Is it time to kick Russia out of the BRICs （金砖四国）? If so, it may end up sounding like a famous ball-point pen maker-BIC. An argument is being made that Goldman Sach’s famous marketing device（策略）,the BRICs, should really be the BICs.
“Is Russia really worth the name BRICs?” asks Anders Aslund, senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics, in an article for Foreigh Policy. Aslund, who is also co-author with Andrew Kuchins of “The Russian Balance Sheet”, thinks the Russia of Putin and Medvedev is just not worthy of inclusion alongside Brazil, India and China in the list of future economic powerhouses. He writes:
“The country’s economic performance has fallen to such a weak level that one must ask whether it has any say at all on the global economy, compared with the other members of its group. I have just returned from Moscow, which is always dull around this season. For the last seven years, Russia has taken very few measures to improve its economy. Instead, the state has been living on oil and gas. ”
Economically, Aslund has the numbers on his side. The International Monetary Fund figures that the Russian economy will fall by 6.7 percent in 2009, while China will grow 8.5 percent and India 5.4 percent. There is less of a case for Brazil, with a fall of 0.7 percent, but it is still doing
far better than Russia.
But the BRICs are not just about economy. As is mentioned above, it is a marketing device to encourage investors to focus on the big promising players. From an investment standpoint, it could be argued that Russia is leading the BRICs. Its stock（股票）market is up 128 percent this year while around 80 percent is for the other three.
At very least, however, Russia’s economic underperformance and stock market outperfoumance does suggest it is indeed one of the group.
1.According to the passage, which country will enjoy the biggest increase in 2009?
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A．China. |
B．Russia. |
C．Brazil. |
D．India. |
2.According to Aslund, Russia shouldn’t be a BRIC partly because_______.
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A．Russia’s economic performance is far worse than the other three |
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B．Russia’s leaders are not good at managing economy |
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C．Russia has taken effective measures to improve its economy |
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D．Russia will no longer attract investors from other countries |
3.From the passage we know that ________.
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A．Anders Aslund is working for the Russian government |
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B．Russia outperfoumed the other three countries in stock market |
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C．most people disagree Russia is included in BRICs |
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D．the BRICs would end up being the BICs sooner or later |
4.The author seems to ________.
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A．suggest it’s time to kick Russia out of the BRICs? |
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B．feel worried about the economy of the BRICs |
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C．think Russia is worth being one of the group |
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D．show disappointment to Russia’s economy |
Providing small classes for at least several grades starting in early primary school gives students the best chance to succeed in late grades, according to groundbreaking new research from a Michigan State University scholar.
The research by Spyros Konstantopoulos, a professor of education, is the first to examine the effects of class size over a period and for all levels of students. The study appears in the American Journal of Education.
He is also a member of a group for the Department of Education’s Instiute of Education Sciences that will give official advice on class size to the states. He said the advice will mirror his research: the best plan is to provide continuous small classes(13 to 17 students) for at least several years starting in kindergarten or first grade.
“For a logn time states thought they could just do it in kindergarten or first grade for one year and get the benefits,” He said. “I don’t believe that. I think you need at least a few years in a row where all students, and especially low-achievers, receive the treatment, and then you see the benefits later.”
His research used data from the Project Star study in Tennessee that analyzed the effects of class size on more than 11,000 students in primary and middle school. He found that students who had been in small classes from kindergarten through third grade had actually higher test scores in grades four through eight than students who been in larger classes early on.
Students from all achievement levels benefited from small classes, the research found. “But low-achievers benefited the most, which narrowed the achievement gap with high –achievers in science, reading and math, ” he said.
Although the study didn’t consider classroom practices, he said the reason for the narrowing gap is likely due to low-achieving students receiving more attention from teachers.
“This is especially important in poorer schools because teacher effectiveness matters more in schools with more disadvantaged and low-performing students, ” he said.
1.The professor argues about ________ .
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A．the size of the class |
B．the period of the class |
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C．the attention from teachers |
D．the achievements of students |
2.The result of the research shows that _________.
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A．small classes for one year in early grade are enough |
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B．continuous small classes help students achieve more |
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C．it’s best to attend small classes in kindergarten |
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D．small classes do equal good to students of all levels |
3.What can we infer from the passage?
