An increase in students applying to study economics at university is being attributed to the global economic crisis awakening a public thirst for knowledge about how the financial system works.

Applications for degree courses beginning this autumn were up by 15% this January, according to UCAS, the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service. A spokesman for the Royal Economic Society said applications to do economics at A-level were also up.

Professor John Beath, the president of the society, and a leading lecturer at St Andrews University, said his first-year lectures—which are open to students from all departments—were drawing crowds of 400, rather than the usual 250.

“There are a large number of students who are not economics majors, who would like to learn something about it. One of the things I have done this year is to relate my teaching to contemporary events in a way that one hasn’t traditionally done.” He added.

University applications rose 7% last year. But there were rises above average in several subjects. Nursing saw a 15% jump, with people’s renewed interest in careers in the public sector, which are seen as more secure in economic crisis.

A recent study showed almost two thirds of parents believed schools should do more to teach pupils about financial matters, and almost half said their children had asked them what was going on, although a minority of parents felt they did not understand it themselves well enough to explain.

Zack Hocking, the head of Child Trust Funds, said: “It’s possible that one good thing to arise from the downturn will be a generation that’s financially wiser and better equipped to manage their money through times of economic uncertainty.”

1.Professor John Beath’s lectures are              .

A．given in a traditional way

B．open to both students and their parents

C．connected with the present situation

D．warmly received by economics

2.Incomes in the public sector are more attractive because of their              .

A．greater stability                         B．higher pay

C．fewer applications                       D．better reputation

3.In the opinion of most parents              .

A．economics should be the focus of school teaching

B．more students should be admitted to universities

C．children should solve financial problems themselves

D．the teaching of financial matters should be strengthened

4.According to Hocking, the global economic crisis might make the youngsters          .

A．have access to better equipment           B．wiser in money management

C．confident about their future careers         D．get jobs in Child Trust Funds

5.What’s the main idea of the text?

A．Universities have received more applications.

B．College students benefit a lot from economic uncertainty.

C．Economics is attracting an increasing numbers students.

D．Parents are concerned with children’s subject selection.

An increase in students applying to study economics at university is being attributed to （归因于）the global economic crisis awakening a public thirst for knowledge about how the financial system works.  
Applications for degree courses beginning this autumn were up by 15% this January, according to UCAS, the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service. A. spokesman for the Royal Economic Society said applications to do economics at A-level were also up.   
Professor john Beath, the president of the society and a leading lecture at St Andrews University, said his first-year lectures-which are open to students from all departments—were drawing crowds of 400, rather than the usual 250.   
“There are a large number of students who are not economics majors, who would like to learn something about it. One of the things I have done this year is to relate my teaching to contemporary events in a way that one hasn’t traditionally done. ” He added.   
University applications rose 7% last year. But there were rises above average in several subjects. Nursing saw a 15% jump, with people’s renewed interest in caters in the pubic sector（部门）, which are seen as more secure in economic crisis.   
A. recent study showed almost two thirds of parents believed schools should do more to teach pupils about financial matters, and almost half said their children had asked them what was going on, although a minority of parents felt they did not understand it themselves well enough to explain.   
Zack Hocking, the head of Child Trust Funds, said: “It’s possible that one good thing to arise from the downturn will be a generation that’s financially wiser and better equipped to manage their money through times of economic uncertainty.”  
71. Professor John Beath’s lectures are ______ .  
A. given in a traditional way                 B. connected with the present situation  
C. open to both students and their parents    D. warmly received by economics  
72. Incomes in the public sector are more attractive because of their_____.   
A. greater stability     B. higher pay    C. fewer applications   D. better reputation  
73. in the opinion of most parents ______ .   
A. eccentrics should be the focus of school teaching  
B. more students should be admitted to universities  
C. the teaching of financial matters should be strengthened.   
D. children should solve financial problems themselves   
74. According to Hocking, the global economic crisis might make the youngsters_____ .   
A. wiser in money management  
B. have access to better equipment  
C. confide about their future careers  
D. get jobs in Child Trust Funds  
75. What’s the main idea of the text?  
A. Universities have received more applications.  
B. Economics is attracting an increasing numbers students  
C. college students benefit a lot from economic uncertainty  
D. parents are concerned with children’s subject selection.   

For a 400-year-old art form, opera had a bad fame: overweight actresses singing the words which were hard to understand in one of those romantic languages you were supposed to learn in high school. And with tickets costing as much as $145 a performance, operagoers also had a certain appearance in people’s mind: rich, well-dressed and old.

But now opera companies around the country are loosening their ties and kicking off their shoes in an attempt to keep opera alive and take it to a younger and not so wealthy audience.

Opera producers have found that to attract this crowd, they need to associate opera with the common people. That means no formal suits, old-styled theatre or bank-breaking ticket prices. And because young people don’t or won’t come to the opera, companies are bringing the opera to them, giving performances in such usual places as parks, libraries and public schools.

The Houston Grand Opera’s choice is the public library, where it performs “mobile operas”, shortened versions of child-friendly operas. This summer’s production is Hansel & Gretel. By performing smaller versions of large productions, producers are able to make people interested while keeping costs at a reasonable level. The San Francisco Opera, which will be celebrating its 75th anniversary this year, is staging Cinderella free of charge, keeping costs down by employing students from its Young Artists’ Training Program.

1.Which is the main idea of this passage?

