In cities with rent control, the city government sets the maximum rent that a landlord (房东) can charge for an apartment. Supporters of rent control argue that it protects people who are living in apartment. 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 experts 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. Therefore, other things being equal, the number of workers that employers want decreases. Thus, critics hold the opinion that 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 decision, such as decisions about farm production, rent control, and the minimum wage. The predictions may be corrected 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________.
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A．cause a shortage of apartments |
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B．worry those who rent apartments as homes. |
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C．increase the profits of landlords. |
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D．encourage landlords to invest in building apartments. |
2.We can safely say that rent control_________.
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A．will always benefit those who rent apartments. |
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B．is unnecessary. |
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C．will probably bring inactive effects in the long run. |
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D．is necessary under all conditions |
3.There will be the problem of unemployment if ________________.
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A．the minimum wage is set too high.. |
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B．the minimum wage is set too early. |
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C．the workers are unskilled. |
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D．the maximum wage is set for poor workers. |
4.The passage tells us about _______________.
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A．the relationship between supply and demand. |
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B．the possible results of government controls. |
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C．the necessity of government control. |
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D．the urgency of getting rid of government control. |
5.Which of the following statements is NOT true?
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A．The results of economic decisions cannot always be predicted. |
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B．Minimum wage cannot always protect employees. |
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C．Economic theory can help predict the results of economic decision if other factors are not changing. |
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D．Economists usually have the same prediction about an economic decision. |
Why does most of the world travel on the right side today? Theories differ, but there’s no doubt that Napoleon was a major influence. The French had used the right since at least the late 18th century. Some say that before the French Revolution, noblemen drove their carriages on the left, forcing the peasants to the right. Regardless of the origin, Napoleon brought right-hand traffic to the nations he conquered, including Russia, Switzerland and Germany. Hitler, in turn, ordered right-hand traffic in Czechoslovakia and Austria in the 1930s. Nations that escaped right-hand control, like Great Britain, followed their left-hand tradition.
The U.S. has not always been a nation of right-hand rivers; earlier in its history, carriage and horse traffic traveled on the left, as it did in England. But by the late 1700s, people driving large wagons pulled by several pairs of horses began promoting a shift to the right. A driver would sit on the rear (后面的) left horse in order to wave his whip with his right hand; to see opposite traffic clearly, they traveled on the right.
One of the final moves to firmly standardize traffic directions in the U.S. occurred in the 20th century, when Henry Ford decided to mass-produce his cars with controls on the left (one reason, stated in 1908; the convenience for passengers exiting directly onto the edge, especially… if there is a lady to be considered). Once these rules were set, many countries eventually adjusted to the right-hand standard, including Canada in the 1920s, Sweden in 1967 and Burma in 1970. The U.K. and former colonies such as Australia and India are among the western world’s few remaining holdouts. Several Asian countries, including Japan, use the left as well — thought many places use both right-hand-drive and left-hand-drive cars.
1.Why did people in Switzerland travel on the right?
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A．They had used the right-hand since the 18th century. |
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B．Rich people enjoyed driving their carriages on the right. |
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C．Napoleon introduced the right-hand traffic to this country. |
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D．Hitler ordered them to go to against their left-hand tradition. |
2.Of all the countries below, the one that travels on the right is ______.
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A．Austria |
B．England |
C．Japan |
D．Australia |
3.Henry Ford produced cars with controls on the left _______.
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A．in order to change traffic directions in the U.S. |
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B．so that passengers could get off conveniently |
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C．because rules at that time weren’t perfect |
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D．though many countries were strongly against that |
4.According to the passage, which of the following is TRUE?
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A．Before the French Revolution, all the French people used the right. |
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B．People in Britain and the U.S. travel on the same side nowadays. |
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C．The Burmese began to travel on the right in 1970. |
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D．All the Asian nations use the left at present. |
5.What would be the best title for this passage?
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A．Who made the great contributions to the shift of traffic directions? |
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B．How cars have become a popular means of transportation? |
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C．How Henry Ford produced his cars with controls on the left? |
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D．Why don’t people all drive on the same side of the road? |
Given Australia’s size and the fact that early settlements were far apart, Australian society is remarkably homogeneous (同种的). Its citizens are fundamentally prosperous and the way of life in the major cities and towns is much the same however many miles divide them. It takes a sharp ear to identify regional accents. However, there is some difference in lifestyle between city dwellers and the country people. Almost 90 per cent of the population lives in the fast-paced cities along the coast and has little more than a passing familiarity with the desert. The major cities preserve pockets of colonial heritage, but the overall impression is modern, with new buildings reflecting the country’s youth. In contrast, the rural communities tend to be slow-moving and conservative. For many years, Australia was said to have “ridden on the sheep’s back”, a reference to wool being the country’s main money earner. However, the wool industry is no longer dominant. Much of Australia’s relatively sound economy is now achieved from natural coal and wheat, and by being the largest diamond producer in the world. Newer industries such as tourism and wine making are also increasingly important. Australians are generally friendly and relaxed, with a self-deprecating sense of humor. On the whole, Australia is a society without hierarchies (等级制度), an attitude generally held to stem from its prisoner beginnings.
Yet, contrary to widespread belief, very few Australians have true prisoner origins. Within only one generation of the arrival of the First Fleet in 1788, Australia had become a nation of immigrants. Originally coming almost entirely from the British Isles, today one in three Australians comes from elsewhere. Australia’s liberal postwar immigration policies led to an influx of survivors from war-torn Europe, most notably Greeks, Italians, Poles and Germans.
