In his 1930 essay "Economic Possibilities for Our Grandchildren ", John Keynes, a famous economist, wrote that human needs fall into two classes: absolute needs ,which are independent of what others have , and relative needs ,which make us feel superior to our fellows. He thought that although relative needs may indeed be insatiable (无止境的) , this is not true of absolute needs.
Keynes was surely correct that only a small part of total spending is decided by the desire for superiority. He was greatly mistaken, however, in seeing this desire as the only source of insatiable demands.
Decisions to spend are also driven by ideas of quality which can influence the demands for almost all goods, including even basic goods like food. When a couple goes out for an anniversary dinner, for example, the thought of feeling superior to others probably never comes to them. Their goal is to share a special meal that stands out from other meals.
There are no obvious limits to the escalation of demand for quality. For example, Porsche, a famous car producer, has a model which was considered perhaps the best sport car on the market Priced at over $120,000, it handles perfectly well and has great speed acceleration. But in 2004, the producer introduced some changes which made the model slightly better in handling and acceleration. People who really care about cars find these small improvements exciting. To get them, however, they must pay almost four times the price.
By placing the desire to be superior to others at the heart of his description of insatiable demands, Keynes actually reduced such demands. However, the desire for higher quality has no natural limits.
According to the passage, John Keynes believed that
What do we know about the couple in Paragraph 3?
What does the underlined word "escalation" in Paragraph 4 probably mean?
The author of the passage argues that
There is only one winner and in this case it is Gina Rinehart who has won it all. In her own words, "beauty is an iron mine", Gina suggested her recipe for glory and fame. She has been announced as the richest woman of the world by BRW (formerly Business Review Weekly) in May 2012. Let's read more about her life and journey to the top.
Georgina "Gina" Hope Rinehart was born on 9th February, 1954 in Perth, Western Australia, to Hope Margaret Nicholas and Lang Hancock, the mining king. Her father discovered one of the world's biggest reserves in the early 1950s. Gina gained lots of knowledge of the iron-ore industry while working with her father. She married an Englishman Greg Milton, at the age of 19 and together they had two children, John Langley and Bianca Hope. Soon the marriage broke off and she remarried in 1983. Frank Rinehart and Gina had two children: Ginia and Hope. Frank died in 1990. Since then, Gina has devoted herself to her work and empire.
She was the sole heir (唯一继承人) of her family's wealth. Then after her father died in 1992, she started her professional career as the Executive Chairman of Hancock Prospecting Pty Limited (HPPL) and other privately owned group of companies. At that time, the company centered its functioning to mining-related explorations and accumulation of vast mining leases (租约). From there, Rinehart worked her way towards transforming the leases into profit earning mines. She also worked together with other companies to raise capital. Her efforts made the business increase three times in 2011 as much as before.
At home, Rinehart was working to expand the family business, but she did not satisfy herself with it. In 2010, she stepped into the media industry by acquiring 10% stake (股份) in Ten Network Holdings. Afterwards, she went on to hold stake in Fairfax Media, proving that mining is not her only interest. In June 2012, by increasing her stake in Fairfax to 18.67%, she became the largest stakeholder in the company. With this, she now stands at the head of $US 29.3 billion worth of an empire. Two new projects related to the mining sector in Central Queensland and Roy Hill are expected to begin in 2013.
Gina Rinehart has made her way from being Australia's Richest Woman to Australia's Richest Person and then to World's Richest Woman.According to Gina Rinehart, what makes her successful and famous?
| A．Her own beauty. | B．Her wealth. | C．Her family. | D．The iron-ore industry. |
What’s the main idea of the second paragraph?
| A．Gina Rinehart’s business career. | B．Gina Rinehart’s education. |
| C．Gina Rinehart’s life and family. | D．Gina Rinehart’s two marriages. |
How old was Gina Rinehart when she succeeded her father?
| A．She was 58 yeas old. | B．She was 62 years old. |
| C．She was 38 years old. | D．She was 36 years old. |
After being the Executive Chairman, Gina Rinehart made several reforms EXCEPT ______.
| A．stepping into the media industry |
| B．transforming the leases into profit earning mines |
| C．working together with other companies to raise capital |
| D．focusing on mining-related explorations and accumulation of vast mining leases |
Which of the following can best describe Gina Rinehart?
| A．Poorly-educated. | B．Stubborn. | C．Hardworking. | D．Modest. |
Researchers in the United States have developed the first wirelessly controlled device that can supply a drug directly into the body. A small chip is implanted (植入) under the skin. It contains the medicine, which it releases at preset times. The developers say the device could improve the lives of millions of people who take medicine for long-term illnesses. A company called Microchips began developing the device about fifteen years ago. Last month, the company released the results of its first successful tests in humans. The tests took place in Denmark with seven women with osteoporosis（骨质疏松症）.
