The first factory in the United States can be dated back to 1793, a cotton textile mill in Pawtucket, Rhode Island.

In the next 40 years , the percentage of people in the United States over the age of 65 is expected to double . __71__the needs of this part of the populations a _72_ to the ingenuity of America . To a _73_ degree , a society is judged by __74_ it cares for those who can no longer care _75_themselves .

High technology _76_ the most startling advances in helping the elderly . In _77_ to the well-known artificial heart implantation, there are efforts underway to _78_ artificial lungs , livers , and bones . An electric ear is _ 79_ seventy-five percent effective . The implants will _80_ better medical care by _81_ minute does of drugs into the body continuously .

For the older people ,even the simplest tasks can be difficult , _82_ impossible to perform. . American business have responded _83_ their needs with a _84_ of inexpensive but useful _85_ Companies have designed extra-efficient can openers that _86_ people whose hands have become _87_ weak to open cans easily . There are devices that allow people to pull on a pair of socks _88_straining their backs . Combs with long handles and U-shaped back brushes are _89_ for those who can not reach as _90_ as they could when they were young .

71. A) Seeing      B) Meeting     C) Facing     D) Matching

72. A) chance     B) challenge     C) call     D) change

73. A) valuable   B) comprehensive   C) considerate   D) considerable

74. A) how     B) why     C) who     D) whom

75. A) with    B) to     C) upon     D) for

76. A) protects     B) profits     C) proclaims     D) promises

77. A) relation    B) contrast     C) addition     D) proportion

78. A) discover    B) promote     C) assemble     D) develop

79. A) thus     B) still     C) already     D) yet

80. A) permit     B) persist     C) serve     D) pursue

81. A) removing    B)releasing    C) relieving    D) replacing

82. A) always     B) usually     C) eventually     D) sometimes

83. A) to      B) at       C) with       D) on

84. A) set    B) variety    C) series    D) group

85. A)production    B)produce    C) products    D) sales

86. A)enable       B) make      C) cause       D) encourage

87. A) so         B) very         C) too         D) rather

88. A) by       B)without         C) in        D) through

89. A) valuable      B) ready     C) near     D) available

90. A) long        B) good         C) far          D) much

About one in twenty adults in the United States cannot read English. A new federal study shows that adults made little progress in their reading skills between 1992 and 2003.

The National Assessment of Adult Literacy is the most important test of how well adult Americans can read. Researchers tested nineteen thousand people over the age of sixteen. The study represents an adult population of two hundred twenty-two million. Those who took part were tested on how well they could read and understand information used in everyday life. The study found that eleven million adults, or five percent, cannot read English. They could not answer even the easiest written questions. Four million of them most likely cannot speak English either. The study shows that more than forty percent of adults can perform. only simple reading activities. For many, even that can be difficult. Fifty-six percent of adults can perform. moderate or complex activities. Moderate can mean finding information in a book. Of that number, thirteen percent can perform. complex tasks like comparing two different newspaper commentaries(评论).

Researchers say part of the problem is that many young Americans do not read as much for pleasure anymore. Also, there are greater numbers of non-English speaking immigrants.

Reading skills can directly affect the ability to earn a living. The best readers were found to earn up to twenty-eight thousand dollars a year more than those who lacked simple reading skills.

Yet, compared to the last study in 1992, adults'reading skills were about the same or lower across every level of education. This was true even among people who have completed college. By race and ethnic group, blacks and Asians had the biggest increases in English reading skills. But levels decreased among Hispanics. Experts, say, however, that while many Hispanics are unable to read in English, they may read well in Spanish.

Overall, American adults improved the most in answering questions that involved numbers. Even so, the test found that the average adult cannot do much more than perform. simple, everyday math.

When was the article probably written?

A．Between 1992 and 2003.

B．After 1992.

C．Around 2003.

D．In 1992.

It can be inferred in the passage that ______.

A．the President of the United States can enjoy some working vacations when he is too tired

B．no American Born Chinese can meet the qualifications for President of the United States

C．the President of the United States actually should meet more qualifications than those stated in the Constitution

D．the President of the United States is playing a leading role among all the three branches of the US Government

It can be inferred in the passage that ______.

A．the President of the United States can enjoy some working vacations when he is too tired

B．no American Born Chinese can meet the qualifications for President of the United States

C．the President of the United States actually should meet more qualifications than thosestated in the Constitution

D．the President of the United States is playing a leading role among all the three branches of the US Government

The postal zoning system in the United States began in 1943 with the introduction of the one or two digit zone number. These numbers identified a delivery station of a metropolitan post office. On July 1,1963, Mr Zip introduced the Zone Improvement Plan. This was a five digit national coding system used to identify each postal delivery section. The first digit identifies one of ten geographical areas, with the second digit denoting a state, part of a heavily populated state, or two or three less populated states. The third digit designates a major metropolitan postal facility or sectional center, with the fourth and fifth digits picking up the original zone number.

