IV.阅读理解（共20小题；每题2分; 满分40分）
Football--called soccer in the United States--is probably the most popular sport in the world today, It has been popular for a long time. But many years ago each country had different rules for its own football game.
In 1863 a group of people met in England to change this. They wrote a set of rules for all countries to follow. They also planned for soccer teams from different countries to play against each other. The idea worked. These rules are the same today, more than 100 years later. Now teams from all the world compete in the famous World Cup. The cup is a series of games which is held every four years. Team from many countries plays to see which is the best. Soccer is so popular today that it is not unusual for 600 million people to watch a World Cup match on television.
How did the World Cup start? The soccer team from Uruguay won the Olympic championship in soccer in 1924 and 1928. That country decided to have the first World Cup games in Montevideo in 1930, These first games were not very successful. Only thirteen teams arrived to play and eight of them were from South America.
It didn't seem like a world championship. The team from Uruguay won the Cup that first year.
56. In 1863 a group of people met in England______.
A. to play for football teams from different countries
B. to learn the rules for football
C. to write a set of rules for football
D. to have matches between teams from different countries
57. The rules written in 1863 are _____.
A. the same as today's B. different from today's
C. changed a lot D. changed a little
58. When did the first World Cup take place?
A. In 1930. B. In 1924. C. in 1928 D. In 1934
59. The first World Cup was not successful because
A. the Olympic champion didn't take place
B. some of the teams arrived too late
C. all teams were from South America
D. it did not seem like a world championship
BEIJING, Nov. 26—U.S. dollar hit another record low against the euro on Friday, with the European currency climbing above $1.32 for the first time. The green-back fell to its lowest in nearly five years against the yen the same day.
By 1943 EST, the dollar was trading at US$1.3265 per euro, compared with US$1.3270 in thin late New York trade. It was at 102.55 yen, little changed from New York after touching 102.37, a level not seen since March 2000, in London.
Japanese Finance Minister Sadakazu Tanigaki repeated his warning against dollar weakness, threatening to take action against sudden moves, but market participants said such verbal intervention (口头干涉) had long lost its clout.
Traders were expecting market liquidity to remain thin on Friday because of the extended U.S. holiday.
In such thin trading, many said a fall in the dollar past 102 yen and US$1.33 per euro was a real possibility.
Referring to recent currency movements as “brutal”, European Central Bank chief Jean-Claude Trichet, who is the most vocal European policymaker on dollar weakness, is due to make comments in Rio de Janeiro, along with ECB council member and Spanish central bank governor Jaime Caruana.
Introduced in 1999 as the common currency for 12 European countries, the euro initially(最初) dropped against the dollar but has risen some 60 percent since hitting an all-time low of 82 U.S. cents in October 2000.
64. What does “the green-back” refer to in the first paragraph?
A. U.S. dollar B. Another record
C. The euro D. European currency
65. How did Sadakazu Tanigaki feel about dollar weakness?
A. Excited B. Puzzled C. worried D. Disappointed
66. The underlined word “brutal” probably means ______.
A. cruelty B. help C. criticism D. apology
67. According to some people, it was possible for the dollar to trade ______.
A. at 1.3265 per euro B. at 1.32 per euro
C. at 1.3270 per euro D. at 1.331 per euro
When many people are worried that there are no more heroes(英雄) in the modern society（当今社会） ,two university（大学） students who lost their lives to rescue（营救）drowning(溺水的)children have shown that heroes still exist（存在）.
According to（根据） the Inner Mongolia Morning Post（内蒙古晨报）, the tragedy（悲剧）occurred on the afternoon of December 14,2002 when three school students skating on a frozen (结冰的) lake in Qingcheng Park in Hohhot（呼和浩特）fell through the ice into the freezing water.
More than 20 university students who happen to be near the spot（地点） immediately went to the rescue of the children,
Two children were quickly rescued, but the third died. The child’s body was not found for three hours. Two of the rescuers, Liu Ye and Hao Longbiao ,also died of cold and exhaustion(筋疲力尽).
