高中英语新闻报道阅读阅读理解

On March 5, 2009, Michael Jackson stood in front of crowds of fans. Before screaming fans, he pronounced with pumping arms: “This is it!”
A few months later, Jackson was dead. With the late pop star’s return to radio, television and the cultural events, Forbes judges that Jackson has made $90 million since his death June 25. This figure is based on his royalties（版税） from album sales, radio play, rights to his name and royalties from his stock in the Sony/ATV music catalog (编目权).
Jackson’s music was his most easily-seen source in the last months. “Nothing increases the value of an artist than death ... an untimely death,” says Barry Massarsky, a music industry economist.
The music’s immediate value was clear. Since June, Jackson has sold more than 5.9 million albums in the U.S. and another 4.5 million overseas. In the first weeks after his death, there were 5.6 million single downloads across North America, Europe and Australia. Jackson recently has three of the top 20 best-selling albums of the year in the US, according to Nielsen SoundScan. His 2003 hits album Number Ones is the best seller of the year, beating Taylor Swift’s Fearless.
More than 500,000 Jackson ringtones and 100,000 music videos were sold. In the week following his death, songs by The Jackson 5, The Jacksons and Michael were played over 100,000 times on the radio, according to Nielsen BDS.
Jackson’s estate（遗产）will likely see more money by the end of this year, as it has rights to some of the profits from This Is It as well as the two-disc album of the same name. The estate will share 90% of the film profits with AEG.
Ticket sales from an exhibit opening in London will also contribute a likely profit. Hundreds of Jackson’s personal belongings－his L.A. Rolls Royce etc－will remain on show for three months at the O2 for fans willing to shell out $25 for a view.
The pop singer bought ATV Publishing, for $47.5 million in 1985. Ten years later, he sold the catalog to Sony for $95 million and took a 50% stock in Sony/ATV, which is now worth about $1.7 to $2 billion. So he still owned half the Sony/ATV catalog at his death.
Jackson’s future earning potential is based on his stock in valuable music and as well as the value of his image（肖像）. As many musicians, actors and artists before him, Jackson’s fame could have a long tail on the market with allowable products, advertising and entertainment events.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
What do Barry Massarsky’s words in Paragraph 3 imply?

A．Jackson died at the time as expected.

B．Only at death can an artist become famous.

C．Jackson became more famous at death than when he was alive.

D．Jackson’s unexpected death raised his value as an artist immediately.

All the following is true EXCEPT that _____.
A. “This is it” is the last concert that Jackson gave
B. Jackson has sold 10.4 million albums since June
C. Jackson’s L.A. Rolls Royce is now for show and will finally be sold
D. Jackson’s stock in music and his image will keep on earning money in the future
What can be inferred from the passage?

A．Jackson’s album Number Ones beat Taylor Swift’s Fearless in 2003.

B．Taylor Swift’s Fearless is the second best seller of music albums of 2009.

C．AEG takes in more film profits from “This is it” than Jackson’s estate.

D．More Jackson’s music videos were sold than his ringtones right after his death.

What can we know about the Sony/ATV catalog?

A．Jackson sold ATV catalog to Sony in 1985.

B．Jackson had half right of ATV Publishing at his death.

C．Jackson sold ATV catalog to Sony for $ 47.5 million in 1995.

D．Jackson’s stock in Sony/ATV now has a value of about $ 1.7 billion to 2 billion.

What is the main idea of the passage?

A．Why Michael Jackson’s music is so popular all over the world.

B．How Michael Jackson has earned $90 million in the months since his death.

C．What Michael Jackson’s future earning potential is based on.

D．How much Michael Jackson earned in the first few months after his death.

