Few laws are so effective that you can see results just days after they take effect. But in the nine days since the federal cigarette tax more than doubled―to $1. 01 per pack―smokers have jammed telephone “quit lines” across the country seeking to kick the habit.    

This is not a surprise to public health advocates. They’ve studied the effect of state tax increases for years, finding that smokers, especially teens, are price sensitive. Nor is it a shock to the industry, which fiercely fights every tax increase.    

The only wonder is that so many states insist on closing their ears to the message. Tobacco taxes improve public health, health, they raise money and most particularly, they deter people from taking up the habit as teens, which is when nearly all smokers are addicted. Yet the rate of taxation varies widely.    

In Manhattan, for instance, which has the highest tax in the nation, a pack of Marlboro Light Kings cost ＄10.06 at one drugstore Wednesday. Charleston, S, C., where the 7-cent-a-pack tax is the lowest in the nation. The price was $4. 78.    

The influence is obvious.    

In New York, high school smoking hit a new low in the latest surveys―13.8%, far below the national average. By comparison, 26% of high school students smoke in Kentucky, Other low-tax states have similarly depressing teen-smoking records.    

Hal Rogers, Representative from Kentucky, like those who are against high tobacco taxes, argues that the burden of the tax falls on low-income Americans “who choose to smoke.”   

That’s true, But there is more reason in keeping future generations of low-income workers from getting hooked in the first place, As for today’s adults, if the new tax drives them to quit, they will have more to spend on their families, cut their risk of cancer and heart disease and feel better.    

66 The text is mainly about___________.

A  the price of cigarettes                       B  tie rate of teen smoking

C  the effect of tobacco tax increase              D  the differenees in tobacco tax rate

67 What does the author think is a surprise?

A  Teen smokers are price sensitive.

B  Some atates still keep the tobacco tax low.

C  Tobacco taxes improve public health.

D  Tobacco industry fiercely fights the tax rise.

68.The underlined word "deter"in Paragraph 3 most probably means      .

A. discording    B.remove    C. benefit      D.free

69.Rogers’attitude towards the low-income smokers might be that of     .

A.tolerance   B.unconcern    C.doubt   D.sympathy

70.What can we learn from the last paragraph?

A.The new tax will be beneficial in the long run.

B.Low-income Amerians are more likely to fall ill.

C.Future generations will be hooked on smoking.

D.Adults will depend more on their families.

完形填空(共20小题；每小题1.5分，满分30分)
阅读下面短文，从短文后所给各题的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中，选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项,并在答题卡上将该将涂黑。
It was the night of the full moon,a time which always drives Java’s young people mad with excitement.
Fireworks were lit long before the moon_  36 .The big noise brought people out   37   
the warm night to enjoy the interesting scene.Everywhere,there were the paper remains of   38   
fireworks lying on the ground.Little boys 39__more and covered their ears as they waited    40     
for the explosions.
The moon appeared above the horizon(地平线):huge,   41   ball high above the city,and the 42__filled with people,as Java began to enjoy one of the year’s greatest     43    :‘the Night of the Full Moon’,a festival(节日)that is especially popular   44  young people.
More and more young Javanese  45 together and walked slowly through the  46  . Joking and chatting,they moved towards the mountain   47  the city.They continued to climb   48  they reached the old temple(寺庙)at the   49  of the mountain.
After they were   50  the temple,they drank their water and ate their moon-cakes—delicious home-made ones,   51  of dried fruit and nuts.Outside,on the mountain,young people
    52  cross-legged in circles,chatting and telling each other jokes.And   53  ,in their hundreds,more young people continued to make their way up the mountain to   54  the brightly shining moon.
By midnight,the fireworks had stopped shooting up from the   55  city in the valley below them.But during the night,the sound continued to be heard from the distance.
36.A.let out                  B.gave out                    C.came out                   D.set out
37.A.into                      B.at                             C.of                             D.from
38.A.burning                B.used                          C.exploding                  D.broken
39.A.lit                        B.bought                      C.piled                         D.removed
40.A.patiently               B.calmly                     C.worriedly                  D.excitedly
41.A.silver                   B.new                          C.colorful                     D.gold
42.A.mountains             B.valleys                      C.streets                       D.shops
43.A.games                  B.meetings                   C.sports                        D.events
44.A.for                       B.to                             C.with                          D.in
45.A.danced                 B.gathered                    C.drank                        D.shouted
46.A.village                  B.scene                        C.night                         D.ground
47.A.on the edge of                                                 B.on the way to
C.in the center of                                             D.in the direction of
48.A.while                   B.until                         C.unless                       D.though
49.A.tip                       B.back                         C.top                           D.bottom
50.A.inside                   B.near                          C.off                            D.across
51.A.fond                     B.little                         C.full                           D.free
52.A.jumped                 B.sat                            C.stood                        D.bent
53.A.so                        B.even                         C.yet                            D.still
54.A.follow                  B.show                         C.notice                       D.admire
55.A.clean                    B.gray                          C.peaceful                    D.empty

Strictly Ban smoking

       If you smoke and you still don’t believe that there’s a definite（一定的）link between smoking and bronchial（支气管的）troubles, heart disease and lung cancer, then you are certainly deceiving yourself. No one will accuse you of hypocrisy. Let us just say that you are suffering from a bad case of wishful thinking. This needn’t make you too uncomfortable because you are in good company. Whenever the subject of smoking and health is raised, the governments of most countries hear no evil, see no evil and smell no evil. Admittedly, a few governments have taken timid measures. In Britain for instance, cigarette advertising has been banned on television. The conscience of the nation is appeased, while the population continues to puff its way to smoky, cancerous death.

