As health care costs continue to rise, a growing number of companies are working out programs designed to keep their employees healthy.
Thomas Chapple is the senior vice president. “It’s really important to us because medical costs are going up like crazy, he says. This company spends more than 200 million a year on medical costs for its employees around the country. The best thing we have seen as a way to control the medical cost is individual fitness.”
We have a fitness center, “Shawn Flaherty, director of public relations for Freddie Mac.,” says, “We have a health benefits plan that encourages people to work out three times a week, get cholesterol (胆固醇) checks, as well as ‘not to smoke.’ If they do that, it will cost them less for the health benefits.”
Rachelle Clark works for Freddie Mac. “I feel great. You know the benefit is rewarding. I like to look good and feel healthy. I am just fortunate that I work for the company that provides some type of facility for the employees.”
While on-site fitness centers are popular, some companies pay membership fees at local gyms for employees. The companies also offer classes such as boxing, yoga and dancing. Employees see those health programs as a valuable benefit.
Tom Brook exercises five days a week. As a newspaper reporter he has a tight schedule, although Tom says it’s not that difficult for him to make time for a workout. “It is great. It is right here where we work,” says Tom, “So everybody gets a chance to use it whenever they want to. I have lost weight and never been in better shape.”
The programs may not be a magic cure for rising health costs, but they seem to have a positive impact on both employers and employees.
1.What’s the best way to cut the medical cost according to Shawn Flaherty?
A. To reduce the number of employees around the country.
B. To encourage the employees to work out to keep fit.
C. To set up fitness centers of their own.
D. To pay membership fees at local gyms for the employees.
2.Why does the writer cite (引用) what Rachelle Clark and Tom Brook say?
A. To explain how to use the fitness centers.
B. To show how effective physical exercise is.
C. To show the employees welcome the health programs.
D. To persuade more employers to set up health centers.
3.Which of the following best expresses the meaning of the underlined part?
A. The programs may not solve the health costs problem completely.
B. The programs may keep the health costs rising.
C. The programs may not cost a large amount of money.
D. The programs may cure all kinds of patients like magic.
4.What is the text mainly about?
A. How difficult it is to reduce health care costs
B. Why and how companies encourage their employees to keep fit.
C. . What causes the health care costs to rise year by year.
D. How people keep healthy by doing exercise in their working places.
Planning a visit to the UK? Here we help with ways to cut your costs.
AVOID BIG EVENTS Big sporting events, concerts and exhibitions can increase the cost of accommodation and make it harder to find a room. A standard double room at the Thistle Brighton on the final Friday of the Brighton Comedy Festival (19 Oct.) cost £169.15 at Booking.com. A week later, the same room cost £l18.15.
If you can be flexible and want to know dates to avoid-or you’re looking for a big event to pass your time—check out sites such as Whatsonwhen.com, which allow you to search for events in the UK by city, date and category.
STAY AWAY FROM THE STATION If traveling to your destination by train, you may want to find a good base close to the station, but you could end up paying more for the sake of convenience at the start of your holiday.
Don’t be too choosy about the part of town you stay in. Booking two months in advance, the cheapest room at Travelodge’s Central Euston hotel in London for Saturday 22 September was £95.95. A room just a tube journey away at its Covent Garden hotel was £75.75. And at Farringdon, a double room cost just £62.95.
GET ON A BIKE London’s ‘Boris bikes’ have attracted the most attention but other cities also have similar programmes that let you rent a bicycle and explore at your own pace, saving you on public transport or car parking costs.
Among the smaller cities with their own programmes are Newcastle (casual members pay around £1.50 for two hours) and Cardiff (free for up to 30 minutes, or £5 per day).
1.The Brighton Comedy Festival is mentioned mainly to show big events may .
A. help travelers pass time
B. attract lots of travelers to the UK
C. allow travelers to make flexible plans
D. cause travelers to pay more for accommodation
2.“Farringdon” in Paragraph 5 is most probably .
A. the tube line to Covent Garden
B. an ideal holiday destination
C. a hotel away from the train station
D. the name of a travel agency
3.The main purpose of the passage is .
A. to offer visitors some money-saving tips
B. to tell visitors how to book in advance
C. to supply visitors with hotel information
D. to show visitors the importance of self-help
阅读下面短文，根据所给情节进行续写， 使之构成一个完整的故事。
Last Saturday, David was taking a walk in the park near his home when he noticed a woman with a boy of about eight years old. When David passed them, he heard the woman yell, “How stupid you are! You’re good at nothing.”David stopped and looked at the little boy. The boy said nothing. He just stood there, looking upset.
David was reminded of his English teacher Mrs Brown in middle school. After he entered middle school, David lacked self-confidence because he was often made fun of by others. He was often told that he was good at nothing, which David believed. But one day it all changed.
