Like many lovers of books, Mary and her husband, Richard Goldman, seldom walked past a bookstore without stopping to look inside. They often talked of opening their own store one day.
When Mary was hospitalized with heart trouble in 1989, they decided it was time to get serious. Richard, who worked for a business company, was eager to work for himself, and Mary needed to slow down from her demanding job.
They started by talking to bookstore owners and researching the industry. “We knew it had to be a specialty store because we couldn’t match the big chains dollar for dollar,” says Mary. One figure caught her attention: She’d read somewhere that roughly 20 percent of books sold were mysteries (推理小说), and many buyers spent more $300 a year on books. She and Richard were themselves mystery readers.
On Halloween 1992, they opened the Mystery Lovers Bookshop and Café near their home. With three children in college, the couple could not spend all the family’s money to start a shop. To cover the $100,000 cost, they drew some of their savings, borrowed from relatives and from an bank.
The store merely broke even in its first year, with only $120,000 in sales. But Mary was always coming up with new ways to attract customers. The shop had a coffee bar and it offered gifts to mystery lovers and served dinners for book clubs that met in the store. She also invited dozens of writers to discuss their stories.
Today Mystery Lovers makes sales of about $420,000 a year. After paying taxes, business costs and the six part-time sales clerks, Richard and Mary together earn about $34,000.
“The job you love may not go hand in hand with a million-dollar income,” says Richard. “This has always been about an enjoyable life for ourselves, not about making a lot of money.”When Mary was in hospital, the couple realized that ____.
| A．they had to put their plan into practice |
| B．health was more important than wealth |
| C．heart trouble was a serious illness |
| D．they both needed to stop working |
After Mary got well from her illness they began _____.
| A．to study industrial management |
| B．to buy and read more mystery books |
| C．to do market research on book business |
| D．to work harder to save money for the bookstore |
How did their bookstore do in the first year?
| A．They had to borrow money to keep it going. |
| B．They made just enough to cover all the costs. |
| C．They succeeded in earning a lot of money. |
| D．They failed though they worked hard. |
According to Richard, the main purpose of running the bookstore is _____.
| A．to pay for their children’s education |
| B．to get to know more writers |
| C．to set up more bookstores |
| D．to do what they like to do |
Brazil has become one of the developing world's great successes at reducing population growth-but more by accident than design. While countries such as India have made joint efforts to reduce birth rates, Brazil has had better result without really trying, says George Martine at Harvard.
Brazil's population growth rate has dropped from 2.99% a year between 1951 and 1960 to 1.93% a year between 1981 and 1990, and Brazilian women now have only 2.7 children on average. Martine says this figure may have fallen still further since 1990, an achievement that makes it the envy of many other Third World countries.
As Martine puts it, among other things, soap operas and installment plans introduced in the 1970s. Both played an important, although indirect, role in lowering the birth rate. Brazil is one of the world's biggest producers of soap operas. Globo, Brazil's most popular television network, shows three hours of soaps six nights a week, while three others show at least one hour a night. Most soaps are based on wealthy characters living the high life in big cities.
"Although they have never really tried to work in a message towards the problems of reproduction, they describe middle and upper class values-not many children, different attitudes towards sex, women working," says Martine. "They sent this image to all parts of Brazil and made people conscious of other patterns of behavior and other values, which were put into a very attractive package."
Meanwhile, the installment plans tried to encourage the poor to become consumers. "This led to an enormous change in consumption patterns and consumption was incompatible (不相容的) with unlimited reproduction," says Martine.
1 According to the passage, Brazil has cut back its population growth .
A. by chance
B. by educating its citizens
C. by careful family planning
D. by developing TV programs
2. What is probably Brazil's present population growth rate according to para.2?
A. 2.99% B.1.93% C.2.7% D. lower than 1.93%
3. Soap operas have helped in lowering Brazil's birth rate because .
A. they keep people sitting long hours watching TV
B. they have gradually changed people's way of life
C. people are drawn to their attractive package
D. they popularize birth control measures
4. What's the author's purpose to write this passage?
A. To call on developing countries to learn from Brazil's experience of controlling population growth rate.
B. To account for the reasons why Brazil succeeded in controlling its population growth rate.
C. To tell us how Brazil benefited from its successful control of population growth rate.
D. To raise people's awareness of controlling population growth rate.
Shanghai is the largest city in China with well-developed business and industry, and also holds a leading place in China's arts, sciences and education. About eleven million people make their homes in Shanghai. This enormous city spreads out along the banks of the Huang Pu River, which flows into the mouth of the Yangtze River about fourteen miles north.
