Migrants to the UK are to be quizzed about their English skills before being able to claim income-related benefits, the government has announced.
In a move to "protect the integrity（完整性）of the benefits system", people will also be asked what efforts they have made to find work before coming to Britain. Work and Pensions Secretary Duncan Smith said people should not be able to "take advantage" of British benefits. Job centres in England, Scotland and Wales will use the "more mighty" test. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) said the test would ensure "only migrants who have a legal right to be in Britain and plan to contribute to this country can make a claim for benefits".
"For the first time, migrants will be quizzed about what efforts they have made to find work before coming to the UK and whether their English language skills will be a barrier to them finding employment," the DWP said in a statement.
Income-related benefits include council tax benefit, housing benefit, income-based jobseeker's allowance and pension credit.
Mr. Duncan Smith said British people were "rightly concerned" that migrants should contribute to the economy and should not be "drawn here by the attractiveness of our benefits system".
"It is vitally important that we have strict rules in place to protect the integrity of our benefits system," he said. He said the new test would help create a fair system which provided for "genuine" workers and jobseekers but "does not allow people to come to our country and take advantage".
To claim the benefits, migrants will have to pass a "habitual residence test" including more than 100 extra questions compared to now. This will be overseen by an "intelligent IT system" which will ensure questions are "tailored to each individual claimant".
Migrants will be allowed to claim benefits if they can prove they are legally allowed to be in Britain and are "habitually resident" of the country. As part of this they might be questioned about what measures they have taken to "establish" themselves in Britain and what ties they still have abroad.
"They will also have to provide more evidence that they are doing everything they can to find a job," the DWP said.What does the British government use the test for?
| A．promoting the English skills of migrants. |
| B．making efforts to help migrants find work. |
| C．protecting the rights of migrants. |
| D．ensuring the British benefit claimed legally by migrants . |
What do we know about the test?
| A．All British residents must be quizzed about their English skills. |
| B．The test will ask migrants whether they are willing to work in Britain. |
| C．The test is an act to protect British benefits system. |
| D．The test will help the government dismiss jobseekers. |
What does the underlined word “claimant “(in para.7) probably mean in the text?
| A．a person who applies | B．a person who is badly off |
| C．a person who migrates | D．a person who is quizzed |
What does the passage mainly want to inform us?
| A．All migrants can claim benefits from the UK. |
| B．Income-related benefits can be a great help to migrants. |
| C．All migrants come to the UK only to claim benefits. |
| D．Migrants are to pass a test to get the benefits from the UK. |
In order to know a foreign language thoroughly(完全地), four things are necessary. First, we must understand the language when we hear it spoken. Secondly, we must be able to speak it ourselves, correctly with confidence(自信) and without hesitation(犹豫). Thirdly, we must be able to write it. We must be able to make sentences that are correct in grammar.
There is no short way to succeed in language learning. A good memory(记忆) is a great help, but it is not enough only to memorize the rules from a grammar book. It is no much use learning by heart long lists(一览表) of words and their meanings, studying the dictionary and so on. We must learn by using the language. If we are pleased with a few rules we have memorized, we are not really learning the language. We must “Learn through use”. Practice is important. We must practise speaking and writing the language whenever(无论何时) we can.The most important things to learn a foreign language are_______.
| A．understanding and speaking |
| B．hearing, speaking, reading and writing |
| C．writing and understanding |
| D．memorizing and listening |
Someone hears and writes English very well, but he speaks it very badly. This is because____.
| A．he doesn’t understand the language when he hears it spoken |
| B．he doesn’t have a good memory |
| C．he always remember lists of words and their meanings |
| D．he often hesitates to practise speaking it |
One can never learn a foreign language well only by_______.
| A．much practice | B．studying the dictionary |
| C．learning through use | D．using the language |
Which of the following is the most important in learning a foreign language?
| A．A good memory. | B．Speaking and writing. |
| C．Practice. | D．Writing. |
“Learn through use” means_______.
| A．we use a language in order to learn it |
| B．we learn a foreign language in order to use it |
| C．we can learn a language well while we are using it |
| D．both B and C |
A man named Smith was sitting on his roof during a flood, and the water was up to his feet. Before long a fellow in a canoe passed and shouted, "Can I give you a lift to higher ground?"
"No, thanks," said Smith. "I have faith （信任）in God and he will save me."
Soon the water rose to Smith’s waist.（腰，腰部） At this point a motor boat pulled up and someone called out, "Can I give you a lift to higher ground?"
"No, thanks, I have faith in God and he will save me."
Later a helicopter flew by, and Smith was now standing on the roof with water up to his neck. "Grab the rope, "shouted the pilot. "I’ll pull you up."
"No, thanks," said Smith. "I have faith in God and he will save me. "But after hours of struggling with water, poor exhausted Smith drowned and went to his reward. As he arrived at the Pearly Gates, Smith met God and complained about this. "Tell me, God, "he said, "I had such faith in you to save me and you let me drown. What happened?"
To which God replied, "What do you want from me? I sent you two boats and a helicopter."When the pilot asked Smith to grab the rope, ______.
| A．Smith pulled the pilot up | B．Smith did so |
| C．Smith didn’t do so | D．Smith didn’t hear him |
At last, poor exhausted Smith drowned and ______.
| A．went to his reward | B．passed away |
| C．went to heaven | D．all of the above |
What do we know about Smith? __ ____.
| A．He was a lazy man | B．He was a lucky man who believed in God |
| C．He was a poor man | D．He was a silly man who believed in God |
What do you think of this passage? This passage is very ______.
| A．moving | B．humorous | C．depressing | D．surprising |
The best title of this passage is" ______" .
| A．What Do You Want from Me? | B．How Do You Believe in God? |
| C．How God Loved Smith! | D．Smith Obeyed God’s Order |
If you are having trouble falling asleep, you are in good company. About 65% of Americans said they have sleeping problems a few nights each week, according to a recent study by the National Sleep Foundation. Sleeping too little can lead to a higher risk of becoming fat and getting depressed(沮丧的). But before you go to a doctor for advice, you’d better examine your sleeping habits one more time. Some of your favorite evening habits may have something to do with the sleeping problems.