       You don’t have to look very far to find out why the official reactions to medical findings have been so lukewarm. The answer is simply money. Tobacco is a wonderful commodity to tax. It’s almost like a tax on our daily bread. In tax revenue alone, the government of Britain collects enough from smokers to pay for its entire educational facilities. So while the authorities point out ever so discreetly that smoking may, conceivable, be harmful, it doesn’t do to shout too loudly about it.

       This is surely the most short-sighted policy you could imagine. While money is eagerly collected in vast sums with one hand, it is paid out in increasingly vaster sums with the other. Enormous amounts are spent on cancer research and on efforts to cure people suffering from the disease. Countless valuable lives are lost. In the long run, there is no doubt that everybody would be much better-off if smoking were banned altogether.

       Of course, we are not ready for such a drastic action. But if the governments of the world were honestly concerned about the welfare of their peoples, you’d think they’d conduct aggressive anti-smoking campaigns. Far from it! The tobacco industry is allowed to spend staggering sums on advertising. Its advertising is as insidious as it is dishonest. We are never shown pictures of real smokers coughing up their lungs early in the morning. That would never do. The advertisement always depict virile, clean-shaven young men. They suggest it is manly to smoke, even positively healthy! Smoking is associated with the great open-air life, with beautiful girls, true love and togetherness. What utter nonsense!

       For a start, governments could begin by banning all cigarette and tobacco advertising and should then conduct anti-smoking advertising campaigns of their own. Smoking should be banned in all public places like theatres, cinemas and restaurants. Great efforts should be made to inform young people especially of the dire consequences of taking up the habit. A horrific warning – say, a picture of a death’s head – should be included in every packet of cigarettes that is sold. As individuals, we are certainly weak, but if governments acted honestly and courageously, they could protect us from ourselves.

Why do a few governments take timid measures toward smoking?

A because they are afraid of people.  B Because diseases cost a lot.

C Because they are afraid of the cutting down of their revenue.

D Because they are afraid of manufacturers.

The tone of this passage is________________.

A critical.  B ironical（讽刺的用反语的）.  C distaste（不喜欢）.    D amusing.

What does the sentence “because you are in good company” mean?

A you are backed by the government. B You are not alone.

C You have good colleagues.       D Governments are blind to evils of smoking too.

What is the best title of this passage?

A World Governments should conduct serious campaigns against smoking.

B World governments take timid measures against smoking.

C smoking is the most important source of income to many countries.

D tobacco industry spends a large sum of money on medical research.

Cities alarmed by deaths and injuries of pedestrians are taking efforts to make crosswalks safer for people on foot, especially seniors and children who need more time to cross streets. ks5u

A pedestrian is killed in a traffic accident in the USA every 110 minutes；one is injured every nine minutes, according to official date. Crosswalk can be especially dangerous for the elderly. Among people 70 and older, 36% of pedestrian deaths in 2006 occurred in crosswalks, compared with 21% of those younger than 70, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. ks5u

The Federal Highway Administration（FHWA）advises that next year states increase by nearly 15% the amount of time traffic lights provide for pedestrians to cross the street after the flashing orange hand appears . ks5u

FHWA spokesman Doug Hecox says reasons for the change include an aging population that needs more time to cross, health-conscious Americans walking more, children encouraged to walk to prevent getting overweight and high gas prices pushing people to walk instead of drive. ks5u

Pedestrian deaths went down by 12% from 5,449 in 1996 to 4,784 in 2006. But among those in 2006, 471 were killed in crosswalks, down slightly from 488 ten years earlier, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) says. ks5u

53. Which of the following is true according to the text? ks5u

A. Among 100 pedestrian deaths there were 21 people younger than 70. ks5u

B. Old people are more likely to meet with accidents in crosswalks. ks5u

C. Traffic accidents killed more old people than young people. ks5u

D. About seven traffic accidents happened per hour. ks5u

54. What is FHWA’s suggestion to states? ks5u

A. Fixing more traffic lights. ks5u

B. Providing more crosswalks. ks5u

C. Giving pedestrians more time to cross streets. ks5u

D. Increasing the time before the orange lights appear. ks5u

55. What’s the cause of the crosswalk safety problem according to the test? ks5u

A. There’re many cars and buses on the road. ks5u

B. Pedestrians are careless. ks5u

C. Crosswalks are crowded. ks5u

D. Drivers don’t give way. ks5u

56. The report from NHTSA suggests that              . ks5u

A. fewer people were injured in crosswalks ks5u

B. crosswalk safety has been greatly improved ks5u

C. much has been done to reduce traffic accidents ks5u

D. pedestrian deaths in crosswalk remain a serious problem ks5u

________ wise nation is one good at learning, especially ________ that is good at learning from difficulties.