After a week-long vacation, U.S. President Barack Obama will focus on proposals to strengthen the still-recovering American economy. The agenda includes the reform of the nation’s health care system.
The Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare as some call it, expands federal health care programs for the needy and encourages Americans of all income groups to purchase private health care insurance.
“If you do not have insurance, beginning on October 1st, private plans will actually compete for your business. You can comparison--shop in an online marketplace, just like you would for cell phone plans or plane tickets. You may be eligible for new tax credits to help you afford the plan that’s right for you. And if you are in the up to half of all Americans who have been sick or have a preexisting condition, this law means that beginning January 1st, insurance companies have to cover you," Obama said.
Health-care spending accounts for one-seventh of U.S. economic activity, and is projected to increase to one-fifth in coming years. The cost has a direct bearing on America’s economic and financial well--being. Drawn up in 2010, the Affordable Care Act aims to control costs and expand access to health care. The effort is a big failure, according to Republican law makers like Tim Griffin and Todd Young.
“Republicans will continue to do everything we can to protect all Americans from the president's top-down, one-size-fits-all, Washington-knows-best approach to health care that is driving up costs and hurting our economy," said Griffin. “The sooner we can delay, oppose and cancel the president's health-care law, the sooner we can get people back to work and focus on expanding opportunity for everyone.”
The president accuses Republicans of putting partisanship(党派偏见) ahead of Americans’ health-care needs. “A lot of Republicans seem to believe that if they can gum up the works and make this law fail, they will somehow be sticking it to me. But they would just be sticking it to you. Your health insurance is not something to play politics with. Our economy is not something to play politics with," he said.
As a matter of fact，the success or failure of Obamacare could shape the president’s legacy long after he leaves office.
1.It is implied in Obama’s words in Paragraph 3 that .
A. health care insurance will be of great benefit to Americans
B. health care insurance will help recover American economy
C. insurance companies don’t expect him to carry out the law
D. insurance companies will cover Americans in all aspects
2.According to Tim Griffin，Obama’s health-care law .
A. will be strongly opposed to by the Republicans
B. will cause fewer economic problems in America
C. will be cancelled sooner or later by the government
D. will never work without the help of the Republicans.
3.What does Obama accuse Republicans of according to the passage?
A. They don’t know what Americans are in need of.
B. They tend to put their own benefit ahead of Americans’.
C. They know nothing about health insurance and economy.
D. They like to play politics with economy and health insurance
4.What is the author’s tone in this passage?
A.Subjective B.Critical C.Unconcerned D.Objective
C
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Honey Sweet Cake (Prep. Time: 12 mins.) Ingredients Strawberries in syrup(糖浆), 1 package (unfrozen) Heavy cream, 1 cup Corn flour, 2 tablespoons Process Mix the strawberries, cream and corn flour in a saucepan. Cook over medium heat for about 8-10 minutes, while constantly mixing until the mixture thickens. Remove from heat and refrigerate for two hours, Fill the frozen mixture in a cake, and serve. |
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Rosy Cake (Prep. Time: 10 mins. ) Ingredients Sugar, 3/4 cup Water, 1 cup Corn flour, 3 tablespoons Strawberries , 2 Process Take a large saucepan and mix all the ingredients. Cook until the mixture thickens over medium heat. Let it cool naturally and completely. Fill up your cake with the mixture, and serve. |
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Triangle Sweet (Prep. Time: 15 mins. ) Ingredients Sugar, Whipping cream, Unflavored gelatin(明胶) , 1 tablespoon Cold water, 2 tablespoons Boiled water, 3 tablespoons Strawberries, crushed, 2 cups Process Add sugar to the crushed strawberries and set them aside. In cold water, soften the gelatin, and once it is softened, add boiling water. Stir until the gelatin dissolves. Add the dissolved gelatin mixture to the strawberries and let it cool. Now whip(搅打) the cream till it becomes stiff. When the strawberry mixture is of syrup thickness, add the whipped cream to it. Refrigerate until it sets. Fill it into your cake, and serve. |
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Flaming Maple (Prep. Time: 10 mins. ) Ingredients Fresh lemon juice, 1 Honey, 2 tablespoons Maple syrup, 2 tablespoons Strawberries, ripe, 2 pints Process Make a fruit butter of half of the strawberries. Add honey, lemon juice, and maple syrup until it forms a smooth sauce. Add the remaining strawberries. Fill the mixture in the cake, and serve. |
1.Which of the following ingredients are used in all the recipes?
A. heavy cream B. sugar syrup C. corn flour D. strawberries
2.Chefs needn't freeze the ingredients when preparing ___________
① Honey Sweet Cake ②Rosy Cake ③Triangle Sweet ④ Flaming Maple
A．①② B. ②③ C. ①④ D. ②④
3.Which of the following is true?
A. Triangle Sweet takes the longest time to prepare.
B. Strawberries used in the recipes aren't all fresh.
C. Most strawberries are used when making a Rosy Cake.
D. Honey Sweet Cake is the best choice for busy mothers.
4.In how many recipes should chefs thicken the mixture by heating?
A．Only one B．Two. C．Three. D．Four.
It’s really true what people say about English politeness: it’s everywhere. When squeezing past someone in a narrow passage, people say “sorry”. When getting off a bus, English passengers say “thank you” rather than the driver. In Germany, people would never dream of doing these things. After all, squeezing past others is sometimes unavoidable, and the bus driver is only doing his job. I used to think the same way, without questioning it, until I started traveling to the British Isles, and here are some more polite ways of interacting with people in UK.
