Mail carriers will be delivering some good news and some bad news this week.
The bad news: Stamp prices are expected to rise 2 cents in May to 41 cents, the Postal Regulatory Commission announced yesterday. The good news: With the introduction of a “forever stamp,” it may be the last time Americans have to use annoying 2-or-3-cent stamps to make up postage differences.
Beginning in May, people would be able to purchase the stamps in booklets of 20 at the regular rate of a first-class stamp. As the name implies, “forever stamps” will keep their first-class mailing value forever, even when the postage rate goes up.
The new “forever stamp” is the United States Postal Service’s (USPS) answer to the complaints about frequent rate increases. The May increases will be the fifth in a decade. Postal rates have risen because of inflation (通货膨胀), competition from online bill paying, and the rising costs of employee benefits, including healthcare, says Mark Saunders, a spokesman for USPS.
The USPS expects some financial gain from sales of the “forever stamp” and the savings from not printing as many 2-or-3-cent stamps. “It’s not your grandfather’s stamp,” says Mr. Saunders. “It could be your great-grandchildren’s stamp.”
Other countries, including Canada, England, and Finland use similar stamps.
Don Schilling, who has collected stamps for 50 years, says he’s interested in the public’s reaction. “This is an entirely new class of stamps.” Mr. Schilling says. He adds that he’ll buy the stamps because he will be able to use them for a long period of time, not because they could make him rich — the volume printed will be too large for collectors. “We won’t be able to send our kids to college on these,” he says, laughing.
The USPS board of governors has yet to accept the Postal Regulatory Commission’s decision, but tends to follow its recommendations. No plans have been announced yet for the design of the stamps.
1.The main purpose of introducing a “forever stamp” is ______.
A. to reduce the cost of printing 2-or-3-cent stamps
B. to help save the consumers’ cost on first-class mailing
C. to respond to the complaints about rising postal rates
D. to compete with online bill paying
2.By saying “It could be your great-grandchildren’s stamp”, Mr. Saunders means that forever stamps ________.
A. could be collected by one’s great-grandchildren
B. might be very precious in great-grandchildren’s hands
C. might have been inherited from one’s great-grandfathers
D. could be used by one’s great-grandchildren even decades later
3.Which of the following is true according to the passage?
A. The investment in forever stamps will bring adequate reward.
B. America will be the first country to issue forever stamps.
C. The design of the “forever stamp” remains to be revealed.
D. 2-or-3-cent stamps will no longer be printed in the future.
4.What can be concluded from the passage?
A. With forever stamps, there will be no need to worry about rate changes.
B. Postal workers will benefit most from the sales of forever stamps.
C. The inflation has become a threat to the sales of first-class stamps.
D. New interest will be aroused in collecting forever stamps.
(You may read the questions first,)
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BBC1 PLANET EARTH 9AM
BBC2 FAMILY GUY 11.45PM Road to Europe. Without proper
identification, Brain and Stewie stow away on a plane they think is leaving
for England. They’re wrong, and soon they’re in Saudi Arabia (Brain: “ |
ITV1 AGATHA CHRISTIE’S POIROT
Cards on the Table. Tonight’s mystery concerns the death of one of the richest and most mysterious men, Mr Shaitana(Alexander Siddig ) who has a fascination with crime. Shaitana hosts dinner and a game of bridge in his apartment, but when the time comes the first guests to take their leave, they discover that their host has been stabbed through his heart.
Channel 4 THE GAMES: LIVE 9 PM
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1.The Fresh Water series at 9 PM ________.
A. explores the lakes, rivers and the creatures in them
B. is devoted to the freshwater creatures in the world
C. explains the relationship among inhabitants on the earth
D. focuses on the deepest river on the planet
2.The phrase “stow away” most probably means “_________”.
A. hide secretly B. talk excitedly C. operate easily D. guide successfully
3.A mystery story adapted from Agatha Christie’s novel will be shown on ______.
A. BBC1 B. BBC2 C. ITV1 D. Channel 4
What do you want to be when you grow up? A teacher? A doctor? How about an ice-cream taster?
Yes, there really is a job where you can get paid to taste ice-cream. Just ask John Harrison, an “Official Taste Tester” for the past 21 years. Testing helps manufacturers to be sure of a product’s quality. During his career Harrison has been responsible for approving large quantities of the sweet ice cream — as well as for developing over 75 flavors (味道).
Some people think that it would be easy to do this job, after all, you just have to like ice cream, right? No — there’s more to the job than that, says Harrison, who has a degree in chemistry. He points out that a dairy or food-science degree would be very useful to someone wanting a career in this “cool” field.
In a typical morning on the job, Harrison tastes and assesses 60 ice-cream samples. He lets the ice cream warm up to about 12℉. Harrison explains, “You get more flavor from warmer ice cream, which is why some kids like to stir it, creating ice-cream soup.”
While the ice cream warms up, Harrison looks over the samples and grades each one on its appearance. “Tasting begins with the eyes,” he explains. He checks to see if the ice cream is attractive and asks himself, “Does the product have the color expected from that flavor?” Next it’s time to taste!
