How many states are not on the contiguous continent of America？A.1B.2C.3D.4

A.More than 50 percent

B.About 10 percent

C.Over 16 percent

D.Over 40 percent

"How was your weekend？"

This question comes up at workplaces all over the United States every Monday morning as people greet each other. It is another way of saying, "How did you spend your leisure time？"

In the Unites States the way people spend their leisure time is an important part of their identity. Perhaps everybody does nearly the same thing all day in the office or the factory, but leisure time is what makes people distinct and reveals who they are.

For many people, leisure time means going somewhere -- to a museum, a concert, a restaurant, or a baseball game. Or it means doing something such as playing volleyball, backpacking, swimming, singing in a chorus (合唱), or playing in a park with their children. For other people, free time means staying home with wonderful sources of entertainment, such as VCR, stereo or cable TV with dozens of channels. Others pursue creative activities such as cooking, gardening, and home improvement. The latest stay-at, home activity is "surfing (冲浪) the net" -- that is, looking for information and entertainment on the Internet.

In the United States, leisure time is big business. Enormous amounts of money are spent by competing enterprises that make and sell the goods and services that people use in their free time. In fact, shopping itself is an important leisure time activity. Spending a day at a giant mall has become, for some people, as interesting as spending the day at museum or amusement park.

People in the United States are ultimately not much different from others in what they do in their leisure time. The real difference may lie in the energy, time, money, and sheer enthusiasm that they devote to it.

Why do Americans often greet each other by asking "How did you spend your leisure time？"

A．Because they are interested in the different pastime activities.

B．Because leisure time is what makes people different from each other.

C．Because they are bored with the job they have done for the whole week.

D．Because everybody does the same thing all day long.

le in the United States. Some people go on diets. This means they eat less of certain foods, especially fats and sugars. Other people exercise with special equipment, take diet pills, or even have surgery. Losing weight is hard work, and it can also cost a lot of money. So why do so many people in the United States want to lose weight？

Many people in the United States worry about not looking young and attractive. For many people, looking good also means being thin. Other people worry about their health. Many doctors say being overweight is not healthy. But are Americans really fat？

Almost 30 million Americans weigh at least 20 percent more than their ideal weight. In fact, the United States is the most overweight country in the world. "The stored fat of adult Americans weighs 2. 3 trillion pounds," says University of Massachusetts anthropologist(人类学家) George Armelagos. He says burning off that stored energy would produce enough power for 900,000 cars to go 12,000 miles.

Losing weight is hard work, but most people want to find a fast and easy way to take off fat. Bookstores sell lots of diet books. These books tell readers how to lose weight. Each year, dozens of new books like these are written. Each one boasts to help people to get rid of fat.

Which of the following is NOT mentioned as a way of losing weight？

A．To eat less fats and sugars.

B．To take much exercise.

C．To have surgery.

D．To work hard.

e to live in.Around this dry part are large sheep and cow farms.A few of them are as large as the smallest states in America.Often the nearest neighbors are several hundred kilometers away.

The two-way radio is very important to people who live on these great Australian farms.It works much like a telephone.A person can listen to someone else talk and then give an answer.For example, people on the large farms could talk to a doctor far away.They could tell the doctor about someone who was ill, and the doctor could let them know how to look after the sick person.

As the large farms were so far from towns, the children could not go to school.Radio schools were started for them in some places.At a certain time each day, boys and girls turn on their radios and listen to teachers in cities far away.

Families on the large farms wanted to give news to their neighbors.The program "Round Robin" talks by radio was started to keep families in touch with each other.They could talk about who was going away and who was ill.The men could talk about their sheep and cows and how much money the markets would pay for them.In many ways the radio became a newspaper for the farm people of Australia.

1、From the first paragraph, we know there are some very large farms in Australia.()

2、"The two-way radio" in the 2nd paragraph is useful for children only.()

3、The "the sick person" in the second paragraph means the person who is ill.()

4、The children on the large farms far away could have lessons on the radios.()

5、All the Australians live on dry places, and they use radios in many ways.()

rica is business." By this he meant that the U.S. way of life is based on the values of the business world.

