Brazil has become one of the developing world’s great successes at reducing population growth, but more by accident than design. While countries such as India have made joint efforts to reduce birth rates, Brazil has had better result without really trying, says George Martine at Harvard.
Brazil’s population growth rate has dropped from 2.99% a year between 1951 and 1960 to 1.93% a year between 1981 and 1990, and Brazilian women now have only 2.7 children on average. Martine says this figure may have fallen still further since 1990, an achievement that makes it the envy of many other Third World countries.
Martine puts it down to, among other things, soap operas (通俗电视连续剧) and installment (分期付款) plans introduced in the 1970s. Both played an important, although indirect, role in lowering the birth rate. Brazil is one of the world’s biggest producers of soap operas. Globo, Brazil’s most popular television network, shows three hours of soaps six nights a week, while three others show at least one hour a night. Most soaps are based on wealthy characters living the high life in big cities.
“Although they have never really tried to work in a message towards the problems of reproduction, they describe middle and upper class values-not many children, different attitudes towards life, women working,” says Martine. “They sent this image to all parts of Brazil and made people aware of other patterns of behavior and other values, which were put into a very attractive package.”
1.According to the passage, Brazil has cut back its population growth _____.
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A．by educating its citizens |
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B．by careful family planning |
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C．by developing TV programmes |
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D．by chance |
2.What can you infer from the passage about many Third World countries ?
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A．They haven’t attached much importance to birth control. |
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B．They would soon join Brazil in controlling their birth rate. |
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C．They haven’t yet found an effective measure to control their population. |
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D．They neglected the role of TV plays in family planning |
3.Soap operas have helped in lowering Brazil’s birth rate because ______.
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A．they keep people sitting long hours watching TV |
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B．they have gradually changed people’s way of life |
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C．people are drawn to their attractive package |
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D．they popularize birth control measures |
Will it matter if you don't take your breakfast? Recently a test was given in the United States. Those tested included people of different ages, from 12 to 83. During the experiment, these people were given all kinds of breakfasts, and sometimes they got no breakfast at all. Special tests were set up to see how well their bodies worked when they had eaten a certain kind of breakfast. The results show that if a person eats a proper breakfast, he or she will work with better effect than if he or she has no breakfast. This fact appears to be especially true if a person works with his brains. If a student eats fruit, eggs, bread and milk before going to school, he will learn more quickly and listen with more attention to class.
Opposite to what many people believe, if you don't eat breakfast, you will not lose weight. This is because people become so hungry at noon that they eat too much for lunch, and end up gaining weight instead of losing. You will probably lose more weight if you reduce your other meals.
1.During the test, those who were tested were given ________.
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A．no breakfast at all |
B．very rich breakfast |
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C．little food for breakfast |
D．different breakfasts or none |
2.The results of the test show that ________.
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A．breakfast has great effect (影响) on work and studies |
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B．breakfast has little to do with a person’s work |
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C．a person will work better if he has a simple breakfast |
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D．those working with brains should have much for breakfast |
3.The passage mentions that many people believe that if you don't eat breakfast, you will ____.
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A．lose weight |
B．not lose weight |
C．be healthier |
D．gain a lot of weight |
4.Which of the following is not true according to the passage?
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A．Poor breakfast affects those who work with brains. |
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B．Morning diet may cause one to get fatter. |
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C．Reducing lunch and supper is of less value in weight losing. |
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D．Eating less in lunch and supper may help to lose weight. |
John keeps a record of new words and expressions in English. He usually writes them in a note-book. Then, later in the day, he asks his teacher about them. “Mrs. Thomas, these expressions are new to me. ‘She’s blue today.’， ‘You’re yellow’, ‘A little white lie’, ‘She has green fingers’.” After looking at the note-book, Mrs. Thomas says, “In everyday English, John，‘blue’ sometimes means sad. ‘Yellow’ means afraid. A person with ‘green fingers’ grows plants successfully. And ‘a white lie’ is not a bad lie.” “I don’t understand. Please give me an example.” “ For example, I offer you some cake. The truth is that you don’t like my cake. You don’t say that. Instead, you say, ‘No, thanks, I'm not hungry.’ That’s a white lie.” John says, “I see , thanks for the explanation!”
