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Why doesn’t the unemployment rate ever reach zero? Economists, who generally believe that supply tends to meet demand, have long thought about this question. Even in good times, i.e. not now, there are people who can’t find work. And even in bad times, i.e. now, there are job openings. With over 14 million people out of work and looking for a job, you would think every available job would be filled. But that’s not the case. Not now and not ever.
On Monday, the Nobel Prize committee awarded the prize for economics to the three scholars who have done the most to explain this phenomenon. Two of the winners are Americans, Peter Diamond of MIT and Dale Mortensen of Northwestern. The third winner is Christopher Pissarides, who teaches at the London School of Economics and was born on Cyprus.
Like most of economics, what they have found about why the jobless and ready-employers don’t find each other seems obvious. You have to find out there is job opening you are interested in. Employers need to get resumes (简历). It takes a while for both employers and employees to make the decision that this is what they want. And these guys came up with a frame-work to study the problem of why people stay unemployed longer than they should and what can be done about it.
So what would today’s Nobel Prize winners do to solve the current problem of the unemployed? And does the awarding of the prize contribute to the politicians’ lowering joblessness?
Speaking from his north London home, Pissarides told The Associated Press the announcement came as “a complete surprise” though his work had already helped shape thinking on both sides of the Atlantic.
For example, the New Deal for Young People, a British government policy aimed at getting 18-24-year-olds back on the job market after long periods of unemployment, “is very much based on our work,” he said.
“One of the key things we found is that it is important to make sure that people do not stay unemployed too long so they don’t lose their feel for the labor force,” Pissarides told reporters in London. “The ways of dealing with this need not be expensive training – it could be as simple as providing work experience.”
1.
According to the writer, which is true about finding jobs?
A.
It is always difficult to find a job.
B.
Everyone can find a job in good times.
C.
Contrary to popular belief, it is easier to find a job in bad times.
D.
It is possible to find a job even in times as bad as now.
2.
What is it that leads to their winning the prize?
A.
They have found the reason for unemployment.
B.
They have put forward a set of ideas to deal with unemployment.
C.
They have found out why people don’t want to be employed.
D.
They have long studied the problem of unemployment.
3.
Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?
A.
Pissarides thinks his work surprising.
B.
The work of Pissarides has influenced many economists.
C.
Some of the winners’ ideas have been put into practice.
D.
It is probable that unemployed young people in Britain benefit from Pissarides’ work.
4.
According to Pissarides, _________ is effrctive in dealing with unemployment.
A.
spending large sums of money on training
B.
teaching some knowledge of economics
C.
providing work experience
D.
keeping people unemployed for some time
It was a winter morning, just a couple of weeks before Christmas 2005. While most people were warming up their cars, Trevor, my husband, had to get up early to ride his bike four kilometers away from home to work. On arrival, he parked his bike outside the back door as he usually does. After putting in 10 hours of labor, he returned to find his bike gone.
The bike, a black Kona 18 speed, was our only transport. Trevor used it to get to work, putting in 60-hour weeks to support his young family. And the bike was also used to get groceries(食品杂货), saving us from having to walk along long distances from where we live.
I was so sad that someone would steal our bike that I wrote to the newspaper and told them our story. Shortly after that, several people in our area offered to help. One wonderful stranger even bought a bike, then called my husband to pick it up. Once again my husband had a way to get to and from his job. It really is an honor that a complete stranger would go out of their way for someone they have never met before.
People say that a smile can be passed from one person to another, but acts of kindness from strangers are even more so. This experience has had a spreading effect in our lives because it strengthened our faith in humanity(人性) as a whole. And it has influenced us to be more mindful of ways we, too, can share with others. No matter how big or how small, an act of kindness shows that someone cares. And the results can be everlasting
1.
Why was the bike so important to the couple?
A.
They used it for work and daily life
B.
It was their only possession(财产)
C.
It was a nice Kona 18 speed
D.
