题目
题型：同步题难度：来源：
something more than a hobby(业余爱好):She planted vegetables in her yard.For her first
garden,Ms.Feeley has put in 15 tomato plants,and five rows of a variety of vegetables.The
family"s old farm house has become a chicken house,its residents arriving next month.Last
year, Ms.Rita Gartin kept a small garden.This year she has made it much larger because,she
said,"The cost of everything is going up and I was looking to lose a few pounds,too；so it"s
a winwin situation all around."
They are among the growing number of Americans who,driven by higher living costs and a
falling economy(经济),have taken up vegetable gardening for the first time.Others have
increased the size of their existing gardens.Seed companies and garden shops say that not
since the 1970s has there been such an increase in interest in growing food at home.Now
many gardens across the country have been sold out for several months.In Austin,Tex.,some
of the gardens have a threeyear waiting list.
George C．Ball Jr.,owner of a company,said sales of vegetable seeds and plants are up by
40%over last year,double the average growth of the last five years.Mr.Ball argues that some
of the reasons have been building for the last few years.The big one is the striking rise in the cost
of food like bread and milk, together with the increases in the price of fruits and vegetables.Food
prices have increased because of higher oil prices.People are now driving less,taking fewer
vacations,so there is more time to garden.
B．tomatoes
C．gardens
D．people
B．she may spend less and lose weight
C．she is selling more and buying less
D．she has grown more varieties of vegetables
B．The price of oil is lower than before.
C．There"s a growing need for fruits.
D．The cost of living is on the rise.
B．Banking on Gardening
C．A Belttightening Move
D．Gardening as a Hobby
答案
核心考点
试题【阅读理解。 Cassandra Feeley finds it hard to manage on her husband"s income.So th】；主要考察你对题材分类等知识点的理解。[详细]
举一反三
Plan International. Baby Nargis was born at 07:25 local time(01:55GMT)in Mall village in India"s
Uttar Pradesh state. Plan International says Nargis has been chosen symbolically as it is not possible
to know where exactly the seven billionth baby is born. In addition to baby Nargis in India,Bangladesh,
the Philippines and Cambodia have all identified seven billionth babies. The United Nations estimated
that on Monday 31 October. the world"s population would reach seven billion.
Populations are growing faster than economies in many poor countries in Africa and some in Asia.
At the same time,low birth rates in Japan and many European nations have raised concerns about labor
shortages.
Population experts at the United Nations estimated that the world reached six billion in October
1999. They predict nine billion by 2050 and ten billion by the end of the century. China"s population
of one and a third billion is currently the world"s largest. India is second at 1. 2 billion. But India is
expected to pass China and reach one and a half billion people around 2025.
India will also have one of the world"s youngest populations. Economists say this is a chance for a
so-called. demographic dividend. India could gain from the skills of young people in a growing economy
at a time when other countries have aging populations. But economists say current rates of growth,
although high,may not create enough jobs. Also,the public education system is failing to meet demand
and schooling is often of poor quality. Another concern is health care. Nearly half of India"s children
under the age of five are malnourished(营养不良).
Michal Rutkowski,the director of human development in South Asia at the World Bank, says reaching
seven billion people in the world is a good time for a call to action. He says,"I think the bottom line of
the story is that the public policy needs to become really,really serious about sex equality and about
access to services-to fight against malnutrition,and to provide for access to health services,water and
schooling. "
B. Baby Nargis has been chosen carefully so it is exactly the seven billionth baby.
C. Three countries have all declared Baby Nargis as the seven billi011th baby.
D. The United Nations declared Baby Nargis as the world"s seven billionth person.
B. Poor health care.
C. Not enough jobs.
D. Schooling of poor quality.
billion?
B. About 40 years.
C. About 50 years.
D. About 110 years.
B. Benefit gained by working young people.
C. Chances for more employment.
D. Disadvantages caused by aging population.
B. To reduce world"s population.
C. To gain economic equality.
D. To improve health and education.
of concentrating and clearing the mind to bring the body into a state of peace, at least a semi-regular
basis. For some, particularly among practitioners of Eastern religions such as Buddhism and Hinduism,
this is part and parcel of their religious practice.
For others, particularly in Western cultures, meditation tends to be a response to stress. With the
world economy approaching meltdown and people worried about their job or their ability to keep their
home, it’s a way for people to attain a state of peace of mind and well-being.
For those interested in taking up the practice, instruction in meditation for beginners can be found in
literally thousands of sources.
One of the most popular styles of mediation in the West, with classes offered in most major cities, is
called Transcendental Meditation. TM, as it is known among its practitioners, first came to worldwide
attention when the Beatles began practicing it in 1967. For direct, guided, personal instruction in
meditation for the beginner, TM may be the hallmark.
Part of the confusion about how to practice meditation effectively is due to the fact that there are
literally hundreds of techniques championed by various groups and individuals. As a general principle,
it might be said that all meditation techniques seek to have the practitioner attain a state of consciousness
that is different to our ordinary state of awareness. They attempt to train people to clear their minds and
achieve a sense of inner peace. It sounds simple enough, but of the huge number of people experiment
with meditation, very few are able to maintain its practice over the long haul. In most cases, this is due
to frustration over the inability to experience any dramatic, instantly recognizable effects.
This is quite a sad state of affairs, that so few these days are willing or equipped to persist in
something that doesn’t provide immediate life-changing results. It reflects a culture in which demands
for discipline and sustained effort are considered unnecessary or even unfair. It is no surprise therefore
that many people abandon their efforts at meditation before they have a chance to bear fruit.
But for anyone who does decide to take up this worthwhile practice, please remember. You must
clear your mind, relax and “take it as it comes”. Maintain the practice with a sense of discipline and
devotion, and eventually benefits of inner peace and calm will be yours.
