Credit cards let people buy things now and pay for them over months or even years. But some people get deep into debt: Some banks have terms and charges that can make it harder for people to pay off that debt. In the United States, there are calls for stronger government supervision of the credit card industry. They offer economic power at a price. In 2004, Americans had about $800 billion in credit card debt. Now they own about $ 968 billion.
Critics say banks make it too easy to get credit cards. But that may be changing. The crisis in the housing and credit they call markets is beginning to affect the credit card industry. More payments are late. Charges for late payments are a growing source of profit for banks. But late payments can also signal bad debts.
The central bank, the Federal Reserve, says two-thirds of American banks have recently reported tighter lending requirements. Many people report having their credit limits reduced without warning.
Some lawmakers are concerned that cardholders do not have enough protections from abusive policies. These include actions like raising interest rates because of an unrelated event. Also, banks may raise the chances of a late payment by changing monthly payment dates for credit cards.
According to a survey, 82% of Americans think credit cards provide a valuable service. But a majority, 58%, say they do not trust credit card companies. And three out of four think the government should regulate the industry more closely. Three out of four people feel there is always some condition that makes a card less appealing than the company made in scared. And a little more than half say they have had a card that is not as good as they expect. But close to 80% say no one really reads the terms and conditions when they sign up for a credit card. What does the underlined sentence in the first paragraph probably mean?
A.We can enjoy more convenience by using credit cards. |
B.Credit cards can improve your buying power. |
C.We can buy things at lower prices by using credit cards. |
D.Credit cards bring more debts as well as convenience. |
Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the text?
A.Banks are making it harder for people to get credit cards. |
B.Some people's credit limits have been reduced. |
C.It is more difficult to borrow money from some banks. |
D.Banks are receiving more charges from late payments. |
Which of the following can be a case of abusive policies?
A.Banks make credit cards look more attractive. |
B.Banks ignore the danger of bad debts. |
C.Banks raise interest rates with no good reason. |
D.Banks put off monthly payment dates. |
What can we know from the text?
A.Banks actually prefer to see more late payments. |
B.People should be more careful when applying for a credit card. |
C.The US government provides better protection for cardholders. |
D.The majority of Americans don't think much of credit cards. |
What is the main idea of the last paragraph?
A.Credit cards are still very well received in America. |
B.Credit cards don't live up to some people's expectations. |
C.Many people don't believe in credit card companies. |
D.The results of a survey about credit cards in America. |
Compared to adults, children seem to be moving constantly.So it's no surprise that most parents who are quizzed about their child's physical activity level describe their children as fairly active.But a new study of nearly 2,000 British school children suggests that many parents overestimate the amount of physical activity their children are really getting.
The researchers equipped 1,892 British school children, ages 9 and 10, with accelerometers that measure all physical activity during a given time period.The research, known as the Speedy study collected the exercise data from children at 92 schools in Norfolk, England, between April and July 2007.
A child was regarded inactive if he or she recorded less than an hour a day of physical activity.Although the majority of children studied were getting enough physical activity, a sizable minority of children were not.Overall, 39 percent of girls and 18 percent of boys studied were getting less than an hour of physical activity each day.
But if you asked the parents of the inactive children to describe their child's activity level, the vast majority—80 percent—described their children as fairly or very physically active, according to the findings published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.Interestingly, the children themselves had more awareness about their lack of physical activity.Overall, 40 percent of children overestimated their physical activity.
But it wasn't the parents of overweight children who were most likely to guess wrong about physical activity levels.The parents who were most out of touch about their child's physical fitness were more likely to have children who were slim.Parents of girls were also more likely to overestimate physical activity.The researchers noted that parents should be educated about the importance of physical activity for children even if the child is not overweight.
"Parents of slim children appear to assume that their children are adequately active," the study authors reported."Increasing awareness regarding health benefits of physical activity beyond weight control might help have a correct idea of physical activity levels and encourage behavior change."
69.According to the Speedy study, what kind of children can be judged physically inactive?
A.Slim children.
B.Children with less than an hour a day of physical activity.
C.Overweight children.
D.Children out of touch with their parents for a long time.
70.What does the writer probably mean by saying "a sizable minority of children were not" in Paragraph 3?
A.The amount of children's physical activity is far from the writer's satisfaction.
B.Only a small number of children were not getting enough physical activity.
C.A small number of children didn't overestimate their physical activity.
D.The minority of children were not studied at all.
71.The passage is intended to ____.
A.encourage parents to fairly judge their child's physical activity levels
B.persuade parents to keep an eye on their children's weight
C.urge children to wear accelerometers during exercise
D.advise parents to keep in touch with their children
Last year was the year of the travel deal, with resorts and
airlines practically begging for bookings, and many travelers
finding bargain airfares and hotel rooms as a result.Now the
economy looks as if it might be on a slight rebound.So now is
the perfect time to review your booking strategy(策略).