People thank each other everywhere in England, all the time. When people buy something in a shop, customer and shop assistant in most cases thank each other twice or more. In Germany, it would be exceptional to hear more than one thank you in such a conversation. British students thank their lecturers when leaving the room. English employers thank their employees for doing their jobs, as opposite to Germans, who would normally think that paying their workers money is already enough.
Another thing I observed during my stay was that English people rarely criticize others. Even when I was working and mistakes were pointed out to me, my employers emphasized several times but none of their explanations were intended as criticism. It has been my impression that by avoiding criticism, English people are making an effort to make others feel comfortable. This also is showed in other ways. British men still open doors for women, and British men are more likely to treat women to a meal than German men. However, I do need to point out here that this applies to English men a bit more than it would to Scottish men! Yes, the latter are a bit tightfisted.
1.What is the author’s attitude towards English politeness?
A. He thinks it is unnecessary. B. He thinks little of it.
C. He appreciates it very much. D. He thinks it goes too far.
2.What can be inferred from the passage?
A. German men never treat a woman to dinner.
B. The author think it’s unnecessary to say “thank you” to the bus driver.
C. In Germany, employers often say “thank you” to employees for their job.
D. Germans think it is unnecessary to thank workers because payment is enough.
3.We can learn from the last paragraph that Scottish men ______.
A. like to fight with each other
B. treat women in a polite way
C. are as generous as English men
D. are unwilling to spend money for women
4.The author develops the text through the method of ______.
A. making comparisons B. telling stories C. giving reasons D. giving examples
For the last couple of weeks, I had been stuck in front of my computer working on a project that was very important to me. My every waking hour was consumed by the project and although I imagined that I would feel happy after completing parts of the project, I was confused to find that instead, I was feeling rather depressed. I tried a range of methods to help cheer myself up. I had a relaxing bath, cooked a delicious meal to enjoy with my family and even watched a lighthearted movie, but to no avail. It was only when I turned to meditation for a solution that the answer came to me: turn to nature!
The very next day, I grabbed my camera and a bottle of water and set off to spend a few hours walking in a nature reserve, even though it was pouring with rain. Within a couple of minutes I felt alive again. To be honest, I felt like a young school girl again and had to stop myself from hopping along the path singing, "I'm singing in the rain", a song I used to sing when I was a child. I think as adults we often try too hard to control our inner children and as a result we restrain our own spirits, which only leads to depression and stress.
Interestingly, it has been shown that people who spend 40 minutes walking in a nature reserve have a drop in their blood pressure levels, but this does not happen when they spend a similar amount of time walking in a busy city centre.
If you feel a little low in spirit and know that you have spent too much time indoors, relax completely, remove your shoes and let your inner child come out and play.
1.The author walked in a nature reserve in the rain in order to__________.
A．take photos B．find a solution to the project
C．hop along the path D．cheer herself up
2.The underlined part "to no avail" in Paragraph 1 probably means " __________.".
A．unsuccessful B．unrelated C．uninteresting D．unexpected
3.In the author's opinion, __________.
A．a bath can make people relaxed
B．depression is usually caused by hard work
C．walking in a busy city centre harms people's health
D．adults should express their inner feelings freely
4.The last paragraph mainly serves as a(n) __________.
A．explanation B．suggestion C．introduction D．reminder
阅读下面短文， 从短文后所给的四个选项（A、B、C、D）中，选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项。
Recently I understood the true meaning of love. That would have been, Kane, a boy. Kane was the two-year-old son of Joline, my new neighbor, who moved here from California.
Kane was born with hard sticks for . And on that morning I the effect that Kane’s physical had on his family. But I also witnessed so much that.
I saw an extraordinary family that embraced this special child, a family that wouldn't allow Kane to know he was . Joline had constructed a small cart just a few inches the floor for his son to get around. Using his hands to move about, the cart Kane to “go to” any place just as else was able to do. Kane was more than just a member of the family, he was the .
Much later in my life, I came to that God had sent this child to help some of us who just weren’t getting what was all about. Even with my limited capacity for understanding at that time I knew that Kane was a developed spirit with great wisdom.
Kane demanded attention, not because of his mobility challenges or other apparent shortcomings. In his mind, he had no or shortcomings. The truth is that he received because he was alive and real and had so much to offer.
Kane was and is lots of warm and powerful energy to us all so we might learn that ： Love surpasses all things. If you met this kid, you’d want him for a friend he was with so much to .
1.A. hands B. feet C. legs D. arms
2.A. witnessed B.observed C. concluded D. mentioned
3.A. faults B. mistakes C. obstacles D. shortcomings
4.A. rather than B. more than C. other than D. or rather
5.A. irregular B. different C. normal D. unfortunate
6.A. down B. away C. back D. off
7.A. arranged B. allowed C. transformed D. removed
8.A. everybody B. somebody C. anybody D. nobody
9.A. symbol B. signal C. soul D. mark
10.A. recognize B. experience C.imagine D. realize
11.A. love B. confidence C. wisdom D. power
12.A. probably B. generally C. highly D. largely
13.A. and B. but C.or D. as
14.A. commitments B. promises C. expectations D. challenges
15.A. attention B. attraction C. description D. impression
16.A. even B. yet C. almost D. still
17.A. created B. released C. sent D. responded
18.A. lesson B. message C. notice D. note
19.A. once B. while C. before D. because
20.A.receive B. give C. handle D. change
We’re visiting Mr. Li, about _______ films people talk a lot.
A. whom B. who C. whose D. which
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