Is it time to kick Russia out of the BRICs (金砖四国)? If so, it may end up sounding like a famous ball-point pen maker-BIC. An argument is being made that Goldman Sach’s famous marketing device(策略),the BRICs, should really be the BICs.

“Is Russia really worth the name BRICs?” asks Anders Aslund, senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics, in an article for Foreigh Policy. Aslund, who is also co-author with Andrew Kuchins of “The Russian Balance Sheet”, thinks the Russia of Putin and Medvedev is just not worthy of inclusion alongside Brazil, India and China in the list of future economic powerhouses. He writes:

“The country’s economic performance has fallen to such a weak level that one must ask whether it has any say at all on the global economy, compared with the other members of its group. I have just returned from Moscow, which is always dull around this season. For the last seven years, Russia has taken very few measures to improve its economy. Instead, the state has been living on oil and gas. ”

Economically, Aslund has the numbers on his side. The International Monetary Fund figures that the Russian economy will fall by 6.7 percent in 2009, while China will grow 8.5 percent and India 5.4 percent. There is less of a case for Brazil, with a fall of 0.7 percent, but it is still doing

far better than Russia.

But the BRICs are not just about economy. As is mentioned above, it is a marketing device to encourage investors to focus on the big promising players. From an investment standpoint, it could be argued that Russia is leading the BRICs. Its stock(股票)market is up 128 percent this year while around 80 percent is for the other three.

At very least, however, Russia’s economic underperformance and stock market outperfoumance does suggest it is indeed one of the group.

According to the passage, which country will enjoy the biggest increase in 2009?

       A.China.      B.Russia.     C.Brazil.      D.India.

According to Aslund, Russia shouldn’t be a BRIC partly because_______.

       A.Russia’s economic performance is far worse than the other three

       B.Russia’s leaders are not good at managing economy

       C.Russia has taken effective measures to improve its economy

       D.Russia will no longer attract investors from other countries

From the passage we know that ________.

      A.Anders Aslund is working for the Russian government

       B.Russia outperfoumed the other three countries in stock market

       C.most people disagree Russia is included in BRICs

       D.the BRICs would end up being the BICs sooner or later

The author seems to ________.

       A.suggest it’s time to kick Russia out of the BRICs?

       B.feel worried about the economy of the BRICs

       C.think Russia is worth being one of the group

       D.show disappointment to Russia’s economy

Is it time to kick Russia out of the BRICs (金砖四国)? If so, it may end up sounding like a famous ball-point pen maker-BIC. An argument is being made that Goldman Sach’s famous marketing device(策略),the BRICs, should really be the BICs.
“Is Russia really worth the name BRICs?” asks Anders Aslund, senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics, in an article for Foreigh Policy. Aslund, who is also co-author with Andrew Kuchins of “The Russian Balance Sheet”, thinks the Russia of Putin and Medvedev is just not worthy of inclusion alongside Brazil, India and China in the list of future economic powerhouses. He writes:
“The country’s economic performance has fallen to such a weak level that one must ask whether it has any say at all on the global economy, compared with the other members of its group. I have just returned from Moscow, which is always dull around this season. For the last seven years, Russia has taken very few measures to improve its economy. Instead, the state has been living on oil and gas. ”
Economically, Aslund has the numbers on his side. The International Monetary Fund figures that the Russian economy will fall by 6.7 percent in 2009, while China will grow 8.5 percent and India 5.4 percent. There is less of a case for Brazil, with a fall of 0.7 percent, but it is still doing
far better than Russia.
But the BRICs are not just about economy. As is mentioned above, it is a marketing device to encourage investors to focus on the big promising players. From an investment standpoint, it could be argued that Russia is leading the BRICs. Its stock(股票)market is up 128 percent this year while around 80 percent is for the other three.
At very least, however, Russia’s economic underperformance and stock market outperfoumance does suggest it is indeed one of the group.
【小题1】According to the passage, which country will enjoy the biggest increase in 2009?

