Switzerland is the best place to be born in the world in 2013, and the US is just 16th. A new study produced by the Economist Intelligence Unit says American babies will have a dimmer future than those born in Hong Kong, Ireland and even Canada. The EIU, a sister company of The Economist, attempted to measure how well countries will provide the best opportunities for a healthy, safe and prosperous life in years to come.
People born in Switzerland will tend to be the happiest and have the best quality of life judged in terms of wealth, health and trust in public institutions, according to the analysis. The Scandinavian countries of Norway, Sweden and Denmark also all make the top five in a “quality-of-life” index（指数）where it is best to be born next year.
One of the most important factors is being rich, but other factors come into play including crime, trust in public institutions and the health of family life. In total, the index takes into account 11 factors. These include fixed factors such as geography, others that change slowly over time such as demography（人口学）social and cultural characteristics, and the state of the world economy. The index also looks at income per head in 2030, which is roughly when children born in 2013 will reach adulthood. Small economies dominate the top 10 countries, with Australia coming second and New Zealand and the Netherlands not too far behind.
Half of the top 10 countries are European, but only one, the Netherlands, is from the euro-zone. The crisis-ridden south of Europe, including Greece, Portugal and Spain, falls behind despite the advantage of a favourable climate. Interestingly, the largest European economies - Germany, France and Britain — do not do particularly well. Nigeria has the unenviable title of being the worst country for a baby to enter the world in 2013.According to the passage, the happiest people live in .
| A．Denmark | B．Switzerland | C．Germany | D．Nigeria |
The factors of telling the best place to be born don’t include .
| A．economy | B．geography |
| C．trust in public institutions | D．pollution |
From the passage, we know .
| A．the Economist Intelligence Unit is a company |
| B．the Economist attempted to measure the best place to live |
| C．the Scandinavian countries are hardly at the top of the list |
| D．half of the top 10 countries are from the euro-zone |
The purpose of the text is to show people .
| A．the best place to be born in 2013 |
| B．a new study made by the EIU |
| C．the worst country to be born in 2013 |
| D．the factors of measuring the best place to be born |
Bayfield Shopping Coupons（赠券）
What do you do to get a 10％ discount at Tom’s Bookstore?
| A．Spend $100. |
| B．Choose two books. |
| C．Buy some toys. |
| D．Present coupon No. 3. |
A second shirt will costafter you buy one at $180.
| A．$180. | B．$168. | C．$90. | D．Nothing. |
If you drive to Bayfield Shopping Center, which coupon might be most useful?
| A．Coupon No. 5. | B．Coupon No. 2. |
| C．Coupon No. 4. | D．Coupon No. 1. |
What are these advertisements about?
| A．Things to do in a store. |
| B．Things on sale in a store. |
| C．Great fun at a shopping center. |
| D．Special offers at a shopping center. |
Galaxy saw a man and a woman who communicated with the sign language at the train station when she was on the way home one evening. She noticed that the woman asked the mon for the direction. He told her that he did not know. Galaxy decided to help them. She had learned the sign language when she served as a volunteer in the deaf and mute（聋哑）school. Then she showed the woman the direction and left her email address to them in case they needed her help later.
She received an email from that man the next day. Kazrim was his name. Galaxy replied his mail sincerely. They both started chatting online soon after and began seeing each other. Although they only communicated with the sign language, it never bothered her.
Galaxy was fond of him gradually. Obviously, Kazrim was the same too. He presented Galaxy with a bunch of sunflowers and asked her sincerely, “Are you willing to be my girlfriend?” Galaxy was pleasantly surprised. She requested him to give her some time to persuade her parents.
As she had expected, her parents were very angry after they had learned of their love story. Galaxy explained, “Kazrim is an excellent and a very optimistic person. He has a very positive attitude towards life and work. He cares for others always. He is 100％ better than the normal. Moreover, the mute is still a human. He should possess a perfect and wonderful love. ”
Her parents asked to see him, then. The very worried Galaxy took Kazrim home a few days later. When they were on the train, Kazrim told her, ‘‘I’m going to tell your parents I’ll be looking after you well with all my life!” Galaxy was deeply moved.
As soon as they had entered the house, Galaxy introduced him to her parents. She said, ‘‘This is Kazrim.” Just right after her speech, an unbelievable thing happened. Kazrim threw the gift away and held her in his arms tightly.
He said, “YOU CAN TALK?” It was the same question that Galaxy wanted to ask, too.
