Accidents and illness are unhappy things to talk about, but no one can expect to live a lifetime without having some kind of accident or becoming ill. Some accidents and illnesses are serious and may result in long periods of invalidism.
The newspapers contain spectacular accounts of accidents in the street and highways and public places, but nearly as many accidents occur around the home. Somebody trips on a rug. Somebody falls off a stepladder. Somebody is careless in cooking dinner, and is burned. Accidents incurred in the playing of sports and swimming also accounts for a large number of injuries, big and little. Despite constant campaigns to reduce the number of accidents, there are still approximately 100,000 accidental deaths and nearly 9,000,000 nonfatal injuries in the United States each year.
It has been estimated that around 3,000,000 people are constantly ill in the United States throughout the year and that over half the illness is caused by respiratory diseases, chiefly colds and influenza.
The pain and suffering caused by accidents and illness tell only half the story. Loss of time from school and work and medical and hospital expenses often make the pain seem worse. Money spent in this country for doctors, services, hospitalization, nursing care, drugs, medicines, Xrays, and special treatments, amounts to a huge annual sum. Added to this expense is another much larger amount that is lost to wage earners throughout the nation by reason of their loss of wages or income while sick or otherwise disabled.
Accident and health insurance is a form of insurance devised to protect against these economic losses. It protects the earning of wage earners and finishes financial aid to the family of the breadwinner by the payment of his doctor and hospital bills. Today, business and professional men, farmers, industrial workers, clerks and those engaged in various occupations, whose earning power is shut off for a week, a month, or sometimes years, because of accidents or illness can insure themselves against this financial loss by accident and health insurance.
Protection is available to all types of workers and the cost(called the premium)ranges from a few cents a day for small or limited policies to a month for policies paying larger amounts(called indemnities). Policy is another name for an insurance contract(合同). Most accident and health policies are cancelable policies—that is, they are sold for a definite term such as a week, a month, or a year, similar to contracts of fire insurance and automobile liability insurance. There are, however, policies which cannot be canceled or terminated(终止)by the insurance company until the policyholder reaches an age at which he usually has no further earning power—most often at sixty or sixtyfive years. These noncancelable policies cost more than the cancelable policies.What is the passage mainly concerned about?
| A．Everyone will have some sort of illness or accident. |
| B．Accident and health insurance is available to everyone. |
| C．Cancelable insurance policies are better than noncancelable one. |
| D．Insurance is a good protection against accidents and illness. |
Every year in the United States there are________.
| A．more people die in accidents than of illness |
| B．more people who are ill than those injured in accidents |
| C．more outdoor accidents than indoor accidents |
| D．more people injured in accidents than those who are constantly ill |
The heaviest pain and suffering caused by accidents and illness are________.
| A．colds and influenza | B．financial losses |
| C．loss of time | D．invalidism |
Accident and health insurance will protect people by________.
| A．covering their medical expenditure |
| B．paying their wages |
| C．restoring their earning power |
| D．providing policyholders with the money they need to survive |
Some say everyday miracles(奇迹) are predestined(注定的)----the right time for the appointed meeting. And it can happen anywhere.
In 2001, 11-year-old Kevin Stephan was a bat boy for his younger brother's Little League team in Lancaster, New York. It was an early evening in late July. Kevin was standing on the grass away from the plate, where another youngster was warming up for the next game. Swinging his bat back and forth, giving it all the power an elementary school kid could give. The boy brought the bat back hard and hit Kevin in the chest. His heart stopped.
When Kevin fell to the ground, the mother of one of the players rushed out of the stands to his aid. Penny Brown hadn't planned to be there that day, but at the last minute, her shift(换班)at the hospital had been changed to see her son’s performance. She was given the night off. Penny bent over the senseless boy, his face already starting to turn blue, and giving CPR, breathing into his mouth and giving chest compressions. And he revived in the end.
After his recovery, he became a volunteer junior firefighter, learning some of the emergency first-aid techniques that had saved his life. He studied hard in school and was saving money for college by working as a dishwasher in a local restaurant in his spare time.
Kevin, now 18, was working in the kitchen when he heard people screaming, customers in confusion, employees rushing toward a table. He hurried into the main room and saw a woman there, her face turning blue, her hands at her throat. She was choking.
Quickly Kevin stepped behind her, wrapped his arms around her and clasped his hands. Then, using skills he'd first learned in Scouts. The food that was trapped in the woman's throat was freed. The color began to return to her face.
"The food was stuck. I couldn't breathe," she said. She thought she was dying. "I was very frightened."
Who was the woman?
Penny Brown.
