题目内容
The high cost of living in Sydney causes city parents to worry more about their children.
New research by the Financial Services Council (FSC)shows that 75% of metropolitan mums and dads say their ability to earn is important to the well-being of their kids, Tet a greater proportion(比例)of Sydney parents think children suffer emotionally by having two full-time working parents .AS a result 46%of Sydneysiders feel their Kids could be happier , against 38%of both Melbourne and regional New South Wales mums and dads.
The FSC research ,which interviewed 1200 parents across the country ,also shows 66% of Sydneysiders believe the happiness of their children would be greatly affected if they or their partner couldn’t work.
The FSC undertook the survey as part of its Lifewise campaign ,to encourage Australians to protect themselves against financial hardship.
Chairman of the Lifewise campaign John Crosswell said：“The research findings quite clearly highlight that Sydney parents prioritise (优先考虑)their ability to earn money and yet because they are so busy doing so, it seems that their ability to spend time with their family is affected .Sydney parents are dedicated to earning money but as a consequence, perhaps they don’t have the time to enjoy spending it with their family.”
In sydney ,the top factor for creating an ideal childhood is financial security ,at 92%.Fewer parents rate having a tigh-knit family(89%)or living near friends and family (85%)as important.
David and Ari Dearnley ,of North Manly ,said money pressure was hard to avoid in Sydney ,They both work and said family finances would be severely hard if one of them couldn’t
But only Mrs Dearnly has income-protection insurance, “I think that I don’t really need it yet”,Mr Dearnly ,37, said.
“I think he’s mad”,Mrs Dearnly ,also 27 ,said,“If David couldn’t work it would have a huge impact on our lifestyle.”
“Looks like I’ll be getting it tomorrow,”Mr Dearnly responded.
61、What is the main idea of the passage?
A、The findings of a study on how Sydney people go through financial hardship with their family
B、A survey on the factors that may have influences on Sydney children’s happy childhood
C、a survey on the relations between children’s happiness and their parents’ability to earn in Sydney
D、A comparison between Sydney people and those of other cities on their views about earning money
62、From the passage we can infer that
A、Three quarters of Sydney parents think children may have emotional problems
B、less than half of Sydney parents think their children now are not as happy as they expect
C、Most Sydney parents think family finances are the only factor that impact children’s childhood
D、A bout two thirds of Sydney parents think children would be happier if they could‘t work
63、What does Lifewise campaign aim to?
A、Encouraging Australian people avoid the harm of financial problems
B、Helping Sydney parents find a suitable job?
C、Making Australian people improve their ability to earn
D、A ttracting Sydney people to buy insurance
64、According to John Crosswell, we can learn that
A、Income-protection insurance has an impact on the lifestyle of a Sydney family
B、If moe of the parents couldn’t work their family finances will be clearly affected
C、Sydney parents are in a dilemma of devoting to work and enjoying family life
D、Sydney parents now can make a balance between their work and family life
65、What does “it ”underlined in the last paragraph refer to?
A、Work B、Insurance C、Income D、Pressure
CBACB
C
Tech-Camp
6 Devon Road, Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong a technology day camp for students 12-17.
About Tech-Camp
Tech-Camp is a day camp with a focus on computers and electronic technology. We offer 2-week summer programmes for students of 12-17 years of age. We have a computer lab with the latest and fastest equipment, an electronics lab and a video production studio. Our staff is special, too. Our programme leaders are experts in computer and electronics, of course, but they are also people who care about children and enjoy working with them.
The Benefits of Tech-Camp
In all of our programmes, we show students how to work in teams and how to solve problems by themselves. We encourage them to think creatively(有创造性地).
What students will do at Tech-Camp
Each day Tech-camp is filled with useful, interesting and challenging activities. For example, in the Computer Programme, students lean the basic computer programming, and how to use the Internet. In the Tech-Camp Programme, they make radio-controlled model cars and produce their own short videos.
| Programme | Session 1 | Session 2 | Session 3 |
| Computer programme | 15June-26June | 15June-26June | 15June-26June |
| High-tech Programme | 29June-10July | 27July-7August | 15June-26July |
(10% discount for groups of 10 or more students)
For more information about Tech-Camp, please contact Director of Summer Programmes, Ms Julia Brown, by phone, fax or e-mail.
Telephone: 26548898 Fax: 26948850
E-mail: juliab@techcamp.comhk
66. What would you like to ask about if you phone Ms Julia Brown after reading this passage?
A. The time for application (申请)
B. The fee each student should pay
C. The e-mail address of Tech-Camp
D. What the students will do in the camp
67. According to the passage, how much will they pay if a group of 20 students enter for Tech-Camp?
A. HK $ 3, 600 B. HK $3,500 C. HK $36,000 D. HK $40,000
68. The passage is written to ______.
A. introduce to us some information about Tech-Camp
B. attract(吸引)students to take part in Tech-Camp
C. tell students something about computers
D. teach students how to use computers and electronics
69. If a student has time from June 4 to July 20 and he wants to take both the computer programme and the High-tech programme, which session should he take?
