Most Americans get what money they have from their work; that is, they earn an income from wages or salaries. The richest Americans, however, get most of their money from what they own — their stocks, bonds, real estate, and other forms of property, or wealth. Although there are few accurate statistics to go by, wealth in American society appears to be concentrated in very few hands. More than 20 percent of everything that can be privately owned is held by less than one percent of the adult population and more than 75 percent of all wealth is owned by 20 percent of American adults. The plain fact is that most Americans have no wealth at all aside from their homes, automobiles, and a small amount of savings.

Income in the United States is not as highly concentrated as wealth. In 1917 the richest 10 percent of American families received 26.1 percent of all income, while the poorest 10 percent received 17 percent, mainly from Social Security and other government payments. The most striking aspect of income distribution is that it has not changed significantly since the end of World War II. Although economic growth has roughly doubled real disposable (可自由使用的) family income (the money left after taxes and adjusted for inflation) over the last generation, the size of the shares given to the rich and the poor is about the same. By any measure economic inequality is great in the United States.

The reality behind these statistics is that a large number of Americans are poor. In 1918, 14 percent of the population was living below the federal government’s poverty line, which at that time was an annual income of $ 9 287 for a nonfarm family of two adults and two children. In other words, about one out of seven Americans over 31 million people was officially considered unable to buy the basic necessities of food, clothes, and shelter. The suggested poverty line in 1981 would have been an income of about $11 200 for a family of four. By this relative definition, about 20 percent of the population or more than 45 million Americans are poor.

1. What does the majority of the Americans have in terms of wealth?

A. Their income and savings.

B. Everything they own in their homes.

C. Actually, they have no wealth at all.

D. Their house, cars and small amounts of savings.

2. What is the percentage of wealth that is in the hands of most Americans?

A. More than 25%.               B. Less than 25%.

C. More than 75%.         D. Less than 20%.

3. Why is economic inequality still great in the US in spite of the economic growth?

A. Because the proportion of income received by the rich and the poor remains almost the same as in 1917.

B. Because the economic growth has widened the gap of the family income between the rich and the poor.

C. Because income in the US is still concentrated in the hands of the richest 10% of American families.

D. Because some Americans made great fortunes during the Second World War.

4. What can we learn from comparison of the two poverty lines in the last paragraph?

A. The poverty line of 1918 is more favorable to the poor than that of 1981.

B. The 1981 line didn’t leave much to the poor.

C. There were more Americans who were officially poor by the 1981 line.

D. There were more Americans who were officially poor by the 1918 line.

5. From the last two sentences we can see that 1981 government’s poverty line _______.

A. was of no good for the poor     B. was not put into operation then

C. was officially approved           D. was not helpful to the poor

All the definitions(定义) and facts in a dictionary or book do not convey what friendship is really about. It cannot be understood through   36 . The only way to understand friendship is through experience, which   37  all the senses.

Friendship can be seen. It is seen in an old couple sitting in the park holding hands. It is seen in a child freely   38  the last cookie. It is not   39  to see friendship; it is always there for eyes that can see.

Friendship can be heard. It is heard in the words of two friends squeezing in lunch together on an extremely   40  day although they have a lot of things to do. It is the way they   41  each other, not the words. Friendship can be heard by those willing to listen.

Friendship is   42  in a touch. It is a pat on the back from a teammate, a high five between classes, and the wet kiss from the family dog. The touch   43  more than words or gestures. It is   44  understood and clearly shows the feelings.

Friendship has a taste. It tastes like homemade bread: the ingredients all measured and planned, then carefully   45 , then the quiet   46  as the dough(生面团) rises. Hot from the oven, the bread tastes more than the sum of its ingredients   47  there are the thoughts of the baker as her hands mix the flour or her   48  as she waits for the dough to rise.  49  and unmeasured, this is the ingredient that   50 . Warm, fresh from the oven, the difference you taste is   51 .

Friendship has a smell. It smells like the slightly burnt cookies your brother made especially for you. It smells like your home when   52  it after being away for a long tome. Friendship has   53  smells.

Finally, more than the other senses, friendship is a(n)  54  of the heart. It is the language of the heart --- a language that, whether seen, felt, heard, or tasted, is understood by the   55 . Like air fills the lungs, friendship fills the heart, allowing us to experience the best life has to offer: a friend.

1.                A.reading         B.studying        C.words    D.gestures

 

2.                A.expects        B.involves        C.affects   D.expresses

 

3.                A.eating          B.holding         C.choosing  D.sharing

 

4.                A.common        B.formal          C.difficult   D.private

 

5.                A.busy           B.tough          C.bad  D.important

 

6.                A.look at         B.talk to          C.care for   D.play with

 

7.                A.felt            B.given           C.discovered    D.remembered

 

8.                A.understands     B.explains        C.communicates D.knows

 

9.                A.perfectly       B.instantly        C.hopefully D.thankfully

 

10.               A.tasted          B.prepared       C.mixed D.supplied

 

11.               A.waiting         B.working        C.change    D.competition

 

12.               A.and           B.because        C.until  D.unless

 

13.               A.patience        B.confidence      C.tolerance  D.dependence

 

14.               A.Unfinished      B.Uncovered      C.Unseen   D.Unmoved

 

15.               A.comes to life    B.makes the difference  C.makes sense   D.takes effect

 

16.               A.happiness       B.comfort        C.friendship D.hardship

 

17.               A.winning back    B.stepping into    C.helping out D.carrying on

 

18.               A.strong         B.strange         C.natural    D.various

 

19.               A.experience     B.thought        C.reward    D.result

 

20.               A.partners        B.senses         C.heart D.family

 

 

I became lame(瘸的)in both legs in my childhood. I can’t stand   36  the support of two sticks. Only in my wheelchair can I “   37  ”.

