Self-employed private physicians who charge a fee for each patient visit are the foundation of medical practice in the United States. Most physicians have a contract relationship with one or more hospitals in the community. They send their patients to this hospital, which usually charges patients according to the number of days they stay and the facilities(operating room, tests, medicines that they use). Some hospitals belong to a city, a state or, in the case of veteran's hospitals, a federal government agency. Others are operated by religious orders(教会) or other non-profit groups.
Some medical doctors are on salary. Salaried physicians may work as hospital staff members, or residents, who are often still in training. They may teach in medical schools, be hired by corporations to care for their workers or work for the federal government's Public Health Service.
Physicians are among the best paid professionals in the United States. In the 1980s, it was not uncommon for medical doctors to earn incomes of more than $ 100 000 a year. Specialists, particularly surgeons, might earn several times that amount. Physicians list many reasons why they deserve to be so well rewarded for their work. One reason is the long and expensive preparation required to become a physician in the United States. Most would be physicians first attend college for four years, which can cost nearly $ 20 000 a year at one of the best private institutions. Prospective physicians then attend medical school for four years. Tuition alone can exceed $ 10 000 a year. By the time they have obtained their medical degrees, many young physicians are deeply in debt. They still face three to five years of residency(实习阶段) in a hospital, the first year as an apprentice physician. The hours are long and the pay is relatively low.
Setting up a medical practice is expensive, too. Sometimes several physicians will decide to establish a group practice, so they can share the expense of maintaining an office and buying equipment. These physicians also take care of each other's patients in emergencies.
Physicians work long hours and must accept a great deal of responsibility. Many medical procedures, even quite routine ones, involve risk. It is understandable that physicians want to be well rewarded for making decisions which can mean the difference between life and death.

  1. 1.

    According to the passage, it is very unlikely that an American hospital is owned by _______.

    1. A.
      a church
    2. B.
      a corporation
    3. C.
      a city
    4. D.
      a state
  2. 2.

    The expenses for becoming a doctor are spent on _______.

    1. A.
      schooling and retraining
    2. B.
      practice in a hospital
    3. C.
      facilities he or she uses
    4. D.
      education he or she receives
  3. 3.

    According to the passage, how long does it take for a would-be physician to become an independent physician in the USA?

    1. A.
      About seven years.
    2. B.
      Eight years.
    3. C.
      Ten years.
    4. D.
      About twelve years.
  4. 4.

    Sometimes several physicians set up a group medical practice mainly because _______.

    1. A.
      there are so many patients that it is difficult for one physician to take care all of them
    2. B.
      they can take turns to work long hours
    3. C.
      facilities may be too much of a burden for one physician to shoulder
    4. D.
      no one wants to assume too much responsibility
  5. 5.

    Which of the following statements could fully express the author's view towards physicians’ payment in the USA?

    1. A.
      For their expensive education and their responsibility, they deserve a handsome pay.
    2. B.
      It is reasonable for physicians to have a large income because their work is very dangerous.
    3. C.
      Physicians should be better paid because they work long hours under bad conditions.
    4. D.
      Physicians have great responsibility, so it is understandable that they should be well rewarded.

Most people feel lonely sometimes，but it usually only lasts between a few minutes and a few hours，This kind of loneliness is not serious.In fact，it is quite normal.For some people，though，loneliness can last for years.Now researchers say loneliness comes in three different types.
The first kind of loneliness is temporary.This is the most common type.It usually disappears quickly and does not require any special attention.The second kind is situation，for example，family problem，the death of a loved one，or moving to a new place.Although this kind of loneliness can cause physical problems，such as headaches and sleeplessness，it usually does not last for more than a year.The third kind of loneliness is the most serious.Unlike the second type, chronic (the opposite of‘temporary’) usually lasts more than two years and has no specific cause.People who experience habitual loneliness have problems socializing and becoming close to others.Unfortunately，many chronically lonely people think there is little or nothing they can do to improve their condition.
Psychologists(心理学家) agree that one important factor in loneliness is a person’s social contacts，for example，friends，family members，co-workers，etc.We depend on various people for different reasons.For instance.our family give us emotional support，our parents and teachers give us guidance, and our fiends share similar interests and activities.
However，psychologists have found that, though lonely people may have many social contacts，they sometimes feel they should have more.They question their popularity.
Psychologists are trying to find ways to help habitually lonely people for two reasons：they are unhappy and unable to socialize arid there is a connection between chronic loneliness and serious illness such as heart disease，while temporary and situational loneliness can be a sad，and sometimes dangerous condition.

