The cost of rice is expected to go up in the coming months，as an improving global economy raises demand，and drought (旱灾) cuts production in countries such as India. Some economists say prices for rice，the Precision Casting staple food for much of the world's population, could be returning to levels that sparked inflation (通货膨胀)fears in much of Asia last year.
Charuk Singhapreecha is dean of the faculty (系)of economics at Thailand's Kasetsart University. He says prices—especially for Thai rice are being pushed higher by new customers coming into the market after the economic slowdown of the past year. "They expect that the world demand will increase and Cast steel we expect that the price of rice will increase next year," Charuk said. "There are many new markets for the Thai rice and also we still have for our old customer —China，some Arab countries—they will increase the demand."
Prices on the global market could again near the record above $1,000 a ton set in the middle of 2008. This month, export prices for Southeast Asian rice have jumped from about $550 a ton or less to more than $650.
Vichai Sriprasert, president of the Thai Rice Exporters Association ，says further weakness in the US dollar and concerns over drought add to pressure on prices. Market experts say next year India is likely to try to import three million tons of rice—entering the world market for the first time in 21 years—because of a drought.
Vichai also warns that increasing demand for bio-fuels (生物燃料)from grain could reduce food crops，forcing the price of food grains higher. "This is very serious. That's why the price of rice will not go back to the level that we used to see," Vichai said. "It will have to be elevated at a higher level, but I don't know where."
The Philippines this week said it is cutting rice imports because of high prices, even though the country lost more than a million tons of grain to typhoons this year. Officials from Vietnam, a leading export competitor with Thailand，predict prices will reach about $800 a ton by the middle of 2010. This week the Philippines' National Food Authority offered almost $ 665 a ton for 600，000 tons of Vietnamese rice.
Economists say higher food prices will only increase the problems faced by the region's poor, who are highly dependent on rice as a staple food.
(VOA News 16 December,2009) Which of the following is NOT true according to Paragraph 1?
| A．Drought reduces production of rice in India. |
| B．Prices for rice were lower all the time in 2008. |
| C．Rice is a major food for the world's population. |
| D．The improving global economy increases the need for rice. |
How many reasons did Vichai mention about rice price's going up?
| A．1. | B．2. | C．3. | D．4. |
Why does the Philippines plan to cut rice imports?
| A．Because of high prices. | B．Because of typhoons. |
| C．Because of civil war. | D．Because of drought. |
What's the best title of the passage?
| A．Higher food prices will increase problems. |
| B．There are many new markets for the Thai rice. |
| C．The global economy is improving. |
| D．Prices for rice are expected to rise. |
TYPING
This course is for those who want to learn to type, as well as those who want to improve their typing. The course is not common. You are tested in the first class and begin practicing at one of eight different skill levels. This allows you to learn at your own speed. Each program lasts 20 hours. Bring your own paper.
Course fee: $ 125 Materials: $25
Two hours each evening for two weeks. New classes begin every two weeks.
This course is taught by a number of qualified business education teachers who have successfully taught typing courses before.
UNDERSTANDING COMPUTERS
This twelve-hour course is for people who do not know very much about computers, but who need to learn about them. You will learn what computers are, what they can and can’t do and how to use them.
Course fee: $75 Equipment fee: $ 10
Jan. 4, 7, 11, 14, 18, Wed. & Sat. 9—11:30 a.m.
Joseph Saunders is Professor of Computer Science at New Urban University. He has over twenty years of experience in the computer field.
STOP SMOKING
Do you want to stop smoking? Have you already tried to stop and failed? Now is the time to stop smoking using the latest methods. You can stop smoking, and this twelve-hour course will help you do it.
Course fee: $30
Jan. 2, 9, 16, 23 Mon. 2—5 p. m.
Dr John Good is a practicing psychologist who had helped hundreds of people stop smoking.If you choose the UNDERSTANDING COMPUTERS course, you will have classes _______.
| A．from Monday to Sunday |
| B．from Monday to Friday |
| C．on Wednesday and Saturday |
| D．on Saturday and Sunday |
The STOP SMOKING course will last ______.
| A．for half a day |
| B．for three hours |
| C．for a week |
| D．for four weeks |
Mr. Black works every morning and evening, but he wants to take part in one of the three courses. The most probable course he will attend is ______.
| A．typing | B．understanding computers |
| C．stop smoking | D．all the courses |
If you want to learn computer and at the same time you want to improve your typing, you will pay _______.
| A．$ 75 | B．$ 15 | C．$ 115 | D．$ 235 |
The typical difference of “Typing” from the other two is ______.
| A．people with different skill levels may learn at different speed |
| B．you will take a test after the course |
| C．you will pay the fee before practicing |
| D．you will pay less money |
Learning English is one of the few things I have been doing consistently over the past 16 years. Like most Chinese students, I started learning English because it was a compulsory (必修的) course in my middle school. More importantly, English was a central subject for the college entrance exam.
