As nanny(保姆), cook, cleaner, shopper, driver, and gardener, she has one of the most demanding jobs in Britain today. And paying someone else to do the chores(家务活) which take the average housewife 71 hours a week would cost ?349.

   At over ?18,000 a year that’s more than the earnings of 70 percent of the population, including train drivers, firemen, prison officers, and social worker. Looking after a baby less than a year old takes a housewife into a even higher pay league. According to a stud, she earns ?457 a week – at nearly ?24,000 a year, the same as teachers, engineers, and chemists.

   Researchers put a price on each chore, then tried to find out how long the average person takes doing them. They found housewives spend an average 70.7 hours a week on housework – with looking after the children (17.9hours) and cooking and cleaning (12.9 hours each) the most time-consuming(费时).

   A wife with a part-time job still works and average of 59 hours a week at home. Those in full-time employment put in longer hours at home than in the workplace. The good news is that these hours sharply as children get older. While the average mother with child under one puts in 90 hours weekly, the figure drops to 80 hours from one to four and to 66 hours from five to ten.

   Mother-of-four Karen Williams from London said, “Paying the housewives may not be practical, but the government should recognize the value of housework, perhaps through the tax. Running a house takes a lot of time and most husbands don’t understand this. For example, my husband only puts a shelf up now and again. He never cleans the kitchen – that’s the real test.”

Who earns most according to the text?

   A. A social worker.                    B. A fireman.

   C. A gardener.                        D. A teacher.

We lean from the text that looking after children ______.

   A. takes more time than doing any other housework

   B. means more duties than being a teacher

   C. requires the mother to be well-educated

   D. prevents the mother from working outside

According to the text, a housewife with a baby less than one year old may work _____.

   A. 66 hours a week               B. 71 hours a week

   C. 80 hours a week               D. 90 hours a week

By mentioning her husband, Karen Williams wants to show that ______.

   A. housework is no easy job

   B. her husband has no time to clean the kitchen

   C. a housewife needs to be paid for cleaning

   D. the kitchen is hard to clean

We arranged that Kissinger would fly to Vietnam early in July and then stop in Pakistan on the way back. There he would develop a stomachache that would require him to stay in bed and not be seen by the press. Then, with President Yahya’s help, he would be taken to an airport where a Pakistani jet would fly him over the mountains to China.

Kissinger’s trip was given the code name Polo after Marco Polo, another western traveler who made history by journeying to China. Everything went quite smoothly. His slight illness in Islamabad received only small attention from reporters covering him. They accepted the story that he would be kept shut up for at least a few days and began making arrangements for their own activities.

Because of the need for complete secrecy and the lack of any direct communication facilities (设备) between Beijing and Washington, I knew that we would have no word from Kissinger while he was in China. Even after he had returned to Pakistan it would still be important to keep it secret,so before Kissinger left,we agreed on a single code word—Eureka—which he would use if his mission(使命)were successful and the presidential trip had been arranged.

On July 11, A1 Haig who knew our code word, phoned me to say that a cable from Kissinger had arrived.  

“What’s the message?” I asked.

 “Eureka,” he replied.

Kissinger stopped in Pakistan because____.

A. he had a stomachache

B. he needed President Yahya’s help in carrying out a secret plan

C. he did not want to be seen by the press

D. he would like to take a Pakistani jet on his way back

The reporters in Islamabad believed that _____.

A. Marco Polo made a trip to China

B. Kissinger would make a journey to China

C. Kissinger was making arrangements for their activities

D. Kissinger was sick

Washington would have no word from Kissinger while he was in China mainly because____.

A. the trip must be kept secret

B. President Yahya would not fly together with Kissinger

C. communication between China and Islamabad was impossible

D. Al Haig would phone to the author to tell him about Kissinger’s trip

From the passage we can infer that Kissinger’s cable carrying the message “Eureka” must have been sent____.

A. before he had left Beijing

B. soon after he had returned to Pakistan from China

C. as soon as he had arrived in Washington on July 11

D. before he retuned to Pakistan on July 11

●●●                          

US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld is likely to visit China at an “ appropriate” time this year, a senior Chinese military official said on Monday. Colonel Tu Qiming, director of the American and Oceanian Affairs Bureau of the Foreign Affairs Office at the National Defence Ministry, made the remark during Sino -US defence talks this week. This is the first ever “special defence policy dialogue” between the two defence ministries, according to the Chinese military.

