Iceland has the highest birth rate in Europe, the highest divorce rate, and the highest percentage of women working outside the home. Such statistics are often evidence of a miserable, chaotic（混乱的）society, with loads of children, broken homes and absent mothers. But Iceland is the exception – its citizens are the happiest in the world.

Perhaps the country's geographic location contributes to Icelanders' happiness. Located in the middle of the North Atlantic, with Greenland as its nearest neighbor, Iceland is free from the taboos（禁忌）that cause so much trouble elsewhere. For instance, people who divorce are not looked down upon by society.

Icelanders are offsprings（后代）of the Vikings, a north European people who invaded European coasts from the 8th through the 10th century. This tradition of getting out into the world lives on in modern-day Iceland. Practically all Icelanders have studied or worked abroad, and most speak English.

Perhaps as a result, Iceland's economic policies blend the best of those from Europe with the US to create its own welfare system.

"Many of us have lived in the US, and studied there," said the Icelandic Prime Minister Geir Haarde. "We have both taken from them and found that naturally we share the can-do attitude—— that if you work hard, anything can be done."

Indeed, the country is rich in writers, painters, film makers and musicians. There's Sigur Ros, a post-rock band, and also a national symphony orchestra that plays to the highest standards all over the world. Half the population appears to have written a book.

"Iceland has harsh（恶劣的） nature, with its bitter ever-changing weather,” said Haraldur Jonsson, a painter, sculptor and video and performance artist. “We cannot escape it. So we find ways________. We have to have a rich internal（内在的）life to fill the empty spaces."

57．It is commonly believed that high birth rate and divorce rate will bring about ________.

       A．social problems              B．happiness

       C．a unique welfare system     D．modern way of life

58．The underlined word "blend" in the fourth paragraph means            .

       A．combine       B．correct          C．compare       D．compete

59．Which of the following is NOT mentioned as the reason for Icelanders’ happiness?

       A．Geographic location.       B．A rich internal life.

       C．National pride.     D．Freedom from taboos.

60．The most suitable phrase to fill in the blank in the last paragraph is             .

       A．to get rid of it    B．to have it changed  C．to get away from it        D．to live with it

Iceland has the highest birth rate in Europe, the highest divorce rate, and the highest percentage of women working outside the home. Such statistics are often evidence of a miserable, chaotic（混乱的）society, with loads of children, broken homes and absent mothers. But Iceland is the exception – its citizens are the happiest in the world.
Perhaps the country's geographic location contributes to Icelanders' happiness. Located in the middle of the North Atlantic, with Greenland as its nearest neighbor, Iceland is free from the taboos（禁忌）that cause so much trouble elsewhere. For instance, people who divorce are not looked down upon by society.
Icelanders are offsprings（后代）of the Vikings, a north European people who invaded European coasts from the 8th through the 10th century. This tradition of getting out into the world lives on in modern-day Iceland. Practically all Icelanders have studied or worked abroad, and most speak English.
Perhaps as a result, Iceland's economic policies blend the best of those from Europe with the US to create its own welfare system.
"Many of us have lived in the US, and studied there," said the Icelandic Prime Minister Geir Haarde. "We have both taken from them and found that naturally we share the can-do attitude—— that if you work hard, anything can be done."
Indeed, the country is rich in writers, painters, film makers and musicians. There's Sigur Ros, a post-rock band, and also a national symphony orchestra that plays to the highest standards all over the world. Half the population appears to have written a book.
"Iceland has harsh（恶劣的） nature, with its bitter ever-changing weather,” said Haraldur Jonsson, a painter, sculptor and video and performance artist. “We cannot escape it. So we find ways________. We have to have a rich internal（内在的）life to fill the empty spaces."

1. 1.

   It is commonly believed that high birth rate and divorce rate will bring about ________.
   

   1. A.
      social problems            
   2. B.
      happiness
   3. C.
      a unique welfare system   
   4. D.
      modern way of life
2. 2.

   The underlined word "blend" in the fourth paragraph means            .
   

   1. A.
      combine     
   2. B.
      correct        
   3. C.
      compare     
   4. D.
      compete
3. 3.

   Which of the following is NOT mentioned as the reason for Icelanders’ happiness?
   

   1. A.
      Geographic location.      
   2. B.
      A rich internal life.
   3. C.
      National pride.    
   4. D.
      Freedom from taboos.
4. 4.

   The most suitable phrase to fill in the blank in the last paragraph is             .
   

