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阅读下列短文,从每题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中,选出最佳选项。

Taxes, Taxes, and More Taxes

  Americans often say that there are only two things a person can be sure of in life: death and taxes. Americans do not have a corner on the “death”market, but many people feel that the United States leads the world with the worst taxes.

  Taxes consist of the money which people pay to support their government. There are generally three levels of government in the United States: federal(联邦), state, and city; therefore, there are three types of taxes.

  Salaried people who earn more than a few thousand dollars must pay a certain percentage of their salaries to the federal government. The percentage varies (变化不同) from person to person. It depends on their salaries. The federal government has a graduated income tax, that is, the percentage of the tax (14 to 70 percent) increases as a person's income increases. With the high cost of taxes people are not very happy on April 15, when the federal taxes are due.

  The second tax is for the state government: New York, California, North Dakota, or any of the other forty - seven states. Some states have an income tax similar to that of the federal government. Of course, the percentage for the state tax is lower. Other states have a sales tax, which is a percentage charged to any item (项目) which you buy in that state. For example, a person might want to buy a packet of cigarettes for twenty - five cents. If there is a sales tax of eight percent in that state, then the cost of the cigarettes is twenty - seven cents. This figure includes the sales tax. Some states use income tax in addition to sales tax to raise their revenues(收入). The state tax laws are diverse (多样) and confusing(混淆).

  The third tax is for the city. This tax comes in two forms: property tax(people who own a home have to pay taxes on it) and excise (国产) tax, which is charged on cars in a city. The cities use these funds (资金)for education, police and fire departments, public works and municipal (市政内) buildings.

  Since Americans pay such high taxes, they often feel that they are working one day each week just to pay their taxes. People always complain about taxes. They often protest that the government uses their tax dollars in the wrong way. They say that it spends too much on useless and impractical programs. Although Americans have different views on many issues (问题), they tend to agree on one subject: taxes are too high.

1.How do you understand the sentence “Americans do not have a corner on the ‘death’ market”?

[  ]

A.It means that Americans, just like all other people, must die.

B.It means that Americans do not have a secret place to keep from death in their life.

C.It means that Americans are not good at doing business in the death market.

D.It means that there is no such place as a death market in the U. S..

2.Why should the American people usually pay three types of taxes?

[  ]

A.There are three levels of governmentfederal, state and cityto support the United States.

B.There are three kinds of taxes to pay. They are graduated income tax, sales tax and property tax.

C.They earn different salaries: high, middle, and low.

D.Tax laws in different states are different.

3.Which of the following statements is NOT true according to para. 4?

[  ]

A.New York, California, and North Dakota have the same tax system.

B.Some states have an income tax but no sales tax.

C.Some states have a sales tax but no income tax.

D.Some states have both an income tax and a sales tax.

4.What does the title “Taxes, Taxes, and More Taxes” imply?

[  ]

A.Americans are not satisfied with the three types of taxes.

B.The three levels of government do not use the taxes in a right way.

C.Americans complain that taxes are too high.

D.Americans' taxes are diverse and confusing.

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   Last year, the fish in the Crafton River began to die. After a series of investigations(研究), it became clear that the people of Crafton City were not to blame. 100~150 miles upstream, big paper mills were dumping industrial wastes into the river. Little by little, the level of poison in the river began to rise. Finally, it became so polluted that the fish themselves could no longer survive.

  Downtown Crafton used to be a quiet area. Ten years of remarkable growth changed that in a big hurry. But with Crafton City's new prosperity(繁荣)came a new problem: air pollution. And it is a serious problem. Air pollution levels in Crafton are regularly reaching those of the nation's large industrial cities.

(1)Which of the following best states the central idea of the passage?

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A.Chemical dumping is a serious threat to Crafton City's soil.

B.The rapid growth of industry has brought air pollution to Crafton City.

C.The disposal of garbage can destroy recreation areas.

D.Industrial growth and progress have resulted in the pollution of Crafton City's water, air, and soil.

(2)According to the passage, what portion of the park had originally been marked for use as a garbage dump?

[  ]

A.Less than half     B.Exactly half

C.About one third    D.Most of it

(3)As it is used in the passage, the phrase“for good”means ________.

[  ]

A.practically    B.for ever

C.thoroughly    D.advantageously

(4)According to the passage, one result of dumping industrial chemicals into the landfill was that ________.

[  ]

A.the land became unsafe for humans

B.the animals on the land died

C.the poisonous chemicals were washed into the nearby river

D.the smoke from the chemicals polluted the air surrounding the landfill

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科目:高中英语 来源:四川省绵阳中学2009-2010学年高一下学期入学考试英语试题 题型:050

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International Studies(BA 文学士)

  Key features

  ●Recognizes the “global community”

  ●Has close connections with practical research

  ●Much of the teaching is done in small discussion groups

  About the course

  The course focuses on the complex(复杂的)relations between nation states.It will provide more opportunity to study specific issues such as relationship among countries in the European Union, third world debt, local and international disagreement, and the work of international bodies such as the United Nations, the European Union, NATO, and the World Bank.

  The course applies theories to the working of the international system with close attention to particular countries.It provides students with a better knowledge of ways to solve international problems.

  Related courses

  BA(Hons)Community Management

  BA(Hons)Public Policy and Management

  Employment possibilities

  International organizations

  International business

Earth Science(BSc 理学士)

  Key features

  ●Based on key courses and the latest research findings.

  ●Pays much attention to practical skills

  ●Offers chances for fieldwork

  About the course

  The demand and competition for natural resources is becoming an increasingly serious problem for the future of mankind.Graduates in Earth Science will play an important role in meeting this demand, and in how these natural resources will be used.

  The course covers geography and geology(地质学).You will carry out fieldwork in the UK and possibly abroad, and in your final year complete a research project in an area of interest to you.

  Related courses

  BSc(Hons)Geography

  BSc(Hons)Geology

  Employment possibilities

  Mineral, oil, water or other related engineering industries

(1)

International Studies is a course in ________.

[  ]

A.

international politics

B.

international business

C.

international bodies

D.

international relations

(2)

After taking the course of International Studies, the students will ________.

[  ]

A.

become practical and open-minded

B.

have a greater ability to discuss theories

C.

know ways to settle problems between countries

D.

have good jobs in any international organization

(3)

Earth Science, as described in the second text, ________

[  ]

A.

is attractive because of the chance for fieldwork

B.

pays more attention to theories than practical skills

C.

is built on important courses and the results of recent studies

D.

encourages students to play a role in using natural resources

(4)

The above two texts are most probably written for the students who ________.

[  ]

A.

are first year college students

B.

have not yet chosen their course

C.

want to study in the UK

D.

are interested in practical study abroad

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