  1. 1.

    How would you treat temporary loneliness according to the passage?

    1. A.
      Talk to friends.
    2. B.
      Go to see a doctor.
    3. C.
      Just ignore it.
    4. D.
      Ask your teacher for guidance.
  2. 2.

    Why do psychologists want to help chronically lonely people?

    1. A.
      Chronic loneliness can cause family problems.
    2. B.
      Chronic loneliness is incurable.
    3. C.
      Chronic loneliness can not be overcome.
    4. D.
      Chronic loneliness call cause serious illness.
  3. 3.

    Loneliness is divided according to ________.

    1. A.
      the time it lasts
    2. B.
      the places where it appears
    3. C.
      different people it happen to
    4. D.
      different seasons when it appears

I got my first driver’s license in 1953 by taking driver education in my first year at Central High School in Charlotte，North Carolina.Four years later when it was time to renew my license I was a married woman.Henry and I were living in Baltimore，Maryland.Two weeks before my 20th birthday，Henry drove me to the motor vehicle office on a hot July afternoon.When I got to the office and showed to the man behind the counter my North Carolina driver’s license，ready to renew，the man told me that I was under age by Maryland law since I was not yet 21.“Mr. Henry Smith，your husband，will have to sign for you,” he said.
I argued，pointing to a very large belly(肚子) of mine，“I am married.I am having a baby.Why should I have to have someone sign for me to drive?”He answered coldly.“It’s the law，madam.”
Henry encouraged me to calm down，just go ahead and get the license and be done with it.“No，”I said.I refused to have him sign for me.So I left without a Maryland license.
I called the North Carolina Motor Vehicle office and renewed my NC license by mail--using my name Susan Brown.And thus it was for the next twelve years.Since Henry was in the army I could drive under my home state license.By the time Henry left the army we were once again living in Maryland，and I had to take the Maryland driver’s exam.Since then I just go in and renew every four years--sign the name Susan Brown，have my new picture taken, and walk out with a license to drive.

  1. 1.

    Susan got her first driver’s license_______.

    1. A.
      before she got married to Henry
    2. B.
      when she was twenty years old
    3. C.
      after she finished high school
    4. D.
      when she just moved to Maryland
  2. 2.

    Susan failed to renew her license the first time in Maryland because_____.

    1. A.
      she was forbidden to drive by Maryland law
    2. B.
      she lacked driving experience in Maryland
    3. C.
      she was to give birth to a baby soon
    4. D.
      she insisted on signing for herself
  3. 3.

    We can infer from the text that in the U.S.___________.

    1. A.
      American males should serve in the army
    2. B.
      different states may have different laws
    3. C.
      people have to renew their licenses in their home states
    4. D.
      women should adopt their husbands’ family names after marriage

British English and American English are almost the same. But there are slight differences between British and American English in vocabulary, pronunciation, spelling and grammar.
The first difference between British and American English is in vocabulary. Almost all of the words used in British English and American English are exactly the same. Only a very small number of words are used disparately. For example, Americans would say “apartment”, but the British would say “flat” to talk about the place where they live. In addition to some common words, many idiomatic（惯用的）expressions are different. In England people might say “I’ll ring you up tonight”, but in the US, people might say “I’ll call you up tonight”.
The second difference between British and American English is in Pronunciation. The main difference in pronunciation concerns the vowels（元音）. Some American dialects and some British dialects use vowels in different ways. Sometimes, Americans and the British don’t understand each other’s pronunciation. But most of the time, the British and Americans do understand each other’s pronunciation because most of the sounds of the two dialects are the same.
The third difference is very small. This is the difference in spelling. A few types of words are spelled differently in British and American English. The most common example is in a word like “center”. In British English, this word would be spelled C-E-N-T-R-E, while in American English the same word would be spelled C-E-N-T-E-R. Another example is “or” vs “our”. The word “color”is spelled C-O-L-O-U-R in Britain but C-O-L-O-R in the US.
There are a few differences in grammar, too. The British may say “Have you got..?” while Americans prefer “Do you have..?” An American might say “my friend just arrived”, but a British would say “my friend has just arrived”. Sometimes function words are used differently: the British may say “at the weekend”, but Americans would say “on the weekend”.

