However wealthy we may be, we can never find enough hours in the day to do everything we want. Economics deals with this problem through the concept of opportunity cost, which simply refers to whether someone’s time or money could be better spent on something else.
Every hour of our time has a value. For every hour we work at one job we could quite easily be doing another, or be sleeping or watching a film. Each of these options has a different opportunity cost—namely, what they cost us in missed opportunities.
Say you intend to watch a football match but the tickets are expensive and it will take you a couple of hours to get to and from the stadium. Why not, you might reason, watch the game from home and use the leftover money and time to have dinner with friends? This—the alternative use of your cash and time—is the opportunity cost.
For economists, every decision is made by knowledge of what one must forgo—in terms of money and enjoyment—in order to take it up. By knowing precisely what you are receiving and what you are missing out on, you ought to be able to make better-informed, more reasonable decisions. Consider that most famous economic rule of all: there’s no such thing as a free lunch. Even if someone offers to take you out to lunch for free, the time you will spend in the restaurant still costs you something in terms of forgone opportunities.
Some people find the idea of opportunity cost extremely discouraging: imagine spending your entire life calculating whether your time would be better spent elsewhere doing something more profitable or enjoyable. Yet, in a sense it’s human nature to do precisely that—we assess the advantages and disadvantages of decisions all the time.
In the business world, a popular phrase is “value for money.” People want their cash to go as far as possible. However, another is fast obtaining an advantage: “value for time.” The biggest restriction on our resources is the number of hours we can devote to something, so we look to maximize the return we get on our investment of time. By reading this passage you are giving over a bit of your time which could be spent doing other activities, such as sleeping and eating. In return, however, this passage will help you to think like an economist, closely considering the opportunity cost of each of your decisions.According to the passage, the concept of “opportunity cost” is applied to ________.
| A．making more money |
| B．taking more opportunities |
| C．reducing missed opportunities |
| D．weighing the choice of opportunities |
The “leftover ... time” in Paragraph 3 probably refers to the time ________.
| A．spared for watching the match at home |
| B．taken to have dinner with friends |
| C．spent on the way to and from the match |
| D．saved from not going to watch the match |
What are forgone opportunities?
| A．Opportunities you forget in decision-making. |
| B．Opportunities you give up for better ones. |
| C．Opportunities you miss accidentally. |
| D．Opportunities you make up for. |
Tea drinking was common in China for nearly one thousand years before anyone in Europe had ever heard about tea．People in Britain were much slower in finding out what tea was like, mainly because tea was very expensive. It could not be bought in shops and even those people who could afford to have it sent from Holland did so only because it was a fashionable curiosity. Some of them were not sure how to use it. They thought it was a vegetable and tried cooking the leaves. Then they served them mixed with butter and salt. They soon discovered their mistake but many people used to spread the used tea leaves on bread and give them to their children as sandwiches.
Tea remained scarce and very expensive in England until the ships of the East India Company began to bring it direct from China early in the seventeenth century. During the next few years so much tea came into the country that the price fell and many people could afford to buy it.
At the same time people on the Continent were becoming more and more fond of tea．Until then tea had been drunk without milk in it, but one day a famous French lady named Madame de Sevigne decided to see what tea tasted like when milk was added．She found it so pleasant that she would never again drink it without milk. Because she was such a great lady her friends thought they must copy everything she did, so they also drank their tea with milk in it. Slowly this habit spread until it reached England and today only very few Britons drink tea without milk.
At first, tea was usually drunk after dinner in the evening No one ever thought of drinking tea in the afternoon until a duchess (公爵夫人) found that a cup of tea and a piece of cake at three or four o’clock stopped her getting “a sinking feeling” as she called it. She invited her friends to have this new meal with her and so, tea-time was born.Which of the following is true of the introduction of tea into Britain?
| A．The Britons got expensive tea from India. |
| B．Tea reached Britain from Holland. |
| C．The Britons were the first people in Europe who drank tea. |
| D．It was not until the 17th century that the Britons had tea. |
This passage mainly discusses_____________.
| A．the history of tea drinking in Britain | B．how tea became a popular drink in Britain |
| C．how the Britons got the habit of drinking tea | D．how tea-time was born |
Tea became a popular drink in Britain.
| A．in eighteenth century | B．in sixteenth century |
| C．in seventeenth century | D．in the late seventeenth century |
People in Europe began to drink tea with milk because.
| A．it tasted like milk |
| B．it tasted more pleasant |
| C．it became a popular drink |
| D．Madame de Sevinge was such a lady with great social influence that people tried |
to copy the way she drank tea
Tom Brennan was working in a Philadelphia office building when he noticed a black bag. The bag contained a book.
This chance discovery ended a 12-day search by the Library Company of Philadelphia for a historical treasure-a 120-page diary kept 190 years ago by Deborah Logan,” a woman who knew everybody in her day,” James Green ,the librarian told the magazine American Libraries.