The body of Hao who took the lead（ 带领）in jumping into the lake was not found until the next day.A student who was unwilling to tell his name said he and his classmates from the local college were taking photos at the lake. When they heard the children’s cries for help,, they went to the ice hole hand in hand (手拉手)to rescue the children. But the ice kept breaking, causing most of then to fall into the icy water,
Local residents(居民) held mourning ceremonies(祭奠仪式)at the lake.
Eight of the students were seriously affected by the freezing water and were being kept in hospital for further observation（进一步观察）, but their lives were no longer in danger.. The underlined word “occurred” here means
| A．employed | B．mixed | C．guided | D．happened |
.. When the three school students fell into water, the university students were
| A．skating on the ice | B．taking photos at the lake |
| C．having a picnic | D．walking along the lake |
.Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．Three students died on the same day in all. |
| B．Hao Longbiao’s body was found on December 14,2002. |
| C．The university students didn’t think it dangerous to save the drowning children in the lake. |
| D．Local residents were not brave in face of danger. |
. It can be inferred（推知） that ______________
| A．people think little of （对----评价低）the two university students’ death |
| B．the ice on the lake wasn’t strong enough to skate on |
| C．some students regrets（后悔） for what they had done |
| D．heroes don’t agree with（与-----一致） the steps（步调） of modern times |
The Same Story, Different Reports
Belton and Canfield are two seashore towns, not far apart. Both towns have many hotels, and in summer the hotels are full of holiday- makers and other tourists(观光者).
Last August there was a fire at the Sea breeze Hotel in Belton. The next day, this news appeared on page two of the town’s newspaper, The Belton Post:
FIRE AT SEABREEZE
Late last night firemen hurried to the Sea breeze Hotel and quickly put out a small fire in a bedroom. The hotel manager said that a cigarette started the fire. We say again to all our visitors: “Please don’t smoke cigarettes in bed.” This was Belton’s first hotel fire for five years.
The Canfield Times gave the news in these words on page one.
ANOTHER BELDON HOTEL CATCHES FIRE
Last night Belton firemen arrived just too late to save clothing, bedclothes and some furniture at the Sea breeze Hotel. An angry holiday-maker said, “An electric lamp probably started the fire. The bedroom lamps are very old at some of these hotels. When I put my bedside light on, I heard a funny noise from the lamp.” We are glad to tell our readers that this sort of adventure does not happen in Canfield.
What are the facts, then? It is never easy to find out the exact truth about an accident. There was a fire at the Sea breeze Hotel last August: that is one fact. Do we know anything else? Yes—we know that firemen went to the hotel.
Now what do you think of the rest of the “news”?Which of the following best gives the main idea of this text?
| A．Belton and Canfield are both good places for tourists in summer. |
| B．A fire broke out one night in Sea breeze Hotel last summer. |
| C．It was not easy to find out exact truth from newspapers. |
| D．Two newspapers gave reports on the same matter. |
Which of the following are probably facts?
a. The fire broke out in a bedroom at the hotel.
b. A cigarette started the fire.
c. An old lamp started the fire.
d. The fire broke out at night.
e. There has never been a fire in Canfield.
| A．b and c | B．a and d |
| C．c and e | D．a and c |
The Canfield Times used the headline (标题) like this in order to make its readers think _______.
| A．hotels in Belton often catch fire |
| B．hotels in Belton don’t often catch fire |
| C．this was the second fire at the Sea breeze Hotel |
| D．Belton was a good place except that hotels there are not quite safe |
The Canfield newspaper gave a report just the opposite to the Belton Post by saying that _______.
| A．the bedroom lamps were very old at the Sea breeze Hotel |
| B．the bedroom lights made funny noise when the fire took place |
| C．the firemen failed to save clothing, bedclothes and other things |
| D．such accidents never happened in Canfield for the past 5 years |
Beijing — Premier Wen Jiabao has urged the leadership of all countries to deepen their political will in dealing with climate change woes (灾难) as uncertainties mount (增长) in the months before the United Nation’s conference in Cancun, Mexico, at the end of this year.
Wen made the remarks on Friday when he met with nearly 20 politicians, climate change and environmental ministers worldwide, who are in Beijing this weekend to attend an international forum on green economy and climate change.
