A few months ago as I wandered through my parents’ house, the same house I grew up in, I had a sudden, scary realization. When my parents bought the house, in 1982, they were only two years older than I am now. I tried to imagine myself in two years, ready to settle down and buy the house I’d still be living in almost 30 years later.
It seemed ridiculous. On a practical level, there’s no way I could afford to buy a house anytime soon. More importantly, I wouldn’t want to. I’m not sure where I’ll be living in two years, or what kind of job I’ll have. And I don’t think I’ll be ready to settle down and stay in one place.
So this is probably the generation gap that divides my friends and me from our parents. When our parents were our age, they’d gotten their education, chosen a career, and were starting to settle into responsible adult lives.
My friends and I – “Generation Y” – still aren’t sure what we want to do with our lives. Whatever we end up doing, we want to make sure we’re happy doing it. We’d rather take risks first, try out different jobs, and move from one city to another until we find our favorite place. We’d rather spend our money on travel than put it in a savings account.
This casual attitude toward responsibility has caused some critics to call my generation “arrogant”, “impatient”, and “overprotected”. Some of these complaints have a point. As children we were encouraged to succeed in school, but also to have fun. We grew up in a world full of technological innovation: cellphones, the Internet, instant messaging, and video games.
Our parents looked to rise vertically(垂直的)--starting at the bottom of the ladder and slowly making their way to the top, on the same track, often for the same company. That doesn’t apply to my generation.
Because of that, it may take us longer than our parents to arrive at responsible, stable adulthood. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing. In our desire to find satisfaction, we will work harder, strive for ways to keep life interesting, and gain a broader set of experiences and knowledge than our parents’ generation did.When the author walked through her parents’ house, she _______.
| A．was frightened that she had no idea what she wanted from life |
| B．started to think about her own life |
| C．realized I should buy a house. |
| D．wondered why her parents had settled down early |
What is the main “generation gap” between the author and her friends and their parents according to the article?
| A．Their attitude toward high technology. |
| B．Their ways of making their way to the top. |
| C．Their attitude towards responsibility. |
| D．Their ways of gaining experience. |
Which of the following might the author agree with?
| A．It’s all right to try more before settling down. |
| B．It’s better to take adult responsibility earlier. |
| C．It involves too much effort to rise vertically. |
| D．It’s ridiculous to call her generation “arrogant”. |
What can we conclude from the article?
| A．The author is envious of her parents enjoying a big house at her age. |
| B．Growing up in a hi-tech world makes “Generation Y” feel insecure about relationships. |
| C．“Generation Y” people don’t want to grow up and love to be taken care of by their parents. |
| D．The author wrote this article so that others would be able to understand her generation better. |
What is the main theme of the article?
| A．The sudden realization of growing up. |
| B．A comparison between lifestyles of generations. |
| C．Criticisms of the young generation. |
| D．The factors that have changed the young generation. |
Few laws are so effective that you can see results just days after they take effect. But in the nine days since the federal cigarette tax more than doubled—to $1. 01 per pack—smokers have jammed telephone “quit lines” across the country seeking to kick the habit. This is not a surprise to public health advocates. They’ve studied the effect of state tax increases for years, finding that smokers, especially teens, are price sensitive. Nor is it a shock to the industry, which fiercely fights every tax increase. The only wonder is that so many states insist on closing their ears to the message. Tobacco taxes improve public health, health, they raise money and most particularly, they deter people from taking up the habit as teens, which is when nearly all smokers are addicted. Yet the rate of taxation varies widely. In Manhattan, for instance, which has the highest tax in the nation, a pack of Marlboro Light Kings cost ＄10.06 at one drugstore Wednesday. Charleston, S, C., where the 7-cent-a-pack tax is the lowest in the nation. The price was $4. 78. The influence is obvious. In New York, high school smoking hit a new low in the latest surveys—13.8%, far below the national average. By comparison, 26% of high school students smoke in Kentucky, Other low-tax states have similarly depressing teen-smoking records. Hal Rogers, Representative from Kentucky, like those who are against high tobacco taxes, argues that the burden of the tax falls on low-income Americans “who choose to smoke.” That’s true, But there is more reason in keeping future generations of low-income workers from getting hooked in the first place, As for today’s adults, if the new tax drives them to quit, they will have more to spend on their families, cut their risk of cancer and heart disease and feel better. 66 The text is mainly about___________. A. the price of cigarettes B. tie rate of teen smoking C. the effect of tobacco tax increase D. the differences in tobacco tax rate 67 What does the author think is a surprise? A. Teen smokers are price sensitive. B. Some states still keep the tobacco tax low. C. Tobacco taxes improve public health. D. Tobacco industry fiercely fights the tax rise. 68. The underlined word "deter” in Paragraph 3 most probably means ______ . A. discarding B. remove C. benefit D. free 69. Rogers’ attitude towards the low-income smokers might be that of _____ . A. tolerance B. unconcern C. doubt D. sympathy 70. What can we learn from the last paragraph? A. The new tax will be beneficial in the long run. B. Low-income Americans are more likely to fall ill. C. Future generations will be hooked on smoking. D. Adults will depend more on their families.