The man‘s job was bike racing
2.
We can infer from the passage that __________
A.
the couple worked 60 hours a week
B.
people were busy before Christmas
C.
the stranger brought over the bike
D.
life was hard for the young family
3.
How did people get to know the couple’s problem?
A.
From a stranger
B.
From a newspaper
C.
From TV news
D.
From radio broadcasts
4.
What do the couple learn from their experience?
A.
Strangers are usually of little help
B.
One should take care of their bike
C.
News reports make people famous
D.
An act of kindness can mean a lot
5.
From this story, we can see humanity is __________
A.
selfish
B.
commercial
C.
kind
D.
cold-hearted
A father sat at his desk poring over his monthly bills when his young son rushed in and announced, "Dad, because this is your birthday and you're 40 years old, I'm going to give you 40 kisses, one for each year!" When the boy started making good on his word, the father cried out suddenly, "Oh, Andrew, don't do it now; I'm too busy!"
The youngster immediately fell silent as tears welled up in his big blue eyes.Apologicaliy the father said, "You can finish later."
The boy said nothing but quietly walked away, disappointment written over his face.That evening the father said, "Come and finish the kisses now, Andrew!" But the boy didn't respond.
Unfortunately, a few days later after this incident, the boy had an accident and was drowned.His heartbroken father wrote...
"If only I could tell him how much I regret my thoughtless words, and could be sure that he knows how much my heart is aching."
Love is not only giving.Any loving act must be warmly accepted or it will be taken as rejection and can leave a scar.If we are too busy to give and receive love, we are too busy! Nothing is more important than responding with love to the cry for love from those who are near and precious to us, because there may be no chance at all as in the case of the little boy.
1.
What does the underlined phrase "poring over" mean?
A.
looking in on
B.
looking out for
C.
looking through
D.
looking around
2.
The boy is going to give his father 40 kisses because ______.
A.
his father is very busy
B.
this is the boy' birthday
C.
the boy wants to play with his father
D.
this is his father' birthday and he's 40 years old
3.
What happened to the youngster later?
A.
His heart was broken.
B.
He died unexpectedly.
C.
He ran away from home.
D.
He fell silent all the time.
4.
Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?
A.
A Love Story
B.
Love Your Son
C.
A Father and a Son
D.
Love is a Two-way Street
One day a rabbit ran into an elephant. "Hello," said the rabbit. "Fine day, isn’t it?" The elephant stopped to look down at the tiny(小的) creature and shouted. "Leave me alone. I don’t have the time to waste on someone so small." The rabbit was shocked by the elephant’s words. Then he decided to ask the whale(鲸鱼) what she thought about the elephant’s rudeness. But the whale laughed at this tiny animal. The rabbit said, "You think that I am weak, but in fact, I am strong! I can beat you at Tug-of-War (拔河比赛)."The whale looked at him for a moment before bursting into laughter. "Very well, little one. Go and get a rope," she said.The rabbit ran off to find a strong and thick rope. Then he went to the elephant, "Elephant, I will beat you at a game of Tug-of-War." The elephant laughed loudly, but agreed to challenge the tiny animal. He tied the rope around his huge waist. The rabbit took the other end and ran away. He called back to the elephant, "When I say 'pull’, you start pulling. "The rabbit took the other end of the rope to the whale, "Tie this to your tail and when I say 'pull’,you swim." The whale tied the rope to her tail after laughing at the rabbit’s foolishness. Then the rabbit called out "PULL!" The elephant and the whale began pulling. After a while, they were too tired to continue. The elephant and the whale never knew how such a tiny creature could beat them. But from that day on, they said "hello" to the little rabbit with great respect whenever they met.
1.
Why did the rabbit want a game of Tug-of-War?
A.
He wanted to show he was the best.
B.
He knew that he could do well in this game.
C.
He wanted to get respect from the elephant and the whale.
D.
