After a week-long vacation, U.S. President Barack Obama will focus on proposals to strengthen the still-recovering American economy. The agenda includes the reform of the nation’s health care system.
The Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare as some call it, expands federal health care programs for the needy and encourages Americans of all income groups to purchase private health care insurance.
“If you do not have insurance, beginning on October 1st, private plans will actually compete for your business. You can comparison--shop in an online marketplace, just like you would for cell phone plans or plane tickets. You may be eligible for new tax credits to help you afford the plan that’s right for you. And if you are in the up to half of all Americans who have been sick or have a preexisting condition, this law means that beginning January 1st, insurance companies have to cover you," Obama said.
Health-care spending accounts for one-seventh of U.S. economic activity, and is projected to increase to one-fifth in coming years. The cost has a direct bearing on America’s economic and financial well--being. Drawn up in 2010, the Affordable Care Act aims to control costs and expand access to health care. The effort is a big failure, according to Republican law makers like Tim Griffin and Todd Young.
“Republicans will continue to do everything we can to protect all Americans from the president's top-down, one-size-fits-all, Washington-knows-best approach to health care that is driving up costs and hurting our economy," said Griffin. “The sooner we can delay, oppose and cancel the president's health-care law, the sooner we can get people back to work and focus on expanding opportunity for everyone.”
The president accuses Republicans of putting partisanship(党派偏见) ahead of Americans’ health-care needs. “A lot of Republicans seem to believe that if they can gum up the works and make this law fail, they will somehow be sticking it to me. But they would just be sticking it to you. Your health insurance is not something to play politics with. Our economy is not something to play politics with," he said.
As a matter of fact，the success or failure of Obamacare could shape the president’s legacy long after he leaves office.It is implied in Obama’s words in Paragraph 3 that .
| A．health care insurance will be of great benefit to Americans |
| B．health care insurance will help recover American economy |
| C．insurance companies don’t expect him to carry out the law |
| D．insurance companies will cover Americans in all aspects |
According to Tim Griffin，Obama’s health-care law .
| A．will be strongly opposed to by the Republicans |
| B．will cause fewer economic problems in America |
| C．will be canceled sooner or later by the government |
| D．will never work without the help of the Republicans. |
What does Obama accuse Republicans of according to the passage?
| A．They don’t know what Americans are in need of. |
| B．They tend to put their own benefit ahead of Americans’. |
| C．They know nothing about health insurance and economy. |
| D．They like to play politics with economy and health insurance |
What is the author’s tone in this passage?
| A．Subjective | B．Critical | C．Unconcerned | D．Objective |
People in their sixties should go to university to retrain because they will be expected to work for longer before retirement, the Government has suggested.
Older workers who take courses to keep their skills up-to-date will be more likely to keep their jobs, claims David Willetts, the higher education minister. He said the age limit on student loans to cover tuition fees had been lifted, making a degree course “great value” for older people. His comments followed a government report which found that the country's future economic success would depend on the skills and contributions of older workers.
One in four people will be older than 65 by 2033 and economists have warned thatthe ageing population will place a heavy burden on taxpayers unless more people work for longer. The state pension age is to rise to 67 by 2028. Ministers have warned that they have no idea when younger workers in their thirties will be able to retire.
Mr Willetts, who is accompanying David Cameron in India, urged workers older
than 60 to give further education serious consideration.“There is certainly a
pressure for continuing to get retrained and upskilled，”he said.“Higher education has an economic benefit in that if you stay up-to-date with knowledge and skills you will be more employable.”
Mr Willetts said a university course had “wider” benefits, making people more likely to lead healthy lives.“Education is such a good thing that it is not reserved for only younger people，” he said.“ There will be people of all ages who will want to study. There is great value in lifelong learning.” Under previous rules, students in England would get a loan to cover tuition fees only if they were younger than 54.
Latest figures showed that only 1,940 undergraduates starting courses last year were older than 60, out of a total of 552,240 students in Britain. Some 6,455 were aged between 50 and 60, according to the Higher Education Statistics Agency.We can learn from Paragraphs 1 & 2 that older workers ________.
| A．have no chance to get a loan to cover tuition fees |
| B．may hold back the country's future economic success |
| C．are encouraged to go back to university and retrain |
| D．should be retrained after retirement |
According to the passage, a person who is over ________ years old can draw a
pension in 2028 in Britain.
| A．54 | B．67 | C．65 | D．60 |
What does Mr Willetts think of education?
| A．People of all ages can receive different education. |
| B．There is no need for workers older than 60 to receive further education. |
| C．University courses have nothing to do with a healthy life. |
| D．Education is only provided for younger people. |
What would be the best title for the passage?
| A．Britain: entering the ageing state |
| B．Over60s are told: go back to university and retrain |
| C．The situation of education in Britain |
| D．The system of pension in Britain |
Wanted, Someone for a Kiss
We’re looking for producers to join us in the second of London 100FM. You’ll work on the station’s music programmes. Music production experience in radio is necessary, along with rich knowledge of modern dance music. Please apply in writing to Producer Vacancies, Kiss100.
