The Coalition for the Homeless is an organization that seeks to address the needs of the homeless population in the United States. It is a network of offices, some of which provide food and houses for the homeless population, and some of which fight for the passing of laws that of over two hundred million people living in the United States,up to three million are homeless—and the number is still growing. Since the late 1970s,fast rising house prices,large cuts in government supported housing programs, and economic recession(经济衰退)have made it impossbile for many Americans to meet housing costs. Sadly, this has resulted in a number of persons being forced to leave their homes and/or unable to find new affordable homes. According to another research,families with children appear to be the fastest-growing part of the homeless population, making up 39% of it.The old idea of a homeless person,that of the single man who gets drunk all the time,is no longer true. A much lager part of the population now finds itself homeless. Even worse, once a person becomes homeless, he often finds it impossible to find a job,since most employers require anyone who wants a job from them to provide a home address on a job applicaton.
【小题1】
The word “address” in the first line probably means          .

   Millions of people visit Yosemite National Park every year to see the tall waterfalls and mountains. Thee mountains are a splendid sight when viewed from the valley floor. Lots of stores, hotels, and restaurants are needed to handle the crowds. Also, water, roads, and other service systems are part of the infrastructure(基础设施)that must be maintained。

Unfortunately，these systems are starting to break down. It’s not just in Yosemite but in national parks around the nation.

Yosemite is thirty years old according to Dennis Galvin, a National Park Service worker. The park is not only old but worn out. Two or three times as many visitors come every year. That is too many visitors for the parks to deal with.

Four years ago a storm washed out a water pipeline in the Grand Canyon. The National Park service had to send water trucks to provide water for the visitors. Last month pipes almost broke again and roads had to be closed for a while.

Why hasn’t the National Park Service kept up the park repairs? There is a lack of money. The United States has 378 monuments, parks, and wilderness areas. Between three and four billion dollars are needs for repairs.

Yosemite is one national park that does have money for repairs. It has two hundred million dollars but cannot spend it any way it chooses. When the park workers started widening the road, they were forced to stop by the Sierra Club. The club claimed that the road work was damaging the Merced River that runs through the park.

A sierra Club lawyer, Julia Olson, feels that the infrastructure needs to be moved out of Yosemite. That way less pressure will be put on the already crowded park.

65. According to the text, the mountains in Yosemite look most splendid when they are appreciated from _______

A. the bottom of the valleys   B. the top of the mountains

C. the side of the mountains    D. the edge of the valleys

66. National parks like Yosemite in the U.S. find it increasingly difficult to meet the need of visitors because ________

A that transport management needs improving 

B. they spend too much on their service systems

C. their service systems frequently go out of order

D. they need help from environmental organizations

67. The main problem of Yosemite National Park is its _______

A. rundown water pipes   B. overcrowdedness   C. lack of money   D. narrow roads

68. According to the text, the Sierra Club is most likely to be ______

A. an environmental group  B. an information center  C. a travel service  D. a law firm

The Coalition for the Homeless is an organization that seeks to address the needs of the homeless population in the United States. It is a network of offices, some of which provide food and houses for the homeless population, and some of which fight for the passing of laws that of over two hundred million people living in the United States,up to three million are homeless—and the number is still growing. Since the late 1970s,fast rising house prices,large cuts in government supported housing programs, and economic recession(经济衰退)have made it impossbile for many Americans to meet housing costs. Sadly, this has resulted in a number of persons being forced to leave their homes and/or unable to find new affordable homes. According to another research,families with children appear to be the fastest-growing part of the homeless population, making up 39% of it.The old idea of a homeless person,that of the single man who gets drunk all the time,is no longer true. A much lager part of the population now finds itself homeless. Even worse, once a person becomes homeless, he often finds it impossible to find a job,since most employers require anyone who wants a job from them to provide a home address on a job applicaton.

                                                                                       1.

 The word “address” in the first line probably means          .

A. talk about         B. deal with          C. fight for            D. write to

2.

 How many people are homeless in the U.S. according to the Coalition studies?

A. 39% of the population.                  B. 200 million people.

C. About 3 million people.                 D. About one-fifth of the population.

3.

 Homeless people often have difficulty finding a job because________.

A. they have no home addresses

B. they mostly have a drinking problem

C. they aren't supported by government programs

D. they often don't have enough work experience

4.

 What is the main cause of the rising number of the homeless in the U.S.?

A. The passing of new housing laws.

B. The fast growth of family size.                            

C. The slow construction of houses.

D. The ever-rising price of housing.

According to the United States government, people are classified as homeless if they have no place to stay and no expectation of finding a place for the next thirty days. Although technically accurate, that is an impersonal assessment of an enormous and very human problem.