At that time , studying English was not a pleasant experience for me . There was no fun in the process of learning . The focus of our English education was getting a good mark in exams . And nobody told me that the real meaning of studying mother language was communication.
When I became a university student , I spent nearly half of my time on English . In fact , more than 90 percent of the job offer ads in Shanghai list “ proficiency (精通) as a main requirement.
How did I improve my English ? People told me that TOEFL was very helpful and useful. As a result, I took a TOEFL training course and studied like mad. After six months’ preparation, I took part in the exam and got a high score . Later on , I had a chance to further my study in Britain . I soon discovered that all of my past English learning had been futile (没用的) . When I first went shopping in a local supermarket , I really could not understand what the cashier was saying at all.
It was then that I realized I had totally missed the point . Instead of just passing exams , the main function of learning English or any other language is communication . What is more , lanuage does not exist independent of culture. Hence , mechanical memorization helps very little in communication. That’s why I was still unable to freely express myself after learning English for many years . By no means am I talented in any foreign language . I am still learing English . Why ?
First and foremost , my job requires me to use English everyday . Secondly , English helps me to have access to more information . Thirdly , as a bookworm , English gives me a chance to dive into the huge pool of inspiring English books . Last but not least , it is such a great experience to write in another language . Indeed , English has become part of my life . How did the writer find English when he was a student?
| A．He was interested in it . |
| B．He studied it because it was compulsory course. |
| C．He thought it funny to study English. |
| D．He often recited something when he studied English. |
What is the purpose of studying English according to the writer’s idea ?
| A．To get high marks in exams. |
| B．To prove that Englsih is very important. |
| C．Studying Eglish well can ehlp you get a good job. |
| D．To use English for communication with others. |
According to the text , how is my English ?
| A．I am good at English. |
| B．I can speak Englsih like natives. |
| C．I can master it but I can’t use it correctly. |
| D．I continued to study Englsih. |
How can we master Englsih well ？
| A．We need more mechanical memorization. |
| B．We should read and recite more books. |
| C．We should study Englsih as well as its culture and use it more . |
| D．We can study hard in classrooms and houses and get high marks in exams . |
The impression you make at the beginning of an interview is very important. Employers often decide to hire someone in the first three minutes of the interview. They judge you by your appearance，attitude(态度)and manners.
A friendly smile when you walk into the room is important. A smile shows a confident（自信的） and positive attitude.
When you introduce yourself， make eye contact with the interviewer. Some interviewers offer a handshake. Others don’t.
Try to be as natural as possible. But pay attention to your body language. The way you sit，walk，gesture，use your voice and show feelings on your face is all part of your body language. It makes the interviewer know how you feel about yourself and the situation you are in. Are you feeling positively about yourself? Your abilities? Your interest in the job?
Speak clearly and loudly enough. Show interest and enthusiasm in your voice. When you speak， look at the interviewer. Also， don’t say negative things about yourself， or former employer.
Listen to questions carefully. If you don’t understand a question， ask the interviewer to repeat or explain：
“I’m sorry， but I didn’t catch that.”
“I’m not sure exactly what you mean.”
Almost everyone is nervous in a job interview. Interviewers know that. They don’t expect you to be totally calm and relaxed. But they expect you to try to control your nervousness. They expect you to show confidence in your ability to do the job.
At the end of the interview， thank the interviewer for her or his time.
It’s a good idea to send a short thank-you letter right after the interview， or deliver it by hand.
Phone the company if you have not heard anything after one week. Ask if they have made a decision about the job.
