Ever since Canadian psychiatrist Michael R. Phillips, who works in China, released his report saying China’s suicide rate from 1995 to 1999 reached 0.023 percent, the country has been ranked among those with the highest suicide rates in the world. But Jing Jun, a professor of sociology in Tsinghua University, challenges that view and presents the true picture through his nationwide research.
Jing and his students took one year to set up the first national database on suicide rate to grasp the overall trend of suicides in China. They collected data from the Health Statistics Annuals of the World Health Organization (sample size 10 million), and the country’s Health Statistics Annuals (which cover 100 million people). The database covers 23 years, from 1987 to 2009. Jing calculates the suicide rate in China based on these data. Though the suicide rate was comparatively high in the early years, his study shows it has dropped in recent years, as opposed to the ascending trend in the rest of the world.
According to Jing’s calculation, China’s suicide rate had dropped to about 0.01 percent in 2004. In 2009, the figure dropped further to 0.007 percent, which is rather low compared with the global rate of 0.016 percent. Even if the “missing” suicides were added, China’s suicide rate in 2009 would still be below 0.008 percent.
Jing has found that one of the main reasons why the suicide rate has dropped was the steady and big decline in the number of suicides committed by rural women. In the early years, researchers generally agreed that the suicide rate among Chinese women was higher than among men, which is pretty rare in the rest the world. But the suicide rate among Chinese women, especially in rural areas, has declined remarkably in recent years. In fact, it is almost equal to that of Chinese men.
As a sociologist, Jing regards suicide as a social issue, and believes improvement of social policies will reduce the suicide rate even further. More people’s lives can be saved if the authorities adjust to social environment for the better, he concludes.From Jing’s search, we can see ________.
| A．China has been ranked among those with the highest suicide rates in the world |
| B．in the rest of the world suicide rate has been rising quickly in the last few years |
C．different from Michael R. Philip’s idea, the trend of suicides in China is declining |
| D．the suicide rate among Chinese women is lower than that of men |
The data in Para. 2 is mainly to prove that ________.
| A．the result from Jing’s research is believable |
| B．Jing’s research is more complicated than Michael R. Phillip’s |
| C．Jing has made great efforts to make the research |
| D．China’s suicide rate was comparatively low all the time |
Why has the suicide rate in China dropped steadily according to Jing Jun?
| A．Because the life level of Chinese people has improved a lot. |
| B．Because China’s government has adopted measures to reduce the suicide rate. |
| C．Because the number of Chinese women who commit suicide has declined. |
| D．Because the world environment affects the suicide rate in China. |
In Jing’s opinion, what should be done to reduce the suicide?
| A．Pay more attention to rural women. |
| B．Continue to improve social environment. |
| C．Set up more mental health centers. |
| D．Make policies to prevent suicides. |
We can infer that the text is __
_____.
| A．a news report |
| B．a research report |
| C．a description of suicides |
| D．an introduction to a professor |
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Against the supposition that forest fires in Alaska, Canada and Siberia warm the climate, scientists have discovered that cooling may occur in areas where burnt trees allow more snow to mirror more sunlight into space.
This finding suggests that taking steps to prevent northern forest to limit the release of greenhouse gases may warm the climate in northern regions. Usually large fires destroyed forests in these areas over the past decade. Scientists predict that with climate warming, fires may occur more frequently over next several centuries as a result of a longer fire season. Sunlight taken in by the earth tends to cause warming, while heat mirrored back into space tends to cause cooling.
This is the first study to analyze all aspects of how northern fires influence climate. Earlier studies by other scientists have suggested that fire in northern regions speed up climate warming because greenhouse gases from burning trees and plants are released into the atmosphere and thus trap heat.
Scientists found that right after the fire, large amounts of greenhouse gases entered the atmosphere and caused warming. Ozone（臭氧）levels increased, and ash from the fire fell on far-off sea ice, darkening the surface and causing more radiation from the sun to be taken in. The following spring, however, the land within the area of the fire was brighter than before the fire, because fewer trees covered the ground. Snow on the ground mirrored more sunlight back into space, leading to cooling.
“We need to find out all possible ways to reduce the growth of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.” Scientists tracked the change in amount of radiation entering and leaving the climate system as a result of the fire, and found a measurement closely related to the global air temperature. Typically, fire in northern regions occurs in the same area every 80 to 150 years. Scientists, however, found that when fire occurs more frequently, more radiation is lost from the earth and cooling results. Specifically, they determined when fire returns 20 years earlier than predicated, 0.5 watts per square meter of area burned are soaked up by the earth from greenhouse gases, but 0.9 watts per square meter will be sent back into space. The net effect is cooling. Watts are used to measure the rate at which energy is gained or lost from the earth.
72. According to the new findings, taking steps to prevent northern forest fires may _______.
A. result in a warming climate
B. cause the forest fires to occur more frequently
C. lead to a longer fire season
D. protect the forests and the environment there
73. Earlier studies about northern forest fires _________.
A. analyze all aspects of how northern fires influence climate
B. indicate that forest fires will pollute the atmosphere
C. suggest that people should take measures to protect environment
D. suggest that the fires will speed up climate warming
74. The underlined phrase “soak up” in the last paragraph most probably means ________.
A. released B. absorbed C. created D. disturbed
75.From the passage we can draw a conclusion that forest fires in Alaska, Canada and Siberia may __________.
