A recent Living Social survey showed that Americans may live up to their poor reputation while travelling abroad. But what’s more surprising is that many of those surveyed self-identified themselves as ‘ugly’ Americans and the world’s worst travelers.
Those in the U.S. ranked themselves as the worst travellers by a shocking 20 per cent, followed by 15 per cent saying the Chinese were the most substandard tourists.
Americans topped the list as being the worst-behaved travelers in a survey of 5,600 respondents, 4,000 of whom were Americans. Other respondents were in Australia, Canada, Ireland and the United Kingdom. But even American respondents considered their compatriots(同胞) as the worst travelers from a list of 16 nationalities.
Canadians and Australians also put Americans in the No. 1 spot. Irish respondents pointed to U.K. residents and U.K. respondents gave Germans the nod. On the other hand, 37% of Americans opted for "none of the above" in answer to the worst-tourists question, displaying more tolerance and open-mindedness than the other nationalities.
Other survey questions had respondents admitting pilfering from hotels. Four in ten U.S. survey-takers said they’d stolen something – mostly towels (28%) and bathrobes (8%). Other popular pinched items included pillows, remote controls, Bibles and sheets.
Not surprising is that Americans have less time off from work than other nationalities. Americans reported getting 16 days off, compared with 28 days for the Irish, 27 days for Australians, 23 days for U.K. workers; and 21 days for Canadians.
In the travel mishaps department, the most common travel disaster reported by Americans was lost luggage on an airline (21%)； bad weather (21%)； and getting very lost (16%).
As for places Americans most want to see, Disney World and Las Vegas made the top 10, but they weren't at the top of the heap. And New York didn't make the cut.What percentage of American respondents is in the survey?
| A．20 % | B．15% | C．71% | D．37% |
The underlined word “pilfering” in Para. 5 most probably means ________.
| A．taking | B．bringing | C．stealing | D．borrowing. |
According to the survey, what kind of things are most taken away by Americans?
| A．towels and pillows |
| B．bathrobes and remote controls. |
| C．towels and Bibles |
| D．bathrobes and towels. |
What’s the best title of this passage?
| A．Chinese were announced as the world’s worst travellers. |
| B．The global worst travellers were announced. |
| C．Disney World is the best destination to Americans. |
| D．European travellers were the best in the world |
The quality of drinking water in Shanghai will meet European Union standard by 2010 and, a decade later, citizens in Shanghai will drink the best water in the world.
These were the goals set out by the Shanghai Water Authority. With the city’s population expected to increase only slightly and the economy to boom by 2020, Chen Yin, an official in the water authority, said Shanghai’s water consumption will not increase from its present amount.
Zhang Yue, director of the Urban Construction Division under the Ministry of Construction, said, “Shanghai is the first city in the country to publicize these ambitions. They will not be easy to achieve.” He said water saving will help keep the sustainable development of China’s economy.
Saving one cubic meter of water means saving the city’s infrastructure（基础设施）costs by 10,000 Yuan. Last year, Shanghai saved 300 million cubic meters of water either from readjustment of industrial structure or the employment of new technology.
“The aim is to arouse public awareness of the seriousness of water shortages,” Chen said. “The abundant surface water and amount of rain of the city are so misleading that they result in improper use of water.”
Shanghai lacks drinkable water. The Huangpu River, which supplies 80 percent of the city’s drinkable water, is nearing exhaustion. The city, therefore, has been exploring new sources from the Yangtze River and growing forests along it to conserve quality water.
Besides penning regulations, the authority is popularizing technology among the public to efficiently cut the amount of water used.
At present, the city has 600,000 family toilets, each using 13 liters of water per flush. These are to be renovated（整修）to use only 9 liters of water per flush. The authority is renovating the first 200 toilets for households – at a cost of Yuan each. In three years, all the toilets will be renovated, which saves the city nearly 15 million Yuan every year in water conservation.