    The homeless population represents all of us Americans. It includes men and women, the elderly, children, and infants. Its members are from all ethnic groups. What they have in common is poverty.

    Currently in the U.S., thirty-nine million people live in poverty. When money is really tight, paying the rent or buying food often becomes a choice. Government assistance in the form of food stamps does help but, as one homeless man explains, you can’t pay the rent with food stamps.

    With no money for rent, the streets and homeless shelters become the alternative.

    Although men make up the largest group within the homeless population, homeless women with children are rapidly joining them. In fact, one quarter of the homeless people in the U.S. are teenagers and young children.

    People may become homeless for numerous reasons. However, there are certain factors that many of these individuals have in common. They include a lack of adequate education and job skills. A majority of the teenagers and adults have not completed high school.

    The abuse of alcohol and drugs is also a common factor. One third of the adult homeless population abuses alcohol, while one quarter of the same group uses drugs.

    Some members of this population suffer mental health problems. Within the past several years many institutions for the mentally ill have been closed and their patients sent “home”. Unfortunately, a number of those people have no home to go to and they are unable to adequately look after themselves.

    Job loss in today’s economy has also become a real factor in the loss of people’s homes. The breakup of families through abandonment and divorce is also contributing factors, particularly when there are children involved. The parent who is left to care for the kids with inadequate income may be forced to depend on the homeless shelters to put a roof over their heads.

The writer thinks that the U.S. government’s definition for the homeless shows _________.

A. an insincere attitude toward the homeless

B. an unbearable attitude toward the homeless

C. an uncivilized attitude toward the homeless

D. an unsympathetic attitude toward the homeless

The U.S. government helps the homeless by _________.

A. giving them homeless allowance           B. giving them food stamps

C. finding jobs for them                        D. finding residence (a place to live) for them

People become homeless for all the following reasons EXCEPT _________.

A. the lack of adequate education

B. the abuse of alcohol and drugs

C. the closure of institutions for the mentally ill

D. the poor performance of economy

The breakup of families is likely to lead to homelessness because a parent with kids may _________.

A. lose his or her job in today’s economy

B. be unable to look after the kids

C. not have enough income

D. find residence at a homeless shelter

(C)
Most American students said goodbye to expensive fruits these days. In school canteens across the country, cheaper fruits like apples and oranges heave replaced them. “People are afraid to spend now” said Linda Morrow, who owns a shoe and handbag store. “They basically don’t know what the future will bring and keep waiting till after the Presidential Election.”
The current financial crisis(金融危机)， during which several of the country’s biggest banks have been forced to sell or close, has made lots of Americans unwilling to buy expensive goods.
Samira Martino, a restaurant owner in Miami, found everyone is ordering water instead of juice and more people are sharing meals. In more than two dozen interviews with the Associated Press across the country last month, American talked about their concerns, from worries about small businesses to doubts about simply making ends meet.
The crisis began last year. Experts blame it on U.S. banks lending money too easily. A lot of people and companies, who borrowed money, have found themselves unable to pay it back. This left the banks, as well as the people who put their money in the banks, without money. Since the banks borrowed money between themselves and even across borders, the whole world’s financial markets were involved.
This month the U.S. government agreed on a $ 700 billion plan to try to save the financial market. But a turn-around(转机) is not sure. President George W. Bush has warned it will take some time for the full effects of the plan to take hold in an economy that has had a world of trouble.
Last week top finance officials from 20 major economies promised to work together to find a way out of the money trouble. They believe the current crisis is the worst since the Great Depression in 1929. And they all think international cooperation is the key to solve it.
51. From the first paragraph, we can infer that______
A. apples and oranges become more expensive
B. people are worrying about the Election
C. people are expecting a turn-around after the Election
D. expensive fruits are in short supply in American markets
52. Samira Martino’s restaurant is mentioned in the passage in order to ______
A. show that people cut down their expenses.
B. attract more people to come to his restaurant
C. show how hard he is trying to run his business
D. encourage people to start businesses like him
53. What is the cause of the current financial crisis of America?
A. The Presidential Election
B. U.S. banks lending money too easily.
C. The decreasing economy.
D. America’s rapid development.
54. According to the passage, which of the following is NOT true?
A. Many students can not eat expensive fruits in school canteens.
B. Americans are very worried about their lives.
C. The international cooperation is most needed.
D. The current financial crisis is the worst in American history.
55. This passage mainly talks about______
A. the terrible life of Americans
B. the situation of the financial crisis
C. the way to go through the crisis
D. the world financial market