●●●

FRANCES Agriculture Ministry has confirmed (证实) the first case of mad cow disease detected in a goat last Friday. The goat killed in 2002 tested positive for mad cow disease. It is the first case in the world of the fatal disease being found in an animal otwww..comher than a bovine. The human form of mad cow disease causes brain - wasting, personality change, loss of body function, and ends in death. The European Commission has not advised any change in farming and consuming goats, said the French Ministry in a statement published last Friday.

●●●

MOBILE phone sales hit a new record in 2004, with some 684 million units sold around the world, the US research institute Strategy Analytics said on Thursday. The number represents an increase of 32 per cent over 2003, when 571 million units were sold. Strategy Analytics predicts a more modest rise of 8 per cent for this year, to 735 million. Finnish cellphone provider Nokia stayed out in front in 2004, with sales of 207.6 million units, giving it a market share of 30.4 per cent. Motorola moved to No 2, just ahead of the South Korean company Samsung.

●●●

SIX male penguins (雄企鹅) at a German zoo are proving stubbornly resistant to females brought in from Sweden to make them into breeding (繁殖). Of the ten male penguins at the zoo, six have formed into " homosexual" couples and have shown no interest in the females, making breeding an impossibility. So the zoo imported the four female penguins from Sweden last month, full of hope that the new arrivals could “turn” the males. But so far, the boys are remaining strictly with the boys.

How many countries are mentioned in the pieces of news?

   A. Six.            B. Five.                 C. Three.           D. Seven.

From the fourth piece of news we know that           .

   A. the scientists haven’t succeeded in doing their experiment

   B. the scientists have successfully got six female penguins into breeding

   C. the Sweden girls made the boys show interest in them

   D. German boys don’t like Sweden boys

Which of the following are the suitable headlines for the pieces of news?

   A. a. US Defence Secretary Visit Likely         B. a. US Defence Secretary Visit Likely

     b. France Confirms 'Mad Goat" Case            b. France Confirms ' Mad Goat" Case

     c. Nokia Stays on Top                        c. Mobile Phone Sales 

     d. Male Penguins and Female Penguins          d. Birds of a Feather

   C. a. Defence Policy Dialogue                 D. a. Sino - US Talks

     b. Mad Goat Disease                         b. Mad Goat Case

     c. Mobile Phone Sales                        c. Motorola' s Sales Reduced

     d. Importing Female Penguins                  d. Boys and Girls

Mauritius, with its full name the Republic of Mauritius, an island country, lies 1,200 miles off the southeastern coast of Africa, and just east of Madagascar, another African island country, which is larger by far than Mauritius. It covers 788 square miles and has a population of 1,100,000, about 750,000 Indians, 300,000 Chinese and 20,000 Whites included. They are living together peacefully, although they share such different beliefs as Hindu, Roman Catholic, Muslim and so on. 

The country can be divided into many parts with different climates all because of its peculiar terrains (地形). In the center there are volcanoes (火山) several thousand feet high, and 90% of its arable land is covered with sugarcane.

There were no people living on the island before the Dutch landed on it in 1638. The Dutch relinquished it in 1710, and five years later, the French came and succeeded in planting sugarcane there. It was conquered (征服) by Britain in 1818. As a result, its official language is English. The main big cities are Beau-Bassin and Mahebourg, with Port Louis as its capital.

Mauritius has many rare and unique animals, such as the snakes, parrots and lizards. The giraffe is a type of animal with a very long neck and legs and yellow skin with dark spots. It is the tallest of all living animals.

Mauritius was extremely poor when it declared its independence in 1968. In the past ten years, obvious economic prosperity (繁荣) has shown itself in this island country. Nowadays its business, culture and tourism are developing rapidly. Every year, thousands of millions of people rush there to enjoy the silver sad beach and song and dance performances with native national characters.

The underlined word “relinquished” in the third paragraph means _______.

A. took its place          B. gave it up

C. left for it              D. held it out

The right order that shows the history of Mauritius should be _______.

a. seized by the French          b. became its master

c. ruled by the Dutch            d. conquered by the British

A. b, a, c, d                B. a, c, d, b

C. d, c, a, b                D. c, a, d, b

According to the passage all of the following statements are TRUE except ________.

