Winston Churchill once described Russia as “a riddle wrapped in a mystery(谜) inside a puzzle”. Observers of Russia in the 21st century could surely say the same of the country’s president, Vladimir Putin.
Born in Leningrad, six months before the death of Stalin, the young Putin experienced a poverty-stricken childhood but received a good education. He developed lifelong interests in judo and spy novels, and first applied to the KGB(苏联国家安全委员会) at the age of 17. When they told him to go away and come back with a degree, he completed with an efficiency(效率) that would later serve him well.
Putin used his KGB training, plus his own discipline and common sense, in a series of jobs. He became acting President on 31 December 1999, when president Boris Yeltsin resigned in a surprising move. Putin won the 2000 presidential election and in 2004 he was re-elected for a second term lasting until 7 May 2008.
Due to term limits, Putin was unable to run for a third presidential term. After the victory of Dmitry Medvedev, in the 2008 presidential elections, he was appointed to be Russia’s Prime Minister.
Putin is regarded as one bringing political stability and re-establishing the rule of law. During his presidency, Russia’s economy(经济) bounced back, seeing GDP increase by 72%, poverty cut more than half, and average monthly salaries increase from $80 to $640. Analysts have described Putin's economic reforms as impressive. At the same time, his conduct in office has been questioned by political opposition at home, foreign governments, and human rights organizations for leading the Second Chechen War, and for his record on human rights and freedoms.
Whether he wants to drive Russia into a new stage, or believes in the values of its Soviet past, he is determined to put his nation back on its feet. To do this, Vladimir Putin may have to show his true colors sooner rather than later.
What would be the best title for the text?
A.The Mysterious President of Russia |
B.Russia’s High-growth Economy |
C.Russia’s Far Past and Near Future |
D.The Political Situation in Russia |
Which of the following helps Putin’s success in presidential election?
A.His family background. | B.His belief in Soviet. |
C.His efficiency in jobs. | D.His love for freedom. |
What happened in Russia during Putin’s presidency?
A.The number of the poor reduced to 50%. |
B.Every Russian enjoyed equal rights. |
C.Russia’s economy picked up rapidly. |
D.Russian people lived a peaceful life. |
What c
an we learn about Putin from the text?
A.He gains respect of foreign governments. |
B.He always fought for human rights. |
C.He ran for president a third time. |
D.He is a politician of great achievements. |
Major Cities Take Steps to Protect Water Resources
Faced with the threat of water shortages, Beijing and Shanghai will take effective measures to save water and protect water resources.
Beijing will stick more strictly to water-saving policies through the readjustment of industrial structures. Beijing is expected to be short of 1.185 billion cubic meters of water by 2020. Beijing will shut down factories with high water consumption and pollution including electric power, steel and paper manufacturing equipments. Advanced water-saving technology will be introduced to new industrial projects in the capital city.
Grain-growing areas will be reduced to save ground water and more trees will be planted. Animal breeding and other “highly efficient” agriculture with modern water-saving irrigation methods will be developed.
It is said that water used in agriculture will drop to 35 percent of the city’s water consumption in 2010 from 43 percent in 1998, and the figure will continue to drop to 28-30 percent in 2020. Beijing will increase the speed of renovation of its urban water supply equipments. It’s reported that more than 15 percent of water is lost during distribution(分发). Water-saving equipment and efficient management can save Beijing more than 537 million cubic meters by 2010.
Shanghai still faces key problems connected with its water resources and environment. Since 1998, the city has invested nearly US$169 million to treat its rivers, especially Suzhou Creek. The city’s rivers have become noticeably clearer since putting it into action.
The government will provide a further US$24 million for the treatment of rivers and US$12 million to treat sewage(污物).
This year’s task is to improve the water quality at the three ports of Longhua, Yang-shupu and Hongkou. Another emphasis to raise the water system in Songjiang New Area with a project worth US$4.8 million. Efforts will be made to improve public awareness about the need to protect water resources.
53. How many measures has Beijing taken to save water and protect water resources?
A. three B. four C. five D. six
54.Grain-growing areas in Beijing will be reduced because _____.
A. grains can’t fetch a good price in China.
B. a lot of ground water will be saved by this area.
C. Beijing helps to develop advanced technology.
D. highly effective agriculture needs fewer farmland.
55. From the passage, we know Shanghai will invest _____ million dollars on the treatment of river and sewage.
A. 169 B. 36 C. 40.8 D. 201.7
56. The author wrote the passage to tell us _____.
A. Beijing and Shanghai are short of water
B. to save every drop of water in our daily life
C. big cities like Beijing and Shanghai are trying their best to protect water resources
D. water shortages have become one of the most important problems that China has to deal with
A car drew up outside the Swan Hotel and a young man got out.Pausing only for an instant to see that he had come to the right place,he went into the hotel and rang the bell on the counter of the bar.
