B
For several years now, the dollar has fallen lower and lower against other major currencies. Lately, though, the dollar has risen, especially against the Japanese yen and the euro. Some traders think the dollar will continue to rise, but that is not clear.
The dollar moved up this week after comments by American officials in support of a strong dollar policy.
On Monday, before he left for his last trip as president to Europe, George Bush said: "A strong dollar is in our nation's interests. It is in the interests of the global economy." Also Monday, Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson said on CNBC television that he would consider intervention to keep the dollar from sliding further.
The United States has not intervened in currency markets since two thousand. That year the administration of president Bill Clinton bought euros to support the European currency.
But on Tuesday, President Bush said in Slovenia that the "relative value of economies will end up setting the proper valuation of the dollar."
A weaker dollar helps American exporters. But it means Americans have to pay more for imports and for travel to other countries.
Some experts say dollar weakness is the main reason why oil prices have risen so high. Oil is priced in dollars on the world market.
But Treasury Secretary Paulson dismissed any link. He noted that since two thousand two, the dollar has fallen about twenty-four percent. But the price of oil has gone up well over five hundred percent.
Adding to pressure on the dollar, European Central Bank President Jean-Claude Trichet suggested that the E.C.B will raise interest rates next month. European officials are increasingly concerned with inflation. But investors can already get higher rates of return on investments in euros than in dollars.
High prices for oil, food and other products have raised inflation concerns worldwide. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said the latest increases in energy prices have added to inflation risks.
His comments in recent days have suggested that the central bank could stop cutting rates as it has since September. Its rate for overnight loans between banks is currently at two percent. Some market watchers think the Fed could raise rates as early as this month.
Finance ministers from nations in the Group of Eight will discuss the dollar and other issues at their meeting this weekend in Osaka, Japan.The passage is mainly concerned about ___
| A．the history of American currency |
| B．the inflation in America |
| C．the political cases in America |
| D．the price of the oil in the world |
Why did the dollar move up a little this week according to the passage?
| A．Because of George Bush’s visit to the Europe |
| B．Because of the official’s support of the policy. |
| C．Because of the increasing of the oil price. |
| D．Because of the meeting of the Group of Eight. |
Which of the following statements is true?
| A．The dollar will continuously rise, especially against the Japanese yen and the euro. |
| B．Some government officials’ comments made the dollars rising a lot.. |
| C．Many measures have taken to stop dollars from falling further.. |
| D．Few countries in the world are all concerned about the inflation |
We can infer from the passage that____
| A．the dollar is sure to continue to rise |
| B．the dollar is sure to slide further |
| C．investors will get more benefit from dollars |
| D．there is a chance of inflation in the world |
Now I’d like to talk to you about your final exam. The exam will be held next Thursday, the last day of the exam week. Remember to bring two of three pens in case you run out of ink. And unlike the midterm exam, this test will not include multiple --- choice questions; it will consist entirely of essays(文章). You’ll have to answer three of the five essay questions. The exam will be comprehensive (全面的), which means you’ll be responsible for all of the subject matters we covered in class this term, I would suggest you review your midterm exam as well as textbooks and your class notes. The final exam will count as 50 percent of your grade of the course. The research project (项目) will count as 20 percent and the midterm exam 30 percent. I’ll be in my office almost all day next Tuesday. If you run into any problems, please drop in. Good luck to you and I’ll see you on Tuesday.When will the final exam take place?
| A．On Tuesday | B．On a Wednesday |
| C．On a Thursday | D．On a Friday |
What will be included in the exam?
| A．There will be only multiple-choice questions. |
| B．The exam will contain both multiple-choice and essay questions. |
| C．The exam will have an oral and a written section. |
| D．There will be only essay questions. |
Why does the teacher call the exam comprehensive?
| A．It will be easy to understand. |
| B．Students will be tested on all the material discussed in class. |
| C．It will cover topics from a wide variety of subjects. |
| D．Students must complete all parts of it. |
The underlined phrase run into probably means .
| A．go into |
| B．meet somebody unexpectedly |
| C．come up against something with force |
| D．come across |
It feels like every time my mother and I start to have a conversation, it turns into an argument. We talk about something as simple as dinner plans and suddenly, my mother will push the conversation into World War III. She’ll talk about my lack of a bright future because I don’t plan to be a doctor. And much to her disappointment, I don’t want to do any job related to science, either. In fact, when I was pushed to say that I planned to major(主修) in English and communications, she nearly had a heart attack.
“Why can’t you be like my co-worker’s son?” she bemoans all the time. Her co-worker’s son received a four-year scholarship and is now earning 70,000 dollars a year as an engineer. I don’t know what to answer except that I simply can’t be like Mr. Perfect as I’ve called the unnamed co-worker’s son. I can’t be like him. I’m the type of person who loves to help out in the community, write until the sun goes down, and most of all, wants to achieve a career because I love it, not because of fame (名声) or salary.
I understand why my mother is worried about my future major. I’ve seen my mother struggle to raise me on her small salary and work long hours. She leaves the house around 630 am and usually comes home around 5 pm or even 6 pm. However, I want her to know that by becoming a doctor, it doesn’t mean I’ll be successful. I’d rather follow my dreams and create my own future.Which of the following topics do the writer and his mother often talk about?
| A．The writer’s studies. | B．The writer’s future job |
| C．Dinner plans | D．Wars around the world |
We can infer from Paragraph 1 that the writer’s mother ______.
| A．doesn’t want the writer to major in English |
| B．doesn’t think the writer should be a doctor |
| C．gets along very well with the writer |
| D．doesn’t think working in the science field is a good idea |
The underlined word “bemoans” in Paragraph 2 most probably means _____.
| A．agrees | B．shouts |
| C．Complains | D．smiles |
Which of following statements is probable TRUE about the writer?
| A．He wants to be like his mother’s co-worker’s son. |
| B．He wants to find a job in his community in the future. |
| C．He doesn’t think his mother’s co-worker’s son is perfect. |
| D．He wants to do something he really likes in the future. |
There are stock markets (股票市场) in large cities in many countries. Stock markets in Paris,
London, Tokyo, Shanghai and New York are among the largest and most well-known. The stock, also called stock exchange, is a place where people can buy or sell shares of a factory or company. And each share means certain ownership(所有权) of a factory or company.
