EVERYBODY in this world is different from one another. But do you know that understanding differences can help you better manage your money?
As we grow up, we gradually develop a set of our own values or beliefs. These are influenced by society, our family, the education we receive and so on. Once this value system is set up, it’s not easy to change later in life.
Financial experts say that everyone also has their own belief of how to manage their finances. This is part of our value system and it has a great impact on the way we look after our money.
According to our different values, experts put us in three categories. They are: the ant, the cricket and the snail.
The ant—works first
Just like ants who work heart and soul in summer in order to store food for winter, these people don’t care about enjoying the moment. They work very hard and save money they earn so that they can enjoy life when they get old and retire. The ant loves to save but they could make more out of their money if they were willing to invest in some funds and stocks with low risk.
The cricket—fun first
The cricket wants to enjoy everything now and doesn’t think too much about the future. They even borrow money when they really want something. Many young people now belong to this group. These people have little savings. When they get old, they might have problems. They should learn to save and buy insurance.
The snail—lives under pressure
The snail refers to people who make life difficult for themselves. They take big long-term loans from the bank in order to buy things such as luxury houses. They are happy to take big loans even though they are not sure they can afford it. This can cause problems in the future. They should plan more carefully.We can learn from the text that _____.
A.we spend money because we have earned it |
B.saving money is a good way to manage money |
C.your way of managing money is a reflection of your value or belief |
D.spending money is a wiser way |
Of the three types of people, the one that has no weakness is _____.
A.the ant | B.the snail | C.none of them | D. the cricket |
If you had three dollars, you would spend all of it. Which type do you belong to?
A.The cricket | B.The ant | C.The snail | D.None of them |
The text tells us mainly about _____.
A.understanding differences |
B.our own values and beliefs |
C.living behaviors of small animal |
D.spending nature |
Your mobile phone rings and instead of the usual electronic signals it’s playing your favourite music.A friend sends your favourite song to cheer you up.One day,a record company might forward new records and music videos to your phone.
The mobile business is getting into the music business.For the moment,the interest is in pleasant ring tones,but some companies are hoping to take full advantage of the next generation of mobile phones—all purpose gadgets that blend phone,personal stereo,video player and Internet browser into one.
Finally,record companies might send new records and videos to fans who register their cell phone numbers.
The fans could pass music or songs along to friends—a kind of musical trading card.Unlike Internet tracks,mobile downloads would be easy for record companies to control,said former record industry official Ralph,Simon,who is now chairman of Yourmobile,based in Santa Monic,California.
“If you pass a song along to other phones through a network,each phone can be charged,” said Simon.“It’s like going through toll gate (收费站).There’s more possibility for copyright control than there is on the Internet.”
Massachusetts-based Converse is offering service in Portugal and the Netherlands that lets people record tunes on their voice mail or send music as presents to friends.Finally,people might be able to sing karaoke and pass them along.The company is sure that people will want to use music to reach out and touch someone.
“A mobile phone is not a listening machine,and you’ll be disappointed if you think you can change it into a radio,” said Ouzel,a creative manager for Converse in Israel.“But if someone sends you a song while you’re on vacation,you appreciate the feeling.”
72.The underlined word “blend” in the second paragraph most probably means _____.
A.send B.come C.mix D.compare
73.“Massachusetts-based Converse”in the sixth paragraph probably refers to ______.
A.a person B.a city in Israel
C.a state of the USA D.a company
74.Record companies ______ the idea of passing songs and music along mobile phones.
A.are worried about B.are interested in
C.try hard to stop D.take no notice of
75.According to Ralph Simon it would be easier to _______ through mobile phone network than through the Internet.
A.protect copyright of music works B.send personal messages
C.pass along songs and music D.send voice mail
Living and dealing with kids can be a tough job these days,but living and dealing with parents can be even tougher.
If I have learned anything in my 16 years,it is that communication is very important,both when you disagree and when you get along.With any relationship,you need to let the other person know how you are feeling.If you are not able to communicate,your relationship drifts apart.When you are mad at your parents or anyone else,not talking to them doesn’t solve anything.
