78．highly→high.——青夏教育精英家教网—

High childcare costs are putting British mothers off going out to work. It really is that simple. Eurostat figures show that 66 per cent of mothers in the UK work, less than France (72 per cent), Denmark (86 per cent), the Netherlands (78 per cent) or Germany (69 per cent). This not only damages Britain’s economic prosperity—it limits women’s careers and squeezes family incomes. It would be fine if this is the choice parents want to make, but it isn’t. Half of those surveyed want to go to work and the expense of childcare is one of the key reasons they couldn’t.

??? Despite claims made by Labour (工党) about childcare, a forthcoming (即将到来的) report by the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) confirms the true legacy of their time in government. They left behind a childcare system with high costs to parents, variable quality and patchy (不均匀的) coverage, despite soaring government spending. British parents now face the highest childcare bills in the world after Switzerland.

??? In the Eighties and Nineties under Mrs Thatcher and John Major, the picture was very different. Mothers in England were more likely to go out to work than their Dutch or German counterparts. But the position has reversed, despite a huge rise in public spending.

??? So why does the British Government spend more on childcare than France or Germany, even though the costs given to parents are sky-high? As always, under the previous government, money was frittered away (浪费) without adequate focus on improving quality. Instead of clear and transparent funding, four separate funding streams were created, skewing (偏离) the market and confusing parents and providers alike. The majority of the money was given away in cash benefits; so much of it did not get through to the front line.

??? The IPPR report points out that continental systems, in countries such as Germany, France, Denmark and the Netherlands, manage to deliver better value for money. What all of these systems have in common is a focus on quality, with greater flexibility and autonomy given to local providers. They also see a much higher proportion of government money getting to the front line.

1.Which of the following doesn’t belong to the disadvantages caused by the mothers prevented from going to work?

A. Damaging Britain’s economic development.

B. Causing damage to women’s careers.

C. Decreasing the family incomes.

D. Causing childcare costs to go up.

2.According to the second paragraph, we can infer that the former government of the Labour Party _______.

A. was highly praised by British people

B. made British people face the highest childcare bills

C. left behind a childcare system full of problems

D. managed to decrease the government spending

3.We can learn from the passage that _______.

A. in the Eighties and Nineties, mothers in the UK were likely to work

B. there is a prejudice against mothers in the UK employment market

C. most of the mothers surveyed in the UK don’t want to work

D. the percentage of mothers who work in the UK is the lowest in the world

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Beijing: The highly anticipated Beijing-Shanghai high-speed railway will begin operation next year, and is expected to cut travel time to four hours, railway officials said.
The high-speed railway between China's two most important metropolises was scheduled to open in 2012 but will now open one year ahead of time, said Zheng Jian, chief planner with the Ministry of Railways.
Wang Zhiguo, vice-minister of railways, said that it would be a four-hour journey from Beijing to Shanghai, and only three hours from Beijing to Nanjing, capital of East China's Jiangsu province.
At present, it takes about 10 hours to travel from Beijing to Shanghai and Nanjing by train. A new-generation bullet train that will travel up to 380 kilometers per hour (kph) is now under development for the high-speed rail link.
It will be rigorously tested this year, and engineers want the train to run at a top speed of 420 kph to guarantee a safe operational speed of 380 kph, Huang Qiang, chief researcher with the China Academy of Railway Sciences told the Beijing News.
Vice-Minister Wang Zhiguo said it was expected that high-speed trains would one day take passengers from Beijing to most capital cities within eight hours, except for Haikou, Urumqi, Lhasa and Taipei.
It is expected that an 110,000-km railway network will be completed by 2012, including 13,000 km of high-speed rail, he said.
China already has 6,552 km of rail track in operation --- the longest amount of high-speed rail track in the world.
At present, at least 10,000 km of high-speed rail line is under construction in China. About 3,676 km of new track for running trains at speeds up to 350 kph have already been laid and put into operation. Another 2,876 km of old tracks have been upgraded to run trains of 200 to 250 kph. .
Ultimately, China plans to construct a 120,000-km railway network, including 50,000-km of high-speed rail track, by 2020.
The Ministry of Railways wants to export China's high-speed railway technology to North America, Europe and Latin America.
Wang said, “State-owned Chinese companies are already building high-speed lines in Turkey and Venezuela. Many countries, including the United States, Russia, Brazil and Saudi Arabia, have also expressed interest.”
56.When will the Beijing-Shanghai high-speed railway come into use?
A. In 2012.                   B. In 2013.                   C. In 2011.           D. In 2010
57. How much time will a passenger save by train from Beijing to Shanghai after the high-speed railway is open?
A. 4 hours.                          B. 6 hours.                   C. 10 hours.          D. 3 hours.
58. Which of the following countries owns the longest railway in the world ?
A. China.                            B. America.                 C. Canada.            D. Russia.
59. Which city, in the opinion of vice-minister Wang Zhiguo, can passengers from Beijing reach in high-speed trains within 8 hours ?
A. Haikou.                          B. Urumqi.                   C. Lhasa .             D. Changsha.
60. What can we learn from the last two paragraphs?
A. The Ministry of Railways wants to increase GDP by exporting railway technology.
B. China’s railway technology is superior to that of many other countries.
C. Countries in North America have already imported the railway technology of China.
D. The United States also wants to build high-speed railways in Turkey and Venezuela.

