Columbus College , 241 Queen Elizabeth Drive ,Kowloon City

Memo

To:     All Staff

From:  Jakie Mok , Secretary; Sports Development Committee

Date:   May 20, 2010

A week ago, “Sports for Life” programme was sent to the parents, requiring them to select a sport they wanted their child to play. Since then, our staff have received lots of calls from parents asking for more information about it . Here is a memo (备忘录) for your reference when you answer the phones.

Sports 1:Basketball.

We expect that this will be the most popular of the four sports. Therefore, students should be advised to sign up as soon as possible . Students will take a private bus to and from Kwun Tong Sports Park .To cover the cost of hiring a bus , each student will have to pay ＄10 each time. There will be four basketball courts available for our use with one teacher watching over each game. 

Sports 2:Gym

We will be using St. Peter’s Memorial Park. There are two reasons for choosing this park. First, it is not very busy and crowded before 6:00 pm. Second, it has lot of trees with plenty of shade. Students must bring along two bottles of water to prevent thirst. Three activities, skipping , jogging , outdoor aerobics (有氧运动),all of which are free of charge, will be arranged. And there will be a teacher on duty for each of the activities.

Sports 3: Hiking

 Hiking(远足)will take place at Kowloon Peak. The activity will start at 2:30 pm and finish 90 minutes later. Three teachers will accompany the students, and a hiking instructor will accompany each group of 15 hikers . Each instructor will cost ＄75/hr. Students are advised to bring plenty of water and sunscreen.

Sports 4:Swimming

 The Kowloon City Aquatic Centre is a 10-minute walk from our school. Four teachers will go to the pool and conduct the goings-on from the poolside. We will only be able to reserve the pool for one hour (i.e. 2:45pm to 3:45pm).Only students skilful at swimming can take up this activity. The pool will have two lifeguards present. Girls must wear a swimming suit. The cost is ＄10 per visit.

1.Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A. Students selecting basketball had better register early.

 B. Students participating in gym should arrive at 6:00 pm.

C. Hiking usually begins at 2:30 pm and lasts 2 hours.

D. Students having swimming suits can take up swimming.

2.It can be inferred from the passage that      

A. students taking part in basket ball will walk to the courts.

B. every student can gain admission to one of the four sports

C. hiking students can have a regular rest in the shade of trees

D. students taking up the four sports should bring bottles of water

3.It can be concluded that          

A. each sport will take only on hour sports

B. students will be charged for the four sports

C. all the sports will take place at Kowloon Peak

D. teachers will accompany students on each sport

4.The purpose of the memo is to        

A. attract students’ interest in the programme

B. require the parents to select a sport for their child

C. help the staff explain the programme to the parents

D. remind teachers and lifeguards to be present on time

As we all know, Lost in Thailand is a very successful movie, the cost of ______ is only 30 million yuan.

A．which            B．that              C．whose            D．whom

Every year students flock to the college bookstore to purchase the different textbooks that they need for their classes. Little do these students realize that, in doing so, they are throwing good money away. It may sound unbelievable but textbooks, in some cases, actually cost as much as, if not more, than college fees.

Many people think that college bookstore are the most convenient source for textbooks. Titles are usually in-stock and students may purchase new textbooks or  choose to buy second-hand books and save money . But the money saved by purchasing second-hand textbooks from college bookstores is small compared to the amount they could save by shopping online.

More and more online booksellers have begun selling textbooks at heavily discounted prices. Online second-hand bookstores are another source for college books as they stock a large number of textbooks, which means sizable savings for students. Students should avoid purchasing their textbooks at the first store that they browse online since there are so many ‘virtual’ booksellers on the Net. Price isn't the only factor to consider when making an online purchase. Students should also consider shipping costs and delivery time when making their decision.

Online auctions(拍卖) are another option for students seeking a bargain. This option, however, has its pros and cons. A plus is that students can get incredibly cheap books. One problem is that while online bookstores have a system in place that ensure  you receive your order within a reasonable amount of time, with an auction purchase, however, you  must depend on the auction seller's timetable.