The four people were shocked all of a sudden. As a matter of fact, Kazrim always believed that Galaxy was a mute and he still fell in love with her deeply.How did Galaxy and Kazrim get to know each other?
| A．They met each other by chance. |
| B．They were introduced to each other, |
| C．They once studied at the same university. |
| D．They both served in a special needs school. |
How did Galaxy probably communicate with Kazrim before she took him home?
| A．Writing words on paper. |
| B．Using the sign language. |
| C．Judging from his expression. |
| D．Speaking her native language. |
What did Galaxy expect her parents to do?
| A．To have a talk with Kazri. |
| B．To prepare for her marriage. |
| C．To treat Kazrim as a normal man. |
| D．To accept Kazrim as her boyfriend. |
What can we learn about the two young people from the passage?
| A．They fell in love at the first sight. |
| B．They cheated each other to win love. |
| C．They mistook each other for being mutes. |
| D．They ignored the anger of Galaxy’s parents. |
Age has its special advantage in America. And one of the more impressive of them is the senior citizen discount. Anyone who has reached a certain age—in some cases as low as 55－is automatically entitled to plenty of price reductions at nearly every level of commercial life. Eligibility（资格）is determined not by one’s need but by the date on one’s birth certificate. Practically the discounts have become a routine part of many businesses-as common as color televisions in motel rooms and free coffee on airliners.
People with gray hair often are given the discounts without even asking for them；yet, millions of Americans above age 60 are healthy and solvent（有支付能力的）. Businesses that would never dare offer discounts to college students or anyone under 30 freely offer them to older Americans. The practice is acceptable because of the widespread belief that “elderly” and “needy” are synonymous（同义的）. Perhaps that once was true, but today, to be sure, there is economic variety within the elderly, and most of them aren’t poor.
It is impossible to determine the effect of the discounts on individual companies. For many firms, they are a stimulus to income. But in other cases the discounts are given at the expense, directly or indirectly, of younger Americans. Moreover, they directly annoy some politicians and scholars who consider it a coming conflict between the generations.
Generational tensions are being fueled by continuing debate over Social Security benefits, which mostly involves a transfer of resources from the young to the old. Employment is another point. Supported by laws and court decisions, more and more older Americans are refusing the retirement dinner in favor of staying on the job-thereby lessening employment and promotion opportunities for younger workers. Far from a kind of charity they once were, senior citizen discounts have become a powerful economic privilege（特权）to a group with millions of members who don’t need them.
It no longer makes sense to treat the elderly as a single group whose economic needs deserve priority over those of others. Senior citizen discounts only enrich the myth that older people can’t take care of themselves and need special treatment；and they threaten the creation of a new myth, that the elderly ale ungrateful and taking for themselves at the expense of children and other age groups. Senior citizen discounts are the heart of the very thing older Americans are fighting against－discrimination by age. We learn from the first paragraph that.
| A．offering senior citizen discounts has become routine commercial practice |
| B．senior citizen discounts have enabled many old people to live a good life |
| C．giving senior citizen discounts has increased the market for the elderly |
| D．senior citizens have to show their birth certificates to get a discount |
The reason to give the senior citizen discount is that.
| A．the elderly need humane help from society |
| B．businesses should do something for society in return |
| C．old people are entitled to special treatment for their contribution to society |
| D．the senior discounts can make up for the lack of the Social Security system |
What does the author think of the Social Security system?
| A．It encourages elderly people to retire in time. |
| B．It opens up broad career chances for young people. |
| C．It benefits the old at the expense of the young. |
| D．It should be strengthened by laws and court decisions. |
What does the author mainly argue in the passage?
| A．Senior citizens should fight hard against age discrimination. |
| B．The elderly are selfish and taking senior discounts for granted. |
| C．Senior citizen discounts may well be a type of age discrimination. |
| D．Discount should be given to the economic needs of senior citizens. |
Picking tomatoes
For as long as I can remember, Grandma’s plentiful tomato garden has been a sign of summer’s end. Each September, just as the decreased heat of the sun suggests cooler days, Grandma requests my help in her tomato garden. She convinces me she cannot pick tomatoes without my youthful eyes and quick mind. She says we need to examine each tomato and agree on its readiness for picking. While Grandma’s request for my help in the tomato garden is always the same, her desire for my help seems to increase each year.
Grandma has eyes for finding even the tomatoes hidden by undergrowth and other tomatoes. I, however, just turn circles looking for the ones I think Grandma will like. I spot what looks like a ripe tomato, head in its direction, and then get sidetracked by another that appears to be equally ripe. I usually end up watching Grandma and trying to stay out of her way, which seems the only way my eyes and mind ale useful.