Arable land covers 90% of the country’s total area   

It was the rule of foreigners that made the Mauritius people live in poverty

More than half of Mauritius population are Indians

Britain ruled the island longer than French and Dutch

A small piece of fish each day may keep the heart doctor away. That’s the finding of a study of Dutch men in which deaths from heart disease were more than 50 percent lower among those who consumed at least an ounce of salt water fish per day compared to those who never ate fish.

The Dutch research is one of three human studies that give strong scientific support to the long held belief that eating fish can provide health benefits, particularly to the heart.

Heart disease is the number-one killer in the United States, with more than 550,000 deaths occurring from heart attacks each year. But previous research has shown that the level of heart disease is lower in cultures that consume more fish than Americans do. There are fewer heart disease deaths, for example, among the Eskimos of Greenland, who consume about 14 ounces of fish a day, and among the Japanese, whose daily fish consumption averages more than 3 ounces.

For 20 years, the Dutch study followed 852 middle-aged men, 20 percent of whom ate no fish. At the start of the study, average fish consumption was about two-thirds of an ounce each day, with more men eating lean fish than fatty fish.

During the next two decades, 78 of the men died from heart disease. The fewest deaths were among the group who regularly ate fish, even at levels far lower than those of the Japanese or Eskimos. This relationship was true regardless of other factors such as age, high blood pressure, or blood cholesterol(胆固醇)levels.

The passage is mainly about _________.

A.the high incidence of heart disease in some countries   

B.the changes in people’s diet    

C.the effect of fish eating on people’s health

D.the daily fish consumption of people in different cultures

We can infer from the passage that there are fewer heart disease deaths ________.

A.in countries of the yellow-skin race

B.in highly-developed countries

C.in the countries with high consumption of fish 

D.in the countries with good production of fish

The phrase “this relationship” in paragraph 6 refers to the connection between _________ and the level of heart disease.

A.the amount of fish eaten  B.regular fish-eating  

C.the kind of fish eaten      D.people of different areas

From the passage we know the author is most probably ______.

A.a heart doctor   B.a science researcher

C.a supporter of healthy eating   D.a university student

European Work Experience Programme

European Work Experience Programme (E.W.E.P.) is an independent British organization which began in 1991 in the city of London. E.W.E.P. provides the opportunity for students from the 25 countries of the European Union and nationals(公民)from Norway, Iceland, Switzerland and Liechtenstein to live in England, to gain work experience, to practise their English and to get a better insight into the British social and cultural life.

To apply you must fulfil(符合)the following requirements:

Preferred age: 18 to 28 years’ old

Be able to work in the UK for a period of at least two months.

Must have a good knowledge of English.

Due to work permit restrictions(限制), European Work Experience Programme Ltd (E.W.E.P) will only select you if you are a European Union Member or national from Norway, Iceland, Switzerland and Liechtenstein.

European Work Experience Programme Ltd will find you a suitable job and an accommodation. A representative of E.W.E.P. will be available during your stay to help you and you will get a 24 hours help line service during your stay. The TOTAL fee(费用)for our services is ?? 264.63 (394.35 Euros).

Should you require any further information, please contact us:

European Work Experience Programme Ltd

Unit 1, Red Lion Court, Alexandra Road

Hounslow, Middlesex, TW3 1JS

United Kingdom

Tel: 44 208 572 2993  

Fax: 44 208 572 1114

E-mail: sales@ewep.com

What’s the purpose of writing the text?

A. To introduce a new programme in England

B. To attract more students to work in England

C. To describe the working conditions in England

D. To make clear the requirements for students working in England

Which of the followings is not the purpose of the progamme?

A. to get a lot of work experience

B. to improve their English rapidly

C. to have better understanding of the British culture

D. to make more money in Britain

If you apply for the programme, you __________. 

A. must be 18 to 26 years’ old

B. be able to speak at least three languages

C. must be nationals from the countries mentioned in the text

D. should have some working experience in a foreign country

You can get in touch with E. W. E. P. Ltd by the following ways EXCEPT by_____.

A. making a telephone call                        B. sending the organization a fax

C. writing an e-mail to the organization             D. going there in person by air 

Which of the following statement is TRUE according to the text?