A. session 1 B. session 2 C. session 3 D. none
70. Which of following is not true about the Tech-Camp?
A. They have a very good computer lab.
B. People who work for the Camp enjoy working with children.
C. Students can do team work in the camp.
D. With the help of the experts the students don’t need to solve problems by themselves.
Driving to a friend’s house on a recent evening, I was struck by the sight of the full moon rising just above my friend’s rooftops, huge and round, yellow through the dust and smoke of the city. I stopped to watch it for a few moments, thinking what a pity it was that most city livers---myself included---usually miss sights like this because we spend most of our lives indoors.
My friend had also seen it. He grew up living in a forest in Europe, and the moon meant a lot to him then. It had touched much of his life.
I know the feeling. Last December I took my seven-year-old daughter to the mountainous jungle of northern India with some friends. We stayed in a forest rest house with no electricity or hot water. Our group had campfires outside every night, and indoors when it was too cold outside. The moon grew to its fullest during our trip. Between me and the high mountains lay three or four valleys. Not a light shone in them and not a sound could be heard. It was one of the quietest places I have ever known, a bottomless well of silence. And above me was the full moon.
Today our lives are connected with glass, metal, plastic and fiber-glass. We eat and breathe things our bodies were not designed to process. We have televisions, cell phones, pagers, electricity, heaters, air-conditioners, cars and computers. White noise and pollution is in the air. Radio waves and strange lights are constantly disturbing our minds and bodies.
Struggling through traffic that evening at the end of a tiring day, most of it spent indoors, I saw the moon and remembered these things. And I thought: before long, I would like to live in a small cottage. There I will grow vegetables and read books and walk in the mountains and perhaps write. I may grow old there. But I will be able to walk outside on a cold silent night and touch the moon.
【小题1】What was the author’s pity in this passage?
| A．Most people living in the city failed to see the beautiful moon. |
| B．There was too much pollution in the city. |
| C．There were too many modern inventions. |
| D．There was too much traffic on the road. |
| A．The mountainous jungle of India. | B．The fullest moon. |
| C．The high mountains in India. | D．All kinds of modern inventions. |
| A．Camping outside at night | B．Returning to the nature |
| C．Writing books | D．Watching the moon |
| A．Disadvantage of Living in Cities |
| B．The Pleasure of Being out at Night |
| C．Touched by the Moon |
| D．Pollution Caused by Modern Technology |
Cole Bettles had been rejected by a number of universities when he received an e-mail from the University of California, San Diego, last month, congratulating him on his admission and inviting him to tour the campus. His mother booked a hotel in San Diego, and the 18-year-old Ojai high school senior arranged for his grandfather, uncle and other family members to meet them at the campus for lunch during the Saturday tour.
“They were like ‘Oh my God, that’s so awesome （棒的）’， ” Bettles said. Right before he got in bed, he checked his e-mail one last time and found another message saying the school had made a mistake and his application had been denied.
In fact, all 28, 000 students turned away from UC San Diego, in one of the toughest college entrance seasons on record, had received the same incorrect message. The students’ hopes had been raised and then dashed （破灭） in a cruel twist that shows the danger of instant communications in the Internet age.
UCSD admissions director Mae Brown called it an “administrative error” but refused to say who had made the mistake, or if those responsible would be disciplined （受训）。
The e-mail, which began, “We’re thrilled that you’ve been admitted to UC San Diego, and we’re showcasing （展示） our beautiful campus on Admit Day, ” was sent to the full 46, 000 students who had applied, instead of just the 18, 000 who got in, Brown said.
The error was discovered almost immediately by her staff, who sent an apology within hours.
“It was really thrilling for a few hours; now he’s crushed （压垮）， ” said Cole’s mother, Tracy Bettles. “It’s really tough on them.”
The admissions director said she was in the office on Monday until midnight answering e-mails and phone calls from disappointed students and their parents. She said she took full responsibility for the error. “We accessed the wrong database. We recognize the incredible pain receiving this false encouragement caused. It was not our intent.”
【小题1】How many students received an admission e-mail from the University of California, San Diego （UCSD）？
A. 18, 000 B. 28, 000 C. 46, 000 D. 18
【小题2】 Which of the following statements is TRUE about the wrong e-mail message?
| A．The mistake was made on purpose to cause pain among the applicants. |
| B．It was UCSD admissions director Mae Brown who made the mistake. |
| C．UCSD admissions staff got information from the wrong database. |
| D．Staff did not discover the mistake until next Monday. |
| A．protect the person who made the mistake |
| B．punish herself for the mistake |
| C．make up for the mistake |
| D．help the disappointed students enter the university |
A. Cole Bettles was admitted to the UCSD.
B. Cole Bettles was rejected y a famous university.
C. USCD admissions office often makes “administration errors”。
D. False admission information raised the students’ hopes and then dashed them.
Catch yourself daydreaming while washing the dishes again? If this happens often you probably have a pretty capable working memory and a sharper brain, new research suggests.