The Federal German Post Office became the first to use the current postal code system to speed delivery. The function of a code system is to help in address scanning and the automated processing of mail, and to speed up mail sorting. Approximately 97 percent of all mail delivered in the United States uses the Zip Code. In 1974, the United States Postal Service issued a postage stamp to publicize the numerical system.

The Zip Code, the numerical system, was publicized in ______.

A．1943

B．1963

C．1974

D．not know.

此题为判断题(对，错)。

In the United States and in many other countries around the world, there are four main ways for people to be【1】about developments in the news: newspapers, magazines, and radio or television news broadcasts. A person may use one, or all, of these【2】for information. Each source is useful in its【3】way. Newspapers and magazines can give much information about a particular event. They may【4】some history of the event, some of its【5】, some of its effects, or perhaps give an【6】or point of view on a particular development. Radio and television can help a person to be well informed about what is happening each day. It is also【7】to listen to radio or watch TV【8】do something else at the same time. Many people can listen to the news on their car radio while driving【9】For the student of English as a foreign language, an English language newspaper may be the most helpful news source that will also【10】you practice in reading English.

Most daily English language newspapers are not very hard to find. They are interesting and helpful in many【11】. In some of them, you may be able to find news about your【12】country. You will find news and information about important national and international political【13】【14】what you are interested in, you can probably find something in the newspaper about it. A(n)【15】in the newspaper may help you solve a problem. Other stories may be about good movies, concerts, or TV shows.

Usually, an English language newspaper has several【16】or parts. Each part of the newspaper 【17】stories about different kinds of news. Some sections have a lot of advertisements which may be helpful if you want to save money. By reading the advertisements, you may find something you want【18】sale. Or you may find that two stories are advertising the【19】thing, but at one store the price is lower. Other sections may have【20】advertisements or have only a specific type of advertisement to interest the people.

(1)

A．advised

B．instructed

C．informed

D．taught

听力原文： The non-medical use of certain drugs is forbidden in the United States because they can be dangerous. Many Americans, however, still use drugs illegally without a doctor's permission. In fact, taking drugs has become one of America's most serious social problems.

In America, most people who have become dependent on drugs are young. Why are young people the most frequent users of drugs? The answers are varied. Some young people feel depressed and nervous in a society full of tension and they want to find a means of escape. Others are bored and they think the drug makes their time pass more pleasantly.

Taking drugs can cause only poverty and despair. When a person takes the drug, however, he forgets his misery. The drug takes away the stress and strain of living—until the effect of the drug wears off. Then, the discomfort is very intense and terrible. Because he must. take larger and larger doses, his habit becomes more and more expensive. Such people often turn to crime to get the money they need. They might break in and steal money and other valuable things or rob banks. In this way, taking drugs forces the crime rate up.

In the United States drugs have destroyed many of the young people's minds and ruined their bodies. So it is necessary that a campaign to forbid taking drugs be launched in the United States and other countries.

(33)

A．The housing problem in the U.S.

B．The problem of taking drags in the U.S.

C．The problem of unemployment in China.

D．The problem of the workers' strikes in England.

The percentage of immigrants(including those unlawfully present)in the United States has been creeping upward for years. At 12. 6 percent, it is now higher than at any point since the mid 1920s.

We are not about to go hack to the days when Congress openly worried about inferior races polluting America's bloodstream. But once again we are wondering whether we have too many of the wrong sort of newcomers. Their loudest critics argue that the new wave of immigrants cannot, and indeed do not want to, fit in as previous generations did.

We now know that these racist views were wrong. In time, Italians, Romanians and members of other so-called inferior races became exemplary Americans and, contributed greatly, in ways too numerous to detail, to the building of this magnificent nation. There is no reason why these new immigrants should not have the same success.

Although children of Mexican immigrants do better, in terms of educational and professional attainment, than their parents, UCLA sociologist Edward Telles has found that the gains don't continue. Indeed, the fourth generation is marginally worse off than the third. James Jackson, of the University of Michigan, has found a similar trend among black Caribbean immigrants. Telles fears that Mexican-Americans may be fated to follow in the footsteps of American blacks--that large parts of the community may become mired (陷入) in a, seemingly permanent state of poverty and underachievement. Like African-Americans. Mexican-Americans are increasingly relegated to(降入) segregated, substandard schools, and their dropout rate is the highest for any ethnic group in the country.

We have learned much about the foolish idea of excluding people on the presumption of ethnic/racial inferiority. But what we have not yet learned is how to make the process of Americanization work for all. I am not talking about requiring people to learn English or to adopt American ways; those things happen pretty much on their own. But as arguments about immigration heat up the campaign trail, we also ought to ask some broader questions about assimilation, about bow to ensure that people, once outsiders, don't forever remain marginalized within these shores.

That is a much larger question than what should happen with undocumented workers, or how best to secure the border, and it is one that affects not only newcomers but groups that have been here for generations. It will have more impact on our future than where we decide to set the admissions bar for the latest wave of would be Americans. And it would be nice if we finally got the answer right.

How were immigrants viewed by U. S. Congress in the early days?

A．They were of inferior races.

B．They were a source of political corruption.

C．They were a threat to the nation's security.

D．They were part of the nation's bloodstream.