Hi, everybody. Over the past couple months, most of the political headlines you’ve read have probably been about the government shutdown and the launch of the Affordable Care Act. And I know that many of you have rightly never been more frustrated with Washington.
But if you look beyond those headlines, there are some good things happening in our economy. And that’s been my top priority since the day I walked into the Oval Office.
After decades in which the middle class was working harder and harder just to keep up, and a punishing recession that made it worse, we made the tough choices required not just to recover from crisis, but to rebuild on a new foundation for stronger, more durable economic growth.
Five years later, we have fought our way back. Our businesses have created 7.8 million new jobs in the past 44 months. Another 200,000 Americans went back to work last month.
The American auto industry has come roaring back with more than 350,000 new jobs – jobs churning out and selling the high-tech, fuel-efficient cars the world wants to buy. And they’re leading the charge in a manufacturing sector that has added jobs for the first time since the 1990s – a big reason why our businesses sell more goods and services “Made in America” than ever before.
We decided to reverse our addiction to foreign oil. And today, we generate more renewable energy than ever, more natural gas than anybody, and for the first time in nearly 20 years, America now produces more oil than we buy from other countries.
We decided to fix a broken health care system. And even though the rollout of the marketplace where you can buy affordable plans has been rough, so far, about 500,000 Americans are poised to gain health coverage starting January 1st. And by the way, health care costs are growing at the slowest rate in 50 years.
And one more thing: since I took office, we’ve cut our deficits by more than half. And that makes it easier to invest in the things that create jobs – education, research, and infrastructure.
Imagine how much farther along we could be if both parties were working together. Think about what we could do if a reckless few didn’t hold the economy hostage every few months, or waste time on dozens of votes to repeal the Affordable Care Act rather than try to help us fix it.
In the weeks ahead, I’ll keep talking about my plan to build a better bargain for the middle class. Good jobs. A good education. A chance to buy a home, save, and retire. And yes, the financial security of affordable health care. And I’ll look for any willing partners who want to help.
Because of your hard work and tough sacrifices over the past five years, we’re pointed in the right direction. But we’ve got more work to do to keep moving that way. And as long as I’m President, I’ll keep doing everything I can to create jobs, grow the economy, and make sure that everyone who works hard has a chance to get ahead. Thanks, and have a great weekend.Which of the following is not the reason for people’s frustration with the government?
| A．The government shut down |
| B．Unemployment rate |
| C．The addiction to foreign oil |
| D．The launch of the Affordable Care Act |
Why does the president mention more goods and services “Made in America”?
| A．To show that American goods and services are very popular. |
| B．To indicate that American people should be dependent on themselves. |
| C．To show that the employment rate has been increased. |
| D．To show that American auto industry enjoys high technology. |
What’s the meaning of the underlined word “repeal”?
| A．To abolish | B．To protect |
| C．To strengthen | D．To weaken |
According to the speech, which of the following can be implied?
| A．American people have every reason to feel frustrated with the government. |
| B．Health care costs are growing at the slowest rate in 50 years. |
| C．The president feels sorry that the economy is not moving in the right direction. |
| D．Some government officials don’t agree with the president on the medical care system. |
Teens ---want to gain valuable work experience? Do you enjoy working with kids? Need to finish community service requirement for school?
Volunteer for the alameda recreation and park department!
Volunteers are needed to help Recreation Leaders with youth programs and special events at our local park. During the summer, volunteers are also needed to help with our Aquatics Program at the swim center as well. This is a perfect opportunity to gain valuable work experience for future employment opportunities.
Don’t delay(延迟)! Spaces Are Extremely Limited! Sign up early!
lYou may register in person or mail the completed form and payment to: Alameda Recreation and Park Department, 2226 Santa Clara Avenue, Alameda, 94501.
lFaxed registrations accepted with MasterCard/ VISA,(510)747—7566.
Once your application has been reviewed(审查), you will be contacted by the Teen Coordination to plan an oral interview. If you are accepted into the program, you must attend a volunteer training.
All applications are to arrive no later than two weeks before the training date (listed below) and are limited to space availability.