  1. 1.

    What is this passage mainly about?

    1. A.
      The development of American English
    2. B.
      Differences between British and American English
    3. C.
      The influences of British English on American English
    4. D.
      The causes of the differences between British and American English
  2. 2.

    What does the underlined word “disparately” in Paragraph 2 mean?

    1. A.
      Frequently
    2. B.
      Regularly
    3. C.
      Eventually
    4. D.
      Differently
  3. 3.

    According to Paragraph 3, Americans and the British may find it hard to understand each other because of       .

    1. A.
      the different ways of using vowels
    2. B.
      the different idiomatic expressions they use
    3. C.
      the differences in grammar
    4. D.
      the differences in spelling
  4. 4.

    Which of the following words probably belong to the American English vocabulary?
    a. flavour    b. theater   c. humor   d. centre   e. kilometer   f. honour     g. color

    1. A.
      abce
    2. B.
      bcde
    3. C.
      bceg
    4. D.
      defg
  5. 5.

    Which of the following sentences is most probably used by Americans?

    1. A.
      I’ll learn with you at the weekend
    2. B.
      Have you got a dictionary?
    3. C.
      I’ll ring her up tonight.
    4. D.
      Do you have a pen?

Hidden in a small street in the south end of Springfield, not far from buildings torn apart by the tornado（龙卷风） earlier this year, Frigo’s is an Italian restaurant right in our own backyard.
Frigo’s is not a tiny place. It provides different kinds of Italian food. There are refrigerator cases full of prepared foods and desserts, and shelves filled with olives and various pasta.
There’s some traditional Italian music and the smell is of olive oil and garlic（大蒜）. Above the largest refrigerator case, there’s a chalk board covered with desriptions of more Italian sandwiches than I could remember.
I stepped into Frigo’s almost by accident when I had to stay in Springfield into the evening for an open house at the school where I work. Frigo’s is the perfect place to find something quick to go. There are no tables, so all food is taken out. I also thought it would be a great place to pick up some already-prepared food to bring home for dinner.
I ordered the easiest meal possible: a chicken sandwich and a salad. It cost＄4.75 for the sandwich. The salad was＄4.99 and didn’t have salad dressing on it. I must have missed the choice of salad dressing on the way out. The sandwich was great—great chicken, excellent tomato sauce and not too much cheese.
I wish I had tried one of the many other sandwiches which include Joe’s Favorite (＄5.25-＄6.75) and the Dante (King) which is made of turkey breast, roasted red peppers, asiago cheese and choice of dressing.
I have a feeling that I’ll be picking up dinner for me and the kids at Frigo’s soon.

  1. 1.

    Who would be most likely to go to eat at Frigo’s?

    1. A.
      People who want to eat quietly in a nice restaurant.
    2. B.
      People who want to enjoy home-made food
    3. C.
      People who like traditional American food
    4. D.
      People who are fond of Italian food
  2. 2.

    Which of the following cannot be seen at Frigo’s?

    1. A.
      A chalk board covered with descriptions of sandwiches
    2. B.
      Refrigerator cases full of prepared foods and desserts
    3. C.
      Shelves filled with olives and different kinds of pasta
    4. D.
      Customers eating happily around tables
  3. 3.

    How much did the writer pay for his first meal at Frigo’s?

