MatthewAmesreturnedtoBrisbanef-优题课

Hi, everybody. On Friday, I had a discussion with working women in Rhode Island about the economic challenges they face in their own lives—challenges shared by many of you.
Thanks to the work we’ve all put in, our economy has come a long way these past six years. Over the past 55 months, our businesses have added 10.3 million new jobs. For the first time in six years, the unemployment rate is below 6 percent. And on Thursday, we learned that over the past six months, our economy has grown at its fastest pace since 2003.
But the gains of a growing economy aren’t yet felt by everyone. So we’ve got to harness（增强） this momentum（动力）, and make the right choices so that everyone who works hard can get ahead.
In recent weeks, I’ve talked about these choices, from raising the minimum wage to creating new jobs in construction and manufacturing. Today, I want to focus on what I discussed with those women — the choices we need to make to help more women get ahead in today’s economy.
Right now, women make up almost half of our workers. More women are their family’s main breadwinner than ever before. So the simple truth is, when women succeed, America succeeds. And we should be choosing policies that benefit women—because that benefits all of us.
Women deserve fair pay. Even though it’s 2014, there are women still earning less than men for doing the same work. We don’t have second-class citizens in this country—we shouldn’t in the workplace, either. So let’s make sure women earn equal pay for equal work, and have a fair shot at success.
Women deserve to be able to take time off to care for a new baby, an ailing parent, or take a sick day for themselves without running into hardship. So let’s make sure all Americans have access to paid family leave(带薪休假).
Pregnant workers deserve to be treated fairly. Even today, women can be fired for taking too many bathroom breaks, or forced on unpaid leave just for being pregnant. That’s wrong—and we have to choose policies that ensure pregnant workers are treated with dignity and respect.
New parents deserve quality, affordable childcare. There’s nothing like the peace of mind that comes with knowing that your kids are safe while you’re at work. And the benefits that children get out of early enrichment can pay off for a lifetime. But in many states, sending your kid to daycare costs more than sending them to a public university. So let’s start demanding Pre-K for our kids.
And when most low-wage workers are women, but Congress hasn’t passed a minimum wage increase in seven years, it’s long past time that women deserve a raise. About 28 million workers would benefit from an increase in the minimum wage to ten dollars and ten cents an hour. And more than half of those workers are women. The local businesses where these workers spend their money would benefit, too. So let’s do this -- let’s give America a raise.
All of these policies are common sense. All of them are within our reach. We’ve just got to speak up and choose them. Because they’ll build a stronger America for all of us.
Thanks, and have a great weekend.
The underlined word “breadwinner” in Paragraph 5 probably means ___________.

A．the person who wins a lot of bread

B．the person who takes part in the competition

C．the person who earns the money to support the family

D．the person who makes policies

Which is the true fact according to the passage?

A．During the last half year, our economy has grown fastest since 2003.

B．All of us have felt the gains of a growing economy.

C．We have never fires any women because of her taking too many bathroom breaks.

D．The local businesses will not benefit a lot because of the increase in the minimum wage.

Which is NOT included in the new policies that would help women and working families get ahead?

A．Equal pay for equal work.

B．Increase access to high-quality child care and paid family leave.

C．Raise the minimum wage.

D．Get rid of racial discrimination.

The best title for this Weekly Address may be ___________.

A．Say no to sex discrimination.

B．It’s time to help women and working families.

C．Let’s build a stronger country.

D．Equal pay for equal work.

Alibaba started taking the lead in China, simply enough, by connecting big Chinese manufacturers(制造商)with big buyers across the world. Its business-to-business site, Alibaba.com allowed business to buy almost everything. Alibaba’s advantage wasn’t hard to identify: size. Alibaba is just big, even by Chinese standards. Its marketplaces attract 231 million active buyers, 8 million sellers, 11.3 billion orders a year—and Alibaba is just the middleman. It encourages people to use its markets—not charging small sellers a percentage of the sale.
If you want a quick look into the influence of Alibaba on daily Chinese life, take my experience. I moved to Beijing almost a year ago and quickly got tired of visiting small stores across the crowded, polluted city of 20 million people in search of new electronics, bathroom furnishings, and anything else my wife wanted. “You’re looking for what exactly? Why not try it? ” my Chinese teacher asked me one day. With that, my wonderful new relationship with Alibaba began.
Alibaba’s original business-to-business model now is secondary to consumer buying. Chinese retail（零售）buying makes up 80% of Alibaba’s profit, and leading that group is Taobao, with 800 million items for sale and the most unbelievable selection of things you’ll ever find. TMall.com is Alibaba’s other big site, where you can find brand name goods from Nike and Unilever near the lowest prices.
What I have a hard time explaining to friends and family back in the U.S. is how China has gone beyond traditional shopping—big-box retailers especially —in favor of online purchases on Taobao and a few other sites. In smaller towns than Beijing, where big retailers have not yet traveled, shopping online is shopping, and shopping is Taobao.
I have a list of some of my recent purchases on Taobao for a sense of how extensive the marketplace is. Almost everything arrived a day or two after ordering with free shipping. I’m not even a big buyer, because I need friends to help me search the Chinese-language site. When I was searching my purchase history on my Chinese teacher’s iPad, which helps me buy goods, I looked through with great difficulty about 10 of her purchases for every one of mine.
Alibaba’s advantage mainly lies in ___________.