A. warm the climate as the supposition goes
B. allow more snow to reflect more sunlight into space and thus cool the climate
C. destroy large areas of forests and pollute the far-off sea ice
D. help to gain more energy rather than release more energy
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OUR KIDS ARE AMAZING－especially compared with everybody else’s (who seem to cry all the time). How do you show your love for your kids this holiday season? With toys that are smooth and colorful, interactive and exciting. And with ones that have educational value－because you are the boss.
| 1. FLAX ART HOSPITAL PUZZLE AND PLAY SET |
Here is a toy that doesn’t need power－and the bike have to put it together themselves. This 50-piece puzzle set is made of soft-edged hardwood and makes a complete hospital, with an X-ray room. It also includes eight patients, a car and a driver. |
$135 |
| 2. TINY LOVE ACTIVITY BALL |
Sure, it’s cool, but this colorful baby toy also develops problem solving and motor skills. It has a head and legs, a magnetic(磁性的) hand and a tail. Suitable for little ones from 6 to 36 months. |
$19．95 |
| 3. ROBOSAPIEN |
This small, remote-control robot is really powerful. It performs 67 preprogrammed functions, including throwing, kicking, picking up and dancing. You can even program your own function-which, sadly, does not include doing windows. |
$99 |
| 4. MINI PEDAL CAR |
Want a Mini Cooper but can’t fit the family inside? Get one for the kids. They can jump into this Mini car, which comes in hot orange with a single adjustable seat, and ride away. But it could spoil them for that used car they’ll be driving when they turn 16．For ages 3 to 5 |
$189 |
69. Which toy is said to have the special design for children’s safety?
A. ROBOSAPIEN
B. MINI PEDAL CAR
C. FLAX ART HOSPITAL PUZZLE AND PLAY SET
D. TINY LOVE ACTIVITY BALL
70. Which toys are fit for three-year-old kids?
A. 1 and 3. B. 2 and 4. C. I and 2. D. 3 and 4.
71. This passage is written for __________.
A. parents B. children C. the salesman D. the boss
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Section B
Directions: Read the following three passages. Each passage is followed by several questions or unfinished statements. For each of them there are four choices marked A, B, C and D. Choose the one that fits best according to the information given in the passage you have just read.
I am a good mother to three children. I have tried never to let my profession stand in the way of being a good parent.
I no longer consider myself the center of universe. I show up. I listen. I try to laugh. I was a good friend to my husband. I have tried to make marriage vows(誓约)mean what they say. I am a good friend to my friends, and they to me. Without them, there would be nothing to say to you today.
So here’s what I wanted to tell you today: Get a life. A real life, not a desire of the next promotion, the bigger paycheck, the larger house.
Get a life in which you are not alone. Find people you love, and who loves you. And remember that love is not leisure, it is work. Pick up the phone. Send an e-mail. Write a letter. And realize that life is the best thing and that you have no business taking for granted.
It is so easy to waste our lives, our days, our hours, and our minutes. It is so easy to exist instead of to live. I learned to live many years ago. Something really, really bad happened to me, something that changed my life in ways that, if I had my choice, it would never have been changed at all. And what I learned from it is what, today, seems to be the hardest lesson of all.
I learned to love the journey, not the destination. I learned to look at all the good in the world and try to give some of it back because I believed in it, completely and totally. And I tried to do that, in part, by telling others what I had learned.
65. How did the writer form her view of life?
A. Through social experience B. By learning from her friends
C. Through an unfortunate experience D. From her children and husband
66. The sentence “It is so easy to exist instead of to live.” means that people tend to _________.
A. waste a lot in life B. work rather than enjoy life
C. make a living rather live a real life D. forget the most important lessons in life
67. It can be inferred from the passage that_________.
A. The author likes travelling very much
B. The author did not try her best to work well
C. The author spent all her time caring for children
D. the author is a success in personal life
68. The best title for this passage probably is______.
A. Love your friends B. Live a real life
C. Don’t waste time D. Be a good wife and mother
Here is what I have been told of the matter.
In the spring of 1842, Marguerite was so weak, so different in her looks, that the doctors had ordered her to take the waters.She therefore set out for Bagneres.
Among the other sufferers there, was the Duke's daughter who not only had the same complaint but a face so like Marguerite's that they could have been taken for sisters. The fact was that the young Duchess was in the third stage of consumption and, only days after Marguerite's arrival, she passed away.
One morning the Duke, who had remained at Bagnerescaught sight of Marguerite as she turned a corner of a gravel walk. It seemed as though he was seeing the spirit of his dead child and, going up to her, he took both her hands, embraced her tearfully and, without asking who she was,begged permission to call on her and to love in her person the living image of his dead daughter.
