题目内容

Many of the world’s countries have reached or are approaching zero population growth (ZPG) .Nearly all such lands are economically well developed.They include much of Europe(including Russia),the United States,Canada,Japan.and Australia.As the rate of natural increase(RNI)declines,two things happen.First,the population begins to decline if the loss is not balanced by immigration.Second,a country’s population ages because there are fewer births.

Is achieving ZPG good or bad? What happens when a country’s population begins to drop? Many people,after all,believe that population decline is a good thing.But is it good for everyone? Does everyone agree?

An aging population can create many problems.Senior citizens require more health care and medical attention.Rather than paying into retirement programs,they begin to draw from their pensions.In the US,the Social Security program,according to many experts,will be used up by 2018.It will pay out more money than it takes in.Additionally, a great number of jobs go begging in search of people willing or entry。level positions that pay low wages.With an able to do them.Many of these jobs are aging population,who will fill them? At the other extreme,some positions require a large number of training and highly specialized skills.Who will fill these positions as retirees leave the workforce?

The answer to the problem of declining and aging population is simple:increased migration.Today many people,particularly those from less developed countries,are migrating in search of employment.Many are willing to take jobs that cannot(or will not) be filled by the domestic population.Others are well educated and highly skilled.Both groups contribute to a country’s economy progress in many ways.Further, they add to the richness of a country’s culture.Of greatest importance,perhaps,is the fact that they have become absolutely necessary to the economy of many lands.As you can see,for many countries and for most immigrants,migration is a win—win situation.

1.In the writer’s view,which of the following statements is TRUE?

A.Not everyone agrees that achieving ZPG is absolutely good.

B.Achieving ZPG is every country’s aim in spite of its side effects.

C.Achieving ZPG is bad for senior citizens.

D.Achieving ZPG is good for employment.

2. According to the passage,the best way to solve the problem of declining and aging population is .

A.to improve the health care system B.to increase RNI

C.to increase employment D.to increase migration

3.The underlined words “the domestic population’’ can be replaced by .

A.people within the country B.people from developing countries

C.people without a college education D.people living abroad

4.The main idea of the last paragraph is

A.the advantages of increased migration

B.the problem of declining and aging population

C.how to increase migration

D.some ways to enrich a country’s culture

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Marjorie Baer used to joke about her retirement plans.She wasn't married and had no kids, but she didn't intend to be alone—she and all her single friends would move into a fictional home she called Casa de Biddies.Instead, Baer developed terminal brain cancer when she was 52.But just as she'd hoped, her friends and family provided her with love and care to the end.

Ballance was only the first of Baer's friends who became her unofficial caregivers.With her brother Phil Baer from Los Angeles, they worked out a system to watch over their friend and allow her to keep some of the privacy and independence she cherished.

Baer's good friend Ruth Henrich took Baer to doctors' appointments and helped her deal with all the aspects of life —answering machines, TV controls, and even phone numbers.After Henrich sent out an e-mail request, a group of volunteers signed up to ferry Baer back and forth to radiation therapy(放疗).Others in Baer's circle offered up particular talents: A nurse friend helped Baer figure out how to get what she was due from Social Security and her disability insurance; a lawyer pal helped Baer with her will; a partner who was an accountant took over her bills when she could no longer manage them."There was this odd sense that the right person always showed up," says Ballance.Their arrangement worked remarkably well.

Unmarried women are one of the fastest-growing groups in America; experts are concerned about how care-giving will be managed for them as they age.If the experience of Baer's friends is a guide, the Internet will play a role.It's already making it possible to create communities of caregivers who may have only one thing in common: the person who needs their help.On personal "care pages" set up through services such as Lotsa Helping Hands, friends and family members can post a list of tasks that need to be done, volunteer to do them, and keep updated on the person's condition.As Baer's cancer progressed, for example, her friends set up a page on Yahoo! where people could sign up to deliver meals or do errands(差事).

Catherine Fox, one of the friends who were present when Baer died, was deeply affected."It was so comforting to know that if you're willing to ask for help, the generosity of family and friends can be phenomenal(显著的).It makes me feel secure and hopeful to know that help is there when you need it."

1.The most appropriate title of this passage should be ______.

A.On her own, but not alone

B.A friend in need is a friend indeed

C.A new practice of American government

D.A phenomenal advantage of the Internet

2.Who helped Marjorie Baer get her disability insurance?

A.Ruth Henrich. B.Her brother.

C.A nurse friend. D.Ballance.

3.The underlined part in paragraph four suggests that the Internet will ______.

A.play a role in American future pension system

B.provide online medical care for aged unmarried women

C.help manage care-giving for unmarried women as they age

D.help those aged unmarried women to kill their spare time

4.The writer tells us the story of Marjorie Baer for the purpose of ______.

