China news, Beijing, Feb. 9 – Housing price in China has always aroused heated discussions among property developers and ordinary Chinese. To many property developers and local government officials, housing price in China is still low compared with many developed countries. However, the average housing price in the United States is only 8,000 yuan per square meter, while in China, it is even higher than in the United States. This shows that there are some bubbles(泡沫) in Chinese real estate market, the International Finance News reported.
Although the average price of residential houses in the United States, after converted to Renminbi, is about 8,000 yuan per square meter, the houses in US are not sold in terms of building area, as most Chinese property developers do when they sell their houses. If US property developers sell their houses according to the building area, then the housing price will be even lower than 8,000 yuan per square meter. In most big Chinese cities, such as Beijing, Shanghai, and Shenzhen, houses are sold at a price even higher than those in the US.
The high housing sales price in large cities in China proves that Chinese real estate market does have some bubbles. Moreover, Chinese houses can not be compared with houses in US in terms of building quality, environment and supporting facilities. Furthermore, it should be noted that American people’s average income is several dozen times higher than that of Chinese people. How can the Chinese afford to buy a house which is even more expensive than that sold in US?
At the beginning of 2007, Chinese government issued a set of policies that aimed to benefit the public. Now in order to reduce the high housing prices, the government can regulate(控制) the real estate market by raising tax on property industry and controlling the release of loans and lands to property developers. At the same time, the government should allow people to build more houses through various fund-raising channels, such as funds collected from buyers or raised by working units. By applying these multiple means, it is expected that the high housing prices can be lowered.What is the average housing price per square meter in China?
| A．8000 yuan | B．10000 yuan |
| C．7000 yuan | D．It’s not mentioned here |
Which of the following does NOT support the idea that the average housing price in China
is even higher than in the United States?
| A．Chinese houses can not be compared with houses in US in terms of building quality, environment and supporting facilities. |
| B．American people’s average income is several dozen times higher than that of Chinese people. |
| C．The houses in US are not sold in terms of building area, as most Chinese property developers do when they sell their houses. |
| D．There are more people who need houses in China. |
What is the main idea of this passage?
A The housing price in China is so high that the government should do something useful to
prevent it.
B. There are some bubbles in Chinese real estate market
C. The average housing price in China is even higher than in the United States
D. Chinese government issued a set of policies that aimed to benefit the public.How many measures are mentioned in the last paragraph in order to reduce the high housing
prices?
| A．Four | B．Three | C．Five | D．Two |
There are many thoughts on the origins of civilization. One of the major factors involved was the increase in population. The development of techniques, primarily irrigation and flood control, which permitted agriculture in special areas such as the flood plain of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, made possible the support of large population. Once populations reach a certain number, the older pattern of social organization breaks down and new ones develop. Specifically the older system, whereby each individual participated in food production and maintained a similar standard of living and whereby kinship(家属关系) served as the basic method of social organization, was replaced by the occupational division of labor, political and religious hierarchies(等级制度), public works such as road and public building construction, class systems, codes of law, markets, new forms of warfare, and urban centres. Allied with these important sociological traits are material traits, such as monumental architecture and the development of science and, in many cases, metallurgy(冶金学) and writing systems.
The earliest civilization, Sumer, developed in the Middle East. This was the Bronze Age of the Old World, during which people first developed the art of metallurgy, civilization also arose in other parts of the Old World, first in Egypt, China, and India, and later in Europe and Africa. At this time, civilization also developed independently in the New World, in the Mexican area and in Peru and its adjacent(邻近的) areas.
In the Old World the Bronze Age was followed by the Iron Age, which saw the rise and fall of great empires and the shift of power from the Middle East to Greece and Rome and then to Western Europe. In the 1700s the Industrial Age began, leading directly to the modern civilization of today.
46. The author of this passage __________________________________.
A. gives a comparison between ancient civilization and modern civilization
B. suggests that population increase is most important in the development of civilization
C. tries to explain how civilization developed in human history
D. explore the relation between agriculture and industry
47. According to the first paragraph, the increase in population __________________.
A. resulted in the development of agricultural technology
B. resulted from the breakdown of old social organization
C. caused the occupational division of labor
D. was impossible without the development of agriculture
48. The word “traits” in Paragraph One most likely means ____________________.
A. main appearances B. great achievements
C. distinguishing features D. outstanding successes
49. Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?
