In cities with rent control, the city government sets the maximum rent that a landlord can charge for an apartment. Supporters of rent control argue that it protects people who are living in apartments. Their rent cannot increase; therefore, they are not in danger of losing their homes. However, the critics say that after a long time, rent control may have negative effects. Landlords know that they cannot increase their profits. Therefore, they invest in other businesses where they can increase their profits. They do not invest in new buildings which would also be rent-controlled. As a result, new apartments are not built. Many people who need apartments cannot find any. According to the critics, the end result of rent control is a shortage of apartments in the city.
Some theorists argue that the minimum wage law can cause problems in the same way. The federal government sets the minimum that an employer must pay workers. The minimum helps people who generally look for unskilled, low-paying jobs. However, if the minimum is high, employers may hire fewer workers. They will replace workers with machinery. The price, which is the wage that employers must pay, increases. Therefore, other things being equal, the number of workers that employers want decreases. Thus, critics claim, an increase in the minimum wage may cause unemployment. Some poor people may find themselves without jobs instead of with jobs at the minimum wage.
Supporters of the minimum wage say that it helps people keep their dignity. Because of the law, workers cannot sell their services for less than the minimum. Furthermore, employers cannot force workers to accept jobs at unfair wages.
Economic theory predicts the results of economic decisions such as decisions about farm production, rent control, and the minimum wage. The predictions may be correct only if “other things are equal”. Economists do not agree on some of the predictions. They also do not agree on the value of different decisions. Some economists support a particular decision while others criticize it. Economists do agree, however, that there are no simple answers to economic questions.
1.There is the possibility that setting maximum rent may .
a. cause a shortage of apartments
b. worry those who rent apartments as homes
c. increase the profits of landlords
d. encourage landlords to invest in building apartment
2.According to the critics, rent control .
a. will always benefit those who rent apartments
b. is unnecessary
c. will bring negative effects in the long run
d. is necessary under all circumstances
3.The problem of unemployment will arise .
a. if the minimum wage is set too high
b. if the minimum wage is set too low
c. if the workers are unskilled
d. if the maximum wage is set
4.Which of the following statements is NOT true?
a. The results of economic decisions can not always be predicted.
b. Minimum wage can not always protect employees.
c. Economic theory can predict the results of economic decisions if other factors are not changing.
d. Economic decisions should not be based on economic theory.
As we have seen, the focus of medical care in our society has been shifting from curing disease to preventing disease – especially in terms of changing our many unhealthy behaviors, such as poor eating habits, smoking, and failure to exercise. The line of thought involved in this shift can be pursued further. Imagine a person who is about the right weight, but does not eat very nutritious foods, who feels OK but exercises only occasionally, who goes to work every day, but is not an outstanding worker, who drinks a few beers at home most nights but does not drive while drunk, and who has no chest pains or abnormal blood counts, but sleeps a lot and often feels tired. This person is not ill. He may not even be at risk for any particular disease. But we can imagine that this person could be a lot healthier.
The field of medicine has not traditionally distinguished between someone who is merely “ not ill” and someone who is in excellent health and pays attention to the body’s special needs. Both types have simply been called “well”. In recent years, however, some health specialists have begun to apply the terms “well” and “wellness” only to those who are actively striving to maintain and improve their health. People who are well are concerned with nutrition and exercise and they make a point of monitoring their body's condition. Most important, perhaps, people who are well take active responsibility for all matters related to their health. Even people who have a physical disease or handicap may be "well," in this new sense, if they make an effort to maintain the best possible health they can in the face of their physical limitations. "Wellness" may perhaps best be viewed not as a state that people can achieve, but as an ideal that people can strive for. People who are well are likely to be better able to resist disease and to fight disease when it strikes. And by focusing attention on healthy ways of living, the concept of wellness can have a beneficial impact on the ways in which people face the challenges of daily life.
