Let's be honest：If you like to take lots of vacation，the United States is not the place to work.Besides a handful of national holidays，the typical American worker gets two or three precious weeks off out of a whole year to relax and see the world—much less than what people in many other countries receive.Only 57% of the US workers use up all of the days they're entitled (授权) to，compared with 89% of workers in France, a recent research found.
So what's going on here？A big reason for the difference is that paid time off is supported by law in many parts of the world.Germany is among more than two dozen industrialized countries—from Australia to Slovenia to Japan—that require employers to offer four weeks or more of paid vacation to their workers，according to a 2009 study by the human resources consulting company Mercer.Finland, Brazil and France are the champions, guaranteeing six weeks of time off.
But employers in the United States have no duty under federal law to offer any paid vacation, so about a quarter of all American workers don't have access to it，government figures show.That makes the US the only advanced nation in the world that doesn't guarantee its workers annual leave，according to a report titled “NoVacation Nation” by the Center for Economic and Policy Research, a liberal policy group.
But the fear of layoffs(下岗) and the everfaster pace of work mean many Americans don't want to be absent from the office—anxious that they might look like they're not willing to work hard.Or they worry they won't be able to deal with the backlog (积压未办之事)of work waiting for them after a vacation.
Working more makes Americans happier than Europeans, according to a study published recently in the Journal of Happiness Studies.That may be because Americans believe more than Europeans do that hard work is associated with success, wrote Adam OkuliczKozaryn，the study's author and an assistant professor at the University of Texas at Dallas.“Americans increase their happiness by working, and Europeans increase their happiness through vacation，” he found.Which of the following countries has the longest paid vacation?
| A．America. | B．Germany. |
| C．Australia. | D．France. |
What does the underlined word “it”in Paragraph 3 refer to?
| A．Federal law. | B．Paid vacation. |
| C．Annual leave. | D．Long vacation. |
Why are many Americans unwilling to be absent from the office?
a．They enjoy their work very much.
b．They are afraid of being fired.
c．They are not protected by law.
d．They are worried about falling behind.
| A．a，b | B．a，d |
| C．c，d | D．b，d |
What does the study in the Journal of Happiness Studies find?
| A．Americans get more happiness from work than Europeans. |
| B．Americans believe happiness is the most important thing. |
| C．Europeans believe more hard work leads to success. |
| D．Europeans do not like taking long vacations. |
What is the text mainly about?
| A．Why American workers have fewer vacations. |
| B．The reasons why American workers dislike work. |
| C．How workers in different countries take vacations. |
| D．Why American workers are happier than Europeans. |
Is your schoolbag too heavy to bear? The e-schoolbag will free you from the weight．
It is said that e-schoolbags are going to be brought into use in Chinese middle schools soon．An experiment with several hundred e-schoolbags will begin in seven cities: Beijing, Shanghai, Dalian, Shenzhen, Chongqing, Taiyuan and Shijiazhuang．And the e-schoolbags are going to cover all over China if the experiment shows to be successful．In fact, the e-schoolbag should perhaps be called an e-notebook．It is a small hand-held computers for school students．
Heavy schoolbags have long been a serious problem for school students．The average schoolbag of middle school students weighs up to 5 kilos．But the e-schoolbag will change everything．It is much lighter than a usual schoolbag, weighing under 1 kilo．Also, it is no bigger than a usual book, but it can still hold all the things for study, such as a textbook, a notebook and exercise book．They could be made into chips that are as small as a stamp．The students can read the text page by page on the screen．They can still take notes using a special electronic pen．If they want to know the meaning or the pronunciation of a new word, or even e-mail their teachers, it’s just a press of a button．
In some foreign countries, it is becoming common．But it is hard to tell when people will receive this new form of study．Some say that e-textbooks can easily be broken, some say that it is not good to students’ eyesight to look at the screen for long．But only time will tell．
69.The e-schoolbag has many functions EXCEPT ________．
A．It can pronounce the words． B．It can send e-mails．
C．It can be used as a dictionary． D．It can phone somebody．
70．According to the passage, the e-schoolbags ________．
A．are not heavy as before but still large
B．are used as an experiment in Tianjin
C．are made of metal
D．are going to cover China if it shows to be successful
71.Which of the following statement is TRUE?
