People often think that having a million dollars would make all their dreams come true. There are TV game shows that give contestants the chance to become millionaires. When asked the question "What would you do with a million dollars?", most people tend to give similar answers: “Quit my job.”, "Buy my dream house," or “Go traveling.” Twenty years ago, it was possible to realize these dreams. However, things are not so easy today.

In many developed countries, the cost of living is higher than ever. Over the last twenty years, for example, housing prices in many of the world's cities have soared. In the U. S., luxury homes in the state of Arizona sold for about $ 800, 000 in 1995. These same homes now cost more than $ 1.5 million. Now, because more people live in the area, the cost of property has risen.

Apartments in many city centers are also more expensive now than in the past. Today, people want to be closer to their workplace, and many are now moving back into the city center. As a result, living in or near this area costs more than ever. Apartments in London's Mayfair district or in Manhattan in New York City often sell for over a million dollars.

Inflation is another important reason for the rise in the cost of living. Over the last 150 years, as prices have gone up, the value of money has gone down, so we now need more money to buy things. In 1850, for example, $50,000 had as much buying power as $1 million dollars does today. Of course, people now earn more money than they did 150 years ago, but they also spend more on necessities such as food, medicine, and housing.

In order to live well after you stop working, you should begin saving for retirement early. Experts suggest that after you retire, you will need 75 percent to 80 percent of your salary to live on every month. This calculation assumes that you have no mortgage on a house to continue paying, or any other major expenses.

Due to increased demand for housing, higher inflation, and longer life expectancy, a million may not be enough to live on. To be able to retire early, travel the world, and build your dream home, you may have to appear on that game show and win more than once!

46. What is the main cause of high housing price?

A. People generally make more money today.

B. There are more luxury homes than apartments.

C. There is less housing available there for sale or rent.

D. People would rather live in the suburbs than in the city.

47. The word "inflation" in the 4th paragraph refers to _____

A. the amount of money required for life's necessities

B. a continuing increase in prices over time

C. a bank loan for a house or piece of land

D. things that one must pay for regularly

48. If you make $ 4,000 per month, you will need _______ per month after you retire.

A. $2,250~$2,400        B. $ 3,000~$ 3,200

C. $3,500~$3,750        D. $2,550~ $ 2,700

49. What does the underlined sentence mean in the last paragraph?

A. You will be so lucky that you can win another million dollars.

B. Don't expect too much for just a million dollars that cannot change your life completely.

C. A million dollars is too little to travel around the world.

D. To win another million dollars is the only way to make you live better after retirement.

50. The passage mainly tells us _______.

A. what a million dollars can buy

B. higher housing prices have become a social problem to deal with

C. how much money you will need in order to live well after retirement

D. we should not neglect the fact that money may not be as that much as before

It is well known that the Japanese people’s love of fish is almost as a bee’s interest in honey. As fish populations were decreasing, fishing companies were forced to fish further and further away from the shore. Then they had a big challenge－how to keep the fish fresh for longer. So they decided to keep the fish stored in freezers on the boats. But the public did not like frozen fish. So again the fishing companies had a new bigger challenge. What they decided to do was to have fish tanks on their boats. After catching fishes, they would put them in the tanks and keep them living there until they got back to shore. But in this protected environment, lacking predators (掠食者)，the fish stopped moving around. The Japanese public felt these dull fish did not taste fresh, which had an unpleasant effect upon sales. Once again the fishing companies had an even bigger challenge ...
Stop for a minute! Before we go any further, I would like to ask “What are your challenges? How do you handle an unexpected challenge?” May I think it this way that you should try to attack your challenges? Conquer them with a Swiss Army knife. Take the most proper and simple tool that you can adopt to deal with your situation.
Now back to our story. How did the Japanese finally figure out the fresh fish problem？Sharks! You might think the same. Sharks were caught and put into the tanks with other fishes. Don’t sharks eat fish? Well, they do eat a few fish, but they did also keep more fish active and alert (警觉的) The fish stay fresh because they are challenged.
Now, try to keep yourself fresh by finding your own shark to offer yourself a challenge in your own business and career.
1.The main reason for the fishing company to fish in the far sea is that_________.
A. the fish resource near the shore was decreasing
B. the fishes farther away from the sea tasted fresher         
C. people would prefer eating fresh fishes to less fresh ones
D. it was getting harder and harder to keep fishes fresh
2.The relationship between fishes and sharks is similar to that between_________in nature.
A. dogs and cats                 B. monkeys and mosquitoes  
C. wolves and antelopes             D. children and lions
3.The underlined part of the last paragraph means “_________.”
A. If you went fishing, you might do as the fishing companies did
B. Try to find a big shark, and you will meet your challenge
C. To succeed in life, you should always be ready to meet challenges
D. Sharks are usually compared to the challenges in people’s life
4.The purpose for the author to write the passage is to_________.
A. tell the readers “no pains, no gains”
B. tell the readers how the Japanese keep the fish fresh
C. suggest readers looking for challenges to make progress
D. advise readers to find something difficult to do