He wanted to prove he wasn’t the tiniest animal.
2.
What do you think of the rabbit according to the story?
A.
Smart and brave.
B.
Tiny and stupid.
C.
Pride and naughty.
D.
Poor and weak.
3.
Why did the elephant and the whale lose the game?
A.
They didn’t prepare for it.
B.
They were not as strong as the rabbit.
C.
They were too impolite to the little rabbit.
D.
They actually fought with each other but not the rabbit.
4.
Which statement is TRUE according to the passage?
A.
The elephant was pleased to talk to the rabbit at first.
B.
It was the whale who suggested having a game of Tug-of-War.
C.
The rabbit was stronger than both the whale and the elephant.
D.
The whale and the elephant began to respect the rabbit from then on.
Beauty has always been regarded as something praiseworthy. Almost everyone thinks attractive people are happier and healthier,have better marriages and have more respectable occupations. Personal consultants give them better advice for finding jobs. Even judges are softer on attractive defendants(被告).But in the executive circle,beauty can become a
liability
.
While attractiveness is a positive factor for a man on his way up the executive ladder,it is harmful to a woman.
Handsome male executives were thought as having more integrity than plainer men;effort and ability were thought to account for their success.
Attractive female executives were considered to have less integrity than unattractive ones;their success was attributed not to ability but to factors such as luck.
All unattractive women executives were thought to have more integrity and to be more capable than the attractive female executives. Interestingly,though,the rise of the unattractive overnight successes was attributed more to personal relationships and less to ability than that of attractive overnight successes.
Why are attractive women not thought to be able?An attractive woman is thought to be more feminine and an attractive man more masculine(有男子气概的)than the less attractive ones. Thus,an attractive woman has an advantage in traditionally female jobs,but an attractive woman in a traditionally masculine position appears to lack the “masculine” qualities required.
This is true even in politics. “When the only clue is how he or she looks,people treat men and women differently,”says Anne Bowman,who recently published a study on the effects of attractiveness on political candidates. She asked 125 undergraduate students to rank two groups of photographs,one of men and one of women,in order of attractiveness. The students were told the photographs were of candidates for political offices. They were asked to rank them again,in the order they would vote for them.
The results showed that attractive males utterly defeated unattractive men,but the women who had been ranked most attractive invariably received the fewest votes.
1.
The underlined word “liability”(in Para.1)most probably means “________”.
A.
misfortune
B.
instability
C.
disadvantage
D.
burden
2.
In traditionally female jobs,attractiveness________.
A.
reinforces(加强)the feminine qualities required
B.
makes women look more honest and capable
C.
is of primary importance to women
D.
often enables women to succeed quickly
3.
Bowman's experiment reveals that when it comes to politics,attractiveness________.
A.
turns out to be an obstacle to men
B.
affects men and women alike
C.
has as little effect on men as on women
D.
is more of an obstacle than a benefit to women
4.
It can be inferred from the passage that people's views on beauty are often________.
A.
practical
B.
prejudiced
C.
oldfashioned
D.
pessimistic
5.
The author writes this passage to________.
A.
demand equal rights for women
B.
emphasize the importance of appearance
C.
discuss the negative aspects of being attractive
D.
give advice to jobseekers who are attractive
Millions of youngsters across Europe could suffer permanent hearing loss after five years if they listen to MP3 players at too high a volume for more than five hours a week, EU scientists warned.
The scientists’ study, requested by the European Commission, attacked the concept of “leisure noise,” saying children and teenagers should be protected from increasingly high sound levels---with loud mobile phones also coming in for criticism(批评).
“There has been increasing concern about exposure from the new generation of personal music players which can reproduce sounds at very high volumes without loss of quality,” the Commission, the EU’s executive arm, said in a statement.
“Risk for hearing damage depends on sound level and exposure time,” it said. More and more young people
were exposed to
the great threat(威胁)that leisure noise posed to hearing, it said.