Based on the achievements made at the Copenhagen Summit last December, Wen urged the rich countries to further make clear their compulsory carbon reduction targets. “At the same time, we developing countries should make clear our voluntary goal of slowing down climate change,” Wen said.
Wen also urged the developed countries to transfer（转让）climate change friendly technologies to the developing countries, especially the poorest countries and island nations.
During the meeting, Wen said China will redouble its efforts in reducing carbon emissions and improving energy efficiency during the coming years after it finishes its 2006-2010 goal of cutting energy consumption per unit of economic output by 20 percent.
While praising China for its green efforts, former Australian Prime Minister Robert J. Lee Hawke asked China to share its experiences and lessons on energy savings and pollution reduction to the rest of the world to deal with global environmental woes and climate change.
Wen responded: “China, together with the rest of the world, is willing to make its due contribution in coping with global warming and climate change.”
At a banquet for the foreign guests on Friday night, former vice-premier Zeng Peiyan said “Increasing uncertainties are ahead for the climate change negotiations. The world needs more dialogue and cooperation”.
“Climate change woes are our shared challenges but the root lies in the historical emissions by the developed countries,” said Zeng, as president of the China Center for International Economic Exchanges, which organized the weekend climate change summit.
Zeng expected the forum to work as a platform for different countries to communicate their positions freely before the Bonn climate change negotiation in June and the Cancun conference at the end of this year.Which title suits this passage best?
| A．We must work on climate change. |
| B．We should share our ‘green’ technology. |
| C．We need to clarify our action targets. |
| D．We ought to cooperate to control the climate. |
The underlined part in the last paragraph but one implies ________.
| A．Air pollution just existed in the developed countries in the past. |
| B．In the past, the developed countries slowed down the development of the world. |
| C．Climate change woes were originally caused by the developed countries. |
| D．The rich countries should be more responsible since they polluted most. |
It can be inferred from the passage that _________.
| A．The Chinese government intends to be regarded as a developed country. |
| B．The whole world has got the same opinion about the measures to take. |
| C．The developed countries have not found any effective ways to cut their emissions. |
| D．There is still a long way to go before an agreement can be reached. |
Why did Wen Jiabao urge the developed countries to clarify their carbon reduction targets?
| A．Because the developed countries are not willing to deal with global environmental woes. |
| B．Because the developing countries have not set any goal of slowing down climate change. |
| C．Because there are mounting uncertainties ahead for the climate change negotiations. |
| D．Because agreements were already made at the Copenhagen Summit last December. |
Three months after the government stopped issuing（发放）or renewing permits for Internet cafes because of security（安全）concerns, some cafe owners are having financial（经济的）concerns of their own.
The permits were stopped suddenly three months ago by the government until new safeguards could be put in place to prevent misuse of the information superhighway, but for cafe owners it’s a business breakdown with no fix in sight.
“I handed in a request to open up an Internet cafe and received the conditions,” said the businessman Obeidallah. “I rented a place in the Sharafiah district at SR45,000 and prepared the place with equipment that cost me more than SR100,000. When I went to the local government after finishing everything, I was surprised to find that they’d stopped issuing permits for Internet cafes.”
Having an Internet cafe without Internet is much like having a coffee shop without coffee. “I’m avoiding closing the place, but it’s been more than three months with the situation ongoing as it is.” Obeidallah said. “Who will bear the losses caused by the permit issue?”
The decision took many cafe owners by surprise. “I asked to open an Internet cafe, and I was handed a list of all the things that were needed to follow through, such as a sign for the place, filling out forms,” said Hassan Al-Harbi.
“I did all that was asked and rented a place. And after the Haj vacation I went to the local government and they surprised me, saying that there are new rules that forbid the issuing of any more Internet cafe permits and that one can’t even renew his permit. I’ve lost more than SR80,000,” Al-harbi added.
