For most people Britains bouncing economy, now growing at its fastest for three years, is

le. At the end of the Second World War, families with kids【C1】______into shared houses. In 1946, more than 46,000 families took over military camps, empty hotels and flats. That was a(n) 【C2】______housing crisis. Todays does not come【C3】______: most people still have somewhere to live. It is nonetheless【C4】______, and worthy of political attention. But the question of exactly why our expensive homes【C5】______a crisis is more subtly depicted than it can appear. Since 1973 at least, the total number of "dwellings" has climbed far faster than the population. How is this possible,【C6】______that building rates have【C7】______? And doesnt it mean that there isnt really a housing crisis? First, in the 1960s and 1970s, while councils happily knocked【C8】______new estates, they were also busy pulling down lots of old "【C9】______" houses too. Social housing helped people move from broken old crowded houses into【C10】______new flats or houses, typically with much more【C11】______. Meanwhile, new homes were built on green fields. Average household sizes【C12】______dramatically, even as the average house got bigger. Though the housing stock【C13】______by less than the rate of building,【C14】______got a lot more space in which to live. In recent decades,【C15】______, everyone has got a lot less space. We have had【C16】______little new building, but【C17】______we have magically created lots of new housing. Essentially, so far, the housing crisis has been【C18】______by subdividing our homes to【C19】______the extra population growth.【C20】______, what new homes we do build are the smallest in the developed world.

【C1】

A．brought

B．crammed

C．entered

D．fitted

er it emerged this month that the internet giant has quietly collected a portfolio of eight advanced-robotics firms. Google is【C1】______the venture as partly a long term "moonshot" project— the name【C2】______to its more bizarre or【C3】______ideas, such as its self-driving car or broadband via high-altitude balloons. But it also says it aims to【C4】______a batch of robotics products in the【C5】______term and it has a "10-year vision" of where the company is【C6】______. Based in the US and Japan, the new acquisitions make【C7】______products, ranging from walking humanoids(human-like Robots), to assembly robots, machine-vision systems and robotic special-effects movie cameras. The【C8】______of technologies that Google has acquired doesnt point to【C9】______one type of robot being developed, says Chris Melhuish. "These technologies could【C10】______anything from a smart bed to a wheeled home-assistant robot for elderly people." But Will Jackson thinks Google will use its【C11】______in search engines to allow people to find【C12】______faster in shopping malls and airports. "You would never go over and talk to a touch screen,【C13】______if a mechanical person talks to you and makes eye【C14】______and smiles its very hard indeed not to talk【C15】______. Google knows all about our【C16】______and market preferences already. A robot would be a good【C17】______for that information." Googles moves are【C18】______of how robotics is changing, says Scott Eckert "The robotics industry is in the early stages of a【C19】______from a primarily industrial market to a dynamic technology sector," he says. "This is an exciting industry with a【C20】______future."

【C1】

A．observing

B．describing

C．commenting

D．developing

worlds lungs were diseased. Roughly half of all the planets once-luxuriant tropical forests had been felled and the further deterioration of the Earths green spaces seemed【C1】______. Over time countries【C2】______a "forest transition curve". They start in【C3】______with the land covered in trees. As they get richer, they fell the forest and the curve drops sharply until it reaches a low point when people decide to【C4】______whatever they have left Then the curve rises as reforestation【C5】______. At almost every point along the【C6】______, countries are now doing better defor-esters are【C7】______down less; reforesters are【C8】______more. This matters to everyone because of the extraordinary【C9】______that tropical forests make to reducing carbon emissions. Trees are carbon【C10】______. If you fell and burn them, you【C11】______carbon into the atmosphere. If you let them【C12】______they store carbon away in their trunks for centuries. Despite decades of【C13】______, tropical forests are still【C14】______about a fifth of emissions from fossil fuels each year. Encouraging countries to plant trees(or【C15】______them from logging)is by far the most【C16】______way of reducing greenhouse-gas emissions.【C17】______Brazil had kept on felling trees as rapidly as it was cutting them【C18】______in 2005, it would, by 2013, have put an extra 3.2 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. As a way of【C19】______the environment, protecting trees is hard to beat. It is in everyones interest to find out which forest policies work—and【C20】______them.

