A new enemy is threatening Japanese traditions: leisure(闲暇). As part of its attempt to increase imports, the government is trying to get people to work less and spend more. The workers are disgusted.

The figures support the western prejudice(偏见) that the Japanese are all work and no play. Trying to force workers away from their desks and machines, the government said last April that the country should cut down from its 2,100 hours average work year to 1,899 hours and a five-day week by 1992. Beginning in February, banks and stock markets will be closed on Saturdays, staff of civil service will be forced out of their offices two Saturdays a month. The government hopes that others will follow that practice.

But some persuasion will be needed. Small companies are very angry about it and they fear competitors may not cut hours. The unions are no happier: they have even advertised in newspapers arguing their case against the foreign pressure that is forcing leisure upon them. They say that shorter hours are a disguised(隐性的) pay cut. The industrialists, who have no objection to the government’s plans, admit that shorter hours will help them cut costs. Younger Japanese who are supposed to be acting against their hard-working parents, show no sign of wanting time off, either. But unlike older workers, they do spend money in their spare time. Not content with watching television, they dance, dress up, sit in cafes, go to pop concerts and generally drive the leisure-industry boom. Now that they know how to consume, maybe the West can teach them to relax and enjoy themselves, too.

The purpose of getting the Japanese to have more spare time is that           .

    A.the government wants to show more concern for the health of the people

    B.the government needs to get more goods from abroad

    C.the Japanese have been working too hard

    D.the Japanese hope to change the western prejudice

The group of people who welcome the shorter-hour system in Japan is           .

    A.the small companies          B.the industrialists

    C.the unions                   D.the younger generation

The unions think that           .

    A.the shorter hours they work, the higher pay the can get

    B.the more they work, the less leisure they can enjoy

    C.the shorter hours they work, the less pay they can have

    D.the greater pressure the government is forcing on them, the less happy they can be

The best title for this passage can be           .

    A.Oh no! Not Saturday Again!   B.Leisure: the Greatest Threat!

    C.Enjoy While You are Young!   D.Less Work and More Play!

June 27, 2010, is the 130th anniversary of the birth of Helen Keller, and each year the week in which her birthday falls is recognized as Deaf-Blind Awareness Week (海伦凯勒周). In honor of Helen Keller—and other members of the deaf-blind community, this week is devoted to the deaf-blind.

Every year the last week of June is devoted to one thing – recognition of the deaf-blind people in our midst. While the purpose of Deaf-Blind Awareness Week is to show respect for Helen Keller, the deaf-blind woman who was born that week, the week focuses on increasing public awareness and understanding of deaf-blindness.

According to the Helen Keller National Center (HKNC), about 70,000 people have hearing and vision loss. More than ten years ago, Deaf-Blind Awareness

Week became an event officially recognized by the Federal government.

The story of Helen Keller is well known. Born on June 27, 1880, the healthy baby was developing normally. But at the age of 19 months, an illness left her deaf and blind. When Helen was six, her equally famous teacher, Anne Sullivan, was able to teach her to communicate. Helen Keller went on to do well in all aspects of her life: graduating from college with honors and writing, lecturing, and inspiring people worldwide.

Which of the following is NOT the purpose of Deaf-Blind Awareness Week according to the passage?

  A. To show respect for Helen Keller’s teacher, Anne Sullivan.

  B. To show respect for Helen Keller.

C. To increase public awareness of deaf-blindness.

  D. To increase public understanding of deaf-blindness.

When is Deaf-Blind Awareness Week?

  A. June 27, 2007.   B. The last week of June ten years ago.

C. June 27, 1880.   D. The last week of June every year.

According to the passage, Helen Keller______.

  A. was born deaf and blind    B. did not do very well in college

  C. was taught to communicate at the age of 16

  D. inspired people all over the world with her books and lectures

What might be the best title for the passage?

  A. Deaf-Blind Awareness Week        B. Helen Keller 

  C. The Helen Keller National Center    D. Anne Sullivan

Parking has long been a major headache for drivers in Shanghai. The Transportation Department is mapping out a new plan for the city’s parking system. There are one million cars on the road in Shanghai but only enough public parking space to provide room for 15 percent of these vehicles. It is no wonder that local drivers get so worried trying to find a place to park.

The city is seeing a rise in private car owners. In March, the city sent out 2,000 private car licenses, the highest number of licenses ever sent out in a month. And prices rose to 14,600 yuan, 500 more than in February. Industry experts say this suggests that local people have a strong, active interest in buying cars.

By the year 2020, the number of automobiles in Shanghai will probably reach two million. If one parking lot is for each car, then a lot of parking space should be built for these vehicles.

Downtown Shanghai is most short of parking space. However, experts point out that simply building more parking lots in downtown areas is not practical and doesn’t provide an ideal solution. The idea of “ Park & Ride” system has been suggested. This means that drivers can leave their vehicles in car parks nearby subway or bus stations and ride public transport to go downtown. Based on this idea, the city will limit the number of parking lots in downtown areas and demand higher parking fees but build more parking areas near main subway and bus stops.

The underlined phrase “mapping out” in the first paragraph means __________.

A. making       B. arguing              C. commanding           D. requesting

About __________ drivers can find places to park their cars in Shanghai now.

A. 850,000      B. 1,000,000            C. 150,000          D. 2,000,000

What can we infer from the second paragraph?

A. The city sent out more private licenses in February.

B. Less and less people bought cars in March.

C. The city sent out less private licenses in March.

D. More and more people are going to buy cars.

According to the idea of a “ Park & Ride ” system, the city will __________.

A. send out more private car licenses

B. build more parking lots near bus stops

C. encourage people to buy more cars

D. build more parking areas downtown

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