A used book or nearly-new kitchen gadget (配件) may not be at the top of every Christmas wish list, but hard economic times coupled with a new green awareness are changing attitudes about gift-giving in France.

    French holiday shoppers are choosing larger numbers for “green” gifting this Christmas, studies show. About 30 percent of French consumers will give second-hand items as gifts to stretch out their tight budgets but also to do their little bit for recycling, according to a study by international consulting firm Deloitte.

    The survey of Christmas consumer behaviors in 18 European countries found the French were more than twice as likely as other Europeans to give second-hand items. Websites promoting re-gifting and green gifting are popular in France, with many reporting a rise in business.

    “Concerns about the ecology and the economy have come together and we are now seeing people who accept the types of gifts that were not appreciated just a short time ago,” said Sebastien Ravut, who runs a website promoting eco-friendly consumerism. His site lists shops in France that offer fair trade products, bio-friendly goods and recycled items. Over the Christmas holidays, the number of visits to the site has doubled from last year, reaching 60,000 a month.

    A study by online survey firm Vivodi for PriceMinister showed eight out of 10 people would be happy to receive a used item as a gift and that younger consumers were more open to the idea.

    But Gilles Goldenberg, author of the Deloitte study, said that environmental concerns are not why customers buy used goods. “The number one concern is getting the lowest possible price,” said Goldenberg. “Eco-friendly products are drawing a lot of interest, but not if that means paying more.”

    Theatre tickets and other low-carbon gifts are fashionable, and eco-friendly websites are also encouraging gift givers to offer time and services instead of stuff. “The order of the day is to spend less time shopping and more time connecting” over the holidays, said Florence de Monclin from the Nicolas Helot foundation for Nature and Humanity.

1.We can judge from the Deloitte study that _________.

   A. over a quarter of the French give second-hand Christmas gifts

   B. the French are less willing to buy eco-friendly gifts than other Europeans

   C. 80% of French people are happy to receive second-hand gifts

   D. less than 10% of European consumers are likely to give second-hand gifts

2.According to Goldenberg, the main reason for customers to buy used goods is that _______.

   A. they want to be eco-friendly        B. they want to save money

   C. it is encouraged by websites        D. it is a new fashion in Europe

3. All the following might be a promoted gift EXCEPT ________.

   A. a theatre ticket

   B. a second-hand book

   C. a nearly-new digital toaster

   D. a box of heavily packaged chocolate

4.Which of the following statements is TRUE?

   A. Old people are not open minded enough to accept second-hand gifts.

   B. People wish to receive second-hand gifts because of the economic downturn.

   C. Ravut’s website received a sharp decrease in visits during the Christmas holidays.

   D. In de Monclin’s opinion, people should spend more time with friends and family during holidays

Tens of thousands of theatre tickets will be given away to young people next year as part of a government campaign to inspire a lifelong love for theatre.

The plan to offer free seats to people aged between 18 to 26―funded with £2.5 million of taxpayers’ money―was announced yesterday by Andy Burnham, the Culture Secretary. It received a cautious welcome from some in the arts world, who expressed concern that the tickets may not reach the most underprivileged.

The plan comes as West End theatres are enjoying record audiences, thanks largely to musicals teaming up with television talent shows. Attendances reached. 13.6 million in 2007, up 10 percent on 2006, itself a record year. Total sales were up 18 percent on 2006 to almost £470 million.

One theatre source criticised the Government’s priorities(优先考虑的事) in funding free tickets when pensioners were struggling to buy food and fuel, saying: “I don’t know why the Government’s wasting money on this. The Yong Vic, as The Times reported today, offers excellent performances at cheap prices.”

There was praise for the Government’s plan from Dominic Cooke of the Royal Court Theatre, who said: “I support any move to get young people into theatre, and especially one that aims to do it all over England, not just in London.”

Ninety-five publicly funded theatres could apply for funding under the two-year plan. In return, they will offer free tickets on at least one day each week to 18 to 26-year-olds, first-come, first-served. It is likely to be on Mondays, traditionally a quiet night for the theatre.

Mr. Burnham said: “A young person attending the theatre can find it an exciting experience, and be inspired to explore a new world. But sometimes people miss out on it because they fear it’s ‘not for them’. It’s time to change this perception.”

Jeremy Hunt, the Shadow Culture Secretary, said: “The real issue is not getting enthusiastic children into the theatre, but improving arts education so that more young people want to go in the first place. For too many children theatres are a no-go area.”

46. Critics of the plan argued that ______.

    A. the theatres would be overcrowded

    B. it would be a waste of money

    C. pensioners wouldn’t get free tickets

    D. the government wouldn’t be able to afford it

47. According to the supporters, the plan should ______.

    A. benefit the television industry

    B. focus on producing better plays

    C. help increase the sales of tickets

    D. involve all the young people in England

48. Which of the following is TRUE about the plan?

    A. Ninety-five theatres have received funding.

    B. Everyone will get at least one free ticket.

    C. It may not benefit all the young people.

    D. Free tickets are offered once every day.

49. We can infer from the passage that in England ______.

    A. many plays are not for young people

    B. many young people don’t like theatre

    C. people know little about the plan

    D. children used to receive good arts education

50. According to the passage, the issue to offer free tickets to young people seems ______.

    A. controversial

    B. inspiring

    C. exciting

    D. unreasonable

All areas of the world face a nurses shortage. But the shortage is most severe in developing countries. Many of their nurses move to the more developed nations for better pay, better working conditions and better chances for career development. For example, nearly 2,000 nurses left the Caribbean between 2002 and 2006.

       The Caribbean nations currently have about 1 nurse for every 1,000 people. The ratio(比例) of nurses to population is about 10 times higher in the United States and countries in the European Union(EU). Now, more than 21,000 nurses who trained in the Caribbean are working in the United States, Canada and Britain.