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On the high-speed train Avignon to Paris, my husband and I landed in the only remaining seats on the train, in the middle of a car, directly opposite a Frenchwoman of middle years. It was an extremely uncomfortable arrangement to be looking straight into the eyes of a stranger. My husband and I pulled out books. The woman produced a large makeup case and made up her face. Except for a lunch break, she continued this activity for the entire three-hour trip. Every once in a while she surveyed the car with a bright-eyed glance, but never once did she catch my eye. My husband and I could have been a blanket wall.

I was amused, but some people would have felt uncomfortable , even repulsed(厌恶的）.there is something about making up in public that calls up strong emotional reactions. Partly it’s a question of hygiene. And it’s a matter of degree. Making up --- a private act--- has a way of neglecting the presence of others. I was once seated at a party with a model-actress who immediately waved a silly brush and began dusting her face at the table, demonstrating that while she was next to me, she was not with me.

In fact, I am generally prohibited from making up in public, except when I am in the company of cosmetics moment. In a gathering more professional than social, I would do so.

Kathy Peiss, a history professor at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst says that nose-powdering in the office was an occasion for outrage in 1920’s and 30’s. Deploring the practice as a waste of company time, trade journals advises managers to discourage it among workers. Peiss theorizes that it was female’s making up in what has been an all-male field that disturb some gentlemen.

Peiss tells me that after the 30’s , pulling out a make-up case was no longer an issue. It became an accepted practice. I asked if she feels free to apply lipstick at a professional lunch herself. Sounding mildly shocked, she says she would save that for the privacy of her car afterward. Why? Because it would be “a gesture of inappropriate feminity(女性化）.” One guess is that most professional women feel this way. There is evidence of the popularity of the new lipsticks that remain in place all day without retouching.

1.According to the author, “My husband and I could have been a blanket wall.” (Line 6, Para.1) most probably means “________”.

A. We were treated with an expressionless face.????

B. We looked at the French woman expressionlessly

C. We used books as a wall to avoid the woman’s eyes

D. We were of no existence in the French woman’s eyes

2.In the author’s opinion, she _______.

A. allows public making up on certain occasions

B. feels comfortable when making up in public

C. only makes up on social occasions

D. makes up before any professional gatherings

3.According to Peiss, nose powdering in an office was criticized mainly for the reason that ____.

A. normal office work was disturbed??????

B. it discouraged women’s interest in career

C. make dominance was emphasized there??

D. it distracted make workers’ focus on work

4.Why do most professional women give up using lipsticks in public?

A. Because they are worried about being looked down upon

B. Because it emphasizes their female features in wrong situations

C. Because it implies women’s disadvantages in academic fields

D. Because they are ashamed to be seen making up in front of males/

5.It can be inferred that in a highly open society, the differences between men and women ______.

A. have attracted little attention??????

B. hinder the social development

C. are attractive topics in talk shows???

D. still call for great concern

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Beijing: The highly anticipated Beijing-Shanghai high-speed railway will begin operation next year, and is expected to cut travel time to four hours, railway officials said.

The high-speed railway between China's two most important metropolises was scheduled to open in 2012 but will now open one year ahead of time, said Zheng Jian, chief planner with the Ministry of Railways.

Wang Zhiguo, vice-minister of railways, said that it would be a four-hour journey from Beijing to Shanghai, and only three hours from Beijing to Nanjing, capital of East China's Jiangsu province.

At present, it takes about 10 hours to travel from Beijing to Shanghai and Nanjing by train. A new-generation bullet train that will travel up to 380 kilometers per hour (kph) is now under development for the high-speed rail link.

It will be rigorously tested this year, and engineers want the train to run at a top speed of 420 kph to guarantee a safe operational speed of 380 kph, Huang Qiang, chief researcher with the China Academy of Railway Sciences told the Beijing News.

Vice-Minister Wang Zhiguo said it was expected that high-speed trains would one day take passengers from Beijing to most capital cities within eight hours, except for Haikou, Urumqi, Lhasa and Taipei.

It is expected that an 110,000-km railway network will be completed by 2012, including 13,000 km of high-speed rail, he said.

China already has 6,552 km of rail track in operation --- the longest amount of high-speed rail track in the world.

At present, at least 10,000 km of high-speed rail line is under construction in China. About 3,676 km of new track for running trains at speeds up to 350 kph have already been laid and put into operation. Another 2,876 km of old tracks have been upgraded to run trains of 200 to 250 kph. .

Ultimately, China plans to construct a 120,000-km railway network, including 50,000-km of high-speed rail track, by 2020.

The Ministry of Railways wants to export China's high-speed railway technology to North America, Europe and Latin America.

Wang said, “State-owned Chinese companies are already building high-speed lines in Turkey and Venezuela. Many countries, including the United States, Russia, Brazil and Saudi Arabia, have also expressed interest.”

56.When will the Beijing-Shanghai high-speed railway come into use?

A. In 2012. B. In 2013. C. In 2011. D. In 2010

57. How much time will a passenger save by train from Beijing to Shanghai after the high-speed railway is open?

A. 4 hours. B. 6 hours. C. 10 hours. D. 3 hours.

58. Which of the following countries owns the longest railway in the world ?

A. China. B. America. C. Canada. D. Russia.

59. Which city, in the opinion of vice-minister Wang Zhiguo, can passengers from Beijing reach in high-speed trains within 8 hours ?

A. Haikou. B. Urumqi. C. Lhasa . D. Changsha.

60. What can we learn from the last two paragraphs?

A. The Ministry of Railways wants to increase GDP by exporting railway technology.

B. China’s railway technology is superior to that of many other countries.

C. Countries in North America have already imported the railway technology of China.

D. The United States also wants to build high-speed railways in Turkey and Venezuela.