1.Today medical care is placing more stress on______.
a. keeping people in a healthy physical condition
b. monitoring patients' body functions
c. removing people's bad living habits
d. ensuring people's psychological well-being
2.In the first paragraph, people are reminded that_____.
a. good health is more than not being ill
b. drinking, even if not to excess, could be harmful
c. regular health checks are essential to keeping fit
d. prevention is more difficult than cure
3. Traditionally, a person is considered "well" if he ______.
a. does not have any unhealthy living habits
b. does not have any physical handicaps
c. is able to handle his daily routines
d. is free from any kind of disease
4.According to what the author advocates, which of the following groups of people would be considered healthy?
a. People who have strong muscles as well as slim figures.
b. People who are not presently experiencing any symptoms of disease
c. People who try to be as possible, regardless of their limitations.
d. People who can recover from illness even without seeking medical care.
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CONTEST RULES ·Entries may be submitted(上交) no earlier than January 1, 2008, and will not be accepted until three winners are identified or December 31, 2008 whichever comes first. ·There is no cost to enter. ·Entrants must be at least 18 years of age. ·Any form and style is acceptable for this competition: fiction, observational essay, humor, etc. poetry is not acceptable. ·Total length of writing must be 500-1500 words, including any necessary notes or citations. ·Writing must be original, never before published, and entirely the work and property of the person who submits it. Ghostwritten is not acceptable. PRIZES Winners will receive ·$50 cash ·Professional editing of their winning entries. ·Publication of their entries in Word-wise. ·Recognition via press releases announcing the winning entries and introducing the authors. HOW TO ENTER ·Save your completed writing as a Word, WordPerfect, Open Document, or plain text file. ·Title the file with your first and last name. For example, Elton Smith would title his Word document thus: elton-smith.doc. ·Email the file as an attachment to contest2008@adminmaven.com. Use the subject line “Work-wise Writing Contest” to avoid being removed to the span bin. ·Entries submitted before the opening date of January1, 2008, will be deleted. Once the contest closes, further entries will be deleted.
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1.Ghostwritten work in “CONTEST RULES” might be ________.
a. written by someone other than the author
b. science fiction difficult to understand
c. a long essay in a very strange writing style
d. full of citations from other writers
2.To enter the writing contest, one ________.
a. has to pay a fee
b. must submit work by January 1, 2008
c. needs an eye-catching title for his word document
d. can submit any form or style of writing but a poem
3.Which of the following is NOT TRUE?
a. The final results will come out on December 31, 2008.
b. All entries must be emailed to contest2008@adminmaven.com.
c. One can not add a note to a 1,500-word essay for the contest.
d. the winning entries will be edited and published.
For more than ten years John Grimshaw has been pioneering a gentle revolution. He aims to get us going by bike on Britain’s network of disused railways. He works as an engineer for Sustrans, a Bristol-based charity.
He believes that there is no benefit or logic behind the building of bigger and faster roads that only encourage people to use cars more extravagantly(过分地). Britain’s roads being built ignore all but the motorists while miles of railway tracks no longer used by trains lie wasted.
His organization started work in 1994 with a modest five mile track from Bristol to Bath, and cyclists and walkers now make a million journeys a year on the path. Sustrans has since completed a further 150 miles throughout Britain with the help of volunteer workers.
Building such paths is not easy or cheap. Sustrans buys or leases(租借) land from British Rail and the paths can cost from 6,000 pounds up to 8, 0000 pounds per kilometer to build. Money comes from central and local government, charity bodies and gifts from individuals.
To encourage more walkers and cyclists along its paths, Sustrans plans to construct a work of art on every mile of path it builds. Most of their tracks quickly transport people from the city to the countryside. The latest route runs from the heart of Glasgow to Loch Lomond. Relics (遗迹)of the great railway age litter the routes—station houses, signals boxes and even steam trains.
Some might consider John Grimshaw a traveler from the past, out of touch with the modern world, but for many he is preparing the way for an alternative for a car-mad world.