A.China.B.Russia.C.Brazil.D.India.
【小题2】According to Aslund, Russia shouldn’t be a BRIC partly because_______.
A.Russia’s economic performance is far worse than the other three
B.Russia’s leaders are not good at managing economy
C.Russia has taken effective measures to improve its economy
D.Russia will no longer attract investors from other countries
【小题3】From the passage we know that ________.
A.Anders Aslund is working for the Russian government
B.Russia outperfoumed the other three countries in stock market
C.most people disagree Russia is included in BRICs
D.the BRICs would end up being the BICs sooner or later
【小题4】The author seems to ________.
A.suggest it’s time to kick Russia out of the BRICs?
B.feel worried about the economy of the BRICs
C.think Russia is worth being one of the group
D.show disappointment to Russia’s economy

In a surprising discovery about where higher life can survive, scientists have found a shrimp -like creature and a jellyfish swimming beneath an Antarctic ice sheet.
About 180 meters below the ice where no light can get through, scientists had figured nothing much more than a few microbes (微生物) could exist.
That’s why a NASA team was surprised when they lowered a video camera to get the first long look at the underbelly of an ice sheet in Antarctica. A curious shrimp-like creature came swimming by and then parked itself on the camera’s cable. Scientists also pulled up a tentacle (触须) they believe came from a jellyfish.
“We were operating on the presumption that nothing’s there.” said NASA ice scientist Robert Bindschadler. “It was a shrimp you’d enjoy having on your plate.”
“We were just gaga (狂热的) over it,” he said when talking about the 7.5cm long, orange creature starring in their two-minute video. Technically, it’s not a shrimp. It’s a Lyssianasid amphipod, which is distantly related to the shrimp.
The video is likely to inspire experts to rethink what they know about life in harsh environments. And it has scientists thinking that if shrimp-like creatures can live below 180 meters of Antarctic ice in freezing dark water, what about other cold places? What about Europa, a frozen moon of Jupiter?
Cynan Ellis – Evans, a scientist of the British Antarctic Survey called the finding fascinating. He said it was possible the creatures swam in from far away and don’t live there permanently.
But Kim, who is a co-author of the study, doubts it. “The site in West Antarctica is at least 19 km from open seas. Bindschadler drilled a 20 cm-wide hole and was looking at a tiny amount of water. That means it’s unlikely that two creatures swam from great distances and were captured randomly in that small area,” she said.
“Yet scientists were puzzled at what the food source would be for these creatures. While some microbes can make their own food out of chemicals in the ocean, complex life like the shrimp can’t,” Kim said.
“So how do they survive? That’s the key question.” Kim said.
“It’s pretty amazing when you find a huge puzzle like that on a planet where we thought we know everything.” Kim said.
【小题1】. Scientists had believed that harsh environments could only have been populated by ______ .

A.jellyfishB.mammals C.microbesD.shrimp-like creatures
【小题2】According to Kim, the shrimp-like creature _________ .
A.swam great distances to AntarcticB.has always lived in the area
C.gradually evolved from shrimpsD.has nothing in common with shrimps
【小题3】The finding is significant in that __________.
A.it marks NASA’S first Antarctic biological study
B.it proves there is marine life in the Antarctic
C.it could inspire further study of life in harsh environments
D.it shows that Lyssianasid amphipod is closely related to shrimps
【小题4】. The last three paragraphs suggest that __________.
A.researchers will look at the places the creatures came from
B.ice scientists will drill deeper to find more creatures
C.scientists know very little about the planet they live on
D.further research will be done about what the creatures live on