It is well known that the Japanese people’s love of fish is almost as strong as a bee’s interest in honey. As fish populations were decreasing, fishing companies were forced to fish further and further away from the shore. Then they had a big challenge — how to keep the fish fresh for longer. So they decided to keep the fish stored in freezers on the boats. But the public did not like frozen fish. So again the fishing companies had a new bigger challenge. What they decided to do was to have fish tanks on their boats. After catching fishes, they would put them in the tanks and keep them living there until they got back to shore. But in this protected environment, lacking predators （掠食者）, the fish stopped moving around. The Japanese public felt these dull fish did not taste fresh, which had an unpleasant effect upon sales. Once again the fishing companies had an even bigger challenge …

    Stop for a minute! Before we go any further, I would like to ask “What are your challenges? How do you handle an unexpected challenge? ” May I think it this way that you should try to attack your challenges? Conquer them with a Swiss Army knife. Take the most proper and simple tool that you can adopt to deal with your situation.

    Now back to our story. How did the Japanese finally figure out the fresh fish problem? Sharks! You might think the same. Sharks were caught and put into the tanks with other fishes. Don’t sharks EAT fish? Well, they do eat a few fish, but they did also keep more fish active and alert. The fish stay fresh because they are challenged.

   Now, try to keep yourself fresh by finding your own shark to offer yourself a challenge in your own business and career.

1．The main reason for the fishing company to fish in the far sea is that _______.

     A．the fish resource near the shore was decreasing

     B．the fishes farther away from the sea tasted fresher

     C．people would prefer eating fresh fishes to less fresh ones

     D．it was getting harder and harder to keep fishes fresh

2．The relationship between fishes and sharks is similar to that between_______ in nature.

     A．dogs and cats                                    B．monkeys and mosquitoes    

       C．wolves and antelopes                         D．tigers and lions  

3．The underlined part of the last paragraph means “_______.”

       A．If you went fishing, you might do as the fishing companies did

       B．Try to find a big shark, and you will meet your challenge  

       C．To succeed in life, you should always be ready to meet challenges

       D．Sharks are usually compared to the challenges in people’s life

4．The purpose for the author to write the passage is to        .

       A．tell the readers “no pains, no gains”

       B．tell the readers how the Japanese keep the fish fresh

       C．suggest readers looking for challenges to make progress

       D．advise readers to find something difficult to do

Five steps to take if your child is being bullied
  51  The worst thing you can do is ignore it. Too often parents feel children and teens need to “work things out” on their own. If the problem is ignored, your child’s self-esteem will become unhealthy, he will be hurt mentally or physically, and he could become a bully himself.
Here are five steps you can take if your child is having problems with a bully:
  52  This is an important first step and will help your child trust that you are able to help him with his problem. Accept what he has to say at face value by using your active listening skills.
Let your child know that he is not alone.   53  Reassure your child that he is not the problem. Nothing he did caused the bully to go after him.
If your child is being threatened in a physical or illegal way at school, report the problem. Your child may not want you to do this, or the school may not take it seriously, but violence cannot be tolerated.   54  You will need to model assertive (果断的) behavior by alerting those in charge where the bullying is taking place.
Teach your child assertive behavior and how to ignore routine teasing. Let them know it is okay to say “No.” sometimes even friends bully, so letting your child know they can be true to their own feelings and say “No” can go a long way.
  55  Giving up possessions or giving in to a bully in anyway encourages the bully to continue. Identify ways for your child to respond to a bully---showing assertive but not aggressive behavior---and role-play them.

    Five steps to take if your child is being bullied

      71   The worst thing you can do is ignore it. Too often parents feel children and teens need to “work things out” on their own. If the problem is ignored, your child’s self-esteem will become unhealthy, he will be hurt mentally or physically, and he could become a bully himself.

Here are five steps you can take if your child is having problems with a bully:

  72   This is an important first step and will help your child trust that you are able to help him with his problem. Accept what he has to say at face value by using your active listening skills.

Let your child know that he is not alone.   73   Reassure your child that he is not the problem. Nothing he did caused the bully to go after him.

If your child is being threatened in a physical or illegal way at school, report the problem. Your child may not want you to do this, or the school may not take it seriously, but violence cannot be tolerated.   74­­­_   You will need to model assertive behavior by alerting those in charge where the bullying is taking place.

Teach your child assertive behavior and how to ignore routine teasing. Let them know it is okay to say “No.” sometimes even friends bully, so letting your child know they can be true to their own feelings and say “No” can go a long way.

  75   Giving up possessions or giving in to a bully in anyway encourages the bully to continue. Identify ways for your child to respond to a bully---showing assertive but not aggressive behavior---and role-play them.

A. Believe what your child tells you.

B. Encourage your child not to give in to a bully.

C. Praise your child for being brave enough to talk about it.

D. Bullying is a terrible situation for a child to have to cope with.

E. If you choose not to do anything that is what you’re teaching your child.

F. Most children have to deal with some type of bullying behavior at one time or another.

G. If your child comes to you because a bully is bothering him, you need to pay close attention to the problem.