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A．High achievers will not benefit from small classes. |
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B．Continuous small classes have not been widely accepted. |
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C．Low-achievers should be separated from high-achievers. |
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D．Teachers’ attention matters less than classroom practices. |
4.The underlined word “This” in the last paragraph refers to _______.
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A．the gap between low and high achievers |
B．continuous small classes |
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C．classroom practices in later grades |
D．the Project Star Sturdy |
As A/H1N1 continues to spread, experts from the Centers for Disease Control to the World Health Organization to neighborhood doctors are calling on the people to practice smart flu prevention techniques. Here are some tips to keep body improved and immune（免疫）system ready to fight infection.
Wash Your Hands
And wash them often, in hot soapy water, and for the amount of time it takes you to sing “Happy Birthday” twice.
Get Enough Sleep
This means slightly different things to different people, but try to get 8 hours of good rest each night to keep your immune system in top flu-fighting shape.
Keep Hydrated
Drink enough water each day to clear poisonous matter from your system and keep up good moisture（湿度）production in your body.
Eat Immune-Improving Foods
Keeping you body strong and ready to fight infection is important in flu prevention. Fatty foods can slow your metabolism（新陈代谢）, make you feel inactive, and weaken your immune
system. So stick with whole grains, colorful vegetables, and vitamin-rich fruits.
Avoid Alcohol
Alcohol is likely to decrease your resistance to infections and further damages the immune system. So avoid alcoholic drinks to keep your immune system strong.
—————————————？
Proper exercise-for example walking for 30-40 minutes 3-4 times a week-supports the immune system by increasing circulation, oxygenating the body, removing poisonous material through sweat, and reducing tension and stress. So get moving!
Avoid Contact with Sick People
If you’re coughing or sneezing, cover your mouth(and then wash your hands),and if you have to be around someone who is sick, try to stay a few feet away from them and avoid physical contact.
Know When to Get Help
A/H1N1 can look like regular flu, so don’t feel like you necessarily are infected if you’re exhibiting flu-like symptoms（症状）. But do go to your doctor if you live in an area where there are recorded cases, or if your symptoms are very serious.
1.To fight A/H1N1 infection, it’s helpful for us to_______ .
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A．sing “Happy Birthday” while washing hands |
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B．eat more fatty foods and colorful fruits |
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C．keep away from alcoholic drinks |
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D．refuse communication with patients |
2.A suitable title for paragraph 7 might be _______.
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A．Support the Immune System |
B．Keep Physically Active |
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C．Get Enough Sweat |
D．Walk to Reduce Stress |
3.The passage seems to suggest that we should_______.
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A．get enough sleep after eating fatty foods |
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B．wash hands with soap after a cough or sneeze |
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C．drink more water after drinking alcohol |
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D．see a doctor immediately if you have flu-like symptoms |
4.What can help clear poisonous matter from the body?
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A．Washing your hands. |
B．Eating fatty foods. |
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C．Getting enough sleep. |
D．Drinking enough water. |
Drinking a lot of water does not do any good to the body, according to two experts in the United States. In fact, they warn, drinking too much water could be, in certain cases, harmful.
In a study, Dr Stanly Goldfarb and Dr Dan Negoianu, both of the Renal, Electrolyte and Hypertension Division at the University of Pensylvania, the United States, have denied the popular belief that drinking a lot of water clears body toxins（毒素）better, improves skin, and helps reduce weight.
Dr Goldfarb and Dr Negoianu say that they found little proof to back the public opinion that drinking 8 glasses of water every day benefits health. At the same time, they fond little proof of harm in drinking 8 glasses of water every day.
It is widely believed that in some cases-such as athletes, people who live in hot, dry environments, and those with certain medical conditions-drinking a lot of water indeed helps, but no studies have been done to prove the benefits of this practice in average, healthy people, the website medheadlines.com reports.
The study at the University of Pennsylvania also examined reports that some people experienced increased headaches when their consumption（消耗）of water was low. In one small study, which the doctors reviewed, the group drinking the most water reported fewer headaches than the control group, “but the difference in the number of headaches was o small between the two groups as to be considered unimportant.”
The researchers concluded that there is no scientific proof to support that average, healthy people need to drink at least 8 glasses of water each each day.
The website medheadines.com says that, according to an Indian doctor, drinking too much water is harmful. If water enters the body more quickly than it can be removed, problems can occur.