Not all applications will be surely given an interview. Late Applications will not be dealt with.
| Volunteer training information Training Date: Thursday, May28,2009 Time: 4:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Location: Veteran’s Memorial Building(2203 Central Avenue, Room 120,Alameda) Cost: $45 per person----includes training, uniform and materials. |
We can know from the passage that the program can.
| A．teach kids to swim at the swim center |
| B．train teens to be prepared for job interviews |
| C．offer people who are out of work some jobs |
| D．provide a chance for volunteers to get work experience |
Once you are allowed to join in the program, you .
| A．will be trained for volunteering |
| B．will have a face to face interview |
| C．must contact the Teen Coordinator |
| D．will pay $45 for the materials |
To join the program, you should register________.
| A．on Thursday, May28, 2009 |
| B．before Thursday, May 14, 2009 |
| C．after Thursday, May 28, 2009 |
| D．before Thursday, June 11, 2009 |
What information can we get from the passage?
| A．You will be interviewed once you apply. |
| B．You can register by sending an email. |
| C．There is a limit to the number of volunteers. |
| D．The training will last about two weeks. |
Americans have contributed to many art forms, but jazz, a type music, is one of the art form that was started in the United States. Black Americans, who sang and played the music of their homeland, created jazz.
Jazz is a mixture of the music of Africa, the work songs the slaves sang, and religious(宗教) music. Improvisation is an important part of jazz. This means that the musicians make the music up as they go along, or create the music on the spot. This is why a jazz song might sound a little different each time it is played.
Jazz bands formed in the late 1800s. They played in bars and clubs in many towns and cities of the South, especially New Orleans. New Orleans is an international seaport, and people from all over the world come to New Orleans to hear jazz.
Jazz became more and more popular. By the 1920s, jazz was popular all over the United States. By the 1940s, you could hear jazz not only in clubs and bars, but in concert halls as well. Today, people from all over the world play jazz. Jazz musicians from the United States, Asia, Africa, South America, and Europe meet and share their music at festivals on every continent. In this way jazz continues to grow and change.What can be the best title of the passage?
| A．American art forms. | B．The development of jazz. |
| C．The music of black Americans. | D．The birthplace of jazz. |
Which of the following is true?
| A．Jazz is now popular all over the world. |
| B．Jazz is now a kind of religious music. |
| C．Jazz is now played only in bars and clubs. |
| D．Jazz is now played a little differently sometimes. |
From the text it can be inferred that_________ .
| A．New Orleans is the place where jazz was first produced |
| B．the American people are all jazz lovers |
| C．jazz is merely sung by the black when working |
| D．jazz may become more popular as time goes on |
It took about ________ years to make jazz popular in the United States.
| A．200 | B．120 | C．80 | D．140 |
XUE Bai, a 21-year-old university student, hopes to volunteer for Beijing's 2008 Olympics. "I want to do something for the Olympics. It is also a kind of learning for me," said the fourth-year student at Beijing Foreign Studies University. Now it is time for Xue to act on her plan. The Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the 2008 Olympiad will start to recruit(招募)volunteers on August 28.
The Olympics will need around 70,000 volunteers and the Paralympic Games(残疾人奥运会) will need another 30,000. University students like Xue will make up the majority of the volunteers. But the Olympics also need other volunteers - ordinary citizens and foreigners, for example. Students in Beijing should apply through their universities. Other volunteers may apply online or submit a written application. The online application system and a hotline will be open next Monday. For applicants outside Beijing, the application process begins in December. There is plenty of work for volunteers to do. For example, there will be chances to help publicize the games over the next two years. During the games themselves, volunteers will clean, serve food, marshal(礼仪引导)or offer language help.
The Sydney Olympics in 2000 was the first that placed special emphasis on the role of volunteers. It used more than 45,000 volunteers in different roles. In the 2004 Athens Olympics, around 45,000 volunteers were used. More than 70,000 volunteers will be needed for the Olympic games and Paralympic Games in 2012, the London Olympic Organizing Committee has said. Xue Bai is willing to be a volunteer for the Beijing Olympics for the purpose of_____.
| A．watching live Olympic matches | B．learning more |
| C．meeting his favorite sports stars | D．making money |
It is estimated that volunteers for Beijing's 2008 Olympics are mainly _____.
| A．ordinary citizens | B．foreigners |
| C．university students | D．applicants outside Beijing |
Volunteers have played an very important role in Olympics since_____.
| A．the 1996 Atlanta Olympics | B．the 2000 Sydney Olympics |
| C．the 2004 Athens Olympics | D．the 2008 Beijing Olympics |
The passage mainly tells us______.
| A．the history of volunteers in Olympics. |
| B．hat volunteers will do in the 2008 Olympics. |
| C．who can apply to be volunteers for Beijing Olympics. |
| D．volunteers for the 2008 Olympics are wanted. |
In modern society there is a great deal of argument about competition. Some value it highly, believing that it is responsible for social progress and prosperity. Others say that competition is bad; that it sets one person against another; that it leads to unfriendly relationship between people.
