Though the facts that too many people on earth and a too rapid increase in the number added each year are not in argument, we always begin the discussion of "population as global issue" with what most persons mean like this. It was quite right to compare demographic growth to "a long, thin powder fuse(导火线)that bums steadily and hesitatingly until it finally reaches the charge and explodes".
To understand the current situation, which is characterized by rapid increases in population, it is necessary to understand the history of population trends. Rapid growth is a comparatively recent phenomenon. Looking back at the 8,000 years of demographic history, we find that populations have been virtually stable or growing very slightly for most of human history. For most of our ancestors, life was hard, often nasty, and very short. There was high fertility(生育)in most places, but this was usually balanced by high mortality. For most of human history, it was seldom the case that one in ten persons would live past forty, while infancy and childhood were especially risky periods. Often, societies were in clear danger of extinction because death rates could exceed their birthrates. Thus, the population problem throughout most of history was how to prevent extinction of the human race.
This pattern is important to notice. Not only does it put the current problems of demographic growth into a historical perspective, but it suggests that the cause of rapid increase in population in recent years is not a sudden
enthusiasm for more children, but an improvement in the conditions that traditionally have caused high mortality.
Demographic history can be divided into two major periods: a time of long, slow growth which extended from about 8000 B.C. till approximately 1650 A.D. In the first period of some 9,600 years, the population increased from some 8 million to 500 million in 1650. Between 1650 and 1975, the population has increased from 500 million to more than 4 billion. And the population reached 6.2 billion throughout the world by the year 2000, One way to appreciate this dramatic difference in such abstract numbers is to reduce the time frame to something that is more manageable. Between 8000 B.C. and 1650, an average of only 50,000 persons was being added annually to the world's population, At present, this number is added every six hours. The increase is about 800000,000 persons annually.
The underlined word "demographic" in Paragraph l means .
| A.extinction of human |
| B.statistics of human population |
| C.death rate of human |
| D.development of human population |
Which of the following demographic growth patterns is most similar to the long thin powder fuse?
| A.A slow growth for a long time and then a period of rapid, dramatic increase. |
| B.Too many people on earth and a few rapid increases in the number added each year. |
| C.A virtually stable or slightly decreasing period and then a sudden explosion of population. |
| D.A long period when death rates exceed birthrates and then a short period with higher fertility and lower mortality. |
During the first period of demographic history, societies were often in danger of extinction because .
| A.only one in ten persons could live past 40. |
| B.our ancestors had little enthusiasm for more children |
| C.there was higher mortality than fertility in most places |
| D.it was too dangerous to have babies due to the poor conditions |
The author of the passage intends to .
| A.warn people against the population explosion in the near future |
| B.find out the cause of rapid increase in population in recent years |
| C.present us a brief and clear picture of the demographic growth |
| D.compare the demographic growth pattern in the past with that after 1650 |
Vancouver(温哥华)
Natural Resources:
As a major centre for the global forestry industry, Vancouver is host to many international forestry conferences and events, and the natural home of the massive BC forestry business. Companies such as Canfor and West Fraser Timber Co., the second and third largest lumber(木材)producers in the world, are headquartered in Vancouver. Vancouver is also a major centre for the mining industry.
International trade:
International trade is a key part for Vancouver's economy. The city has Canada's largest port and is one of North America's major gateway
s for Pan-Pacific(泛太平洋)trade. The Port of Vancouver ranks first in North America in total foreign exports and second on the West Coast in total goods volume.
Banking and Financial:
The headquarters for HSBC Canada (汇丰银行)is located in the Financial District in downtown. Canada's third largest commercial entity(实体), Jim Pattison Group is also based in Vancouver.
International relation:
Vancouver is a major centre for diplomacy(外交) and foreign relations. Most countries of the world have consulate(领事馆)or general offices in the Central Business District. In fact, many major diplomatic conferences are hosted by the city - including the world famous G7 summit with President Clinton, APEC, and the Wo
rld Trade Organization. Greenpeace has its world headquarters in the city. Therefore, Vancouver was among the
first North American cities to declare itself a Nuclear Weapons Free Zone.
Tourism:
Tourism is a leading industry to Vancouver. The Whistler-Blackcomb Resort is among the most popular skiing resorts in North America, and will be the site of the downhill events of the 2010 Winter Olympics. Vancouver's beaches, parks, waterfronts, and mountain backdrops and its multi- cultural character attract more and more tourists.
Film:
Vancouver was the source of the sobriquet(绰号)"Hollywood North", for hosting the production of about ten percent of Hollywood's movies. Many U.S. television and films series are shot exclusively in Vancouver. This has partly been because of the favourable Canadian dollar exchange rate.
(1)Which of the following description about Vancouver is NOT true according to the passage?