Osteoporosis causes bones to become weak and break easily. The disorder is common among older people especially women. Many patients have to give themselves daily injection（注射）of medicine. One type of treatment requires injections for two years. The patients stop taking the medicine because of the pain and stress of the injections. As a result, only twenty-five percent of the patients will go through the entire twenty-four months of treatment.
The microchip is a few centimeters long. It has small sections and each section holds a single dose（单次剂量）of medicine. The device has to be programmed with the times to release the drug. Doctors will be able to reprogram the device from a computer or even a cell phone.
For osteoporosis, the physician will program the device, and the device has the ability to release a dose at a given time, every single day. For other diseases, where the physician may want to change the dosing schedule, they will have the ability to wirelessly reprogram that dosing schedule.
The seven women in the study were ages of sixty-five to seventy. The researchers say the implants were just as effective as daily injections. And they say the medicine amounts were more exact than patients often give themselves.The best title for the passage should be ______.
| A．A New Company Called Microchips |
| B．A New Way to Take Medicine Every Day |
| C．Good News for Women with Osteoporosis |
| D．Taking Medicine, with Microchip under Skin |
What does the underlined word “released” in paragraph 1 mean?
| A．Announced. | B．Planned. | C．Got rid of. | D．Caught hold of. |
We can learn from Paragraph 2 that ______.
| A．older people especially men easily develop steoporosis |
| B．bones’ becoming weak and breaking easily causes steoporosis |
| C．a quarter of the patients will go through the entire two years of treatment |
| D．pain and stress of the injections lead all patients to stop taking medicine |
What advantages does the microchip have?
a. effective implants
b. less exact medicine amounts
c. purposely—changed dosing schedule
d. only one centimeter long and having small sections
e. improving the lives of millions of people
| A．a, b, c | B．c, d, e | C．a, c, e | D．b, c, d |
In which column of a newspaper could we find this passage?
| A．Arts. | B．Jobs. | C．Sports. | D．Medicine. |
I remember the first time that I was extremely happy. I was about 8 years old when for the first time, there was a computer in the classroom. I remember that my teacher allowed each student to take turns playing various educational games on the computer. One day, I found the source code (密码) for one of these games. Without knowing or being taught any programming language, I was able to figure out some portions of the BASIC code.
Anyone who knows a bit of programming can tell you that I just give myself an infinite (无穷大) number of lives in the game, so I can continue playing forever. This was also my first introduction to algebra (代数), and I didn’t even know it at the time. This was a decisive (决定性的) moment in my life. For the first time that I can remember, I was quite happy because of what I was learning and what I was able to do. As a result, I became enthusiastic for the rest of my life about self-learning and computers, and I was quite happy doing them, too.
I’ve noticed that people who are truly content with life are enthusiastic in what they do. This enthusiasm, along with good health, is the key to being happy. It also leads to self-confidence and fulfillment in life, too. It may also lead to success, wealth, and achievements.
Yes, success, wealth, or achievements seem to bring some people happiness, too. Yet, I don’t think they can indeed make people happy. I know plenty of people who are successful and wealthy. However, I also know several of the people with successful businesses are not happy with what they are doing. I know people who continuously buy themselves new toys, cars, computers, and televisions, yet they never seem content for too long.
Please remember that happiness comes from enthusiasm, and happiness is the journey of life, not the destination.What did the writer’s teacher ask the students to do on the computer?
| A．To play various educational games. | B．To figure out the BASIC code. |
| C．To get the knowledge of algebra. | D．To read some latest news. |
The underlined word in Paragraph 1 probably can be replaced by ______.
| A．danger | B．parts | C．health | D．value |
According to the author, what can lead a person to be happy?
| A．Success and wealth |
| B．Education and self-confidence. |
| C．Knowledge and achievements |
| D．Enthusiasm and good health. |
The author uses his own experience of being happy in order to tell us ______.
| A．it’s very easy to learn the BASIC code |
| B．he has always been happy since his childhood |
| C．concentrating on what you love makes you happy |
| D．one can solve any problem in life by himself |
What’s the main idea of the last but one paragraph?
| A．Wealth cannot bring any people any happiness. |
| B．Rich people easily feel unhappy nowadays. |
| C．One will become unhappy once he gets what he wants. |
| D．Success, wealth, or achievements can’t indeed make people happy. |
Zhang Wenchi is a 19-year-old student of Hubei Xiangyang No.1 High School. He is very brave and always helps others in need.
