Almost a decade ago, the federal government dropped $10 million for an Earth-monitoring satellite that never made it into space. Today it sits in a closet in Maryland. Cost to taxpayers for storing it: $1 million a year. And that's just what's hiding in one closet. Who knows what's in the rest of them?
Because we think the government should be held to at least the same standards as a publicly traded company, and because as taxpayers, we're America's shareholders, we performed an audit （财务检查）of sorts of the federal books. We're not economists, but we do have common sense. We tried to get help from Congressional staffers from both parties, as well as various watchdog groups and agencies. In the end, we found that the federal government wastes nearly $1 trillion every year.
That's roughly equal to the amount collected annually by the Internal Revenue Service in personal income taxes. Put another way, it's also equal to about one-third of the country's $2.9 trillion total annual budget. And reclaiming that lost trillion could help wipe out the country's annual budget deficit（赤字）, improve education, and provide health insurance for those who don't have it.
So how do you define "waste"? David Walker of the Government Accountability Office (GAO), a federal watchdog agency, calls it "the government's failure to give taxpayers the most for their money." For our part, we used the kind of household test you would use on a piece of meat sitting in your refrigerator: If it smells rotten, it's waste. Our government regularly pays for products and services it never gets, wildly overpays companies to do things it could do more cheaply itself, loses money outright due to lax（不严格的）accounting and oversight, and spends money randomly on unnecessary programs.
How exactly does the federal government waste your hard-earned tax dollars? We've identified what we consider ten of the worst ways.The underlined sentence in Paragraph1 really means .
| A．there are many other closets | B．there are some other satellites |
| C．there is something else in the closets | D．the waste may be quite amazing |
Which of the following can best describe the feeling of the author?
| A．Annoyed. | B．Calm. | C．Surprised. | D．Not concerned. |
Which of the following statements may be right?
| A．The country’s annual budget is usually decided by the public. |
| B．The government failed in launching the satellite. |
| C．The government is only wasting money in space experiments. |
| D．The amount collected annually in personal income taxes is equal to the country’s budget. |
The best title for the passage would be .
| A．Protecting Our Rights! |
| B．Our Country Is In Danger! |
| C．The Government Is Wasting Our Tax Dollars! |
| D．How to Prevent Government from Wasting Money! |
What might be talked about if the passage is continued?
| A．The government’s taking some steps to stop wasting taxes. |
| B．Presenting people’s feelings against the government’s wasting taxes. |
| C．Giving suggestion to help the government solve the financial problem. |
| D．Listing how the government is wasting taxes. |
Long long ago, there was an old merchant who had three sons. “To which one shall I leave my fortune?” he wondered. “It must be to the cleverest son. But which one is the cleverest?”
He called his three sons to him. “Here is some money,” he told them, “you must each take one coin to buy something that will fill this room. Anyone who can do this shall have my fortune.”
“It is a big room,” said the eldest son.
“One coin will not buy very much,” said the second son.
But the youngest son said nothing. He stood and thought, and then he smiled, “Come, brothers,” he said, “let us go to the market.”
The eldest son bought straw with his coin. But one coin bought only a bit of straw. Even when he had spread it as much as he could, the straw covered only a corner of the room.
The second son bought sand with his coin. But one coin bought only a bit of sand. Even when he had spread it as much as he could, the sand covered only half of the floor.
“What did you buy?” the eldest son angrily asked the youngest son. “You don't have any straw.”
“Yes, what did you buy?” the second son asked angrily. “You don't have any sand.”
“I bought this,” said the youngest son.
“A candle！” cried his brothers. “What good is a candle?”
“Watch”, said the youngest son.
He lit the candle, and all at once the room was filled from wall to wall, from ceiling to floor. It was filled with light!
“Although you are the youngest, you are indeed the cleverest of my sons,” the old merchant said.
And that is how, the old merchant left his fortune to his youngest son, the one who could fill a room with light. Who would get father's fortune?
| A．The oldest son. | B．The richest son. |
| C．The cleverest son. | D．The silliest son. |
The merchant left his fortune to the son
| A．who would fill the room by using something which is worthy of one coin |
| B．who would take care of him when he became old |
| C．who wanted to get his fortune |
| D．who got married first |
How do you think of the youngest son?
| A．He is very clever. | B．He is very lazy. |
| C．He is very mean. | D．He is very diligent. |
The youngest son used _____ to fill the room.
| A．straw | B．candle | C．sand | D．water |
Bruce Alberts, the former President of the National Academies (USA), has now taken over as Editor-in Chief of Science. Judging by his editorial in this week’s issue Considering Science Education there could be some interesting times ahead in Science offices.