A．its big size

B．its business-to-business service

C．its not charging small sellers

D．its low price

What can we learn from the underlined sentence in the passage?

A．Alibaba is of middle size among all the online sites

B．Alibaba will continue to develop.

C．Alibaba stands out as the best online site.

D．Alibaba acts as a bridge between the buyers and sellers.

What can be inferred from the passage?

A．The author’s Chinese teacher is also an online purchase lover.

B．Taobao has no obvious advantage over other similar online sites.

C．Alibaba’s business-to-business service earns more money than retail now.

D．TMall.com provides more profit than Taobao.

What is the passage mainly about?

A．Shopping online is TaoBao.

B．The influence of shopping online goes beyond traditional shopping.

C．Alibaba greatly influences people’s daily purchase in China.

D．How the author purchases online in China.

1. Penguins Mate for Life
During the mid-2000s, films like "Happy Feet" made penguins all the rage, and young lovers went around spreading the facts like "penguins mate for life." While the idea is sweet, it's not exactly true.
Penguins usually stick with their partners through the mating season, but when it's time to mate again, they choose whomever is convenient, not necessarily their old flame.
2. Vincent Van Gogh Cut Off His Entire Ear
This is not entirely true. It was not his entire ear - just the tip of the lobe（耳垂） - and some say he didn't even do it. Van Gogh lived with artist Paul Gauguin, who had quite a violent temper, and many believe Gauguin actually did the cutting.
Either way, Van Gogh did reportedly send the tip to a prostitute.
3. Napoleon Bonaparte was Short
Everyone knows Napoleon Bonaparte was a tiny man - after all, his nickname was "le Petit Corporal." His reputation for being short even inspired the phenomenon known as the "Napoleon complex."
In reality, Napoleon stood around 5 feet and 7 inches tall, which was very average back in the day. Many believe his nickname was meant as a term of endearment, not a reference to his height.
4. Ben Franklin Preferred a Turkey to a Bald Eagle
The bald eagle is certainly a well-known representation of America, but legend has it that if Ben Franklin had his way, a turkey would have been much better. In reality, Franklin wrote a letter to his daughter mocking the eagle symbol used in a seal(印章) by the Society of the Cincinnati, a private military group.
He said it looked like a turkey and may as well be one.
5. You Have Five Senses
If you remember learning about the senses in elementary school, you know humans possess five: sight, smell, hearing, touch, and taste. Most scientists agree, however, that you have more like 10-20 senses, including pain, hunger, thirst, temperature, and more.
6. George Washington had Wooden Teeth
George Washington is known for three things: being the first president, chopping down a cherry tree, and having wooden teeth. At least one of these is certainly not true. While Washington did have bad teeth, his dentures(假牙) were not wooden.
7. Einstein was a Bad Student
If you ever made bad grades and pulled the old "Albert Einstein used to make bad grades" card with your parents or teachers, you are lucky you got away with it. In reality, Einstein was at the top of his class and mastered calculus when he was barely a teenager.
The reputation he developed for being a bad student had more to do with his behavior. He liked to talk back to his teachers.
Which is the true fact according to the passage?

A．Penguins usually stick with their partners through their whole lives.

B．Franklin laughed at the eagle symbol used in a seal and said it looked like a turkey.

C．Napoleon was much shorter than average.

D．George Washington’s false teeth were made of wooden.

Why do most people hold the idea that Albert Einstein used to make bad grades?

A．Because he used to like to talk with his teachers.

B．Because he used to be criticized by his parents.

C．Because he used to be different from other students.

D．Because he used to behave badly and usually didn’t respect his teachers.

