Global financial big dogs are no match for China's "Da Ma", or housewives, who have crowded into gold stores across China, buying up 300 tons of gold over the past two weeks. No wonder gold prices have steadied after taking a dive.
During the May Day holiday, gold stores were crowded with mostly female customers. Most of them are middle-aged "Chinese housewives". This group of buyers has risen to fame recently. They are big spenders and are desperate to get their hands on a bargain. "I bought some gold jewellery and kept them as a gift for my son when he gets married," said a buyer from Shanghai.
The gold business is skyrocketing. "Our sales are growing by the day. Yesterday we sold more than ten million yuan of gold products," a gold store salesperson said. The gold rush in China started about two weeks ago thanks to a decline in global gold prices. Media reports suggest that Chinese housewives have spent about 100 billion yuan, or about 16 billion US dollars, purchasing 300 tons of gold since mid-April. That has helped support gold prices.
"Gold prices depressed since the middle of last month but have risen gradually. That is mainly due to the strong demand from Asian markets," said foreign trader Zhang Chen from Industrial & Commercial Bank of China. "Some people even joked that Chinese housewives have beaten Wall Street analysts." For Chinese people, with limited investment options, the only thing better than buying gold is buying gold at discount prices.What does the author indicate in the first sentence of the 1st paragraph?
| A．The global big dogs can’t match with Chinese housewives. |
| B．China's "Da Ma" help a lot to support the global economic crisis . |
| C．Chinese housewives spend a great deal of money on gold |
| D．Chinese housewives have a better consumption idea than global financial big dogs |
The whole passage mainly developed_______ ?
| A．by comparison | B．by contrast |
| C．by quotation | D．by time order |
We can infer about the gold rush in China from the passage?
| A．The Chinese housewives are most willing to spend money in buying gold .. |
| B．China's "Da Ma" crowded into stores to get gold as the best gifts for sons when they get married. |
| C．China's "Da Ma" are bigger spenders and cleverer than global financial big dogs. |
| D．China’s "Da Ma" become the largest gold buyers due to a decline in global gold prices. |
In the writer’s view, Chinese housewives are desperate to get their hands on a bargain because_____.
A. it is worthy to buy gold.
B .they have a strong demand
C. they have unlimited investment options
D it is at discount prices.The author’s description about the passage is ______.
| A．objective | B．subjective | C．doubtful | D．negative |
B
How does a place become a World Heritage Site ( 世界遗产 ) ? It takes a lot of people to decide.
1 ) If a country wants one of its places to be on the World Heritage List, it has to ask UNESCO ( 联合国教科文组织 ) . The place must be important and special. UNESCO put the Great Wall on the list in 1987 because, it said, it was a great part of Chinese culture and beautifully made to go with the land. When a country asks, it must also make a plan for taking care of the place.
2 ) The World Heritage Committee of UNESCO talks about different places and decides whether to put them on the list. The committee meets every June. Many experts help the committee to decide.
3 ) After a new place goes on the list, UNESCO gives money to help keep it looking good. If a place is in serious danger, it may be put on the list of World Heritage Sites in Danger. UNESCO gives special care and help to those places.
4 ) Countries have to give UNESCO regular reports about places on the list. If UNESCO thinks a country isn’t taking good enough care of a place, the site will be taken off the list.
45．The passage implies that ________.
A．becoming a world heritage site takes hard work.
B．a place with beautiful scenery is often on the World Heritage List.
C．a place which was taken good care of is often on the World Heritage List.
D．the Great Wall become a World Heritage Site for its history.
46．If a place successfully becomes a World Heritage Site, the country ________.
A．can ask UNESCO for more money and help
B．should continue to take special care of it
C．won’t take trouble of caring for it
D．will try to put it on the List of World Heritage Sites in Danger
47．The passage mainly discusses ________.
