Here is some news of the future.
March 20. 2035
There was a lot of news around the life extension drugs that hit the market a decade ago. They didn't promise that you would live forever. but they gave you a chance to extend your life an extra five to ten years. Even though the life expectancy rate at birth has increased greatly. the life expectancy for seniors hasn't improved that much. Basically. you have a greater chance to become a senior, but you will not have a much longer lifespan, and this is where the anti-aging drugs intend to kick in. So ,do the anti-aging drugs work? Well. it is too early to tell. But the sales so far are very good.
April 19, 2035
Of the total US population of 378 million, people over 65 years of age now make up 20% for the first time. The senior ratio was only 4.1% by year 1900. and l2.4% 30 years ago.
The number of people above 65 compared to those of what is considered working ages. between 15 and 64. is currently 33.7%. This is up from l85% since year 2005. which means that for every retired person there are now two workers. compared to four workers 30 years ago. The number of people above the age of 80 has grown t0 23.8 million; making them 6.3% of the total population compared t0 3.6% in 2005.
April 12. 2040
Although introduced in the market only five years ago, 10% of all hydrogen fuel now sold in the US is of the environmentally friendly Re-Hydro label, produced through. eletrolysis (电解) based on a source of 1OO% renewable energy. Several producers have turned to producing Re-Hydro. mainly because of lower tax. which also keeps the price of. Re-Hydro on the same level as regular hydrogen. Most analysts believe that Re-Hydro will be the .dominating fuel in the futureThe sales of the life extension drugs so far clearly show that .
A. people have no faith in them
B people want to give them a try
C. they work very well for seniors
D. they have no effect on people's healthWhat can we learn from News 2?
A.Many Americans will find it hard to find a job . |
B.It's very hard for seniors to pass the age of 80. |
C.The US population has been increasing rapidly since 2005. |
D.The US population has been aging rapidly since 2005. |
We can know from the passage that the fuel of the Re-Hydro label is______.
A. expensive B cheap C.green D. dangerousWhat can we infer from News 3?
A.Re-Hydro will be widely used in the future. |
B.The government discourages the production of Re-Hydro. |
C.Producers are not interested in producing Re-Hydro. |
D.Re-Hydro is more expensive than regular hydrogen. |
“Tomorrow is another day”---- this line has impressed various people at various times. It's now 70 years after it appeared in the film, but it still seems to hold its power especially during an economic downturn.
The phrase comes from a film adaptation of Margaret Mitchell's successful 1936 novel Gone With the Wind. It's set in the American South and tells the story of a strong heroine, Scarlett O' Hara, who struggles to find love during the Civil War and, afterwards, of her strength in surviving the war and its hardships.
Love story
In a moment of despair, Scarlett finally realizes that her love belongs to Rhett Butler. For many audiences, it is the theme of love and struggle that has kept the movie alive. While the burning of Atlanta might seem irrelevant to today's viewers, the timeless theme of love keeps its ability to touch people.
With a promise to her lover still in her mind, Scarlett chooses to stay in the midst of war and take care of Melanie. But her heart is broken when Rhett just walks away, leaving the woman that he once loved with cruel words, "Frankly, dear, I don' t give a damn."
Great epic
The film shows the love-hate relationship of these characters, but also American history, the fall of the Confederacy and the following period of Reconstruction in the South. The background made this film a true classic in the epic genre.
When the film opened after World War II, French viewers loved it, and it reminded them of their fight against the Nazis. In 1940 Shanghai, during the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, people stood in line for hours to watch this film, and saw the same suffering they were having as well as the hope and possibility of building a new homeland from the ruins.
Each nationality could identify with the story and see it as a victory. In fact, Gone With the Wind never lost its charm and ability to inspire and amaze.
Biggest of all time
The film had five directors, 15-plus screenwriters, and an unexpected $3.9 million budget. The film brought in $ 200 million, which makes it the biggest selling film of all times in North America. It also won 10 Academy awards in 1940.The underlined "it" in the first paragraph refers to _______.
A.the novel Gone with the Wind | B."tomorrow is another day" |
C.the movie Gone with the Wind | D.the Academy Award |
The text is written mainly to _______.
A.celebrate the anniversary of Margaret Mitchell |
B.introduce how the film was directed and filmed |
C.throw light on the charm of the movie "Gone with the Wind" |
D.inspire people to struggle the economic downturn |
It can be concluded that Scarlett O' Hara is _______.
A.optimistic and lucky | B.childish and realistic |
C.caring and stubborn | D.strong-minded and persistent |
The passage mentions Shanghai in order to _______.