I was raised on a farm in the Fraser Valley along with five sisters and one brother. When I was 15, I got addicted to drinking at weekends and then dropped out of school. By the time I was 17, I continued to drink heavily. I couldn't find a job to support myself. So, I had no other choice but to join the army. I retired and went back home three years later, still a heavy drinker. When I was 22, I met Sue whose father was also a heavy drinker, so my behavior didn't surprise her. We were soon married and later had two daughters.
I started my first business when I was in my mid-twenties. A few years later, I bought a large chicken farm. Even with this success, though, my drinking was always a problem. It affected my marriage and family so much that I knew I had to make up my mind to stop drinking. So I tried great efforts. But two years later, I began drinking again.
When I was in my mid-thirties, I sold both of my businesses, and bought the big house on the hill. I was not at all happy, although I had everything that was supposed to make me happy. I sold our big house on the hill and bought a large land, where I built a new house. Our marriage was in big trouble, and my finances would go down the drain. For the first time in many years, I had to go to work for someone as an employee. I took a job as a heavy equipment operator in a road building camp.
My marriage still came apart when I was 38, and my kids had to go through our divorce. I spent 6 months in giving up drinking on a school camp. Nearly a year later, I met my childhood neighbor girl, June. We were married not long afterwards. My kids learned to trust me again and I have two stepchildren that also love me.
Happy life continued about ten years. Everything was going so well when I felt there was something wrong with my body. I went to see a doctor, and the medical examination came out that I had ALS(肌肉萎缩症). Record shows that people with ALS generally survive between two to five years after symptoms appear. I've probably had the symptoms for one-and-a-half years already, so I don't know how much time I have left.…God knows…
Which of the following is the right order for the author’s experience?
a. He married June.
b. He married Sue
c. He bought the big house on the hill.
d. He bought a large chicken farm.
e. He succeeded in giving up drinking.
f. He tried but failed to get rid of drinking.

A．a, d, c, b, f, e	B．b, d, f, c, e, a
C．b, c, d, a, f, e	D．f, b, d, c, e , a

The underlined phrase “go down the drain”(in Paragraph 3) is closest in meaning to “__”.

A．be out of expectation	B．be totally successful
C．become worse and worse	D．be safe in one’s pocket

What can we know about the author?

A．He began drinking at the age of 17.

B．He ended his army life at the age of 19.

C．He was not happy, although he lived in the big house at the age of 35.

D．He bought the big house on the hill when he was 25.

What can we infer about the author’s marriage?

A．His two kids didn’t trust him before he remarried.

B．His finance was the first thing that led to the failure of his first marriage.

C．His first wife didn’t know about his drinking before marriage.

D．He gave birth to two children in his 40s.

What is true according to the last paragraph?

A．The author is hopeless because he will be dead in a few years because of ALS.

B．The author has hope because the doctor concluded that he had 2-5 years left.

C．The author is uncertain whether the symptoms of ALS have appeared or not.

D．The author will ask God whether the disease is curable or not.

Beauty has always been regarded as something praiseworthy. Almost everyone thinks attractive(漂亮的) people are happier and healthier, have better marriages and have more respectable jobs. Personal advisors give them better advice for finding jobs. Even judges are softer on attractive defendants (被告). But in the executive (行政的,管理的) circle, beauty can become a liability.
While attractiveness is a positive factor for a man on his way up the executive ladder, it is harmful to a woman. Handsome male executives were considered as having more honesty than plain(平常的，不漂亮的) men; effort and ability were thought to lead to their success. Attractive female executives were considered to have less honesty than unattractive ones; their success was connected not with ability but with factors such as luck. All unattractive women executives were thought to have more honesty and to be more capable than the attractive female executives. Interestingly, though, the rise of the unattractive overnight successes was connected more to personal relationships and less to ability than that of the attractive overnight successes.
Why are attractive women not thought to be able? An attractive woman is considered to be more feminine and an attractive man more manly than the less attractive ones. Thus, an attractive woman has an advantage in traditionally female jobs, but an attractive woman in a traditionally manly position appears to lack the "manly" qualities required.
This is true even in politics. "When the only clue is how he or she looks, people treat men and women differently," says Anne Bowman, who recently published a study on the effects of attractiveness on political candidates. She asked 125 undergraduate students to rank two groups of photographs, one of men and one of women, of attractiveness. The students were told the photographs were of candidates for political offices. They were asked to rank them again, in the order they would vote for them.
The results showed that attractive males completely defeated unattractive men, but the women who had ranked most attractive unchangeably received the fewest votes.
The word "liability" most probably means __________.

A．disadvantage	B．advantage
C．misfortune	D．trouble

In traditionally female jobs, attractiveness ________.

A．makes women look more honest and capable

B．strengthens the qualifies required

C．is of no importance to women

D．often enables women to succeed quickly

Bowman's experiment shows that when it comes to politics, attractiveness _______.

A．turns out to be a disadvantage to men

B．is more of a disadvantage than an advantage to women

C．affects men and women alike

D．has as little effect on men as on women

It can be inferred from the passage that people's views on beauty are often _____.

A．practical	B．supportive
C．old-fashioned	D．one-sided

The author writes this passage to __________.

A．give advice to job-seekers who are attractive

B．discuss the disadvantages of women being attractive

C．demand equal rights for women

D．state the importance of appearance