If your boss asks you to work in Moscow this year, he’d better offer you more money to do so — or even double that depending on where you live now．That’s because Moscow has just been found to be the world’s most expensive city for the second year in a row by Mercer Human Resources Consulting．

Using the cost of living in New York as a base, Mercer determined Moscow is 34．4 percent more expensive including the cost of housing, transportation, food, clothing, household goods and entertainment．

A two-bedroom flat in Moscow now costs $4,000 a month; a CD $24．83, and an international newspaper $6．30, according to Mercer．By comparison, a fast food meal with a hamburger （汉堡包） is a steal at $4．80．

London takes the No．2 place, up from No．5 a year ago, thanks to higher cost of housing and a stronger British pound relative to the dollar．Mercer estimates （估算） London is 26 percent more expensive than New York these days．Following London closely are Seoul and Tokyo, both of which are 22 percent more expensive than New York, while No．5 Hong Kong is 19 percent more costly．

Among North American cities, New York and Los Angeles are the most expensive and are the only two listed in the top 50 of the world’s most expensive cities．But both have fallen since last year’s study — New York came in 15th, down from 10th place, while Los Angeles fell to 42nd from 29th place a year ago．San Francisco came in a distant third at No．54, down 20 places from a year earlier．

Toronto, meanwhile, is Canada’s most expensive city but fell 35 places to take 82nd place worldwide．In Australia, Sydney is the priciest place to live in and No．21 worldwide．

1.What do the underlined words “a steal” in Paragraph 3 mean?

A．an act of stealing   B．something delicious

C．something very cheap                     D．an act of buying

2.London has become the second most expensive city because of ______．

A．the high cost of clothing

B．the stronger pound against the dollar

C．its expensive transportation

D．the high prices of fast food meals

3.Which city is the third most expensive on the list?

A．Tokyo．              B．Hong Kong．      C．Moscow．         D．Sydney．

4.Which city has dropped most on the list in North America?

A．New York．           B．Los Angeles．    C．San Francisco．  D．Toronto．

Qinghai-Tibet Railway

Qinghai-Tibet Railway was unfolded to the public on Mondy. From July1, the service will cost a minimum of 389 yuan (hard seat) and take about 48 hours from Beijing to Lhasa. A hard sleeper (bottom berth) ill cost 813 yuan, and a soft sleeper (bottom berth) 1,262 yuan. The fare for an air ticket is about 2,540 yuan. Trains will run to and from Lhasa in three directions: through Beijing, Chengdu/ Chongqing and Xining/ Lanzhou

MOSCOW is this year’s most expensive city for big consumers in the world, a study released by British human resources firm Mercer HR suggests. Seoul was in second place, followed by Tokyo－which topped the list in 2005, when the Russian capital was in fourth position－then Hong Kong and London. The findings were based on prices for 200 goods and services, especially housing, transport, food, clothing and entertainment. In the 144 cities surveyed, Beijing and Shanghai ranked 14th and 20th.

Cutting wages in monopoly industries(垄断行业)

CHINA’S State-owned monopoly industries may be forced to cut their employees’ wages as the government looks at reducing the country’s widening income gap, the Economic Observer said on Monday. The report said the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), working with other central government departments, worked out a plan. High salaries in electricity, telecommunications and other monopoly industries have met with strong criticism.

1．According to the news, a tourist can enter Tibet by taking a train from __________ cities with a sleeper train ticket which costs at least ___________.

       A．three; 389 yuan                                   B．five; 813 yuan

       C．five; 389 yuan                                     D．three; 1,262 yuan

2．Which of the following cities is the most expensive city in 2005?

       A．Moscow             B．Tokyo                 C．Scoul                  D．London

3．The word “gap” in the third news probably means ________________

       A．tax           B．space        C．blank        D．separation

If your boss asks you to work in Moscow this year, he’d better offer you more money to do so — or even double that depending on where you live now. That’s because Moscow has just been found to be the world’s most expensive city for the second year in a row by Mercer Human Resources Consulting.

Using the cost of living in New York as a base, Mercer determined Moscow is 34.4 percent more expensive including the cost of housing, transportation, food, clothing, household goods and entertainment (娱乐).

A two-bedroom flat in Moscow now costs $4,000 a month; a CD $24.83, and an international newspaper $6.30, according to Mercer. By comparison, a fast food meal with a hamburger (汉堡包) is a steal at $480.

London takes the No. 2 place, up from No. 5 a year ago, thanks to higher cost of housing and a stronger British pound relative to the dollar. Mercer estimates (估算) London is 26 percent more expensive than New York these days. Following London closely are Seoul and Tokyo, both of which are 22 percent more expensive than New York, while No. 5 Hong Kong is 19 percent more costly.

Among North American cities, New York and Los Angeles are the most expensive and are the only two listed in the top 50 of the world’s most expensive cities. But both have fallen since last year’s study — New York came in 15th, down from 10th place, while Los Angeles fell to 42nd from 29th place a year ago. San Francisco came in a distant third at No. 54, down 20 places from a year earlier.

Toronto, meanwhile, is Canada’s most expensive city but fell 35 places to take 82nd place worldwide. In Australia, Sydney is the priciest place to live in and No. 21 worldwide.

72. What do the underlined words “a steal” in Paragraph 3 mean?

A. an act of stealing                               B. something delicious

C. something very cheap                       D. an act of buying

73. London has become the second most expensive city because of _________

A. the high cost of clothing                            B. the stronger pound against the dollar

C. its expensive transportation                      D. the high prices of fast food meals

74. Which city is the third most expensive on the list?

A. Tokyo.                    B. Hong Kong.           C. Moscow.               D. Sydney.

75. Which city has dropped most on the list in North America?

A. New York.       B. Los Angeles.                C. San Francisco.             D. Toronto.