Japanesecouples，toobusyforanor-优题课

BEIJING , March 9 --- The central government will require an additional three years of use for official vehicles for ministers and governors to reduce the costs of purchasing new cars, media have reported.
The new rule has been applied among all Party and government departments nationwide, the Beijing News reported on Tuesday. The new rule has not yet been made public, said Li, a member of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference National Committee.
Under the old rules, the cars used by minister-level officials could be replaced as often as every five years, Li said. These officials will also keep the same cars when they assume new posts, he added.
The new rule also reiterated(重申) that officials ranking below minister-or-governor-levels should not be allocated cars. The cars possessed by their departments should be used on demand.
“It violates the rules for lower-ranking --- even county-level-officials to be allocated cars,” Li said.
Purchases of vehicles for official use have been heavily investigated, as they account for a large expenditure (花费) of public funds every year.
A survey on the Web news www.ifeng.com found 64 percent of respondents believed the new rule will be difficult to carry out because it is related to officials’ interests.
“Local government departments had halted(中断) approvals for requests for such vehicles and had started to work on new quotas(指标) under the new rules,” Li said. “The future reform of official vehicle use will introduce market mechanisms and monetization.”
Premier Wen Jiabao said in the annual government work report on Saturday that expenditures on such vehicles will not increase in 2011 compared with a year ago.
Beijing’s standing deputy mayor Ji Lin last week said the municipal (市政的) government will release the number of vehicles for official use in the capital as early as at the end of this month.
Earlier this month, the Minister of Finance had published a rule regulating the budgets for such vehicles.
What is the purpose of the new rule allocating vehicles among officials?

A．To promote a low-carbon lifestyle.

B．To cut down the present huge expenditures of purchasing cars.

C．To make good use of budgets for official cars.

D．To solve the problem of severe traffic jam.

How often could the cars used by minister-level officials be replaced according to the new rule?

A．Every 3 years.

B．Every 5 years.

C．Every 8 years.

D．Every 10 years.

What about the officials ranking below minister-or-governor levels in terms of official vehicles?

A．They can still possess special cars.

B．They can use their own private cars.

C．They can use cars whenever officially necessary.

D．They can be allocated second-hand cars.

What is the public’s attitude toward the new rule’s fulfillment?

A．Uncertain.

B．Optimistic.

C．Indifferent.

D．Passive

From the passage, we can infer that_________.

A．the government is determined to carry out the new rule

B．the new rule has not yet been made public

C．the new rule will benefit official’s interest

D．the new rule is applied to minister-level officials

You’re rushing to work and a man ahead of you collapses on the sidewalk. Do you stop to help? In a study of by-standers, it was found that some people avert their gaze and keep on walking rather than stop and get involved.
“There is a tendency to decide that no action is needed.” says a psychologist. “The first thoughts that pop into your mind often keep you from offering help. In order to take action, you have to work against them.” Here are some common thoughts that might prevent you from helping.
● Why should I be the one? I’m probably not the most competent（有能力的） person in this crowd. You might think someone older or with more medical knowledge should offer assistance.
● What if he doesn’t really need my help? The fear of embarrassment is powerful; no one wants to risk looking foolish in front of others.
● No one else looks concerned- this must not be a problem. We can follow the people around us, but most people tend to hold back their emotions in public.
“If you spot trouble and find yourself explaining inaction, force yourself to stop and evaluate the situation instead of walking on,” says the psychologist. “Then retry to involve other people; you don’t have to take on the entire responsibility of being helpful. Sometimes it’s just a matter of turning to the person next to you and saying, ‘It looks like we should do something.’ Or asking someone if an ambulance has been called and, if not, to call for one. Once you take action, most people will follow you.”
Which is NOT the common thought that stops you from helping others?

A．I’m not the very person capable of setting the problem.

B．It looks like we should do something.

C．It must not be a problem as no one else is concerned.

D．He doesn’t really need my help.

According to a study of by-standers, what will some people do when a man ahead falls down on the sidewalk?

A．They will call for help and then walk away.

B．They will stop and offer help.

C．They will turn away their eyes and go on walking.

D．They will laugh at him.

We learn from the last paragraph that if we spot trouble, ．

A．we should call the ambulance as soon as we can.

B．we should take on the whole responsibility and do something alone.

C．we should stop and evaluate the situation and try to make other people follow.

D．we should turn to other people and ask them to take on the responsibility

In order to offer others your timely help, you need to．

A．ask others for help and call the police

B．get along well with the passers-by who spot the trouble

C．go directly to the police station

D．work against the first thoughts that prevent you offering help

The main purpose of the text is to tell readers．

A．to give others a hand

B．to be more competent

C．not to risk looking foolish

D．to stop and evaluate the situation

I was in my third year of teaching creative writing at a high school in New York, when one of my students, 15-year-old Mikey, gave me a note from his mother. It explained his absence from class the day before.
I had seen Mikey himself writing the note at his desk. Most parental-excuse notes I received were penned by my students. If I were to deal with them, I’d be busy 24 hours a day.
The forged excuse notes made a large pile, with writing that ranged from imaginative to crazy. The writers of those notes didn’t realize that honest excuse notes were usually dull: “Peter was late because the alarm clock didn’t go off.”
Isn’t it remarkable, I thought, how the students complained and said it was hard putting 200 words together on any subject? But when they produced excuse notes, they were brilliant.
So one day I typed out a dozen excuse notes and gave them to my classes. I said, “They’re supposed to be written by parents, but actually they are not. True, Mikey?” The students looked at me nervously.
“Now, this will be the first class to study the art of the excuse note --- the first class, ever, to practice writing them. You’re so lucky to have a teacher like me who has taken your best writing and turned it into a subject worthy of study. ”
Everyone smiled as I went on, “You used your imaginations. So try more now. Today I’d like you to write ‘An Excuse Note from Adam to God’ or ‘An Excuse Note from Eve to God’.” Heads went down. Pens raced across paper. For the first time ever I saw students so careful in their writing that they had to be asked to go to lunch by their friends.
The next day everyone had excuse notes. Heated discussions followed. The headmaster entered the classroom and walked up and down, looking at papers, and then said, “I’d like you to see me in my office.”
When I stepped into his office, he came to shake my hand and said, “I just want to tell you that that lesson, that task, whatever the hell you were doing, was great. Those kids were writing on the college level. Thank you. ”
What did the author do with the students found dishonest?