A. Opera is famous for its long history.

B. Opera is only performed for rich people.

C. Opera companies are trying to keep opera alive.

D. Young people are not interested in opera.

2.The underlined phrase in the second paragraph means _________.

A. breaking up the old rules            B. changing the dresses

C. making the audience at ease      D. advertising themselves

3.Opera companies prefer to perform short versions because _________.

A. they can be performed in public libraries                   

B. short versions are easy to perform

C. it is hard to find long versions

D. they can make people interested

4.The San Francisco Opera employs students in order to _________.

A. celebrate its 75th anniversary

B. reduce the cost

C. attract young people

D. make Cinderella popular

5. From the passage we can infer that _________.

A. the tickets for opera are very expensive

B. opera is performed in a difficult language

C. opera is not so popular an art form today

D. students enjoy performing opera very much

Although hurricane season doesn't begin until June 1, a Pacific storm has already struck. El Salvador, which was ruined by a Caribbean storm in 1995, was hit by Hurricane Adrian on Friday. This is the first Pacific-born hurricane to ever reach land in this Central American country.

Some 14,000 people left from the western coast of El Salvador. The storm weakened as it crossed land, heading east. Heavy rains created deadly flooding problems in the hurricane's wake.

Adrian is the first Pacific storm of the season. It reported maximum continuous winds of 75 miles per hour, the minimum strength of a hurricane. A Category 3 hurricane, Adrian also caused damage and flooding in Honduras. It is expected to break up before reaching the Caribbean Sea on the eastern coast of Central America.

Hurricane season typically begins June 1 and lasts through November 30．The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has predicted seven to nine hurricanes for the 2005 season.

"It is difficult to make any kind of an exact prediction of how many of these will strike land," NOAA administrator Conrad Lautenbacher said. He predicts two to three hurricanes will strike the U.S. this season.

Last year, six of nine hurricanes reached Category 3 strength or higher. Four of those hit Florida within a six-week period. Altogether, Hurricanes Charley, Frances, Ivan, and Jeanne caused more than $40 billion in damage in the Sunshine State.

This year's forecast is based on ocean temperatures. Warmer temperatures produce more tropical storms, which can then turn into hurricanes.

"The issue, really, this year is the unusually warm sea surface temperatures in the Atlantic," said Frank Lepore of the National Hurricane Center.

60．Which of the following is the 2005 first hurricane?

A．Charley.   B．Adrian.    C．Jeanne.    D．Frances.

61．How many countries struck by the hurricane are mentioned in the text?

A．Six. B．Nine.       C．Five.       D．Three.

62．We can infer that warmer ocean temperatures ______.

A．have nothing to do with the hurricane

B．cause less hurricane

C．are more likely to cause the hurricanes

D．do a lot of damage to the areas along the coast

63．The passage implies that _______.

A．hurricane season comes early this year

B．every hurricane formed in oceans could cause great damage to the land

C．hurricane often comes in winter and spring

D．tropical storm is more severe than hurricane

The 149th anniversary of Washington University’s founding will be celebrated with a presentation of Distinguished Alumni(校友) Awards for six famous teachers and alumni for their outstanding professional achievements, public service, extraordinary service to Washington University, or all three. Among the sixd awards winners for this year is Chen Zhangliang.
Chen Zhangliang is one of China’s most famous scientists, who was born into a poor fisherman’s family in Fuqing City, Fujian Province in 1961. after graduating from a university at home, Chen went to the US for further study. Since coming to Washington University as a doctoral student in 1983 to study transgenic(转基因的) plant engineering, Chen’s academic career has focused on gene cloning and the development of disease-and-pest-resistant plants. He completed his doctoral degree in biology at Washington University in 1987 and returned to Beijing to establish the National Laboratory of Plant Genetic Engineering at Peking University.
A productive scholar, Chen has published many books and more than one hundred research papers. He holds over ten patents with an equal number pending(等待决定的). Currently he is president of China Agricultural University and vice president of Peking University.
In addition to his academic career, Chen is also founder and president of the Weiming Biotechnology Company, which produces many DNA recombinant drugs and vaccines. He’s also a representative of China’s National People’s Congress and vice chairman of China Biotechnology Association. In addition, he serves as vice chairman for the China’s National Youth Federation.
Among his many honors are the UNESCO Javed Husain Prize for Young Scientists and TIME’s Global 100 Roster of Young Leaders for the New Millennium, as well as the Science and Technology prizes from the Ministry of Education in China.
41. Chen Zhangliang takes part in the following activities EXCEPT __________.
A. the Chinese government’s work
B. the university’s management
C. the management of agriculture
D. the production of biochemistry medicines
42. Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?
A. Chen Zhangliang gained a doctor’s degree at the age of 26.
B. It’s possible for Chen Zhangliang to obtain about 20 patents.
C. Chen Zhangliang established the genetic engineering laboratory in Beijing.
D. Distinguished Alumni Awards are mainly given to the students of the university.
43. What’s the passage mainly about?
A. An introdction to Washington University’s anniversary activities.
B. A brief introduction to a world-famous university.
C. The scientific achievements and honors of Chen Zhangliang.
D. The career development of Chen Zhangliang
44. This passage gives us the inspiration that ___________.
A. knowledge can change one’s destiny
B. wehre there’s a will, there’s a way
C. a good scholar can become an official
D. a good beginning is half done