Many families in the United States have a large income now than ever before,
but people are finding it difficult to make ends meet anyway. Almost everyone is
wondering, "What happens to all my money? I never seem to have anything left
to put away. "
     Why isn't a dollar worth as much as it used to be? One dollar is always worth the
same amount, that is, 100 cents. But the value of a dollar is how much it can buy.
The value of money depends on the cost of living. Economists say that the cost of
living is the money that a family must pay for the necessities of life such as food,
housing or rent, clothes, and medical expenses. For many years now, the cost of
living has increased greatly, so the value of the dollar has decreased. When a dollar
has a low value, you cannot buy as many things with it.
     No one fully understands why the cost of living keeps increasing, but economists
believe that workers and producers can make process go up. As workers earn more
money, they have more money to spend, so they demand more goods. If there a a
great demand for certain goods, the prices of these goods go up. At the same time,
if there's a shortage of goods, the prices also go up. For example, if everyone wants
to buy more and more gas, the price of gas goes up. When companies which hold gas
from buyers, they can also make the price of gas go up.
     Families need to know what happens to their money. They need to make their
income meet the cost of living, so many people plan a family budget. A budget is a
list of monthly expenses. If your expenses add up to more than your income, you
must find ways to save money. Maybe you're spending too much on entertainment.
Or if you're spending too much on clothes; you may want to sew your own clothes.
budgeting helps you spend your money wisely as the cost of living increases.

1. What has troubled many families in the United States?_____

A. A not-large-enough income.
B. Nothing is left over to put away.
C. The increasing cost of living.
D. A shortage of certain goods.

2. ____ determines the value of the dollar._____

A. The government
B. The cost of living
C. The economist
D. The bank

3. While the cost of living increases, the value of the dollar ____.

A. increases too
B. decreases
C. neither increases nor decreases
D. seldom decreases

4. When ____, the prices go up.

A. demand exceeds(超过) supply
B. supply exceeds demand
C. demand doesn't exceed supply
D. supply equals demand

5. Budgeting helps ____.

A. one to make his income meet the cost of living
B. the government to battle the rising cost of living
C. merchants(商人)to produce more goods
D. the workers to earn more money

     Imagine, one day, getting out of bed in Beijing and being at your office in Shanghai in only
a couple of hours, and then, after a full day of work, going back home to Beijing and having
dinner there. Sounds unusual, doesn't it? But it's not that unrealistic, with the development
of China's high-speed railway system. And that's not all. China has an even greater high-speed
railway plan-----to connect the country with Southeast Asia, and eventually Eastern Europe.
     China is negotiating(谈判) to extend its own high-speed railway network to17 countries
in 10 to15 years, eventually reaching London and Singapore.
     China has suggested three such projects. The first would possibly connect Kunming with
Singapore, via Vietnam and Malaysia. Anothercould start in Urumqi and go through Kazakhstan
and' Uzbekistan, and possibly to Germany. The third would start in the northeast and go
north through Russia and then into Western Europe.
     The new system would still follow China's high-speed railway standard. And the trains
would be able to go 346 kilometers an hour, almost as fast as some airplanes.
     Of course, there are many problems that need to be settled, such as safety, rail gauge(轨距) ,
maintenance(维修)of railway tracks. So, it's important to pay attention to every detail. But the
key problem is really money. China is already spending hundreds of billions of yuan on
domestic(国内的 )railway expansion.
     China hopes that resources from other countries could stream into China to support
development.
     It'll be a win-win project. For other countries, the railway network will definitely create
more opportunities for business, tourism and so on. For China, such a project would not
only connect it with the rest of Asia and bring some much-needed resources, but would
also help develop China's far west.

1. In China's new high-speed railway plan, which of the following country is NOT included?______

A. Singapore
B. the USA
C. Russia
D. Uzbekistan

2.According to the passage, the greatest challenge to the new high-speed railway plan is ____________

A. technical issues
B. safety of the system
C. financial problems
D. maintenance of railway tracks

3. The new high-speed railway plan will bring China benefits in many aspects except_____.

A．breakthrough on sports
B. resources
C. connection with Asia
D. development in far west

4. Which of the following words best describes the author's attitude towards China's high-speed
railway plan?______

A. Critical.
B. Reserved(保留意见的).
C. Doubtful
D. Positive.

5. Which of the following might be the best title for the passage?_____

A. New Railway Standards.
B. Big Railway Dreams.
C. High-speed Bullet Trains.
D. International Railway Network

     It seems some people have something bad to say about
Facebook,the social media website that now has attracted
more than 300 million members.To them I have only this
to say: Stop please!
                                                                                              