【C1】

A．avoidable

B．vital

C．inevitable

D．perplexing

ess, and, for some, even adds extra years to their life. While the【C1】______between marriage and well-being has been【C2】______studied, predicting marital success is【C3】______. Exactly which people are likely to make successful 【C4】______and what can they do to【C5】______the odds of being successful and happy in marriage? "The state of marriage is that its going in two directions. For people with a college degree, marriage is still going【C6】______." However, Cherlin explains, "for people with less 【C7】______, theres less marriage and more breakups." Happy marriage【C8】______are much less common in such households. Another predictor of successful marriages is the quality of a【C9】______childhood relationship with their parents. "The kind of relationships you have with your parents【C10】______up are predictive of marital quality in【C11】______Umberson says. Finally, there is a chicken-and-egg【C12】______to successful marriages. "People who are married are【C13】______than people who arent. The question is how much of this is【C14】______and how much is effect?" While natural selection【C15】______has an impact here, Cherlin says, "people who are【C16】______happy are more likely to get married, but marriage makes them even healthier." The【C17】______to good marriages is similar in Umbersons view. "I think its the presence of emotional support, and that the person youre with does make you feel emotionally supported," she says.【C18】______, "If your partner is 【C19】______and demanding" all the time, those "are just red flags" in terms of marital happiness. And in terms of【C20】______, she notes, "marital strain is worse for your health than marital happiness is good for your health."

【C1】

A．match

B．link

C．chain

D．mark

te change but said more must be done to address a generational problem. One year after unveiling an aggressive plan, Obama said new【C1】______limits on power plants, renewable energy projects and new【C2】______for green technology have cleared the way for further action in the U.S. and abroad, despite steadfast【C3】______from much of Congress. "When you take those first steps, even if theyre【C4】______, and even if there are politics sometimes, you start【C5】______momentum and you start mobilizing larger and larger communities," Obama said. Obamas【C6】______served as a progress report for his climate plan, which the president【C7】______out last June. Twelve months later, much of the plan is in【C8】______, although the most ambitious steps are still up in the air and will take years to be【C9】______realized. Change wont be instantaneous, Obama【C10】______. "Theres no silver bullet" Indeed, many of the steps hes taking are【C11】______, limited in scope by hostility from both parties to putting a【C12】______on carbon pollution, which would require new laws from Congress. Still, Obama said hes seeking to【C13】______the problem but cutting it up into smaller pieces. "Were moving, and its making a【C14】______," he told a supportive crowd at the League of Conservation Voters annual dinner. The environmental group【C15】______Obama early in his 2008 campaign.【C16】______on the international front, momentum has been obscure.【C17】______global climate talks next year in Paris, there are fresh【C18】______that some countries are urging others to resist【C19】______moves to curb carbon. That could discourage even bigger polluters from【C20】______.

【C1】

A．products

B．expenditures

C．emissions

D．expectations

ates have appeared to stabilize, and might be poised for a reversal. But a study published Monday in the journal PNAS suggests that among adolescents, the【C1】______signs are limited to those from better-educated, more【C2】______families. Among teens from poorer, less well-educated families, obesity has【C3】______to rise. That class-gap was not【C4】______in younger children. But as children neared【C5】______, the class differences became increasingly obvious. 【C6】______between rich and poor in obesity rates are not new, and they are only one of many health gaps that make poor patients sicker and more likely to die【C7】______than richer ones. But if the public health message on obesity "has not diffused【C8】______across the population," this gap could 【C9】______efforts to stem a tidal wave of【C10】______obesity-related diseases in the years ahead. Researchers from Harvard Universitys Kennedy School of Government found that【C11】______activity may account largely for the【C12】______trend in obesity between rich and poor. If public health experts are to prevent childhood obesity and【C13】______drive down future obesity among adults, theyll have to figure out【C14】______less advantaged kids dont get as much exercise, the authors of the latest study say. Yes, lack of 【C15】______centers, playgrounds, and streets and sidewalks that【C16】______walking, biking and playing are important, they wrote. But, they added, "this is not the whole story." Among children with parents who【C17】______high on the socioeconomic scale, participation in high school sports and clubs has increased. But among their【C18】______from families of lower educational 【C19】______and income, such participation has【C20】______.

【C1】

A．useful

B．controversial

C．distressing

D．hopeful

dults. It supports providing students with the opportunity to learn how to make【C1】______decisions about their consumer choices, how to manage money on their own, and how to grow and protect their financial【C2】______before they enter college or the workforce. The study【C3】______more than 65,000 first-year college students across the U.S. on banking, savings, credit cards and school loans, as well as a series of questions designed to【C4】______students financial knowledge. Researchers found【C5】______differences in the financial【C6】______of students based on age, race,【C7】______and institution type. Students who received financial literacy education in high school scored significantly higher than their【C8】______on financial knowledge questions such as how much to set aside in an emergency【C9】______and what to do if you have too many credit cards. Even more importantly, the students who had previous financial literacy education were found to be more responsible【C10】______it comes to their money—for example, they were more financially【C11】______and more unwilling to【C12】______debt in general. As financial【C13】______are the number one reason students leave college, engaging students at the outset of their college experience will【C14】______the likelihood that they will make【C15】______financial decisions and complete their degree on time. And while traditional financial literacy education has focused【C16】______on providing financial knowledge, "Money Matters on Campus" research amplifies the need to【C17】______students individual attitudes, motivations and【C18】______. By providing students with relevant information that【C19】______home im mediately, this initiative has led to an 11 percent drop in federal loan borrowing at the【C20】______.