Few would argue with Ford's statement. A brief glimpse at a daffy newspaper vividly shows how much people in the United States think about business. For example, nearly every newspaper has a business section, in which the deals and projects, finances and management, stock prices and labor problems of corporations are reported daily. In addition, business news can appear in every other section. Most national news has an important financial aspect to it. Welfare, foreign aid, the federal budget, and the policies of the Federal Reserve Bank are all heavily affected by business. Moreover, business news appears in some of the unlikeliest places. The world of arts and entertainment is often referred to as "the entertainment industry" or "show business".

The positive side of Henry Ford's statement can be seen in the prosperity that business has brought to U.S. life. One of the most important reasons so many people from all over the world come to live in the United States is the dream of a better job. Jobs are produced in abundance because the U.S. economic system is driven by competition. People believe that this system creates more wealth, more jobs, and a materially better way of life.

The negative side of Henry Ford's statement, however, can be seen when the word business is taken to mean big business. And the term big business—referring to the biggest companies—is seen in opposition to labor. Throughout U.S. history working people have had to fight hard for higher wages, better working conditions, and the fight to form. unions. Today, many of the old labor disputes are over, but there is still some employee anxiety. Downsizing—the driving away of thousands of workers to keep expenses low and profits high—creates

feelings of insecurity for many.

The United States is a country ______ .

A．which encourages free trade at home and abroad

B．where people's chief concern is how to make money

C．where all businesses are managed scientifically

D．which normally works according to the federal budget

ath and taxes.Many people feel that the United States has the worst taxes in the world.

Taxes are the money that people pay to support their government.There are generally three levels of government in the United States; federal (联邦的 ), state and city; therefore, there are three types of taxes.

Salaried people who earn more than four to five thousand dollars per year must pay a certain part of their salaries to the federal government.The percentage varies for different people.It depends on their salaries.The federal government has a two level income tax; that is, 15 or 28 percent.$17,850 is the cut-off.The tax rate is 15 percent below $17,850 and 28 percent above.

The second tax is for the state government: New York, California, or any of the other forty -eight states; Some states have an income tax similar to that of the federal government.Of course, the percentage for the state tax is lower.Other states have a sales tax, which is a percentage charged to any item which people buy in the state.Some states use income tax and sales tax to raise their revenues(税收 ).The third tax is for the city.This tax comes in two forms: property tax (residents who own a home have to pay taxes on it and excise

tax(货物税 ), which is collected on vehicles in a city.The cities use this money for education, police, public works, etc.

Since Americans pay such high taxes, they often feel that they are working one day each week just to pay their taxes.People always complain about taxes.They often say that the government misuses their tax dollars.They all believe that taxes are too high in this country.

(1).How many kinds of taxes should American pay？ ()

A.2

B.3

C.4

D.5.1

(2).How do some states raise their revenues？ ()

A.By using income tax

B.By using sales tax

C.By using federal taxes

D.Both A and B

(3).What’s the attitude of Americans to the high taxes？ ()

A.They like it

B.They agree with it

C.They complain about it

D.They don’t care

(4).How much money does an American earning $40,000 per year pay to the federal government as income tax？ ()

A.28% of this income

B.15% of this income

C.$17850.

D.$ 5000.

(5).What tax does an American have to pay to the city if he owns a car？ ()

A.Property tax

B.Excise tax

C.Income tax

D.Sales tax

Passage Five

Australia is nearly as large as the United States, but most of it is too dry for people to live in. Around

this dry part are large sheep and cow farms. A few of them are as large as the smallest states: of America.

Often the nearest neighbours are several hundred kilometers away.

The two-way radio is very important to people who live on these great Australian farms. It works much like a

telephone. A person can listen to someone else talk and then gives an answer. For example, people on

the large farms could talk to a doctor far away. They could tell the doctor about someone who was ill,

and the doctor could let them know how to look after the sick person.

As the large farms were so far from towns, the children could not go to school. Radio schools were

started for them in some places. At a certain time each day, boys and girls turn on their radios and

listen to teachers in cities far away.