A．He reported them to the headmaster.	B．He lectured them hard on honesty.
C．He had them take notes before lunch.	D．He helped improve their writing skills.

The author found that compared with the true excuse notes, the produced ones by the students were usually__________.

A．less impressive

B．more imaginative

C．worse written

D．less convincing

The author had the students practice writing excuse notes so that the students could learn_________.

A．the importance of being honest	B．how to write excuse notes skillfully
C．the pleasure of creative writing	D．how to be creative in writing

The underlined word “forged” in the second paragraph means “______”.

A．former

B．copied

C．false

D．honest

What did the headmaster think of the author’s way of teaching?

A．Effective.

B．Difficult

C．Misleading.

D．Reasonable

The casual Friday concept (星期五便装日的概念) was one of the first signs that strict dress rules for offices were starting to relax. The principle of casual Fridays seems to have appeared around the 1950s. It was probably in response (回应) to the changing attitudes towards workplaces. Over time, some offices have relaxed their dress rules even more by using a "business casual" dress rule.
On casual Fridays, employees (员工) may wear clothes which are considered to be "business casual", meaning they still obey certain standards (标准). Clothes must be clean and in good condition, with no spots. Men are generally allowed to wear casual trousers and bright-colored clothes, and in some offices they may be allowed to wear button-down shirts or polo shirts, with or without a tie. Women often wear neat skirts or dresses; casual trousers are common and generally allowed to wear, except in very formal workplaces.
As a general rule, extremely casual clothes, like jeans, shorts, T-shirts, tank tops, and so on, are not encouraged on casual Fridays. Employees are still expected to make an effort to look professional, out of respect for their offices and their customers.
Many people feel that casual Fridays are good for employees’mood because they encourage employees to express their individuality (个性) and feel more comfortable in the offices. Others feel that business casual clothing and the concept of casual Fridays don’t show respect for the workplaces. Casual Fridays are dealt with differently, depending on the industry and the nation. The technology industry, for example, is well known for casual clothes in general, while major financial companies still dislike casual clothes.
We can learn from the passage that ________.

A．the casual Friday concept has been out of fashion

B．people were required to wear formal clothes in offices before casual Fridays concept appeared

C．the casual Friday concept had appeared before the 1950s

D．employees who wear formal clothes lack individuality

In general, on casual Fridays, as an employee in a company you can wear ________.

A．jeans

B．tank tops

C．shorts

D．polo shirts

Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A．The casual Friday concept changes people’s responsibility at work.

B．Button-down shirts are allowed to wear in any formal workplace.

C．In general, leading financial companies don’t prefer casual clothing.

D．The technology industry requires employees to wear formal clothing.

What does the last paragraph tell us?

A．Different kinds of casual clothes.

B．The development of the casual Friday concept.

C．People’s different opinions on casual Fridays.

D．The rules that employees must obey in companies.

You may know your mother, but how well do you really know Mother’s Day? Cards, flowers, sales, TV specials, and a day off for someone who really deserves it —those are what probably come to mind for many people when they think of Mother’s Day. But there’s more about the story.
The earliest Mother’s Day celebrations were held during spring in Ancient Greece. The celebrations honored Rhea, the Mother of the gods. During the 1600s, England celebrated a day called Mothering Sunday. On this day even servants (仆人) were given the day off to spend with their families. A mothering cake was even served with the family meal.
In the U.S., Mother’s Day began in 1872 when Julia Ward Howe, who wrote the words of the famous song The Battle Hymn of the Republic, suggested it as a day devoted to peace. But it didn’t really become popular until 1907 when Anna Jarvis started a campaign (运动) to honor her own mother. She believed that mothers could help people get over the pain they experienced during the Civil War. The U.S. isn’t alone in devoting a day to its mothers. Many other countries including Denmark, Finland, Italy, Turkey, Australia, Japan, and Belgium also celebrate their Mother’s Day in May. Other countries honor their mothers at different times of the year.
Learning more about Mother’s Day and celebrating Mother’s Day is important, but probably not as important as understanding what your own mother, or grandmother, or aunt has really done for you. And that should certainly be appreciated more than one day in a year.
What is the passage mainly about?

A．The reason why people celebrate Mother’s Day.

B．How people honor mothers.

C．The history of Mother’s Day.

D．Mother’s Day in different countries.

Where was the earliest Mother’s Day celebrated?

A．In Ancient Greece.	B．In the U.S.
C．In England.	D．In Italy.

According to the third paragraph, we know that _____.

A．Julia Ward Howe composed a song about Mother’s Day

B．American people started to celebrate Mother’s Day in 1907

C．Anna Jarvis attached great importance to mothers

D．Mother’s Day celebrations are held in different times in the U.S. every year

The last paragraph tells us that ______.

A．all the people should celebrate Mother’s Day

B．only mothers are honored on Mother’s Day

C．understanding mothers’work is more important than just celebrating Mother’s Day

D．people should make every day a Mother’s Day

A．weddings	B．funerals
C．work	D．family gathering