   1. A.
      to get rid of it  
   2. B.
      to have it changed 
   3. C.
      to get away from it      
   4. D.
      to live with it

“Made in America’’ must make a comeback

 One thing the financial crisis shows is that the United States is in trouble because Americans have stopped making things．

    It used to be that we made a lot of things：televisions，clothes，radios，typewriters，and telephones．And we also used to make the things out of which things were made：steel，plastic，and glass．Today they are largely made overseas．They send us their things and we send them our money．It also used to be that Americans liked to make things．Think of all the things Thomas Edison invented．Or Henry Ford．Countless others worked as toolmakers and machinists because they liked to work with their hands．A Japanese neighbor visiting a US factory told me once that he envied Americans because they did not accept cultural limitations in improving the way something is made．He said that you could never go against the grain like that in Japan． But today we rely on people around the world to do that innovation（创新）for us．

    To be sure，outsourcing（外购）has some benefits，but the danger in ending our desire to make things is that，in doing so，we forget what made America great．It was hard work and persistence．It was having a dream and being patient and self-sacrificing to achieve that dream．Forgetting that contributes to America’s deterioration（退化）．

 Nowadays，young people are not encouraged to work with their hands．It’s thought to lower their status．They want to work in the financial industry（at least until recently）．But working with your hands to create something new is rewarding．Even better，it helps you see how something can be improved．

 Be sure the “can-do spirit”is still alive in America．We just need to encourage it in our young people．Today’s schools must help teach our young people the value of physical labour and help us take advantage of the greatest place to be for innovation．

1． What is the second paragraph mainly about?

      A．People who worked with their own hands．

B．All the things Thomas Edison ever invented．

      C．A Japanese neighbor visiting a factory in the USA．

      D．The fact that Americans made things and liked to make them．

2． The underlined phrase “go against the grain” in Paragraph 2 probably means         ．

      A．do what is normally done                     B．not buy the grain

      C．not accept cultural limitations               D．obey the common rules

3． The main reason for America’s deterioration is that        ．

      A．people prefer outsourcing                            B．people lack the can-do spirit

C．schools don’t teach children well          D．people forget what made America great

4． What’s the writer’s attitude towards the present situation in America?

A．Neutral and objective．                       B．Worried but optimistic．

      C．Worried and pessimistic．                  D．Unconcerned and indifferent．

5． Young people in America don’t like working with their hands because they        ．

      A．think they will gain less respect from others

B．know the value of working with their hands

C．are not strong enough for it

      D．don’t like making things

How should one invest a sum of money in inflation (通货膨胀)? Left in a bank it will hardly keep its value, however high the interest rate. Only a brave man, or a very rich one, dares to buy and sell on the Stock Market. Today it seems that one of the best ways to protect your savings, and even increase your wealth is to buy beautiful objects from the past. Here I am going to offer some advice on collecting antique clocks, which I personally consider are among the most interesting of antiques.
I sometimes wonder what a being from another planet might report back about our way of life. "The planet Earth is ruled by a mysterious creature that sits or stands in a room and makes a strange ticking sound. It has a face with twelve black marks and two hands. Men can do nothing without its permission, and it fastens its young round people's wrists so that everywhere men go they are still under its control. This creature is the real master of Earth and men are its slaves."
Whether or not we are slaves of time today depends on our culture and personality, but it is believed that many years ago kings kept special slaves to tell the time. Certain men were very clever at measuring the time according to the beating of their own hearts. They were made to stand in a fixed place and every hour or so would shout time. So it seems that the first clocks were human beings.
However, men quickly found more convenient and reliable ways of telling the time. They learned to use the shadows cast by the sun. They marked the hours on candles, used sand in hour- glasses, and invented water-clocks. Indeed, any serious student of antique should spend as much time as possible visiting palaces, stately homes and museums to see some of the finest examples of clocks from the past.
Antique clocks could be very expensive, but one of the joys of collecting clocks is that it is still possible to find quite cheap ones for your own home. After all, if you are going to be ruled by time, why not invest in an antique clock and perhaps make a future profit?
【小题1】According to the passage, collecting antique clocks ________.

By the time a student starts to apply (申请) for a US university, much of his or her record, including grades and after-school activities, has been set in stone. For this reason, the student must in his or her first year of high school start getting ready for college. He or she also has to decide on the non-academic (非学业的) tasks, which are important to improve the student’s chances of getting in.
1. After-school activities
When it comes to high school activities, quality is better than quantity (数量). Admissions (录取) officers do not want to see a student who has joined dozens of organizations (组织) for a short period of time.
Many students try to do this towards the end of their high school. But schools want to see a student who has been with one organization for all or most of high school. A student who can do this shows maturity (成熟). It is the quality that admissions officers look for as it is one of the markers of future success.
2. Leadership
Schools want to see a student who has taken on a leadership role in an organization. A student can show leadership by taking on any role that needs extra commitment (奉献) and responsibility.
If you do not have a great title (头衔) such as president, be sure to explain any leadership roles you have taken. This kind of involvement (参与) in school activities shows you are the responsible person that admissions officers look for.
3. Consistency (一致性)
Admissions officers like an application (申请) to be consistent. For example if there is a high school activity you particularly (特别地) love, it would help if that activity matches your future academic and career interest.
Of course not everything needs to be consistent. Otherwise (否则) the student would be narrow and this is not what schools are looking for. However, you cannot have different parts of your application saying conflicting (矛盾的) things.
【小题1】Who was the article written for?