XIANGNING, Shanxi - The number of people trapped underground after a coal mine flooding in north China's Shanxi Province was revised -- for a second time -- to 153 from 123, rescuers said late Sunday night.
Investigations showed that 261 workers were in the pit of Wangjialing Coal Mine under construction when underground water gushed in at about 1:40 pm. Of them, 108 were lifted safely to the ground while 153 others trapped in the shaft, according to the rescue headquarters.
Most of the trapped are migrant workers from Shanxi, Hebei, Hunan and Guizhou provinces," a rescuer said.
The exact number of people trapped is still being checked.
Soon after the accident happened, the Shanxi Provincial Work Safety Administration and the Shanxi Provincial Emergency Affairs Office said 152 people were trapped underground, but officials later changed the figure to 123.
Rescuers are struggling to save the trapped people, and local authorities are investigating the cause of the accident.
President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao ordered local authorities to spare no effort to save the trapped while guarding against secondary accidents.
Vice Premier Zhang Dejiang rushed to the site late Sunday to oversee the search and rescue operation.
The mine, sitting astride Xiangning County of Linfen City and Hejin City of Yuncheng City, covers about 180 square kilometers.
The mining zone boasts more than 2.3 billion tonnes of coal reserves, including nearly 1.04 billion tonnes of proved reserves, according to the company's official website.It is now under infrastructure construction and is expected to produce 6 million tonnes of coal annually once put into operation.
The mine, affiliated to the state-owned Huajin Coking Coal Co. Ltd., is a major project approved by the provincial government.
At least how many people were trapped underground according to the latest report?

A．123

B．153

C．261

D．152

Most of the worked trapped are from __________. Which of the following answers is WRONG?

A．Shanxi

B．Hunan

C．Guizhou

D．Hefei

What’s the cause of this accident?

A．The underground water gushed

B．The coal mine was under construction

C．It is still being investigated by the local authorities

D．The passage does not mention it at all

According to the passage, which of the following statement is right? _________
A. The local authorities fully support the rescue work
B. Vice premier Zhang Dejiang rushed to the site early Sunday to oversee the search
C. The Wangjialing Coal Mine can produce 6 million tonnes of coal each year now
D．The coal mine is a major project approved by the country.
40. What’s the best title of the passage?_________
A. Number of people trapped in China colliery(煤矿) flooding revised to 153
B．The Wangjiajing Coal Mine
C．Rescue work
D. Who are to blame?

Guangzhou （Xinhua）——12 people were killed and 20 injured early yesterday morning when they jumped from a burning train car into the path of an oncoming goods train in Southern China. When No. 247 Wuchang——Guangzhou passenger train was passing the Dayaoshan Tunnel in Guangdong Province， South China at 00 ：17 yesterday， a fire caused by passengers' smoking broke out on No. 17 car. They wanted to extinguish fire. As the train stopped some frightened passengers jumped from windows. 12 people were crushed to death and 20 others injured by a northward passing goods train（No. 1766）。
1. In which direction did the passenger train travel？
A. Northward. B. Southward. C. Eastward. D. Westward.
2. When did the accident happen？
A. At 00：17 am.           B. At 00：17 pm.
C. At seventeen past one.  D. At seventeen to one.
3. Where did the accident happen？
A. In Wuchang.  B. In Guangzhou.
C. In Hubei.   D. In Guangdong.
4. What was the cause of the fire？
A. A heavy rain.   B. High temperature. C. Carelessness.   D. Fear.

A small town in southwest Britain is banning (禁止) plastic bags in an attempt to help the environment and cut waste－a step that environmentalists believe is a first for Europe.
Shopkeepers in Modbury population 1,500, agreed to stop handing out disposable plastic bags to customers on Saturday. They said paper sacks and cloth carrier bags would be offered instead.
Last month, San Francisco became the first U.S. city to ban plastic grocery bags. Internationally, laws to discourage the use of plastic bags have been passed in parts of South Africa and Ireland, where governments either tax shoppers who use them or fine companies that hand them out. Bangladesh already bans them, and so do at least 30 remote Alaskan villages.
Modbury, about 225 miles southwest of London, has also declared a bag ammesty (宽限期), allowing local people to hand in plastic bags that have piled up at home. They will be sent for a recycling.
The Modbury ban was the idea of Rebecca Hosking, who saw the effect of bags on marine life while working in the Pacific as a wildlife camerawoman. She said response in the town so far had been “really positive”.
“Modbury is quite an old-fashioned town and a lot of people have wicker(柳条) baskets to go out shopping anyway, ”Hosking told Sky News Television.
The World Watch Institute, an environmental research agency, states that 100 billion plastic bags are thrown away each year in the United States alone. More than 500 billion are used yearly around the world.
The underlined word “disposable” in the passage probably means        .