year ago August, Dave Fuss lost his job driving a truck for a small company in west Michigan. His wife, Gerrie, was still working in the local school cafeteria, but work for Dave was scarce, and the price of everything was rising. The Fusses were at risk of joining the millions of Americans who have lost their homes in recent years. Then Dave and Gerrie received a timely gift-＄7,000，a legacy （遗产） form their neighbors Ish and Arlene Hatch, who died in an accident . "It really made a difference when we were going under financially." says Dave. But the Fusses weren't the only folks in Alto and the neighboring town of Lowell to receive unexpected legacy from the Hatches. Doxens of other families were touched by the Hatches' generosity. In some cases, it was a few thousand dollars ; in other, it was more than ＄100,000. It surprised nearly everyone that the Hatches had so much money, more than ＄3 million-they were am elderly couple who lived in an old house on what was left of the family farm . Children of the Great Depression, Ish and Arlene were known for their habit of saving, They thrived own （喜欢） comparison shopping and would routinely go from store to store, checking prices before making a new purchase . Through the years, the Hatches paid for local children to attend summer camp when their parents couldn't afford it. "Ish and Arlene never asked you needed anything," says their friend Sand Van Weelden, "They could see things they could do go make you happier, and they would do them. Even more extraordinary was that the Hatches had their farmland distributed. It was the Hatches' wish that their legacy-a legacy of kindness as much as one of dollars and cent -should enrich the whole community （社区） and Ish and Arlene Hatch's story . Neighbors helping neighbors --that was Ish and Arlene Hatch's story.
| 1． |
According go the text, the Fusses
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| 2． |
Which of the following is true of the Hatches?
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| 3． |
Why would the Hatches routinely go from store?
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| 4． |
According to Sand Van Weelden, the Hatches were
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| 5． |
What can we learn from the text?
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“In only six days I lost seven pounds of weight.”
“Two full inches in the first three days!”
These are the kinds of statements used in magazine, newspaper, radio and television ads, promising new shapes and new looks to those who buy the medicine or the device. The promoters of products say they can shape the legs, slim the face, smooth wrinkles, or in some other way to beauty or desirability.
Often such products are nothing more than money-making things for their promoter. The re they produce are questionable, and some are dangerous to health.
To understand how these products can be legally promoted to the public, it is necessary? Understand something of the laws covering their regulation. If the product is a drug, FDA（Food Drug Administration）can require proof （证明）under the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act that safe and effective before it is put on the market . But if the product is a device, FDA. has no author to require premarketing proof of safety or effectiveness. If a product already on the marker danger to health, FDA. can request the producer or distributor to remove it from the a voluntarily, or it can take legal action ,including seizure （查封） of the product.
One notable case a few years ago involved an electrical device called the Relaxacisor, had been sold for reducing the waistline. The Relaxacisor produced electrical shocks to the ## through contact pads. FDA. took legal action against the distributor to stop the sale of the ## the grounds that it was dangerous to health and life.
Olwionsly, most of the devices on the maker never been the subject of court proceedings （法律诉讼）,and new devices appear continually, Before buying, it is up to the consumer to the safety or effectiveness of such items.It can be inferred that ads mentioned in the text are ______.
| A．objective | B．costly | C．unreliable | D．illegal |
Which of the following is true according to the text?
A. The court is in charge of removing dangerous product.
B. New products are more likely to be questionable.
C. The production of a device must be approved by FDA.
D. The promoters usually just care about profits.FDA. can ask for the proof of safety and effectiveness of a product ________.