The emphasis has shifted in recent years and today the majority of new immigrants are from Southeast Asia. Today Australia is a ‘blend of nations’ and although some racism exists, it has generally been a successful experiment and the country is justifiably proud to have one of the most harmonious multicultural communities in the world.
1.What does the writer mean by saying “It takes a sharp ear to identify regional accents.” in the first paragraph?
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A．Australians speak Standard English with no local accents whatsoever. |
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B．You have to practice a lot to learn to understand the different accents. |
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C．The Australian regional accents are very difficult to understand indeed. |
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D．There is not much difference between the accents in different areas of Australia. |
2.Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?
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A．Most Australians have ancestors who were prisoners. |
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B．The Australian economy is dependent on sheep exports. |
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C．The majority of people living in Australia come from Europe. |
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D．The pace of life is different in the city and in the country. |
3.The underlined pronoun ‘it’ in the final paragraph refers to “_______”.
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A．Community |
B．racism |
C．blend of Nations |
D．Southeast Asia |
4.We can infer from the passage that _____.
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A．there are no signs of Australia’s colonial past in its modern cities |
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B．Australia’s recent immigration policy encourages immigrants from Southeast Asia |
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C．immigrants from Southeast Asia have brought racial problems |
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D．“riding on sheep’s back” resulted in slow development in rural communities |
5.This passage mainly focuses on Australia’s ______.
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A．society |
B．economy |
C．racial problems |
D．history |
阅读下面短文，按照句子结构的语法性和上下文连贯的要求，在空格处填人一个适当的词或使用括号中词语的正确形式填空，并将答案填写在答题卷为16-25的相应位置上。
Many accidents happened in our daily life, including the traffic, drowning, stampeding and so on, which caused many disasters. As a result, 16 ( person) safety lessons are very necessary.
Actually, more and more accidents took place around us, 17 (make) our personal safety under threat. Therefore, personal safety should be the priority to the students.
Having read the report 18 accidents that happened in China, I instantly think of the accident 19 occurred to me ten years ago. Like other naughty boys, I like doing sports, especially swimming. It was a hot summer noon. I went out to swim with 20 neighbor without parents’ permission. Happy as we were, we even tried having a 21 (compete) to see who could swim 22 (fast) and farthest. In order to show my ability of swimming, I spared no effort to swim. I did not realize that I had no other strength left 23 I reach the middle of the river. I and my body was sinking into 24 bottom of the river. 25 , (fortune) with the help of my friends, I had a narrow escape. What an unforgettable experience! It was my showing off that caused the unnecessary accident.
This case is only one among several hundred terrible accidents that take place around us every day. It is high time that we realized the importance of personal safety. And only with a good sense of personal safety can we live a safe and happy life!
阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后从1—15各题所给的A、B、C和D项中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
Once, there lived a young short monk in a temple on top of a hill, caring for his vegetable garden. He had one daily task of carryingtwo 1 of water up the hill from a cold stream. Rain or shine, he never 2 a day carrying water up the mountain to the temple. One day, a thin and tall 3 monk passed the temple and the young monk invited him to 4 . Since they would share the water, they went down the mountain together to fetch water. But the carrying pole is only 5 enough for one bucket. The two monks were unable to 6 the shared load on their carrying pole without shaking the contents of the two buckets all over the short monk. They 7 to retain（保留） only a small 8 of water that the young monk would have carried on his own, not mentioning to 9 the garden. When the young monk began to see his guest as 10 , the other monk began to see his host as unreasonable. Then a 11 monk came. The 12 of the third monk urged everyone to expect that someone else would take on the chore. As a result, no one fetched water though everybody was 13 . One night, a rat jumped and knocked the candleholder（烛台）, leading to a devastating(毁坏性的) 14 in the temple. The three monks finally united together to put out the fire. Since then they understood the old saying "unity is strength" and begin to live a 15 life. The temple never lacks water again.
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阅读下面短文，然后按要求写一篇150词左右的英语短文。
As Teachers’ Day draws near, many Chinese parents have been thinking hard over gifts that are appropriate for the teachers of their children. Some have turned to the Internet for gift suggestions, including a mother named Yang whose child attends kindergarten. “What should I send and what kinds of gifts are appropriate? We are in a difficult situation---we cannot afford very expensive gifts, but teachers will not be impressed if the gifts are too cheap,” Yang wrote on a website.
Some parents, however, do not realize that some teaches are also under great pressure because of the gifts. “No more gifts, or I will run out of money!” complained a young teacher on Weibo.” Many parents send me some shopping tickets for Teachers’ Day so I put them in a new dictionary and let their children bring them back to their parents,’ the teacher wrote. A teacher named Zhu, said he feels “worried” every time parents send him money or shopping tickets. “It is not whether to accept the gifts, but how to return them that worries me. I tried to persuade parents to take them back. But I will use the money or shopping tickets from the stubborn parents to buy books for the class,” said Zhu.
[写作内容]
1． 以约30个词概括以上短文的内容；
2． 以约120个词就“教师节家长是否该给老师送礼”这一主题发表你的看法，内容包括：
（1） 说说你对该问题的看法，并简单说明原因；
（2） 谈谈你印象最深的一次教师节；
（3） 谈谈你所认为学生给老师的最好的教师节礼物。
[写作要求]
1． 作文中可使用亲身经历或虚构的故事，也可以参照阅读材料的内容，但不得直接引用原文中的句子；标题自拟。
2． 作文中不能出现真实姓名和学校名称。
[评分标准]
概括准确，语言规范，内容合适，语篇连贯。
