Is it necessary for a young man to have an apartment as a prerequisite（先决条件） for marriage? Housing has become a major obstacle（障碍） for Chinese young men hoping to start a family. China may breed a new group of bachelors, men caught in the trap of unaffordable houses.
Since early 2009, the housing market has once again become a hot pot at boiling point. Even with allowance（津贴） and special government policies, home prices in China's first-tier cities such as Beijing and Shanghai are riding the crest（波峰）of a rising wave. According to the "2010 China Marital Status Report" released on Dec 15, 2010, about 70 percent of women interviewed said that housing, a stable income and some savings were the main requirements for marriage.
From the report, we can see that housing is given top priority（优先权） and that women see an apartment as essential(必不可少的) to show that the man is responsible and can provide for his family.
Personality and morals lay outside the top three matrimonial （婚姻的）requirements. Some women and their families hold the traditional position and take it for granted that the home issue should be the man's responsibility, which doesn’t agree with the contemporary independent spirit of women and gender equality. These marriage values reflect the fact that many women consider marriage another form of "social welfare".
Things may be different overseas. Social housing, provided by European authorities, offer the less wealthy people their own piece of real estate. Such housing is usually apartments in tall buildings with 10 or more floors on the outskirts of town, whose main advantage is the low rents.
For many Americans, houses don't pose an obstacle to getting married. They often buy a house after the wedding, because more and more people are reconsidering their real estate worship, and going back to a more rational(理性的) mode of consumption.
In Japan, renting is the custom for newly married young couples. Few young couples can afford to purchase property. Up to 67.1 percent of young couples choose to rent. Generally speaking, renters account for most people younger than 40 in Japan.
Young people should be free to enjoy being young, without the huge pressure of trying to buy property. Society should help create an environment for them to grow up. Don't let the poor bachelor group become a suffering layer（层） of our society.Which of the following is Not True according to the text?
| A．Home prices have been extremely high since early 2009. |
| B．In the modern society, women don’t want to be independent. |
| C．Chinese government has already done something to control home prices. |
| D．Lots of Chinese young men couldn’t get married because of their economic capability. |
What does the underlined word “outskirts” probably mean?
| A．urban areas | B．rural areas（乡下） |
| C．suburbs | D．downtown areas |
Why do many women take housing as one of the main requirements for marriage?
| A．Because they can’t afford a house. |
| B．Because they enjoy their social welfare. |
| C．Because their families want them to marry men with houses. |
| D．Because they think it’s a symbol of the men’s sense of responsibility. |
The author uses the examples of European countries, America and Japan to show that __________?
| A．new couples in those countries like to rent houses |
| B．the situation is different in some foreign countries |
| C．it’s better to live in those countries than live in China |
| D．their governments have done more than Chinese government |
The last paragraph is mainly about the author’s hope that __________?
| A．the society can develop rapidly |
| B．young people can lead a happy life |
| C．all the young people can afford houses |
| D．the poor bachelors can become rich and enjoy their life |
The early lack of exposure to science ，technology，engineering and mathematics (STEM) can be harmful to achieving gender (性别）balance in these fields. It begins when we are young and continues throughout our time in high school.
While at home，girls generally don’t get to experience the level of exposure or encouragement in STEM fields that their male counterparts do. It is often subtle ，but it’s the first hurdle that faces and confuses so many women. Boys ，on the other hand, get on their path ，and are encouraged to do so， generally earlier than girls. For example ，boys are more often given science sets as toys ，which spark an interest in these subjects.
In school 3 boys are often pushed to take the more challenging math and science classes. So if we want to attract the best and brightest minds into the fields that will advance us as a people ? a country，and a planet，we can no longer look to only half of the population. Young girls cannot possibly consider opportunities they do not know exist. If girls are not exposed to certain subject and career paths，they are highly unlikely to choose to follow them in college.
Our bias(偏见)toward girls9 either from families or from schools ，is so rooted in our culture that we often don’t even recognize it. Although the situation Has changed greatly in the past 20 or 30 years，there is still a sense that girls aren't as good at math 9 for instance 9 even though there is almost no evidence to support such a belief.