A．acceptable

B．valuable

C．environmentally-friendly

D．long-lasting

It can be inferred from the passage that         .

A．most of the people in Modbury continue to use plastic bags

B．fewer and fewer plastic bags will be used in the world

C．San Francisco is the first city to ban plastic bags in the world

D．most countries in the world have passed laws to ban plastic bags

Which of the following would be the best title of the passage?

A．Environmental Protection	B．Big Cities Banning Plastic Bags
C．British Town Banning Plastic Bags	D．Effect of Plastic bags on Sea Animals

China recorded fewer traffic accidents in 2001 than in 2000 and a lower going continued in January this year .
The traffic accidents in 2001 totaled 270, 000 , fewer by 20, 000 than in 2000 .
But the number of the dead for 2001 was 54, 000 , an increase of 1, 000 from the year before . The increase was not as slow as that in recent years .
A government official said in Beijing yesterday that 3, 821 persons were killed in highway traffic accidents last month , a drop of 12.8 percent from January 2001 . He also said there were 21, 201 traffic accidents in the first month of the year , 10.1 percent fewer than January last year , and 11, 700 people injured .
The traffic accidents last year caused a loss worth 27.32 million yuan , about 2.9 million US dollars .
Economic Daily also said 170, 000 persons were injured in the traffic accidents in 2001 , fewer by 10, 000 than in 2000 .
( From China Daily , February 16 , 2002)
1. In 2000 the total number of the traffic accidents was ________ .
A. 290, 000     B. 250, 000      C. 270, 000      D. 20, 000
2. In 2000 ________ persons were killed in the traffic accidents .
A. 1, 000     B. 53, 000      C. 54, 000      D. 55, 000
3. Which is true according to the news report ?
A. The traffic accidents in 2002 will go up continuously .
B. Economic Daily said the traffic accidents caused a loss worth 2.9 million US dollars in 2000 .
C. In January 2002 , there were 3, 821 highway traffic accidents .
D. There were more traffic accidents in January 2001 than in January 2002 .
4. The best title for this news report should be ________ .
A. Road Accidents 2001        B. Road Accidents 2000
C. Death Up or Down This Year  D. $ 2.9 Million Loss in Traffic Accidents

A
BEUING (Associated Press 美联社) —China has a growing middle class, a tradition of expecting education and 21 million new babies every year. Selling educational toys should be easy.
While China may be the world’s biggest toy maker, many of the best are exported. Department stores here do not have enough toys of high quality. It is said that the demand for educational toys is low.
A US company, Baby Care, is trying to change that with a new way to sell toys in China.
Baby Care works basically together with doctors in Beijing hospitals.  People who join the company’s "mother club" can get lectures and newsletters on baby and child development at no extra cost, if they agree to spend 18 dollars a month on the company’s educational toys and child-care books.
"We want to build a seven year relationship with those people," said Matthew J. Estes, Baby Care’s president. "It starts during pregnancy (孕期), when the anxiety and needs are highest." Baby Care works on a one-to-one basis. Doctors, nurses, and teachers paid by Baby Care advise parents and explain toys that are designed for children at each stage of development to age six.
Baby Care opened its first store in China last June in a shopping center in central Beijing and another near Beijing Zoo. It plans to have 80 stores in China within six years.
It is a new model for China and develops a market in young children’s education and health that no other companies are in.
What do the first two paragraphs mainly tell us?

A．Educational toys and foreign toy markets.

B．Problems with China’s toy market and education.

C．Reasons for pushing sales of educational toys in China.

D．Baby population and various kinds of toys made in China.

Which of the following is a fact according to the passage?

A．Club members buy Baby Care products for free child care advice.

B．Doctors in Beijing help in making Baby Care products.

C．Parents are encouraged to pay $ 18 for club activities.

D．Baby Care trains Chinese doctors at no extra cost.

Baby Care is developing its business in China by ___________.

A．opening stores in Beijing hospitals

B．offering 18 month courses on child care

C．setting up children’s education centers

D．forming close relationships with parents

Which of the following would be the most suitable title for the passage?