I have taught many children who held the belief that their self-worth relied (依赖) on how well they performed at tennis and other skills. For them, playing well and winning are often life-and-death affairs. In their single-minded pursuit (追求) of success, the development, of many other human qualities is sadly forgotten.
However, while sonic seem to be lost in die desire to succeed, others take an opposite attitude. In a culture which values only die winner and pays no attention to the ordinary players, they strongly blame competition. Among the most vocal are youngsters who have suffered under competitive pressures from their parents or society. Teaching these young people, I often observe in them a desire to fail. They seem to seek failure by not trying to win or achieve success. By not trying, they always have an excuse: “I may have lost, but it doesn’t matter because I really didn’t try.” What is not usually admitted by themselves is the belief that if they had really tried and lost, that would mean a lot. Such a loss would be a measure of their worth. Clearly, this belief is the same as that of the true competitors who try to prove themselves. Both are based on the mistaken-belief that one’s self-respect relies on how well one performs in comparison with others. Both are afraid of not being valued. Only as this basic and often troublesome fear begins to dissolve(缓解) can we discover a new meaning in competition.What does this passage mainly talk about?
| A．Competition helps to set up self-respect. |
| B．Opinions about competition are different among people. |
| C．Competition is harmful to personal quality development. |
| D．Failures are necessary experiences in competition. |
The underlined phrase “the most vocal” in Paragraph 3 means______.
| A．those who try their best to win |
| B．those who value competition most highly |
| C．those who are against competition most strongly |
| D．those who rely on others most for success |
Which point of view may the author agree to?
| A．Every effort should be paid back. |
| B．Competition should be encouraged. |
| C．Winning should be a life-and-death matter. |
| D．Fear of failure should be removed in competition. |
Teens ---want to gain valuable work experience? Do you enjoy working with kids? Need to finish community service requirement for school?
Volunteer for the alameda recreation and park department!
Volunteers are needed to help Recreation Leaders with youth programs and special events at our local park. During the summer, volunteers are also needed to help with our Aquatics Program at the swim center as well. This is a perfect opportunity to gain valuable work experience for future employment opportunities.
Don’t delay(延迟)! Spaces Are Extremely Limited! Sign up early!
lYou may register in person or mail the completed form and payment to: Alameda Recreation and Park Department, 2226 Santa Clara Avenue, Alameda, 94501.
lFaxed registrations accepted with MasterCard/ VISA,(510)747—7566.
Once your application has been reviewed(审查), you will be contacted by the Teen Coordination to plan an oral interview. If you are accepted into the program, you must attend a volunteer training.
All applications are to arrive no later than two weeks before the training date (listed below) and are limited to space availability.
Not all applications will be surely given an interview. Late Applications will not be dealt with.
| Volunteer training information Training Date: Thursday, May28,2009 Time: 4:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Location: Veteran’s Memorial Building(2203 Central Avenue, Room 120,Alameda) Cost: $45 per person----includes training, uniform and materials. |
We can know from the passage that the program can.
| A．teach kids to swim at the swim center |
| B．train teens to be prepared for job interviews |
| C．offer people who are out of work some jobs |
| D．provide a chance for volunteers to get work experience |
Once you are allowed to join in the program, you .
| A．will be trained for volunteering |
| B．will have a face to face interview |
| C．must contact the Teen Coordinator |
| D．will pay $45 for the materials |
To join the program, you should register________.
| A．on Thursday, May28, 2009 |
| B．before Thursday, May 14, 2009 |
| C．after Thursday, May 28, 2009 |
| D．before Thursday, June 11, 2009 |
What information can we get from the passage?
| A．You will be interviewed once you apply. |
| B．You can register by sending an email. |
| C．There is a limit to the number of volunteers. |
| D．The training will last about two weeks. |