Here are 4 simple steps you can take to help cut your travel costs in 2010.
1.Find the Cheapest Dates to Fly
ITASoftware.com, which provides the technological backbone for many airfare shopping sites, allows users to scan an entire month's fares for the least expensive rate.(Log in as a "guest" and click on "month-long search.") In January, the 28th and 30th were the cheapest dates to fly nonstop to London from New York ($536) for a week's vacation, according to a recent search.The next best was Saturday, Jan.23, at $640.To book the ticket, users must go to another site.Kayak.com has a flexible-dates option (registration is required)and a calendar that shows the best fares found by other Kayak users in the last 48 hours.Bing Travel, the Microsoft search engine, offers a similar option, found under "plan trips," about halfway down the page.
2.Consider Nearby Airports
A recent Web search showed nonstop flights from Los Angeles International Airport to Miami International from $299 round trip on American in early January.But flying into Fort Lauderdale, roughly 30 miles north of Miami, was $219 on Virgin America, an $80 saving.
3.Go Against the Grain
If possible, avoid popular travel dates like holidays and spring break because airlines have begun to charge anywhere from $10 to $30 extra at those times.Farecompare.com offers a handy breakdown of the new fees by date, airline and amount.Early-morning and late-night flights may also be cheaper depending on the route.
4.Make Yourself at Home
For a 6 to 12 percent booking fee, AirBnB/com connects budget travelers with locals who are offering a place to bed down.The Times's Frugal Traveler, Matt Gross, described it as "a cross between CouchSurfing.com and the vacation rentals section of Craigslist." There were more than 2,000 listings in a recent search for New York including a futon (床垫) in a one-bedroom near Gramercy Park ($65) and a bedroom with private bath and separate entrance in Hell's Kitchen ($150).
65.According to the first paragraph, ____.
A.the economy in 2010 is surely getting better
B.2009 saw a sharp decrease in travel fees
C.the booking strategies can be put away in 2010
D.in 2009, airlines begged the travelers to buy more travel guides
66.If you want to book a ticket, you may log on to _____.
A.ITASoftware.com B.CouchSurfing.com
C.AirBnB.com D.Kayak.com
67.What does "Go Against the Grain" probably mean in the passage?
A.Going travelling in the off-season.
B.Going travelling without taking any grain.
C.Going travelling during holidays and spring break.
D.Going travelling without meals served on early-morning and late-night flights.
68.The passage is most probably taken from ____.
A.a book review B.a magazine
C.a website D.a story book
For many employers, Facebook, MySpace and other social networking sites are already a threat (威胁) that cut into productivity.Now they have something else to worry about—the games hosted by these sites.
This new type of social gaming is called "asynchronous" gaming and allows people to play with their friends without having to be online at the same time.The low-intensity (低强度) engagement has made games such as FarmVille, Cafe World and Pet Society popular among employees who often log on during office hours.
"What we are seeing is that more and more people and organizations are recognizing the productivity lost so probably more chief information officers are blocking Facebook applications," Rebecca Wettemann of Nucleus Research said.
Boston-based Nucleus Research, which conducted a recent study into the effects of social networking sites on productivity, said nearly half of office employees in the United States access social networking sites at work, which leads to an average loss of 1.5 percent of total office productivity.
Facebook, which has 350 million users, says at least 20 percent of its members play games online.Sebastien de Halleux, CEO and co-founder of online game creator Playfish, said Asia is growing at a faster pace than other regions."We had no idea that it would spread so fast...when we had 100,000 users after one month, we thought it was the biggest success ever.Now with 60 million users we think this is only the beginning of something much bigger," he added.
Zynga's FarmVille, the best known game with over 70 million active users to date, allows players to own a virtual farm where they can grow crops and raise animals.
While companies try to limit access to social networking sites, not everyone sees the games as harmful.
61.We can learn that Pet Society is a game _____.
A.popular among employers B.without having to be online
C.merely played during office hours D.that can be played online at a different time
62.It can be inferred from the passage that ____.
A.Playfish is owned by Sebastien and Rebecca
B.Playfish has over 70 million active users to date
C.Asia will be the largest potential market for Playfish
D.Playing online games loses 1.5 percent of total office productivity
63.The best title of the passage would be ____.
A.Social Network Gaming B.New Threat to Productivity
C.Social Networking Sites D.Latest Survey on Productivity
64.What would most probably be discussed next after the last paragraph?
A.Opinions in favor of online games.
B.Measures to limit access to social networking sites. C.Suggestions on how to improve productivity.
D.More examples about the bad effects of online games.
第三部分:阅读理解(共20小题,每题2分,满分40分)
阅读下列短文,从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中,选出最佳选项,并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
I used to believe in the American dream that meant a job, credit, success.I wanted it and worked toward it like everyone else, all of us separately chasing the same thing.