Here’s part of what Bruce has to say about science education…
I consider science education to be critically important to both science and the world, and I shall frequently deal with this topic on this page. Let’s start with a big-picture view. Science has greatly advanced our understanding of the natural world and has enabled the creation of countless medicines and useful devices. It has also led to behaviors that have improved lives. The public appreciates these practical benefits of science, and science and scientists are generally respected, even by those who are not familiar with how science works or what exactly it has discovered.
But society may less appreciate the advantage of having everyone acquire the ways of thinking and behaving that are central to practice of successful science: scientific habits of mind. These habits include a critical attitude toward established claims and a stro
ng desire for logic and evidence. As famous astronomer Carl Sagan put it, science is our best detector (检测器). Individuals and societies clearly need a means to logically test the constant clever attempts to operate our purchasing and political decisions. They also need to challenge what is unreasonable, including the intolerance that led to so many regional and global conflicts.
So how does this relate of science education? Might it be possible to encourage, across the world, scientific habits of mind, so as to create more rational (理性的) societies everywhere? In principle, a strong expansion of science education could provide the world with such an opportunity, but only if scientists, educators, and policy-makers redefine (重新定义) the goals of science education, beginning with college-level teaching. Rather than only conveying what science has discovered about the natural world, as is done now in most countrie
s, we should provide first all students with the knowledge and practice of how to think like a scientist. Which of the following is NOT included in the “scientific habits of mind”?
| A．A critical attitude toward established claims. | B．A strong desire for logic. |
| C．A clever and active mind. | D．A strong desire for evidence. |
What does the underlined phrase “such an opportunity” refer to in the last paragraph?
| A．To create more rational societies everywhere. |
| B．To relate decision-making to science education. |
| C．To encourage science education around the world. |
| D．To set right goals of science education. |
In Bruce Alberts’ opinion, which is the most important in science education?
| A．Offering all students enough practice to drill their mind. |
| B．Equipping all students with a thinking model of a scientist. |
| C．Telling students what science has discovered about the natural world. |
| D．Advising all students to challenge all established scientific achievements. |
Which of the following would be the best title for this passage?
| A．Bruce Alberts, a great science educator |
| B．Science education and world peace |
| C．The government and science education |
| D．Bruce Alberts’ opinion on science education |
It is quite reasonable to blame traffic jams, the cost of gas and the great speed of modern life, but manners on the road are becoming horrible. Everybody knows that the nicest men would become fierce tigers behind the wheel. It is all right to have a tiger in a cage, but to have one in the driver’s seat is another matter.
Road politeness is not only good manners, but good sense. It takes the most cool – headed drivers great patience to give up the desire to beat back when forced to face rude driving. On the other hand, a little politeness goes a long way towards reducing the possibility of quarrelling and fighting. A friendly n
od or a wa
ve of thanks in answer to an act of politeness helps to create an atmosphere of good will and calm so necessary in modern traffic conditions. But such behaviors of politeness are by no means enough. Many drivers don’t even seem able torecognize politeness when they see it nowadays.
However, misplaced politeness can also be dangerous. Typical examples are the driver who waves a child crossing the street at a wrong place into the path of oncoming cars that may not be able to stop in time. The same goes for encouraging old ladies to cross the road wherever and whenever they want to. It always amazes me that the highways are not covered with the dead bodies of these grannies.
An experienced driver, whose manners are faultless, told me it would help if drivers learnt to correctly join in traffic stream without causing total blockages that give rise to unpleasant feelings. Unfortunately, modern drivers can’t even learn to drive, let alone master the roadman- ship. Years ago, experts warned us that the fast increase of the car ownership would demand more give – and – take from all road users. It is high time for all of us to take this message to heart. The passage mainly talks about _____.
A．road politeness  |
B．traffic jams |
| C．good manners | D．modern drivers |
Troubles on the road are often caused by _____ .
| A．traffic jams | B．the behavior of the drivers |
| C．great speed | D．terrible road conditions |
According to the writer, a good driver should _____.
| A．beat back when forced to face rude driving |
| B．be able to recognize politeness when he sees it |
| C．encourage old ladies to cross the roads whenever they want to |
| D．join in traffic stream quickly however other people feel |
The following statements are right EXCEPT that _____.
| A．some modern drivers are not good at driving |
| B．road politeness is good sense as well as good manners |
| C．it is all right to have a tiger in the driver’s seat |
| D．a friendly driver should nod or wave thanks in answer to an act of politeness |
Suppose you work in a big firm and find English very important for your job because you often deal with foreign businessmen. Now you are looking for a place where you can improve your English, especially your spoken English.
Here are some advertisements about English language training from newspapers.
You may find the information you need.