Communication begins with the concerns of another.It means that you can’t just come home from school,go up to your room and talk to nobody.Even if you just say “Hi” and see how their day is for five minutes,it is better than nothing.
If you look up the word “communication” in the dictionary,it will say “the exchange of ideas,conveyance (传递) of information,correspondence (通信),means of communication;a letter or message”.To keep a good relationship,you must keep the communication strong.Let people know how you feel,even if it’s just by writing a note.
When dealing with parents,you always have to make them feel good about how they are doing as parents.If you are trying to make them see something as you see it,tell them that you listen to what they have to say,but ask them politely to listen to you.Shouting or walking away only makes the situation worse.
Here is an example.One night,Sophie went to a street party with her friends.She knew she had to be home by midnight after the fireworks.but they didn’t feel she could just ask to go home.That would be rude.After all,they had been nice enough to take her along with them.Needless to say,she was late getting home.Her parents were mad at first,but when Sophie explained why she was late,they weren’t as mad and let the incident go.Communication was the key factor here.If Sophie’s parents had not been willing to listen,Sophie would have been in a lot of trouble.
Communication isn’t a one-way deal.It goes both ways.Just remember:if you get into a situation like Sophie’s,telling the other person how you feel and listening are key factors to communication.
68.The second paragraph mainly talks about ________.
A.the importance of friendship
B.making your feelings known to others
C.the importance of communication
D.the disagreement between generations
69.The key to happy relationship between parents and children is that _______.
A.children should always obey their parents
B.parents play the leading part
C.parents should mind their own business
D.both should make the other know their feelings
70.The example in the passage proves that ________.
A.Sophie’s parents were willing to listen to her
B.Sophie was very polite to her parents
C.Sophie did the right thing when she explained the reason of her being late
D.communication is the key to solving misunderstanding
71.All of the following statements are true EXCEPT ________.
A.if you don’t agree with others,you’d better let them know
B.it is better to say “Hi” to others than to say nothing
C.if you are too busy to communicate,just walk away
D.communication is a two-way deal
Everyone would like to be a millionaire but can you imagine having over S 30 million and only being 20 years old? Britney Spears from Kentwood,a small town in Louisiana,is an international pop superstar with not only S 30 million but also a S 2 million house in LA.At her young age,she can look after her family financially all her life.
This year is a big year for Britney,she is currently on a 31 date tour of the US and every concert is a sell out.That means she plays in front of a crowd of around 18,000 every time.It’s a tiring schedule but brings great rewards.When touring,she goes to bed at around 1 a.m.and then has a lie-in until 1 p.m.or 2 p.m.the next day.Her philosophy (人生哲学) is to take care of the body and be relaxed but always make sure you work hard and have fun.
Spears is not satisfied with only touring and selling nearly 40 million records,so she decided to branch out into the movie business and try a bit of acting.She made an appearance in “Austin Powers 3” in 2002 and she filmed a teenage comedy that was released in 2003.In this movie,she had a starring role.The movie was her own concept and she picked the writer.
In spite of the fact that she has not enjoyed the same popularity as a pop singer so far,she insists on trying more roles.For Britney,acting is another way to express herself and she is enthusiastic about it all.If her movies are successful,her bank account is sure to grow by another few million dollars but she has been quoted as saying she does it for the love,not for money.
64.Tickets for Britney’s concert are ________.
A.booked in groups B.too expensive
C.not available D.all sold
65.The underlined word “you” in the second paragraph refers to _______.
A.a person in general B.a particular person
C.Britney herself only D.the reader
66.Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?
A.Though young,Britney is a superstar both on the stage and screen
B.While touring,Britney is so tired that she has to sleep more than usual.
C.The teenage comedy was based on Britney’s own ideas.
D.Britney will be even more wealthy with her movies successful.
67.According to Britney Spears,she works _______.
A.to be a great actress B.for the enjoyment
C.to be more famous D.for the love of singing
BEIJING,Nov.25,2005(Reuters)—China’s home-grown human bird flu vaccine is at least a year away from hitting the market but tests on humans have been approved (批准) by the government,head of the research drug company said on Friday.