    1. A.
      ＄4.75
    2. B.
      ＄5.25
    3. C.
      ＄9.74
    4. D.
      ＄4.99
  4. 4.

    We can infer that “Joe’s Favorite” and “Dante” are the names of        .

    1. A.
      sandwiches
    2. B.
      salads
    3. C.
      cheese
    4. D.
      peppers
  5. 5.

    We can infer from the passage that the writer         .

    1. A.
      seldom eats out in a restaurant with his family
    2. B.
      feels very happy that be has found Frigo’s
    3. C.
      dislikes eating sandwiches
    4. D.
      lives a very relaxing life

Have you ever thought, “I wish I could take a year off and just travel around the world”?
Well,three lucky American teenagers were able to do just that.The teens—two males and one female--got an all-expenses paid, yearlong hike to five continents.
This trip didn’t include any five-star hotels or shopping funs.Eighteen-year-old Jamie Fiel from Keller, Texas, 17-year-old Arsen Ewing from Canyon, California, and 16-year-old Tyler Robinson from Lincoln, Massachusetts, didn’t expect fancy treatment.They signed up for the experience of a lifetime, which included hard work, often uncomfortable accommodations, and encounters with（遭遇） some of nature’s most dangerous animals and environments.
Jamie, Arsen, and Tyler were among hundreds of high school kids nominated by their science teachers to take this trip.Earthwatch Institute sponsored this adventure.Each year, Earthwatch employs thousands of volunteers worldwide to help with scientific research projects.
The group went all around the world to get a close look at the most pressing environmental issues of our time.Their assignments were as varied as their locations, and included measuring and attending pink flamingos in Kenya’s Great Rift Valley, and tracking giant sea turtles in Costa Rica.
As they worked with the Earthwatch scientists, Jamie, Arsen, and Tyler began to understand that we are at a critical moment in the life of our planet.Time for change is running out.As the teens went from country to country and witnessed different environmental dangers and challenges, they understood that solutions to important environmental issues start with the power of one person's actions.They realized that each of them can make a difference.

  1. 1.

    These teenagers went on the journey around the world _____.

    1. A.
      to experience the most serous environmental problems on the earth
    2. B.
      to bring the kindness of America to the other parts of the world
    3. C.
      to go on sightseeing around the world
    4. D.
      to call on more teenagers to join Earthwatch Institute
  2. 2.

    What’s true about their journey?

    1. A.
      They had to pay for their journey at their own expense.
    2. B.
      They often had to move from one hotel to another.
    3. C.
      They had to take great pains to collect environmental information.
    4. D.
      They received a warm welcome every time they arrived at a new place.
  3. 3.

    It can be inferred that Earthwatch Institute could be _____.

    1. A.
      an international university that takes in students from all over the world
    2. B.
      a TV station that makes programmes on the beautiful scenery of the earth
    3. C.
      a travel agency that organizes adventure trips specially for school children
    4. D.
      an organization that brings science to life for people concerned about the earth’s environment
  4. 4.

    What did they these teenagers learn from the journey?

    1. A.
      It was high time that people protected the environment.
    2. B.
      Long journey was not suitable for school children.
    3. C.
      It should take the whole world to help the children.
    4. D.
      Environmental problems can be solved if school children take part.

I have to admit: I don’t flush(冲) the toilet every time I go to the bathroom. In fact, I firmly believe “If it’s yellow, let it mellow; if it’s brown, flush it down.”
I’m sure a lot of it has to do with the fact that I work at home. Alone (well, except for the cats and dog). All day. And I drink a lot of water, which makes for many trips to the bathroom.
Another thing I have to admit: I also try to use very little toilet paper. I wash my hands after, though. Every time. (So maybe the water I don’t use flushing makes up for the water used to wash my hands?)
Ironically, my husband, who only uses toilet paper when necessary, always flushes. But he doesn’t seem to mind that I don’t flush every time. Or, at least not enough to file for divorce. Yet.
Posted by Juliet Farmer
Jun 14, 2010 at 10:21 PM
Comments (2)                                                     
When I’m at home alone I do not flush every time I pee(小便).  My husband hates that, though, so when he’s home, I flush a little more often.  I grew up doing that because I had a family that lived with huge tanks and you have to do it that way because it’s easier on the system, so it doesn’t bother me.  I do flush when I’m out in public, at people’s houses that don’t have big tanks and when we have company!
CherBearCM, Jun 15, 2010 at 4:21 PM
Not always. But I have 4 children who are always hanging from the door knob（球形捏手） while I pee anyway. So I’m lucky I have time to wash my hands after. The average toilet uses 8 gallons of water per flush! Much less than what it takes to wash my hands after. (just saying)
luvbnmomnwife, Jun 15, 2010 at 4:32 PM