       Gaetan Lafortune is an official of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development(O.E.C.D) in Paris. He says the nurses shortage also affects industrialized countries. He says, “There is concern in most O.E.C.D.countries that the number of nurses is too small to meet the demand. And what is more worrying is that their concern is sort of growing.” Mr Lafortune says a large number of nurses are expected to retire within the next 10 years. At the same time, the health care needs of aging populations are expected to grow, intensifying the shortage of nurses.

       Gaetan Lafortune said, “In the U.S., for instance, some researchers have found that there may be a shortage of close to a million nurses by 2020.” The United States is 1 of the 21 countries in the O.C.E.D. Gaetan Lafortune says in the recent years many of the countries increased their efforts to hire foreign nurses. As a result of that, O.E.C.D. countries were mainly exporting their shortage problem to countries that may have an even greater need for these nurses.

1.What will be the main causes of the global nurses shortage in the next 10 years?

       a. The demand for nurses will decrease.                    

b. Many nurses will be too old to work.

       c. Many rich countries will hire more foreign nurses. 

d. Nurses are often looked down upon.

       e. Aging populations will increase rapidly

       A. a and b             B. b and c              C. b and e              D. c and d

2.The underlined word “intensify” in para. 3 means “________”.

       A. strengthen         B. neglect            C. reduce               D. cause

3.We know from this text that America and the EU countries ______.

       A. refuse to offer equal pay to foreign nurses

       B. have at least one nurse out of 100 people

       C. don’t like to train nurses of their own countries

       D. have more serious nursing problems than the Caribbean nations

4.What does the text mainly tell us?

       A. Nursing is no longer a worthwhile profession in most countries.

       B. The different attitudes towards nursing in different countries.

       C. Nurses shortage will result in serious consequences.

       D. The health care industry needs more nurses.

A serious problem for today’s society is who should be responsible for our elderly and how to improve their lives. It is not only a financial problem but also a question of the system we want for our society. I would like to suggest several possible solutions to this problem.

First, employers should take the responsibility for their retired employees. To make this possible, a percentage of profits should be set aside for this purpose. But when a company must take life-long responsibility for its employees, it may suffer from a commercial disadvantage due to higher employee costs.

Another way of solving the problem is to return the responsibility to the individual. This means each person must save during his working years to pay for his years of retirement. This does not seem a very fair model since some people have enough trouble paying for their daily life without trying to earn extra to cover their retirement years. This means the government might have to step in to care for the poor.

In addition, the government could take responsibility for the care of the elderly. This could be funded through government taxes to increase the lever of pensions. Furthermore, some institutions should be created for senior citizens, which can help provide a comfortable life for them. Unfortunately, as the present situation in our country shows, this is not a truly practical answer. The government can seldom afford to care for the elderly, particularly when it is busy trying to care for the young.

One further solution is that the government or social organizations set up some working places especially for the elderly where they are independent.

To sum up, all these measures have advantages and disadvantages. Therefore, it is reasonable to expect that some combination of these measures may be needed to provide the care we hope to give to our elderly generations.

Title :More Concern Should be Given to the __1__

"Hitler and the Germans," an exhibition in Berlin's German Historical Museum which aims to investigate the society that created Hitler, has seen more than 10,000 visitors walk through its doors since opening on Friday.

Rudolf Trabold, a spokesman for the museum, said there were 4,000 visitors to the exhibition on the first day alone. People visiting the exhibition said they had waited as long as one and a half hours to get in. Ravi Nair, a 73-year-old Indian visitor, said: "I had to queue for about an hour but it was worth it. The exhibition should help people in democratic countries realize that their vote is very valuable."

Trabold said “Hitler and the Germans” was so popular because it was the first exhibition to explain how a man who lived on the margins of society for 30 years, in Vienna's men's hostels, could become an almost mythical（神话的）leader of the German people. "We are all affected by Hitler, so it speaks to all of us and helps Germans and foreigners to come to terms with the past." Inge Lonning, a 72-year-old tourist from Norway said: "I thought the exhibition was very impressive. I wanted to see it because I experienced the German occupation of Norway as a small child, so it's not just history for me." But not everyone was convinced there was something new to be learned from the exhibition. "So much has been done about this period over the years, it was like, I knew this and I knew that," said Canadian Julien Cayer, aged 28. "I thought I'd find something new but I didn't."

There has been widespread concern in the German media that the exhibition could become a magnet for neo-Nazi admirers of Hitler, but Trabold said that although there had been some right-wing extremist visitors, they had not caused any problems.

1.What is the main idea of the passage?

A．People have different attitudes to “Hitler and the Germans”.

B．“Hitler and the Germans” attracts plenty of people.

C．What effect “Hitler and the Germans” has on history.

D．What people should learn from “Hitler and the Germans”.

2.“Hitler and the Germans” is open to ________.

A．remind people not to forget history.         B．show how Hitler was hated by people

C．study the society that created Hitler         D．save money for economy growth

3.Trabold thought “Hitler and the Germans” was so popular because ________.

A．help people in democratic countries realize that their vote is very valuable

B．it was the first exhibition to explain how a man from the bottom of society becomes a leader

C．people can learn a lot from the exhibition

D．people have been affected by Hitler

4.Who experienced the German occupation according to the passage?

A．Inge Lonning.      B．Ravi Nair.          C．Rudolf Trabold.     D．Julien Cayer

5.What can we learn from the passage?

A．The visitors coming to “Hitler and the Germans” are all old people.

B．“Hitler and the Germans” has made an impression on every visitor.

C．Some neo-Nazi admirers of Hitler have caused a lot of trouble.

D．People visit “Hitler and the Germans” with variety of purposes.