As for the government, officials say a method to deal with it is on the way. But security concerns come before profit（盈利）.The government stopped issuing or renewing permits for Internet cafes .
| A．to prevent misuse of new safeguards in Internet cafes |
| B．to make cafe owners earn less profit from their business |
| C．to stop the use of the information superhighway on Internet |
| D．to make sure of the proper use of the information superhighway |
The government’s decision led to the fact that many cafe owners .
| A．suffered heavy financial losses |
| B．asked to open up Internet cafes |
| C．continued to operate Internet cafes |
| D．asked the government for payment |
The underlined phrase in the last paragraph “on the way” means .
| A．to be studied |
| B．to be put into practice |
| C．to be changed |
| D．to be improved |
The cafe owners found the government’s decision .
| A．surprising and unacceptable |
| B．understandable and acceptable |
| C．reasonable but surprising |
| D．surprising but acceptable |
JINTAN, JIANGSU: The 20 students — 18 boys and 2 girls —had a thousand reasons to be proud of themselves. They had just climbed their way to the top rung（阶梯）out of 4 million students taking part in the Fifth National Hua Luogeng Gold Cup Mathematics Contest（竞赛）on Tuesday evening. The 20 gold medal winners are all primary and middle school students under the age of 14. ‘Many of the problems are of college level and these pupils can figure them out. It is just unbelievable!’said a teacher from Guangdong province. Named after China's most famous mathematician, Hua Luogeng, the contest started in 1986,one year after his death. In less than 10 years, it has been recognized by the State Education Commission（国家教委） as the country's biggest and best contest of its kind. This news story is mainly about________ .
| A．when the contest started |
| B．how the contest got its name |
| C．the 20 pupils who have won gold medals in the contest |
| D．the 5th National Hua Luogeng Gold Cup Mathematics Contest |
This news story most probably appeared in a newspaper in ________.
| A．1986 | B．1987 | C．1995 | D．1997 |
It can be inferred from the text that the teacher from Guangdong province ________.
| A．felt proud of the gold medal winners |
| B．wondered if the students were honest |
| C．thought that the problems were too difficult for the students |
| D．believed that the twenty winners could go to study at university |
The underlined phrase ‘figure out’ in the text means_________.
| A．work out | B．add up | C．guess | D．study |
BEIJING — The rescue operations at a coal mine accident have ended with 105 miners dead. The State Council has organized an investigation team to probe (调查) into what caused the disaster in the city of Linfen, North China’s Shanxi Province. Preliminary（初步的） investigations show the illegal mining of an unauthorized seam（未经授权的煤层）, and the number of miners who had been sent down the shaft far exceeded its capacity.
This mine was found to have long ignored the rules to steal state coal, and did not have a list of miners employed to check the number of miners missing after the accident.
How did such a coal mine get all the necessary licenses for production? How did it pass the three safety inspections the local government organized last month?
In response to this disaster, the Shanxi governor promised to set up hotlines for people to report illegal coal mines and rewards as high as 100,000 yuan for tip-offs.
We appreciate the action this governor has taken to solving the coal mining problems, and we believe that the reporting scheme will help to stop the existence of illegal coal mines.
But at the same time we have reason to question how governments at various levels supervise these mines.
The sad fact that such a mine with serious safety problems could pass three consecutive (连续的)local government safety inspections in a month is enough to tell us how ineffective the safety inspections were.
What if these inspections were just a formality(形式)? What if the inspectors were bribed by the mine owners to turn a blind eye to the safety dangers? We can well imagine what would happen if reports about mine problems were handled by such officials.
So a thorough probe must find out who are responsible for the death of so many miners. A real safety inspection and management system must be established to guarantee that safety dangers will be removed
64. What is NOT one of the causes of this coal mine accident?
A. The workers didn’t operate properly.
B. The mine didn’t obey the rules to mine for coal.
C. A lot more miners than allowed were working under the mine.
D. The safety inspections were ineffective.
65. According to the writer, who should be further investigated?
A. Mine owners and miners. B. Miners’ families and mine staff.
C. Government officials and safety inspectors. D. The Shanxi governor and miners.
66. What can we infer from the passage?
A. More than 105 miners died in the disaster.
B. Some other coal mines like this one exist in Shanxi province.
C. Safety inspectors just turned a blind eye to hidden dangers.
D. The three inspections were only a formality.
67. What does the underlined word “tip-offs” probably mean in Paragraph 4?
A. Some warnings. B. Some money for one’s service.
C. Some secret information. D. Some pieces of advice.
News that Microsoft made a $44.6 billion bid to buy Yahoo resulted in heated discussions made by many Internet users. Here are some responses:
Diane Burke of Weeks bury, Kentucky
I think it would definitely be an interesting combination. Everyone recognizes the names Yahoo and Microsoft, but everyone also says, “Did you Google it?” Such a catchphrase (时髦话) is going to be hard to beat.