I still remember the first day at   38 . When I appeared at the door, 39   in the classroom stared(凝视)at me in   40 . My face turned   41 . I couldn’t help  42 back. It was the    43  and sympathy(同情)in their eyes that   44  me doing so. I went shyly towards an unoccupied (空的) seat.

Being lame, I didn’t dare (敢) to   45  in front of my classmates. I was afraid that I might be   46  at. In those days I was very sad to see others walking   47 .

One day, a few students came up to me and asked me to go outside. I was really   48 . They encouraged me with a(n)   49  smile and   50  me in my wheelchair from place to place. I was   51  to them for giving me a chance to see the   52  of our lovely school with my own eyes.

After that we often read, played and talked together. My friends are always   53   to help me. It made me   54  I am handicapped (残疾的).

Once they asked me, “What is the most beautiful thing in our school?” Without hesitation (犹豫) I said, “It is the   55 . ”

1.                A.with           B.without         C.under    D.on

 

2.                A.walk           B.run            C.sit   D.stand

 

3.                A.school         B.wheelchair      C.home    D.hospital

 

4.                A.he             B.she            C.everyone D.nobody

 

5.                A.thought         B.interest         C.anger    D.surprise

 

6.                A.red            B.brown          C.white D.black

 

7.                A.entering        B.hiding          C.coming   D.turning

 

8.                A.feeling         B.kindness        C.sorrow   D.pain

 

9.                A.made          B.stopped        C.kept D.let

 

10.               A.walk           B.study          C.practice   D.speak

 

11.               A.laughed        B.smiled         C.stared D.looked

 

12.               A.sadly           B.slowly          C.happily    D.shyly

 

13.               A.brave          B.sad            C.hurt  D.excited

 

14.               A.honest         B.friendly         C.luckily D.handsome

 

15.               A.pushed         B.placed         C.drew D.pulled

 

16.               A.satisfied        B.sorry          C.loyal D.thankful

 

17.               A.signs           B.sights          C.labs  D.students

 

18.               A.ready          B.smart          C.wise  D.unwilling

 

19.               A.forget          B.remember      C.imagine   D.think

 

20.               A.teachers        B.schoolyard      C.classmates D.friendship

 

 

Two Christmas traditions have come under attack in recent years from environmentalists: Christmas cards and Christmas trees.

Paper cards are seen as wasteful and, for some people, going card-free is another way of going green. They also argue that in a world of e-mail, Skype, Facebook and Twitter, people are in touch all the time anyway; they no longer need the yearly card that connects them with long lost friends. If you want to send Christmas greetings, there are free e-cards, which get the job done with no postage or wasted paper.

However, especially for people who didn’t grow up with e-mail, there is something missing from a Christmas e-mail. The first Christmas cards appeared in London in 1843 and were designed by the same man who had introduced the world’s first postage stamp three years earlier. His name was Sir Henry Cole.

They rose in popularity throughout the 20th century. Many people sent cards that were sold for charity. The most famous of these are the ones sold for UNICEF. In the UK this year, in the three weeks before Christmas, the post office expects to handle 100 million cards every day. Environmental awareness also means that nowadays many people recycle their cards; this helps raise money to plant more trees, as well as recreating more paper.

When we think of trees at Christmas, there is one that immediately springs(跃入)mind---the evergreen tree that people decorate with ornaments and place their presents under. The custom dates back almost a thousand years to Germany. Nowadays 33 to 36 million Christmas trees are produced in America and 50 to 60 million in Europe each year. Some trees are sold live with roots and soil so people can plant them later and reuse them next year.

Some people prefer artificial trees as they are reusable and much cheaper than their natural alternative. However, environmentalists point out that they are made from petroleum (石油) products and so have many pollution issues.

1.What is the main idea of the article?

A.To introduce the history of two typical Christmas traditions.

B.To explain the debate about some Christmas traditions.

C.To analyze how two Christmas traditions grew in popularity.

D.To point out the problems caused by celebrating Christmas.

2.What does the underlined word “They” in the fourth paragraph probably mean?

A.Many people       B.Christmas e-mails    C.Postage stamps     D.Christmas cards

3.Some people suggest getting rid of paper cards because     .

a. they cannot be recycled         b. they are not environmentally friendly

c. they are mostly sold for charity  d. the e-cards have many advantages over them

e. they are not as necessary as they used to be for people

A.a, b, d            B.a, c, d             C.b, d, e            D.b, c, e

4.What can we conclude from the article?

A.The first Christmas cards were designed earlier than the world’s first stamps.

B.This year has seen a dramatic drop in Christmas card sales.

C.Environmentalists advise people to buy cards that are sold for charity.

D.Growing environmental awareness is encouraging people to recycle their cards.

5.Which of the following statements in TRUE according to the article?

A.There is always a wider Christmas tree market in America than in Europe.

B.The custom of decorating Christmas trees first appeared in Britain.

C.Some people prefer to buy live trees that can be reused next year.

D.Artificial trees are better than natural ones in all aspects.

 

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