At the top of a hill,we can usually get a good view of everything around us,so from there we can plan which direction to go next.

As we go downhill,we can see less and less,and at the bottom of that hill,even less.So,because we can see more from the top of the hill,we can also plan our future better.

In business,education,or anything else that people do,being”on top”means being the best.A business that is”on top”is beating all its competition in the same way,a student”on top”is getting the highest grades in his or her class.

Such a business or student is in a good position to plan a positive future.

It is necessary,however,to continue to work very hard to keep one’s position”on top”.If one allows high standards to fall through inattention,mismanagement,or poor quality control,we can say that that person’s work or business is”going downhill”.

1.What does”go downhill”in this passage mean?

A.See less.　　　　　　　　　　　　　 B.Be in a worse condition.

C.Get worse.　　　　　　　　　　　　 D.Slip off the top of a hill.

2.If a company 　　　,it will go downhill.

A.beats all its competition　　　　　　　 B.no longer gets a good view

C.is run improperly　　　　　　　　　　　 D.has no direction to go next

3.The writer wants to tell us that 　　　.

A.we’d better often plan our future

B.it’s worth trying to keep”on top”

C.it’s not easy to keep high standard

D.the higher we stand the further we can see

A. that; what　　　　　　　　 B.when; what?　　　　   C.where; what　　　　　　　　　　 D.where; that

Scientists have to work hard to keep _____ with modern discoveries and developments.

　　A. company　　 B. track 　　　C. touch 　　　D. pace

　 Switzerland is the best place to be born in the world in 2013，and the US is just 16th. A new study made by the Economist Intelligence Unit says American babies will have a dimmer（暗淡）future than those born in Hong Kong，Ireland and even Canada. The EIU，a sister company of The Economist，tried to measure how well countries will provide the best opportunities for a healthy，safe and prosperous life in years to come.

　 People born in Switzerland will tend to be the happiest and have the best quality of life in terms of wealth，health and trust in public institutions，according to the analysis. The Scandinavian countries of Norway，Sweden and Denmark also all make the top five in a‘quality-of-lif e’index(指数）where it is best to be born next year.

　 One of the most important factors is being rich，but other factors come into play including crime，trust in public institutions and the health of family life. In total，the index takes into account 11 factors. These include fixed factors such as geography，others that change slowly over time such as demography (人口学) social and cultural characteristics, and the state of the world economy. The index also looks at income per head in 2030，which is roughly when children born in 2013 will reach adulthood. Small economies take up the top 10 countries，with

Australia coming second and New Zealand and the Netherlands not too far behind.

　 Half of the top 10 countries are European，but only one，the Netherlands，is from the eurozone. The crisis-ridden south of Europe，including Greece，Portugal and Spain，falls behind despite the advantage of a favourable climate. Interestingly，the largest European economies-Germany，France and Britain-do not do particularly well. Nigeria has the unenviable(不值得羡慕的)title of being the worst country for a baby to enter the world in 2013.

56．According to the passage，the happiest people live in　　　 ·

　 A. Denmark B. Switzerland C. Germany D. Nigeria

57．The factors of telling the best place to be born don’t include　　　 ．

　 A. economy B. geography

　 C. trust in public institutions D. pollution

58．Which of the following is TRUE according to the text？

　 A. The Economist Intelligence Unit is a company.

　 B. The Economist attempted to measure the best place to live.

　 C. The Scandinavian countries are hardly at the top of the list.

　 D. Half of the top 10 countries are from the eurozone.

59．The purpose of the text is to show people　　　 ．

　 A. the best place to be born in 2013

　 B. a new study made by the EIU

　 C. the worst country to be born in 2013

　 D. the factors of measuring the best place to be born

Scientists have to work hard to keep _____ with modern discoveries and developments.

　 A. company　 B. track　 C. touch　 D. pace