A.The Port of Vancouver ranks first in North America in total foreign exports
B.Vancouver is a film production centre and called “Hollywood North".
C.International forestry conferences and events were held in Vancouver.
D.Vancouver is a leading centre for the global agriculture and industry.
(2) Which of the following organizations or events is not related to Vancouver?
A. Jim Pattison Group B. WHO C. Greenpeace D. The 2010 Winter Olympics
(3)If you are a graduate from Shanghai Finance and Economics University, what is it that will probably att
ract you to visit Vancouver?
A. Its international trade.
B. Its film industry
C. HSBC Canada
D. Its beautiful natural scenery
(4)We can infer______ from the part: International relation.
A. Vancouver is a major centre for foreign relations.
B. Vancouver has hosted many major diplomatic conferences.
C. APEC and WTO are headquartered in Vancouver
D. Canada is a peace-loving country.
(5)The passage is probably taken from________.
A. a magazine B. a geography book
C. a newspaperD. an entertainment book
The year 2009 is the Year of Ox. The ox is a representative of the fanning culture of China. In the farming economy (经济), oxen are the major animals pulling plows (犁).
Of course, the good of oxen is not limited to plowing. In fact, they are seen as “boats on land” for their ability to carry loads. Besides, the whole body of an ox is full of treasures. Their meat and milk are food full of nutrition, and their skin can be used to make clothes and shoes. With all these qualities, oxen are regarded as generous creatures.
In the past, oxen played an important role in the spiritual life of the Chinese. Even today, oxen still play a special part in some folk activities. For example, some people who1ive in southwest China will cook cattle bone soup and share it among family members when holding the ceremony for children who reach 13. They believe that the cattle bone soup represents the blood relationship among family members. In order to express their love for oxen, people in some other areas will run to shake off diseases on the 16th day of the first month by the lunar calendar (农历), and during their run they will take their oxen along, which indicates they regard the creature as human.
Because of the con
tribution of oxen in their lives, the Chinese people are very grateful to the animal. In addition, the use of oxen in ceremonies and the thanks people owe to oxen help to develop various traditional customs, which becomes an important part of the folk culture of the Chinese nation.
(1)The words “boats an land” underlined in Paragraph 2 refer to ____
A. animals for taking goods B. creatures for pulling plows
C. treasures of the folk culture D. tools in the farming economy
(2)From the third paragraph, we know that ____
A. oxen are no more important today than in the past
B. ceremonies are held when people cook cattle bone soup
C. oxen are treated as human in some areas of China
D. people run with oxen to shake off diseases every month
(3)Which of the following helps to develop tradi
tional customs? ____
A. The special role of oxen in farming.
B. People’s respect and love for oxen.
C. The practical value of an ox’s body.
D. The contribution of oxen to the economy.
(4)Why does the author write the text? ____
A. To stress the importance of oxen in farming.
B. To introduce the Chinese folk culture.
C. To describe how to celebrate the Year of Ox.
D. To explain how to develop agriculture with oxen.
Taste is such a subjective matter that we don’t usually conduct preference tests for food. The most you can say about anyone’s preference, is that it’s one person’s opinion. But because the two big cola companies—Coca-Cola and Pepsi Cola--- are marketed so aggressively, we’ve wondered how big a role taste preference actually plays in brand loyalty. We set up a taste test that challenged people who identified themselves as either Coca-Cola or Pepsi fans: Find your brand in a blind tasting.
We invited staff volunteers who had a strong liking for either Coca-Cola Classic (传统型) or Pepsi, Diet (低糖的) Coke, or Diet Pepsi. These were people who thought they’d have no trouble telling their brand from the other brand.
We eventually located 19 regular cola drinkers and 27 diet cola drinkers. Then we fed them four unidentified samples of cola one at a time, regular colas for the one group, diet versions for the other. We asked them to tell us whether each sample was Coke or Pepsi; then we analyzed the records statistically to compare the participants’ choices with what mere guess-work could have accomplished.
Getting all four samples right was a tough test, but not too tough, we thought, for people who believed they could recognize their brand. In the end, only 7 out of 19 regular cola drinkers correctly identified their brand of choice in all four trials. The diet-cola drinkers did a little worse-only 7 of 27 identified all four samples correctly.
Both groups did better than chance would predict,but nearly half the participants in each group made the wrong choice two or more times. Two people go all four samples wrong. Overall, half the participants did about as well on the last round of tasting as on the first, so tiredness, or taste burnout, was not a factor. Our preference test results suggest that only a few Pepsi participants and Coke fans may really be able to tell their favorite brand by taste and price.