A. if it is a drug
B. if it is a device
C. if its consumers make complaints
D. if its distributors challenge FDA’s authorityThe Relaxacisor is mentioned as_______.
| A．a product which was designed to produce electricity |
| B．a product whose distributor was involved in a legal case |
| C．a successful advertisement of a beauty product |
| D．an example of a quality beauty product |
The author intends to __________
A. make consumers aware of the promoters’ false promises
B. show the weakness of the law on product safety
C. give advice on how to keep young and beautiful
D. introduce the organization of FDA.
NEW YORK- One in five U.S．workers regularly attends after-work drinks with coworkers, where the most common mishaps range from badmouthing another worker to drinking too much, according to a study released on Tuesday．
Most workers attend so-called happy hours to bond with colleagues, although 15 percent go to hear the latest office gossip and 13 percent go because they feel necessary, said the survey conducted for CareerBuilder.com, an online job site．As to what happens when the after-work drinks flow, 16 percent reported bad-mouthing a colleague, 10 percent shared a secret about a colleague and 8 percent said they drank too much and acted unprofessionally．Five percent said they had shared a secret about the company, and 4 percent confessed to singing karaoke．While 21 percent of those who attended said happy hours were good for networking, 85 percent said attending had not helped them get closer to someone higher up or get a better position．An equal number of men and women said they attended happy hours with co-workers, with younger workers aged 25 to 34 most likely and workers over 55 least likely to attend．Overall, 21 percent of workers attend happy hours with co-workers and; of those nearly a quarter go at least once a month.
The survey was conducted online by Harris Interactive on behalf of CareerBuilder.com among 6,987 full-time employees between February 11 and March 13．Harris Interactive said the results had a sampling error of plus or minus 1.2 percentage points.
56．Harris Interactive made the survey to find out ________.
A．how U.S．workers spend their after-work time
B．what U.S．workers do at after-work drinks
C．the relationships between U.S．workers
D．who are most likely to attend after-work drinks
57．________ of workers who attend after-work drinks speak ill of a colleague.
A．4 percent B．8 percent C．16 percent D．10 percent
58．According to the passage, most of those surveyed believed attending after-work drinks ________．
A．benefited them a lot B．could provide information
C．only made them relaxed D．was of no help to them
59．We can learn from the text that _________.
A．workers over 55 don’t like to attend happy hours at all
B．about 75% of workers go more than once a month
C．10.5% of male workers attend happy hours with co-workers
D．about 700 workers surveyed shared a secret about a co-worker
60．After the survey, it can be inferred that_________.
A．all the workers oppose after-work drinks
B．the workers may change their attitudes towards after-work drinks
C．all the workers support after-work drinks
D．all the workers are suggested going to attend after-work drinks
Gu Changwei was the first Chinese cinematographer to be nominated (提名) for an Oscar, and he is regarded by Zhang Yimou as the best cinematographer in China．Gu was behind the camera for many of Zhang Yimou’s famous films including the one that rocketed Zhang to fame: "Red Sorghum (高粱)"．And now this master of the visual has taken on his first directing role with the film "Peacock"．So Gu Changwei has come out from behind the camera into the spotlight (聚光灯).
Gu Changwei is very serious about his directing "Peacock"．To get the authentic atmosphere, Gu took his film crew to the city of Anyang in central China’s Henan province where the story took place, to shoot the film．He chose all new actors because he didn’t want "stars" appeal to weaken the power of the story, and he also had his actors trained in the local dialect．For this film Gu has been able to get out from behind the camera to manage every aspect of the film, and to realize his own ideals in movie-making.
"Peacock" is about the life of an average family in a small town in Henan province in the late 1970s and early 1980s．Gu chose this story for his first movie because he grew up during this same period and it struck a chord with him.
“Peacock” wrapped up production in June, 2004．It’s aimed at the foreign film market and will be entered in February’s Berlin Film Festival, and released in China at the same time．But at the end of last October, Gu took “Peacock” to his Alma Mater, the Beijing Film Academy, one of the most famous film colleges in China, to hold a preview．The film was warmly received by both teachers and students.
61．The underlined word “cinematographer” refers to a person who ________.
A．has been nominated for an Oscar B．uses a camera to shoot films
C．directs first-class films D．arranges for cinema shows
62．Gu didn’t employ “stars” in his film because ________.
A．stars usually stick to their own acting styles
B．the stars may not be able to speak the local dialect
C．the stars may share the audience’s attention with the story
D．it was not easy for him, a fresh hand, to invite stars to join him
63．Gu chose such a story for his first movie because ________.
A．he was born in the early 1970s B．he grew up in Henan province
C．he was popular in Henan province D．the story had something to do with his own experience
64．From the passage we can learn that "Peacock"________.
A．is the film for which Gu is likely to win an Oscar prize
B．has already become popular both at home and abroad
C．has its production started last summer D．will be publicly shown in spring, 2005
65．Please choose a proper title for this passage.
A．From behind the camera into the spotlight
B．Chinese cinematographer to be nominated for Oscar
C．New faces to appear in “Peacock”
D．"Peacock" to enter foreign film market