Credit cards let people buy things now and pay for them over months or even years.But some people get deep into debt：Some banks have terms and charges that can make it harder for people to pay off that debt.In the United States，there are calls for stronger government supervision of the credit card industry.They_offer_economic_power_at_a_price.In 2004，Americans had about $800 billion in credit card debt.Now they own about $968 billion.
Critics say banks made it too easy to get credit cards.But that may be changing.The crisis in the housing and credit they call markets is beginning to affect the credit card industry.More payments are late.Charges for late payments are a growing source of profit for banks.But late payments can also signal bad debts.
The central bank，the Federal Reserve，says twothirds of American banks have recently reported tighter lending requirements.Many people report having their credit limits reduced without warning.
Some lawmakers are concerned that cardholders do not have enough protections from what abusive policies.These include actions like raising interest rates because of an unrelated event.Also，banks may raise the chances of a late payment by changing monthly payment dates for credit cards.
According to a survey,82% of Americans think credit cards provide a valuable service.But a majority,58%，say they do not trust credit card companies.And three out of four think the government should regulate the industry more closely.Three out of four people feel there is always some condition that makes a card less appealing than the company made in scared.And a little more than half say they have had a card that was not as good as they expected.But close to 80% say no one really reads the terms and conditions when they sign up for a credit card.What does the underlined sentence in the first paragraph probably mean?
| A．We can enjoy more convenience using credit cards. |
| B．Credit cards can improve our buying power. |
| C．We can buy things at lower prices using credit cards. |
| D．Credit cards bring more card debt as well as convenience. |
Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the text?
| A．Banks are making it harder for people to get credit cards. |
| B．Some people’s credit limits have been reduced. |
| C．It is more difficult to borrow money from some banks. |
| D．Banks are receiving more charges from late payments. |
What can we know from the text?
| A．Banks actually prefer to see more late payment. |
| B．People should be more careful when applying for a credit card. |
| C．The US government provides better protection for cardholders. |
| D．The majority of Americans don’t think much of credit cards. |
What is the main idea of the last paragraph?
| A．Credit cards are still very well received in America. |
| B．Credit cards don’t live up to some people’s expectations. |
| C．Many people don’t believe in credit card companies. |
| D．The results of a survey about credit cards in Americans. |
Today almost everyone knows computers and the Internet. If I ask you “What is the most important in your life ?” maybe you will say “Computers and the Internet.”
The first computer was made in 1946. It was very big but it worked slowly . Today computers are getting smaller and smaller. But they work faster and faster. What can computers do?
A writer has said, “people can’t live without computers today.”
The Internet came a little later than computers. It is about twenty-five years later than computers. But now it can be found almost everywhere. We can use it to read books, write letters, do shopping, play games or make friends.
Many students like the Internet very much. They often go into the Internet as soon as they are free. They make friends on the Internet and maybe they have never seen these friends. They don’t know their real names, ages, and even sex (性别). They are so interested in making the “unreal friends” that they can’t put their hearts into study. Many of them can’t catch up with others on many subjects because of that.
We can use computers and the Internet to learn more about the world. But at the same time, we should remember that not all the things can be done by computers and the Internet. The Internet can not be used for ______.
| A．studying | B．shopping | C．thinking | D．playing |
When the computer was invented, it was ______.
| A．large and worked quickly1 |
| B．small and worked |
| C．large but worked slowly. |
| D．small but worked quickly . |
The Internet was born in about _____.
| A．1960 | B．1970 | C．1980 | D．1985 |
Which of the following is true?
| A．Few students like going into the Internet. |
| B．students use the Internet to make “unreal friends.” |
| C．These “unreal friends” often meet each other. |
| D．Students know the friends on the Internet very well. |
What does the writer think of the Internet?