1. Setting a Bright Alarm Clock.
The light of your bright alarm clock can prevent you from falling asleep. You can make your room as dark as possible. Cover the bright numbers with a book or consider buying a small travel clock. Your cellphone alarm may also do the trick.
2. Counting Sheep
When you just can’t fall asleep, it’s useless to stay in bed to count sheep. If you’ve been trying to fall asleep for more than 30 minutes, the National Sleep Foundation suggests you get up to do some reading or watch TV for a while. Such activities will make you sleepy. Before you know it, you’ll be going back to bed really tired.
3. Exercising Late at Night
Daytime workouts(锻炼) will keep you full of energy for hours. That’s why you don’t want to exercise within three hours of hitting the sack. Fierce(剧烈的)physical activity raise your body temperature and pumps your energy level—both are bad for a good night’s sleep. What can we learn from the first sentence of the passage?
| A．It’s not good to fail to fall asleep at night. |
| B．People in a good company often have sleeping problems. |
| C．There are many people who have sleeping problems. |
| D．You should find someone to talk to if you can’t fall asleep. |
The underlined part “hitting the sack” in the last paragraph means “______”.
| A．going back home | B．going to bed |
| C．going to the gym | D．falling asleep |
Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the passage?
| A．The bad results of getting too little sleep. |
| B．Why the bright alarm clock keeps you awake. |
| C．What to do if you can’t fall asleep after 30 minutes. |
| D．Why watching TV and reading books make people sleepy. |
By writing the passage, the writer mainly wants to tell us _______.
| A．why so many people can’t sleep well at night |
| B．how to enjoy a good night’s sleep |
| C．that sleeping problems are troubling more and more people |
| D．that people may solve their sleeping problems by some habits |
Do you like football? If so, you can read the following passage and find that it is interesting. In almost every big university in the United States, football is a favorite sport. American football is different. Players sometimes kick the ball, but they also throw the ball and run with it. They try to take it to the other end of the field. They have four chances to move the ball ten yards（码）.
They can carry it or they can throw it. If they move the ball ten yards, they can try to move it another ten yards. If they move it to the end of the field, they receive six points.
It is difficult to move the ball. Eleven men on the other team try to stop the man with the ball. If he does not move the ball ten yards, his team kicks the ball the other team.
Each university wants its own team to win. Many thousands of people come to watch. They all shout for their favorite team. Young men and women come on the field to help the people shout more. They dance and jump while they shout.
Each team plays ten or eleven games each season. The season begins in September and ends in November. If a team is very good, it may play another game after the season ends. The best teams play again on January 1, the first day of the New Year. Many people go to see these games and many others watch them on TV. The passage talks about ___________.
| A．football | B．how to play football |
| C．American sports | D．American football |
Why is it difficult to move the ball? Because ___________.
| A．ten yards is a long way |
| B．many men on the other team try not to let the ball come near |
| C．the playing field is very large |
| D．eleven men have to catch the ball one by one |
If they _________, the teams will play on January 1.
| A．receive six points |
| B．play eleven games in the season |
| C．are the best teams |
| D．move the ball to the end of the field |
Many people come to watch football and they want their team to win. Which of the following is not their act?
| A．Jumping. | B．Dancing. | C．Crying. | D．Shouting. |
Linda Evans was my best friend—like the sister I never had. We did everything together: piano lessons, movies, swimming, horseback riding.
When I was 13, my family moved away. Linda and I kept in touch through letters, and we saw each other on special time—like my wedding (婚礼) and Linda’s. Soon we were busy with children and moving to new homes, and we wrote less often. One day a card that I sent came back, stamped “Address (地址) Unknown. ” I had no idea how to find Linda.
Over the years, I missed Linda very much. I wanted to share (分享) happiness of my children and then grandchildren. And I needed to share my sadness when my brother and then mother died. There was an empty place in my heart that only a friend like Linda could fill.
One day I was reading a newspaper when I noticed a photo of a young woman who looked very much like Linda and whose last name was Wagman — Linda’s married name. “There must be thousands of Wagmans,” I thought, but I still wrote to her.
She called as soon as she got my letter. “Mrs Tobin!” she said excitedly, “Linda Evans Wagman is my mother. ”
Minutes later I heard a voice that I knew very much, even after 40 years, laughed and cried and caught up on each other’s lives. Now the empty place in my heart is filled. And there’s one thing that Linda and I know for sure: We won’t lose each other again!The writer went to piano lessons with Linda Evans _______.
| A．at the age of 13 | B．before she got married |
| C．after they moved to new homes | D．before the writer’s family moved away |
They didn’t often write to each other because they _______.
| A．got married | B．had little time to do so |
| C．didn’t like writing letters | D．could see each other on special time |
There was an empty place in the writer’s heart because she _______.
| A．was in trouble |
| B．didn’t know Linda’s address |
| C．received the card that she sent |
| D．didn’t have a friend like Linda to share her happiness or sadness |
They haven’t kept in touch _______.
| A．for about 40 years | B．for about 27 years |
| C．since they got married | D．since the writer’s family moved away |