【C1】

A．informed

B．inspired

C．inevitable

D．influential

ve typically worked persistently. Hans-Joachim Voth, an economic historian, says that in 19th century you could tell how poor somebody was by how【C1】______they worked. Today things are【C2】______. Overall working hours have【C3】______over the past century. But the rich have begun to work longer hours than the poor. There are a number of【C4】______One is that higher wages make leisure more expensive: if people take time【C5】______they give up more money. Since the 1980s the【C6】______of those at the top have risen strongly, while those below the median have stood still or fallen. Thus rising【C7】______encourages the rich to work more and the poor to work less. The【C8】______of work and leisure in the rich world has also changed. Back in 1899 Thorstein Veblen offered his【C9】______on things. He argued that leisure was a "badge of honor". Rich people could get others to do the【C10】______, repetitive work. Yet Veblens leisure class was not【C11】______. Rather they engaged in "exploit":【C12】______and creative activities such as writing, charity and【C13】______. Veblens theory needs【C14】______. Work in advanced economies has become more【C15】______and intellectual. There are fewer really dull jobs, like lift-operating, and more【C16】______ones, like fashion design. That means more people than ever can enjoy "exploit" at the【C17】______. Work has come to offer the sort of pleasures that rich people used to【C18】______in their leisure time. On the other hand, leisure is【C19】______a sign of social power. Instead it【C20】______uselessness and unemployment.

【C1】

A．long

B．much

C．well

D．often

nd the【C1】______itself kills. Take the panic【C2】______genetically modified organisms, or GMOs. Ninety percent of all corn grown in America is genetically modified now. That means it grew from a seed that scientists【C3】______by playing with its genes. The new genes may make corn grow faster, or they may make it less【C4】______to bugs so farmers can use【C5】______pest-killing chemicals. This【C6】______some people. GMOs are "unnatural," they say. A【C7】______from the movie "Seeds of Death" warns that eating GMOs "causes multiple organ system【C8】______." Michael Hansen of Consumer Reports sounds almost as【C9】______when he talks about GMOs. He says, "You cant control【C10】______youre inserting that genetic information; it can have different effects【C11】______on the location." Jon Entine of Genetic Literacy Project responds: "Weve eaten about 7 trillion meals in the 18 years 【C12】______GMOs first came on the market. Theres not one documented instance of someone getting so【C13】______as a cough." Given all the fear from【C14】______and activists, you might be surprised to learn that most serious scientists【C15】______with him. "There have been about 2,000 studies," says Entine, and "there is no【C16】______of human harm in a major peer-reviewed journal." That might be enough to reassure people if they knew how widespread and familiar GMOs really are—but【C17】______they think of GMOs as something strange and new, they think more tests are needed. 【C18】______people dont worry about crops bred in【C19】______varieties for centuries without farmers having any idea exactly what genetic changes【C20】______.

【C1】

A．consumption

B．mood

C．offense

D．fear

stimated to be【C2】______or obese in 2008, according to a report by the Overseas Development Institute(ODI), a think tank in London. Thats a 23 per cent increase on 1980. In the last three decades, the number of adults estimated to be obese in the developing world has almost quadrupled to 904 million, overtaking the number in【C3】______countries. "The most shocking thing is the degree to which obesity is now【C4】______developing as well as developed economies," says Tim Lobstein of the International Association for the Study of Obesity in London. "The problems【C5】______by overconsumption of fats and【C6】______are now global, not just Western, problems." The rise is【C7】______to a "creeping homogeni-sation"(spreading)of diets across the world, says the report, which says rising【C8】______, advertising and globalisation all play a part It criticizes policy-makers in most countries for being slow or【C9】______to tackle the problem. "We see a big【C10】______in what governments recommend people eat as part of their【C11】______campaigns and what people actually eat," says Sharada Keats. "We need governments to【C12】______the scale of the problem and start putting in place【C13】______steps to tackle it" Some countries have【C14】______to go against the grain and【C15】______. For example, South Koreans ate four times more【C16】______in 2008 than they did in 1980. The report【C17】______this to government health drives, which include【C18】______programs on how to【C19】______low-fat meals, showing what governments can do when they【C20】______.

【C1】

A．individually

B．dependently

C．globally

D．partially