Commission experts said that between 50 and 100 million people listen to portable music players on a daily basis.
If they listened for only five hours a week at more than 89 decibels(分贝), they would already be beyond EU limits for noise allowed in the workplace, they said. But if they listened for longer periods, they risked permanent hearing loss after five years.
The scientists calculated the number of people in that risk category at between five and 10 percent of listeners, meaning up to 10 million people in the European Union.
Sales of personal music players have soared in EU countries in recent years, particularly of MP3 players.
"I am worried that so many young people ... who are frequent users of personal music players and mobile phones at high acoustic levels, may be unknowingly damaging their hearing ," she said in the statement.
1.
Which of the following can be the best title of the article?
A.
Youngsters across Europe: suffer permanent hearing loss.
B.
MP3 players: sell best but do harm to youngsters
C.
The scientists’ study: requested by the EU
D.
EU warns youth: turn your MP3 players down!
2.
This passage is most likely to be taken from a _________.
A.
textbook
B.
medical report
C.
teen magazine
D.
governmental newspaper
3.
The underlined part in the forth paragraph most probably means________.
A.
were uncovered
B.
felt
C.
realized
D.
were faced with
4.
From the passage we know that________.
A.
besides the high sound levels, scientists also criticized loud mobile phones.
B.
if one listened for 5 hours more a week at 100 decibels, he would risk permanent hearing loss.
C.
it is only the level of the sound that can do damage to hearing.
D.
the scientists said there were 5-10 percent of MP3 listeners risking hearing loss around the world.
In the Middle Ages in Europe, theater was an important part of civic, economic and religious life. During this period after the fall of Roman civilization, many cities were destroyed. Southern and Western Europe, famous for its agriculture, became increasingly more agricultural. After several hundred years, many towns appeared again. The Roman Catholic Church took over religion, education and politics. What remained of theater was mostly on the Greek and Roman performing arts.
Theater was reborn as liturgical(礼拜式的) dramas. It was written in Latin and dealing with biblical(圣经) stories which would be performed by church members. Then there came local dramas spoken in common language not Latin. They were more wonderful one-act dramas taking place in town squares or other parts of the city. There were three types of local dramas. Mystery or cycle plays were short dramas based on biblical stories organized into historical cycles. Miracle plays dealt with the lives of the great. Morality(道德的) plays taught a lesson through characters standing for good or bad qualities. Secular plays in this period existed, but religious drama in the Middle Ages is mostly remembered today. As the Middle Ages ended, the number of religious theatres became small as the church weakened and more secular qualities won over religious theaters.
1.
The underlined sentence in the first paragraph means that _____.
A.
people got away from the cities
B.
people liked to live in the country
C.
agriculture was more developed at that time
D.
people thought less of city life
2.
According to the passage, what does "secular plays"mean here?
A.
Plays that deal with the lives of the great.
B.
Plays that taught a lesson.
C.
Plays based on biblical stories.
D.
Plays that are not connected with thechurch.
3.
Why did religious theatres become less important as the Middle Ages came to an end?
A.
People were not interested in them any longer.
B.
The church was not as important as what it had been.
C.
People liked new plays.
D.
The stories of religious theatres were outdated.
4.
According to the passage, why did religious theatres take over in the Middle Ages?
A.
People preferred religious theatres to other ones.
B.
There were no other types of theatres.
C.
The church played an important part in people’s life.
D.
The quality of religious theatres was better than that of other theatres.
5.
What would be the best title for the passage?
A.
European dramas
B.
Religious dramas
C.
Religious theatres in the Middle Ages
D.
Secular dramas in the Middle Ages
Health and climate scientists have mapped how climate change affects different parts of the world in different ways. The scientists point to the fact that changes in the past thirty years may, have been affecting human health. Possible effects include more deaths from extreme(极度的) heat or cold, more storms and more crop failures in dry periods.
