If you boss asks you to work in Moscow this year, he’d better offer you more money to do so — or even double that depending on where you live now. That’s because Moscow has just been found to be the world’s most expensive city for the second year in a row by Mercer Human Resources Consulting.
Using the cost of living in New York as a base, Mercer determined Moscow is 34.4 percent more expensive including the cost of housing, transportation, food, clothing, household goods and entertainment(娱乐).
A two-bedroom flat in Moscow now costs $4,000 a month; a CD $24.83, and an international newspaper $6.30, according to Mercer. By comparison, a fast food meal with a hamburger(汉堡包) is a steal at $4.80.
London takes the No.2 place, up from No.5 a year ago, thanks to higher cost of housing and a stronger British pound relative to the dollar. Mercer estimates(估算) London is 26 percent more expensive than New York these days. Following London closely are Seoul and Tokyo, both of which are 22 percent more expensive than New York, while No.5 Hong Kong is 19 percent more costly.
Among North American cities, New York and Los Angeles are the most expensive and are the only two listed in the top 50 of the world’s most expensive cities. But both have fallen since last year’s study — New York came in 15th, down from 10th place, while Los Angeles fell to 42nd from 29th place a year ago. San Francisco came in a distant third at No. 54, down 20 places from a year earlier.
Toronto, meanwhile, is Canada’s most expensive city but fell 35 places to take 82nd place worldwide. In Australia, Sydney is the priciest place to live in and No. 21 worldwide.
1.What do the underlined words “a steal” in Paragraph 3 mean?
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A．an act of stealing |
B．something delicious |
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C．something very cheap |
D．an act of buying |
2.London has become the second most expensive city because of ______.
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A．the high cost of clothing |
B．the stronger pound against the dollar |
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C．its expensive transportation |
D．the high prices of fast food meals |
3.Which city is the third most expensive on the list?
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A．Tokyo. |
B．Hong Kong. |
C．Moscow. |
D．Sydney. |
4.Which city has dropped most on the list in North America?
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A．New York. |
B．Los Angeles. |
C．San Francisco. |
D．Toronto. |
Far from the land of Antarctica(南极洲), a huge shelf of ice meets the ocean. At the underside of the shelf there lives a small fish, the Antarctic cod.
For forty years scientists have been curious about that fish. How does it live where most fish would freeze to death? It must have some secret. The Antarctic is not a comfortable place to work and research has been slow. Now it seems we have an answer.
Research was begun by cutting holes in the ice and catching the fish. Scientists studied the fish’s blood and measured its freezing point.
The fish were taken from seawater that had a temperature of -1.88℃ and many tiny pieces of ice floating in it. The blood of the fish did not begin to freeze until its temperature was lowered to -2.05℃. That small difference is enough for the fish to live at the freezing temperature of the ice-salt mixture.
The scientists’ next research job was clear: Find out what in the fish’s blood kept it from freezing. Their search led to some really strange thing made up of a protein(蛋白质) never before seen in the blood of a fish. When it was removed, the blood froze at seawater temperature. When it was put back, the blood again had its antifreeze quality and a lowered freezing point.
Study showed that it is an unusual kind of protein. It has many small sugar molecules(分子) held in special positions within each big protein molecule. Because of its sugar content. It is called a glycoprotein. So it has come to be called the antifreeze fish glycoprotein. Or AFGP.
1.What is the text mainly about?
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A．The terrible conditions in the Antarctic. |
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B．A special fish living in freezing waters. |
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C．The ice shelf around Antarctica. |
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D．Protection of the Antarctic cod. |
2.Why can the Antarctic cod live at the freezing temperature?
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A．The seawater has a temperature of -1.88℃. |
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B．It loves to live in the ice-salt mixture. |
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C．A special protein keeps it from freezing. |
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D．Its blood has a temperature lower than -2.05℃. |
3.What does the underlined word “it” in Paragraph 5 refer to?
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A．A type of ice-salt mixture. |
B．A newly found protein. |
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C．Fish blood. |
D．Sugar molecule. |
4.What does “glycol-” in the underlined word “glycoprotein” in the last paragraph mean?
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A．sugar |
B．ice |
C．blood |
D．molecule |
Tom was one of the brightest boys in the year, with supportive parents. But when he was 15 he suddenly stopped trying. He left school at 16 with only two scores for secondary school subjects. One of the reasons that made it cool for him not to care was the power of his peer(同龄人) group.
The lack of right male(男性的) role models in many of their lives — at home and particularly in the school environment(环境) — means that their peers are the only people they have to judge themselves against.
They don’t see men succeeding in society so it doesn’t occur to them that they could make something of themselves. Without male teachers as a role model, the effect of peer actions and street culture(文化) is all-powerful. Boys want to be part of a club. However, schools can provide the environment for change, and provide the right role models for them. Teachers need to be trained to stop that but not in front of a child’s peers. You have to do it one to one, because that is when you see the real child.
It’s pointless sending a child home if he or she has done wrong. They see it as a welcome day off to watch television or play computer games. Instead, schools should have a special unit where a child who has done wrong goes for the day and gets advice about his problems — somewhere he can work away from his peers and go home after the other children.
