one common problem in english learning is that many students take great pain to improve the english sounds they produce while neglecting ______________.

ould not be confused with the problem of illiteracy, that is, the inability to read and write. Current United Nations (UNESCO) figures indicate that 99 percent of all Americans are literate, the same figure assigned to nations such as Britain, Germany. Functional illiteracy, by contrast, is concerned with how much difficulty people have in actually using and writing skills in everyday situations. This might be interpreted, for example, as the relative ability to understand federal income tax forms, or printed instructions, or how well someone can write a letter of complaint, or apply in writing for a job.

There are no agreed-upon definitions of what functional illiteracy is and, in practice, definitions vary widely. For many years, reading tests have been used throughout the country which define reading ability by grade level. "Tenth-grade reading level" for instance, would be the average reading score of all pupils who have completed ten years of school. There are, of course, many different reading tests and types of tests. One definition of functional illiteracy holds that anyone is "illiterate" who reads at less than an eighth-grade level. Another common definition uses a twelfth-grade level (the last year of high school in the U.s.)

There seems to be general agreement that at least one-tenth of all Americans arc functionally illiterate in English to some degree. It is also hardly surprising that those nations which (like the U. S. ) have paid most attention to this concept, and which have nation-wide testing, have found the greatest problems. As one educator humourously put it, "Reading tests cause illiteracy". Canada, for example, which also has a large non-English-speaking immigrant population, has recently found that many of her citizens, too, are functionally illiterate. The attention given to this problem, therefore, reflects the fact that in North America schools as well as pupils are continually tested.

What does "illiteracy" in line I mean？

A．Ability to read and write.

B．Ability to appreciate literature.

C．Lack of interest in literature.

D．Inability to read and write.

完成下列各题 A Eating disorders(混乱)is very common now．“When I first wrote about this，the problem was pretty much hidden…I didn’t expect ii to get：as bad as it is，”Susie Orbach，all intema’tional authority(权威)on eating disorders，said． Orbach must at times think the anti-diet message of her book“Fat is a Feminist(女权主义的)Issue(问题)”has been lost since it was written more than 20 years ago． Girls，boys，old people-even the famously well-rounded female(女性)population of Fiji is failing victim(牺牲品)to fat fears．"If anything．the situation has got much，much worse．We nOW have kids as young aseight and women in old people’s homes worried about the way they look，" Orbach said． Even though it has been proved that repeated dieting results in a little more than regaining most of the lost weight, constant dieting(节食)has become a way of life for many women．48 per cent of British women aged 25 t0 35 were on some kind of diet and that 20 per cent of young wonen dieted all or most of time．Some of them said they would pop a pill to give them their beautiful shape．even if it meant risking their health． Worldwide，70 million people have an eating disorder．Most are women，but men are increasingly affected，too． More than half the women and two-thirds of the men in Britain weigh too much，while in the United States more than one quarter of adults and about one in five children are overweight．The idea that female beauty is a very thin body could be changed，if clothing factories and magazines showed images(形象)of women of an shapes instead of selecting skeletal-like models and stick．thin actresses． But that is easier said than done． To get her message across．Orbach is also considering talking to pop stars such as Victoria Beckham and Geri Halliwell，both of whom have admitted(承认)having suffered from eating disorders． According to Susie Orbach，________．

A.nobody had suffered from eating disorders 20 years before

B.eating disorders had become much commoner than before

C.eating disorders shouldn’t have become so common as it was

D.Victoria Beckham and Geri Halliwell hadn’t suffered from eating disorders

The problem of poverty is particularly () in rural areas where one in three adults is unemployed.

A、offensive

B、significant

C、acute

D、frail

s, people never seem to become much better off! Prices are rising continuously.This condition is termed one of inflation(通货膨胀); the money supply is becoming inflated so that each unit of it becomes less valuable.People have grown accustomed in recent years to higher and higher rates of inflation.What could be bought ten years ago for one dollar now costs well over two dollars.Present indications are that this rate of inflation is tending to rise rather than to fall.If in the real world our money incomes go up at the same rate as prices one might think that inflation does not matter.But it does.When money is losing value it lacks one of the qualities of a good money - stability of value.It is no longer acceptable as a store of value; and it becomes an unsuitable standard of deferred(延迟) payments.Nobody wants to hold a wasting asset(资产), so people try to get rid of money as quickly as possible.Inflation therefore stimulates consumer spending, and prevents people from saving.

1.Inflation is a situation in which __________.

A.we find our money increase in its value

B.employment no longer becomes a problem

C.people can always find better paying jobs

D.money keeps losing its value

2.According to the author, inflation __________.

A.is very common at the present time

B.seldom happens

C.has become rare in recent years

D.is just reasonable

3.According to the passage, if incomes and prices rise together __________.

A.money will hold its value

B.inflation poses no problem

C.inflation will remain to be a problem

D.the business will prosper

4.When money loses its value __________.

A.it is no longer stable

B.its rate against gold will be kept at the same level

C.goods will lose their value

D.incomes will keep rising

5.In a period of inflation, people are likely to __________.

A.invest heavily on the stock market

B.save money

C.hold on to money as a dependable asset

D.spend money and not bother to save

A.I hope you can take it easy. I have to find out what caused the problem

B.We have received your fax filing complaint with us

C.If the problem was caused by us, we’ll pay for your loss

D.As the claim you lodged with us involves two points, I propose to take them up one by one

A、I hope you can take it easy. I have to find out what caused the problem

B、We have received your fax filing complaint with us

C、If the problem was caused by us, we’ll pay for your loss

D、As the claim you lodged with us involves two points, I propose to take them up one by one

A. anticipant

B. anticipate

C. think

D. participate

A、I hope you can take it easy. I have to find out what caused the problem

B、We have received your fax filing complaint with us

C、If the problem was caused by us, we’ll pay for your loss

D、As the claim you lodged with us involves two points, I propose to take them up one by one

share common features such as ruthless, excruciating self-analysis of one's own background and heritage, one's own most private desires and fantasies etc. , and the urgent I’ll-tell-it-all-to-you impulse.