Another task the city is engaged in is the treatment of sewage（污水）to improve the water environment. At present the city can only treat 44 percent of its daily 5.04 million tons of waste water. To meet the total demand, 27 more sewage treatment factories are to be established with an estimated investment of 18 billion Yuan.People in Shanghai get their daily water mainly from _______now.
| A．the underground | B．the Huangpu River |
| C．the rain | D．the Yangtze River |
According to the passage, some people have the wrong opinion of using water because .
| A．the renovating of family toilets will save plenty of water |
| B．about half of waste water has been treated already |
| C．there is plenty surface water and large amount of rain at present |
| D．advanced technology makes people use water as much as possible |
Which group of measures are all mentioned in the passage to save water?
a．improve drinking water quality
b．change some industrial structure
c．introduce or use some new technology
d．speed the economic development of Shanghai
e．renovate some family toilets
f．build more sewage treatment factories
| A．a, b, c, d | B．a, b, e, f |
| C．b, c, d, e | D．b, c, e, f |
We can infer from the passage that .
| A．not everyone today in Shanghai is aware of water shortage |
| B．citizens today in Shanghai drink the best quality of water in the world |
| C．the boom of economy will need a larger amount of water in the future |
| D．all the family toilets will be renovated to save water within 3 years |
Movie makers at one time worried that they might be put out of business by television. Recently, however, more and more people have been going to the movies. This may be partly because the economic situation in America has worsened. When at the movies, people forget their troubles, as they get involved in the story on the screen. Also, directors have recently been producing pictures that large numbers of people want to see.
Americans in the millions are returning to their love affair with the movies. Motion picture industry experts see two main factors responsible for this: an increased need by Americans to escape from economic worries and a large number of new movies with broad audience appeal.
Movie makers admit that their rising popularity is partly the result of poor economic conditions, which traditionally bring an increase in theater attendance. “When people are fearful about the future, they look for escape,” comments Jack Valenti, president of the Motion Picture Association of America. “In a shaded theater, with a 65-foot screen, you lose yourself for two and a half hours and people find this beneficial.”What did movie makers worry about before?
| A．That people preferred watching TV to seeing films. |
| B．That movies couldn’t be a business any more. |
| C．That their movies might be played on television. |
| D．That no one would go to the cinema. |
Why are so many people going to see movies now?
| A．Because people now have much more money. |
| B．Because people wanted to escape from real life. |
| C．Because people have troubles. |
| D．Because watching movies is now much cheaper than watching TV. |
What does the underlined word “worsened” mean in the first paragraph?
| A．become attractive | B．become amazing |
| C．become bad | D．become popular |
The main topic of American movies is about .
| A．economy | B．love | C．tradition | D．not mentioned |
A new study of 8,000 young people in the Journal of Health and Social Behavior shows that although love can make adults live healthily and happily，it is a bad thing for young people．Puppy love（早恋）may bring stress for young people and can lead to depression（忧郁症）．The study shows that girls become more depressed than boys，and younger girls are the worst of all．
The possible reason for the connection between love and higher risk of depression for girls is “loss of self”．According to the study，even though boys would say “lose themselves in a romantic relationship”，this “loss of self” is much more likely to lead to depression when it happens to girls．Young girls who have romantic relationships usually like hiding their feelings and opinions．They won’t tell that to their parents．
Dr Marianm Kaufman，an expert on young people problems，says 15% to 20% young people will have depression during their growing．Trying romance often causes the depression．She advises kids not to jump into romance too early．During growing up，it is important for young people to build strong friendships and a strong sense of self．She also suggests the parents should encourage their kids to keep close to their friends，attend more interesting school activities and spend enough time with family．
Parents should watch for signs of depression—eating or mood changes—and if they see signs from their daughters or sons，they need to give help．The good news is that the connection between romance and depression seems to become weak with age．Love will always make us feel young，but only maturity（成熟）gives us a chance to avoid its bad side effects．What’s the main idea of the passage?
| A．Romance is good for young people． |
| B．Parents should forbid their children’s love． |
| C．Romance is a two edged sword for adults． |
| D．Puppy love may bring young people depression． |
Which of the following is more likely to have depression?
