Crowd controls could soon become an important skill for climbers on Mount Everest, as important as physical strength or watching the weather. In a single day last week, nearly 40 people reached the top of the world --- a record. Reports from base camp spoke of queues at dangerous ridges and crowds as people passed each other in the final dash for the 8, 848 meters top.
More traditional mountaineers tease about the circus atmosphere surrounding Everest in recent years, and there are warnings that the crowds are making the mountain more dangerous. In 1996, 14 died on the mountain when the members of several groups were trapped at high altitudes by sudden snowstorms. Bad weather in early May led to this year’s jam on the summit ridge, but the loss, luckily, was light. Just four climbers died, including a Nepali Sherpa who had made 11 previous successful climbing.
Traditionalists are also worried about the growing tendency of climbers to set records and achieve “firsts”, rather than simply climb the mountain. This year’s crop of mountaineers included the oldest man, 64-year-old Sherman Bull from Connecticut, and the youngest, 16-year-old Temba Tsheri Sherpa of Nepal. An American with only one arm was on the mountain this year; an Indian with no legs also tried but failed. Erik Weihennieyer, an American, became the first blind person to reach the top of the world. His fellow climbers stayed in front of him on the way up, describing the type of land and ringing bells.
Nepal（尼泊尔）views Mount Everest as something of a cash cow. The government charges journeys a minimum of $ 70,000. That is probably why officials in Katmandu are ignoring concerns about overcrowding and talking about even more climbers coming next year. But a celebration of the 48th anniversary of the first conquest of Everest, by Sir Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay, was cancelled after violent strikes. Tumultuous（动乱的）Nepali politics, it seems, could be just the crowd-control measure that Everest needs.
1.What is the problem that the climbers have to face in recent years?
A．Bad Weather. B．Technology. C．Overcrowding. D．Physical strength.
2.What is the main idea of the second paragraph?
A．The risks of mountain climbing.
B．The consequence of overcrowding.
C．The challenge that climbers have to face.
D．The damage that snowstorms have caused.
3.Several climbers are mentioned in Paragraph 3 to show ______.
A．their great courage B．their common motivation
C．their different identity D．their outstanding achievements
4.What is the attitude of the Nepali government towards overcrowding?
A．Unconcerned. B．Doubtful. C．Disapproving. D．Worried.
One of the most difficult questions to answer is how much a job is worth. We naturally expect that a doctor’s salary will be higher than a bus conductor’s wages. But the question becomes much more difficult to answer when we compare a miner with an engineer, or an unskilled man working on an oil-rig（钻探平台）with a teacher in a secondary school. What the doctor, the engineer and the teacher have in common is that they have devoted several years to studying in order to obtain the necessary qualifications for their professions. We feel instinctively that these skills and these years should be rewarded. At the same time we recognize that the work of the miner and the oil-rig laborer is both hard and dangerous, and that they must be highly paid for the risks they take.
Another aspect we must take into consideration is how socially useful a man’s work is. Most people would agree that looking after the sick or teaching children is more important than, say, selling second-hand cars. Yet it is almost certain that the used-car salesman earns more than the nurse and the schoolteacher.
Indeed, this whole question of just rewards can be turned on its head. You can argue that a man who does a job which brings him personal satisfaction is already receiving part of his reward in the form of a so-called “psychic（精神的）wage”, and that it is the man with the boring, repetitive job who needs more money to make up for the soul-destroying repetitiveness of his work. It is significant that the jobs like nursing and teaching continue to be poorly paid, while others, such as those in the world of sport or entertainment, carry financial rewards out of all proportion to their social worth.
Although the amount of money that people earn is largely determined by market forces, this should not prevent us from seeking some way to decide what is the right pay for the job. A starting point would be to try to decide the ratio（比率）which ought to exist between the highest and the lowest paid. The picture is made more complicated by two factors: firstly by the welfare benefits which every citizen receives, and secondly by the taxation system which is often used as an instrument of social justice by taxing high incomes at a very high rate indeed. Most countries now regard a ratio of 7:1 as socially acceptable. If it is less, the highly-qualified people carrying heavy responsibilities will become disappointed, and might even end up by leaving for another country. If it is more, the difference between rich and poor will be so great that it will lead to social unrest.