B. very different to
C. usually sent from
D. an important element of
B. to practice a religion
C. to develop a technique
D. to carry out an experiment
B. It is practiced by many famous artists.
C. Its benefits are not immediately obvious.
D. Most people find it a very good way to relax.
years?
B. The need to fill in their growing free time.
C. Increasing employment instability.
D. Migration from countries in which meditation is traditional.
B. People interested in starting to learn meditation.
C. Buddhists and Hindus.
D. People who are very religious.
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，在空格处填入一个适当的词或使用括号中词语的正确形式填空。
Surveys show that although a man and a woman have the same level or handle the same position
in an organization, the man would get a higher or bigger compensation package （薪酬）compared
1 women. Because of this, many women just hold subordinate positions 2 (content) in finance
, human resources, sales, manufacturing and other supportive roles.
There are still 3 barriers that prevent women from 4 (reach) their full potentials in the world
of employment. Our culture does not encourage women to excel in government 5 in business-related
jobs. Women who are able to make it on top and handle leadership roles are sometimes regarded merely
6 tokens(象征). Their abilities and skills 7 (question) by their own peers, and sadly even
by other women.
8 you are a woman who have the interest, ability and drive to pursue management careers,
career counseling is of great help to give you direction and increase motivation to pursue your career
goals. 9 will help you have the self-confidence to get you in the same career opportunities open to
men in this society 10 men are preferred for top level positions.
satisfaction. Today, customer “delight” is what companies are trying to achieve in order to keep and
increase market share.
It is accepted in the marketing industry, and confirmed by a number of researchers, that customers
receiving good service will promote business by telling up to 12 other people; those treated badly tell
tales of worse to up to 20 people. Interestingly, 80 percent of people who feel their complaints are
handled fairly will stay loyal.
New challenges for customer care have come when people can obtain goods and services through
telephone call centers and the Internet. For example, many companies now have to invest a lot of money
in information technology and staff training in order to cope with the “phone rage”- caused by delays in
answering calls, being cut off in mid-conversation or left waiting for long periods.
“Many people do not like talking to machines,” says Dr, Storey, Senior Lecturer in Marketing at City
University Business School. “Banks, for example, encourage staff at call centers to use customer data
to establish instant and good relationship with them. The aim is to make the customer feel they know
you and that you can trust them - the sort of comfortable feelings people have during face-to-face chats
with their local branch manager.”
Recommended ways of creating customer delight include: under-promising and over-delivering
(saying that a repair will be carried out within five hours, but getting it done within two); replacing a faulty
product immediately; throwing in a gift coupon as an unexpected “thank you” to regular customers; and
always returning calls, even when they are complaints.
Airlines face some of the toughest challenges over customer care. Fierce competition has convinced
them that delighting passengers is an important marketing tool, while there is great potential for customer
anger over delays caused by weather, unclaimed luggage and technical problems.
For British Airways staff, a winning telephone style is considered vital in handling the large volume
of calls about bookings and flight times. The Airways also says its customer care policies are applied
within the company and staff are taught to regard each other as customers requiring the highest standards
of service.
Customer care is obviously here to stay and it would be a foolish company that used slogans such
as "we do as we please". On the other hand, the more customers are promised, the greater the risk of
disappointment.
B. unsatisfied customers receive better service
C. satisfied customers catch more attention
D. well-treated customers promote business
B. people still prefer to buy goods online
C. customer care becomes more demanding
D. customers rely on their phones to obtain services
B. Giving a “thank you” note.
C. Delivering a quicker service.
D. Promising more gifts.
B. they are more likely to meet with complaints
C. the services cost them a lot of money
D. the policies can be applied to their staff
B. Companies that promise more will naturally attract more customers.
C. A company should promise less but do more in a competitive market.
D. Customer delight is more important for air lines than for banks.
Each year about thirteen million babies are born too soon. More than one million of them die as a
result of their prematurity(早熟). Yet experts say many early births can be prevented.
The report came from the March of Dimes and the World Health Organization.Christopher Howson
is the vice president for global programs at the March of Dimes, a nonprofit group. He says there are a
number of simple, lowcost interventions that can improve the chances of a fullterm birth.
CHRISTOPHER HOWSON: "We should treat malnutrition(营养不良)in women both before and
doing pregnancy. We should treat infections that increase risk. We should monitor pregnancies carefully
for signs of trouble. And should that baby be born preterm, we should care for that baby by providing a
package of interventions that have been shown to be tried and very effective."
For example, there are programs in Africa that teach the skintoskin method, also known as kangaroo
care. Mothers learn to carry preterm babies in front instead the traditional African way of carrying a baby,
on the mother"s back. Skintoskin helps keep a preterm baby warm. The direct contact also makes it
easier for the baby to breastfeed.
Most preterm births take place in Africa and Asia.But rates in the United States have increased by
more than onethird in the last twentyfive years. This is largely the result of more births in older women
and more use of fertility treatments.
Alan Fleischman is the medical director of the March of Dimes. He was among a group of medical
experts who met in Washington, D.C., earlier this month. The group met to develop a quality
improvement plan for dealing with the problem in the United States. Doctor Fleischman says there is
concern especially about rising numbers of what are known as late preterm births.
ALAN FLEISCHMAN: "Those are the babies who are born between thirtyfour and thirtyseven
weeks gestation. Those are the fastest increasing numbers of prematures. In fact, they are responsible
for seventytwo percent of all prematures in America."
The rise of these births may be linked to increased use of drugs to start or speed up labor and more
births by cesarean section. Doctor Fleischman says the group strongly advises against these interventions
before thirtynine weeks unless medically necessary.
The experts also say doctors need to work with pregnant women to do a better job of estimating
exactly when a pregnancy began.