  1. 1.

    CherBearCM doesn’t flush the toilet every time she pees ________.

    1. A.
      because she can’t afford so much water
    2. B.
      because her husband doesn’t like that
    3. C.
      when she is with her friends
    4. D.
      when she is alone
  2. 2.

    luvbnmomnwife seems to enjoy ________.

    1. A.
      washing hands after using the toilet
    2. B.
      taking care of her four children
    3. C.
      peeing with her kids watching
    4. D.
      flushing the toilet after peeing
  3. 3.

    The text is taken from ________.

    1. A.
      a newspaper
    2. B.
      a website
    3. C.
      a magazine
    4. D.
      a handbook
  4. 4.

    Which of the following titles best suits the text?

    1. A.
      Stop flushing your toilet!
    2. B.
      Do you flush the toilet every time?
    3. C.
      Don’t forget to flush the toilet after peeing!
    4. D.
      Do you realize the importance of saving water?

On a cold evening I was waiting for a taxi in New York. About 5 minutes later, I was picked up by a driver, and he said how terrible some people were. I knew there was a part of me that wanted to be silent, but I had to listen out of kindness.
The man told me that he had just come from JFK Airport without a customer. During the taxi ride, what started as anger changed slowly and he mentioned that he had read an article which said that the happiest people are the ones that give, so he hoped he’d have more chance to give in his life. I was really starting to enjoy being with this man.
As we arrived at the place where I wanted to go, I paid my money by credit card. I pulled out an extra $20 and said, “Sir, since we’ve been talking about giving this whole time, I want to share that feeling with you. I’ve already paid my money, but here’s an extra little bit. You can tell the next passenger in this taxi that their ride is a gift from another.”
I thought I was pretty cool at this point, but he turned toward me, tears in his eyes, and said, “Sir, I have a better idea. You give that $20 to a homeless person around here and I will give the next passenger a free ride myself.
It was a great honor meeting that man and learning the lesson of how everyone gives and adds joy to another with their generosity.

  1. 1.

    According to the text, when the author got in the taxi, the driver was    .

    1. A.
      angry
    2. B.
      nervous
    3. C.
      worried
    4. D.
      regretful
  2. 2.

    The author gave the driver an extra $20 in order to    _.

    1. A.
      help him to get out of trouble
    2. B.
      know what he was really like
    3. C.
      experience the joy of giving
    4. D.
      learn how to get along with others.
  3. 3.

    What can be inferred (推断) from the taxi driver’s words in Paragraph 4?

    1. A.
      A driver should be willing to help.
    2. B.
      People should understand each other.
    3. C.
      The driver was deeply moved.
    4. D.
      One needs to keep an optimistic attitude (乐观态度).
  4. 4.

    What would be the best title for the text?

    1. A.
      A cold evening in New York
    2. B.
      A lesson learned from a taxi driver
    3. C.
      A gift to a generous stranger
    4. D.
      Always being a happy person