The health and climate scientists recently estimated(估计) that climate changes caused by human activity lead to more than one hundred and fifty thousand deaths each year. Cases of sickness are estimated at five million. And the W.H.O. says the numbers could rise quickly by the year of 2003.
Jonathan Patz of an environmental institute led the study. Professor Patz points out that climate scientists connected global warming with the heat that killed thousands in Europe in August, 2003. But he says poor countries least responsible(对……负责) for the warming are most in danger from the health effects of higher temperatures.
Professor Patz says areas in greatest danger include southern and eastern Africa and coastlines along the Pacific and Indian oceans. Also, large cities experience what scientists call a "heat island"effect that can make conditions worse.
Representatives(代表) from about two hundred countries hold a meeting in Canada, to discuss climate change. The ten-day meeting ends on December 9th. It is the first such United Nations meeting since the Kyoto Protocol(京都议定书) took effect earlier this year. The agreement aims to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide(二氧化碳) and other heat-trapping(吸热的) gases sent off into the air.
1.
Who is Jonathan Patz?
A.
A scientist responsible for the climate change.
B.
A scientist in charge of the study of the climate change.
C.
A professor interested in the climate change.
D.
A professor who is a representative from an African country.
2.
Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?
A.
Climate changes affect different parts of the world in the same way.
B.
The ten-day meeting is the first United Nations meeting on climate change.
C.
The Kyoto Protocol aims to make smaller the amount of heat-trapping gases into the air.
D.
Poor countries are responsible for the global warming.
3.
Possible effects from the climate changes include the following EXCEPT ______.
A.
crop failures
B.
storms
C.
more deaths from overheat
D.
air pollution
4.
According to the health and climate scientists, climate changes have been caused by ______.
A.
dry weather
B.
cold weather
C.
human activities
D.
storms
5.
We can infer from the passage that ______.
A.
climate changes are having a bad effect on human’s health
B.
Professor Patz leads the study of climate changes
C.
a "heat island"effect large cities experience makes the matter worse
D.
rich countries are most responsible for climate changes
The brain of an insect isn’t very big. But insects are somehow still able to make lots of important decisions. Bees, ants and roaches(蟑螂) build hives with thousands of workers doing specialized work. The jobs are done without a head or even a plan. How do insects manage this?
To solve the mystery, scientists in Belgium spent months building robotic roaches and then putting them among real roaches. The final goal of the research is to find out how the simple behavior of individuals gives rise to a collective(集体的) decision. The roach is a good starting point for trying to answer the big question because its social system is simple enough for scientists to study.
The first step was to build robots that real roaches would accept as their own. Although the robotic roaches don’t look much like the real thing, they have similarities with them in three key ways: they naturally head toward dark areas, they are influenced by the behavior of other roaches, and even more importantly, they smell like roaches.
The next step was getting the robotic and real roaches to work together on common tasks. In experiments, the robots would collectively head towards a dark place, copying the behavior of natural roaches. That got the researchers wondering: if you program the robotic roaches to go toward the lighted place, will the real roaches follow, going against their natural instincts.(本能) ?
They will – it turned out. Many of the real roaches followed the robots to a lighter shelter. But influence turned out to be a two- way street. On occasion, the real roaches were able to override the programming of the robot roaches and get them to turn into dark hiding places. Being social creatures, both the robotic and natural roaches were paying attention to and following the example set by others.
In theory, it would be possible to create a robot that could influence collective decision-making in humans. To do this, researchers would have to invent a robot that people would accept. Fortunately, the technology isn’t there yet.
1.
Why do scientists choose the roaches to study?
A.
Their social system is simple
B.
They are social creatures.
C.
They are able to build their hives quite well.
D.
It is easy to create robotic ones.
2.
The robotic roaches are accepted by real ones because of all the following EXCEPT that ______ .