Development of the vaccine started last year after bird flu outbreaks in Thailand and Vietnam and animal trials have already been completed,said Yin Wei-dong,managing director of Sinovac Biotech.
“It is not a virus that is spreading from human to human,so we are very optimistic,” Yin told Reuters in an interview.
The deadly H5N1 made its first known jump to humans in Hong Kong in 1997,killing six people.The virus appeared again in late 2003 and is known to have infected 130 people in several parts of Asia,killing 68 of them.
“It is not decided yet when the human trials will begin.We just got approval on November 22 by the State Food and Drug Administration,” Yin said.
Oregon,Nov.26,2005(AP)—The deadly strain of bird flu that appeared in Asia and has already spread to other parts of the world has not affected the Oregon poultry (家禽) industry or consumers,according to Oregon State University researchers.
There are many strains of bird flu that do not usually infect humans.But one strain,called H5N1,has jumped from chickens to humans and is blamed for more than 60 deaths in Asia.
International disease control experts are worried about a worldwide outbreak of bird flu,raising concerns such as whether it is safe to eat poultry.
But Oregon State University researchers say there is no proof that the virus can jump to humans by eating cooked poultry products.
“Consumers needn’t be overly concerned about bird flu,” said Jim Hermes,OSU Extension Service poultry specialist.But he urged consumers to follow standard food safety practices in preparing poultry—including washing hands while preparing food,and proper cooking of poultry meat and eggs.
He noted that a 2003 outbreak of bird virus caused much damage to commercial poultry operations in California but did not get into Oregon because of industry safeguards.
60.Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the first news report?
A.Human trials have already started but not yet successful.
B.Bird flu killed 68 Asian people in its second outbreak.
C.The bird flu virus is not one that spreads from human to human.
D.The government has agreed to have the vaccine tried on humans.
61.What does the first news report mainly talk about?
A.The new outbreak of the bird flu.
B.How the development of the bird flu vaccine is going on.
C.How many people died of bird flu.
D.What measures the government has taken to stop the spreading of bird flu.
62.What does the underlined word “strains” probably mean?
A.signs. B.symbols. C.kinds. D.diseases.
63.What can we know from the second news report?
A.Because of the safety guards,Oregon poultry industry didn’t suffer any loss in
the 2003 outbreak of bird flu.
B.People in Oregon are not concerned about bird flu.
C.People will develop bird flu even if they eat well-cooked poultry products.
D.H5N1 has caused more than 60 deaths worldwide.
第三部分:阅读理解(共20小题;每小题2分,满分40分)
阅读下列短文,然后从各题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中,选出最佳选项。
You’ve no doubt heard people say how much they “need” a holiday,when what they really mean is that they want one.Certainly,people working under pressure feel a very strong desire to escape from work and become less tight during their holidays,and experience a changed environment.
Once people become used to going on holiday,taking holidays becomes a habit.For many people the holiday is one of the last things to be given up,and indeed many workers have chosen to spend some of their last pay when being on holiday.It may give them a “lift” in facing some difficulties in life.
Most of us also enjoy showing off the lovely tans—dark skins we get from a holiday.So many tourists are now able to afford holidays in the sun that tans have become quite common;although we join a tan together with health,it has been fully shown that too much sunshine will result in high danger of skin problems,as well as drying out one’s skin and leading to more lines on your face later in life.
56.According to the passage above,more and more people choose to have holidays because they ________.
A.hate working indoors all the time
B.want to get away from work
C.love enjoying the beauties of nature
D.become rich and want a better life
57.When office people have holidays,they often _______.
A.lie on the beach and enjoy sunshine
B.spend more than they can afford
C.think about their work on the beach
D.choose to do more physical exercise
58.A holiday may _______ when one has to face some difficulties in life.
A.cheer someone up B.help someone find a job
C.be the last thing to be given up D.bring good luck to someone
59.At the end of the passage the writer tries to tell the reader ______.
A.the importance of getting sunshine
B.the bad effect of being on holiday
C.the result of getting sun tanned
D.the healthy look of being tanned