1. The author wrote the passage to show us that_______.
A. miracles are predestined and they can happen anywhere
B. whoever helps you in trouble will get a reward one day
C. God will help those who give others a helping hand
D. miracles won’t come without any difficulty sometimes
2. Which of the following statements is True of Kevin Stephan?
A. He was hit on the face by a boy and almost lost his life
B. He was a volunteer junior firefighter, teaching the players first-aid skills
C. He worked part-time in a local restaurant to save money for college
D. He saved Penny Brown though he didn’t really know how to deal with food choke
3. Why did Penny Brown change her shift and was given the night off that night?
A. She was invited to give the players directions
B. She volunteered to give medical services
C. She was a little worried about his son’s safety
D. She came to watch her son’s game and cheered him
4. When Kevin knew the woman was Penny Brown, probably he first felt _____.
A. happy B. surprised C. sad D. worried
Fat and shy, Ben Saunders was the last kid in his class picked for any sports team. "Football, tennis, cricket — anything with a round ball, I was useless," he says now with a laugh. But back then he was the one always made fun of in school gym classes in Devonshire, England.
It was a mountain bike he received for his 15th birthday that changed him. At first he went hiking alone in a nearby forest. Then he began to ride the bike along with a runner friend. Gradually, Saunders set his mind on building up his body, increasing his speed and strength. At the age of 18, he ran his first marathon. ,
The following year, he met John Ridgway and was hired as an instructor at Ridgway' s School of Adventure in Scotland, where he learned about Ridgway 's, cold-water exploits. Greatly interested, Saunders read all he could about North Pole explorers and adventures, then decided that this would be his future.
In 2001, after becoming a skillful skier, Saunders started his first long-distance expedition (探险) towards the North Pole. It took unbelievable energy. He suffered frostbite (冻疮) , ran into a polar bear and pushed his body to the limit, pulling his supply-loaded sled(雪撬) up and over rocky ice.
Saunders has since become the youngest person to ski alone to the North Pole, and he' s skied more of the North Pole by himself than any other British man. His old playmates would not believe the change.
Next October; Saunders, 27, heads south from the coast of Antarctica to the South Pole and back, a 2900-kilometre journey that has never been completed on skis.
1. What change happened to Saunders after he was 15 years old?
A. He became good at most sports. B. He began to build up his body.
C. He joined a sports team. D. He made friends with a runner.
2. The underlined word "exploits" (paragraph 3) is closest in meaning to ____.
A. journeys B. researches C. adventures D. operations
3. Which of the following is the correct order of the events that happened to Saunders?
a. He ran his first marathon. b. He skied alone in the North Pole.
c. He rode his bike in a forest. d. He planned an adventure to the South Role.
A. acdb B. cdab C. acbd D. cabd
4. What does the story mainly tell us about Saunders?
A. He is a success in sports. . B. He is the best British skier.
C. He is Ridgway' s favorite student. D. He is a good instructor at school.
第二部分阅读理解（共25小题：每小题2分，满分50分）
第一节：阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项（A、B、C、 D和E）中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
As Christmas approaches, towns and cities around the UK are preparing for a very British celebration．
The switching on of a town' s Christmas lights has become an increasingly competitive event over the years, with some councils （会议） spending lots of money to attract A-list famous persons to do the honors．
The American singer Mariah Carey flew to London in November to switch on the lights at one of the city's biggest shopping centers, while Jim Carrey lighted Oxford Street and promoted his new film at the same time．
Traffic in the historic English city of Bath was brought to a halt as thousands of fans crowded to see the Hollywood actor Nicolas Cage conducted the switching-on ceremony．
Some celebrations do not go according to the plan, as was seen in Birmingham when dozens of people were injured as the famous British boy band JLS took the stage．
Not all towns can afford to bring in an internationally-known star, so many switchon ceremonies are handled by ex-TV talent show competitors．
Pantomime （圣诞童话剧） stars are also much in demand at this time of year, as they aim to promote their Christmas shows．
But if your council hasn't got the budget to bring in a famous face, what are the cheaper alternatives?
A town in the west of England chose to let the public decide by giving their suggestions online．The result: a 21-year-old DIY store worker was given the honor．
"I was amazed and delighted to be asked," said Scott Parker, "it's just a special gift and not something I'd, ever thought about before．"
1. According to the passage, what kind of special celebration can you see at Christmas in UK?
A．People meeting their favorite stars and getting special gifts．
B．Well-known persons invited to make a performance in public．
C．A-list persons lighting Oxford Street and promoting their films．
D．Switching-on ceremonies that are conducted by honored persons．
2. The underlined word "halt" in Paragraph 4 probably means "______" ．
A．start B．stop C．ban D．run
3. Which of the followings can be learned from the passage?
A．Mariah Carey is invited to Bath to switch on the lights．
B．Pantomime stars rarely appear at events like this．
C．Not all those who switch on the Christmas lights can make lots of money．
D．Average persons can not get a chance to switch on the Christmas lights．
4. The following are famous persons EXCEPT _____．
A．Scott Parker B．Mariah Carey
C．Nicolas Cage D．Jim Carrey
Businesses are expected to cut spending dramatically through much of 2009. A number of economists, including those National City and Wachovia, don’t expect business investment, which make up about one – tenth of US economic activity, to decline through 2009. According to a survey of 679 chief financial officers by Duke University and CFO Magazine this month, US businesses expect to cut capital spending by more than 10% in the next 12 months, a sharp decrease from September, when the CFOs expected business investment to increase slightly.
