If the world were a village of 1,000 people it would include:
•584 Asians •124 Africans
•95 Eastern and Western Europeans •84 Latin Americans
•55 former Soviets (including Lithuanians, Latvians, Estonians, and other national groups)
•52 North Americans •6 Australians and New Zealanders
The people of the village would speak:
•165 Mandarin •86 English
•83 Hindu/Urdu •64 Spanish
•58 Russian •37 Arabic
The above list covers the mother tongues of only half the village.
One-third of the people in the village are children, and only 60 are over the age of 65. Just under half of the married women in the village have access to modern equipment.
This year 28 babies will be born. Ten people will die, 3 of them for lack of food, 1 from cancer. Two of the deaths will be of babies born within the year. With the 28 births and 10 deaths, the population of the village next year will be 1,018.
In this village of 1,000 persons, 200 people receive 75 per cent of the income; another 200 receive only 2 per cent of the income.
About one-third have access to clean, safe drinking water.
Of the 670 adults in the village, half cannot read nor write.
The village has a total yearly budget, public and private, of over $3 million—$3,000 per person if it is distributed evenly. Of the total 3 million:
$181,000 goes to weapons and warfare
$159,000 to education
$132,000 to health care
These weapons are under the control of just 100 of the people. The other 900 are watching them with deep anxiety, wondering whether they can learn to get along together. Which of the following problems is NOT mentioned in the text?
| A．Environment. | B．Marriage. |
| C．Poverty. | D．Education. |
The underlined part “have access to”means .
| A．use | B．buy | C．produce | D．try |
Which of the following is true about Mandarin according to the text?
| A．Nearly one-third of Asian people speak Mandarin in the village. |
| B．About 8. 25 per cent of the people speak Mandarin in the village. |
| C．About 16. 5 per cent of the people speak Mandarin in the village. |
| D．Nearly all the Mandarin-speaking people are from Asia in the village. |
The last sentence in the text implies that most of the people long for .
| A．a peaceful world | B．good education |
| C．better health care | D．a life without anxiety |
Five years ago, David Smith wore an expensive suit to work every day. “I was a clothes addict,” jokes. “I used to carry a fresh suit to work with me so I could change if my clothes got wrinkled.” Today David wears casual clothes---khaki pants and sports shirt---to the office. He hardly ever wears necktie. “I’m working harder than ever,” David says, “and I need to feel comfortable.”
More and more companies are allowing their office workers to wear casual clothes to work in the United States. The change from formal to casual office wear has been gradual. In the early 1990s, many companies allowed their employees to wear casual clothes on Friday (but only on Friday). This became known as “dress-down Friday” or “casual Friday.” “What started out as an extra one-day-a-week benefit for employees has really become an everyday thing,” said business consultant Maisly Jones.
Why have so many companies started allowing their employees to wear casual clothes? One reason is that it’s easier for a company to attract new employees if it has a casual dress code. “A lot of young people don’t want to dress up for work,” says the owner of a software company, “so it’s hard to hire people if you have a conservative dress code.” Another reason is that people seem happier and more productive when they are wearing comfortable clothes. In a study conducted by Levi Strauss and Company, 85 percent of employers said that they believe that casual dress improves employee morale. Only 4 percent of employers said that casual dress has a negative impact on productive. Supporters of casual office wear also argue that a casual dress code helps them save money. “Suits are expensive, if you have to wear one every day,” one person said. “For the same amount of money, you can buy a lot more casual clothes.”David Smith refers to himself as having been “a clothes addict” because_______.
| A．he often wore khaki pants and a sports shirt |
| B．he couldn’t stand a clean appearance |
| C．he wanted his clothes to look neat all the time |
| D．he didn’t want to spend much money on clothes |
David Smith wears casual clothes now, because________
| A．they make him feel at ease when working |
| B．he cannot afford to buy expensive clothes |
| C．he looks handsome in casual clothes |
| D．he no longer works for any company |
According to this passage, which of the following statements is FALSE?
| A．Many employees don’t like a conservative dress code. |
| B．Comfortable clothes make employees more productive |
| C．A casual clothes code is welcomed by young employees |
| D．All the employers in the U.S are for casual office wear. |
In this passage, the following advantages of casual office wear are mentioned EXCEPT_______.
| A．saving employees’ money |
| B．making employees more attractive |
| C．improving employees’ motivation |
| D．making employees happier |
[1] Is the supermarket a place where you listen to music while dragging your feet into it ? Despite the music , supermarket shopping can be interesting . After all , once you’ve chosen those tasty foods , you get to eat them . Before you seize a shopping cart and head for the shopping areas , check out these tips for smart and healthy supermarket shopping.