This mind wandering, it seems, actually gives your working memory a workout. Working memory is the mental work space that allows the brain to juggle multiple thoughts at the same time. The more working memory a person has, the more daydreaming they can do without forgetting the task at hand.
Researchers studied groups of people from the University of Wisconsin－Madison community, ranging in age from 18 to 65. The volunteers were asked to perform simple tasks, like pressing a button every time they took a breath or clicking in response to a letter popping up on a computer screen; these tasks were so easy that their minds were likely to wander, the researchers figured.
The researchers checked in periodically, asking the participants if their minds were on task or wandering. When the task was over, they measured each participant's working memory capacity by having them remember letters while doing math questions. Though all participants performed well on the task, the researchers noticed that the individuals who indicated their minds had wandered more than others also scored higher on the working memory test.
“What this study seems to suggest is that, when circumstances for the task aren't very difficult, people who have additional working memory resources allocate them to think about things other than what they're doing，” said Jonathan Smallwood, a study researcher of the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitve and Brain Science.
When our minds run out of working memory, these off－topic thoughts can take the main stage without us consciously meaning them to; for instance, arriving at home with no memory of the actual trip, or suddenly realizing that they've turned several pages in a book without understanding any of the words.
“It's almost like your attention was so absorbed in the mind wandering that there wasn't any left over to remember your goal to read，” study researcher Daniel Levinson, said in a statement.
People with overall higher working memory were better able to stay focused when the task at hand required it. Those who had low working memory often had their thoughts drift away from the task, and did less well at it.
The findings add to past research suggesting these mind drifts can be positive moments. For instance, daydreaming has often been associated with creativity—researchers think that our most creative and inventive moments come when daydreaming. It's likely that the most intelligent among us also have high levels of working memory, Levinson noted.
【小题1】The word “juggle” in the second paragraph can be replaced by “________”．
| A．handle | B．search | C．understand | D．distribute |
| A．People who often have daydreams probably own a pretty capable working memory. |
| B．On the working memory test, people with wandering minds will get high score. |
| C．Absorbed in the mind wandering, your attention left no space for your goal. |
| D．Dealing with some easy jobs, people with higher working memory will daydream. |
| A．Mind drifts are always positive. |
| B．Daydreaming is good for the mind. |
| C．Creative moments come with working memory. |
| D．The more daydreaming, the more effectively one works. |
Bushwick is a tough place to grow up. This part of Brooklyn, in New York City, has a lot of crime. More than half of its 100,000 residents rely on aid from the government. Only 50% of students at Bushwick High School graduate in four years.
Some people might say, “We should help these poor kids who have so many challenges.” But Malaak Compton-Rock looks at the teens in Bushwick and says, “ Go to help kids who have even bigger challenges than you do.” She believes that once young people see the power they have to make things better, they can handle their own problems more easily. So her service group, the Angel Rock Project, took 30 Bushwick kids to Soweto, in South Africa, to help poor families there. Soweto is a township outside the city of Johannesburg. The effort, called Journey for Change, aims to show that any kid can change the world.
“Kids in Bushwick face pressure to drop out of school or become involved in gangs and drugs.” Says Compton-Rock. “We want them to live a life of purpose and service.”
In Soweto, many parents have died of AIDS, a deadly disease. When that happens, a grandparent or a child must lead the family. The Bushwick volunteers helped such families. They tended vegetable gardens, cared for babies and bought groceries.
“The saddest thing was when we visited an orphanage (孤儿院) and I helped a little boy who had been abandoned because he had HIV, the virus that causes AIDS,” says Queen Clyde, 12. “It‘s been good to be on this trip. But what’s also important is what we do when it’s finished. That’s what counts.” “ I never appreciated what I had until I saw some people who had nothing,” says Sadara Lewis, 12 “It’s really changed my attitude. I want to make a difference.”
The trip was two weeks long. But the kids, aged 12 to 15, will spend all year speaking about their experience, fund-raising and more.
【小题1】What’s the main idea of the first paragraph?
| A．Bushwick is the poorest place in New York City. |
| B．Bushwick still needs more care from the government. |
| C．It is children who suffer most in New York City. |
| D．Children in Bushwick are living in a bad situation. |
| A．have few challenges |
| B．should be kept out of schools |
| C．can learn to deal with their own problems by helping others |
| D．are living much better than people in Africa |
| A．may have bigger challenges |
| B．receive no care from the government |
| C．are much more independent |
| D．are able to lead the family |
| A．God helps those who help themselves |
| B．saying and doing are two things |
| C．one stone kills two birds |
| D．a friend in need is a friend indeed |
| A．there are few students in Bushwick High School |
| B．the trip to Soweto will have a long influence in spite of its short time. |
| C．most children are suffering from AIDS in Soweto |
| D．kids with HIV will be abandoned in Soweto |