Shaun Carney of Laurelville, Ohio
I think the merger (合并) will provide more competitions for Google. I don’t think the merger will allow Microsoft to develop faster than Google, though. I believe the increased competition this merger brings will force Google to stay on top of its game by offering more fresh and original Internet tools and expanding on the tools it already offers.
Toni Suarez of Hacienda Heights, California
I view the merger as a necessary element in preventing a monopolization (垄断). Perhaps it would bring better high technology innovations to e-mail and help in researching and developing a better Internet!
Rick R. of Edgewater, Florida
It sounds like a disaster to me. If this were to happen, I would stop using my Yahoo e-mail account because I don’t like the feeling of Microsoft spying upon my business. I will sign up for Google.
Antonio Glosser of Kansas City, Missouri
Right now, Yahoo offers a lot of features and tools at no cost for all different levels of Internet users. Microsoft seeks nothing but profit. Undoubtedly, they’ll do nothing other than find ways to start removing Yahoo’s formerly non-priced features. Microsoft’s greed will ruin the great thing that Yahoo currently is.How many companies are mentioned in the passage?
| A．One. | B．Two. | C．Three. | D．Four. |
Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?
| A．Shaun’s attitude towards Google is passive. |
| B．Toni believes the Internet will have a promising future. |
| C．Rick will support Google after the merger. |
| D．Antonio is afraid that the merger will cost Yahoo’s free features. |
The passage is mainly about ______.
| A．the future of Yahoo and Microsoft |
| B．the strengths of Yahoo and Microsoft |
| C．the strengths and weaknesses of large companies |
| D．opinions on the merger of Yahoo and Microsoft. |
Every day we are bombarded with images, videos, music and news. In this age of visual and aural hyper-stimulation, the medium of radio is making a phenomenal comeback.
“We're at the dawn of a golden age of audio," said US-based podcaster Alex Blumberg in an article in The Sydney Morning Herald. In the last month alone, 15 percent of US adults listened to a radio podcast. These statistics, released by Edison Research, reveal the successful evolution of traditional radio broadcasts to the present day's digital podcast format. The term "podcast," was coined in 2004, but the trend only started gaining mainstream popularity in recent years. Since the leap in consumer demand for smartphones and tablets, podcast subscription rates have only accelerated.
The appeal of the podcast partially resides in its multiplatform delivery and on-demand capabilities. You can tune in during those extra minutes of the day when you're walking to the shops, waiting in a queue or riding the subway. Similar to television shows, podcasts are generally free to download and most offer new content every week.
Donna Jackson, 22, Sydney university media graduate, listens to podcasts two or three times a week, via iTunes .”I listen while I'm pottering around the house doing something else. It makes completing a boring task a lot more enjoyable..... And it's an easy way of keeping in touch with what's going on in the rest of the world," she said.
Unlike television and music, the audio format has the potential to create a deep impression on readers. Blumberg says this comes down to the podcast's ability "to create intimacy and emotional connection." Sydney University undergraduate Hazel Proust, major in social work and arts, agrees. "When you're tuned in, it feels as if the voice of the podcast's narrator is talking directly to you. It's comforting," said Proust.From the passage, we can learn that____.
| A．Radio is developing more quickly than mediums with images, videos, music and news. |
| B．Podcast has its origin in the traditional radio broadcasts. |
| C．In the last month alone, 15 percent of world adults listened to a radio podcast. |
| D．Podcast was becoming popular from 2004. |
By saying "We're at the dawn of a golden age of audio," Alex Blumberg wants to
Tell us that ______
| A．Traditional radio broadcasts will be loved by people again. |
| B．Radio has attracted more people than TV and other forms of media . |
| C．Radio will be more and more popular in the form of podcast. |
| D．The Sydney Morning Herald will help radio become popular again. |
For podcast, which is wrong?