Mrs.Crump,the landlady,who was busy in the kitchen at the time,hurried out,wiping her
hands.The young man raised his hat.“Excuse me,”he said.“I’m looking for my uncle,Mr.White.I believe he is staying here.”“He was staying here.”Mrs.Crump corrected him.“But I’m afraid that he went back to London yesterday.” “Oh,dear,”said the young man,looking disappointed.“I understood that he was going to stay here until the end of the month.At least that is what his servant told me when I rang up his house.” “Quite right,”said Mrs,Cramp.“He intended to stay here the whole of July,as he always does. But yesterday he got a telegram to say that his relative was ill.So he caught the train back to London immediately.” “I wish he had let me know,”The young man said.“I wrote him a letter saying that I was coming.I’ve had all this trouble for nothing.Well,since he isn’t here,there’s no point in waiting.”
He thanked Mrs.Grump and went out.Mrs.Grump went to the window and watched him
drive off.When his car was out of sight,she called out:“You can come out now,Mr.White.He’s gone.”
Mr.White came out of the kitchen,where he had been waiting.
“Many thanks,Mrs.Grump,”he said,laughing,“you did that very well.These nephews of mine never gave me any peace.That young man is the worst of them all.As you see,when he needs money,he even follows me into the country.Well,perhaps next time he won’t warn me by writing a letter!”
49.The young man said “Oh,dear” to express his. A.disappointment B.sadness C.surprise D.anger
50.This story is about a man.
A.who was very much loved by his nephews
B.whose nephew went to visit him at the hotel
C.whose nephew is always asking him for help
D.who was not willing to meet his nephew
51.When his nephew came to the hotel,Mr.White.
A.took the train back to London B.left to visit a sick relative
C.went to pick up a telegram D.hid himself in the kitchen
52.Mr.White didn’t like his nephews because.
A.they always follow him around B.they frequently disturb their relatives
C.they won’t write to him often D.they usually visit him in hotels
Events
Long March exhibit
The Shanghai History Museum is putting on an exhibition to mark the 60th anniversary of the Long March.On show are more than 220 photos and 40 items that explain with pictures how the communist Red Army drew back from its besieged(被围困的)bases in Jiangxi Province and fought its way to northern Shanxi province in the mid-1930s.Explanations are all in Chinese,The show will end on November 20.
Time: 10:00 am—4:00 pm.
Address: 1286 Hongqiao Road
Admission: 8 yuan for Chinese/15 yuan for foreigners
Thai elephants
Eight elephants from Thailand are entertaining visitors at Changfeng Park by riding bikes,
playing basketball,balancing on a beam,dancing and blowing a mouth-organ.People are encouraged to have a tug-of-war with the animals or lie on the ground and have the elephants walk over them,The elephants give three shows a day at 9:30 am,3:30 pm and 8:00 pm and there is an additional show at l:30 pm at weekends.The show will end on November 15。
Address: 189 Daduhe Road
Admission: 30—40 yuan
Dancing dolphins
Dolphins jumping from the water to touch a ball,swaying their bodies to music,kissing people and doing maths by tapping their tails have made the dolphinarium in Peace Park an attraction for children.Seals and sea lions also perform。
Hours: 10:30 am,4:00pm,and 7:30prn
Admission: 20 yuan for adults and 10 yuan for children.
45.If you go to visit the Long March exhibit with an Australian,how much will you pay altogether for the admission?
A.16yuan B.23 yuan C.30yuan D.20yuan
46.At the exhibition,you will see
A.many articles written by famous writers
B.many things left by the Red Army,
C.books on the Long March
D.many photos and pictures about the Long Match
47.Which of the following is NOT done by the Thai elephants?
A.Riding bicycles。 B.Blowing a mouth-organ
C.Doing maths D.Having a tug-of-war with people.
48.The dolphinarium in Peace Park is a hall where you can see
A.not only dolphins but also seals and sea lions perform
B.only seals and sea lions perform
C.only dolphins perform
D.only seals perform
Margaret, married with two small children, has been working for the last seven years as a night cleaner, cleaning offices in a big building.
She trained as a nurse, but had to give it up when her elder child became seriously ill. “I would have liked to go back to it, but the shifts(工作班次) are all wrong for me, as I have to be home to get the children up and off to school.”