     A recent article in the Wall Street Journal blamed                
Facebook's ability to ruin riendships,saying that it limits communication to typing and
encourages people to spend far too much time with friends they have never met.
     Having used Facebook since its first year,I find these arguments false.The simple
truth is that the problems are only a symptom of Facebook abuse.Like many things,it is
only as harmful to your life and relationships as you allow it to be.Consider arguments
against watching too much TV and overeating.
     Try using Facebook to find friends who may have long ago changed their e-mail
addresses and phone numbers,to find out what your old college friends are up to,to
congratulate your friends on their latest birthdays,to share pictures and articles you find
interesting,and to join in the discussion about them with your friends.
     Sure,I had days when I wasted a little more time on Facebook than I should,but I'm not
going to blame Facebook for my own laziness.If Facebook wasn't there I would have
found something else to waste time on.To my "friends": If you don't feel like broadcasting
your life stories on your Facebook,don't.If you tire of my personal updates,ignore them.If
you don't want to join in the popular online games,don't.It's a fun tool at your fingers that
can be used for both good and bad.If you don't like using Facebook,don't.
     I am now a consultant at the Department of State.I use Facebook to keep in touch with
friends,family,and colleagues who live and work all over the world.

1．Why did the article in the Wall Street Journal blame Facebook?______

A．Because it makes people spend too much time online.
B．Because it can make people lose their real－life friends.
C．Because it's as harmful to people's lives as watching TV.
D．Because it encourages people to make friends with strangers.

2．What does the author suggest using Facebook to do?_____

A．To find out lost e－mail addresses and phone numbers.
B．To arrange appointments with our old college friends.
C．To collect interesting pictures and articles from our friends.
D．To keep in touch with friends whom we haven't called for long.

3．We can imply from the passage that by using Facebook we can________.

A．read others' personal updates
B．write our life stories online secretly
C．decide who can read our life stories
D．refuse to join in popular online games

4．The author writes the last paragraph to________.

A．prove that Facebook can be well used
B．gain supports from the Department of State
C．show that Facebook is used all around the world
D．introduce how she uses Facebook as a consultant

5．What's the main idea of this passage?_____

A．We should save our friendships.
B．Many people put blame on Facebook.
C．It is ourselves to blame,not Facebook.
D．Facebook is becoming more and more popular

     After too long on the Net, even a phone call can be a shock. My boyfriend's Liverpudlian accent
suddenly becomes too difficult to understand after his clear words on screen; a secretary's tone seems
more rejecting than I'd imagined it would be. Time itself becomes fluid-hours become minutes, and
alternately seconds stretch into days. Weekends, once a highlight of my week, are now just two ordinary
days.
     For the last three years, since I stopped working as a producer for Charlie Rose, I have done much of my work as a tele-commuter. I submit(提交) articles and edit them by E-mail and communicate with
colleagues on Internet mailing lists. My boyfriend lives in England; so much of our relationship is
computer-mediated.
     If I desired, I could stay inside for weeks without wanting anything. I can order food, and manage my
money, love and work. In fact, at times I have spent as long as three weeks alone at home, going out only
to get mail and buy newspapers and groceries. I watched most of the blizzard(暴风雪) of '96 on TV.
     But after a while, life itself begins to feel unreal. I start to feel as though I've merged(融合) with my
machines, taking data in, spitting them back out, just another node(波节) on the Net. Others on line
report the same symptoms. We start to strongly dislike the outside forms of socializing. It's like attending
an A. A. meeting in a bar with everyone holding a half-sipped drink. We have become the Net opponents' worst nightmare.
     What first seemed like a luxury, crawling from bed to computer, not worrying about hair, and clothes
and face, has become an avoidance(逃避),a lack of discipline. And once you start replacing real human
contact with cyber interaction, coming back out of the cave can be quite difficult.
     At times, I turn on the television and just leave it to chatter in the background, something that I'd never done previously. The voices of the programs relax me, but then I'm jarred by the commercials. I find
myself sucked in by soap operas, or needing to keep up with the latest news and the weather."Dateline", "Frontline" , "Nightline," CNN, every possible angle of every story over and over and over, even when
they are of no possible use to me. Work moves from foreground to background.

1. Compared to the clear words of her boyfriend on screen, his accent becomes______.

A. unreal      
B. unbearable        
C. misleading      
D. not understandable

2. The passage implies that the author and her boyfriend live in______.

A. the same city                  
B. the same country
C. different countries              
D. different cities in England

3. What does the last paragraph mean?

A. Having worked on the computer for too long, she became a bit strange.
B. Sometimes TV programs give her comfort and even makes her forget her work.
C. She watches TV a lot in order to keep up with the latest news and the weather.
D. She turns on TV now and then in order to get some valuable information.

4. What is the author's attitude to the computer?

A. At first she likes it but later becomes tired of it.
B. She likes it because it is very convenient.
C. She dislikes it because TV is more attractive.
D. She likes it because it provides an imaginary world.

5.The underlined phrase "coming back out of the cave" probably means______.

