1. What is the average housing price per square meter in China?

　　 A. 8,000 yuan　　 B. 10,000 yuan　　 C. 7,000 yuan　　 D. It’s not mentioned here

4. The main idea of the passage is ________.

　　 A. the oil prices in the world were stable though Iraq has stopped oil deliveries

　　 B. OPEC has controlled the oil price to stay within a margin of 22 to 28 dollars

　　 C. OPEC will not increase oil production to make up the shortfall that caused by Iraq

　　 D. Oil is connected with people’s daily life

B

　　 China news, Beijing, Feb. 9 – Housing price in China has always aroused heated discussions among property developers and ordinary Chinese. To many property developers and local government officials, housing price in China is still low compared with many developed countries. However, the average housing price in the United States is only 8,000 yuan per square meter, while in China, it is even higher than in the United States. This shows that there are some bubbles(泡沫) in Chinese real estate market, the International Finance News reported.

　　 Although the average price of residential houses in the United States, after converted to Renminbi, is about 8,000 yuan per square meter, the houses in US are not sold in terms of building area, as most Chinese property developers do when they sell their houses. If US property developers sell their houses according to the building area, then the housing price will be even lower than 8,000 yuan per square meter. In most big Chinese cities, such as Beijing, Shanghai, and Shenzhen, houses are sold at a price even higher than those in the US.

The high housing sales price in large cities in China proves that Chinese real estate market does have some bubbles. Moreover, Chinese houses can not be compared with houses in US in terms of building quality, environment and supporting facilities. Furthermore, it should be noted that American people’s average income is several dozen times higher than that of Chinese people. How can the Chinese afford to buy a house which is even more expensive than that sold in US?

　　 At the beginning of 2007, Chinese government issued a set of policies that aimed to benefit the public. Now in order to reduce the high housing prices, the government can regulate(控制) the real estate market by raising tax on property industry and controlling the release of loans and lands to property developers. At the same time, the government should allow people to build more houses through various fund-raising channels, such as funds collected from buyers or raised by working units. By applying these multiple means, it is expected that the high housing prices can be lowered.

3. The 11 oil ministers decided to meet on July 3 so that _________.

　　 A. they can persuade Iraq to continue oil production

　　 B. they can have a talk with the U.N. Security Council

　　 C. they can have a discussion about the effects of Iraq’s temporary output stop

　　 D. they can make up their minds to increase oil production

2. The attitude the E.U. Commission took towards Iraq’s output stop is ________.

　　 A. active　　　 B. concerned　　　　 C. cold　　　　 D. surprised

1. Iraq made the decision to stop oil deliveries because ___________.

　　 A. oil price is too low in international market.

　　 B. The U.N. Secretary Council has decided to shorten the time of extension of the oil-for-food programme

　　 C. Many oil wells were destroyed during the war in the late 1980s

　　 D. It couldn’t get enough money to develop its economy

3. How many people died from the snow disaster before this report?

　 A. more than 30　　 B. more than 24　　 C. many　　 D. 50

第40天

A

　　 Vienna－In spite of Iraq’s decision to stop oil deliveries, the 11- nation Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries(OPEC)will not increase production to make up the shortfall, ministers decided Tuesday in Vienna.

　　 The 11 oil ministers decided to meet again on July 3 to discuss the effects of the Iraq temporary stop. The organization’s president, Charkid Kheria of Algeria, said after the meeting that stocks were high and prices were stable, so quota increases were not necessary.

　　 The E.U. Commission has expressed concern about Iraq’s output stop. A speaker said OPEC had to take all possible measures to keep or lower the oil price.

　　 Saudi Arabia’s Oil Minister Ali Al-Nuaimi had earlier said there would not be any shortfall of oil in the market. The organization had already taken steps to fill the gap, he said. OPEC Secretary General Ali Rodriguez added that the period of Iraq’s output stop was not known, so other exporters were not going to lift quotas yet. If the market was destabilized (使……动摇), a suitable response could be made.

　　 Iraq on Monday stopped shipments of crude oil to protest against the U.N. Security Council’s decision to extend the oil-for-food programme by only a month, instead of the normal six-month renewal. Just before the Vienna meeting, oil prices had gone up, with a barrel of OPEC crude oil selling for 27.05 dollars, up from 26.81 dollars last Friday. North Sea oil was at 29.26 dollars Monday evening.

　　 OPEC wants the oil price to stay within a margin of 22 to 28 dollars and achieved that with cuts in January and March that reduced 2.5 million barrels per day off quotas(配额).

2. What’s the main idea of this article?

　 A. Tell the stories about the snow storm in the southern part of China

　 B. Tell us some facts about the people in the disaster.

　 C. What have been done or will be done to rescue the people in the disaster.

　 D. Let’s know the measures about the disaster.

1. What style does this passage according to?

　 A. 说明文　 B. 议论文　 C. 描写文　 D. 新闻报道

5. Which of the following statements can best summarize the authors view in the passage?

　　 A. The stability of marriage and the divorce rate may reflect the economic situation of the country.

　　 B. Even when economically independent, most women have to struggle for real equality in marriage.

　　 C. In order to secure their marriage women should work outside the home and remain independent

　　 D. The impact of the growing female workforce on marriage varies from case to case.

B

　　 It's killed at least two dozen people, damaged hundreds of homes, cost some 22 billion Yuan in direct economic losses so far and has left thousands of family-bound travelers stranded. The massive snow and ice storm that has swept through the southern part of China has put this country into full disaster management mode. Tens of thousands of soldiers have been activated and the government has already provided 126 million Yuan in aide to six provinces in the south slammed by the unexpected winter blast. But is enough being done? And what else can be done to ensure that the effects of natural disasters like the one in southern China are minimized in the future?

“Ni hao, you're listening to People In the Know, your window into the world around you, online at here on China Radio International. In this edition of the show, we'll be talking about the southern China snow and ice storm. So let's get started.

First, let's get a Chinese perspective of how well the ice and snow storm in southern China is being handled from a logistical point of view. For this we're joined on the line by Professor Peng Xizhe, Dean of the School of Social Development and Public Policy at Fudan University in Shanghai.

(Dialogue with Peng)

　　 And after a short break, we'll talk about the broader view of disaster management.”

　 “Ni hao, you're listening to People In the Know, your window into the world around you, online at here on China Radio International. I'm Paul James in Beijing. In this edition of the show, we're talking about the massive winter storm that has ravaged southern China. For a broader look at disaster management, we're joined on the line now by Mr. Aloysius Rego and Ms. Jiang Lingling, both with the Asian Disaster Preparedness Center in Thailand.

(Dialogue with Jiang and Rego)

　　 And with that we close out this edition of People In the Know, online at here on China Radio International. Though it may seem small consolation now for the thousands who remain stranded because of the storm, it's important to remember that as long as patience prevails, you will get home. Questions or comments for us can be sent to crieng@. For Executive Director Wang Lei and Producers Yang Jingjie and Xu Yang, I'm Paul James in Beijing. Take care.”

4. One reason why women with no career may seek a divorce is that_____.

　　 A. they feel that they have been robbed of their freedom

　　 B. they are afraid of being bossed around by their husbands

　　 C. they feel that their partners fail to live up to their expectations

　　 D. they tend to suspect their husbands? loyalty to their marriage