Different people go to stock markets. Some are rich, who want to get more money than they
have. Others are not very rich, who buy stocks to try to become rich. Still others buy stocks as
part of their plan to save money.
Of course, investing (投资) money in the stock market is not the safest way to make money.
No one can tell exactly whether the shares will be doing well. The factory or company may
do badly. Then the stocks will go down, and the investors will lose money. The stock may go up or down for a number of untold reasons. Everyone wants the stock to go up, but sometimes even if a factory or company does a good job, the stock may still go down.
Going to the stock market is often like gambling (赌博). All want to make money by
“gambling’ in the stock market. Factories and companies that need money are pleased that so many people are ready to “gamble”. Indeed, the stock market is an attractive(吸引人的) but complex part of the business world.If you are a good investor, ________ in the stock market.
| A．you can always make money |
| B．you can tell exactly when the stock goes up or down |
| C．you may sometimes lose money |
| D．your gambling is always safe |
The passage mainly wants to tell us________.
| A．how to buy or sell shares |
| B．the stock market is like gambling |
| C．a general idea of stock market |
| D．investing money in the stock market is not the safest way |
Factories and companies are pleased that so many people “gamble” because________.
| A．they can make them rich |
| B．they need their money to do business |
| C．they need more people to work for them |
| D．some people win and some lose |
The word “complex” in the last sentence probably means________.
| A．difficult | B．happy |
| C．complete | D．modern |
Gift No. I
Offer to be your mother's health friend. Promise to be there for any and all doctor's visits
whether a disease or a regular medical check-up. Most mothers always say "no need," another set of eyes and ears is always a good idea at a doctor's visit. The best part ? This one is free.
Gift No. 2
Help your mother organize all of her medical records, which include the test results and
medical information. Put them all in one place. Be sure to make a list of all of her medicines and what times she takes them. "Having all this information in one place could end up saving your mother's life," Dr. Marie Savard said.
Gift No. 3
Enough sleep is connected to general health conditions. "Buy your mother cotton sheets and comfortable pillows to encourage better sleep," Savard said. "We know that good sleep is very important to our health."
Gift No. 4
Some gift companies such as Presents for Purpose allow you to pay it forward this Mother's Day by picking gifts in which 10 percent of the price you pay goes to a charity (慈善机构) Gift
givers can choose from a wide variety of useful but inexpensive things -many of which are "green" - and then choose a meaningful charity from a list. When your mother gets the gift, she will be told that she has helped the chosen charity.What are you advised to do for your mother at doctor's visits?
| A．Take notes. | B．Be with her. |
| C．Buy medicine. | D．Give her gifts. |
Where can you find a gift idea to improve your mother’s sleep?
| A．In Gift No. 1. | B．In Gift No. 2. |
| C．In Gift No. 3. | D．In Gift No. 4. |
Buying gifts from Presents for Purpose allows mothers to
| A．enjoy good sleep | B．be well-organized |
| C．bet extra support | D．give others help |
Ellen Parker was worried about her health. She could not walk very quickly and it was
difficult for her to climb stairs. She was soon out of breath.
“I suppose I had better go to the doctor,” she thought.
She went to the doctor and told him her problem.
“I’m not at all surprised, ”he said. “It’s clear what your problem is.”
He examined her and then gave her some advice.
“If you don’t do what I say, Mrs. Parker,” he said, “you will have a heart attack. It could
kill you.”
Ellen was very worried as she left the doctor’s. She knew that she had to take his advice but
that it would not be easy and it would take time.
The next day she went shopping. The first shop she went into was a butcher’s shop（肉铺）.
“I’d like ten pounds of steak（牛排）, please,” she said.
“Certainly, madam,” the butcher replied and went into the cold room and found a large
piece of steak. He brought the huge piece of meat back into the shop and placed it on the scale
（天平）.
“That’s just under ten pounds,” he said.
“That’s big enough,” Mrs. Parker said.
The butcher worked out the price.
“At ＄4. 99 a pound that will＄49. 50, please. Would you like me to cut it up into
smaller pieces for you?”
“Oh, I don’t want to buy the meat,” Mrs. Parker said.
“If you don’t want to buy it,” the butcher replied angrily, “why did you ask me to get it for
you?”
“My doctor told me that I am overweight and have to lose ten pounds. I wanted to see what
ten pounds of flesh looked like.”The reason why Ellen Parker visited the doctor is that________.
| A．she had had a heart attack. |
| B．she had a problem with her health. |
| C．she was unhappy about her weight. |
| D．she could not sleep well. |
Parker asked for ten pounds of steak because ________.
| A．she wanted to buy some for dinner. |
| B．she wanted to lose weight. |
| C．her doctor had told her to eat steak. |
| D．she wanted to see what ten pounds of meat looked like. |
What was Ellen Parker’s real problem？
| A．She ate too much steak. |
| B．She weighed too much. |
| C．The doctor did not know. |
| D．She could not walk very quickly. |
What did the doctor think might happen to Ellen？
| A．She might put on more weight. |
| B．She might stop eating too much. |
| C．She might have a heart attack. |
| D．She might go to another doctor. |