John Graham, finance professor at Duke and director of the survey, says businesses are finding ways to repair existing machinery and buildings rather than replace equipment or move. They likely won’t increase their spending until they see concrete evidence that the economy is improving.
Those planning meeting for late winter and early spring are either buying fewer or less – expensive items, or they’re not buying at all. One client who usually spends about $ 80,000 on a conference each year is spending half that. Robert Coen, director of forecasting at media – analysis firm Magna, predicts a 4.5% drop in ad spending to $ 259 billion in 2009 on the heels of a 3.2% drop in 2008. “A recovery in US ad budgets will probably not get underway until 2010,” he says. Another negative for 2009: There aren’t any big ad – spending events such as the Olympics or national elections.
Declining business spending will hurt a number of industries but will be especially tough for the manufacturing sector. Nearly two – thirds of manufacturers expect revenue(税收) to be unchanged or lower in 2009 than 2008, a survey from the Institute for Supply Management found.
1.According to John Graham, how did businesses to deal with the economy crisis?
A. They are spending less.
B. By increasing their business spending sharply.
C. By replacing old equipment with the new equipment.
D. By moving into the cheaper offices.
2.Why are the managers buying less – expensive items for their meetings?
A. To save money themselves.
B. To cut down on expenses and save for the companies.
C. To see the concrete evidence that the economy is on the mend.
D. To save money so they spend more on advertisements.
3.It can be inferred that in a year Olympics are held, many companies _________.
A. contribute more money to the poor B. give the participants money
C. spend more money on advertising D. cut down on advertising budgets
4.The best title for the passage is ____________.
A. Predictions about Buying New Equipment in 2009
B. Predictions about Conference Planning in 2009
C. Predictions about Advertising Spending in 2009
D. Predictions for Business Spending in 2009
Listen carefully; we would like to tell you something that could save your precious time and money! Best of all, it is free! It’s “no”. What do you ask? We’ll say it again. “No”. Sweet and simple “no”.
Say “no” at your office and see how quickly that pile of work on your desk disappears. “Saying “no” to others means you are saying “yes” to yourself,” said Leslie Charles, a professional speaker from East Lansing, Michigan.
Susie Watson, a famous writer, said people who always say “yes” need to say “no” without guilt （内疚） or fear of punishment. “I would rather have someone give me a loving ‘no’ than an obligated （强制的）‘yes’”, she said.
Susie Watson says she feels “no” obligation to give an explanation when she says “no” either socially or professionally. Does she feel guilty about it? “Not at all,” said Watson, who is director of advertising and public relations at Timex Corp in Middle-bury. “Most people are afraid of saying “no”. My advice is to say “yes” only if you don’t mean ‘no’.”
Watson said “no” is the most effective weapon against wasting time. “Every year there are more demands on your time. Other people are happy to use up your time,” Watson said. Time saving appears to be “no’s” greatest friend. “No” can be your new friend, a powerful tool to take back your life. “No” may even take you further in the business world than “yes”. “No” is power and strength. “No” now seems completely correct. “Saying ‘no’ isn’t easy. But finally it’s greatly liberating,” Charles said. But, he added, a “no” project needs to be worked on every day because it is hard to change long-term habit.
But, he also warns: “Don’t go to extremes. Don’t find yourself saying “no” to everything. In return you should learn to hear “no”.”
1. The underlined part “saying ‘yes’ to yourself” in the second paragragh means ________.
A. you can have more time to play with others
B. you needn’t care about other’s feeling if you are happy
C. you are selfish and treat others rudely
D. you can deal with your business as you have planned
2. When you say “no” to others you should say it in a ________.
A. secret way B. polite way C. proud way D. guilty way
3 In Watson’s opinion, people can save much time on condition that ________.
A. they say “no” at a suitable time B. they say “no” as much as possible
C. they are afraid of saying “no” D. they make others angry at them
4. If a person says “no” to everything, the result he or she receives may be that he or she ________.
A. enjoys a wonderful life B. makes a lot of money
C. faces difficulty in life D. forgets to say “yes” in the end