One day, in an English writing class, Mrs Brown asked them to read a novel. They were asked to write a new chapter of the novel after they finished reading the book. A few days later, David handed in his story. He didn’t give it much thought. But the next day to his surprise, the comment “well done” from Mrs Brown came into view the moment he turned to the page where the story was written.
When David read that, he almost burst into tears. He never expected to be praised one day. He suddenly gained some self-confidence.
That day after he returned home, he wrote a short story and gave it to Mrs Brown the next morning. And again he was praised.
David became very interested in writing. He often wrote short stories and asked Mrs Brown to read them and correct them for him. Mrs Brown always correct them for him. Mrs Brown always corrected the mistakes he had made and gave him good advice to improve them. One year later, David joined the school newspaper and became an editor of it. He was no longer that boy who lacked self-confidence. He gained his confidence and was hopeful about his future.
He succeeded in entering college and kept writing. Several years after graduating from college, he had his first book published. With some more books coming out, he became famous as a writer in his country. And he owed his success to Mrs Brown’s encouragement. Without her encouragement, his life might be very different now.
注意：
1. 所续写短文的词数应为150左右；
2. 至少使用5个短文中标有下划线的关键词语
3. 续写部分分为两段，每段的开头语已为你写好；
4. 续写完成后，请用下划线标出你所使用的关键词语。
Paragraph 1:
Inspired by his own life story, David decided to do something for that boy.____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Paragraph 2:
The mother was ashamed when she heard that.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
假定你是李华，今年春节去美国旅游度假了一周。你的美国朋友Luke招待你。
请给他写一封信，表示感谢。
包括下列要点：1．感谢他的热情招待2．了解了美国文化3．邀请他来中国旅游 .
注意：1．词数80左右；
2．可适当增加细节，以使行为流畅；
3．开头语和结束语己为你写好．
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
阅读下面材料，在空白处填入适当的内容（1个单词）或括号内单词的正确形式(不超过三个词)。
Yesterday was a crazy day. I felt very tired1.I had a lot of work stuff going. Then I got 2. message from one of my teammates. It said, “ We want to let you know that there are people who see and 3.(true)appreciate all your hard work.” This meant more to 4.(I)than anything else . And it made me think that maybe I need to set time aside5.(tell)the people in my life how much I appreciate what they did. Say “Thank you” 6. the delivery guy, telling him that you appreciate how hard he 7.(work); tell your daughter that you are proud of her 8. (perform)at school; tell your mom that you notice how much she does for the family.
Sometimes when a long time goes by without9.(recognize)for the good we do, we start to get upset, but a simple statement of appreciation could make us become10.(energy)again for a good long time.
Reggie couldn’t hear a thing. He was a____boy, but he had been born deaf. He was well-known to everyone in town, and they were all____him. Unfortunately, though, he____seemed to end up being treated differently from everyone else. Children worried they would____him, and that maybe because he wouldn’t hear the ball being hit in his____. Adults acted like he was unable to____them, as though he was some kind of baby.
His friend Michael didn’t like this. He decided that things had to be____. Michael’s father was the town’s mayor(市长), and Michael____to convince him that this year, in honor of Reggie, they should offer one day of the____to deaf people. During that whole day everyone would have to wear earplugs(耳塞).
People liked the____. The day became known as The Day of Silence, and when it arrived, everyone stuck plugs in their____, in a spirit of great fun. That morning was filled with____and laughter. But, as the hours passed, people became more and more aware of how____life was when they couldn’t hear anything.
On that day nobody was thinking of Reggie as just a____person. This meant he could be____just like any other boy, and people saw a whole new side of____. Not only that, but Reggie had a bright and sharp mind. On that day, using his usual____, Reggie was the one who could communicate best with everyone. This meant that people paid more attention to what he was saying, and they were____by his intelligence and his ability to find solutions to almost any problem. They____that he had always been like that, and that in normal life all Reggie needed was a little more time than others to____. That was the only difference.
1.A. healthy B. poor C. normal D. brave
2.A. close to B. fond of C. strict with D. thankful for
3.A. seldom B. never C. sometimes D. always
4.A. hurt B. cheat C. punish D. shock
5.A. home B. direction C. classroom D. car
6.A. understand B. encourage、 C. protect D. support
7.A. worked B. changed C. acted D. prepared
8.A. managed B. prepared C. helped D. learned
9.A. journey B. term C. week D. festival
10.A. excuse B. course C. idea D. game
11.A. clothes B. hands C. rooms D. ears
12.A. victories B. meals C. jokes D. lessons
13.A. difficult B. dangerous C. short D. useless
14.A. stupid B. deaf C. rude D. negative
15.A. treated B. taught C. comforted D. fed
16.A. themselves B. him C. itself D. them
17.A. words B. telephones C. tools D. gestures
18.A. frightened B. embarrassed C. surprised D. amused
19.A. proved B. reported C. remembered D. realized
20.A. watch B. eat C. communicate D. walk