A．how the World Heritage Committee of UNESCO decides a World Heritage Site
B．how the World Heritage Committee of UNESCO protects a World Heritage Site
C．how the Great Wall becomes a World Heritage Site
D．how a place becomes s World Heritage Site
48．The purpose of putting a place on the World Heritage List is ________.
A．to attract more tourists from other countries
B．to get more money and help from other countries
C．to have it taken better care of
D．to make it known to other countries
第三部分：阅读理解（共两节，满分40分）
第一节（共15小题；每小题2分，满分30分）
阅读下列短文，从短文中所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
A
Balzac was good at buying things at its lowest price. One day he wanted to buy a vase in a shop window that was much more expensive than he could offer. Not being able to make the shopkeeper cut down its price very much, he left without further talking. Collecting a half dozen of his friends, he explained his wish to them and they worked a plan. The first would enter the shop and make an offer, lower than the marked price. Not getting the vase at his price, he would walk out. Shortly after another would enter and ask for a price lower than the first. In this way, each of the others would offer a price lower than the one before, and the last of his friends made a great effort to attempt to get it at the lowest price. Before long Balzac himself would return, offer more than the last two or three persons made and trust to luck. The plan worked--- Balzac got the vase at his price!
41．Which of the following is true according to the passage?
A．vase in the window was placed much higher than Balzac could reach.
B．At first the price of the vase was much higher than Balzac could offer.
C．Balzac always wanted to buy a vase that was much more expensive than he could pay
D．Balzac was very poor. He couldn’t buy the vase at a high price.
42．How many friends did Balzac gather?
A．Six B．Twelve C．Ten D．Five
43．Who asked for the lowest price?
A．The first one.B．The second one. C．The last of his friends.D．Balzac.
44．What kind of person does the writer try to tell us about Balzac and his friends?
A．Unkind B．Dishonest C．Selfish D．Clever
E
One reaction to all the concern about tropical deforestation（砍伐森林） is a blank stare that asks the question, "Since I don't live there, what does it have to do with me?"
The answer is that your way of life, wherever you live in the world, is tied to the tropics in many ways. If you live in a house, wash your hair, eat fruits and vegetables, drink soda, or drive a car, you can be certain that you are affected by the loss of tropical forests.
Biologically, we are losing the richest regions on earth when, each minute, a piece of tropical forest, the size of ten city blocks ,disappears. As many as five million species of plants, animals, and insects (40 to 50 percent of all living things) live there, and are being lost faster than they can be found and described. Their loss is immeasurable.
Take rubber for example. For many uses, only natural rubber from trees will do. Synthetics are not good enough. Today over half the world's commercial rubber is produced in Malaysia and Indonesia, while the Amazon's rubber industry produces much of the world's four million tons. And rubber is an important material in making gloves, balloons, footwear and many sporting goods. Thousands of other tropical plants are valuable for their industrial use.
Many scientists strongly believe that deforestation contributes to the greenhouse effect -- or heating of the earth from increased carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. As we destroy forests, we lose their ability to change carbon dioxide into oxygen.
Carbon dioxide levels could double within the next half-century, warming the earth by as much as 4.5 degrees. The result? A partial melt-down of polar ice caps, raising sea levels as much as 24 feet; even 15 feet could threaten anyone living within 35 miles of the coast. Unbelievable? Maybe. But scientists warn that by the time we realize the severe effects of tropical deforestation, it will be 20 years too late.
Can tropical deforestation affect our everyday lives? Now, you should have got the answer.
58．The underlined word "synthetics" probably means a kind of _________.
A．natural rubber B．tropical material C．man-made material D．tropical tree
59．In the last paragraph the author tries to__________.
A．tell people how to avoid the tropical deforestation
B．show us how important it is to protect the tropical forests
C．persuade people to buy something synthetic
D．let people realize the effect of tropical deforestation
60．The author's attitude towards the tropical deforestation is____________.
A．puzzling B．cold C．supporting D．opposed
D
When I walked into the house after school, I found my dad at home.
"What are you doing home already?" I asked casually.
"Andrew, I was laid off today," he answered quietly.