1.Why did Tom give up studying?
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A．He disliked his teachers. |
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B．His parents no longer supported him. |
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C．It’s cool for boys of his age not to care about studies. |
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D．There were too many subjects in his secondary school. |
2.What seems to have a bad effect on students like Tom?
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A．Peer groups. |
B．A special unit. |
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C．The student judges. |
D．The home environment. |
3.What should schools do to help the problem schoolboys?
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A．Wait for their change patiently. |
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B．Train leaders of their peer groups. |
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C．Stop the development of street culture. |
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D．Give them lessons in a separate area. |
4.A teacher’s work is most effective with a schoolboy when he ______.
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A．is with the boy alone |
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B．teaches the boy a lesson |
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C．sends the boy home as punishment |
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D．works together with another teacher |
Heroes of Our Time
A good heart
Dikembe Mutombo grew up in Africa among great poverty and disease. He came to Georgetown University on a scholarship(奖学金) to study medicine — but Coach(教练) John Thompson got a look at Dikembe and had a different idea. Dikembe became a star in the NBA, and a citizen of the United States. But he never forgot the land of his birth, or the duty to share his fortune with others. He built a new hospital in his old hometown in the Congo. Af friend has said of this good-hearted man: “Mutombo believes that God has given him this chance to do great things.”
Success and kindness
After her daughter was born, Julie Aigner-Clark searched for ways to share her love of music and art with her child. So she borrowed some equipment, and began filming children’s videos(录像) in her own house. The Baby Einstein Company was born, and in just five years her business grew to more than $20 million in sales. And she is using her success to help others — producing child safety videos with John Walsh of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Julie says of her new program: “I believe it’s the most important thing that I have ever done. I believe that children have the right to live in a world that is safe.”
Bravery and courage
A few weeks ago, Wesley Autrey was waiting at a Harlem subway station with his two little girls when he saw a man fall into the path of a train. With seconds to act, Wesley jumped onto the tracks, pulled the man into the space between the rails(铁轨), and held him as the train passed right above their heads. He insists he’s not a hero. He says: “We have got to show each other some love.”
1.What was Mutombo praised for?
A. Being a star in the NBA. B. Being a student of medicine.
C. His work in the church. D. His willingness to help the needy.
2.Mutombo believes that building the new hospital is ______.
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A．helpful to his personal development |
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B．something he should do for his homeland |
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C．a chance for his friends to share his money |
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D．a way of showing his respect to the NBA |
3.What did the Baby Einstein Company do at its beginning?
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A．Produce safety equipment for children. |
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B．Make videos to help protect children. |
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C．Sell children’s music and artwork. |
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D．Look for missing and exploited children. |
4.Why was Wesley Autrey praised as a hero?
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A．He helped a man get across the rails. |
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B．He stopped a man from destroying the rails. |
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C．He protected two little girls from getting hurt. |
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D．He saved a person without considering his own safety. |
I travel a lot, and I find out different “styles”(风格) of directions every time I ask “How can I get to the post office?”
Foreign tourists are often confused(困惑) in Japan because most streets there don’t have names; in Japan, people use landmarks(地标) in their directions instead of street names. For example, the Japanese will say to travelers, “Go straight down to the corner. Turn left at the big hotel and go past a fruit market. The post office is across from the bus stop.”
In the countryside of the American Midwest, there are not usually many landmarks. There are no mountains, so the land is very flat; in many places there are no towns or buildings within miles. Instead of landmarks, people will tell you directions and distances. In Kansas or Iowa, for example, people will say, “Go north two miles. Turn east, and then go another mile.”
People in Los Angeles, California, have no idea of distance on the map; they measure distance in time, not miles. “How far away is the post office?” you ask. “Oh,” they answer, “it’s about five minutes from here.” You say, “Yes, but how many miles away is it?” They don’t know.
It’s true that a person doesn’t know the answer to your question sometimes. What happens in such a situation? A new Yorker might say, “Sorry, I have no idea.” But in Yucatan, Mexico, no one answers “I don’t know.” People in Yucatan believe that “I don’t know” is impolite. They usually give an answer, often a wrong one. A tourist can get very, very lost in Yucatan!
1.When a tourist asks the Japanese the way to a certain place, they usually ______.
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A．describe the place carefully |
B．show him a map of the place |
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C．tell him the names of the streets |
D．refer to recognizable buildings and places |
2.What is the place where people measure distance in time?
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A．New York. |
B．Los Angeles. |
C．Kansas. |
D．Iowa. |
3.People in Yucatan may give a tourist a wrong answer ______.
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A．in order to save time |
B．Los Angeles. |
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C．so as to be polite |
D．for fun |
4.What can we infer from the text?
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A．It’s important for travelers to understand cultural differences. |
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B．It’s useful for travelers to know how to ask the way properly. |
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C．People have similar understandings of politeness. |
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D．New Yorkers are generally friendly to visitors. |
Everything was perfect for the picnic ______ the weather.
A. in place of B. as well as C. except for D. in case of