Families on the large farms wanted to give news to their neighbours. The programme Round Robin

Talks by radio was started to keep families in touch with each other. They could talk about who was

going away and who was iii. The men could talk about their sheep and cows and how much money

the markets would pay for them. In many ways the radio became a newspaper for the farm people of Australia.

52. In the passage "the two-way radio" is______.

A. important to Americans

B. useful for children only

C. used as a telephone

D. only used by doctors

I have learnt many languages， but I’m not mastered them the way the professional interpreter or translator has。 Still， they have open doors for me。 They have allowed me the opportunity to seek jobs in international contexts and help me get those jobs。 Like many people who have lived overseas for a while， I simply got crazy about it。 I can’t image living my professional or social life without international interactions。 Since 1977， I have spent much more time abroad than in the United States。 I like going to new places， eating new foods and experiencing new cultures。 If you can speak the language， it’s easier to get to know the country and its people。 If I had the time and money。 I would live for a year in as many countries as possible。 Beyond my career， my facility with languages has given me a few rare opportunities。 Once， just after I returned my year in Vienna。 I was asked to translate for a German judge at Olympic level horse event and learned a lot about the sport。

In Japan， once when I was in the studio audience of a TV cooking show， I was asked to go up on the stage and taste the beef dish that was being prepared and tell what I thought。 They asked” Was it as good as American beef？” It was very exciting for me to be on Japanese TV， speaking in Japanese about how delicious the beef was。

Questions 19 to 22 are based on the passage you’ve just heard。

Question 19 What does the speaker say about herself？

Question 20 What does the speaker say about many people who have lived overseas for a while？

Question 21 How did the speaker experience of living in Vienna benefit her？

Question 22 What was the speaker asked to do in the Japanese studio？

s people today act younger than their parents did at the same age.

Scientists have defined a new age concept and believe it could explain why populations are aging, but at the same time seem to be getting younger.

Instead of measuring aging by how long people have lived, the scientists have factored in how many more years people can probably still look forward to.

"Using that measure, the average person can get younger in the sense that he or she can have even more years to live as time goes on," said Warren Sanderson of the University of New York in Stony Brook.

He and Sergei Scherbov of the Vienna lnstitute of Demography (人口统计学) at the Austrian (奥地利的) Academy of Sciences, have used their method to estimate how the proportion of elderly people in Germany, Japan and the United States will change in the future.

The average German was 39.9 years old in 2000 and could plan to live for another 39.2 years, according to research reported in the journal Nature on Wednesday.

However, by 2050 the average German will be 51.9 years old and will be expected to live another 37.1 years. So middle age in 2050 would occur at around 52 years instead of 40 years as in 2000.

"As people have more and more years to live they have to save more and plan more and they effectively are behaving as if they were younger," said Sanderson.

Five years ago, the average American was 35.3 years old and could plan for 43.5 more years of life. By 2050, the researchers estimate it will increase to 41.7 years and 45.8 future years.

"A lot of our ski/Is, our education, our savings and the way we dear with our health care depend a great deal on how many years we have to live," said Sanderson.

This dimension of how many years people have to live has been completely ignored in the discussion of aging so far.

第36题：People 40 years of age today seem to be as young as

A．their parents were at the same age.

B．their parents were at the age of 30.

C．their children will be at the same age.

D．their children will be at the age of 30.

t. Even when people in different countries eat the same food, they often prepare it very differently. If you were in Germany, you would find soup that is thick and heavy. If you were in China, you would find soup that is thin and clear. On holidays most of us eat special foods. Year after year, even if many other things change, the food is always the same. Sometimes housewives begin weeks in advance to prepare the special foods that are traditionally served on certain holidays.

People in different parts of the world also have different ideas about what is good to drink. Among the most popular hot drinks are coffee and tea. Coffee is very popular in northern Europe and in the Middle East. Some people put cream and sugar in their coffee. But in the United States, many people drink their coffee "black" that is without cream or sugar. Tea is the national drink in China, Japan, and other Oriental(东方的) countries. In the Orient, people drink tea without sugar. But in England where it is also a national drink, many people use both sugar and hot or cold milk in their tea.

People in different parts of the world______.

A．cook the same food in different ways

B．like the same kinds of food

C．have the same ideas about foods

D．know how to prepare the same food