Most of the diary is a record of big events in Philadelphia. It also includes a description of British soldiers burning Washington D.C. in the war of 1812. She describes President James Madison on horseback as "perfectly shaking with fear “during the troubled days. George Washington, she writes, mistook her for the wife of a French man and praised her excellent English.
The adventure of the lost book began on September 4 when Cory Luxmoore arrived from England to deliver the diary of his ancestor(祖先)to the Library Company, which he and his wife considered to be the best home for the diary.
Green told American Libraries he had the diary in his possession “ about five minutes” when Luxmoore took it back because he had promised to show it to one other person. On returning to his hotel after showing the precious book to Green, Luxmoore was shocked to realize that he had left it in the taxi.
Without any delay, Green began calling every taxi company in the city, with no luck, "I've felt sick since then," Luxmoore told reporters.According to Green, no one has yet learned how the diary came to the office building .
Tom Brennan received a reward(奖励)of 1,000, Philadelphia gained another treasure for its history , and Luxmoore told reporters, "It's wonderful news. I'm on high".This article mainly tells about the story of ___________.
| A．a lost diary | B．Deborah Logan |
| C．Cory Luxmoore | D．the Library Company |
From the text, we learn that the diary is now owned by ___________.
| A．Tom Brennan | B．an unknown person |
| C．a Philadelphia magazine | D．the Library Company of Philadelphia |
Philadelphia is thought to be the best home for the diary because ___________.
| A．it was written in Philadelphia |
| B．it tells stories about Philadelphia |
| C．people in the city are interested in old things |
| D．the British and the Americans once fought in Philadelphia |
Which of the following shows the right order of what happened to the diary?
a:Tom Brennan found the book in an office building.
b:The book was shown to James Green.
c: Cory Luxmoore arrived from England.
d: The book was left behind in a taxi.
| A．a.b.c.d | B．c.b.d.a | C．a.c.d.b | D．c.a.b.d |
What did Cory Luxmoore mean when he said "I'm on high"?
| A．I'm rich | B．I'm famous | C．I'm excited | D．I'm lucky. |
Glynis Davis:
I first piled on the pounds when I was in the family way and I couldn’t lose them afterwards. Then I joined a slimming(减轻体重的) club. My aim was 40 pounds and I lost 30 pounds in six months. I felt great and people kept saying how good I looked. But Christmas came and I started to slip back into my old eating habits. I told myself I’d lose the weight at slimming classes in the new year…… but it didn’t happen. Instead of losing the pounds, I put them on. I’d lost willpower and tried to believe that the odd bag of fish and chips didn’t make any difference but the scales don’t lie.
Roz Juma:
To be honest, I never weigh myself any more---I’ve learned to be happy with myself. It seemed to me that I would feel sorry about every spoonful of tasty food that passed my lips. My idea is simple. You shouldn’t be too much thinking about food and dieting. Instead, you should get on with life and stop dreaming of a super-thin body. This is obviously the size I meant to be and , most of all, I’m happy with it.
Lesley Godwin:
I was very happy about winning Young Slimming of the Year. I’d look in the mirror unable to believe this slim lady was me ! That might have been my problem—perhaps from then on I didn’t pay any attention to myself. Winning a national competition makes everything worse, though, because you feel the eyes of the world are fixed upon you. I feel a complete failure because I’ve put on weight again.
Ros Langford:
Before moving in with my husband Gavin, I’d always been about 110 pounds, but the domestic bliss(福佑) went straight to my waist and I put on 15 pounds in a year. Occasionally I try to go on a diet…I’m really good for a few days, then end up having the children’s leftovers(吃剩的食物) or eating happily chocolate—my weakness. I’d like to be slim, but right now my duty is the children and home. I might take more exercise when my kids are older.What do you think the four women were all talking about ?
| A．Their life after marriage | B．Their own slimming matter |
| C．Their work as a housewife | D．Different diets they prefer |
Where are these short texts most likely to be taken from?
| A．Talks on the air | B．Advertisements in the newspaper |
| C．Books in a library | D．Magazines for children |
What does the underlined word “ scales”(paragraph 1 ) mean?
| A．the coach in the slimming club | B．some tool to measure weight |
| C．Glynis Davis’ dear husband | D．The salesperson in a food shop |
Which of the following best describes each of the four women’s attitudes towards slimming ?
1. Glynis Davis a. I put on weight soon after I got married
2. Roz Juma b. Fame(名声) doesn’t necessarily mean success.
3 Lesley Godwin c. Facts speak much louder than words
4. Ros Langfordd. I like myself as I am.
| A．1-c ,2-d, 3-b, 4-a | B．1-c ,2-b, 3-d,4-a | C．1-d,2-a,3-b,4-c | D．1-a, 2-b, 3-c, 4-d |
Proverbs(谚语) are quite common in spoken English. We do not normally put them in a composition or letter. Sometimes it is helpful if you know what common proverbs mean. Here are a few examples:
Once bitten, twice shy. If a dog bites me, I shall be twice as careful in future when I see it. This proverb is also used to apply to many things and not only to dogs. If you have been cheated at a shop, you will not go to the same shop again.