Continuing to think up new ideas, try out new flavors, and test samples from so many kinds of ice cream each day keeps Harrison busy but happy — working at one cool job.
1.What is John Harrison’s job?
A. An official. B. An ice-cream taster.
C. A chemist. D. An ice-cream manufacturer.
2.According to John Harrison, to be qualified in the “cool field”, it is helpful to ______.
A. keep a diary of work B. have a degree in related subjects
C. have new ideas every day D. find out new flavors each day
3.What does Harrison do first when testing ice cream?
A. He stirs the ice cream. B. He examines the color of the ice cream.
C. He tastes the flavor of the ice cream. D. He lets the ice cream warm up.
4.Which of the following is probably the best title of the passage?
A. Tasting with Eyes B. Flavors of Ice Cream
C. John Harrison’s Life D. One Cool Job
Directions: For each blank in the following passages there are four words or phrases marked A, B, C and D. Fill in each blank with the word or phrase that best fits the context.
(A)
Being alone in outer space can be frightening. That is one reason why astronauts on solo (单独的) space flights were given plenty of work to keep them 1. They were also constant communication with people on the earth. 2, being with people from whom you cannot get away might be even harder than being alone. This is what happens on long submarine (潜水艇) voyages. It will also happen on 3space flights in the future. Will there be special problem of adjustment under such conditions?
Scientists have studied the reactions of men to one another during long submarine voyages. They have found that the longer the voyage lasts, the more serious the problem of 4is. When men are 5together for a long period, they begin to feel uneasy. Everyone has little habits of speaking and behaving that are ordinarily acceptable. In the limited space over a long period of time, however, these little habits may become very 6.
Apparently, although no one wants to be 7all the time, everyone needs some degree of privacy. When people are enclosed together, they are in what is called a stress situation. That means that they are under an unusual amount of 8or stress.
People who are well-adjusted are able to 9stress situations better than others. That is one reason why so much care is taken in 10our astronauts. These men undergo a long period of testing and training. One of the things tested is their behavior under stress.
11A. tired B. asleep C. conscious D. busy
12A. So far B. After all C. However D. Therefore
13A. long B. fast C. dangerous D. direct
14A. fuel B. entertainment C. adjustment D. health
15A. shut up B. held up C. brought up D. picked up
16A. pleasing B. annoying C. common D. valuable
17A. noisy B. alone C. personal D. sociable
18A. emphasis B. conflict C. power D. pressure
19A. handle B. create C. affect D. investigate
20A. becoming B. choosing C. ordering D. promoting
(B)
One topic is rarely mentioned in all the talk of improving standards in our schools: the almost complete failure of foreign-language teaching. As a French graduate who has taught for more than twenty-five years, I believe I have some idea of why the failure is so total. 1.the faults already found out in the education system as a whole — such as child-centred learning, the “discovery” method, and the low expectations by teachers of pupils — there have been several serious 2.which have a direct effect on language teaching.
The first is the removal from the curriculum (课程) of the thorough teaching of English 3.. Pupils now do not know a verb from a noun, the subject of a sentence from its object, or the difference between the past, present, or future.
Another important error is mixed-ability teaching, or teaching in ability groups so 4.that the most able groups are 5.and are bored while the least able are lost and 6.bored. Strangely enough, few head teachers seem to be in favour of mixed-ability school football teams.
Progress depends on memory, and pupils start to forget immediately they stop having 7.lessons. This is why many people who attended French lessons at school, even those who got good grades, have forgotten it a few years later. 8.they never need it, they do not practice it.
Most American schools have accepted what is inevitable and 9.modern languages, even Spanish, from the curriculum. Perhaps it is time for Britain to do the same, and stop 10.resources on a subject which few pupils want or need.
11.A. Due to B. In addition to C. Instead of D. In spite of
12.A. errors B. situations C. systems D. methods
13.A. vocabulary B. culture C. grammar D. literature
14.A. wide B. similar C. separate D. unique
15.A. kept out B. turned down C. held back D. left behind
16.A. surprisingly B. individually C. equally D. hardly
17.A. extra B. traditional C. basic D. regular
18.A. Although B. Because C. Until D. Unless
19.A. restored B. absorbed C. prohibited D. withdrawn
20.A. wasting B. focusing C. exploiting D. sharing
John was dismissed last week because of his ______ attitude towards his job.
A. informal B. casual C. determined D. earnest
My morning ______ includes jogging in the park and reading newspapers over breakfast.
A. drill B. action C. regulation D. routine
Fresh
Water provides an expensive subject for the third programme in the BBC’s fascinating
new natural-history series. Broadly, we investigate the world’s lakes and
rivers and the creatures which inhabit them. Thus we visit the deepest lake
on the planet, Lake Baikal in Siberia. We observe large colonies of Indian
smooth-coated otters (above) looking around. A magical series which give us a
real sense of context in relation to the planet we inhabit.
Oh my God, we are finished. We are lost in the desert.”) at a
beginning of a long trip home.
9 PM
For
the first time on Games, the men fight in a Kendo Tournament, using 1.2m shinai (Bamboo swords). The woman compete in the cycling, racing wheel-to wheel on competition bikes with no brakes. Plus other news the English Institute of
sports in Sheffield.