1.The aim of Sustrans is to _________.
a. encourage people to use cars more efficiently
b. use old railway lines for leisure purposes
c. provide a cycling network across Britain
d. build better and faster roads
2.How does Sustrans finance its work?
a. with a mixture of money from the government and donations
b. with money from British Rail
c. by leasing its land
d. by using volunteer workers
3.Which of the following is TRUE?
a. Sustrans will not build any more tracks after Glasgow to Loch Lomond
b. Sustrans will have to clear the track of relics
c. Sustrans makes the countryside more accessible to the public
d. Sustrans believes more drivers will use their tracks.
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.
People born in the autumn live longer than those born in the spring and are less likely to fall chronically(经常) ill when they are older, according to an Austrian scientist. Using census(人口统计) data for more than one million people in Austria, Denmark and Australia, ____52____ at the Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research in the northern German town of Rostock found the month of birth was ___53____ to life expectancy over the age of 50. ____54____ differences in what mothers ate during pregnancy, and ___55____ occurring at different times of the year could both have an ___56____ on the health of a new-born baby and could ___57____ its life expectancy in older age. "A mother giving birth in spring spends the __58____ phase (阶段)of her pregnancy in winter, when she will eat less vitamins than in summer," said Gabriele Doblhammer, one of a team of scientists who ___59____ the research. "When she stops breast-feeding and starts giving her baby ___60___ food, it’s in the hot weeks of summer when babies are likely to be exposed to infections of the digestive system." In Austria, adults born in autumn (October-December) lived about seven months __61___ than those born in spring (April-June), and in Denmark adults with birthdays in autumn outlived those born in spring by about four months. In the southern hemisphere, the picture was __62____. Adults born in the Australian autumn - the European ___63___ - lived about four months longer than those born in the Australian spring. The study ___64___ people born at the beginning of the 20th century, using death certificates and census data. Although ___65___ at all times of the year has improved since then, the seasonal pattern ___66___, Doblhammer said.
52. a. scientists b. doctors c. readers d. who
53. a. familiar b. used c. related d. devoted
54. a. Seasonal b. Physical c. Mental d. Occasional
55. a. accidents b. infections c. ideas d. nutrition
56. a. efficiency b. result c. cause d. impact
57. a. shorten b. lengthen c. harm d. influence
58. a. first b. last c. middle d. initial
59. a. broke through b. led to c. carried out d. insisted on
60. a. normal b. fast c. general d. sea
61. a. shorter b. longer c. younger d. healthier
62. a. similar b. different c. contrary d. opposite
63. a. spring b. summer c. autumn d. winter
64. a. depended on b. investigated into c. called for d. focused on
65. a. food b. situation c. living conditions d. nutrition
66. a. changes b. improves c. persists d. declines
Directions: Complete the following passage by using the words in the box. Each word can only be used once. Note that there is one word more than you need.
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a. selection b. professional c. Eventually d. added e. generation ae. financial ad. Especially ac. experiencing ab. choosing bc. switch |
One-quarter of today’s student population are suffering from symptoms of depression. Of that group, almost half will experience depression intense enough to call for __43___ help. But many reject that idea, because they don’t want people to think there is something wrong with them.
There are three reasons why today’s college students are suffering more than in earlier ____44___. First is a weaker family support structure. Today, with high divorce rates and many parents __45___ their own psychological difficulties, the traditional family is not always available for help.
Another problem is __46_____ pressure. In the past ten years education costs have risen about 66 percent at public colleges and 90 percent at private schools. __47_____, most students must work part-time.
A final cause of students’ depression is the large __48_____ of majors available. Because of the difficulty of ___49___ a major, college can prove a time of great indecision. Many students ___50____ majors. As a result, it is becoming common for them to take five or six years to get a degree. It can be disappointing to students to be faced with the __51____ costs.