Marguerite, alone at Bagneres with her maid, and in any case having nothing to lose by compromising herself, granted the Duke what he asked.
Now there were a number of people at Bagneres who knew her,and they made a point of calling on the Duke to inform him of Marguerite's true situation.It was a terrible blow for the old man, for any resemblance with his daughter stopped there.But it was too late.The young woman had become an emotional necessity, his only excuse and his sole reason for living.
He did not criticize her, he had no right to, but he did ask her if she felt that she could change her way of life, and, in exchange for this sacrifice,he would offer all the compensations she could want.She agreed.
It should be said that at this point Marguerite, who was by nature somewhat highly strung(excited and nervous), was seriously ill.Her past appeared to her to be one of the major causes of her illness,and a kind of superstition(迷信) led her to hope that God would allow her to keep her beauty and her health in exchange for her regret and shame.
And indeed the waters, the walks, healthy fatigue and sleep had almost restored her fully by the end of that summer.
The Duke accompanied Marguerite to Paris, where he continued to call on her as at Bagneres.
This connection, of which the true origin and true motive were known to no one, gave rise here to a great deal of talk, since the Duke, known till now as an enormously wealthy man, now began to acquire a name for the prodigality(挥霍).
72. Why did the Duke take Marguerite’s both hands when he saw her?
A. His daughter and Marguerite were once good friends. B. Marguerite is his daughter’s spirit.
C. Marguerite resembles his daughter. D. They haven’t seen each other for long.
73. What’s the right order of the events?
a. The Duke accompanied Marguerite to Paris.
b. Marguerite set out for Bagneres.
c. The Duke took Marguerite as his daughter.
d. The daughter of the Duke passed away.
e. Marguerite took a gravel walk
A. e-c-b-d-a B. c-d-e-b-a C. b-d-e-c-a D. d-a-c-b-e
74. From the passage we can guess that Marguerite _______.
A. doesn’t believe in God B. was once a woman without a good fame
C. was strange to all the people in Bagners
D. kept her own way of life while living with the Duke
75. According to the passage, Marguerite went to Bagners _______.
A. just for a gravel walk B. to find her sister
C. to visit the Duke D. for treatment
“Up until about five years ago, students at this school could have worn anything they wanted on Halloween,” said Rosemarie Nielson, a sixth-grade teacher at St. Theresa School, a Roman Catholic elementary school in the Pelham Bay section of the Bronx where there is a prohibition on toy weapons.
“When you consider all the horrific things that have happened in recent years, including 9/11, I can’t blame any school for wanting to stay away from anything that might promote violence,” Ms. Nielson s aid.
Mary Ellen Manniello, whose daughter, Courtney, 9, is a fourth grader at St. Gabriel School, a Roman Catholic elementary school in the Riverdale section of the Bronx, said she understood why officials had banned weapons with costumes. “They’re learning more about guns from issues in the street than educational issues.”
This year, the school has gone one step further and is prohibiting all costumes at its Halloween festivities. Ms. Manniello said it had become “a chaotic scene,” with parents helping their children change into their costumes at school.
Some parents said the no-weapons policy for Halloween costumes went too far and denied children a chance to express themselves.
“Halloween has always been the one day when it was acceptable for our children to be dressed like somebody they are not, like a cowboy or a pirate or a person from outer space, and now we’re taking that away from them,” said Laura Santoro, a nurse from New Milford, Conn., whose 7-year-old son, Johnny, is a second grader at Northville Elementary School there.
Ms. Santoro said that her son would dress as Capt. Jack Sparrow, the character played by Johnny Depp in the “Pirates of the Caribbean” movies, at the school’s Halloween party, but that he would not be allowed to take a sword — part of a policy that caught her by surprise last Halloween.
“I sent my son to school last year dressed as a special force Power Ranger, and he was told that he couldn’t take along his red laser blaster, which really surprised me, because the laser is red and made of plastic and lights up, and it could never, ever be mistaken for a real gun,” Ms. Santoro said. “I mean, come on, the whole thing is getting really sad.”
68. What do you think is the writer’s purpose of writing the passage?
A. To introduce to the public the no-weapons policy for Halloween costumes.
B. To state parents’ attitudes towards the no-weapons policy for Halloween costumes.
C. To tell the public that children should bring any weapons for Halloween costumes.
D. To analyze the fact that the no-weapons policy for Halloween costumes goes too far.
69. According to the passage, some parents understand the no-weapon policy for Halloween costumes because ____________.
A. schools should take a cautious approach to Halloween to prevent violence.
B. children are buying real guns in the street and there is always violence now.
C. those parents like to help their children change into their costumes at school.
D. children are learning more about guns from educational issues.
70. Which of the following is probably right according to the passage?
A. Children could bring any weapons into school five or six years ago.
B. The parents surveyed are those whose children are in elementary schools.
C. Guns are necessary on Halloween for children to express themselves.
D. Jack Sparrow is an actor who at one time acted as a pirate in a movie.
71. What do the underlined words “laser blaster” in the last paragraph refer to?
A. A kind of costume. B. A real gun.
C. A toy weapon. D. A kind of plastic.