It is important that as a society we deal with gender stereotypes long before young people are faced with a decision to declare or choose a major in college. Without making efforts to break them， we are limiting the potentials of our youth，both male and female. Providing the necessary resources， exposure , and encouragement would help young women understand that their gender shouldn’t determine the career path they choose, and that pursuing a STEM career does not make them less feminine.According to the passage ? not many girls grow to enter STEM fields because______.
| A．girls are not as good at STEM as boys |
| B．girls do not like to take science classes |
| C．girls get fewer chances to know about STEM |
| D．girls seldom survive the high pressure positions |
The underlined word “it” in Para. 4 refers to______
| A．our bias | B．our culture | C．the situation | D．a sense |
The main purpose of the passage is to______.
| A．show women’s potentials in STEM fields |
| B．praise women’s contributions to STEM fields |
| C．describe the present gender bias in STEM fields |
| D．call for more involvement of women in STEM fields |
Which of the following shows the structure of the passage?
Your Car Is Ready for Take-off
The flying car has been talked about for many years，but now it appears that the idea is about to become a reality.
An international company has built a two-seater plane that, at the touch of a button ，transforms into a car perfectly suitable for driving on public roads. It has been designed so that the wings fold up automatically； and it takes just 15 seconds to switch between flying and driving. With its wings fully open and the propeller(螺旋桨）spinning, it can take off from any airfield.
Flying cars are quicker than traditional ones for travelling from city to city，and they can run on ordinary fuel. Another big advantage is that they are cool ，like something you would see in an action film. At the moment 9 however, the flying car’s wheels are illegal to leave the ground. That is not because of technical reasons or problems with the design. It is because the various road and aircraft authorities simply cannot agree on whether it is a car or a plane.
“The government and the authorities have never thought seriously about a flying car, says Alan Price ，the president of the company that has developed it. “I wanted a car that could fly and drive ，but it is difficult to find an organization prepared to insure the vehicle against accidents.
Nevertheless ? the company hopes to produce and deliver its first flying car soon. The company already has orders for 40 of them. The majority the potential customers are older and some are retired。There have even been orders from some people who have no pilot's license.
The flying car will cost around $ 200.000. “For an airplane ， that’s a very reasonable price， but for a car, It's quite expensive，” explains Alan. “But it just is not possible to make a $ 10，000 flying car yet. ”
This latest means of transport will not become a mass-market item in the near future，but in the long term it has the potential to change the way you travel. It will become no more expensive than driving your car on the motorway. Travel time could be reduced by more than half.
So the next time you are told to fasten your seat belt, it may be to prepare for take-off.We know from the passage that the flying car______
| A．has to run on special fuel | B．will replace traditional planes |
| C．is popular with the rich | D．can shift between two forms |
The flying car is presently forbidden to take off because______.
| A．many people think driving it not very safe |
| B．it’s hard to decide whether it's a car or a plane |
| C．the government and the authorities don’t accept it |
| D．there are still some technical problems to be solved |
We can learn from the passage that______.
| A．few people will be able to afford a flying car |
| B．flying cars may share the market in the future |
| C．traffic jams will disappear because of flying cars |
| D．driving a flying car doesn’t require a pilot’s license |
One day, I received a call from a colleague. He was about to give a student a zero for his answer to a physical problem ，while the student claimed a perfect score. I was elected as their arbiter( 仲裁人).I read the examination problem： “Show how it is possible to determine the height of a tall building with the aid of a barometer(气压计).” The student had answered： “Take the barometer to the top of the building，attach a long rope to it，lower it to the street，and then bring it up, measuring the length of the rope. The length of it is the height of the building. ”
The student had really answered the question completely ，but the answer didn’t confirm his competence in physics. I suggested the student try again. I gave him six minutes to answer the question, warning that the answer should show some knowledge of physics. Five minutes later, he said he had many answers and clashed off one, which read： “Take the barometer to the top of the building and lean over the edge of the roof. Drop the barometer, timing its fall with a stopwatch. Then, use the physical formula (公式）to calculate the height of the building. ”
At this point, my colleague had to accept it, and then the student made almost full marks. I couldn’t help asking the student what the other answers were. He listed many others ，and then added5 “Probably the best is to take the barometer to the. administrator and said to him，' Sir, here is a fine barometer. If you tell me the height of the building, I will give it to you.，”
Then, I asked the student if he really did not know the conventional answer to this question. He admitted that he did ，but said that he was fed up with high school and college instructors trying to teach him how to think.