Good luck！It can be inferred from the passage that__ ____.
| A．you should always put on a smile when meeting the employer |
| B．you should stand still with respect before the employer |
| C．the first impression is very important in an interview |
| D．employers understand and like employees’ nervousness |
Why should we pay attention to our body language?
| A．Because it can help us win the employer’s positive impression. |
| B．Because it can help us feel about the employer. |
| C．Because it is needed by our employer. |
| D．Because we need it to improve our feelings. |
The main purpose of the passage is_ _____.
| A．to give you some advice on the art of finding a job |
| B．to tell right from wrong about job interviews |
| C．to explain why we should do something about an interview |
| D．to suggest not being shy in an interview |
Which of the following can be the best title for the passage?
| A．A Friendly Smile | B．Making a Good Expression |
| C．Don’t Be Nervous | D．Sending a Thank-You Letter |
How can you find out what is going on inside a person' s body without opening the patient up? Regular X-rays can show a lot. CAT scans can show even more. They can give three-dimensional(三维) view of body organs(器官).
What is a CAT scan? CAT stands for Computerized Axial Tomography(层面X线照相术). It is a special X-ray machine that gets a 360 - degree picture of a small area of a patient's body.
Doctors use X-rays to study and examine diseases and injuries within the body. X-rays can find foreign objects inside the body or to take pictures of some organs inside if special things as dyes or special liquids are added to the organs to be X-rayed.
A CAT scanner, however, uses a beam(光束) of X-rays to give a cross-sectional view of a particular part of the body. A fine beam of X-rays is scanned across the body and circled around the patient from many different angles(角度). A computer analyzes(分析) the information from each angle and produces a clear cross-sectional picture on the screen. This picture is then photographed for later use. Several cross-sections, taken one after another, can give a clear "photo" of the entire body or of any body organs. The newest CAT scanners can even give a clear picture of active, moving organs just as a fast-action camera can "stop the action" giving clear pictures of what appear only mistily(模糊) to the eye. And because of the 360 - degree pictures, CAT scans show 3-dimensional views of organs in a manner that was once only seen during surgery or autopsy (examining a dead body).
69. According to the first two paragraphs, doctors can see the inside of a patient's body by ______.
A. giving the patient an operation
B. checking body organs
C. getting a 360-degree picture of a small area of a patient's body
D. examining the CAT From the last paragraph, we can infer that ______.
| A．the newest pictures become more misty |
| B．many pictures can be taken at the same time |
| C．the information about the scanned patient is not highly valued |
| D．some pictures of the scanned parts of the body are developed for further examinations in the future |
The best title of this passage might be ______.
| A．Modern X-ray | B．Three-dimensional View |
| C．Fast - moving Camera | D．CAT Scan |
American magician David Blaine left the glass box in which he had lived for 44 days without food on October 19. 2003. Hundreds of people came to watch the end of his starvation experiment, which has become one of London’s main tourist attractions.
Looking thinner and darker, 30 year-old Blaine was taken out of his box over the River Thames（泰晤士河）and immediately went to hospital. He was then slowly reintroduced to food, a process (过程)doctors say could be life threatening. He had been drinking only water since September 5.
A native of Brooklyn, New York, Blaine first became known as a street magician in the early 1990s. He soon found himself doing magic tricks in bars for the likes of American actor Leonardo DiCaprio and his super model friends.
Over the last decade Blaine has become famous with a combination of breathtaking magic and clever tricks aimed at getting a lot of attention.
In 1999, he was buried in a coffin (棺材) for one week and, in 2000, he spent 62 hours in a giant block of ice. Last year he stood on top of a 25-meter pillar(柱子) in the center of New York for 35 hours before jumping into a pile of boxes.
“I think a lot of people are unable to accept that they’re able to do what they can do,” he said. “They don’t realize we can survive. The human being is an amazing creation.”
But he seems to have suffered from spending so long in the glass box. He said that at times he was unable to see, had serious back pains and lost his sense of taste.It is _ __ for David Blaine to eat food after such a long starvation.
| A．pleasant | B．delicious | C．dangerous | D．important |
Having spent such a long time in the glass box, he suffered the following EXCEPT that _ ___.
| A．he had become blind | B．he had serious back pains |
| C．he lost his sense of taste | D．he was in weak health |
Which of the following can best describe David Blaine?
| A．Serious | B．Adventurous | C．Mad | D．Crazy |
Which of the following is NOT true of David Blaine?
| A．Blaine immediately went to hospital after he was taken out of his box. |
| B．Blaine was born and brought up in England. |
| C．In Blaine’s opinion, people can create a wonder. |
| D．Blaine didn’t have any food for 44 days. |