A．All the students in China will use this new schoolbag．
B．We can do a lot of work based on the programmes of the chips．
C．The e-notebooks are very perfect．
D．We will not make notes because the e-notebook can make all by itself．
Britain and other nations should be well on with the building of huge industrial complexes (工业园区)for the recycling of wastes within fifteen years. The word rubbish could lose its meaning because everything that goes into the dumps would be made into something useful. Even the most dangerous and unpleasant wastes would provide energy if nothing else.
The latest project is to take a city of around half a million inhabitants (居民) and discover exactly what raw materials go into and what go out. The aim is to find out how much of these raw materials could be provided if a plant for recycling waste was built just outside the city. This plant would recycle not only metal such as steel, lead (铅) and copper, but also paper and rubber as well.
Another new project is being set up to discover the best way of sorting and separating the rubbish. When this project is completed, the rubbish will be processed like this: First, it will pass through sharp metal bars which will tear open the plastic bags in which rubbish is usually packed; then it will pass through a powerful fan to separate the lightest elements from the heavy solids; after that rollers will break up everything that can be broken. Finally, the rubbish will pass under magnets (磁铁), which will remove the bits of iron and steel; the rubber and plastic will then be sorted out in the final stage.
The first full-scale (完全的) giant recycling plants are perhaps fifteen years away. Indeed, with the growing cost of transporting rubbish to more distant dumps, some big cities will be forced to build their own recycling plants before long.
64. The underlined phrase “be well on with…” (Para. 1) most probably means _______.
A. have completed what was started B. get ready to start
C. put an end to D. have achieved a great deal in
65. What is NOT mentioned as a part of the recycling process described in paragraph three?
A. Sharpening metal bars.B. Sorting out small pieces of metal.
C. Breaking up whatever is breakable. D. Separating lightest elements from the heavy ones.
66. What’s the main reason for big cities to build their own recycling plants?
A. To get raw materials locally. B. To deal with wastes in a better way.
C. To get iron and steel from those plants. D. To protect the environment from pollution.
67. The first full-scale huge recycling plants ______.
A. will be built fifteen years later
B. began to operate fifteen years ago
C. will probably be in operation in fifteen years
D. will probably take less than fifteen years to build
68. Thepassageismainlyabout_______.
A. acheapwaytogetenergyB. thelocationofrecyclingplants
C. newwaysofrecyclingD. theprobability ofcityenvironment
Millions of aircraft take off around the world every year. The skies they fly in seem limitless—miles of empty space. But, with the number of flights increasing each year, this emptiness no longer exists. Researchers in the world of aviation（航空）are worried about the increasing pressure on pilots and ground controllers. And increasing collisions, occurring at or near an airport, have called attention to the need for more aids（辅助设备）to aviation control.
People who travel the skies are not certain about air safety. A great deal of money is spent on new and bigger aircraft and airports to deal with the vast increase in passengers travelling by air. Only a small percentage of this money is spent on navigation（导航）and other aids. Actually, suitable electronic equipment has long existed, and many companies market safety aids designed to make it safer for aircraft to take off, fly any distance, and land, whatever the weather. Yet, there are two problems to be solved. The first is to get governments, airlines and airport officials to agree to basic levels of safety aids. The second problem is to find a way of meeting these basic requirements.
But no matter how well the equipment works, operators of the equipment still play an important role. Communications between pilots and ground controllers are extremely important to air safety. It is worth pointing out that the mishearing or misunderstanding of instructions in English and the use of another language, in an international conversation, have led to two recent aircraft accidents. A new type of instrument（仪器）called FLIGHTWATCH would help pilots prevent airport collisions. It would be particularly helpful near airports.
60. The increasing number of flights leads to the fact that ________.
A. flying is no longer limited in the sky
B. there is no empty space for aids to aviation control
C. piloting and controlling planes is getting more difficult
D. the pressure on the ground becomes greater
61. There is uncertainty about air safety because ________.
A. planes become bigger for the increasing number of passengers
B. money spent on electronic equipment is far from enough
C. suitable electronic equipment hasn’t been invented yet
D. it is dangerous for planes to take off or land
62. The underlined word “collisions” probably means ________.
A. accidents in which two planes hit each other
B. misunderstandings between pilots and ground controllers
C. quarrels among passengers
D. breakdowns of new types of instrument
63. It can be inferred from the passage that ________.
A. governments and officials have paid great attention to air safety
B. there should be more companies to sell new safety aids
C. English should be used in an international conversation
D. understanding between pilots and ground controllers should be improved
第三部分阅读理解(共20小题；每小题2分，满分40分)
Will it matter if you don't have your breakfast ? A short time ago , a test was given in the United States. People of different ages, from 12 to 83, were asked to have a test . During the test , these people were given all kinds of breakfasts , and sometimes they got no breakfast at all. Scientists wanted to see how well their bodies worked when they had different kinds of breakfasts.