A. European Work Experience Programme was set up about twenty years ago.

B. You’ll work in the UK for at least two months if you attend the programme.

C. You can get a 24 hours help from a representative during your stay.

D. You don’t have to hand in 394.35 Euros after you have got a job in Britain.

America is growing older. Fifty - eight years ago, only 4 out of every 100 people in the United States were 10 or older. To day, 10 out of every 100 Americans are over 10. The aging of the population will affect(影响)American society in many ways—education, medicine, and business. Quietly, the graying of America has made us a very different society—one in which people have a quite different idea of what kind of behavior(行为) is suitable(合适)at various , ages.

A person s age no longer tells you anything about his/her social position, marriage or health. There’s no longer a particular year in which one goes to school or goes to work or gets married or starts a family. The social clock that kept us on time and told us when to go to school, get a job, or stop working isn’t as strong as it used to be. It doesn’t surprise us to hear of a 29 - year - old university president or a 35 - year -old grandmother, or a 15 year - old man who has become a father for the first time. Public ideas are changing.

Many people say, “I am much younger than my mother— or my father— was at my age. ”No one says“Act your age” any more. We’ve stopped looking with surprise at older people who act in youthful ways.

12.It can be learnt from the text that the aging of the population in America ________ .

A. has made people feel younger                B. has changed people’s social position

C. has changed people’s understanding of age   D. has slowed down the country’s social development

13.The underlined word “one”refers to ________ .

A. a society   B. America      C. a place    D. population

14.” Act your age” means people should ________ .

A. be active when they are old

B. do the right thing at the right age

C. show respect for their parents young or old

D. take more physical exercise suitable to their age

15.If a 25 - year - old man becomes general manager of a big firm, the writer of the text would most probably consider it ________ .

A. normal   B. wonderful       C. unbelievable     D. unreasonable

Three weeks before the May Day holiday, Tong Zhuo, a 24-year-old computer engineer in Nanjing, started getting busy. He was trying to get in touch with friends on MSN to arrange a trip to the annual Midi Music Festival in Beijing during the holiday.

Although Tong failed in his job-hunt, he felt less frustrated after visiting the festival at the invitation of a friend. "It was the first time that I saw so many crazy people gathered together. When the music reached a climax, people kept yelling, jumping and bumping each other. You felt excited even if you weren't as high as they were," recalled Tong.

Midi, which is held May 1-4, started in 1999 and has grown into China's largest outdoor music festival. The festival is named after Beijing's Midi Music School, which started the event. This year's festival will have 84 bands, 22 of them foreign. It will be held in Haidian Park, northwest Beijing.  

Outdoor music festivals have been around for decades in the West. They often stand for a kind of different belief. The Woodstock Festival in the US in 1969 is an example. It took place while the US was involved in the Vietnam war and was used to express young people’s love of peace.

China's Midi has become a good place for young people as well. "The biggest attraction of Midi is that it is an event for all young people, whether they know rock or not. They can come and have fun together," says Li Wei, www..coma general manager of Beijing Midi Performance Company, the festival organizer.“ Besides,the open environment of an outdoor festival attracts young people. Without the restrictions of seats and walls, people are more likely to relax themselves. There's often more interaction between the audience and performers.”

What would be the best title for the passage?

A. Midi Music Festival in Beijing

B. Tong Zhuo— a music lover

C. The joy of Midi Music Festival

D. The history of Mini Music Festival

Before May Day, Tong Zhuo started getting busy because_______.

  A. he was very busy with his computer work

  B. he was preparing for the Midi Music Festival

  C. he wanted to attend Beijing's Midi Music School

  D. he was busy hunting for jobs

Which of the following statements is WRONG about Midi Music Festivals?

  A. Midi Music Festival is held every year in Beijing.

  B. You can relax yourself as you like in the festival.

  C. The festival is named after a school

D. Only those who know music can take part in the festival

Which of the following is not the reason why Midi Music is popular with Chinese young people?

A. full of energy and life       

B. the open environment

C. freedom and interaction   

D. its popularity in the West

The Woodstock Festival is mentioned mainly to show that ______.

  A. westerners also like the outdoor music festivals

  B. the festival has a long history and good tradition

  C. young people can express their feelings through music festivals

D. people love peace and hate wars

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