguin didn’t realize the sand wasn’t going to melt inside it like snow it eats. |
| D．The brave bird would have to find its way back north soon if it was going to survive. |
What does the underlined part mean in the last sentence?
| A．The residents should keep well away from it when they want to watch the young penguin. |
| B．Some people do not realize the danger of the young bird and they are expected to touch it. |
| C．New Zealand residents want to keep the young bird but it wants to leave the shore. |
| D．If the local people threatened the young bird, it would do harm to other birds nearby. . |
“A thousand-mile journey begins with a single step,” as the saying goes. However, 36 it doesn’t tell us is that once the journey is started, it might be hard to stop.
That’s the 37 for Tang Renli, a senior at Nanjing University of Technology, who has backpacked to more than 200 cities in China during four years of college. To 38 his experiences, Tang has hosted a photo exhibition Play Hooky, Go Travel at the Beijing 798 Art Zone. On __39_ are over 300 photos of his travels. The 22-year-old never 40 going to so many places when he 41 his first trip to Yangzhou during the Tomb Sweeping Day holiday in his freshman year. _42 he was hooked on travel. You may 43 how Tang could find the time, being a full-time college student. Did he really skip classes to go travel, like the 44 of his exhibition suggests? “I gave myself one to two weeks every month for travel. But I always took care of my class and 45__ first,” Tang said. Tang, who is a city planning major, has never ___46_ a compulsory course at college.
“I spent more time and effort on my study, 47 during the finals’ weeks,” Tang said. Schoolwork was not the only 48 Tang had to face. His travel budget was 49 so Tang had to 50 what he had. He usually took the cheapest form of transport and stayed at youth hostels ___51 less than 50 yuan per night. There were also times when he walked, hitchhiked, and slept in train stations, police offices and vans.
“Sometimes I felt 52 , helpless and even found myself in _53 ,” Tang said. “But now that I look back, these setbacks _54 my journey, and my life. Don’t think too much about the ___55 because you’ll cross that bridge when you get to it. And once you take your first step, the feeling is amazing and addictive.”
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MySpace, the social networking website, is different from other websites which only provide stories about other people. MySpace is a place that allows you to broadcast your own stories and personal information to as many people as you like. Started two years ago, it is a big source of information for and about American kids.
Teenagers and their parents feel very differently about it. Teens are rushing to join the site, not sharing their parents' worries. It signals yet another generation gap in the digital era.（数字时代）
For teenagers, it is reliable network to keep in touch with their friends. They will often list their surnames, birthdays, afterschool jobs, school clubs, hobbies and other personal information.
“MySpace is an easy way to reach just about everyone. I don't have all the phone numbers of all my acquaintances （熟人）. But if I want to get in touch with one of them, I could just leave them a message on MySpace.” said Abby Van Wassen. She is a sixteen year old student at Woodland Hills High of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Parents on the other hand are seriously concerned about the security problems of MySpace.
“Every time we hold a parents meeting, the first question is always about MySpace，” said Kent Gates, who travels the country doing Internet safety seminars (研讨会)．The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children has received at least 288 MySpace related complaints, according to Mary Beth Buchanan, a lawyer in Pittsburgh.
“Your profile on MySpace shows all your personal information to anyone on the Web. And MySpace even lists this information by birthplace and age. It's like a free checklist（清单）for troublemakers and it endangers children，” Buchanan said.From the passage we can learn that MySpace ________.
| A．brings about the generation gap |
| B．is very careful about people's privacy |
| C．encourages you to list your personal information |
| D．lists the telephone numbers of your friends |
Why are some parents against MySpace?
| A．Because MySpace has a bad influence on their children. |
| B．Because they don't want to pay so much money for MySpace. |
| C．Because it takes up too much of their children's spare time. |
| D．Because troublemakers can easily approach their children through the site. |
The writer's attitude towards MySpace is ________.
| A．negative | B．positive | C．optimistic | D．objective |
Which of the following can be the best title of the passage?
| A．Internet safety | B．MySpace | C．Generation gap | D．The digital era |
It was June 15, and in two days I would be turning thirty. I was not sure about entering a new decade of my life and feared that my best years were now behind me.
My daily routine included going to the gym for a workout（ 锻炼） before going to work. Every morning I would see my friend Nicholas at the gym. He was seventy nine years old and in terrific shape. As I greeted Nicholas on that particular day, he noticed I wasn't full of my usual vitality（活力）and asked if there was anything wrong. I told him I was feeling anxious about turning thirty. I wondered how I would look back on（ 回顾）my life once I reached Nicholas's age, so I asked him, “What was the best time of your life？”
Without hesitation, Nicholas replied, “Well, Joe, this is my philosophical（哲理的）answer to your philosophical question：
When I was a child in Austria and everything was taken care of for me and I was nurtured by my parents, that was the best time of my life.
When I was going to school and learning the things I know today, that was the best time of my life.
When I got my first job and had responsibilities and got paid for my efforts, that was the best time of my life.
When I met my wife and fell in love, that was the best time of my life.
The Second World War came, and my wife and I had to flee Austria to save our lives. When we were together and safe on a ship bound for（开往）North America, that was the best time of my life.
When we came to Canada and started a family, that was the best time of my life.
When I was a young father, watching my children grow up, that was the best time of my life.”
“And now, Joe, I am seventy nine years old. I have my health, I feel good and I am in love with my wife just as I was when we first met. This is the best time of my life.”When was the writer's birthday?
| A．June 13 | B．June 15 | C．June 17 | D．June 19 |
Why was the writer anxious?
| A．He wasn't full of his usual vitality. |
| B．He didn't see his old friend Nicholas. |
| C．He was feeling anxious about turning thirty. |
| D．He didn't like his friend's answer about the best time. |
What does the underlined word “ nurtured ” mean?
| A．brought up | B．developed | C．trained | D．encouraged |
After an earthquake or any similar disaster, parents and teachers need to help children overcome the effects of this frightening and sometimes devastating （ 毁灭性的） experience. Psychologists （心理学家）say that if children go through a disturbing event before the age of ten, they are three times as likely to suffer psychological problems as teenagers. After a disaster children may become easily upset, shy, aggressive , or afraid of wind, rain, noises, or darkness. They may have trouble letting go of their parents and resist going to school or daycare. Some children may even feel guilty thinking that they somehow caused the disaster through their bad behavior. Because of such common reactions, parents and others should begin as soon after the event as possible helping these children.
Some suggestions include talking to the children about what happened, letting the children express their own feelings, spending extra time with them doing activities together and reassuring （使放心）them that you love them and won't leave them. For some children expressing themselves through drawing pictures or writing can be useful. Do everything possible to help children get back to a normal routine; however, don't be afraid to "spoil" these children for a while after the disaster. Let them have extra privileges （特权）and more attention than usual. Encourage the children to grieve （悲痛）after a loss. It should be OK for them to cry. Caring families and friends can do much to heal children victims of disasters.This passage is mainly about_______.
| A．how to help traumatized（心理受到创伤的）children to get over |
| B．the bad effects disasters bring to children |
| C．the psychological problems children before ten are likely to suffer |
| D．the importance of caring families |
According to the passage, a child who has just experienced a devastating disaster may become______.
| A．more mature | B．less dependent | C．willing to help | D．ready to attack |
Which is NOT advisable when dealing with the traumatized children?
| A．Allowing them freedom for some time. |
| B．Asking them to hold their feelings. |
| C．Encouraging them to show their grief. |
| D．Talking them into taking care of others. |