67. According to the passage the preference test was conducted in order to ________.
A.show that a person’s opinion about taste is mere guesswork
B.compare the ability of the participants in choosing their drinks(A)
C. find out the role taste preference plays in a person’s drinking
D.reveal which cola is more to the liking of the drinkers
68. The statistics recorded in the preference tests show that________.
A. there is not much difference in taste between Coca-Cola and Pepsi
B. few people had trouble telling Coca-Cola from Pepsi
C. people’s tastes differ from one another
D. Coca-Cola and Pepsi are people’s two most favorite drinks
69. It is implied in the first paragraph that ________.
A. the competition between the two colas is very strong
B. blind tasting is necessary for identifying fans
C. the purpose of taste tests is to promote the sale of colas
D. the improvement of quality is the chief concern of the two cola companies
70. The author’s purpose in writing this passage is to ________.
A. emphasize that taste and price are closely related to each other
B. recommend that blind tasting be introduced in the quality control of colas
C. show that taste preference is highly subjective
D. argue that taste testing is an important marketing strategy
The phone is ringing at the other end of the line and it clicks as it is being answered.A voice says quickly, “Hello, will you hold, please?” Then there is another click, followed by silence.It seems like hours before someone comes back on the line ---- that is, if you don't hang up first.
Office calls are, perhaps, the most difficult and the most important part of a secretary's work.The first impression that a man receives about a business is often through a telephone contact.A caller who is left hanging on “hold” will get the feeling that he or she has been forgotten or ignored.If a call is answered rudely, the caller may become angry.And if the call is not routed directly to the right person, the caller may feel that he or she is getting the “run-around”.
Laura Needham is a secretary in the executive offices of a large manufacturing company.As a good office secretary, Laura knows that all phone calls must be answered without delay and handled efficiently. She knows that a secretary must be pleasant and helpful, no matter how busy she is or what kind of feeding she may be in.She knows she must keep calm if a caller gets impatient or becomes angry; also, of course, she knows she can never allow herself to lose her temper (脾气).If she does not have the information the caller asks for, she must know who does have the information.Finally, she knows that one of her most important responsibilities(责任)is to “screen telephone calls” and to know which calls to refer to her boss, which calls to refer to other people, and which calls to handle herself.
A well-handled telephone call will give the caller a good impression of the company he or she is dealing with.For this reason, an office secretary who can handle telephone calls cheerfully, tactfully (老练的), and efficiently is a valuable asset to any organization
63. Good secretaries find it to handle office calls well.
A. very. boring B. very important
C. quite necessary D. extremely difficult
64. The underlined word "nmaround" here means .
A. a flat refusal B. a not-so-warm welcome
C . an unpleasant refusal D. an unhelpful response
65. In Laura's opinion a secretary can never be a good one until .
A. she often asks her boss how to answer a telephone call
B. she knows how to please all the people
C. she has the information that others need
D. she can keep calm and never loses her temper
66. This passage is mainly about .
A. well-handled telephone calls ,~
B. an efficient office secretary called Laura Needham
C. the importance of how office calls are dealt with
D. a secretary being a valuable asset to her company
Tailors English Language Preparation 2010
Taylorscollege. edu. au/ telp
If you need additional help to gain the high level of English language necessary for academic study, Taylors English Language Preparation (TELP)is the perfect solution. Throughout your TELP studies you will be an active language learner. You will be surrounded by opportunities to communicate in English, with friends, teachers, families and local people. You will gain English language skills which you will keep for life.
English: the language of Taylors College
Strong English language skills are necessary for success in your chosen Taylors program. The TELP program, delivered in 12 week terms, is specifically designed to provide language training for academic study. Our teachers are fully trained English Language Teaching professionals, who will assist you in a caring and supportive classroom atmosphere.
TELP focuses on:
·Language studies ·Formal writing styles
·Note taking ·Assignment writing
·Intensive listening ·Reading
Progressing to our High School or Foundation Programs
Upon completion of TELP, you do not take an IELTS test before you begin our High School or Foundatin programs.
TELP term dates
Students are encouraged to enroll(注册)at the start of a term; however, TELP courses allow for entry every four weeks.
2010 dates
·18 January –9 April ·12 April –2 July
·5 July-24 September ·27 September-17 December
2010 Summer School
·20 December-14 January 2011
60.The TELP program .
A.is popular and thought highly of by students
B.is aimed at those who have passed an IELTS test
C.makes sure students have a communicative atmosphere
D.makes sure students learn the English language for four months
61.It can be inferred from the text that .
A.TELP courses permits students to have lessons at any time
B.start date of the first term in 2011 is probably January 17th
C.students who study from 20th December to 14th January have cold weather
D.High School and Foundation programs at Taylors college have no entry requirements
62.What information will probably be provided following TELP term dates?
A.TELP fees B.TELP descriptions
C.TELP courses D.TELP term dates in 2011