There we are, lost in the tomato vines（藤）. Grandma’s eyes are always knowing, and they are no different in the vegetable garden. From afar she spots what looks like a ripe tomato. As she walks toward the garden, she evaluates the tomato for a second time. but from a different angle. I already know it will end up in the basket with the pile of others Grandma has carefully chosen. However, Grandma acts as if she needs a final look to be sure. She calls me to her side, kneels beside the vine while enjoying the warmth of the fading sunlight on her face, and grasps the tomato in her hand. She turns each round, red ball toward the sunlight before disconnecting it from thevine with a half-hearted smile.
She then looks at me. I nod my head and smile. Grandma assumes I smile in agreement with her tomato selection. I know I smile, instead, at her.Why does Grandma ask the author to go to the tomato garden with her?
| A．He can help pick more tomatoes. |
| B．He can learn the hardship of labor. |
| C．She enjoys staying with him while working. |
| D．She tries to share the happiness of harvest with him. |
The second paragraph shows that the author.
| A．is an inefficient tomato picker |
| B．really has youthful eyes and quick mind |
| C．has spent a lot of time gardening with Grandma |
| D．is a naughty child trying to be out of Grandma’s sight |
In the last paragraph, the author smiled to Grandma because he.
| A．realizes her true intentions |
| B．feels very happy to pick tomatoes for her |
| C．confirms that her choice of tomato is great |
| D．appreciates her skill in finding ripe tomatoes |
What can we infer from the story?
| A．The grandchild will become more skillful at gardening than Grandma. |
| B．Grandma will develop more patience in working with the grandchild. |
| C．The grandchild will gradually become more independent of Grandma. |
| D．Grandma’s need for the grandchild's company will grow over time. |
认真阅读下列短文，并根据所读内容在文章后表格中的空格里填入一个最恰当的单词。注意：每个空格只填1个单词。请将答案写在答题卡相应题号的横线上。
You probably have lists of remember and steps to follow in order to have the best pet-friendly trip. There are, however, a few things that are best left at home. Here are a few things to forget when you’re traveling with pets. Forgetting them will make your trip run more smoothly and more effectively.
Time
Traveling with pets will take longer and will have unexpected turns. In reality, forgetting about time means leaving impatience behind. Don’t be in a rush. Your pets will require more extra stops than you will, and they’ll often surprise you with unpredictable delays. Plan on leaving early and arriving later and you’ll be right on time.
Anger
Getting angry at the delay will only make matters worse. Your feelings can add unnecessary stresses to you and your pets’ travel experience. If you feel yourself becoming out of control, stop and take a deep breath. Your pets have little control over their emotions, bowel movements, or motion sickness when traveling. Remember to be kind and understanding at all times, especially when under pressure.
Work Attitude
This may seem like a no-brainer, but when you are traveling, leave your work attitude behind. Traveling is not a task to be accomplished; it can be an enjoyable and memorable experience for both you and your pets as long as you have the right attitude.
Control
Part of the joy of traveling with pets is dealing with the unexpected. You can’t control everything and trying to do so will only end in frustration and anger. Knowing that things will happen beyond your control will bring great relief to you and your pets. Messes happen; accidents happen. Once you accept that, traveling with your pets will be far easier to manage.
Selfishness
Traveling with pets often requires an extreme amount of selflessness. Your pets rely on you to take care of their needs, and sometimes you will need to put their needs before your own. Leave your selfish ambitions behind when traveling with your pets. They need your attention and care more than anything else because of the stresses and strains of traveling.
Traveling with pets can and will be a joy if you remember to leave these five items behind. It can be difficult at times to handle, but the traveling will go well if you can manage to do so.
Traveling with pets
| Benefit |
You’ll have a(n) 2and more effective trip by following the tips. |
|
| Five things to 1 |
Time |
* Traveling with pets will take longer and have unexpected turns. * Plan on 3early to be on time. |
| Anger |
* Anger will only make matters worse when you are 4. * Your pets can 5control themselves during the trip. |
|
| Work Attitude |
* Leave your work attitude behind. * Right attitude can 6you an enjoyable and memorable traveling experience. |
|
| Control |
* Dealing with the unexpected can be 7. * Once you accept that, you will find traveling is not that 8 to manage. |
|
| Selfishness |
* Traveling with pets often requires you to be 9. * Your pets rely on you to take care of their needs. * At times you should put your needs behind theirs. |
|
| 10 |
Traveling with pets can be a joy and your trip will be successful. |