A. going back to the dreaming world      
B. coming back home from the outside world
C. bringing back direct human contact    
D. getting away from living a strange life

     Every family with kids has seen its share of arguments,shouting and complaining.It turns
out that all that conflict serves an important purpose in the development of children.Saying
"no",followed by a temper tantrums (发脾气),just may be an unavoidable part of growing
up.And that's a good thing.These are the first steps toward independence.Even young children
have to challenge their parents sometimes.
     Studies have shown the following:
     Although stressful,conflict is beneficial for children.
     Learning to manage conflict is necessary for a child's development.
     Conflicts during the preschool years occur because children desire even more attention
than parents can or should give.
     If you understand why conflict occurs,it can minimize (最小化) the conflicts between
you and your children.Conflict is a child's attempt to develop a sense of self and how he or
she learns to express needs and ideas.Parents develop and drive this independence by
exposing children to the outside world both formally and informally.
     Conflict can grow out of a difference of opinion or might just be a way to blow off steam
(发泄怒气)．In rare situations,constant conflict between a parent and child can indicate a
deeper emotional problem.Consult your doctor if this seems to be your situation.
     It's important to offer your child choices,which should be determined by age and
developmental level.The more responsible a child is,the more choices he or she gets in reward.
You can threaten your child with punishment,but often offering a choice will better improve
angry situations.Consequences and rewards should have some meaning to your child.
     Often a child's adverse (敌对的) reaction when he or she hears the word "no" can be
avoided by giving the child an explanation as to why you have refused their request.

1．What would be the best title for the passage?_____

A．Children's temper tantrums
B．Saying "no" is part of growing up
C．How to deal with children
D．Relationship between parents and children

2．Why does the author say "that's a good thing"in Paragraph 1?_____

A．Conflicts benefit parents a lot.
B．That means children want to be independent.
C．The conflict between parents and children is a must.
D．Conflicts are useful for children's physical development.

3．According to the passage,conflicts can occur when________.

A．parents try to control their children
B．children refuse to express needs and ideas
C．children are exposed to the outside world
D．parents and children have different ideas

4．According to the passage,which of the following is useful for reducing conflicts between
parents and children?_____

A．Avoiding saying "no" to children directly.
B．Respecting children's choices completely.
C．Punishing children if necessary.
D．Seeing a doctor frequently.

5．The passage is mainly written for________.

A．teachers
B．children
C．parents
D．experts

      I will be traveling to Australia as a Student Ambassador with People to People. People
to People arranges for American students to travel all around the world to learn about other
cultures, and to help others understand American culture. The program was founded by
former President Dwight D. Eisenhower to promote peace through understanding.
     I had to put in many hours of special work to get to this point. First, a teacher nominated
(推荐) me, and then I attended an informational meeting about the program. The application
process included an interview, and finally, I was accepted.
     That's when the hard work really began. In addition to attending monthly meetings to
prepare for the big trip, my parents encouraged my twin sister Beth (also participating in
the program) and me to raise $ 2,000 each to help pay for the cost. And so the fund-raising
began. We did everything from selling candy bars to selling an old car to decorating people's
mailboxes during the holiday season. We also babysat, washed cars, held a yard sale, and
washed windows. After months of hard work I had raised a total of $2319.87! Combined,
Beth and I raised over $ 4500.00!
     Now I have a problem-packing. Yes, I know it sounds unimportant, but my suitcase
seems to have shrunk (收缩) as I placed my belongings inside. According to airline
regulations (规定), a suitcase can be no larger than 54 inches and weigh no more than 44
pounds. For a person who likes to wear a different outfit every day, packing all my clothes
into such a small space seemed an impossible task. However, I have lessened my load and
my suitcase which started out weighting overweight now checks in at a mere 36. Apart from
a slightly bloated (臃肿) carry-on bag, my luggage is definitely manageable.
     I doubt that I will not get much sleep tonight because I am so excited! I know that what
lies ahead is going to be the trip of lifetime!

1. When does the author write the passage?______

A. Before leaving for Australia.
B. Several months before the journey.
C. Just hours after reaching the destination.
D. The night when she was accepted.

2. Which of the following is not the aim of People to People program?______

A. To promote peace through understanding.
B. To collect money for traveling.
C. To make American culture known to others.
D. To learn about other cultures.

3. Which is the correct order of the author' preparation for the journey?______

a. being accepted as a member
b. raising money for the trip
c. attending a meeting about the program
d. packing belongings
e. being nominated by the teacher
A. e, a, b, c, d
B. a, c, e, d, b
C. e, c, a, d, b
D. e, c, a, b, d

4. What does the author think of the journey?_____

A. It could be a tiring expensive journey.
B. It could be long-lasting journey, which needs taking all daily necessities.
C. It could be an exciting, unforgettable journey.
D. It could be an overseas journey, during which she would experience hard labor.