A. The Bronze Age is one of the earliest civilizations.
B. The Industrial Age started in the Middle East.
C. The Bronze Age developed into the Iron Age.
D. The use of metal instruments started from the Bronze Age.
50. Which of the following is NOT included in the expression “the Old World” used in the passage?
A. American continent. B. Both Western and Eastern Europe.
C. African continent. D. Asian countries.
III. 阅读（共两节，满分40分）
第一节：阅读理解（共15小题；每小题2分，满分30分）
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳
选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
A
Moving in with a boyfriend causes women to eat more unhealthily and put on weight. But the opposite is true for men, whose long-term health benefits when they move in with a female partner.
Dieticians at Newcastle University said both partners try to please one another, and so change their dietary habits to suit their other half.
It leads men to eat more light meals, such as salads, fruit and vegetables, while women choose to make creamier, heavier dishes curry or rich pasta sauces, which may please their partner.
Women still have the strongest long-term influence over the couple’s diet and lifestyle, as they still have the traditional role of shopper and cook in most households.
The report, by Newcastle University’s Human Nutrition Research Centre, reviewed the finding of a variety of research projects from the UK, North America and Australia, which looked at the eating and lifestyle habits of couples.
The research shows that women are more likely to put on weight and increase their consumption of foods high in fat and sugar when they move in with their partner.
Women also use food as a comfort when dealing with emotional stress and have been found to gain weight when a relationship ends, while the same finding has not been observed in men.
Many couples reported food as being central to their partnership, and eating together in the evening was particularly important to many.
Report author and registered dietician Dr. Amelia Lake said, “The research has shown that your partner is a strong influence on lifestyle and people who are trying to live healthier lives should take this factor into consideration.”
1. According to the passage, moving in with a girlfriend, men _______.
A. have few changes of their dietary habits
B. have to eat more unhealthy foods
C. don’t like foods high in fat and sugar at all
D. try to eat foods that their girlfriends like
2. The underlined word “light”(in Paragraph 4 ) probably means ________.
A. not very heavy B. less in fat and sugar
C. gentle D. not serious or important
3. According to the report by Newcastle University’s Human Nutrition Research Centre, ________.
A. women put on weight only because they want to suit their other half
B. when men are faced with emotional stress, they will change their dietary habits
C. eating together in the evening is a good way to communicate for couples
D. it is wrong to change your dietary habits to suit your partner
4. From the passage, we can infer that _________.
A. women should pay more attention to their partner’s influence on them
B. more men will play roles of shopper and cook in most households
C. couples will not change their dietary habits and lifestyle to please their partner
D. long-term health of men benefits when they move in with a female partner
5. What would be the best title for the passage?
A. Don’t be silly any more, women! B. Which are better dietary habits?
C. Boyfriends make you fat D. Dr. Amelia Lake and his study
Stephen would take my literature lesson. After we introduced ourselves to each other, we talked about what the class would cover and all the things he would learn. It was a course in which he would learn a lot of facts and details in one term. As I talked, I saw Stephen’s eyes getting big with fear.
I told him to do his assignments (作业) and hand them in on time. I also told him that most successful students made a calendar of all the assignments so they could plan their work load.
As the fall term went by, I learned more of Stephen’s story. He had struggled in school. It had taken him longer to finish than most young people. Family members, including his mother, kept reminding him that he was a failure. But he kept at it. He told me that before coming to our school, no one had believed he had much potential (潜力).
Stephen didn’t become an “A” student. His name didn’t appear on any honors list. One reason was that he never did real well on tests. Still, he managed to pass most of his courses by being in class every day, turning in all of his assignments on time and breaking down his studying into bite-sized digestible portions (易理解的部分). By passing course after course he began to gain a measure of self-esteem (自尊). He was a great singer and he was on the school’s cross-country team.
Every time I saw him at school he would say, “One bite at a time.” His secret, he said, was that he was practicing what I taught him before classes ever started: “Take it one bite at a time.”
On graduation day, he said with a bright smile, “One bite at a time.”