Father Christmas
We’re looking for a very special person preferably over 40, to fill our Father Christmas suit.
Working days: Every Saturday from November 24 to December 15 and every day from December17 to December24 except Sunday, 10:30—16:00
Excellent pay.
Please contact(联系)the Enterprise Shopping Center, Station Parade, Eastbourne.
Accountants Assistant
When you join the team in our Revenue Administration Unit, you will be providing assistance within all parts of the Revenue Division, dealing with post and other general duties. If you are educated to GCSE grade C level we would like to talk to you. This position is equally suitable for a school leaver or for somebody who has office experience.
Wealden District Council
Software Trainer
If you are aged 24-45 and have experience in teaching and training, you could be the person we are looking for. You should be good at the computer and have some experience in programme writing. You will be allowed to make your own decision, and to design courses as well as present them. Pay upwards of ￡15,000 for the right person. Please apply by sending your CV (简历) to Mrs R. Oglivie, Palmlace Limited.which position is open to recent school graduates?
| A．Producer, London Kiss. |
| B．Father Christmas. |
| C．Accountants Assistant |
| D．Software Trainer |
Who should you get in touch with if you hope to work in a radio station?
| A．Producer Vacancies, Kiss 100 |
| B．Mrs R. Oglivie, Palmlace Limited. |
| C．The Enterprise Shopping Centre |
| D．Wealden District Council. |
We learn from the ads that the Enterprise Shopping Centre needs a person who __________________.
| A．is aged between 24 and 40 |
| B．may do some training work |
| C．should deal with general duties |
| D．can work for about a month |
What kind of person would probably apply to Palmace Limited?
| A．One with GCSE grade C level. |
| B．One with some office experience. |
| C．One having good computer knowledge |
| D．One trained in producing music programmes. |
There is no better way to enjoy Scottish traditions than going fishing and tasting a little bit of whisky(威士忌)at a quiet place like the Inverlochy Castle. When Queen Victoria visited the castle in 1873, she wrote in her diary, “I never saw a lovelier spot ,” And she didn’t even go fishing.
Scotland is not easily defined. In certain moments, this quiet land of lakes and grasses and mountains changes before your very eyes. When evening gently sweeps the hillside into orange light ,the rivers, filling with fish, can turn into streams of gold . As you settle down with just a fishing pole and a basket on the bank of River Orchy, near the Inverlochy castle , any frustration（烦恼）will float away as gently as the circling water. It’s just you and purple , pink ,white flowers, seeking a perfect harmony . If you are a new comer to fishing, learning the basics from a fishing guide may leave you with a lifetime’s fun. For many, fishing is more than a sport; it is an art.
Scotland offers interesting place where you can rest after a long day’s fishing. Set against a wild mountain and hidden behind woodland , the beautiful Inverlochy Castle Hotel below the Nevis is a perfect place to see the beauty of Scotland’s mountains . Ben Nevis is the highest of all British mountains , and reaching its 1342-metre top is a challenge . But it’s not just what goes up that matters; what comes down is unique . More than 900 metres high, on the mountain’s north face, lies an all-important source of pure water. Its name comes form the Gaelic (盖尔特) language “usqueb” or “water of life”; And it is the single most important ingredient(原料) in Scotland’s best-known drink: whisky.How is Paragraph 2 mainly developed?
| A．By giving descriptions. |
| B．By following time order. |
| C．By analyzing causes. |
| D．By making comparisons. |
What is Ben Nevis special for?
| A．The Inverlochy Castle Hotel. |
| B．The beauty of its surroundings. |
| C．The water from the mountain. |
| D．The challenge up to its top. |
What is the main purpose of the passage?
| A．To introduce Scottish traditions to tourists. |
| B．To show the attractions of Scotland to readers. |
| C．To explore geographical characteristics of Scotland. |
| D．To describe the pleasures of life in Scotland。 |
The story of Queen Victoria is to show that _____.
| A．the Queen is rich in tour experience |
| B．the Castle is a good place to go in Scotland |
| C．tasting whisky is better than going fishing |
| D．1873 is a special year for the Queen |
I have been consistently opposed to feeding a baby regularly. As a doctor, mother and scientist in child development, I believe there is nothing to recommend it, from the baby’s point of view.