The Jonas Brothers are an American pop-rock band from Wyckoff,New Jersey.Born to musical parents.the Jonas Brothers grew up in a home where music was a large part of everyday life.Father Kevin Jonas,Sr.is the co-founder of Christ For The Nations Music,as well as a pastor(牧师)at a local church,in Wyckoff, NJ.Growing up in such a musically accomplished family gave the boys a love for music,as well as a bit of inside knowledge about the workings of the music industry.
19-year-old Kevin Jonas is the oldest of the three boys.At 13,Kevin taught himself to play me guitar, simply by studying a “Teach Yourself Guitar” book that he had found lying around his parents’home in New Jersey.Kevin spent about three days learning all of the major guitar chords(和弦)while he was home from school,due to illness.Even before their band was formed,Kevin had already appeared in several television commercials for Disney, Lego,and Burger King.
Joseph Jonas is 17 years old.While Joe originally wanted to be a comedian,he always had a love for music as well.Joe’s appearance in Baz Luhrmann’s Broadway production of“La Boheme” was his first performance as a singer.Joe said that watching his brother, Kevin,perform on Broadway was what motivated him to want to give musical theatre a try.Since discovering his talent for musical performances,Joe has never turned back.
Nick Jonas is 14 years old, and the youngest of the three Jonas Brothers.Despite his young age, he is sometimes referred to as the motivation behind the band. At 6 Nick was singing while getting his hair cut at a local barber shop, when a lady heard him, and gave him a card, suggesting that he should meet with a professional manager. From then on Nick was performing in front of audiences, big and small. Nick landed roles in Broadway shows like “Annie Get Your Gun”, “Beauty and the Beast”, and “Les Miserables”.
64.Kevin Jonas learned to play the guitar         
A.by himself                 B.from his father
C.at a music school           D.under his teacher’s guidance
65.Joseph Jonas decided to try singing on stage because      
A.he had longed to do so since his childhood
B.his parents wanted the brothers to sing together
C.he was invited to act in a show at a local theatre
D.Kevin’s performance on Broad way inspired him
66.From the passage,we can infer that     
A.the barber decided to give Nick Jonas a free hair cut
B.the owner of the shop considered Nick Jonas a VIP
C.Nick Jonas was advised to discuss his future career
D.Nick Jonas’handsome appearance attracted a woman
67.The passage is intended to      .
A.offer readers information about the Jonas Brothers
B.prove strong family ties combine the boys together
C.explain why the three brothers began singing together
D.show how the boys are different from one another

In a surprising discovery about where higher life can survive, scientists have found a shrimp —— like creature and a jellyfish swimming beneath an Antarctic ice sheet.

About 180 meters below the ice where no light can get through, scientists had thought nothing much more than a few microbes (微生物) could exist.

That’s why a NASA team was surprised when they lowered a video camera to get the first long look at the underbelly of an ice sheet in Antarctica. A curious shrimp – like creature came swimming by and then parked itself on the camera’s cable. Scientists also pulled up a tentacle (触须) they believe came from a jellyfish.

“We were operating on the presumption that nothing’s there.” Said NASA ice scientist Robert Bindschadler. “It was a shrimp you’d enjoy having on your plate.”

“We were just gaga (狂热的) over it,” he said of the 7.5cm long, orange creature starring in their two – minute video. Technically, it’s not a shrimp. It’s a Lyssianasid amphipod, which is distantly related to the shrimp.

The video is likely to inspire experts to rethink what they know about life in harsh environments. And it has scientists thinking that if shrimp – like creatures can live below 180 meters of Antarctic ice in freezing dark water, what about other cold places? What about Europa, a frozen moon of Jupiter?

Cynan Ellis – Evans, a scientist of the British Antarctic Survey called the finding fascinating. He said it was possible the creatures swam in from far away and don’t live there permanently.

But Kim, who is a co-author of the study, doubts it. “The site in West Antarctica is at least 19 km from open seas. Bindschadler drilled a 20 cm – wide hole and was looking at a tiny amount of water. That means it’s unlikely that two creatures swam from great distances and were captured randomly in that small of an area,” she said.

Yet scientist were puzzled at what the food source would be for these creatures. While some microbes can make their own food out of chemicals in the ocean, complex life like the shrimp can’t, Kim said.

“So how do they survive? That’s the key question.” Kim Sai.

“It’s pretty amazing when you find a huge puzzle like that on a planet where we thought we know everything.” Kim said.

1. What does the underlined word “harsh” probably mean?

A. cold           B. loud          C. cruel           D. ugly

2. According to Kim, the shrimp – like creature        .

A. swam great distances to Antarctic                B. has always lived in the region

C. gradually evolved from shrimps                    D. has nothing in common with shrimps

3. The finding is significant in that           .

A. it marks NASA’S first Antarctic biological study

B. it proves there is marine life in the Antarctic

C. it could inspire further study of life in harsh environments

D. it shows that Lyssianasid amphipod is closely related to shrimps

4. Which of the following statements about the discovery is FALSE?

A. Complex life usually lives on other forms of life.

B. Scientists saw two creatures in the two – minute video.

C. It is possible for creatures to live 180 meters below the ice though there is no light.

D. Scientists captured the shrimp – like creature in a camera by drilling a hole through the ice.

 

 

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