1.What’s the key message delivered in the passage?
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A．Drinking too much water might bring harm. |
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B．Whether to drink enough water makes no difference. |
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C．Drinking too much water may cause headaches. |
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D．Average, healthy people should drink more water. |
2.We can learn from the passage that 8 glasses of water every day_______ .
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A．proves good for the body |
B．has scientific proof of harm |
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C．is sure to reduce headaches |
D．is generally considered necessary |
3.Who may agree that drinking lots of water helps to lose weight?
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A．The two experts. |
B．The Indian doctor. |
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C．The general public. |
D．The website. |
4.According to the passage, we know that_______.
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A．the website medheadlnes.com is developed by an Indian doctor |
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B．the study was carried out by two experts with an Indian doctor |
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C．the two experts performed the study at the University of Pennsylvania |
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D．drinking 8 glasses of water every day can cure certain diseases |
We thought we had it all---a beautiful house, three healthy children and one more on the way, two cars, a couple of four-wheelers for entertainment---and we loved it. Then, the market turned and my husband’s job at a construction company was gone. The company was closing down for good.We both started looking for jobs right away, but there weren’t any to be found. With each passing day we were getting increasingly worried and we continued to work together in order to pull our family through. The more we pulled together, the closer we got. I felt feelings of admiration for my husband that I hadn’t felt in years.
That’s why it was so hard for me to watch him blame himself for our present situation. I continually asked him to stop, but he seemed to want to punish himself for not having a job.
Finally, one afternoon I pulled him aside and said, “We have four healthy children and each other. That’s what’s important. That makes you a rich man.”
“ But what if we lose the house? They’ll hate me—you’ll hate me,” he replied.
I smiled at him and put my hands on both sides of his face to make him look me in the eye. “No matter where we live I will be happy –as long as I have you.” I smiled again. In all the struggling together I had found that deep love for him that I had on the day we said “I do”.
I could see his shoulders and neck relaxed. He held me close and we were able to talk and plan and dream together in a way that we hadn’t for quite some time. It was a turning point for us as a couple and a family.
We are still struggling for out better life, but I consider us well-off because we have something that money can’t buy and no one can take away from us.
1.The underlined sentence in the second paragraph means that________.
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A．they became closer as they struggled together |
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B．they hoped to find jobs in the same company |
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C．neither of them had the courage to ace difficulty |
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D．they were trying to make their relationship closer |
2.We can learn from the passage that________.
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A．they both found good jobs at last. |
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B．both of them were worried about joblessness. |
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C．her husband was to blame for the unemployment |
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D．they didn’t love each other when they got married |
3.Which of the following can best describe their present life?
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A．Bitter but easy. |
B．Comfortable and happy. |
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C．Hard but warm. |
D．Well-off and relaxing. |
4.The best title of the passage might be________ .
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A．We Have It All |
B．We Find It Again |
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C．A Perfect Couple |
D．A Hard Time |
阅读下面短文，掌握其大意。然后从36-55各题所给的选项中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
Mark was seven when he joined his father and two other elder brothers at sunrise in the fields. __36__ the time he was eight he was helping Dad fix up old furniture. He was given a cent for every nail he __37__ out of old boards.
He got his first __38__ job at BT’s Restaurant in town, when he reached twelve. His main tasks were__39__tables and washing dishes, __40__sometimes he helped cook.
Every day after school he would __41__ to BT’s and work till ten. Even on Saturdays he __42__ from two till eleven. At that age it was difficult going to work and __43__ his friends run off to swim or play. He didn’t necessarily like work, but he loved what working __44__ him to have. Because of his __45__ he was always the one buying when his friends and he went to the local shop. That made him __46__.
Word that he was trustworthy and hard-working __47__ around the town. A local clothing shop offered him credit（赊帐）__48__ he was only in Grade 7. He immediately __49__ a $ 68 sports coats and a $ 22 pair of shoes. He was__50__ only 65 cents an hour, and he already owed the shopkeeper $ 90! So he learned __51__ the danger of easy credit. He paid it __52__ as soon as he could.
The first job taught him self-control, responsibility and brought him a __53__of personal satisfaction few of his friends had experienced. As his father, __54__worked three jobs, once told him, “If you__55__sacrifice and responsibility, there are not many things in life you cannot have.” How right he was!
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