A.prove that the background of the movie touched viewers |
B.describe how popular the movie was at that time |
C.point out that Shanghai was a center of entertainment |
D.tell us that Chinese were suffering the War then. |
BERLIN — With the crisis in Japan raising fears about nuclear power, Germany and Switzerland said on Monday that they would reassess the safety of their own reactors.
Doris Leuthard, the Swiss energy minister, said Switzerland would put off plans to build nuclear plants. She said no new ones would be permitted until experts had reviewed safety standards.
Germany will put off “the recently decided extension of the running time of German nuclear plants,” Chancellor Angela Merkel told reporters. “This moratorium(延缓)will run for three months and it will allow for a thorough examination of the safety standards of the county’s 17 nuclear power plants.
The European Union called for a meeting on Tuesday of nuclear safety authorities to assess Europe’s preparedness.
Germany’s foreign minister, Guido Westerwelle, called for a new risk analysis of the country’s nuclear plants, particularly regarding their cooling systems. He is the leader of the Free Democratic Party, which strongly supports nuclear power.
A previous government, led by the Social Democrats, passed a law in 2001 to close all the country’s nuclear plants by 2021. But Mrs. Merkel’s government changed that decision last year to extend the lives of the plants by an average of 12 years.
In Switzerland, Doris Leuthard said she had already asked to analyze the exact cause of the problems in Japan and draw up new or tougher safety standards “particularly in terms of seismic(地震的) safety and cooling.”
In Russia, the Prime Minister said his government would “draw conclusions from what’s going on in Japan.”Where can you most likely read this passage?
A.In a newspaper. | B.In a magazine. |
C.In a science report. | D.In a diary. |
How will Germany react to Japan’s nuclear crisis?
A.Germany will close all the country’s nuclear plants. |
B.Germany will hold a meeting of nuclear safety authorities. |
C.Germany will change the decision made last year. |
D.Germany will delay the extension of nuclear plants running time. |
The author mentions all the following EXCEPT ______.
A.The moratorium in Germany will give time to examine the nuclear plants safety standards. |
B.Switzerland will not build new nuclear plants unless they meet the experts’ safety standards. |
C.The Social Democrats in Germany shares the same view with the Free Democratic Party. |
D.Russia will try to learn something from the nuclear power crisis in Japan. |
What is the best title of the passage?
A.Watch Out for the Danger of Nuclear Power |
B.Europe Is against Building Nuclear Plants |
C.Nuclear Plants in Europe Are Delayed |
D.Opinions on Nuclear Power Are Opposite. |
A woman was in a hurry to go to the airport. She told the cab driver to drive quickly. She was so absorbed in her own thoughts that she was not aware they were going by a different route.
Suddenly, a man got inside the cab. He took her handbag where she had placed her visa, passport, and all her money for the trip.
The driver, who was in cahoots with the robber, left her in the middle of that dark street. She cursed the world for being so mean to her, and thought how unlucky she was in that situation.
That very same night, she heard some shocking news.Tears flowed down her face.Flight 230,which was the plane that she was supposed to have boarded, had crashed.If she had not lost her precious belongings, she could have lost something far more important—her life.
Sometimes bad things really happen.We lose money, fail our exams, or are rejected by others.There are times when nothing seems to go our way.
So what should we do about it? Should we be disappointed? The answer is a resounding “No!" We must get rid of all these frustrations and start all over again in the consistent faith that we will get what we deserve.
Don't waste your time and energy on things that can't be changed.Continuous worrying will only affect your health and you'll be doing much more damage than what was previously done.
What if it was the other way round? What if we never ran out of good luck?
There was a man who won the lottery.He thought he was the luckiest person in the world.He became greedy and wasted all his money on everything he could get his hands on.
One day, he made it to the front page of the newspaper again.But this time, it was a different story.He had been killed because of his riches.
If you attain good luck, you can never be too secure about it.Hope for protection and guidance.Life is so unpredictable.You never know what will happen next.
Live one day at a time.we sometimes subject ourselves to unnecessary emotional trouble.We ask ourselves: "What if I don't get this done in time?" or "What if my family leaves me and I've got no one else to turn to?"
Live for the moment.Do what must be done for the present and the future will turn out just fine. Believe me.And believe in yourself.As Captain Planet always says: "The power is yours!"The underlined phrase "in cahoots with" in Paragraph 3 probably means "____".
A.was forced by | B.was fighting bravely with |
C.had cooperated with | D.was trying to beg |
From the passage, we learn that___.
A.the woman was lucky to miss her flight |
B.some people just never run out of good luck |
C.robbers will get what they deserve |
D.if you feel yourself lucky, you will continue to be so |
According to the author, which of the following is the right attitude to adopt towards life?