On March 26, 2012, Zhang donated bone marrow (骨髓) at the Navy General Hospital of Beijing. He is the youngest and the first high school student to do it. Last April, Zhang became a blood donor on his 18th birthday. He also joined the China Marrow Donor Program that day. Six months later, his bone marrow was chosen as a match for a 4-year-old leukemia (白血病) patient from Fujian.
Zhang was studying for the National College Entrance Examination (NCEE) when the call from the Chinese Bone Marrow Donors came. He found out that the patient could not wait, or things might get worse. With the support of his family and school, Zhang arrived at the hospital in Beijing the very next day.
“Saving a life is more important than taking an exam, and having the chance to help cure a patient does not allow for more thought,” Zhang said.
The transplant operation (移植手术) was a success. After that, Zhang Wenchi was in good health and he came back to school soon. Zhang said then the most important task for him was the exam. He hoped that his dream of becoming a pilot could come true.
Now the NCEE has been over for more than a month, and what about Zhang Wenchi’s marks? To our great relief, it’s known that he has earned 540 points, which means he can be admitted into Beihang University (formerly Beijing University of Aeronautics & Astronautics). Therefore he can realize his dream of flying in the sky.
Zhang’s deed has earned him nationwide respect, and some have given him the nickname, “the most beautiful post-90s student”.Which of the following about Zhang Wenchi is right?
| A．He was born on March 26, 1993. |
| B．He donated bone marrow at a hospital in Xiangyang. |
| C．He is the first university student to donate bone marrow. |
| D．His bone marrow was chosen as a match for a patient from Fujian. |
From Zhang Wenchi’s words we know that ______.
| A．he is a little unreasonable |
| B．he is very active and outgoing |
| C．he is very kind and determined |
| D．he is always ready to quit exams |
What’s the main idea of the last but one paragraph?
| A．Zhang Wenchi’s points and our anxiety. |
| B．Zhang Wenchi’s points and his future education. |
| C．Zhang Wenchi is sure to fly in the sky tomorrow. |
| D．Beihang University has already decided to admit him. |
What’s the best title for the passage?
| A．Zhang Wenchi’s college dream |
| B．A 19-year-old student gave up exams |
| C．A 4-year-old leukemia patient was saved |
| D．Zhang Wenchi---the most beautiful post-90s student |
The text is most probably taken from ______.
| A．a computer book | B．a library guide |
| C．a project handbook | D．a newspaper report |
Online clothes shoppers will be told exactly what size is best. for them using new software which combines with their web camera or smart phone to form a“3D tape measure”.
Scientists from Surrey University and design experts from the London College of Fashion are developing a program which can take precise (精确的) waist, hip, chest and other measurements from camera images.
Using the person’s height as a starting point，the software will be able to build up a 3D image and estimate their size at various different points on the body, based on their overall proportions.
The result will be a more accurate sizing guide than previous systems based on waist size or a “small／medium／large”scale, which rely on limited measurements and the buyer’s perception of their own body size.
Shoppers and retailers(零售商)who choose to sign up for the project could save millions of pounds a year in postage costs by removing the need to order multiple sizes of the same garment(服装) and send back ill-fitting clothes, researchers claimed.
The project, sponsored by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council(EPSRC), is expected to be brought to market within two years.
After choosing an item, the shopper will activate the software, enter their height, stand in front of their webcam or smart phone in their underwear and take a photograph.
The software will not store or transmit the image to the internet, but will use it to judge the person’s dimensions at various points on their body.
Philip Delamore of the London College of Fashion said：“The potential benefits for the fashion industry and for shoppers are huge. Currently, it’s common for online shoppers to order two or three different sizes of the same item of clothing at the same time, as they’re unsure which one will fit best.”What is the essential part of a 3D tape measure?
| A．a software | B．a webcam |
| C．a microphone | D．a smart phone |
What can we learn about the 3D tape measure?
| A．It will store or transmit the image to the internet. |
| B．It is based on the buyer’s perception of their size. |
| C．It will be a co-working production. |
| D．It uses a person’s weight as a starting point. |
Compared with the traditional sizing system, a 3D tape measure is_______.
| A．quicker | B．more precise |
| C．more beautiful | D．more vivid |
How can the 3D tape measure benefit online shoppers?
| A．Online shoppers will get their ordered garment in time. |
| B．Online shoppers will get their ordered garment more quickly. |
| C．Online shoppers will get an ordered garment of high quality. |
| D．Online shoppers will get an ordered garment to their measure. |
What is the right order for a shopper to form a 3D tape measure?
①to take a photo with a webcam
②to activate the software
③to enter his／her height
④to judge his size by analyzing his image
| A．①②③④ | B．②①③④ | C．②③①④ | D．②③④① |