| A．You can listen to it at any time and any place. |
| B．You can download it without pay. |
| C．You can learn new content every week from it. |
| D．You can listen to it according to your own demand. |
From the last paragraph, we can infer
| A．television and music has become less popular . |
| B．Hazel Proust has different opinions with Blumberg |
| C．podcast can build up close relationship with listeners |
| D．using podcast the narrator can talk to listeners directly |
Global financial big dogs are no match for China's "Da Ma", or housewives, who have crowded into gold stores across China, buying up 300 tons of gold over the past two weeks. No wonder gold prices have steadied after taking a dive.
During the May Day holiday, gold stores were crowded with mostly female customers. Most of them are middle-aged "Chinese housewives". This group of buyers has risen to fame recently. They are big spenders and are desperate to get their hands on a bargain. "I bought some gold jewellery and kept them as a gift for my son when he gets married," said a buyer from Shanghai.
The gold business is skyrocketing. "Our sales are growing by the day. Yesterday we sold more than ten million yuan of gold products," a gold store salesperson said. The gold rush in China started about two weeks ago thanks to a decline in global gold prices. Media reports suggest that Chinese housewives have spent about 100 billion yuan, or about 16 billion US dollars, purchasing 300 tons of gold since mid-April. That has helped support gold prices.
"Gold prices depressed since the middle of last month but have risen gradually. That is mainly due to the strong demand from Asian markets," said foreign trader Zhang Chen from Industrial & Commercial Bank of China. "Some people even joked that Chinese housewives have beaten Wall Street analysts." For Chinese people, with limited investment options, the only thing better than buying gold is buying gold at discount prices.What does the author mean by the underlined sentence of the first paragraph?
| A．The global big dogs can’t match with Chinese housewives. |
| B．China's "Da Ma" help a lot to support the global economic crisis. |
| C．Chinese housewives spend a great deal of money on gold. |
| D．Chinese housewives have a better consumption idea than global financial big dogs. |
The whole passage mainly developed_______ ?
| A．by comparison | B．by contrast | C．by quotation | D．by time order |
We can infer about the gold rush in China from the passage?
| A．The Chinese housewives are most willing to spend money in buying gold. |
| B．China's "Da Ma" crowded into stores to get gold as the best gifts for sons when they get married. |
| C．China's "Da Ma" are bigger spenders and cleverer than global financial big dogs. |
| D．China’s "Da Ma" become the largest gold buyers due to a decline in global gold prices. |
The author’s description about the passage is ______.
| A．negative | B．subjective | C．doubtful | D．objective |
Worried about how many calories you will get in that piece of pizza, chocolate cake or bag of chips? A new iphone application Mealsnap may help. Users just need to take a picture of the meal with the phone, and it will give a calorie read-out almost immediately.
Mealsnap was developed by DailyBurn, a health social network that focuses on helping its users lead healthier lifestyles. It has created several other health and diet-related iphone applications. The applications gives users a quick reply. To do that, it matches the taken picture to a databank containing the calorie information of nearly 500,000 kinds of food. Users then get the range of calories for the meal that is photographed.
We started with something simple — an apple. A couple of minutes later the application replied that it was an apple and between 64 and 96 calories. More impressive was the reply we received after sending a photo of mixed salad bowl. Mealsnap replied that the bowl contained “yellow rice with corn, boiled eggs and beans” and that the food was between 532 and 798 calories.
Mr. Smith, director of DailyBurn, said that usual calorie counting needed a long time, but that the application made it easier to know the calories in food. That’s why it is so popular among those who are trying hard to lose weight.
In addition, Mealsnap can serve as a food diary. No need to write down what they’ve eaten, the photos will be stored. Then users can keep a visual log (记录). Mr. Smith said: “It’s like a food journal, but easier. All you do is to take the picture. The simple act of recording something can cause a psychological change that can help people on their health journey. Knowing the calorie range makes me think more about what I’m eating.