1.“Blue” sometimes means in spoken English “_____”.
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A．angry |
B．lucky |
C．glad |
D．unhappy |
2.A person with “green fingers” is one who _____ planting.
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A．is a new hand in |
B．is good at |
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C．works hard at |
D．is interested in |
3.“You’re yellow to fight.” means “_____.”
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A．You dare not fight |
B．You dare to fight |
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C．You're afraid to see a fight |
D．You’re able to fight |
4.If you say “It’s a white lie.”, it means that someone _____.
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A．says something unreal and harmful |
B．is unfriendly to talk to others |
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C．refuses to tell the truth in a polite way |
D．is telling a big lie |
When I was young, my father used to grow carnations(康乃馨) ----- a kind of flower which was red, pink and white. He took care of them with much love and devotion. Every day he came back home from work, he would enjoy watching them. Everyone who saw them admired them for their beauty. And he used to tell us, “No one should touch my flowers.”
One day, my younger sister Clemence, who loved dad very much, wanted to help him. So she cut the carnations from their stems(枝干) one by one and arranged them on the ground. She believed that dad would be very pleased to see them that way.
When mom and I realized what my sister had done, we became completely speechless. However, my sister had no idea why no one showed her any appreciation. When my dad arrived, he went straight to see the flowers as usual. Seeing his flowers lying on the ground like dead animals, he was shocked at first. He looked towards the street to see if it was any of the neighbor’s children who could have done it. Then he looked at mom in silence. Finally mom, who always taught us to tell the truth no matter what, said, “No bad neighbors did this great job, only your lovely daughter Clemence.”
Dad’s face changed into a smile and then he said, “Do I have a better flower than my lovely daughter?” My younger sister smiled and hugged dad strongly.
1.Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
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A．No one knew what my sister had done with the carnations. |
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B．My younger sister told my father the truth about the carnations. |
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C．Dad asked my sister to help arrange the carnations on the ground. |
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D．Dad had thought one outsider had cut the flowers from the stems. |
2. How did Clemence feel when she had the carnations cut?
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A．Lucky |
B．Upset |
C．Helpful |
D．Worried |
3.What caused my younger sister to smile and hug dad strongly?
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A．dad’s silence |
B．mom’s help |
C．dad’s love |
D．mom’s words |
4.Which of the following would be the best title?
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A．Telling the truth |
B．Dad’s best flower |
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C．My neighbors |
D．Growing Carnations |
In fact, everyone has an angel（天使）protecting himself forever.
If this 36 feels that your life is full of 37 and you always feel terribly sad. She would 38 someone else beside you. Maybe it’s a friend of you, or your lover, 39 a net-friend you have never met or a 40 you just met only once. These persons quietly __ 41 in your life, accompany (陪伴) you with a happy time and 42 he could leave silently. And thus your life is full of happy 43 . Even the future path is covered with storm or snow, 44 remembering those happy stories he 45 to you, you can still be brave.
For those 46 have left you without any 47 , 48 they are angels returning to the heaven. For example, your lost friends, the strangers who ever gave you help, those separated but 49 love you, those artists who used to sing good songs to you, the good writer and etc.., they are all 50 angels.
Perhaps sometimes you 51 feel sad or lost because of their 52 , and would look for them everywhere to 53 where they’re going. But in the end, you’ll be certain that they stay in 54 place of this world with a peaceful and thankful life. 55 , all the feelings of loss and sadness will no longer exist since time has been the greatest therapist(理疗师).
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Last weekend, Tom and Linda went shopping outside and went on spending until their money was_________.
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A．at the end |
B．at an end |
C．by the end |
D．in the end |
