Question

　 Switzerland is the best place to be born in the world in 2013，and the US is just 16th. A new study made by the Economist Intelligence Unit says American babies will have a dimmer（暗淡）future than those born in Hong Kong，Ireland and even Canada. The EIU，a sister company of The Economist，tried to measure how well countries will provide the best opportunities for a healthy，safe and prosperous life in years to come.

　 People born in Switzerland will tend to be the happiest and have the best quality of life in terms of wealth，health and trust in public institutions，according to the analysis. The Scandinavian countries of Norway，Sweden and Denmark also all make the top five in a‘quality-of-lif e’index(指数）where it is best to be born next year.

　 One of the most important factors is being rich，but other factors come into play including crime，trust in public institutions and the health of family life. In total，the index takes into account 11 factors. These include fixed factors such as geography，others that change slowly over time such as demography (人口学) social and cultural characteristics, and the state of the world economy. The index also looks at income per head in 2030，which is roughly when children born in 2013 will reach adulthood. Small economies take up the top 10 countries，with

Australia coming second and New Zealand and the Netherlands not too far behind.

　 Half of the top 10 countries are European，but only one，the Netherlands，is from the eurozone. The crisis-ridden south of Europe，including Greece，Portugal and Spain，falls behind despite the advantage of a favourable climate. Interestingly，the largest European economies-Germany，France and Britain-do not do particularly well. Nigeria has the unenviable(不值得羡慕的)title of being the worst country for a baby to enter the world in 2013.

56．According to the passage，the happiest people live in　　　 ·

　 A. Denmark B. Switzerland C. Germany D. Nigeria

57．The factors of telling the best place to be born don’t include　　　 ．

　 A. economy B. geography

　 C. trust in public institutions D. pollution

58．Which of the following is TRUE according to the text？

　 A. The Economist Intelligence Unit is a company.

　 B. The Economist attempted to measure the best place to live.

　 C. The Scandinavian countries are hardly at the top of the list.

　 D. Half of the top 10 countries are from the eurozone.

59．The purpose of the text is to show people　　　 ．

　 A. the best place to be born in 2013

　 B. a new study made by the EIU

　 C. the worst country to be born in 2013

　 D. the factors of measuring the best place to be born

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　

Answer 1

56. B 细节理解题。 根据文章第一段中 “Switzerland is the best place to be born in the world in 2013,”和第二段“People born in Switzerland will tend to be the happiest and have the best quality of life ”可知一般来说在瑞士出生的人是最幸福的，生活质量也最高。故答案为B项。

57. D 细节理解题。根据文章第二段中对于判断最佳居住地的因素介绍，唯独没有提到污染的问题。故答案为D项。

58. A 推理判断题。根据文章第一段中“The EIU, a sister company of The Economist,”可知经济学人智库是一家公司。故A项正确。是智库试图估算出一个国家或地区能否在未来数年内提供让人们过上健康、安全、富裕生活的最好机会。而非《经济学人》故排除B项。而挪威、瑞典和丹麦这几个斯堪的纳维亚国家也跻身前五名。故C项表述错误。由最后一段首句可知D项错误。答案为A项。

59. B 主旨大意题。本文的目的是展示经济学人智库的研究结果，而其他三个选项只是其中的一个部分，不能作为文章的目的。故答案为B项。