So she works as a cleaner instead, from 9 p.m. till 6 a.m. five nights a week for just £90, before tax and insurance. “It’s better than it was last year, but I still think that people who work ‘unsocial hours’ should get a bit extra.”
The hours she’s chosen to work meant that she sees plenty of the children, but very little of her husband. However, she doesn’t think that puts any pressure on their relationship.
Her work isn’t physically very hard, but it’s not exactly pleasant, either. “I do get angry with people who leave their offices like a place for raising pigs. If they realized people like me have to do it, perhaps they’d be a bit more careful.”
The fact that she’s working all night doesn’t worry Margaret at all. Unlike some dark buildings at night, the building where she works is fully lit, and the women work in groups of three. “Since I’ve got to be here, I try to enjoy myself——and I usually do, because of the other girls. We all have a good laugh, so the time never drags.”
Another challenge Margaret has to face is the reaction of other people when she tells them what she does for a living. “They think you’re a cleaner because you don’t know how to read and write,” said Margaret. “I used to think what my parents would say if they knew what I’d been doing, but I don’t think that way any more. I don’t dislike the work though I can’t say I’m mad about it.”
41. Margaret quit her job as a nurse because _______
A. she wanted to earn more money to support her family
B. she had suffered a lot of mental pressure
C. she needed the right time to look after her children
D. she felt tired of taking care of patients
42. Margaret gets angry with people who work in the office because _______.
A. they never clean their offices B. they look down upon cleaners
C. they never do their work carefully D. they always make a mess in their offices
43. When at work, Margaret feels _______.
A. light-hearted because of her fellow workers B. happy because the building is fully lit
C. tired because of the heavy workload D. bored because time passed slowly
44. The underlined part in the last paragraph implies that Margaret’s parents would _______.
A. help care for her children B. regret what they had said
C. show sympathy for her D. feel disappointed in her
The young boy saw me, or rather, he saw the car and quickly ran up to me, eager to sell his bunches (串) of bananas and bags of peanuts. Though he appeared to be about twelve, he seemed to have already known the bitterness of life. "Banana 300 naira. Peanuts 200 naira"
He said in a low voice. I bargained him down to 200 total for the fruit and nuts. When he agreed, I handed him a 500 naira bill He didn't have change, so I told him not to worry.
He .said thanks and smiled a row of perfect teeth.
When, two weeks later, I saw the boy again, I was more aware of my position in a society where it's not that uncommon to see a little boy who should be in school standing on the corner selling fruit in the burning sun. My parents had raised me to be aware of the advantage we had been afforded and the responsibility it brought to us.
I pulled over and rolled down my window. He had a bunch of bananas and a bag of peanuts ready. I waved them away. “What's up”. I asked him. “I...I don't have money to buy books for school.” I reached into my pocket and handed him two fresh 500 naira bills.
"Will this help?” I asked. He looked around nervously before taking the money. One thousand naira was a lot of money to someone whose family probably made about 5,000 naira or less each year. "Thank you, sir," he said. 'Thank you very much.”
When driving home, I wondered if my little friend actually used the money for school-books. What if he's a cheat (骗子)? And then I wondered why I did it. Did I do it to make myself feel better? Was I using him? Later, I realized that I didn't know his name or the least bit about him, nor did I think to ask.
Over the next six months, I was busy working in a news agency in northern Nigeria. Sometime after I returned, I went out for a drive When I was about to pull over, the boy suddenly appeared by my window with a big smile ready on his face
" Long time."
"Are you in school now?” I asked.
He nodded.
"That's good," I said. A silence fell as we looked at each other, and then I realized what he wanted. "Here," I held out a 500 naira bill. "Take this.” He shook his head and stepped back as if hurt. "What's wrong?” I asked. "It's a gift"
He shook his head again and brought his hand from behind his back. His face shine with sweat (汗水)。 He dropped a bunch of bananas and a bag of peanuts in the front seat before he said, "I've been waiting to give these to you."What was the author's first impression of the boy?
A.He seemed to be poor and greedy. |
B.He seemed to have suffered a lot |
C.He seemed younger than his age. |
D.He seemed good at bargaining |
The second time the author met the boy, the boy________.
A.told him his purpose of selling fruit and nuts |
B.wanted to express his thanks |
C.asked him for money for his schoolbooks |
D.tried to take advantage of him |
Why did the author give his money to the boy?
A.Because he had enough money to do that. |
B.Because he had learnt to help others since childhood. |
C.Because he held a higher position in the society. |
D.Because he had been asked by the news agency to do so. |
Which of the following best describes the boy?
A.Brave and polite. |
B.Kind and smart |
C.Honest and thankful. |
D.Shy and nervous. |