The rules show that if a person eats a right breakfast , he or she will work better than if he or she has no breakfast. If a student has fruit , eggs, bread and milk before going to school ,he or she will learn more quickly and listen more carefully in class.
The result is opposite to what some people think . Having no breakfast will not help them lose weight . This is because they are so hungry at noon that eat too much for lunch . They will gain weight instead of losing it . You will lose weight if you reduce your other meals.
56. During the test , the people were given _________.
A. no breakfast at all B. different breakfast or sometimes none
C. very rich breakfast D. little food for breakfast
57. Scientists wanted to know whether __________.
A. breakfast had any effect on work and studies. B. people were interested in breakfast
C. breakfast did harm to people 's health D. people would work better without breakfast
58. According to the passage , some people think without breakfast they will ____
A. lose weight B. get a good result in their work
C. gain weight D. not be hungry at all.
59. Which of the following sciences is not right?
A. It is bad for your health to have no breakfast.
B. No breakfast and more lunch may make you fatter.
C. The more breakfast you have, the more quickly you will learn in class.
D. If you don't eat much for lunch and supper , you may lose weight.
Parents and kids today dress alike, listen to the same music, and are friends. Is this a good thing? Sometimes, when Mr. Ballmer and his 16-year-old daughter, Elizabeth, listen to rock music together and talk about interests both enjoy, such as pop culture, he remembers his more distant relationship with his parents when he was a teenager.
“I would never have said to my mom, ‘Hey, the new Weezer album is really great. How do you like it?’” says Ballmer. “There was just a complete gap in taste.”
Music was not the only gulf (分歧). From clothing and hairstyles to activities and expectations, earlier generations of parents and children often appeared to move in separate orbits.
Today, the generation gap has not disappeared, but it is getting narrow in many families. Conversations on subjects such as sex and drugs would not have taken place a generation ago. Now they are comfortable and common. And parent-child activities, from shopping to sports, involve a feeling of trust and friendship that can continue into adulthood.
No wonder greeting cards today carry the message, “To my mother, my best friend.”
But family experts warn that the new equality can also result in less respect for parents.
“There’s still a lot of strictness and authority on the part of parents out there, but there is a change happening,” says Kerrie, a psychology professor at Lebanon Valley College. “In the middle of that change, there is a lot of confusion among parents.”
Family researchers offer a variety of reasons for these evolving(演化的) roles and attitudes. They see the 1960s as a turning point. Great cultural changes led to more open communication and a more democratic process that encourages everyone to have a say.
“My parents were on the ‘before’ side of that change, but today’s parents, the 40-year-olds, were on the ‘after’ side,” explains Mr. Ballmer. “It’s not something easily accomplished by parents these days, because life is more difficult to understand or deal with, but sharing interests does make it more fun to be a parent now.”
72. Which of the following shows that the generation gap is disappearing?
A. Parents help their children develop interests in more activities.
B. Parents put more trust in their children’s abilities.
C. Parents and children talk more about sex and drugs.
D. Parents share more interests with their children.
73. The change in today’s parent-child relationship is ______.
A. more confusion among parents
B. new equality between parents and children
C. less respect for parents from children
D. more strictness and authority on the part of parents
74. By saying “today’s parents, the 40-year-olds, were on the ‘after’ side,” the author means that today’s parents ______.
A. follow the trend (趋势)of the change
B. can set a limit to the change
C. fail to take the change seriously
D. have little difficult adjusting (调整)to the change
75. The purpose of the passage is to ______.
A. describe the difficulties today’s parents have met with
B. discuss the development of the parent-child relationship
C. suggest the ways to handle the parent-child relationship
D. compare today’s parent-child relationship with that in the past