| A．It is wonderful. |
| B．It can make students study harder. |
| C．It is not good for students. |
| D．It is helpful, but we can’t do everything on it. |
The best way of learning a language is using it. The best way of learning English is talking in English as much as possible. Sometimes you’ll get your words mixed up (混合) and people will not understand you. Sometimes people will say things too quickly and you can’t understand them. But if you keep your sense of humor (幽默感) you can always have a good laugh at the mistakes you make. Don’t be unhappy if people seem to be laughing at your mistakes. It’s better for people to laugh at your mistakes than to be angry with you, because they don’t understand what you are saying. The most important thing for learning English is: “Don’t be afraid of making mistakes because everyone makes mistakes.”The writer thinks that the best way for you to learn a language is ____.
| A．writing | B．using it | C．listening | D．learning grammar |
What should you do in learning English?
| A．Be careful not to make any mistake. | B．Write as quickly as you can. |
| C．Speak English as much as you can. | D．Laugh more often. |
When people laugh at your mistakes, you should _____．
| A．not care | B．be happy | C．feel worried | D．be unhappy |
The story tells us_______.
| A．only foolish people make mistakes |
| B．few people make mistakes |
| C．people never make mistakes |
| D．there is no one who does not make mistakes |
The writer of the text has a _______ attitude towards people’s mistakes while using the language.
| A．agreeable | B．negative（否定的） | C．neutral (中立的) | D．humorous |
根据短文内容，从下框的A---F选项中选出能概括每一段主题的最佳选项。 选项中有一项为多余选项。
Americans have learnt more about drinks than they were 20 years ago. Now, encouraged by recent studies suggesting that it can cut the risk of cancer and heart disease and slow the aging process, tea is enjoyed by more and more people. Enough fashionable tea houses are appearing to make even longtime coffee drinkers consider changing drinks.
Tea is found in more places than ever. The Tea Association of the United States reports that from 1990 to 1999, yearly sales of the drink grew to $4.6 billion from $1.8 billion. “Green tea is seen by people as a ‘functional food’” — bringing health beyond food itself, says Vierhile.
Recently published studies point out that only teas that come from the leaves of the plant Camellia sinensis contain health benefits. Other teas may taste good, yet they do little more than warm up the drinker. But for Camellia sinensis, the evidence is powerful. In a 1998 study, Harvard University researchers found that drinking one cup of black tea a day lowered the danger of heart disease by as much as 44 percent compared with non-tea drinkers, and other studies have suggested that the antioxidants (抗氧化剂) in these so-called real teas can also prevent cancer.
One such antioxidant in green tea is ECGC, a chemical 20 times as powerful as vitamin E and 200 times as powerful as vitamin C. “When people ask me for something good and cheap they can do to reduce their cancer risk, I tell them to drink real tea,” says Mitchell Gaynor, director of medical oncology (肿瘤学) at New York City’s Strang-Cornell Cancer Prevention Center.
Driving Offence Points System
What is Driving Offence Points System?
After the introduction of this system, certain traffic offences will make the driver lose points besides other punishment (惩罚). A driver makes any of these offences, the points will be recorded．When the driver gets a certain number of points, he will be forbidden (禁止) to drive for a certain amount of time.
This is a system designed to make road much safer. It can improve standards (水平) of driving and reduce accidents.
Which traffic offences will result in Driving Offence Points?
Of course, not all traffic offences are covered by this system. Only those that have direct effect on road safety are included．There are fourteen items in all.
| Code |
Offence |
Points |
| 1 |
Causing death by dangerous driving |
10 |
| 2 |
Dangerous driving |
10 |
| 3 |
Careless driving |
5 |
| 4 |
Driving after drinking or taking drugs |
10 |
| 5 |
Driving over speed limit by more than15 km/hour |
3 |
| 6 |
Driving in a motor race on the road |
10 |
| 7 |
Failing to stop after an accident |
3 |
| 8 |
Failing to give information after an accident |
3 |
| 9 |
Failing to report an accident |
3 |
| 10 |
Failing to obey directions of police officers |
3 |
| 11 |
Crossing double white lines |
3 |
| 12 |
Failing to obey traffic signals |
3 |
| 13 |
Failing to give way to walkers at a crosswalk Failing to stop for people walking |
3 |
| 14 |
Failing to stop at school crossing |
3 |
What will happen if you have got up to 10 points?