Shanghai began as a fishing village in the 11th century, but by the mid-18th century it was an important area for growing cotton. After 1842 when China lost the Opium War with Great Britain, the British realized that Shanghai was in an excellent location to serve as a seaport for the densely populated Yangtze River Plain. They forced the Chinese government to allow English traders to settle on the wastelands outside the
city walls. Later, French, American, and Japanese traders also came to Shanghai and were allowed to live in certain territorial zones without being under the Chinese laws. The foreigners built whole new sections of Shanghai, including homes, stores, factories, and office buildings. Thousands of Chinese poured into Shanghai in search of jobs, most of whom settled in the old part of the city. As a result of all the foreigners, Shanghai became greatly influenced by Western culture.
During the 1900s, opium sales along with the gambling brought in big profits. After the Anti-Japanese War in 1945, the Nationalist Chinese government took over the city. In 1949, Shanghai was liberated and administrated under the Communist Chinese government. Since the 1990s, Shanghai has developed quickly and has become a new international metropolis in China and will host the World Expo in 2010.
1. The British first wanted to settle Shanghai because .
A. they wanted to build stores and factories here
B. they thought the place was beautiful and fit for living
C. they realized that it was a very good location for a seaport
D. they wanted to take control of the Yangtze River Plain
2. Which of the following statements about Shanghai in the 1900s is True?
A. It was an important centre for growing cotton.
B. Shanghai was important only, because it was a big seaport city.
C. Opium and cotton sales brought in huge profits.
D. Foreign settlers in Shanghai were free from Chinese laws.
3. What's the main idea of the second paragraph?
A. Shanghai' development into an international city.
B. Certain territorial zones for foreigners in Shanghai.
C. Brief history of Shanghai from the 11th century to the early 20th.
D. The influence of western culture on Shanghai.
4. Which of the following can replace the word "metropolis"(bold in last para.)?
A. seaport city B. big city
C. capital city D. developing city
Air travel chaos across Europe caused by the volcanic eruption in Iceland continued Sunday, impacting tourists and business people's schedules and causing economic loss to Chinese airlines and tourism agencies.
Air China canceled five one-way flights and eight return flights to European cities including Paris, Frankfurt and Moscow Sunday, according to a notice on its website. "The cancellation was due to closure of most European airports, and we will keep a close eye on the latest situation, "said Zhu Mei, an Air China spokeswoman.
Other carders including China Southern Airlines, China Eastern Airlines and Hainan Airlines have also canceled most flights to Europe, according to the Civil Aviation Administration of China.
Airlines worldwide are losing at least $200 million per day in revenue, the International Air Transport Association said Friday.
Tourism agencies have been affected too. "This is the first time we met such a natural disaster, and we can only wait and keep in contact with our tourists," said Hun Ping, an employee on duty at China International Travel Service's(CITS) branch in Beijing Sunday. "We have a group of more than 30 Chinese tourists who were scheduled to fly to Paris from Beijing around noon Sunday and their flights will be postponed to tomorrow at the earliest," she said. Hun said another group of Chinese tourists in Europe, who will fly back to Beijing from Brussels Wednesday, might also be affected by the incident. "The possible delay will not add to tourists' financial burdens, as we will share our tourists' additional expenses with the airlines," she said.