One year, through a series of unhappy events, it all fell apart.I found myself homeless and alone.I had my truck and $56.I searched the countryside for some place I could rent for the cheapest possible amount.I came upon a deserted cottage in a small remote valley.I hadn't been alone for 25 years.I was scared, but I hoped the hard work would distract and heal me.
I found the owner and rented the place for $50 a month.The locals knew nothing about me.But slowly they started teaching me the art of being a neighbor.They dropped off blankets, tools and canned deer meat and began sticking around to chat.They would ask if I wanted to meet cousin Albie or go fishing.They started to teach me a belief in a different American dream, not the one of individual achievement but of neighborliness.Men would stop by with wild berries, ice cream, truck parts to see if I was up for courting.I wasn't, but they were civil anyway.The women on that mountain worked harder than any I'd ever met.They taught me how to store food in the stream and keep it cold and safe.I learned to keep enough for an extra plate for company.
What I had believed in, all those things I thought were necessary for a civilized life, were non-existent in this place.Up on the mountain, my most valuable possessions were my relationships with my neighbors.
After four years in that valley, I moved back into town.I saw a lot of people were having a really hard time, losing their jobs and homes.With the help of a real estate broker (房地产经纪人) I chatted up at the grocery store, I managed to rent a big enough house to take in a handful of people.It's four of us now, but over time I've had nine come in and move on to other places from here.We'd all be in shelters if we hadn't banded together.
The American dream I believe in now is a shared one.It's not so much about what I can get for myself; it's about how we can all get by together.
56.Before a series of unhappy events happened, the writer ____.
A.had a well-paid job
B.worked hard for his American dream
C.worked hard and liked to share
D.felt hopeless about his American dream
57.What does the underlined word "it" in the second paragraph refer to?
A.The house. B.The job.
C.The company. D.The American dream.
58.What does the underlined sentence "I learned to..." in Paragraph 3 most probably mean?
A.The writer learned to run a company.
B.The writer learned to share with others.
C.The writer learned to keep enough plates.
D.The writer learned to save money for his company.
59.Why did the writer rent a big house?
A.To make some money. B.To show off his wealth.
C.To share with those people in need. D.To make friends with his neighbors.
60.The writer mainly tells us about ____.
A.his unhappy experiences B.the friendly people in the valley
C.the change of his living conditions D.his new idea of the American dream
On Anger
Doctors say anger can be an extremely harmful emotion, unless you learn how to deal with it. They warn that angry feelings can lead to heart disease, stomach problem, headaches, emotional problems and possibly cancer.
Anger is a normal emotion that we all feel from time to time. Some people express anger openly in a calm reasonable way. Others burst with anger, losing control of themselves. But other people repress their anger. They cannot or will not express it.
For years many doctors thought that repressing anger was more dangerous to a person’s health than expressing it. They said that when a person is angry, the brain releases the same hormones (激素) that are produced during tense situations. They speed the heart rate, raise blood pressure, or sugar into the blood and narrow the blood vessels to the interstices (空隙). In general, the person feels excited and ready to act.
Doctors said that repressing these feelings only makes the feelings continue. And this can lead to many medical problems. Doctors thought a person could prevent these problems by letting the anger out by expressing it freely. But recently some doctors held a different view. They said that people who express anger repeatedly and violently did become, in fact, more and not less angry. They said this, too, can cause medical problems.
Some doctors say that both repressing and expressing anger can be dangerous. They believe that those who express anger strongly may be more likely to develop heart disease, and they believe that those who keep their anger inside may face a greater danger of high blood pressure.
Doctors say the solution is learning how to deal with anger. They say the first step is to admit that you are angry and to recognize the real cause of the anger, then decide if the cause is serious, enough to get angry about. If it is, they say, “Do not express your anger while angry. Wait until your anger has cooled down and you are able to express yourself calmly and reasonably.”
69. Repressing anger was considered to be dangerous because of all the following EXCEPT that __________ .
A. the heart rate increases B. the blood pressure rises
C. the blood contains sugar D. some blood vessels become thinner
70. Which of the following is the more recent view about the expression of anger?
A. It is dangerous to express anger repeatedly or repress one’s anger.
B. One can avoid his medical problems by expressing his anger freely.
C. One’s heart rate will increase if his anger is repressed.
D. One is likely to suffer from high blood pressure in a fit of great anger.
71. When you get angry, which of the following should you do for the sake of health?
A. Repressing the anger.B. Expressing the anger.
C. Treating the anger properly.D. Learning how to make a deal.
72. What is the central topic of this passage about?
A. The different ways of dealing with anger.
B. The dangers of anger and the solution
C. New medical discoveries.
D. The argument between the new and old views about anger.