3、     Many families in the United States have a larger 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 prices go up. As workers earn more money, they have more money to spend, so they demand more goods. If there is 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 price also goes up. For example, if everyone wants to buy more and more gas, the price of gas goes up. When companies withhold 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.

41. What has troubled many families in the United States?

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.

42.    Why does the cost of living keep increasing?

A. There are always shortages of goods.              B. The workers are getting lower and lower pay.

C. The government makes no difference.              D. People demand more and better goods.

43.    Which of the following is TRUE?

A. Housewives needn’t know anything happening to the market.

B. People’s lives are affected by the value of money.

C. There seems no need for everyone to know about the rising cost of living.

D. The prices will go up if more goods are produced.

44.    According to the passage, when people find it hard to make ends meet, they need to _________.

A. find ways to save money                              B. do extra work to earn more money

C. try some other means of making money         D. raise a protest against the high cost of living

45.    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 to produce more goods

D. the workers to earn more money

2、       It has been said before, but experiencing it myself has made  31  want to say it again: a smile can cross all language barriers.

I recently moved from Canada to a small city on the south coast of South Korea to work as an English teacher. One night, after a long day at work, I was feeling particularly worn-out. My legs  32  (ache) and I wasn’t looking forward to cooking dinner. Just as I was about  33  (push) the key into the door, the old landlady called to me and motioned me into her apartment. I didn’t understand a word that she said,  34  I understood her smile. I followed her into her kitchen,  35  smelled like the wonderful Korean foods I was coming to love.  36   (put) many dishes of food on the table, she sat down across from me. We were both laughing the whole time at our complete  37  (able) to communicate in words.

38  it was time to leave, I said “thank you” in Korean, using some of  39  few words I had learned. I felt 40  (lonely) than I had expected that night.

1、       That’s the greatest gift I’ve ever received. On my 15^th birthday, this past December, I was anxiously  21  when my father and mother insisted that I go on a “mystery drive” with them. I figured it must be something  22 , as it was my birthday. I didn’t realize exactly how happy I would be, though,  23  we pulled up in the parking lot of a huge  24  supply store. This was the day that my family was going to open the door to a new opportunity for me. It was after opening their wallet, of course.

As you might have guessed, they bought me a sewing machine. This may sound nice, or some may even think it a dumb  25 . I don’t think of it only as a machine. To me, it means many things. For one, it’s my parents’ acceptance of my  26  and inspirations. They know that I have big plans for designing and think that I can achieve my goals. Not only that, but it is the realization that my parents no longer think of me as a  27  with strange and unrealistic goals. They, for one of the first times in my life,  28  me like a real adult. Besides, the knowledge that they were willing to  29  a lot for the machine showed that they  30  me. My family thinks that my creativity and design are so unique that it’s worth it for me to get started on something real.

26、The new machine, as is put in the report, will work twice as fast, _______ greatly reducing costs.

A. so                B. even              C. yet                D. thus

25、 In a time of social reform, people’s state of mind tends to keep _______ with the rapid changes of society.

A. terms              B. pace              C. progress            D. touch

24、When you come to China you can’t help noticing a “can-do” attitude and a general sense that this is a society _______ is looking ahead.

A. where              B. as                C. who               D. that 

23、―Mum, I failed in the test again.  

―______. Keep on working hard and you'll succeed.  

A．Not at all                B．Certainly not       C．Never mind         D．Don't mention it  

22、The new tax policy only affects people on yearly incomes over￥120，000，       the very rich．

A．by the way    B．as a result    C．in other words   D．as a manner of   

21、― It’s wonderful after the rain. The sky is clear and the air is so fresh.

― _______. Let’s go for a walk outside on this fine day.

       A. I mean                            B. You know                 C. You bet                    D. I think

20、―You ought to have given them some advice.

―_______, but who cared what I said?

       A．So I did                  B．So ought I               C．So I ought                     D．So did I