If you have got 10 points or above, but still less than 15 points, you will receive a warning (警告) letter from the Transport Department. This letter will tell your record of Driving Offence Points and remind you of the result of getting more points. It is hoped that this warning will change your driving behavior for the better.
What will happen if you have got 15 points?
If you have got 15 points or more within two years, the first time you are found guilty (犯错的) and you will not be able to drive for three months, but if you are caught a second time you will not be able to drive for six months.The underlined word “Offence” (paragraph 1) refers to ______.
| A．a driving habit |
| B．an official of road safety |
| C．bad behavior in the office |
| D．an action against the traffic law |
The Driving Offence Points _________.
| A．is a system that helps to improve the driving standards |
| B．are points given because of dangerous driving |
| C．shows traffic offences of different kinds |
| D．is a guide dealing with (处理) traffic offences |
What will happen to you if you have got 13 points?
| A．You will be punished for the points. |
| B．You will be forbidden to drive. |
| C．Your record will be sent to the Transport Department. |
| D．You will get a warning letter from the Transport Department. |
What will happen to you if you are caught driving dangerously and two months later you are caught careless driving?
| A．You will take the driving test again. |
| B．You will be taken to the police station. |
| C．You will not be able to drive for 6 months. |
| D．You will not be able to drive for 3 months. |
Happy April Fool’s Day．In celebration of the day, we have put together a list of some of the greatest hoaxes in history．They are the lies that have been designed for innocent people who are ready to believe them．
INSTANT COLOUR TV
In 1962 there was only one TV channel in Sweden, and it broadcast in black and white．The station’s technical expert, Kjell Stensson, appeared on the news to announce that thanks to a newly developed technology, all viewers could now quickly and easily transform their existing sets to display colour reception．All they had to do was pull a nylon stocking over their TV screen, and they would begin to see their favorite shows in color．Reportedly, hundreds of thousands of people were taken in．Actual color TV transmission only started to appear in Sweden on April 1, 1970．
SAN ERRIFFE
In 1977 the British newspaper The Guardian published a special seven-page supplement （增刊）in honor of the tenth anniversary of San Serriffe, a small republic located in the Indian Ocean．A series of articles affectionately described the geography and culture of this unknown nation．The Guardian’s phones rang all day as readers asked for more information about the beautiful holiday spot．Few noticed that everything about the island was made up．
NIXON FOR PRESIDENT
In 1992 American National Public Radio’s Talk of the Nation program announced that Richard Nixon, in a surprise move, was running for President again．His new campaign slogan was, “I didn’t do anything wrong, and I won’t do it again.” Accompanying this announcement were audio clips of Nixon delivering his election speech．Listeners responded immediately to the announcement, flooding the show with calls expressing shock and anger．Only during the second half of the show did the host John Hockenberry reveal that the announcement was a practical joke, Nixon’s voice was copied by comedian Rich Little．The underlined phrase “taken in” in the 2nd paragraph means ________.
| A．deceived | B．pleased | C．innocent | D．broadcast |
What can be inferred from the text about Color TV?
| A．The Swedish People didn’t watch color TVs until 1970． |
| B．The Swedish People began to watch color TVs in 1962． |
| C．Kjell Stensson was a TV host． |
| D．Not many people believed Kjell Stensson． |
Which of the following statements about San Serriffe is True?
| A．San Seffiffe is located in the Indian Ocean． |
| B．San Seffiffe became a republic in 1967． |
| C．San Seffiffe is a beautiful place． |
| D．San Seffiffe doesn’t exist． |
We get to know from the passage that _____．
| A．Richard Nixon didn’t win the election in 1992． |
| B．Richard Nixon didn’t do anything wrong |
| C．Richard Nixon was not liked by the American people |
| D．Richard Nixon asked Rich Little to speak for him |