A.
they smell like real ones
B.
they look exactly like real ones
C.
what they do are somewhat influenced by other roaches
D.
they naturally head toward dark areas
3.
What’s the author’s attitude to creating a robot that would influence collective decision-making in humans?
A.
Uninterested
B.
Positive
C.
Negative
D.
Doubtful
4.
Which of the following might be the best title of the passage ?
A.
Scientists’ Research
B.
Robotic Roaches
C.
Amazing Insects
D.
Insects’ Social System
TOKYO -- The number of domestic infections cases of influenza A/H1N1 in Japan hits 42 on Sunday after a total of 34 people in Osaka and Hyogo counties were confirmed to have been infected, local media reported.
The total number of the infection in the country now stands at 46, including the first four cases contracted abroad.
The country is now facing the risk of grass-root outbreak which could lead the WHO to raise its new flu pandemic alert(传染病预警)to the highest level of 6 from the current 5, experts has warned.
The 34 newly confirmed domestic cases, 11 in Osaka and 23 in Hyogo, included high school students, college students and teachers, the health ministry and local governments said Sunday.
Japan on Saturday confirmed the first eight cases of domestic infection on students of a Kobe high school. The later confirmed cases in Osaka are said to have contacted the Kobe students in a volleyball match. Osaka and Hyogo are neighboring in the Kansai region.
All of the 42 people had no record of overseas travel.
Meanwhile, a total of 143 students at the Kansai Okura Senior High School where many infections in Osaka were found, have shown symptoms of influenza since around Monday, according to local media reports.
The privately run school said it will be closed from Monday through Saturday.
More than 1,000 educational facilities -- kindergartens, and elementary, junior and senior high schools -- in Osaka and Hyogo counties have decided to suspend classes for certain periods following the confirmation of new flu infections in the counties, Kyodo News reported.
The two counties have requested private schools to follow suit.
Osaka Governor Toru Hashimoto held a meeting of a new flu task force on Sunday and decided to ask facilities such as movie theaters to suspend operations to prevent the spread of the flu.
TV clips showed people in Kansai region started to wear masks in public spaces and rushed to drug stores for buying medicines.
The Japanese government on Saturday shifted the stage of its new-flu action program from “a period of overseas outbreak” to “a period of domestic outbreak” and called for companies and schools in the areas concerned to allow individuals to avoid commuting(出行) during rush hours.
The Kyodo News quoted Masato Tashiro, a member of the World Health Organization's emergency committee, as saying that several hundred people in Japan already may have been infected with the new flu.
1.
According to the passage, the total number of the A/H1N1 infection in Japan now is __________.
A.
42
B.
34
C.
46
D.
143
2.
The reasons for the happening of the later confirmed cases in Osaka are the following Except __________.
A.
143 students at the Kansai Okura Senior High School have shown symptoms of influenza.
B.
Some students in a Kobe High school got infected.
C.
Osaka and Hyogo are next to each other in the Kansai region.
D.
The later infected people contacted the Kobe students in a volleyball match.
3.
What is the implied meaning of what Masato Tashiro said in the last paragraph?
A.
The real situation about the new flu in Japan may be worse than it has been reported.
B.
Several hundred people have been infected but they don’t know it.
C.
The WHO has to raise its new flu pandemic alert to the highest level.
D.
The WHO’s emergency committee are trying to confirm the number of infection in Japan.
4.
Which of the following is one of the measures already taken by the Japanese government?
A.
Raising the new flu pandemic alert to the highest level.
B.
Holding a meeting to ask some facilities in the country to stop their operations.
C.
Calling for individuals in the whole country to avoid commuting during rush hours.
D.
Changing its stage of its new-flu action program to a more serious level.
5.
The purpose of the passage is __________.
A.
to introduce the domestic infection cases in Japan.
B.
to draw people’s attention to the worsening situation.
C.
to give some advice on preventing the spread of the flu.
D.
to call for educational facilities in Japan to suspend classes for some time.
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