Most Americans retire after the age of sixty. The ...

Task 1

Directions: After reading the following passage, you will find 5 questions or unfinished statements, numbered 36 through 40. For each question or statement there are 4 choices marked A, B, C, and D. You should make the correct choice.

Work is a very important part of life in the United States. Americans spend most of their lives working. For most Americans, their work defines them. They are what they do. What happensd, then, when a person can no longer work?

Most Americans stop working at the age of sixty-five or seventy and retire. Because work is such an important part of life in American culture, retirement can be very difficult for Americans. Retirees often feel that they are useless and unproductive. Of course, some people are happy to retire, but leaving one's job, whatever it is, is a difficult change, even for those who look forward to retiring. Retirement can also bring financial problems. Many people depend on Social Security checks every month. During their working years, employees contribute a certain percentage of their salaries to the government. Each employer also gives a certain percentage to the government. When people retire, they receive this money as income. Sometimes these checks do not provide enough money to live on, because prices are prone to increasing, a process know as "inflation". Senior citizens, those over sixty-five, typically have to have savings in the bank or other retirement plans to make ends meet. In addition, many senior citizens have to change their lifestyles after retirement. They have to spend carefully to be sure that they can afford to buy food, fuel and other necessities (必需品).

Of course, many senior citizens are happy with their retirement. They have time to spend with their families or to enjoy their hobbies. Some continue to work part-time, others do volunteer work. Some, like those in the Retired Business Executives Association, even help young people to start new businesses. Many retired citizens also belong to "Golden Age" groups. These organizations plan trips and social events. There are many other opportunities for retirees.

Which of the following could be the best title of the passage?

A．"Golden Age" Groups

B．The American Opinion of Work

C．The Importance of Work in America

D．The Problems of Retirement in America

In the United States elementary education begins at the age of six. At this stage nearly all the teachers are women, mostly married. (80) The atmosphere is usually very friendly, and the teachers have now accepted the idea that the important thing is to make the children happy and interested. The old authoritarian (要绝对服从的) methods of education were discredited (不被认可) rather a long time ago-so much so that many people now think that they have gone too far in the direction of trying to make children happy and interested rather than giving them actual instruction.

The social education of young children tries to make them accept the idea that human beings in a Society need to work together for their common good. So the emphasis is on cooperation rather than competition throughout most of this process. This may seem curious, in view of the fact that American society is highly competitive; however, the need for making people sociable in this sense has come to be regarded as one of the functions of education. Most Americans do grow up with competitive ideas, and obviously quite a few as criminals, but it is not fair to say that the educational system fails. It probably does succeed in making most people sociable and ready to help one another both in material ways and through kindness and friendliness.

According to the passage, the U.S. elementary education is supposed to make children ______.

A．sensible and sensitive

B．competitive and interested

C．curious and friendly

D．happy and cooperative

Symptoms

Symptoms often appear after the child reaches the age of six months. One of the first signs is painful swelling of the hands or the feet or both. The child may cry frequently and not eat much. The whites of the eyes may appear yellow. The tongue, lips, and palms may be paler than normal. Children showing these symptoms should be taken to a hospital, where a blood test can show if the problem is sickle-cell anemia.

When sickle cells, clog blood vessels, pain most commonly affects the joints. A severe crisis can also disrupt the work of the brain, the lungs, the heart, the kidneys, and the spleen — sometimes with fatal consequences. Leg ulcers in the ankle region may persist for years. Children risk seizures or strokes. Those with sickle-cell anemia are especially prone to infectious diseases, since the disorder weakens natural defenses. Infection is a common cause of death.

Of course, not everyone with sickle-cell anemia develops all these symptoms. And some do not experience problems until they reach their late teens.

Treatment

Many parents have wasted both time and money pursuing treatments that promised a cure for their children. But presently there is no cure for sickle-cell anemia; it is a lifelong disorder. There are, however, simple things that can be done to minimize the frequency of crises, and there are ways to deal with them when they happen.

When a crisis occurs, parents should give their child plenty of water to drink. They can also give a mild pain-relieving drug. Severe pain may require stronger drugs that can be obtained only from a doctor. Sadly, though, sometimes even powerful drugs bring little relief. There is no need to panic, however. In almost all cases, after a few hours or days, the pain subsides and the patient recovers.

Scientists are searching for drugs to help treat the disorder. Early in 1995, for example, the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute in the United States announced that the drug hydroxyurea reduced by half the frequency of painful crises in sickle-cell patients. It is thought to do this by preventing red blood cells from changing their shape and clogging the blood vessels.

Such drugs are not readily available everywhere, nor are they helpful in every situation. And despite the well-known dangers, doctors in Africa and elsewhere regularly administer blood transfusions to treat sickle-cell patients in emergency situations.

When a crisis Strikes, pain will most probably affect______.

A．knees

B．palms

C．eyes

D．lungs

Task 1

Directions: After reading the following passage, you will find 5 questions or unfinished statements, numbered 36 through 40. For each question or statement there are 4 choices marked A, B, C, and D. You should make the correct choice.

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,

Whats the problem most American colleges are facing?

A．The costs are going up.

B．It is difficult for colleges to raise fund.

C．Technical college graduates become inadequate.

D．College online classes are challenged.

听力原文： One of the most famous travelers in all of history was Marco Polo. At the age of 17, he left Italy with his father and uncle. It took them more than 3 years to cross the mountains and deserts of Asia. In the year 1275, they reached China. They stayed in China for almost 20 years, as guests of the emperor. He sent them on many trips around his empire. They found China far more advanced than Italy or any other countries in Europe.

After he returned to Italy, Marco Polo dictated many of his stories to a friend, His book, Description of the World, became the most popular book in Europe. People found it difficult to believe his stories of people, animals, places, and things. These are a few of his descriptions:

In one area of China, there were black stones. People dug them out of the mountains. They lit the black stones and they burned very slowly, giving off heat. The people used these stones to cook and to heat their homes.

In China there was a great system of highways. These highways had two lanes paved with stones or bricks. Men planted trees every ten feet to keep the sun off travelers' heads.

Most people believed Marco Polo's stories. But others told him that they did not believe his descriptions. He answered that he did not tell half of what he saw.

Marco Polo came to China

A．alone.

B．with two friends.

C．with his brothers.

D．with his father and uncle.

听力原文： One of the most famous travelers in all of history was Marco Polo. At the age of 17, he left Italy with his father and uncle. It took them more than 3 years to cross the mountains and deserts of Asia. In the year 1275, they reached China. They stayed in China for almost 20 years, as guests of the emperor. He sent them on many trips around his empire. They found China far more advanced than Italy or any other countries in Europe.

After he returned to Italy, Marco Polo dictated many of his stories to a friend. His book, Description of the World, became the most popular book in Europe. People found it difficult to believe his stories of people, animals, places, and things. These are a few of his descriptions:

In one area of China, there were black stones. People dug them out of the mountains. They lit the black stones and they burned very slowly, giving off heat. The people used these stones to cook and to heat their homes.

In China there was a great system of highways. These highways had two lanes paved with stones or bricks. Men planted trees every ten feet to keep the sun off travelers' heads.

Most people believed Marco Polo' s stories. But others told him that they did not believe his descriptions. He answered that he did not tell half of what he saw.

Marco Polo came to China

A．alone.

B．with two friends.

C．with his brothers.

D．with his father and uncle.

What did the writer's uncle most likely do with the cottage after the accident?

A．He sold it to others.

B．He returned it to the landlord.

C．He bought it and had it repaired.

D．He gave it to his neighbors.