60. The purpose of DailyBurn is to _______.
| A．help people have a healthy life |
| B．make iphone more popular |
| C．help people find ways to lose weight |
| D．persuade people to buy iphone products |
61. We can know from the passage that Mealsnap is ________.
| A．a camera | B．a phone | C．a calculator | D．an application |
62. What can be learned from the third paragraph?
| A．Mealsnap can also tell what the food is. |
| B．Mealsnap is only useful for simple things. |
| C．The result of Mealsnap isn’t always right. |
| D．Mealsnap needs a long time to show the calorie range. |
63. Which would be the best title for the passage?
| A．Mealsnap iphones work as a health signal |
| B．Mealsnap iphones offer you a health signal |
| C．Mealsnap iphones — the best-selling phones |
| D．Mealsnap iphones count your calories |
Diana Jacobs thought her family had a workable plan to pay for college for her 21-year-old twin sons: a combination of savings, income, scholarships, and a modest amount of borrowing. Then her husband lost his job, and the plan fell apart.
"I have two kids in college, and I want to say come home. ' but at the same time I want to provide them with a good education," says Jacobs.
The Jacobs family, did work out a solution: They asked and received more aid from the schools, and each son increased his' borrowing to the maximum amount through the federal loan (贷款) program. They will each graduate with $ 20,000 of debt, but at least they will be able to finish school.
With unemployment rising, financial aid administrators expect to hear from more families like the Jacobses. More students are applying for aid, and more families expect to need student loans. College administrators are concerned that they will not have enough aid money to go around.
At the same time, tuition (学费) continues to rise. A report from the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education found that college tuition and fees increased 439% from 1982 to 2007, while average family income rose just 147% . Student borrowing has more than doubled in the last decade.
"If we go on this way for another 25 years, we won't have an affordable system of higher education," says Patrick M. Calan, president of the center. "The middle class families have been financing it through debt. They will send kids to college whatever it takes, even if that means a huge amount of debt."
Financial aid administrators have been having a hard time as many companies decide that student loans are not profitable enough and have stopped making them. The good news, however, is that federal loans account for about three quarters of student borrowing, and the government says that money will flow uninterrupted.According to Paragraph 1. why did the plan of the Jacobs family fail?
| A．The twins wasted too much money. | B．The father was out of work. |
| C．Their saving ran out. | D．The family fell apart. |
How did the Jacobses manage to solve their problem?
| A．They asked their kids to come home. |
| B．They borrowed $20, 000 from the schools. |
| C．They encouraged their twin sons to do part-time jobs. |
| D．They got help from the schools and the federal government. |
Financial aid administrators believe that________.
| A．more families will face the same problem as the Jacobses |
| B．the government will receive more letters of complaint |
| C．college tuition fees will double soon |
| D．America's unemployment will fall |
What can we learn about the middle class families from they text?
| A．They blamed the government for the tuition increase. |
| B．Their income increased steady in the last decade. |
| C．They will try their best to send kids to college. |
| D．Their debts will be paid off within 25 years. |
According to the last paragraph the government will________.
| A．provide most students with scholarships |
| B．dismiss some financial aid administrators |
| C．stop the companies from making student loans |
| D．go on providing financial support for college students |
Tokyo - Drivers in China are no longer in a hurry to own Toyota Motor Corp's cars.
Neil Hu, a sales manager at a Toyota dealership in Beijing, said he has stopped charging a 5,000 yuan ($732) premium to customers who want to skip the waiting list for RAV4 sport- utility vehicles. He took the initiative after the Japanese carmaker recalled 75,552 of the SUVs in China last month to fix gas pedals that may stick.
"I heard the situation in the US is pretty bad for Toyota," Hu said. "The recall has impacted us as well."
Toyota, which grew more slowly than competitors in China in 2009, will likely lose more market share and see a decline in local profit margin this year, analysts say. The carmaker has relied on a reputation for quality and safety to sell high margin, mid- to large-size models even as the world's biggest auto market shifts to cheaper, smaller cars, encouraged by government incentives.
With Toyota's brand damaged by global recalls of millions of vehicles, profit margins for its SUVs and Camry and Crown sedans may shrink, said Ashvin Chotai, London-based managing director of Intelligence Automotive Asia Ltd, an industry consultant.
"With this recall saga, Toyota's premium pricing power in China is gone," Chotai said. "Toyota's cars don't have enough good value for money."