A．Mother’s Club in China.	B．Baby Care and Doctors.
C．American Company Model.	D．Educational Toys in China.

Operation Green Sweep
For Teens Currently in 6th-12th Grades
Operation Green Sweep is a volunteer program for teens who want to earn community service
hours by helping to clean up our city parks and community centers. Teens will clean up various
local parks, remove light rubbish and learn a thing or two about our parks and surrounding
environment.
Fridays, April 17 to May 29, 2009
3:30 to 5:00
Meet at the Teen Center, 2203 Central Avenue, Room 170
Cost: $45 --- covers the uniform shirt, training guidebook and transportation
Note: If you miss more than two days, you may be dropped from the program without earning
your hours. Please bring a snack, wear work clothes (no skirts or open-toed shoes) and sunscreen.
Teens are expected to arrive at the meeting place on time, learn communication skills and learn to plan ahead. All volunteers must meet at the Veteran’s Memorial Building to receive their tasks. Do not be late because transportation is provided to take teens to their selected sites.
Save your receipts(收据). There will be a $15 charge per receipt to reprint receipts.
In the event if a class is cancelled(取消) by us, full refunds(退款) will be given. There will be a $15 administration(管理) fee for cancellations put forward by participants.
1. Operation Green Sweep is intended for those who __________.
A. are willing to serve the community
B. are interested in playing in the parks
C. hope to learn how to plant various flowers
D. expect to work in parks after graduation
2. What do we know about the program Operation Green Sweep?
A. Teens should pay $45 for transportation.
B. It lasts from 3:30 to 5:00 pm every day.
C. Teens will go to their working places themselves.
D. Teens can learn communication skills there.
3. To join in the program, teens are asked to ___________.
A. bring their own uniform shirt
B. pay $45 for it
C. promise to serve the community all life
D. wear skirts and open-toed shoes
4. If you give up the activity, how much money is left for you?
A. $45   B. $5    C. $30    D. $15

One of the world's richest men has taken a close interest in one of man's most basic functions: visiting the toilet．Bill Gates’ charitable organization, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, is looking for inventors to design the loo of the future, which, they hope, would improve sanitation for millions of people around the world．
So, what's wrong with the traditional flush toilet? Firstly, it wastes a huge amount of potential drinking water．Secondly, they are more likely to cause pollution．This is a real problem in many areas of the developing world, where, according to United Nations’ estimates, unsafe sanitation causes half of all hospitalizations．Younger people are particularly at risk．Illnesses which cause diarrhea are responsible for the deaths of about 1．5 million children a year．Finally, standard lavatories simply aren't practical in remote areas．
The challenge set by Bill Gates was to come up with a latrine which works without running water, electricity or aseptic tank．It also needed to operate for less than 5 cents．28 designs were displayed at the recent event of the Toilet Fair in Seattle, USA．Among them was one which turned human waste into electricity using microwaves, another which converted human waste into charcoal, and yet another which used urine for flushing．
But the winner was a solar-powered design which generated hydrogen gas and electricity．The team from the California Institute of Technology（CIT）picked up a prize of $ 100,000.
But clearly Bill Gates doesn't feel he's flushing money down the toilet．After the Seattle event he said, "We couldn't be happier with the response we've gotten," Gates has even promised $370 million more to the future toilet project．They hope to field test more prototypes over the next three years．
Why is Bill Gates paying people to invent new toilets?

A．Because he wants to test people's sense of creativity．

B．Because he wants to improve sanitation for many people．

C．Because he thinks the traditional ones are out of fashion．

D．Because he can't design this kind of things himself．

Which of the following is NOT a problem with the traditional flush toilet?

A．They waste too much water．	B．They might cause diseases．
C．They are not always practical．	D．They are too complicated to use.

The underlined word "latrine" in the third paragraph might have similar meanings to the word "__   " in the text．

A．loo

B．sanitation

C．diarrhea

D．prototype

The team from CIT won the prize because their design        .

A．can change human waste into electricity

B．can turn human waste into charcoal

C．can produce power with solar energy

D．can use urine for flushing

If people "flush money down the toilet", they are       .

A．showing off their wealth	B．angry with their working conditions
C．wasting money for nothing	D．expressing their great determination

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