65. Before Stephen began his class, _____.
A. the author had known him for a long time
B. the author told him something about his lessons
C. he was confident about his studies
D. he made a study plan
66. From the passage we can know that Stephen’s family _____.
A. kept encouraging him to continue his studies
B. thought he had much potential to study well
C. didn’t think he would do well at school
D. thought it would take him more time to study than others
67. What do we know about Stephen?
A. He was honored for his good results.
B. He didn’t do anything except study.
C. He only broke down his literature lesson into bite-sized portions.
D. He tried his best to pass his courses.
68. Which of the following can best describe Stephen’s story?
A. Nothing is difficult to a willing heart.
B. A friend in need is a friend indeed.
C. Well begun, half done.
D. Failure is the mother of success.
It’s not easy growing up. Growing up can be a real “pain” for some of us. We are always doing things that someone else makes us do and aren’t allowed to do all the things we like. Sometimes we feel sad, sometimes we are fearful, and sometimes we just don’t understand why we can’t stay young forever. But we should take a look back on all the hardships (苦难) in life with a positive attitude and learn from them. We should realize that all of our growing pains actually turn into growing gains!
Throughout our lives we are going to face many challenges and pains, but we should never let these obstacles keep us from following our dreams. We must overcome every obstacle one small step at a time.
As a young girl, my parents forced me to do so many things that I didn’t like. They made me learn to play the violin and then the piano. At that time I hated music and I also hated them. But looking back now, I am so glad that my parents encouraged me to take music lessons. Music has enriched (丰富) my life in so many ways. I now realize that my parents and teachers wanted me to have a better life than they did themselves.
We are all going to experience growing pains, but they are just part of our life. Think about how we would feel if we had no challenges and lived a life like that. Life would be really boring and meaningless. The future is ours! A little hard work and sweat never hurt anyone! If we realize that these pains are just small bumps (碰撞) on our road to success, we will realize that our growing pains are actually growing gains!
1. What would be the best title for this passage?
A. No pains, no gains
B. Growing pains and gains
C. Growing up is a pain
D. Growing up is easy
2. The underlined word “obstacles” (in Paragraph 2) refers to things that _____.
A. make it easy for you to do sth
B. make it difficult for you to do sth
C. make you happy
D. make you full of energy
3. What does the author now think about what her parents did for her in the past?
A. She is angry with them.
B. She is dissatisfied with them.
C. She is thankful to them.
D. She couldn’t forgive them.
4. Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?
A. Growing pains are part of our life.
B. Our growing pains will finally turn into growing gains.
C. We should stop when facing many challenges.
D. Life without challenges is boring and meaningless.
IV 阅读理解(每小题2分，共24分)
I travel a lot in my work, and what I dislike about my job is eating alone. It always makes me feel lonely to see others laughing and talking. So, room service for several nights was a better choice for me.
After having room service three nights at a hotel in Houston, however, I needed to get out of my room. Although the restaurant opened at 6:30, I arrived at 6:25. The waiter at the front desk made a comment about my “being there really early”. I explained my dislike of eating alone in restaurants. He then seated me at a lovely table and asked me whether I would mind if he sat down with me for a while.
I was glad! He sat and talked with me about his career goals and the difficulty of being at work on nights, weekends and holidays. He said he hadn’t enough time to be with his family. After 15 minutes, he saw some customers at the front desk and excused himself. I noticed that before he went to the front desk, he stopped in the kitchen for a moment.
Then another waiter came out of the kitchen and had a wonderful chat with me. Before I left that night, some other waiters, even the cook, had come out of the kitchen and sat with me!
When I asked for my bill about one hour later, all the people who had sat down with me came over in a big group to my table, and presented me with a red rose. And I cried! What had begun as a lonely night ended as a beautiful experience.
57. The reason why the author hated to eat in the hotel restaurant is that the author didn’t like ______.
A. meeting strangers in the restaurant
B. being disturbed by the noises around
C. the discomfort caused by eating alone
D. being pointed at or laughed at
58. How did the waiter feel when he saw the author come in at 6:25?
A. Dissatisfied. B. Pleased. C. Surprised. D. Angry.
59. From the third paragraph, we can learn that the waiter at the front desk ______.
A. knew how to attract more customers to his restaurant
B. found it hard to balance his work and his family
C. was getting tired of his present job
D. had never had such a chance to talk about his worries
60. The author wants to tell us that ______.
A. people can get help for their loneliness
B. restaurants should put the need of customers first
C. the kindness of strangers can make you less lonely
D. restaurants are full of surprises