1. How many flights has Air China canceled?
A. 8 B. 9 C. 13 D.15
2. What does the word "chaos"(bold in para. 1) mean in the passage?
A. disorder B. incidents C. closure D. damage
3. Which of the following statements is True?
A. The air travel chaos in Europe has caused great losses to only air carriers.
B. The direct reason for the flight cancellation is the closure of most European airport.
C. The International Air Transport Association is suffering a huge loss of $200 million per day.
D. Air China and other Chinese air carriers have already canceled all their flights to Europe.
4. Which of the following is the most suitable title for this passage?
A. Flights Cancellation Caused by Volcanic Eruption
B. The Effects of Volcanic Eruption in Iceland
C. The chaos caused by Volcanic Eruption
D. Tourism Disaster Owing to Volcanic Eruption
People living in the UK .take quite a few holidays abroad and in this country each year. Choices made about where to go, how to get there and what to do while there can either benefit or harm the environment.
While on holiday:
Many of the things you can do to be greener on holiday will be the same things you can do at home--but there are also some extra things too, like avoiding gifts made from endangered plants and animals. Here are some suggestions:
●Making the most of locally produced food and drink, and local activities and attractions will support people in the area you are visiting and reduce the need for further environmental influence from transport;
●Switching off any air conditioning, heating and lights will help reduce climate change effect;
● Save water--some countries suffer from water shortages and saving water can help avoid damage to our natural habitats.
Endangered species:
Some gifts and foods available in some countries can be made from endangered plants or animals. Check before you buy, but if in doubt, avoid animal and plant gifts. More details of the types of products to avoid and illegal trade hotspots can be found on the Souvenir Alert webpage.
Making a positive contribution to the place you are visiting:
There are ways in which your holiday can help support local people and the environment:
●There are many opportunities to volunteer and help with projects that conserve and improve natural habitats;
●When you are away, or if you are looking for somewhere to visit, you can support projects or attractions which protect wildlife, such as nature reserves and conservation projects.
1. According to the passage, we can to help reduce climate change effect.
A. make good use of water B. buy local food and drink
C. save electricity D. go around on foot
2. We should check the gifts and foods before buying because .
A. sometimes they are of poor quality
B. they may not be typical local products
C. some of them will do harm to our health
D. they may be made from endangered animals or plants
3. We can infer from the passage that .
A. it is not easy for people to travel abroad
B. not everyone can tell an illegal souvenir
C. green holidays have been accepted by all people
D. volunteer work is a must for protecting natural habitats
4 The passage is mainly about .
A. travel dos and don'ts B. the harm done to the environment
C. greener choices for holiday D. tips on protecting endangered species
第三部分：阅读理解(共20小题；每小题2分，满分40分)
When my first wartime Christmas came, I was in basic training in New Jersey and not sure if I could make it home for the holidays. Only on the afternoon of December 23 was the list of men who would have three-day passes posted. I was one of the lucky soldiers. It was Christmas Eve when I arrived home, and a light snow had fallen. Mother opened the front door. I could see beyond her, into the corner of the living room where the tree had always stood. There were lights, all colors, and ornaments shining against the green of a pine. "Where did it come from?" I asked.
"I asked the Gates boy to cut it," my mother said. "I wouldn't have had one just for myself, but-such a rush! He just brought it in this afternoon…" The pine reached to the proper height, almost to the ceiling, and the Tree Top Krystal Star was its place. A few green branches reached about a little awkwardly at the side, I thought, and there was a bit of bare trunk showing in the middle. But the, tree filled the room with warm light and the whole house with the pleasant smell of Christmas. "It's not like the one you used to find." my mother went on. "Yours were always in good shape. I suppose the Gates boy didn't know where to look. But I couldn't be fussy(挑剔的)."
"Don't worry," I told her. "It's perfect." It wasn't, of course, but at the moment I realized something for the first time: all Christmas trees are perfect.
1. From para. 1, we can infer that .
A. the writer spent his first wartime Christmas at home
B. Not all the soldiers were allowed to go home for Christmas
C. all the soldiers would have three-day passes for Christmas
D. the writer could not go home for Christmas
2. When the writer got home, .
A. it was December 23
B. it was snowing heavily
C. he found a Christmas tree in the living room
D. the Gates boy was cutting a Christmas tree
3. "All Christmas trees are perfect", because they can remind you of .
A. the wartime B. the green of a pine
C. the pleasant moment D. the sweet home
4. The best title for this passage would be " ".
A. How to Choose a Christmas Tree
B. How Soldiers Spent Christmas
C. A Perfect Christmas Tree
D. A Christmas Without a Tree