The name of the student was Bohr who later was famous all over ,the world. He won the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1922.The student got a zero at the beginning because_______.
| A．the teacher wasn’t satisfied with him |
| B．his answer wasn't complete or correct |
| C．the teacher clicln5t fully understand his answer |
| D．his answer didn’t show his knowledge of physics |
We know from the passage that______
| A．the student knew the expected answer |
| B．the administrator told Bohr the height |
| C．the author preferred Bohr s last answer |
| D．the teacher was a very stubborn person |
We can learn from the passage that______.
| A．instructors can teach students how to think |
| B．arbiters can help students to get high scores |
| C．students should be given more freedom in thinking |
| D．teachers should make students use physical formulas |
What was Bohr’s attitude toward his schooling?
| A．Optimistic. | B．Critical. | C．Approving. | D．Ambiguous. |
Women make better drivers than men for many reasons. Why is that? Wouldn't you think that competing at who has better driving abilities is pointless (无意义的)? If you ask me, I'd like to say, men know that women are better drivers but do not have the courage to admit the truth.
Unlike men, women stop for directions when they have no idea where they are going. Women don't drive around for hours pointlessly wasting a tank ofgas only to find themselves heading in the wrong direction. Have you ever been in a car with a man who is lost? He tells you to shut up when you begin to open your mouth. And every five minutes or so he takes a turn going forty-five miles per hour only to find out he's made another wrong turn.
Speeding is what men do best on the road. Traffic is not a race. There is a reason why men get more speeding tickets than women. Not because women trick to get out of tickets but only because they don't speed. Women don't risk putting their own lives and the lives of others in danger. In other words，they have more responsibility for life.
My largest issue with male drivers is how a majority of them drive with one hand on the wheel and the other hand doing only God knows what. The seat is backed as far as possible. They're totally lost in loud music beyond a necessary level. You don't ever see women driving like that.
I feel that the above evidence（证据） more than proves (证明) my points that women are queens of the road. Oh ，men, if you want to continue criticizing (批评) women for being bad drivers，bring it on. We know you lack confidence, or else you wouldn't be wasting your valuable time making jokes about the ones you may choose to spend the rest of your days with.Who does the author think are the better drivers? (no more than 1 word)
_________________________________________________________________________When will women drivers stop to ask for help? (no more than 9 words)
_________________________________________________________________________Why do men get more speeding tickets (no more than 3 words)
_________________________________________________________________________What quality（品质） do women drivers have when it comes to safety? (no more than 3 words)
_________________________________________________________________________How is the seat backed by most male drivers? (用完整的句子回答）
________________________________________________________________________
When something goes wrong, it can be very satisfying to say. “Well, it’s so-and-so’s fault.” Or “I know I am late, but it’s not my fault; the car broke down.” It is not your fault, but once you form the habit of blaming（责备） somebody or something else for a bad situation, you are a lose. You have no power and could do nothing that helps change the situation. However, you can have great power over what happens to you if you stop focusing on whom to blame and start focusing on how to remedy the situation. This is the winner’s key to success.
Winners are great at overcoming problems. For example if you were late because your car broke down, maybe you need to have your car examined regularly .Or, you might start to carry along with you the useful phone numbers, so you could call for help when in need. For another example, if your colleague causes you problems on the job for lack of responsibility or ability, find ways of dealing with his irresponsibility or inability rather than simply blame the person. Ask to work with a different person, or don’t rely on this person. You should accept that the person is not reliable and find creative ways to work successfully regardless of how your colleague fails to do his job well.
This is what being a winner is all about---creatively using your skills and talents so that you are successful no matter what happens Winners don’t have few problems in their lives; they have just as many difficult situations to face as anybody else. They are just better at seeing those problems as challenges and opportunities to develop their own talents. So, stop focusing on “Whose fault it is”. Once you are confident about power over bad situations, problems are just stepping stones for success.According to the passage, winners__________.
| A．deal with problems rather than blame others |
| B．meet with fewer difficulties in the lives |
| C．have responsible and able colleagues |
| D．blame themselves rather than others |
The underlined word“remedy” in Paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to ________.
| A．avoid | B．accept | C．improve | D．consider |
When your colleague(同事) brings about a problem, you should _________.
| A．find a better way to handle the problems |
| B．blame him for his lack of responsibility |
| C．tell him to find the cause of the problem |
| D．ask a more able colleague for help |
When problems occur, winners take them as__________.
| A．excuses for their failures |
| B．barriers（障碍） to greater power |
| C．challenges to their colleagues |
| D．chances for self-development |
Which of the following is the best title for the passage?
| A．A winner’s Secret | B．A Winner’s Problem |
| C．A Winner’s Opportunity | D．A Winner’s Achievement |