1.Why do people naturally expect that doctors should be well-paid?
A．Their work requires greater intelligence.
B．They are under constant pressure at work.
C．They work harder than most other people.
D．They have studied for years to get qualified.
2.In Paragraph 2 and 3, the author indicates that __________.
A．the talented should do more important work
B．unskilled jobs have less social responsibility
C．those with more socially useful jobs earn less
D．people want to pay more to important services
3.Which of the following statements would the author agree?
A．It’s difficult to define the social value of a job.
B．The market will decide what the right pay is for a job.
C．People should find a proper ratio between high and low pay.
D．Those receiving high salary should carry heavy responsibilities.
Beat the Burglar
Don’t invite crime---take basic, sensible precautions. Your house and possession are valuable and must be properly protected. When you buy a lock, you buy time. The best prevention is delay and noise which could mean discovery.
When you leave it---lock it!
First of all, fit security locks to all doors and windows and a safety chain on the front door. Secondly, use them!
If you have any ladders or tools, don’t leave them lying about in the garden, lock them away.
“Safe” or “secret” places for keys and valuables are not reliable --- nine times out of ten, they are the first place a thief will look. When you move house…
When you move into a new home even if it is fitted with security locks, change them. You don’t know who else may have keys.
Never let strangers into your house. An official-looking cap is not enough, ask for proof of identity and look at it carefully --- if you are still not satisfied, don’t let the person in.
Valuables need special protection
Valuables should really be given special protection --- preferably by leaving them with your bank. A small security safe works too, but not to the most determined burglar. It is also important to keep an up-to-date list of valuables and their descriptions. In the case of fine art, paintings, or jewelry, color photographs can sometimes be of assistance to the police if you are unfortunate enough to have them stolen. Enter the details on the back of the pictures. But don’t keep such documents in your house, keep them at the bank or with your insurance company. Going on holiday?
Don’t talk about your holidays and future plans loudly in public. Do remember to cancel the milk and newspapers and also to draw curtains back.
Operate a “Good Neighbor” program to ensure that mail is taken in, the house is checked regularly and that lights are put on.
Call at your local police station and tell them you are going away. Make sure that they know how to contact you in case of trouble.
Don’t leave cash or valuables in the house --- take them with you or put them in the bank.
1.When moving into a new house, you are supposed to __________.
A．buy a safe B．change the locks
C．visit your neighbors D．stay away from strangers
2.Which is the safest way to protect your valuables?
A．Taking pictures of your valuables.
B．Putting your valuables in your safe.
C．Keeping your valuables at the bank.
D．Giving a list of your valuables to the police.
3.When you are away for holidays, you __________.
A．should cancel your mail
B．shouldn’t leave your keys to your neighbors
C．shouldn’t make it known that your home is empty
D．should ask the police to check your house regularly
4.What is the purpose of the passage?
A．To inform people of safety standards.
B．To introduce the advantages of banks.
C．To prove the importance of security locks.
D．To educate people on prevention of burglars.
Clyde, a small-clawed otter, was moved from Auckland Zoo to Wellington Zoo two months ago. The zookeepers hoped he and the other otter Bonnie might start a family together.
But only two days after he arrived, Clyde went missing. He had dug his way under one of the walls and was nowhere to be seen.
The zookeepers set up cages inside the zoo, with plates of Clyde’s favorite fish in them, hoping to catch him.
Two days went by and still there was no sign of Clyde.
At last a couple saw Clyde at their house --- a whole kilometer away in Newtown. Clyde was hiding in an out-of-reach hole outside their laundry.
The zookeepers arrived and set up some more traps to try to catch him. But Clyde is a pretty smart otter. Twice he managed to get the fish out of a trap without being caught.
Five days after he’d escaped, Clyde’s days on the run came to an end when he was finally caught in one of the traps.
It was no good putting Clyde back in his old home---he’d only dig his way out again. So he and Bonnie were put into the zoo hospital. There was no chance of their escaping from there.
Meanwhile, the zookeepers were working hard to make Clyde’s old home safer. They put an iron barrier underground to stop him digging their way out. Then Bonnie and Clyde went home again.
But a month after his first escape, Clyde was out again. Once more the zookeepers came
hurrying to catch Clyde. They found him by following the bubbles he made in the river nearby.