★Global English Center
＊General English in all four skills: listening, speaking, reading, and writing.
＊3-month(700yuan), 6-month(1200yuan) and one-year(2000yuan) courses.
＊Choice of morning or evening classes, 3 hours per day. Mon-Fri.
＊Experienced college English teachers.
＊Close to city center and bus stops.
Tel: 67605272 Add: 105 Zhongshan Road, 100082.
★Modern Language School
Special courses in English for business. traveling , banking , hotel management and office skills.
＊Small classes(12-16 students) on Sat.＆Sun. From 2:00-5:00pm.
＊Native English teachers from Canada and USA.
＊Language lab and computers supplied.
＊3-month course: 1,050yuan; 6-month course: 1,850yuan.
Write or phone: Modern Language School, 675Park Road.100056
Tel: 67353019
★The 21st Century English raining Center
＊We specialize in effective teaching at all levels.
＊We offer morning or afternoon classes, both of which last three months and a half at
a cost of 800yuan.
＊We also have a six-week TOEFL preparation class during winter and summer holidays.
＊Entrance exams: June 1 and Dec.1.
＊Only 15-minute walk from city center.
Call 67801642 for more information.
★The International House of English
＊Three/Six-month English courses for students of all levels at very low cost: 60yuan for 13 hours per week; convenient class hours: 9:00-12:00am and 2:00-5:00pm.
＊A four-month evening program for developing speaking skills( same cost as day classes).
＊Well-trained Chinese and foreign teachers experienced in teaching English as a second/foreign language. Free sightseeing and social activities. Very close to Central Park.
For further information call 67432308.You work from 9:00am to 4:00pm every day. Which schools will you choose?
| A．Global English Center and Modern Language School |
| B．Global English Center and The International House of English |
| C．Modern Language School and the 21st Century English Training Center |
| D．The 21st Century English Training Center and The International House of English |
You will probably prefer to go to the International House because it _____.
| A．has native English teachers |
| B．has special course in spoken English |
| C．costs less than the other schools |
| D．offers free sightseeing and social activities |
If you want to apply for a university in the USA, you may attend _____.
| A．The 21st Century English Training Center |
| B．The International House of English |
| C．Modern Language School |
| D．Global English Center |
If you take the evening program at the International House, you will pay about _____.
| A．60 yuan | B．240 yuan | C．720 yuan | D．1,000 yuan |
It seems that some people go out of their way to get into trouble. That’s more or less what happened the night that Nashville Police Officer Floyd Hyde was on duty.
“I was on the way to a personal-injury accident in West Nashville. As I got onto Highway 40, blue lights and sirens (警笛) going, I fell in behind a gold Pontiac Firebird that suddenly seemed to take off quickly down the highway. The driver somehow panicked at the sight of me. He was going more than a hundred miles an hour and began passing cars on the shoulder. ”
But Hyde couldn’t go after him. Taking care
of
injured people is always more important than worrying about speeders, so the officer had to stay on his way to the accident. But he did try to keep the Firebird in sight as he drove, hoping another nearby unit would be able to step in and stop the speeding car. As it turned out, keeping the Firebird in sight was not that difficult. Every turn the Pontiac made was the very turn the officer needed to get to the accident scene.
Hyde followed the Pontiac all the way to his destination. At that point he found another unit had already arrived at the accident scene. His help wasn’t needed. Now he was free to try to stop the driver of the Firebird, who by this time had developed something new to panic about.
“Just about that time,” Hyde says, “I saw fire coming out from under that car, with blue smoke and oil going everywhere. He’d blown his engine. Now he had to stop. ”
“After I arrested him, I asked him why he was running. He told me he didn’t have a driver’s license.”
That accident cost the driver of the Firebird plenty — a thousand dollars for the new engine — not to 
mention the charges for driving without a license, attempting to run away, and dangerous driving. Why did the driver of the Firebird suddenly speed down the highway?
| A．Because he was racing with another driver on the road. |
| B．Because he realized he had to hurry to the accident scene. |
| C．Because he wanted to overtake other cars on the shoulder. |
| D．Because he thought the police officer wanted to stop him. |
Which of the following statements is true?
| A．Someone else was taking care of the injured person. |
| B．The Pontiac reached its destination at the accident scene. |
| C．Hyde knew where he was going by following the right car. |
| D．The policeman was running after a speeder on Highway 40. |
The driver of the Firebird _____.
| A．took a wrong turn on the way | B．had some trouble with his car |
| C．was stopped by the police officer | D．paid for the expenses of the accident |
What is probably the best title for the article?
| A．Losing His Way? | B．Fun All the Way? |
| C．Going My Way? | D．Help on the Way? |