| A．Young girls who always hide their feelings and opinions． |
| B．Young boys whose parents watch for their behavior． |
| C．Young people who have a strong sense of selfishness． |
| D．Careless parents whose children are deep in love． |
What can be inferred from the passage?
| A．Lacking love can lead young people to grow up more quickly． |
| B．The older a woman is，the less likely she seems to lose herself in romance． |
| C．Parents should help their children to be aware of the signs of depression． |
| D．Early love makes young people keep close to their friends and parents． |
What’s the author’s attitude towards puppy love?
| A．Confused | B．Scared |
| C．Disinterested | D．Disapproving |
Linda Evans was my best friend—like the sister I never had. We did everything together: piano lessons, movies, swimming, horseback riding.
When I was 13, my family moved away. Linda and I kept in touch through letters, and we saw each other on special times—like my wedding and Linda's. Soon we were busy with children and moving to new homes, and we wrote less often. One day a card that I sent came back, stamped "Address Unknown" I had no idea about how to find Linda.
Over the years, I missed Linda very much. I wanted to share(分享) happiness of my children and then grandchildren. And I needed to share my sadness when my brother and then mother died. There was an empty place in my heart that only a friend like Linda could fill.
One day, I was reading a newspaper when I noticed a photo of a young woman who looked very much like Linda and whose last name was Wagman—Linda's married name. "There must be thousands of Wagmans."I thought, but I still wrote to her.
She called as soon as she got my letter. "Mrs. Tobin!" she said excitedly, "Linda Evans Wagman is my mother."
Minutes later I heard a voice that I knew very much, even after 40 years, laughed and cried and caught up on each other's lives. Now the empty place in my heart is filled. And there's one thing that Linda and I know for sure: We won't lose each other again!The writer went to piano lessons with Linda Evans ________.
| A．at the age of 13 |
| B．before the writer’s family moved away |
| C．after they moved to new homes |
| D．before she got married |
They didn't often write to each other because they ________.
| A．got married |
| B．didn't like writing letters |
| C．had little time to do so |
| D．could see each other on special time |
There was an empty place in the writer’s heart because she ________.
| A．was in trouble |
| B．didn't know Linda’s address |
| C．received the card that she sent |
| D．didn't have a friend like Linda to share her happiness and sadness |
The meaning of the word “volunteer ” may be a little different in different countries, but it usually means “one who offers his or her services（服务）.” there are many different ways in which people can volunteer, such as taking care of sick people, working in homes for homeless children, and picking up garbage(垃圾) from beaches and parks. Volunteers may work within their own countries or in other countries. They are often people with a strong wish to help those who are less fortunate than themselves. Volunteers don’t expect any kind of pay.
Tracy, a good friend of mine, recently came back from India with a new idea of what being a volunteer means. She worked for two and a half weeks in one of mother Teresa’s homes in Calcutta. The following is her story.
“I worked for sick people. I helped wash clothes and sheets, and pass out lunch. To be honest, I don’t think I was helping very much. It was then that I realized that I had not really come to help, but to learn about and experience another culture(文化) that helped improve my own understanding of life and the world.” According to the text, a volunteer refers to a person who ______.
| A．is willing to help those in need without pay |
| B．can afford to travel to different places |
| C．has a strong wish to be successful |
| D．has made a lot of money in life |
Tracy started her work as a volunteer ______.
| A．after she met mother Teresa |
| B．after she finished high school |
| C．when she was touring Calcutta |
| D．when she was working in a hospital |
Why did Tracy choose to be a volunteer?
| A．she liked to work with mother Teresa. |
| B．she had already had some experience. |
| C．she was asked by mother Teresa. |
| D．she wanted to follow mother Teresa’s example. |
What is Tracy’s “new idea” (paragraph 2) of being a volunteer?
A. going abroad to help the sick.
B. working in mother Teresa’s home.
C. doing simple things to help the poor.
improving oneself through helping others.