Mothers, doctors and nurse alike have no idea of where a baby’s blood sugar level lies. All we know is that a low level is harmful to brain development and makes a baby easily annoyed. In this state, the baby is difficult to calm down and sleep is impossible. The baby asks for attention by crying and searching for food with its mouth.
It is not just unkind but also dangerous to say that a four-hourly feeding schedule will make a baby satisfied. The first of the experts to advocate (提倡) a strict clock-watching schedule was Dr Frederic Truby King, who was against feeding in the night. I’ve never heard anything so silly. Baby feeding shouldn’t follow a timetable set by the mum. What is important is feeding a baby in the best way, though it may cause some inconvenience in the first few weeks.
Well, at last we have copper-bottomed research that supports demand feeding and points out the weaknesses of strictly timed feeding. The research finds out that babies who are fed on demand do better at school at age 5, 7, 11 and 14, than babies fed according to the clock. By the age of 8, their IQ（智商）scores are four to five percent higher than babies fed by a strict timetable. This Research comes from Oxford and Essex University using a sample（样本）of 10,419 children born in the early 1990s, taking account of parental education, family income, a child’s sex and age, the mother’s health and feeling style. These results don’t surprise me. Feeding according to schedule runs the risk of harming the rapidly growing brain by taking no account of sinking blood sugar levels. I hope this research will put an end to advocating strictly timed baby feeding practices.The underlined word “copper-bottomed” in Paragraph 4 is closest in meaning to _________.
| A．basic | B．reliable |
| C．surprising | D．interesting |
What does the research tell us about feeding a baby on demand?32
| A．The baby will sleep well. |
| B．The baby will have its brain harmed. |
| C．The baby will have a low blood sugar level. |
| D．The baby will grow to be wiser by the age of 8. |
The author supports feeding the baby_______.35
| A．in the night |
| B．every four hours |
| C．whenever it wants food |
| D．according to its blood sugar level |
Which of the following sentences is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．Dr King advocated feeding in the night. |
| B．Dr King was against a strict clock-watching schedule. |
| C．The author thinks Dr King’s idea is wrong. |
| D．The author thinks Dr King’s idea is right. |
阅读下列短文，从每篇短文后各题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
I was blind, but I was ashamed of it if it was known. I refused to use a white stick and hated asking for help. After all, I was a teenage girl, and I couldn’t bear people to look at me and think I was not like them. I must have been a terrible danger on the roads, Coming across me wandering through the traffic, motorists probably would have to step rapidly on their brakes. Apart from that, there were all sorts of disasters that used to occur on the way to and from work.
One evening, I got off the bus about halfway home where I had to change buses, and as usual I ran into something, “I’m awfully sorry,” I said and stepped forward only to run into it again. When it happened a third time, I realized I had been apologizing to a lamppost. This was just one of the stupid things that constantly happened to me. So I carried on and found the bus stop, which was a request stop, where the bus wouldn’t stop unless passengers wanted to get on or off. No one else was there and I had to try to guess if the bus had arrived.
Generally in this situation, because I hated showing I was blind by asking for help, I tried to guess at the sound. Sometimes I would stop a big lorry and stand there feeling stupid as it drew away. In the end, I usually managed to swallow my pride and ask someone at the stop for help.
But on this particular evening no one joined me at the stop; It seemed that everyone had suddenly decided not to travel by bus. Of course I heard plenty of buses pass, or I thought I did. But because I had given up stopping them for fear of making a fool of myself, I let them all go by. I stood there alone for half an hour without stopping one. Then I gave up. I decided to walk on to the next stop.After the girl got off the bus that evening, she_________.
| A．began to run |
| B．hit a person as usual |
| C．hit a lamppost by accident |
| D．was caught by something |
At the request stop that evening, the girl___________.
| A．stopped a big lorry |
| B．stopped the wrong bus |
| C．made no attempt to stop the bus |
| D．was not noticed by other people |
What was the problem with guessing at the sound to stop a bus?
| A．Other vehicles also stopped there. |
| B．It was unreliable for making judgments. |
| C．More lorries than buses responded to the girl. |
| D．It took too much time for the girl to catch the bus. |
Finally the girl decided to walk to the next stop, hoping __________.
| A．to find people there |
| B．to find more buses there |
| C．to find the bus by herself there |
| D．to find people more helpful there |