[2]You can go to a supermarket almost anytime you want-many are open 24 hours . Choosing
for your food shopping can help you shop smarter .
[3]Don’t shop when you’re hungry
If your stomach is empty when you enter the store , you’ll be crazy when you see all those tasty treats . Eat a healthy meal before you go to the supermarket.
[4]Pick the best supermarket for you
If you have a choice on where to shop , think about the kinds of things that you want the store to have . A salad bar? A great seafood department of bakery? Choose a supermarket that can make your shopping convenient and easy . And once you’ve found a store you like , stick with it . Knowing where to find the things you want in the store will help you find them faster.
[5]Shop during off-peak times
Did you ever get stuck behind a person pushing the cart slowly in front of you because the store was so crowded? Try to avoid stores when they’re likely to be the busiest-after work hours (weekdays between 5 pm and 7 pm ) and weekend mornings , for example . The best time to shop is very early in the morning or on a popular TV night-you can set your VCR, do your shopping , and watch the shows later.What does the passage mainly tell us ?(no more than 6 words)
Why do you avoid the peak times when shopping ? (no more than 6 words)
Complete the following sentence with words from paragraph 3. (no more than 3 words)
You’d better not when you feel very hungry.Fill in the blank in Paragraph 2 with proper words . (no more than 5 words)
What does the word “them” (Line 5, Paragraph 4) probably refer to ? (no more than 4 words)
Australia has passed regulations that will enable more international students to further their education in the country.
The new measures were released by the Australian Department of Tertiary Education, Skills, Jobs and Workplace Relations in September and will take effect in mid-2012.
As a result, the student visa application process for overseas students has been simplified, and the deposit (押金) required to study in Australia has been reduced. Language requirements for overseas students have also been eased.
Also, overseas students receiving a higher education in Australia will be granted a working visa lasting from two to four years after graduation, as long as they meet the basic IELTS requirement.
"This change will definitely make Australia a more attractive destination for Chinese students planning to study overseas," says Wang Lan , a consultant from Education International Cooperation Group (EIC), a Beijing-based company that provides services to students wishing to study overseas.
However, in the past few years, many of Wang's student clients (客户) could not start studies in Australia because they did not meet the language requirements, visa processing took a long time and deposit regulations were tough. The change in policy is good news for the parents of students wishing to study in Australia, Wang says.
A 22-year-old female student surnamed Li, in Beijing, who is planning to do her postgraduate studies in Australia, learned about the policy change several weeks ago.
"According to the previous deposit requirement for my student visa, my family was required to put down 550,000 Yuan ($86,850). Now we only need to prepare 410,000 Yuan. This is a relief for my parents," Li says.
She also says that the two to four years working visa makes her feel much clearer about her study plans.
"I believe several years of working experience abroad will strengthen my competitiveness when I return to China," she says.
Gaining a competitive advantage is the major reason for Chinese students to study abroad, according to the report by EIC.What's the main idea of the passage?
| A．Language requirement for overseas students have been eased in Australia. |
| B．Australia is a most attractive place for students in China. |
| C．Australia widens window of opportunity for international students. |
| D．More students will work in Australia after their graduation. |
Which of the following is NOT the content of the new regulations?
| A．The student visa application process for overseas students has been simplified. |
| B．The deposit required to study in Australia has been reduced. |
| C．Language requirements for overseas students have been more difficult. |
| D．After graduation, some overseas students can get a working visa in Australia. |
After the new regulations are passed, _______ .
| A．more students will come to Australia to work |
| B．more Chinese students will choose to live in Australia. |
| C．the opportunities to work in Australia decrease for overseas students |
| D．more Chinese students will choose to further their education in Australia |
How much can Li's parents save according to the new regulations?
| A．550,000 yuan | B．140,000 yuan |
| C．410,000 yuan | D．86,850 yuan |
Why do many students want to work in Australia after their graduation?
| A．The working experience abroad will strengthen their competitiveness. |
| B．They can earn more money in Australia. |
| C．Their working experience can make them stay in Australia forever. |
| D．They have to do so according to the new regulations. |
The Internationa1 Space Station allows astronauts to live in space for extended amounts of time, enabling them to explore the outside universe and conduct many experiments. However, nothing like that exists for our oceans, and thanks to the high water pressure, ocean researchers are able to explore what lies undersea for very short periods of time.