Toyota has lost $24.5 billion in market capitalization this year as it recalled over 8 million cars globally to fix defects linked to unintended acceleration. The company faces at least 118 class actions in the US and at least 36 individual lawsuits claiming deaths and injuries caused by sudden acceleration of Toyota or Lexus vehicles.
Toyota President Akio Toyoda flew directly to Beijing on March 2 to apologize for the vehicle defects, after attending US Congressional hearings about the recalls in Washington. He skipped Europe's Geneva auto show, underscoring the growing importance of the Chinese market.
Toyota rose for a fifth straight day in Tokyo, advancing 0.9 percent to 3,580 yen as of 9:44 am local time. The carmaker's shares have fallen 7.7 percent this year.
The company's February China sales rose 30 percent to 45,400 vehicles, underperforming the overall passenger-car. According to the passage, why did Toyota carmaker recall their cars in China last month? _____________
| A．Because it faced law suits in the US |
| B．Because there were problems with the cars. |
| C．Because of the importance of the Chinese market |
| D．Because the customers are not satisfied with the charging of a 5,000 Yuan premium. |
What does the underlined phrase“take the initiative” mean?
| A．took the advice | B．changed his mind | C．took the action | D．made the decision |
Why did Toyota president Akio Toyota skip Europe’s Geneva auto show?
| A．Because he did not think it important |
| B．Because he was not satisfied with the hearing in the US |
| C．Because he attached importance to the Chinese Market |
| D．Because he needed to make an apology to Chinese |
After the global recalls of millions vehicles, Toyota will be impacted in the following aspects, EXCEPT_________.
| A．Its brand will be damaged |
| B．Its profit margins will shrink |
| C．It will have to face law suits |
| D．The president will be fired |
Where can read the passage? __________
| A．newspaper |
| B．magazine |
| C．encyclopedia |
| D．a school book |
Weather Report
(8:00 a.m. December 17—8:00 a.m. December 18)
Influenced by a cold front northern Xinjiang, the eastern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, and the northern and eastern parts of Heilongjiang are expected to experience light snow today. Drizzle (小雨) is forecast for most areas of Sichuan and western coastal areas of South China. Northerly winds of force 4-6 are expected to affect western and southwestern Inner Mongolia, and most parts of Northeast China while northerly winds of force 5-7 will sweep across the Bohai Sea, the northern parts of the Yellow Sea, East China Sea, the Taiwan Straits, and the central and northern parts of the South China Sea.
Weather forecast for major Chinese cities
| City |
Max(℃)℃C) |
Min(℃) |
Weather |
| Beijing |
10 |
－2 |
clear |
| Changchun |
0 |
－6 |
clear |
| Changsha |
19 |
5 |
clear |
| Chengdu |
9 |
4 |
drizzle |
| Chongqing |
10 |
5 |
overcast |
| Dalian |
12 |
3 |
clear |
| Fuzhou |
18 |
－12 |
cloudy |
| Guangzhou |
23 |
15 |
cloudy |
| Guilin |
19 |
4 |
clear |
| Haikou |
19 |
14 |
overcast |
| Hangzhou |
18 |
5 |
clear |
| Harbin |
－3 |
－8 |
clear |
| Hong Kong |
21 |
16 |
cloudy |
| Jinan |
14 |
3 -„: ;;.;;:;,.:-,-,;., |
clear ^A-^ ^.-,.-.1 |
According to the weather report, we know it doesn’t rain in many areas except ______.
| A．Xinjiang | B．Qinghai-Tibet | C．Heilongjiang | D．Chengdu |
From December 17 to December 18, if you go to ______, you may be caught in the snow.
| A．Northern Xinjiang and Tibet | B．Sichuan and South China |
| C．Inner Mongolia and Heilongjiang | D．Qinghai and Sichuan |
On December 17, the East China Sea will be swept by ______.
| A．a cold front | B．light snow |
| C．northerly winds of force 4-6 | D．northerly winds of force 5-7 |
The temperature in Harbin Min(℃) is ___ lower than that in Guangzhou Min(℃).
| A．23 | B．31 | C．26 | D．7 |
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