A.Don't waste your time and energy because time is limited. |
B.There's no need to worry or get frustrated.Just believe in yourself. |
C.Even when everything seems to be going well, we should keep fully alert. |
D.Worrying about what you don't have means you miss out on opportunities for other things. |
The stories are intended to tell us___.
A.fortune only favors the prepared mind |
B.gains and losses go hand in hand |
C.misfortune might be a blessing |
D.we should save up for a rainy day |
One reason Americans eat so many calories is that we tend to eat large portions(分量). Studies find that hamburgers and fries are generally offered in serving sizes two to five times larger than the appropriate meal size. Researchers find we usually clean our plates no matter how high they're piled, even if we already feel satisfied. See the suggestions below to further master the fine art of sizing up(估量) your snacks and suppers.
Extremely large portions are one possible reason Americans continue getting fatter even as the percentage of our total calories from fat has gone down in recent years. Fortunately, portions are relatively simple to control because it's easier to count cookies than calories or grams of fat.
Pre-picture portions. Use familiar objects to picture how much you should eat of a food before you pick up your fork or spoon. For example, a half cup of low-fat granola is about the size of your fist. A half cup of low-fat ice cream equals half an orange.
Use a smaller dish. This tip might sound ridiculous, but it works. First and most obvious is that you can't put as much food on, say, a salad plate. But psychologically, you're just not as prone to eat as heartily and quickly if your plate will be empty in 45 seconds.
Have raw vegetables at every meal. Raw cucumbers, tomatoes, carrots, and peppers have few calories and lots of nutrients. A plate of them in the middle of the table almost always gets eaten up, cutting down appetite for the more calorie-dense meat.
Start your meal with soup. Studies show that a bowl of soup at the start of the meal reduces overall meal consumption, since they are lowest in calories and highest in nutrients.
Manage your fork. After every bite of food, put your fork down. Don't pick it up until you have thoroughly chewed and swallowed the previous bite. The goal is both to slow down your eating and to eat less. Remember: Your body needs 20 minutes of digestion before it sends signals to your brain that you are no longer hungry.
Helpful hints on how to get a handle on the how-much factor |
|
Facts |
Hamburgers and fries served in restaurants are generally two to five times the Americans usually clean their plates |
Effects |
Americans continue getting fatter even as they have eaten |
a. Use b. Use a smaller dish and thus eat c. Have raw vegetables at every meal to cut down d. Start your meal with e. Put down your fork at |
Do you like sitting on the edge of your seat? How about falling off it laughing? If so, "Rush Hour 1" is the perfect movie for you. Although it didn’t get the best reviews, it is perfect for those who like a good comedy.
Just as in the first "Rush Hour," Inspector Lee (Jackie Chan) and LAPD Detective James Carter (Chris Tucker) are partners. This time, they are on vacation in China and Carter is looking for a good time, but they are on the job again when a bombing at the American Embassy kills two customs agents. Lee and Carter go to look for a suspect named Ricky Tan. For Lee this is a serious case because Tan killed his father. Will Carter and Lee be able to capture Tan?
Another reason to see this movie perhaps is for the thrilling action, which includes karate fights with Jackie Chan. One of my favorite scenes shows Carter and Lee in a massage parlor (店堂) when everything goes crazy.
"Rush Hour 2" is, of course, really funny with Chris Tucker in the lead role. Chan and Tucker have many clever jokes and remarks. Some of the jokes aren’t enjoyed by the critics, but most will find them entertaining.
With no doubt, the movie was great. I was filled with anxiety about what was going to happen next. Many critics say that sequels (续集) are not as good as the original but this one is great. I especially enjoyed it because the special effects are minimal so everything looks as though it actually happened. The lighting effect is great as well as the sound.
So, if you are looking for a great action movie that leaves you at the edge of your seat and makes you laugh quite a bit, you should rush to see “Rush Hour 2.”According to the author, "Rush Hour 2" is a perfect movie particularly ______.
A.full of special effects |
B.with the best actors |
C.full of humors |
D.with great lights |
In "Rush Hour 2”, the two leading roles are on duty again because ______.
A.their vocation in China is limited to a short term |
B.inspector Lee doesn’t want to have a good time |
C.the American Embassy in China was attacked |
D.a suspect named Ricky Tan killed Lee’s father |
In Rush Hour series, the following are usually included EXCEPT _____.
A.thrilling actions | B.maximal special effects |
C.karate fights | D.clever jokes and remarks |
If "Rush Hour 3" is shot, what kind of the movie will it be? ______.
A.Stage tragedy | B.Action movie |
C.Soap opera | D.Situational comedy |