A.reminding us to be kind and make as many friends as we can

B.informing that there will be a new trend of care-giving for the single elderly

C.persuading us that we can enjoy our retirement even if we don’t have a child

D.introducing the convenience that will be brought by the Internet after we retire

He was once referred to as the Picasso of poetry. Beloved by Chileans of all classes, he is one of the most widely read and respected poets in history. And this year is the 100th birthday of Pablo Neruda(1904—1973).

Born with the name Neftali Ricardo Reyes Basolto, he was a tall, shy and lonely boy. He loved to read and started to write poetry when he was ten. The American poet Walt Whitman, whose framed picture Neruda later kept on his table became a major influence on his work.

However, his father did not like the idea of having a poet for a son and tried to discourage him from writing. To cover up (掩饰) the publication of his first poem, he took the pen name Pablo Neruda.

In 1924 Neruda gained fame with his most widely read work “Twenty Love Poems and a Song of Despair.” Yet his rich experience as a diplomat and exile(流犯) made him go beyond the theme of love. His work also reflected the political struggle of the left and development of South America. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1971.

Neruda loved the sea which he saw as creative, destructive and forever moving. He found inspiration in the power and freedom of the waves and the seabirds on the coast. “I need the sea because it teaches me,” he wrote. “I move in the university of the waves.” He loved how the sea forever renewed itself, a renewal echoed in his work.

1. The underlined word “Picasso” can probably be replaced by“________”.

A. most important person

B. famous person from Picasso

C. freedom fighter in Picasso

D. poem fans

2. Neftali Ricardo Reyes Basolto took the pen name Pablo Neruda because________.

A. literary greats usually used the pen name

B. his father encouraged him to use the name

C. he wanted to prevent his father knowing the publication

D. he was greatly influenced by other poets

3. Which of the following is not the theme of his works?

A. Love. B. Political struggle.

C. Social reform. D. Development of South America.

4. The last paragraph mainly tells us________.

A. the sea gave Neruda vast writing inspiration

B. the beautiful scenery along the Chile coast

C. Neruda's poems were widely read overseas

D. Neruda loved to write his poems near the sea

Three-dimensional printers are fast becoming everyday devices in the United States. Three-D printers are used to make everything from automobile parts to bone replacements for human patients. American research scientists are now working on creating replacements for living tissue.

Researchers at the Medical University of South Carolina have been working on creating and manufacturing living tissue since 2003.This process is called biofabrication (生物制造) . It requires special printing equipment and a special kind of ink.

Traditional printers require ink to produce an image or design on a piece of paper. For their three-D printer, the South Carolina researchers prepare complex nutritious solutions they call bio-inks. Bio-inks are made of proteins and glucose (葡萄糖) , which normally provides energy for most cells of the body. The researchers also add living cells taken from the animal that will receive the new, printed tissue. The bio-inks are then added to a device that researchers call the Palmetto bio-printer.

Sarah Grace Dennis is one of the researchers at the Medical University of South Carolina. She says new technology, like the Palmetto bio-printer, is a great help to the biofabrication process.

The bio-inks are placed in three dispensers (分配器) , containers, inside the printer. Lasers control both the position of the printing surface and the places where the bio-ink is released.

Michael Yost is a leader of the research team. He says the printing process is fully automated— machine-operated. He says that the Palmetto bio-printer makes it possible to create complex tissue types.

The researchers say bio-printing is still experimental. But they hope in a few years they may be able to print tissue to replace damaged human organs.

But there are still some problems which need to be solved. Some scientists worry about how to get blood to the replacement tissue. The flow of blood is important to keep the printed tissue alive.

Michael Yost hopes that more people will believe in the benefits of biofabrication.

“Tissue biofabrication is a reality, and it is a reality now, and if you come here and you get to see it. You will get to see it. You can’t touch it, but you will see it and think this is real. And this is really human.”

1.What can we know about the bio-inks?

A.They are the necessities of bio-printing.

B.They only contain proteins and glucose.

C.They can be placed in the traditional printers.

D.They are available in our local drugstores.

2.Which of the following is one of the concerns with biofabrication?

A.Researchers can’t find enough living cells of animals to make the bio-inks.

B.The price of the bio-printer is too high and most people can’t afford it.

C.Scientists have some difficulty in getting the blood to the replacement tissue.

D.People are worried about the safety of the biofabrication process.

3.According to Michael Yost, we can infer that .

A.the Palmetto bio-printer can work without power

B.the Palmetto bio-printer has been used to treat the patients

C.the Palmetto bio-printer can only be found in the United States

D.the Palmetto bio-printer will have a bright future in medical use

4.The passage mainly tells us about .

A.the three-D printer and its working principles

B.the bio-inks and their use in bio-printing

C.the spread use of the bio-printer in the USA

D.the growing demand for biofabrication

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