Getting close to active or erupting volcanoes can be dangerous. But for Michael Rampino, it’s all in a day’s work. Rampino is a volcanologist, a scientist who studies volcanoes and how they affect our planet. Rampino has been close to red-hot lava flows (熔岩流) in Hawaii and explosive volcanoes in Indonesia. He knows when to get close to an active volcano and when to back away.
Rampino wasn’t always a volcanologist. He worked for NASA for seven years. He studied rocks until he began to research climate change and the effects that volcanoes have on climate. He became interested in the subject. “Once I started working with volcanoes,” Rampino said, “I was hooked.”
Rampino is a professor at New York University. As part of his job, he travels to areas where volcanoes have been active. “Active” means they have erupted within the past few centuries and probably will erupt again. Rampino studies the deposits (沉积物) of ash and other materials from the eruptions. The ash may hold clues to what happened to the Earth in the distant past. It may also help scientists predict what could happen to Earth’s climate in the future.
Rampino doesn’t work alone. He works with a team of scientists who use computers to stimulate (模拟) the effects volcanoes have on Earth’s atmosphere.
Being a volcanologist may be hard work, but it’s also fun. “It’s cool traveling the world studying volcanoes,” Rampino says. When he talks to students about his work, he tells them that his goal is “to understand the events that have shaped Earth’s history.”

  1. 1.

    To Rampino, being close to active volcanoes is _____.

    1. A.
      adventurous but meaningful
    2. B.
      scary but necessary
    3. C.
      impossible and unnecessary
    4. D.
      dangerous but urgent
  2. 2.

    The underlined word “hooked” in Paragraph 2 probably means “_____”.

    1. A.
      trapped
    2. B.
      touched
    3. C.
      frightened
    4. D.
      attracted
  3. 3.

    Rampino’s study on volcanoes might help _____.

    1. A.
      warn people to protect the environment
    2. B.
      support the study of Earth’s future climate
    3. C.
      tell the future eruption time of the volcanoes
    4. D.
      reduce the possibility of the volcanoes’ eruptions
  4. 4.

    In which part of a newspaper could we find this text?

    1. A.
      Climate.
    2. B.
      History.
    3. C.
      People.
    4. D.
      Business.

In 1955, a man named Raymond Kroc together with two brothers named McDonald opened a popular restaurant in California which sold food that was easy to prepare and serve quickly. Hamburgers, French fries, and cold drinks were the main food there. Kroc opened similar eating places under the same name, “McDonald’s”, and they were an instant success. He later took over the company, and today it is one of the most famous and successful “fast-food” in America and around the world.
Why was his idea successful? Probably the most important reason was that his timing was right. In the 1950s, most married women stayed home to keep house and take care of their children. In the 1960s, many women returned to the workplace. This meant that they had less time or energy to prepare meals, so they spent more on “ TV dinners ” and fast-food restaurants. Single parents also have little time to spend in the kitchen. People living alone also depend on this type of food, since cooking for one is often more trouble than it is worth.
Fast-food is not part of the diet of all Americans. Another trend of the 1960s, sometimes called the back-to-nature movement influenced many people to avoid food that was packaged (包装) or processed(处理). This preference for natural food continued to this day.
From the success of Raymond Kroc’s fast-food business, we can say that social economic trends influence where and what we eat.

  1. 1.

    The underlined sentence “Cooking for one is often more trouble than it is worth” means that ______.

    1. A.
      cooking for some people is worth more money
    2. B.
      it is not worthwhile to take too much time to cook for one person
    3. C.
      there are more problems when one person cooks
    4. D.
      cooking for one person cost more money
  2. 2.

    Para 3&4 seem to imply (暗示) that ________.

    1. A.
      many married women began to work in the 1960s
    2. B.
      natural foods are still popular today
    3. C.
      fast food is not part of the diet of all Americans
    4. D.
      divorce (离婚) causes people to change their eating habits
  3. 3.

    Which of the following is NOT the reason for McDonald’s success?

    1. A.
      people living alone tend to depend on fast food
    2. B.
      single parents have little time to spend in the kitchen
    3. C.
      many women returned to the workplace in the 1960s
    4. D.
      Kroc chose the “Mc Donald” brothers as his partners
  4. 4.

    The main purpose of the passage is to tell us________.

    1. A.
      Raymond Kroc is the most successful fast-food business owner in the world
    2. B.
      social and economic changes affect eating habits
    3. C.
      fast-food is easy to prepare and serve quickly
    4. D.
      Americans eat either fast food or natural food
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