They are therefore never able to fully explore the deep inside areas of our oceans. However, if French architect Jacques Rougerie has his way, that will change soon.
Jacques has designed a ship that will allow researchers to spend a long period of time observing the sea life and conducting experiments. The huge l67ft. ship, named ‘Sea Orbiter’, consists of two areas—one above the water where the scientists and crew will live, and a lower pressurized deck (甲板), where scientists will be able to spend as much time as they wish. Since it is powered by sea currents and wind, he expects it to drift (漂流) along the oceans slowly, taking about two years to circumvent the globe.
Jacques will make their life as comfortable as possible in the ship. Besides being equipped with the latest sailing tools and communication equipment, the ship will also have a gym, a television and a DVD player! And these guys will not be eating freeze-dried food like astronauts. Instead, Jacques, an accomplished chef, plans on cooking them delicious meals every day.
The biggest problem to this giant ship is the cost, which is expected to be over $500 million—per ship! However, Jacques, who strongly believes that the secrets of our oceans may be the key to solving global warming and a vital supply for food and medicine in the future, is confident he will be able to convince governments all over the world to help out, and expects to start construction on not one, but four or five of these amazing ships soon!Why can’t ocean researchers explore the deep oceans for a long time?
| A．Because they can’t stand the high water pressure. |
| B．Because it’s too cold in deep ocean. |
| C．Because time for experiments is too limited. |
| D．Because it’s dangerous to observe the sea life. |
The underlined word “circumvent ” probably means.
| A．fly away | B．go around | C．travel through | D．move into |
From the fourth paragraph we can learn that.
| A．Jacques intends to design the ship mainly for sightseeing and traveling |
| B．living a comfortable life helps to do the ocean research quickly |
| C．it’s much more expensive to eat freeze-dried food |
| D．researchers on Jacques ’ ship will live more comfortably than astronauts |
In Jacques’ opinion, which of the following is not the purpose of the undersea research?
| A．To find supply for food in the future. |
| B．To find supply for medicine in the future. |
| C．To draw governments’ attention to the construction of the ship. |
| D．To solve the global warming. |
Which of the fol1owing would be the best title for the text?
| A．Sea Orbiter—the ship of the future |
| B．A new way to explore the deep oceans |
| C．A great architect—Jacques Rogerie |
| D．Travel around the globe in Sea Orbiter |
Endangered languages are languages that wouldn’t exist any longer, much like endangered species of plants or animals. Languages are considered to be endangered when parents are no longer teaching the language to their children and are not using it actively in everyday life. A language is considered to nearly disappear when it is spoken by only a few elderly native speakers.
The world faces enormous challenges in order to protect different kinds of languages. Of the more than 6,912 languages, half may be in danger of disappearing in the next several decades.
It is caused by many reasons: small numbers of speakers, the regular use of other languages, attitudes towards their languages, moving of the younger population, government policies, and languages used in education and so on. A language may lack important things such as a body of literature, and people who read and write it. A language may also lack prestige (声望) and support of its speakers.
The survival of a language is also threatened when speakers move to other areas where different languages are spoken, or when government policies improve the use of a specific language in school, official business and the media. These situations encourage people to learn the wider-known language and may cause them, especially the young, to stop using their mother tongue. Often those speaking lesser-known languages will choose to learn a more prestigious language with the hope of greater economic opportunities. Most of the world’s parents are teaching their children English, French, Spanish, Chinese, Arabic, Russian or some other main languages instead of their own languages for social and economic reasons.What’s the main idea of this passage?
| A．Languages in the world. |
| B．Reasons why languages become endangered. |
| C．What an endangered language is. |
| D．Languages spoken by few speakers. |
About ________languages will probably disappear in this century according to the passage.
| A．more than 6,912 | B．more than 3,456 | C．6,912 | D．less than 3,456 |
Which of the following best shows the structure of the passage?
①=Paragraph1 ②=Paragraph2 ③=Paragraph3 ④=Paragraph4
We can infer that the best way to maintain an endangered language is to _________.
| A．forbid the speakers to move about |
| B．pass laws to protect the language |
| C．raise the salaries of the people who speak the language |
| D．teach the language to young children and encourage people to speak it often |
All of the following about languages are true EXCEPT __________.
| A．many languages will be probably endangered in this century |
| B．government policies have a big effect on languages |
| C．the endangered language is a language that is spoken by a few people |
| D．languages are related to their speakers’ social and economic position |