I was sure he was joking. "No, you weren't. Why are you really home?"
Then I noticed his expression and realized he was telling the truth. My father has always been a hard worker and prided himself on his career. My father's unemployment created many changes in our lives. He was home all day, which meant my bed had to be made, my room cleaned up, and my homework done right after school. I would come home every day to find him at the computer searching for jobs. I began to notice how down he seemed, and how losing his job had affected his self-esteem (自尊心), though he tried to be optimistic. He asked my brother and me to spend less money. I gave up my allowance（零用钱）, which even though it wasn't much, felt like the right thing to do. I also found a part-time job.
After several difficult months of searching, my dad decided to go in a totally different direction. He explained that he never wanted to be laid off again, so he was going to start his own business. Day by day, I watched him build it, and I admired how much time and energy he devoted to it.
One evening I asked if he needed help. "Only if it doesn't interfere（打扰，妨碍） with school," he said, which sounded like a yes.
I showed up at his office the next afternoon, and most afternoons after that for two months. I always knew he was a hard worker, but watching him in action really influenced me. Although this was one of the worst experiences for our family, it taught me a lot about dealing with adversity. Now I know that through creative problem-solving, I can always find Plans, ask for help, and take risks.
54．When the father was laid off, he ________.
A．was angry with his boss B．didn't care about it at all
C．couldn't accept the fact easily D．was as happy as usual
55．We can know from the passage that ________.
A．it was not easy for the father to find a new job
B．the father asked his sons to give up their allowance
C．the father found a good job when he changed his direction
D．Andrew and his brother helped his father set up his business
56．The underlined word "adversity" in the last paragraph probably means .
A．poor feelings B．bad situations C．low spirits D．old ideas
57．What has Andrew learned from his father?
A．The spirit of creative problem-solving. B．The skills of surfing the Internet.
C．The experience of saving money. D．The rich business skills.
C
Of all the websites，one that has attracted attention recently is myspace.com．Most of this attention has come from the media and tells every reason why the website should be shut down．The threat of internet predators（窃掠者）is indeed a tough reality，but shutting down the site is not the answer．If myspace.com were shut down，another site would quickly take its place．Therefore，the right way is to teach teens how to use the site safely and educate them about who may be predators and how to avoid them.
The key to staying safe on the Internet is to make sure that your profile（个人资料）is secure．The simplest way is to change the privacy setting on your profile to “private”, which protects your information so that only the people on your friend list can view it．Although this is effective，it is not perfect．Predators can find ways to view your profile if they really want to，whether through hacking in or figuring out their way onto your friend list．Thus，you should never post too much personal information．Some people actually post their home and school addresses，date of birth，and other personal information, often letting predators know exactly where they will be and when．The most information that is safe is your first name and province．Anything more is basically inviting a predator into your life.
Another big issue is photos. I suggest completely skipping photos and never posting a photo of a friend online without asking permission．
Most importantly, never，under any circumstances，agree to a real-life meeting with anyone you meet online．No matter how well you think you know this person, there are no guarantees that they have told the truth．But you could feel free to chat with people you meet on the site, but just remember that not everyone is who they say they are．Hopefully，the next time you edit your profile，you’ll be more informed about the dangers of internet predators and take the steps to defend yourself.
50．Kids can avoid web predators successfully by_________.
A．attracting more public attention
B．shutting down the website “myspace . com”
C．showing the kids ways to try other sites
D．recognizing and getting away from them
51．The safest basic personal information that you can share online is_________.
A．your home address and birthday B．school address and your first name
C．your first name and province D．your province and cell phone number
52．We can learn from the passage that_____.
A．not everybody you meet on line is honest and reliable
B．it is not acceptable to post a photo of a friend on line
C．it is not safe by chatting with grown-ups on the website
D．only you and your friends can view your personal profile
53．What could be the best title of this passage?
A．Personal Safety B．Web Safety for teens
C．Web Hackers in the pastD．Predators’ Tricks