A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. If I am a hunter, trying to catch birds, it is better to catch one bird than to see two birds in a bush but not be able to catch them. Thus this means that what you have already got is better than the chance of being able to get something bigger in the future.
Too many cooks spoil the broth(soup). When too many people do something together, they get in each other’s way and cannot do a good job.
To pour oil on troubled waters Is to try to calm things down. Oil is lighter than water. If a ship is in trouble at sea, another ship may come to help it. The second ship can send small boats to rescue people. However, it may first pour oil on the sea to make the sea less rough.
Don't be a dog in a manger(马槽). Means “ Don’t be selfish.” In a stable(马厩), the manger is the place where the horse’s food is put. Sometimes a dog will sleep in the manger and bard when a horse comes to get its food. The dog does not want to eat the hay in the manger but it will not let the horse eat it.
He’s sitting on the fence. Means that somebody will not say whether he is in favour of a plan or against it. He is sitting on a fence between two opposing sides, perhaps waiting to see which side will win.
He who pays the piper calls the tune. A piper is a musician . The man who employs or pays a musician can say what tunes the man will play. Thus this means that if a man provides the money for a plan, he can say how it will be carried out.
You can’t get blood out of a stone means that you can’t get something out of a person who has not got any of the things you want. For example, you cannot get a million dollars from a poor man.Peter had a bicycle which was much too small for him but he did not want to let his younger brother ride on it. His mother was angry and said to him : “______”.
| A．You cannot get blood out of a stone | B．Don’t be a dog in a manger |
| C．The early bird gets the worm | D．Don’t be a horse in the manger |
Mr Wang paid for a new school. Some people did not like the design of the school but they did not argue with Mr Wang because ________.
| A．he was sitting on the fence | B．once bitten, twice shy |
| C．he who pays the piper calls the tune | D．a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush |
Mrs Chen wanted to buy a new dress. Her husband suggested that she buy it from a shop near their home. Mrs Chen disagreed because she had been cheated by that shop. Then she said: “ I won’t go there again because___.”
| A．a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush | B．I am sitting on the fence |
| C．Once bitten, twice shy | D．too man cooks spoil the broth |
Mr brown had quite a good job in Hong Kong but he thought that if he went to Singapore he might get a much better job with more money and a large house. His wife did not want him to leave his job in Hong Kong and she warned him that _____.
| A．a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush | B．too many cooks spoil the broth |
| C．you cannot get blood out of a stone | D．he who pays the piper calls the tune |
I am Sergey Brin! I was born in Moscow. In 1979,when I was 5, my family immigrated to California, USA . I remember that on my 9th birthday, I got my first computer “Commodore 64”.
Later I graduated with honors in the University of Maryland in Mathematics and IT. The main field of my science research was the technologies used to collect data from unsystematic sources as well as large quantities of texts and science data. I was the author of dozens of articles in leading American academic magazines.
The greatest event in my life happened when in 1998 I was preparing for the defense(论文答辩) of my Doctor’s degree in the Stanford University. There the fate made me meet Larry Page—a young computer genius. Larry belonged to the intellectual society. I and Larry quickly became friends when we were working together.
We were searching day and night on the Internet. We were finding a lot of information but with the feeling we still couldn’t find enough of what we were looking for . Naturally the idea for a search engine that would allow specific information to be found in the endless pool of data was born like it came to us. It wasn’t our plans but we gave up the education at the university. You know the next part ,maybe—we managed to turn an ordinary garage in Peplo Park, California , the USA into our first office, in which Google was born. With excitement we typed the name of the thing which we created with love on September 14th,1998—www.Google.com. Now after those years we bought this garage. As a symbol it will always remind us that everything is possible. Which of the following would be the best title for this passage?
| A．The Birth of Google | B．The Founder of Google |
| C．The Importance of Cooperation | D．The Great Contribution to the Internet |
From the passage we know that Larry Page________.
| A．was born from a rich merchant family |
| B．was once a student in the Stanford University |
| C．published some academic articles when young |
| D．was Brin’s important partner in starting Google |
Why did they found Google ?
| A．Because they loved working with the Internet so much. |
| B．Because they wanted to make a lot of money through the Internet |
| C．Because they hoped to make it easy to find specific information online |
| D．Because they believed everything is possible. |
Which is the right order of what happened ?
a. My family moved from Russia to the USA
b. I met Larry Page
c. I was given a computer as a present on my 9th birthday.
d. google was born in an ordinary garage in California.
e. I graduated from the university in Mathematics and IT.
| A．a-c-e-b-d | B．c-a-b-e-d | C．a-c-b-d-e | D．c-b-a-e-d |