Nobody knew how Clyde had escaped. But this time he was only out for an hour. So---back he went to the hospital again.
Poor Clyde. It seemed that he wasn’t happy at Wellington Zoo, even though he and Bonnie were getting on well together. The keepers didn’t like seeing him unhappy, so they planned to look for a home for him somewhere else.
1.Where was Clyde found after his first escape?
A．Back in Auckland Zoo. B．In a river nearby.
C．At a house a kilometer away. D．In the zoo hospital.
2.How did zookeepers catch Clyde after his second escape?
A．They set up cages in the zoo.
B．They attracted Clyde with fish.
C．They dug a hole outside his home.
D．They followed the bubbles in the water.
3.What do we know about Clyde?
A．He often gets ill.
B．He is good at digging.
C．He likes hiding in a hole.
D．He escaped to meet Bonnie.
4.Where is the passage most likely to have been taken from?
A．A news report. B．An advertisement.
C．A book review. D．A research paper.
I was nineteen years old the first time I saw my own true character.
My trip to and from work each day included a ten-minute walk through the heart of downtown, where the 36 often gathered. Like most busy citizens, I learned to 37 those nameless faces. When it came to homeless beggars, my 38 life experience had led me to one 39 that they are on the street because they choose to be, probably due to alcohol or drugs.
It was an extremely cold day. When I passed the groups of beggars as usual, I heard a shaky voice target me.
“Spare some change?” he asked.
I didn’t even 40 looking up at his nameless face. I briefly 41 him walking into a liquor store and buying whiskey with the money we spared him. Like most teenagers, it took me only moments to 42 him.
“I have no money on me,” I said quickly
Looking back now, I feel as if God had set out that day to teach me a lesson. And God 43 . Just a few feet past him, I managed to find the only ice patch on the sidewalk. I 44 and landed heavily on my right knee. The 45 was almost killing me as I tried to get up. Then I heard a shaky voice only inches above me.
“Are you all right?” he asked.
I knew immediately this was the man I had just rushed past. Even in pain, I 46 took a quick moment to sniff for the smell of alcohol on his breath. There was none. He wasn’t 47 . I saw the 48 in his eyes.
I 49 to get to my feet. He held my arm as I walked difficultly to the nearby bus stop.
“My name is Mike,” he said. “That’s quite a fall you took, and you really need to get it checked by a doctor,” he said with deep 50 .
“This bus goes past the hospital,” I said.
Mike paused, and a look of sudden 51 crossed his face. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small cup. He took out all the change and held it out toward me.
“I think there’s just enough here for you to take the bus,” he said,
I was highly embarrassed as I remember my 52 . I reached for my purse and took out my change. At least ten dollars. I offered Mike all my change.
“Thank you and take care of yourself,” I said. Both of us knew that few minutes earlier I couldn’t have 53 what happened to him.
Mike held his cup tightly, 54 it as if it were the first gift he had ever received.
A half cup of change seemed too small a gift for the man who gave a 55 to every nameless face I’ve ever seen.
1. A．doctors B．beggars C．citizens D．sellers
2. A．pity B．observe C．forgive D．ignore
3. A．limited B．painful C．meaningful D．rich
4. A．fact B．rule C．assumption D．suggestion
5. A．mind B．bother C．avoid D．bear
6. A．imagined B．followed C．noticed D．heard
7. A．judge B．stop C．tease D．blame
8. A．signed B．succeeded C．responded D．approached
9. A．skipped B．dashed C．slipped D．hesitated
10. A．regret B．scare C．cold D．pain
11. A．still B．ever C．yet D．also
12. A．honest B．reliable C．drunk D．shabby
13. A．greed B．surprise C．sorrow D．sympathy
14. A．failed B．struggled C．hurried D．chose
15. A．relief B．satisfaction C．understanding D．concern
16. A．confusion B．realization C．excitement D．sadness
17. A．lie B．injury C．promise D．experience
18. A．known B．predicted C．cared D．accepted
19. A．treasuring B．protecting C．making D．showing
20. A．lesson B．name C．chance D．fortune
I wondered ______ they had raised so much money on their own to help youngsters in need.
A．what B．that C．how D．why