One way that students can really save is by getting books for free. Project Gutenberg is one resource that English majors will find invaluable. Here students can legally download a huge collection of classic novels. In the past students needing help with their studies would often have to spend a lot of money buying expensive study guides. Today that is no longer the case. Cash-strapped students can now visit the website SparkNotes for free downloadable study guides as well as classics.

56. Which of the following is the best title of this passage?

A. Learning to save money on Textbooks           B. Why Buy Textbooks

C. Tips for Buying Secondhand Textbooks          D. Online Shopping

57. Which of the following is NOT mentioned as a source to obtain textbooks ?

A. Online used bookstores.              B. College bookstores. 

C. Online auctions.                    D. Secondhand bookstore centres.

58. The underlined expression ‘pros and cons’(paragraph 4) is closest in meaning to __________.

A. professionals and conservatives         B. processes and conditions

C. joy and sadness                      D. good and bad points

59. According to the passage, Project Gutenberg is probably __________.

A. a project to help poor students get free learning materials

B. a government project aimed at helping English majors

C. a website for English majors to get the guides from language experts

D. a website for students to get free sources for English learning

60. From the passage, we can learn that__________.

A. online auctions are perfect for students seeking text books.

B. students should visit many websites before buying their books.

C. the cost of textbooks in college is low compared to the amount spent on tuition

D. students should consider shopping costs and delivery time above all else when making their buying decision.

 The cost of renting a house in central Xi’an is higher than ____ in any other area of the city.

A. that    B. this    C. it     D. one         

PART FOUR WRITING

SECTION A

Directions: Read the following passage. Fill in the numbered blanks by using the information for the passage. Write NO MORE THAN 3 WORDS for each answer.

On 3 March 2009, a package of reforms about ATM charge designed to improve competition in the Australian ATM system came into effect. Specifically, the reforms have made it easier for new providers of ATM services to enter the market and have provided ATM owners with the freedom to charge customers for the use of ATMs. Furthermore, the reforms have increased the transparency of ATM fees by ensuring that the fee charged by the ATM owner is displayed prior(在…之前) to the transaction(交易) being finished, with the customer given the opportunity to cancel the transaction at no cost.

One element of the reforms is the removal of interchange fees that card issuers paid to ATM owners when cardholders used ATMs that did not belong to their financial institution. These fees were often passed on, with a huge profit, by card issuers to cardholders in the form of a “foreign fee”. With the removal of interchange fees, the cost to card issuers when their customers use an ATM belonging to another unit has fallen, reducing the need to charge “foreign fees”.

Following the reforms, an ATM owner can charge a cardholder directly for an ATM transaction. When the ATM owner charges such a fee, it must be disclosed before the cardholder withdraws the cash or makes a balance enquiry, and it doesn’t apply if the transaction is cancelled before completion. And an ATM owner could impose direct charges on all customers, including its own if it’s also a financial institution.

Before the reforms, an interchange fee was paid by the cardholder’s financial institution to the ATM owner whenever a “foreign” ATM transaction was undertaken. And now the interchange fee paid has been cancelled and, in line with this, foreign fees have also fallen. In some cases, including two of the major banks, foreign fees were reduced to zero.

Title:   71___________

I. Time of 72.         : on 3 March 2009

II. 73.          : to improve competition in the Australian ATM system

III. 74.          :

Making it easier for new 75.           to enter the market

Offering ATM owners the freedom to charge customers for 76.        

77. ________________ of ATM fees

78.____________that card issuers paid to ATM owners when cardholders used ATMs not belonging to their financial institution

A cardholder: being charged directly for an ATM transaction

An ATM owner: being able to 79.           on all customers

   IV. 80.           of interchange fee:

Before the reforms: often being charged by the cardholder’s financial institution

After the reforms: having fallen and some being reduced to zero